The Fleeing Heiress: A funny flight into love.

by Buck, Gayle

  “What a nonsensical thing to say! You must have wounded your head,” said Miss Stafford with a frown, laying her hand lightly across his brow.

  “I think my dignity is more wounded than my head,” commented Cardiff. He sat up and then got to his feet. Another squall penetrated to the parlor. “There is that ghastly sound again!” He continued his progress to the parlor door, but negotiated it more carefully, wary of the unpredictable cats.

  Thea also jumped up and followed his lordship. She was close behind Lord Cardiff when he yanked the door open.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The sight that met their combined, alarmed gaze was astonishing. The chambermaid, who had been left in the entry hall, was backed up against the wall, her hands splayed against the dark wainscoting. Her face was a study in terror as she stared wild-eyed down at the half-dozen cats that stalked up and down in front of her. One of the cats brushed up against the chambermaid’s ankles, and another shattering shriek broke from her throat.

  “My babies always know when someone doesn’t like them,” observed Mrs. Partridge mildly. She had hobbled up behind Thea and Lord Cardiff, and she looked at the terrified chambermaid with disapprobation. “Quiet that creature at once. She is giving me the migraine, and my heart is still jumping in my chest like a cricket. I am an old woman. I cannot support such excitement. I shall go write that note for you, Thea.” With that, Mrs. Partridge turned back into the parlor. Her interest in the matter was obviously extinguished.

  The chambermaid’s terror had been penetrated by the old lady’s shrill voice. She looked up quickly, and upon catching sight of her mistress, she broke free from the wall and stumbled over to Thea. Falling to her knees and snatching Thea’s hands, she panted, “Save me, miss! They be devils from the pits!”

  Thea struggled to free her hands from the woman’s tight clutch but to no avail. “We are leaving very soon. Why don’t you go out to wait in the carriage?” she suggested desperately.

  “Thank you, miss!” The chambermaid leaped to her feet and ran as fast as she was capable towards the front door. Cats scattered every which way, yowling complaints. The porter barely had time to throw the door open. The woman whisked herself out of the house, and the porter slammed shut the door with a peculiar satisfaction on his sour face.

  Cardiff burst out laughing. “I have never in my life witnessed such a hilarious scene!”

  Trying to control her own quivering lips, Thea regarded his lordship reprovingly. “It is not very seemly to laugh at the poor ignorant girl, my lord.”

  “I wasn’t. At least, not much. I was just remembering what Thomas said about the cats,” said Cardiff, grinning. His eyes glinted with humor. “Do you recall? He didn’t like ‘all of them staring’ at him.”

  “He—he did seem to have an inordinate distaste for them,” admitted Thea, her voice wobbling. Meeting the laughing expression in Lord Cardiff’s eyes, she started giggling. “Oh, poor Thomas!”

  “Has he ever dashed out of the house like that, struck by horror?” asked Cardiff with interest. He nudged a particularly inquisitive feline away from his boots. It stalked away, tail held stiffly upright.

  “No; at least, I do not think so. But Thomas never did like visiting Aunt Theresa as a boy. He was glad when Papa quarreled with her and we did not visit as often,” said Thea, gurgling still with laughter.

  Mrs. Partridge came hobbling back into the entry hall, trailed by several curious cats. She carried a sealed note in her gnarled hand. “Here you are. You may easily reach the Owens before tea, so I will not keep you standing here any longer.”

  Thea thanked her great-aunt politely, taking the letter and tucking it safely away in her reticule. It was no use to reiterate the desperateness of her plight. Mrs. Partridge apparently thought she was safe enough in Lord Cardiff’s company, which of course she was. However, Thea did wish that she could simply become settled safely somewhere. There was no denying that it had been a blow when her great-aunt rejected her. Now she was being sent to relations she had not seen in years, and a queasy feeling of apprehension touched her.

  Lord Cardiff took his leave of the redoubtable old lady as though she were a duchess, bowing over her blue-veined hand and saluting her thin fingers with the brush of a kiss.

  Mrs. Partridge smiled up at his lordship again. She turned back to her niece and said in a resigned tone, “You’re a fool, girl. All the Staffords are, more’s the pity. If the Owens won’t have you, come back to me. I haven’t anything to offer you. I don’t entertain, so there would be no parties and no beaus. However, I’ve taken in strays aplenty. One more won’t make much difference. But I won’t have that creature of yours back, mind! My nerves wouldn’t stand it.”

  “Thank you, Aunt,” said Thea, careful to keep her expression neutral. She felt a brighter flare of indignation than she did of gratitude at her great-aunt’s apparent willingness to take her in only when she was hardly out the door. “I shall remember that.”

  Lord Cardiff started to usher Thea out, but she stopped him with a touch on his sleeve. She glanced back at her great-aunt. “By the way, Aunt Theresa, my brothers may think to look for me here.”

  A martial light entered the old lady’s keen, pale eyes and she snapped, “Never fear. If they dare to set foot here, I shall send them to the right about with a rare bug in their ears!”

  Thea smiled a bit helplessly and Lord Cardiff once more took her elbow. Together they left the house, and the door was shut behind them with firm finality. Thea could almost swear that she heard a rusty bolt being shot home.

  As they went down the icy steps, Thea felt impelled to apologize to Lord Cardiff. “I am sorry, my lord. My great-aunt is not only unsociable but very inhospitable, too, I fear.”

  “True; but Mrs. Partridge is an authentic eccentric and so must be forgiven much,” said Cardiff cheerfully.

  “She did not even offer us refreshment,” said Thea with rising indignation,

  “My dear Miss Stafford, I didn’t mind sharing my lap with a cat, but I draw the line at sharing a bowl of cream!” said Cardiff firmly.

  Thea burst out laughing. She cast a rueful glance upwards at his handsome profile. “It seems all my relations are odd creatures, at best! I feel for you, my lord. You have had much to endure!”

  “I suspect that is the grossest understatement I have ever heard,” said Cardiff civilly. “I do not think 1 have ever been in such peril of my life during my whole career as a soldier as I have been since I met you and your family, Miss Stafford.”

  Thea laughed again. She knew that his teasing words were meant to ease her embarrassment over the awkward situation, and she appreciated his lordship’s tact.

  Cardiff stopped her at the bottom of the steps, so that they were still a little distance from the carriage. “Miss Stafford, I should like to say something.”

  Thea looked up at him inquiringly with still-sparkling eyes. “Yes, my lord?”

  “Miss Stafford, now that we have a few minutes to think, perhaps you had better make clearer to me the nature of your relationship with your maternal uncle. Since he did not come to your mind earlier, I gather that there is extremely bad blood between him and your father,” said Cardiff gravely.

  Thea nodded, her amusement at once quenched. “When my mother was alive, a dreadful quarrel sprang up between her only living relation, a brother, and my father. The quarrel resulted in a schism between them. We have had no dealings with my mother’s brother and his wife for several years, or otherwise I might have thought of him before,” she said somberly.

  “My dear Miss Stafford! Are you quite certain you wish to attempt this? From everything you have said, it is not likely that your uncle will welcome you with open arms,” said Cardiff, concerned.

  “You mean, any more than my great-aunt did?” asked Thea. She saw that she had discomfited him and she touched his sleeve. “I am sorry, my lord. I should not have said that. You have asked a valid question, of course.”

  Thea had tho
ught of the same likelihood herself, and at his lordship’s words, once more a sick feeling of uncertainty had washed over her. However, she refused to give in to the fear that tried to creep its way through her.

  “I am said to favor my mother and that, coupled with my uncle’s animosity towards my father, I hope to turn to good account,” said Thea. She clasped her hands in front of her in an unconscious gesture of earnestness and looked up at her companion. “My lord, since my great-aunt has failed me, I believe now it may be my best route.”

  “Perhaps,” said Cardiff slowly. He was frowning, turning over in his mind what she had told him and weighing its worth. There was so much at question and he wondered if she even guessed how much she risked. The maternal uncle upon whom she was pinning all of her hopes might be totally dead to all family feeling or, worse yet, might even be deceased. He placed little dependence upon Mrs. Partridge’s assurances, for that lady was so far removed from everyone she would likely be the last to hear of anyone’s death. As for the aunt, it was anyone’s guess how the lady might react at the sudden, unheralded arrival of an unknown niece. “Miss Stafford, what is your uncle’s Christian name? Perhaps I am familiar with his reputation.”

  “His name is Mr. Thatcher Owen. I know that is correct, for I recall my mother talking about him,” said Thea. She looked at him anxiously. “Have you heard of him, my lord?”

  Lord Cardiff shook his head. “I fear not. I wish I had so that I could better advise you.”

  “It matters very little at this juncture, I think. I am willing to take the chance that my uncle will take me in. I recall Mama saying how fond they had been of one another. It was a great sadness to her when my father quarreled with my uncle. Perhaps my great-aunt was correct when she said some of his attachment to my mother will be transferred to me when he sees me,” said Thea hopefully.

  “Perhaps,” said Cardiff. He smiled and took her arm to walk with her the few steps remaining to the waiting carriage, then helped her up into the vehicle. When Miss Stafford was comfortably settled, Lord Cardiff shut the door and gave the coachman the new direction. He mounted his horse and the cavalcade once more took to the road.

  The chambermaid was shivering and shaking, her face pallid. Thea deduced that her companion was suffering more from fear than cold and sighed. It was too bad that her great-aunt had not seen fit to offer the shelter of her roof to her. Then she could have sent the silly chambermaid back to the inn.

  They stopped for luncheon and a change of horses several hours after they had started. Lord Cardiff, observing how chilled Miss Stafford appeared when he helped her down, arranged for hot bricks to be placed on the floor of the carriage just before they would be ready to leave.

  After she had eaten and refreshed herself, Thea took the opportunity to stretch her legs by walking a little way down the deserted lane. She pulled the cloak closely about her for warmth, but her face was exposed to the chill air and soon roses were whipped into her cheeks. The scent of ice was on the air, she thought. Soon there would be snow.

  Cardiff followed, his long legs easily catching her up. He was punctilious in inquiring about her, and Thea readily assured him that she was doing very well. “However, it is good to be able to walk about a little,” she added.

  “Yes; I am enjoying the ride even if it is cold. It is infinitely preferable to being cooped up for hours at a time inside the carriage,” said Cardiff, modifying his stride to match her shorter one.

  It was the first time since their meeting that Lord Cardiff had referred in any but a laughing way to the unpleasant experience he had had at the hands of Thea’s brothers. She felt some awkwardness attending to the conversation and was relieved when the coachman came up to inform Lord Cardiff that they were ready to go on.

  Cardiff nodded, “Very well, John Coachman. Miss Stafford, let us turn back.” He took her arm as he spoke and walked with her quickly back to the inn yard. The hard ground crunched underfoot where there had been a patch of moisture. Cardiff cast a knowledgeable eye up at the leaden sky. “It appears we are in for snow.” His breath frosted on the air as he spoke.

  Thea did not reply except with a nod. Her thoughts had flown ahead, and they were not precisely happy reflections. This time, she was determined she would take her leave of Lord Cardiff at last. She wouldn’t be faced again with the option of accepting his lordship’s offer for her hand. She owed him so much that she did not wish to burden him with a wife whom he did not want.

  Of course, there was naturally the chance that Lord Cardiff had thought better altogether of offering marriage to her. She wouldn’t blame him in the least, after his unfortunate exposure to so many of her relations. Such an experience must give pause to the bravest or even stupidest of men.

  “You are silent suddenly, Miss Stafford.”

  Thea cast a fleeting glance up into his face. “I was only thinking how much I regret our meeting as we did, my lord.”

  “I do not. Miss Stafford. It was a truly unique experience,” said Cardiff on a short laugh.

  “You do not mind, really?” asked Thea, stopping and facing him.

  Cardiff looked down at her with surprise. He was not at all in the dark to what she referred. “My dear lady, of course I minded being trussed up and kidnapped! But I would not have missed it for worlds.”

  Thea shook her head as she began walking again. “You are an odd man, my lord.”

  “I very much fear it is my nature to be quixotic and to enjoy what others might regard with repugnance,” said Cardiff affably.

  Thea could not think of a reply which would not expose her feelings. She was wondering if his lordship had found her company to be repugnant and came to the dismal conclusion that he could have thought it nothing else. After all, every appalling thing that had happened to Lord Cardiff had taken place because of her. In a way it would be a relief when she arrived at her uncle’s home and it came time to say good-bye to Lord Cardiff. Perhaps then she would stop feeling this awful guilt.

  Cardiff caught a glimpse of her somber expression. “Is something troubling you, Miss Stafford?”

  Thea gave a quick smile, about to deny it until she glanced up at him. She hesitated, then said, “Not precisely, my lord. I was just wondering how much longer it will be before we reach our destination.”

  “I estimate that we shall arrive at your uncle’s home before the dinner hour,” said Cardiff.

  When she did not comment, he glanced down at her again. “Anxious, Miss Stafford?”

  Thea raised her head and frankly met his eyes. “I admit to beginning to feel some trepidation, my lord. I—I do not know what to expect. Lord Cardiff, what shall I do if my uncle refuses to receive me?”

  Cardiff had wondered how long it would be before the thought occurred to her. He had no ready answer for her, but he tried to reassure her. “Let us leave off thinking about that until and if the eventuality arises.”

  “That may be very good advice, my lord, but I find it most difficult to put it into practice,” said Thea with a touch of asperity.

  “Nonetheless, you must try not to fret, Miss Stafford,” said Cardiff firmly.

  “Is it your usual habit to plunge blindly into a situation without first thinking about all the possibilities, my lord?” asked Thea.

  “I like to get the lay of the land beforehand, so that I do not worry unnecessarily,” said Cardiff.

  “Oh!” Thea was slightly taken aback by his swift reproof, but then she chuckled. She shook her head, throwing up a glance at his tanned face. “I believe I have just been administered a salutatory set down!”

  “Perhaps,” said Cardiff with the flicker of a smile. He handed her up into the carriage. Before he shut the door, he added, “It is quite useless to speculate, Miss Stafford. Only rest assured that whatever the outcome, I shall stand as your friend.”

  “Thank you, Lord Cardiff.” Thea’s tone was subdued, but however much she disliked how she sounded, she could not infuse more enthusiasm into her voice.


  She was grateful to Lord Cardiff. Of course she was. It would be odd indeed if she were not. She could never sufficiently thank his lordship for all he had done on her behalf. The heat of the brick beneath her feet testified to Lord Cardiff’s care. However, there was no denying the slight depression of spirits that came over her when he referred to himself as her friend.

  “What else could he ever be, after all?” she murmured in a self-scold, even as her eyes sought for a glimpse of that trim figure bestride his mount.

  “Miss? Did you say anything?” asked the chambermaid.

  “Oh! No, no. I was merely thinking out loud,” said Thea hastily, feeling some heat stealing into her cheeks.

  Quite contrary to Thea’s expectations, the chambermaid showed little curiosity. The young woman shrugged and closed her eyes, completely unconcerned.

  Thea regarded the chambermaid with growing disfavor, contrasting the woman’s attitude to that of her own lady’s maid. Dear Hitchins! She would never have allowed such a telling comment to pass without pumping her mistress as to its cause, and Thea would have felt better for unburdening at least some of her reflections.

  However, the chambermaid who shared the carriage with Thea was not like her own dear Hitchins. This woman did not care about Thea in the least. The only thing she cared for was her own financial gain. Mr. Quarles, too, had cared nothing about Thea. It had been her newly acquired fortune which had drawn him into her orbit.

  It was really quite lowering, thought Thea, fast falling into a wallow of self-pity. She let out a sigh. There was no one who really cared about her. Her father and brothers wanted to preserve the family’s good name by foisting her off on a complete stranger. Mr. Quarles and the chambermaid only wished to feather their own nests. Lord Cardiff was the best of the lot, but even he, when handed the opportunity to escape parson’s mousetrap, had snatched at it without a moment’s hesitation or thought for her feelings. Apparently self-interest motivated most people to act in the way mat they did.