by Janet Woods
‘Now who sounds pompous? Am I to take it then that this little seed has dropped into your lap in her need to be nourished? Is she aware of the danger involved in that? Are you?’
Dominic nodded, then grinned widely. ‘The young lady has a unique way of avoiding my advances. If I persist she swats me like a troublesome fly, and she has a stubborn streak a mile wide. So what is your advice?’
‘I would have to see the girl first, assess her merits. If you are to employ her you must control your instincts. She will come off the worse if a liaison between you became public knowledge.’
‘You don’t understand, Alex … There is no liaison yet, though I think I’m in love with her.’
‘And does she feel the same way towards you?’
‘She’s never told me, although she did say she liked me and admired my waistcoat and watch. There is an awareness between us on occasion. Sometimes I can hear her speak my name when I’m asleep.’
Alex grinned broadly. ‘Lord, you’ve got it bad, Dom. She’s bringing out your poetic side.’
He recalled a vision of Gracie’s mouth, the curves as rosy and moist as a peach ripening on the summer bough. Setting the delightful vision aside he moved to a more objective description – one his brother would understand. ‘The worst thing is she grabs me by the balls every time I see her, and there’s nothing I can do about it.’
‘Not literally, surely.’
‘Good lord, no, we haven’t reached that stage.’
‘If I could make a suggestion, there are other women on this earth … more accommodating.’
‘Indeed, there is. Damn it, Alex, I don’t want another woman, I only want Gracie Ellis.’
‘You’re willing to wait for her? Good grief, you must be in love then. I never thought I’d see the day.’
‘I’ve resolved to pay her that respect, at least.’
‘That’s all very well, Dom, but seemingly reluctant women are not always as angelic as they present. They seem to know the exact time to drive a man to distraction. When they do so all resolve flies out of the window and they can surprise you.’
Dominic wondered if Vivienne had surprised her brother. Probably, since she wasn’t lacking in spirit.
‘It must indeed be love you’re afflicted with. I can only offer you my sympathy, for I know exactly what you’re going through. I would have waited for Vivienne forever …’ Alex stared thoughtfully at him for a few moments. ‘Well, perhaps not quite that long, after all there is a limit to a man’s patience. Can’t you just throw her over your shoulder and elope with her?’
‘Would you have treated Vivienne that way?’
‘Certainly not. I love her dearly and I respect her. She is all I’ll ever want for in a wife.’
‘I never thought you to be romantic.’
‘I can be, on occasion. Of course, I wouldn’t dream of making Vivienne feel embarrassed by being overly romantic.’
Dominic caught a small movement in the corner of his eye and tried not to grin as he led his brother on. ‘No, of course not … all the same, your marital advice is welcome.’
‘You have to think of your own comfort and dish romance out in small tasty portions – like caviar.’
Dominic didn’t like caviar, however small the portion. ‘Gracie would prefer to eat a freshly dug cockle, I would imagine.’
‘I don’t know if Vivienne has a preference, I must ask her.’
‘Yes, you must … it’s important to know such particularities of taste in a woman.’
Alex poked him in the ribs, proving he wasn’t in the least bit fooled. ‘Does this young woman eat her fish alive or dead, did you say? We could lower her into the pond so she could catch her own.’
It was the chuckle his brother gave that was catching, and the pair of them began to laugh. Alex punched him on the shoulder, and Dominic retaliated with a swipe from his sweaty towel. They wrestled each other, before they raced up the stairs like two exuberant dogs.
Quickly washing the perspiration from his body and shivering a little in the cold air, Dominic donned a pair of dark trousers. He topped it with a matching cutaway jacket and a decorative, though businesslike, waistcoat of dark cherry-red brocade. He pulled on his boots and tucked the trousers inside.
Vivienne was gazing out of the window when he reached the dining room and she turned, bringing a smile with her to brighten his day. She said, ‘There you are. I didn’t want to eat my breakfast alone. It looks as though the weather will stay clear for your visit with Mr Howard today, though it will probably rain tonight.’
He moved to the sideboard, and picking up a plate he turned to her. ‘What will you have for breakfast, my dear?’
Vivienne sang softly, ‘“And she wheeled her wheelbarrow through street broad and narrow, singing cockles and muscles alive, alive, oh”.’
He laughed. ‘I’m afraid we have neither. You overheard?’
She nodded. ‘And you know it, Dom.’
‘Everything?’
‘Over the time I’ve lived in this house I’ve learned how you and Alex compete.’
‘I’d just come into the hall when I heard my name mentioned, so I couldn’t not have overheard. You have an affectionate relationship with Alex and I enjoy watching you together, especially when you act like a pair of twelve year olds. It makes me wish I’d been raised with a sibling nearer in age. I’ve always wanted a brother.’
‘Now you have one, in me. When we were growing up Alex was always there for me … he and Eugenie. I hold them both in great esteem.’
‘They both say the same about you. You are much loved in this house, Dominic. I hope your lady will be worthy of you.’
Warmth flooded through him. ‘Now, you have embarrassed me enough, Vivienne. What can I get you to eat for breakfast?’
‘Some toasted muffins spread with gooseberry preserve, if you would.’
‘Is that all?’
‘For now.’
Dominic had the same, but with the addition of some ham and eggs afterwards, for he had a busy day ahead and dinner was a long way off.
Eugenie entered with Alex, just as Dominic stood up to leave.
‘You must excuse me, but I have an appointment with John Howard,’ he said, and taking Eugenie’s hand in his he kissed it.
‘Anything of importance?’
‘Business. Not overly important, but signatures on papers. More urgent is the fact that my new clerk will need accommodation and a maid.’
‘There, I told you that hiring a woman as a clerk would cause problems,’ Alex said, and blandly enough for Dominic to gaze suspiciously at him.
‘He has told me,’ Eugenie said.
‘But nothing has been settled. Miss Ellis is, as yet, still unaware of my feelings towards her.’
‘That can easily be sorted out.’
‘I thought Miss Ellis might use my rooms in town and I could move into John Howard’s house until I can find a suitable home to purchase.’
Eugenie looked horrified. ‘Nonsense! You cannot put a young woman in a boarding house. It will attract the wrong attention altogether and would be a stain on her character forever more. It will also cast a slur on the LéSayres name, something you boys don’t deserve.’
The boys in question grinned at each other, for before she’d become their stepmother and then her father’s countess, Eugenie had been far from stainless herself.
‘I absolutely forbid it!’
‘It won’t be for long, but the matter is urgent, since Miss Ellis needs alternative accommodation near the establishment where she will be employed. Also I need to give her an option for her future. At the moment that’s a roof over her head and employment.’
‘Her other options?’
‘Marriage to Brigadier Maximilian Crouch and become an army widow, or move to Australia where she intends to search for gold in the company of two other servants, a couple I believe to be dishonest.’
Eugenie snorted. ‘I’ve been given to understand that th
e southern continent is populated by rogues and blackguards.’
‘I’ve heard that the brigadier’s company isn’t much better and his regiment is to be sent to the Antipodes within the month, to help keep order.’
That was news to Dominic, but he was uneasy because the matter of settling the will was even more urgent. What if the brigadier turned up at Oakford House? He wished he hadn’t left Gracie there. ‘As soon as I buy a home Grace can reside there until I’ve sorted things out, unless you can think of anything more suitable.’
Alex plopped a couple of poached eggs and an equal number of thick slices of ham on to his plate. ‘I daresay the matter of accommodations will be resolved easily enough, and shortly. She can stay here in the meantime.’
‘I’d thought of that but she cannot ride to Poole and back every day, especially on these dark winter evenings. I can always bring some transcribing home for her to do.’
Vivienne sighed. ‘Grace Ellis is not a slave, and by the sound of it she’s had a hard time of late. You managed without her before you met, and can do so again. She will be my guest for the short time it takes for you to afford suitable premises in Poole, and to set up home. I’ll prepare that little suite of rooms next to Eugenie … the one that catches the afternoon sun when it shines.’
Alex smiled all around. ‘That’s settled then.’
‘I must warn you, Grace can be … lively. The girl has a will of her own, and she might choose one of the alternative paths open to her.’ An extremely worrisome thought, and Dominic frowned.
Vivienne merely smiled. ‘Better you leave things to me, Dominic. I’ll write to her and invite her to be my guest for a while. You can take my letter with you. If she accepts my invitation it will give us all some breathing space. After all, you haven’t known her for very long and must approach the question of marriage with some caution.’
It was a comment that amused him since Vivienne and Alex had met and had married within a month or so. She’d also produced a healthy heir for the earldom with a month to spare.
‘I bow to your wisdom in the matter, Vivienne.’
Really, he had no choice. Albeit that this was the family home where he’d been born and raised, Vivienne was the mistress of this house and Dominic, as well as Alex, deferred to her on all matters domestic.
Problem now solved Dominic smiled as he left the house and headed for the stable. All he had to do now was pay court to Gracie and propose marriage, and he’d enjoy doing that.
Argus had been turned out of his stall and was ready, waiting for him. He was a handsome beast, beautifully groomed so his pelt was a gleam of polished ebony and his neck arched proudly. He was also in a docile mood, and that caused Dominic to ask Sam, ‘Why is he so quiet?’
‘Partly because he’s quartered in a familiar stable, so he feels comfortable, and also because l rode him round the field a few times to rid him of his pent-up energy.’
A word of praise brought a wide smile from Sam.
Dominic reached Poole to find the quayside as busy as a hive of bees. The tide was in and the ships rode high in the water, their masts sketching acute angles against the sky.
The fishing boats were unloading cod, filched from the Norwegian shoals in the dark of night. The British fishermen were weathered-looking, bearded and watchful as well as being well muscled. They needed to be tough, for the fishing grounds were hotly disputed.
Across the water, and despite the sandbar, the dark mass of Brownsea Island allowed leeway for the ships to enter and exit the quay in relative comfort, while the island itself protected the harbour from the worst of gales.
For a moment the crowd opened and he thought he saw two familiar figures, Brian and his wife Jessie. And they were talking to … it looked like Lady Florence’s former clerk, whom he’d met once over a business matter. Pawley, he recalled. ‘What the devil!’
It didn’t matter to Dominic that the servants might choose to take advantage and leave a little earlier in his own absence. In fact, he’d expected it. Perhaps the sailing date had been brought forward. He frowned. If that was the case they should be in Southampton, surely.
When he looked again they were lost in a jostling crowd. It must have been someone else, he thought and put the servants from his mind. He had enough problems lodged in his mind.
John Howard lived on the other side of the aptly named Ladies Walking Field, where women from the poor house worked their way along lengths of rope, separating the coarse hemp from the tar so it could be reused on the sailing ships. It was a thankless task – one that would have been Gracie’s fate without the intervention of a man like John Howard.
Dominic had bought two acres of land there, earmarking it for his future home. It would have a view down the hill and over the town with the harbour wrapped round it. The water was shallow here and the site could be reached by a stony lane behind a low stone wall.
The backwater was muddy at low tide, and dotted with figures digging for cockles. It reminded Dominic of the time he and Alex used to do the same. They’d come into Poole on market days in the carriage. Tucking her skirt into her waist Eugenie had shown them how to watch for the bubbles in the mud and dig down until they found the cockles. When they reached home they’d open the shells by soaking the cockles in fresh water and then drop them in hot water for a minute or so to cook. Sprinkled with vinegar they were a tasty treat.
His thoughts changed as John Howard’s house came into view. Would he be able to sell his business partner the notion of having a female clerk?
It turned out that he didn’t have to.
John Howard’s home was situated halfway up the hill with the same view over the harbour, but from a different angle. Dominic found him in the library, a cheery fire warming the room. The man was aging well, looking distinguished as he entered his sixties. He was one of those men who maintained a full head of hair, and his head still worked well.
They shook hands, and it was then that Dominic felt the slight weakness trembling through him.
‘I understand you’ve hired a lady clerk,’ John said, as soon as Dominic was seated.
‘Rather, I have offered her the job but she has not agreed yet. If she does I’m sure you’ll like her. Her name is Grace Ellis. How did you get to hear of the matter when I’ve only mentioned it to the earl about two hours ago?’
‘Servants, you know, they do love to gossip. One of them overheard it yesterday in the marketplace. Surely you’re not seeking my approval.’
‘I was about to inform you of my intentions as a matter of respect.’
‘I trust your judgement in this matter, Dominic. I’ve also heard that you’re paying her a man’s wage. That’s unheard of. Some of our regular clients will complain.’
‘The gossip will soon die down. Miss Ellis will do the job well and they will come running to take a look at her. She will be worth her weight in gold.’
‘Did you engage her out of the goodness of your heart, Dominic, or is your heart involved in another way?’
Since his secret was out Dominic decided to be honest. ‘In the first place I hired her because she has the appropriate skills for the position. Now I’m in love with her, and I don’t want to lose her. You should remember her. She is the daughter of the late Dr Ellis, and you’ve been paying her wage for some time.’
‘Ah yes. I do remember her. She was a pretty little thing, and curious about everything. Am I still paying her wage, I hadn’t noticed?’
‘My dear John, you notice every bronze farthing you make, and probably still have it stashed away somewhere.’
John chuckled. ‘I am not quite as tight-fisted as you imagine. As for Miss Ellis, I remember her as a truly sensitive little soul. She made an ointment for my aching fingers out of wintergreen and charged me a penny for it. It stunk to high heaven and raised blisters on my skin. I couldn’t get rid of the stains. My cat took exception to the smell and he left home and didn’t return for three weeks. Grace’s father called her a meddlesome wen
ch, and then took the penny. The harshness of it made her cry. She was a child, after all, and just trying to please. He didn’t have much time for females.’
Dominic burned on Grace’s behalf for the insult. ‘Did it work?’
‘Did what work?’
‘The wintergreen ointment.’
‘D’you know, I can’t remember but I haven’t had painful knuckles since, so it must have scared the pain off.’
They laughed, but dread gathered like a tiny grey rain cloud inside Dominic. ‘What was so urgent that you felt the need to call me home, John. Are you ill?’
‘You’re astute, Dominic, but ahead of yourself. It’s about time I told you, since I know you like your life to be tidy. I’m growing old and I no longer enjoy the cut and thrust of business. Therefore, I intend to retire. Since my wife died I have been lonely, so I recently proposed marriage to a lady of my acquaintance and I hope she will accept.’
Dominic remembered the exchange over breakfast, and smiled. ‘Eugenie?’
‘I have long admired her, but she remained faithful to your father’s memory.’
‘Now it’s my turn to ask. Do you love her?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Then I hope she accepts.’
‘Eugenie has led me to believe she might … pending the approval of the earl and yourself.’
‘She does not need our approval … but there, you both have mine.’
The retirement plan came as a relief, for Dominic had expected the worse. John said, ‘My solicitor will be here shortly to sign my half of the business over to you. From then on it will belong to you alone, though I will be available to advise you for a short time, should you need it.’
‘I will need you to give me a little time to adjust.’
‘While I’m still senior partner I took it upon myself to hire a young man to manage the Dorchester branch. He is called Phillip Dupain, and though a little younger than you, he is quite capable. He can do most of the footwork. I don’t know how he will react to working with a woman though.’
‘In a mannerly fashion, one hopes. He probably knows by now, since everyone in the district seems to be aware of my business.’
