The Dowager Countess (The Saga of Wolfbridge Manor Book 2)

by Sahara Kelly

  She looked at his strong muscles beneath his shirt, his firm chest and his encouraging smile. And then up to that glorious face, the silk white blond hair and those dazzling eyes.

  “Oh well. If you must.”

  He picked her up, settled her into his warmth and carried her downstairs. It was a rather nice trip.

  I believe I’m going to insist on this every day from now on.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Giles noted Gwyneth’s arrival with a thankful sigh. Firstly, because she’d allowed Gabriel to carry her, and secondly because her colour had returned and she looked a great deal better than he’d anticipated.

  This was the most important gathering he’d ever hosted here at Wolfbridge, so having everyone there in relatively good shape, was crucial.

  Evan still had a couple of weeks to go before getting back to his full strength and now Gwyneth would also need some time to recuperate. But Royce had done a good job on both of them. And after today’s incident, Giles was more than ever convinced he’d made the right choice in picking him take over the reins of Wolfbridge.

  Jeremy entered, a tray in his hands. “Tea. Cakes and tarts if you’ve a mind to nibble. Evan’s on the way, but I said I’d bring this up.” He looked at Gwyneth, comfortably settled with her feet up on the couch. “My Lady?”

  She nodded. “Oh yes, please.”

  Royce and Evan walked in together, and Royce headed directly for the cakes. “I missed lunch,” he said as he put two on a small plate and took them to a chair.

  Evan chuckled and poured tea.

  Gabriel arranged himself next to Gwyneth, taking her cup for her and putting it on a small table. “You’re not to bother that wound,” he said when she protested. “My job is to make sure you don’t.”

  She sighed. She had learned that when he used that tone of voice, he was adamant and it would take a mountain to move him. “Very well. You might as well pass me a raspberry tart.”

  Giles walked to the door and closed it. “Now that we’re all here,” he began, “I want to first extend my thanks to all of you for handling this morning’s events so smoothly. I’m only sorry we couldn’t save you your injury, my Lady, but we’re all here, pretty much in one piece, so I consider it a win for all of us.”

  “Indeed,” agreed Gwyneth. “I owe you all my life several times over now. I’m not sure I have the right words to thank you, but…”

  “We know, dear lady,” said Jeremy. “You don’t need to say a word.”

  “Correct,” endorsed Giles. “And there’s a lot I have to say so let’s keep the conversation moving forward, if we can.”

  Miffed, Gwyneth merely nodded.

  “I have set enquiries in motion, my Lady, having to do with the disposition of your late husband’s estate. I’m prepared to assume that the present Earl is experiencing some kind of madness, given his outrageous behaviour. But on the off chance that there is some sort of secondary will that transcends the first, you should be informed. If action is necessary, we can see to it once we know.”

  She nodded. “Yes, that sounds logical, Giles. I would be very surprised if Ernest’s allegations were correct, but it does pay to make sure we have the facts.”

  “What are we going to do with him, Giles?” Evan looked serious. “I doubt any of us, especially my Lady here, wishes to appear in any kind of court, should we bring him up on charges.”

  “But he would have killed Lady Gwyneth,” said Jeremy. “That’s attempted murder.”

  “I know,” said Evan gloomily. He looked at Royce. “What about you and I take him down to the river and see if he can swim underwater?”

  “With us sitting on him?”

  “That would work, yes.”

  “Gentlemen.” Giles raised a hand. “I say again. We cannot afford to act in an ill-advised fashion, much as I endorse your sentiments. Consider for a moment the problems that would arise were my Lady’s stepson’s body discovered this close to her current residence?”

  Jeremy pouted. “Good point, but I’m still in favour of my idea.”

  “Be that as it may…”

  Everyone looked up as the sound of a carriage pulling up in front of Wolfbridge interrupted Giles.

  “Hmm,” he said, glancing at the clock. “Ten minutes early.” He walked to the door. “Excuse me for a moment? I will return shortly.”

  “Well.” Gwyneth blinked. “I wonder what that’s all about?”

  Royce moved to the window and pushed the curtain aside. “It’s a travelling carriage. Looks as if there’s been a few miles logged on it today…” He leaned as far as he could. “Only one passenger I think…I can’t see from here.”

  Silence fell, the clock ticked, and Evan sighed. “More tea, anyone?”

  Five minutes later, the door opened and Giles returned. But this time, he was not alone.

  Accompanying him was a woman, a stunningly breathtaking woman that had each man rising as she walked in, and Gwyneth struggling to sit up.

  “Please. Stay as you were,” said Giles, leading his guest to a chair, and seating her. “I would like to introduce you to a very dear and special lady.”

  He turned to her and Gwyneth saw the expression on his face as he looked at her. It shook her to her very core.

  Giles was in love with her.

  It was written so clearly he might as well have yelled it to the rafters.

  And she looked back at him with the same doting expression.

  “Giles…?” said Gwyneth, a question in her voice.

  “Forgive me,” said Giles, his smile much warmer than usual. “My Lady, I have the honour of presenting Madame Ionie Summerfield. Ionie, this is Gwyneth, the Lady of Wolfbridge.”

  Madame Summerfield stood and dropped a graceful curtsey to Gwyneth. “I am delighted to meet you, my Lady. I hope you’ll forgive my unannounced arrival, but Giles gave me some quite strict instructions to that effect…”

  Her voice was soft and lilting, with a slight accent Gwyneth couldn’t place. But her smile was genuine and Gwyneth found herself smiling back. “I am so pleased to make your acquaintance, Madame. Please excuse me for not standing, but there was a trivial incident this morning, and I’m temporarily incapacitated.”

  Ionie’s brows met in a frown and she glanced at Giles, who merely shrugged.

  “You are well, my Lady?”

  “I was stabbed, Madame. Nothing serious.”

  “Ah.” Taken aback, she resumed her seat, her eyes wide. “I will never understand the English. You are all so calm about matters that would make us scream and shriek to the skies.”

  Giles grinned. “I know that for a fact.”

  Royce came over to her. “I’m Royce, Ma’am. Estate manager. And Jeremy here is our head footman, and helps serve the amazing foods prepared by Evan, our chef.”

  “Cook.” Evan raised an eyebrow at him.

  “Cook, chef…any way you title him, he creates wonderful meals.” Royce gestured to Gabriel. “And this is Gabriel. He does pretty much everything else.”

  Ionie extended her hand to Gabriel, her unusual eyes fixed on his face.

  They were almost gold, realised Gwyneth, especially when the light caught them a certain way. Set into her incredible features, a skin several shades darker than usual and raven black hair piled high, Ionie was a stunning beauty. And she’d mesmerised Gabriel, who approached and knelt at her feet.

  “Madame,” he murmured. “Je suis enchanté.” He took her hand and kissed it.

  She touched his hair, then slid her elegant fingers to his chin and raised it. “You are different, my child. Your future is not what you think it is. But trust in your heart, little angel. It will not be easy, but trust in your heart.”

  Gabriel rose, his cheeks flushed. “Er, yes, Ma’am. Of course.” A look of confusion crossed his face as he returned to his seat.

  “Forgive me,” Ionie raised a hand to her eyes. “Sometimes…I see…”

  “Hush now.” Giles rested on the arm of her c
hair and put a protective hand on her shoulder.

  “So, if I may make so bold as to ask…what brings you here to Wolfbridge?” Gwyneth’s question bridged the somewhat awkward silence.

  Ionie smiled upward at Giles. “This man, my Lady. This man.”

  “Giles?” Gwyneth turned a questioning eyebrow toward him again. “There’s something you’ve not been telling us, I believe.”

  “So many things, my Lady,” he quipped with a smile. “But yes, in this instance you’re correct. And although I would have loved to share the story, until recently it was not in my power to do so.”

  “But if you can now, please do.”

  “I will. ’Tis not a long tale. I met Ionie nearly twenty-five years ago when I was in Jamaica.”

  His words drew everyone’s attention and surprised looks greeted his statement. “My parents sent me out to get some worldly experience with a plantation owner, a business associate of my father who told him to send me and he’d show me the ropes.”

  “What an amazing trip that must have been,” murmured Evan.

  “It was, lad. It was. I loved Jamaica. The sun, the heat, the colours…”

  “The rum,” added Jeremy with his irrepressible grin.

  “That too, yes,” nodded Giles. “But I didn’t know what love was until a young servant walked in the door with an armful of flowers.”

  “Madame Ionie?” asked Gabriel.

  “I was just Ionie then. A house slave, nothing more.”

  “You were a slave?” Gwyneth could scarcely believe it.

  “I was. And luckier than many, since house slaves were fairly well fed and well treated. At least they were on the Summerfield plantation.”

  Silence fell as she named the plantation and the wheels clicked into place in the heads of her listeners.

  “Yes, you’re all thinking the same thing. I wasn’t the only one to notice Ionie. The Master also noticed her. He took a fancy to her and married her. She had yet to turn sixteen. By then we had declared our affections, but no matter what I said, or hinted or asked, his mind was made up.” Giles reached for her hand.

  “I was wed against my wishes, but like Giles, my words and protestations had no effect. In Jamaica, the master’s word is law.” She sighed. “I was actually lucky.”

  “Lucky?” exploded Gwyneth. “How can that be?”

  “He could have just taken me to his bed,” replied Ionie practically. “That’s what most of the masters did. They took any slave they wanted. Raped them, sometimes kept them as mistresses, and occasionally married them. We were the lucky ones. We survived.”

  “My God.” Royce shook his head. “Giles, you must have been beside yourself.”

  “I was indeed. I had to leave. Not only was my time up, but the Master didn’t want me there anymore, since his new wife looked at me more often than him.”

  “Neither of us had a choice. So we parted,” continued Ionie. “I did my best to be a good wife. I bore him two fine sons. I worked to keep the plantation slaves as healthy as possible, and that helped during some of the more unpleasant uprisings that occurred now and again. Well-fed slaves are less likely to kill their masters.”

  Gwyneth shivered. Ionie was so calm when speaking of such things. And yet those eyes…they were speaking as well. If only she could understand their messages.

  “We kept in touch. We wrote. Ionie had received some minimal education, enough for her to be a house slave, and after her marriage she made a point of learning everything she could.”

  “I can even play the piano, the harp, and some guitar, although the latter was not as welcomed at plantation events.”

  Evan gazed at her. “You are truly amazing.”

  “I agree,” said Giles fondly. “Anyway, as you may have surmised, Ionie’s husband recently passed away.”

  Gwyneth mentally slapped herself for not noticing the widow’s garb. The neatly cut black spencer topping a dark grey travelling gown was both practical and suitable, yet the woman’s looks would always draw the eye, not what she wore.

  “My sympathies,” she said, correctly.

  “Thank you.” Ionie smiled, teeth flashing white in the lovely face. “He suffered some kind of seizure and died within hours. It was very very hot that day, but he would persist in visiting the stables. A new filly had arrived and he was quite eager to try her out.”

  “I’m surprised he would ride in such heat. Would it not have been better to wait until after the sun set?”

  Both Giles and Ionie looked at Jeremy. “Not that kind of filly, Jeremy,” said Giles.

  “Oh.”

  Silence fell, and this time Gwyneth couldn’t think of a single thing to say to break it.

  It was left to Ionie to finish their story. “As soon as he passed, and the arrangements settled, I told my sons I was leaving. They knew of my dear friend in England with whom I communicated regularly. They have their own families now and will run the plantation themselves. I had no fears or worries about leaving them to live their own lives.” She sighed. “All I could think of was that I was free at last. And that Giles awaited me. As he has done for so long.”

  “I got her letter a short while ago. The day you got the blackmail note, my Lady.”

  “Oh. Oh, I see.” She nodded, her mind scrambling to keep up. “So you’re here.”

  “Er yes.” Ionie blinked.

  Giles cleared his throat. “It is my intention to wed Ionie. It has been my intention for a quarter of a century. I think I know my own mind by now.” He grinned down at her. “This is my future wife.”

  Yet another stunned silence fell. Gwyneth wondered how many more shocks her heart would withstand.

  “So,” Giles looked around, “since nobody has anything to say, I will also add that Ionie and I will be leaving this afternoon. Our first stop will be in London—a long trip but a necessary one. We’ll then drive on to my family’s home just outside Ware. We’ll marry there and after our honeymoon, I will let you know where we will be settling.”

  Gwyneth leaned back against the couch cushions and put her hands over her eyes. “I can’t stand anymore shocks. Would someone either stab me again and put me out of my misery or hand me a large brandy?”

  Royce rose, as the others made their sentiments known in similar ways. He walked to the drinks table, poured Gwyneth her brandy and took it across the room. “Here you are, my Lady.” She took it with a nod of thanks and downed nearly half, coughing a little and holding her side so as not to disturb the bandages.

  “Yesterday evening,” said Royce into the continued silence, “Giles honoured me by informing me of his plans to leave. He did not, by the way, mention anything about Madam Ionie here.” He cocked a finger at Giles in disapproval. “However, he asked me a very important question, to which I answered in the affirmative.” He took a breath. “As of today, I am now the butler at Wolfbridge Manor.”

  “Oh my God,” said Jeremy. “You’re the new Giles.”

  *~~*~~*

  It seemed to Gwyneth that scarcely a minute had passed since Giles’s stunning announcement and the loading of his baggage into the travelling carriage. He had packed all he needed for the present, he told Jeremy. The rest of his personal belongings were already boxed, and Jeremy promised to have them forwarded once Giles sent an address.

  Her head whirled as Wolfbridge changed in front of her very eyes.

  She had enjoyed sitting quietly with Ionie for a brief chat. The men had busied themselves, so she took shameless advantage, plied Ionie with a brandy and instigated an inquisition.

  “Yes, my Lady, I do love him,” Ionie grinned. “But I’m happy you asked. It means you have come to cherish him as well.”

  “He’s been our rock, Madame.” She paused. “May I call you Ionie? So much less formal. And I’d be honoured if you would call me Gwyneth. After all,” she grinned, “we do have a man in common.”

  Ionie laughed. “That we do.” She looked around. “It will be hard for him, you know. Leaving here.
Wolfbridge has been something very rare, very special in his life. It gave him purpose. I was worried when he left. He was so lost, angry…I didn’t know what would become of him.”

  “But he wrote…” prompted Gwyneth.

  “He did,” nodded Ionie. “He kept his word. For the last twenty-five years we’ve written, and sometimes I think we’re even closer because of it. One can write one’s most intimate thoughts so much more easily that speaking them aloud.”

  Thinking of her journal, Gwyneth blushed. “Very true.” She tilted her head to one side. “He loves you, you know. Anyone who looks can see it in his eyes.”

  “I know. I am a very fortunate woman indeed to be loved by such a one as Giles.”

  Gwyneth reached out and rested her hand on top of Ionie’s. “Make him happy. He deserves it. He has given so much to Wolfbridge, and he saved my life and many others, I’m sure, since he’s been here. It’s time he was on the receiving end.”

  “I cannot wait to begin doing just that,” smiled Ionie. “Sometimes you see someone and you just know.” Her hand bunched against her heart. “It was thus with Giles and me. I walked into the dining room, thinking to refill the flower vase before dinner. And there he was.” She swallowed. “One look and my life changed forever.”

  “Ready to go, my love?”

  Gwyneth took a breath, scarce able to believe the words coming from Giles’s mouth. Or the look on his face when Ionie rose and went to him, taking his hands eagerly. “Yes, Giles. Yes.”

  Gabriel came in and moved to Gwyneth. “My Lady. Let me help you to your feet. We can wave them off from the front steps…”

  She glanced at him. His eyes were overfull, glittering with some emotion that she could not name. But she had a feeling they’d all be experiencing some emotions soon. Saying goodbye to Giles was not going to be easy.

  And it wasn’t.

  There were gentle hugs, back slaps, manly and affectionate wishes for luck and health and happiness.

  She kissed Ionie on both cheeks and watched her get into the carriage.

  Then it was time.