by Aria Norton
Nash sat up, a hand going to his tousled hair. He looked around the estate, trying to understand what had happened. Oh, yes, I slept here for Freddi's sake. Nash found himself grinning like a fool. Just the thought of her name was enough to put him in a good mood.
“What is that you mentioned about my father?”
“He wishes to see you, my Lord.”
Nash squinted up at him. “And what is your name?”
“Malcolm.”
“Malcolm, please inform my father that I shall be with him shortly. I need to work the kinks out of my body before I can see him.”
“Yes, my Lord, right away.”
The young man moved off, disappearing into the house. I suppose it is time to get up, I just hope that my leg will not protest too much. Nash put his weight on his good leg, and once he was standing, he tried to put his injured leg down. The pain that shot up through his leg had him crying out. The front door swung open almost immediately, revealing a dishevelled Freddi.
“What happened? Is it your leg?”
Nash forgot about the pain in his head and took in Freddi's appearance. Her hair was a cloud about her face, framing it angelically, and her eyes, and mouth were still swollen from sleep.
“You were remarkably quick. Where did you sleep?”
She did not answer him, only biting her bottom lip as she looked away. Why the sudden shyness? Nash pushed the door wider, pleasure filling him when he saw her makeshift bed on the floor. She wanted to sleep near me, she was just as worried about me as I was about her. Did they need anything else to prove that they were a perfect match?
“May I have some water to bathe my face and rinse my mouth? Father wishes to see me. I shall stand out here, I do not want anyone having the wrong idea about us.”
“Yes, one moment.”
Freddi spun on her heel, picking up her bedclothes as she walked away. Nash chuckled inwardly. She could not wait to leave, she must be mortified that I know where she slept.
Nash was ready to see his father ten minutes later, but rather than going to the study, he met the Marquis in the drawing-room.
“Good morning, Father. I trust you slept well?”
“Better than well. I see you slept outside?”
Nash shrugged. “It was my choice. Malcolm said that you wished to see me?”
“Yes. I have some good news, son. Some of it reached me last night, but I heard the full story early this morning.”
Nash had a feeling he knew exactly what his father was going to say, but he let the man continue.
“The perpetrator has been caught, and as I understand it, I have you to thank for it.”
“Some-”
“Do not interrupt, boy! This calls for a celebration. Dagwood!”
The butler came running into the room. “Yes, Your Lordship?”
“Call Lady Blackmore, and have the cook prepare a feast of all my son's favourite foods.”
“Yes, my Lord, right away.”
The man scurried away, his agility surprising for a man his age.
“Father, this is hardly necessary.”
“Of course, it is. Mr Down will never bother me again, and it is thanks to you. How did you do it, son? How did you catch the fool?”
“I did not precisely catch him, Father, I more so-”
“Come on, boy, do not be so modest. Never mind, I shall tell you what Constable Marshall told me. The man- Down- confessed to the crime of poisoning Martha and John Dunn. Can you believe it? Never would I have thought that such honest and good people would meet their end in such a manner. Did you know that they counted him as a friend? I never liked the fellow myself. It was one of the reasons why I chased him off Blackmore Estate. He appeared far too crafty to be taken lightly.”
Nash's heart went out to Freddi. She was so brave yesterday, and even after she found out the actual cause of her parents' deaths, she did not break down and cry. She now has closure, but she may mourn them all over again. After all, it was not a sickness that had taken their lives, but a cruel and calculated man. Down deserved the full punishment for taking the lives of two innocent people. Nash hoped that he was given the full penalty.
“I would like a memorial wall to be built for them, Father. We should honour them for all the service they have given to this family.”
Freddi would undoubtedly appreciate the idea.
“Yes, but you can make the arrangements, son. Do what you must for them.”
“Did Down confess his reasons behind poisoning the Dunns?”
"Yes, Constable Marshall received a full confession out of him. It turns out that the man was living a double life. One the one hand he was a simple cobbler, but on the other, he was far more intelligent than I would have given him credit for. The man wanted to cover his debts to John Dunn by killing him. Apparently, he owed the man a lot of money and was not willing to pay it."
“So he chose to take their lives instead?” said Nash in disgust. “The man does not deserve to live.”
“My precise sentiments. I never thought to think of Down as the mastermind behind those threats. I underestimated him. You know, I had actually forgotten about the incident many years ago.”
“What incident, Father?”
"Many years ago, I had fired Down from a project he had been doing for Blackmore Estate. He was simply not delivering on his promises, so I demanded that he give part of the money back. I had paid him in full, thinking that he would complete the job quicker. The man disappeared for some time after I fired him, and I suppose that I forgot about him.”
The Marquis swore. “The bugger wanted me to stop all business in town that he may grow his own empire that he was slowly amassing through illegal means. But there is something that I do not understand: he was in debt, and yet he had money- it does not make sense, does it? I suppose his money was illegal, thus, he could not publically use it. Serves him right!"
“Will you get your money back?” “I imagine not. I am far happier that he has been caught; I do not need a few extra pounds in my coffers. I have some news that may interest you. It's about that orphan girl.”
“Freddi?”
His father nodded. “Down heard about the investigation early on, and wished to remain one step ahead of us. He sent his apprentice to keep an eye on the girl, you as well, but I reckon he was more interested in the girl. I heard the man wanted to marry her? I did not think that she would become so desperate as to marry a man old enough to be her father.”
His father's words annoyed him. “You were the one to reduce her options, Father. What you do not know was that it was Freddi who discovered the truth behind Down's plot. She risked her life and found out the truth. The least you can do for her is clear her name.”
Lady Blackmore chose to come in at that moment, touching his head before sitting beside her husband.
“It is lovely to see you again, Nash. Will you stay a little longer?”
“Yes, woman,” the Marquis replied. “I have invited him to lunch. I called you here to take a look at the heir of the Blackmore Estate. Congratulations, son, you have earned your inheritance back.”
“Oh, how lovely,” his stepmother exclaimed. “This is a cause for celebration. Let me go and overlook the preparations, William, I want them to be perfect.”
Lady Blackmore excused herself, touching her hand to Nash's hair once again. Nash had not yet spoken a word since his father mentioned the return of his inheritance. All that he could think about was Freddi, and what the inheritance would mean for them both. I can marry her now.
“Son, are you listening to a word I am saying?”
Nash had not been aware that his father had been talking to him.
“Yes? My apologies, I did not hear you.”
“I wish to know what you will do now that you have your inheritance back.”
“That is simple, Father. I shall thank Freddi.”
“Thank the orphan? Whatever for?”
“She is the reason why I have my inheritance back. If not for
her, I would be on my way to France right at this moment.”
"I suppose the girl does have her uses after all, but do not go marrying her."
Nash snorted. His father had no say in what he would do. I will marry Freddi, and she will become my wife. Nash could hardly believe that the goal he had set for himself was coming true. All he had to do now was find a way of confessing his love to her. I do not know how she will react when I tell her the extent of my feelings, but I am hoping that she will receive them well.
“You are thinking about that girl again, I can see it.”
Nash laughed. "The truth of the matter is that I love her, Father. I have probably loved her since I was a child, and despite the distance between us, I never stopped thinking of her. She is one of the reasons why I can walk today. It was my sheer determination to see her again as a whole man rather than a cripple that pushed me to heal. You called me a cripple and refused to believe that I would ever walk again, but I proved you wrong, did I not?"
“You are a Blackmore, we laugh in the face of adversity.”
“Just as you laughed at me, and insulted me for not reaching your expectations?”
His father did not say a word. The man had the decency to look embarrassed, but it was a little too late for that.
"I am now a grown man, Father, and I shall make my own decisions. I have proven myself to you, there should be no doubt in your mind that not only am I worthy of the Blackmore name, but I have the right to choose the woman I love. Many years ago, you tried to separate us, but you failed. Today, I am telling you that you had best accept Freddi as your daughter-in-law because the first thing that I am going to do is make her my wife. Now, do you permit me to invite her to our lunch celebration? It is only right, as she did the bulk of the work in catching Down."
His father sucked in his cheeks, letting them go with a smack of his lips.
"Fine. Do whatever you think is necessary, Nash. You are a grown man, after all."
That was precisely what he had wanted to hear.
Epilogue
Freddi was beside herself with nerves. Nash had not come out of the house yet, and that worried her. Would the Marquis go back on his word?
I am more so worried about him than I am about myself. I do not give a fig if I do not get any money, but I do wish him to get what is rightfully his.
A knock on her door sent her flying, yanking it open with force.
“My dear,” said Mrs Blunt. “I was not aware that you were so eager to see me.”
“I was expecting to see someone else, but I do like a friendly face first thing in the morning. Is there something that you need from the cottage? I know that you are eager to move in.”
Freddi spoke without a stitch of malice. It was only right that the housekeeper got the cottage, it had been the same for her mother when she had become the housekeeper of Blackmore Estate.
“No, dear, I thought that I might have some tea with you. I enjoyed the cup I had the other day.”
“Of course, do come in.”
Fortunately, I have already cleaned the cottage, or she might have had a word to say about it. Indeed, there had been nothing else that she could do but get herself ready and clean the little house. Waiting for Nash to return with a verdict about his future was stressful, all she wanted was for him to be happy.
“With or without milk, Mrs Blunt?”
“Definitely with, my dear. I cannot stand black tea, it tastes like a terrible herbal concoction. It reminds me of the medicine my mother used to feed me as a child.”
“Surely it is not that terrible? I tend to drink it black at times, with a thin slice of lemon. It is a most refreshing drink. My mother adopted that way of drinking the tea when a well-known and well-travelled Countess came to visit Lady Blackmore many years ago.”
“You have a lot of history here, Freddi. It must be difficult to say goodbye to it.”
More than the housekeeper would ever know, but Freddi had come to terms with it.
“I have learnt not to dwell on the past, it only makes you more miserable. My future is not bright either, but I have some hope to hold on to.”
Freddi prepared the water, taking two teacups out as the water came to just below boiling point.
“Have you had any of the biscuits I brought the other day?”
Mrs Blunt had come with many peace offerings, one of them being a tin of biscuits for Freddi to enjoy with her tea.
“Truth be told, I have hardly done any eating in the last two days. My mind has been occupied with many other things.”
“Dagwood has told me about your parents, Freddi. I wish to come and offer my condolences. I have been told that they were wonderful people, the type to always help someone in need. What happened to them should never have taken place, and I am glad that they had caught the man. Or rather, that you have caught the man. You have turned out to be a rather brave young woman, Miss Dunn. I admire you.”
Freddi was taken aback by Mrs Blunt's compliments. No one would have said that just days ago, and she could not stand the sight of me. Now we are good friends.
“Thank you, but I do not think that I have done anything that anyone else would not have done in my place.”
“You underestimate yourself, dear.”
Freddi brought the biscuits to the table, sliding them to Mrs Blunt. The tin itself was lovely with pretty flowers dotted all around it. It reminded her of the one she had gotten rid of some days ago.
“Tea will be ready in a minute.”
“So, tell me dear: is there something romantic between you and Lord Salisbury? The staff and I noticed how he slept on your doorstep the whole night. Only a man in love could do such a thing.”
Freddi was torn between wanting to be embarrassed or laughing at the woman's subtle way of getting the news out of her.
“I gather that you have come to have some tea in the hopes of finding out some information?”
“Is that such a terrible thing?”
Freddi did laugh this time around. “I suppose not. To answer your question, Nash and I are good friends, well; at least we were until he left so many years ago. I think that we may have ignited our friendship once again.”
“Friendship? Is that all?”
The woman sounded disappointed. Freddi placed her tea in front of her, sitting down with her own.
“I know that it sounds boring, but think of it in this way: the heir of Blackmore Estate is good friends with a mere maid. That does not happen often.”
“I suppose not, but I would have been happier had there been a romance brewing between you. A girl needs some excitement in her life.”
The woman sighed, dunking a biscuit into her tea. Freddi stared at her for a few heartbeats, seeing the humour in it all. She burst out laughing moments later, unable to control herself. Tears streamed down her face, and at first they were tears of amusement, but they soon turned into the tears she should have shed when she realised that her parents' lives had been snuffed out due to greed and corruption.
Mrs Blunt seemed to know when her crying had changed over to grief because she left her chair and embraced her, squashing Freddi's head against her bosom. Freddi did not mind, her mother would have done the same. Mrs Blunt began to rock her sideways, humming a sweet lullaby that eventually softened her cries to a sob. For a long while they remained like that, a brief moment in time while Freddi remembered her parents.
