Charlie scowled. ‘I say, you don’t think one of them hankers after Miranda, do you?’
Flora thought the degree of concern expressed by Charlie transcended the protective instincts of a surrogate brother. ‘I’ll wager that Miranda will make calling upon Emma a priority,’ she said, dealing Charlie a sympathetic look. ‘To oblige you, I will see what I can discover.’
‘Thank you. I bear a certain responsibility for Miranda’s wellbeing,’ Charlie replied. ‘It’s damned inconvenient sometimes, feeling duty bound, but what can a man do?’ He shrugged. ‘I suppose I took Miranda under my wing, along with Emma, years ago. She’s in a vulnerable position now with no one to look out for her interests other than a step-mother of highly suspicious moral character.’
‘If Miranda expresses dissatisfaction to Emma and I hear of it,’ Flora said, ‘I shall certainly let you know. But now, if you will excuse me, I have neglected the countess for too long.’
Charlie thanked her and opened the door so that Flora could pass through it. She had recently descended the stairs with a feeling of impending doom hanging over her but walked up them again with a much lighter tread. Luke had taken her side against her father, the dowager countess had used her wits in a further act of protection, her position was now secure and the male members of the family opened doors for her—a glorified servant.
She entered the dowager’s room and found her again settled in her favourite chair.
‘Thank you,’ she said, leaning over to kiss her wrinkled cheek. ‘You were superb.’
‘I could have been an actress in my younger days. Everyone said so, but of course people in that line of work earned a certain reputation. I was well enough able to garner a reputation of that type without resorting to treading the boards.’
‘How did you know what Papa’s complaint would be?’
‘I am not completely senile.’ The countess made a disgruntled sound at the back of her throat. ‘For all your annoying ways, it’s obvious that you are an asset to him and he would prefer to have you where he can keep control of you. As much as anyone ever can.’
‘I am well aware that you are not in the least bit senile. It just suits your purpose for people to think that you are. As for expressing your opinions so forthrightly, no one can blame you for that. I certainly do not. I find it refreshing. But you have still not explained why you imagined Papa’s concern for my spiritual wellbeing brought him scurrying down here.’
The countess chortled. ‘Everyone hereabouts knows that I am a heathen. I don’t make a secret over my non-religious beliefs. I suppose your father imagined you wouldn’t last for more than five minutes and would be shocked into giving notice. None of your predecessors survived, which is probably why he allowed you to come. You were supposed to see the error of your ways and return to the family fold, duly chastened and ready to do as you were told.’ The countess tutted, as though the very idea was preposterous. ‘When you didn’t take fright like all those other ninnies they sent to annoy me, your father used what he thought he knew about my personal beliefs as an excuse to snatch you away.’ Her chins wobbled with the effort it took her to hold back a laugh. ‘How would it look to the bishop if his canon chancellor’s eldest daughter sat daily at the knee of a heretic?’
‘Well, there is that. You are a wicked woman, Lady Swindon, for which I gave daily thanks. And you are far more astute than most people realise.’
‘I cannot abide sanctimonious bullies, and I knew your father was bound to be one, so I decided to make the sort of impression that he couldn’t possibly object to.’
‘Well, you succeeded better than you can possibly know.’ Zeus, the dowager’s white cat, jumped onto Flora’s footstool and rubbed his body against Flora’s hip, looking up at her through piercing green eyes. She absently stroked his sleek back, making the countess frown. Until Flora’s arrival, no one other than she had been able to get anywhere near the contrary feline. But Zeus had taken a liking to Flora and didn’t care who knew it. ‘I am absolutely sure that he knew you were cutting a sham, but even he wouldn’t dare take a countess to task, especially in front of his lordship. It is a long time since anyone got the better of Papa quite so comprehensively. He wanted me to go back to Salisbury with him, of course. You were quite right about that. He still seems determined that I should marry his curate.’
‘I shall never speak to you again if you do. Besides, it would be inconvenient if you were to leave. You are an opinionated hussy, but I have become accustomed to your outspokenness and am not yet ready to part with you.’ She flapped a hand. ‘Next week, perhaps, but until then you might as well stay here and continue to interfere in our affairs.’
‘I am much obliged to your ladyship,’ Flora said primly, feeling a great swelling of affection for the curmudgeonly old lady.
‘Get off with you now and leave me to rest. All this gadding about saving the day has tired me.’
‘I will be back at the usual time to take you down to dinner.’
The dowager’s eyes had already closed and she didn’t respond.
Chapter Three
‘It is so very lovely to see you again.’ Flora watched as Emma threw her arms around Miranda Defoe’s slender shoulders. ‘And your return could not be better timed. I would not feel properly married if you were not there to be my bridesmaid.’
‘The moment I received your telegram telling me that Mr Watson had proposed, I naturally insisted that we return to England without delay.’
‘Oh, excuse me,’ Emma said, after Miranda had greeted Mary. ‘This is Miss Flora Latimer, my grandmother’s companion and our dear friend. She has only been with us for a short time but already we do not know how we managed without her. And, miraculously, Grandmamma likes her too, which shows great good sense on her part. Something we do not often see.’
‘It’s a pleasure, Miss Defoe,’ Flora said when she was able to get a word in edgeways. ‘I look forward to hearing about your travels.’
‘And so you shall, Miss Latimer, but first I insist upon hearing all about the proposal.’ Her pretty eyes sparkled. ‘You have always said, ever since we were girls, that Mr Watson was the only man who could make you happy, so no one can accuse you of inconsistency. And now you are to be his wife.’ Miranda grasped both of Emma’s hands. ‘I am so very happy for you. Would that we could all share your good fortune.’
‘You will not have difficulty attracting the attention of any gentleman who takes your interest, I am absolutely certain,’ Emma replied. ‘You are so lovely, and so without artifice.’
A shadow passed through Miss Defoe’s eyes, rousing Flora’s curiosity about her prolonged absence from England at a time when she ought to have been enjoying the questionable delights of society.
‘I am not thinking in those terms,’ she said, less than convincingly. ‘Unlike you, Emma, I have never known my own mind and fall half in love with every engaging young man whose acquaintance I make.’
Emma smiled at her friend. ‘We both know that is not true, but I shall pretend to believe you.’
The girls laughed.
‘We only have a short time left to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch,’ Emma said, frowning as she returned her attention to her endless list of wedding preparations.
‘Then we had best not waste time,’ Miss Defoe said briskly. ‘And I am here, happy to offer help and advice. What do you need me to do?’
Mary explained about the averted disaster with turquoise satin. ‘But it will suit you and me, as well as the Stanton girls. It is just the four of us who will attend Emma.’
‘How clever of you to talk the countess round, Miss Latimer.’
Flora smiled. ‘It was not so very hard. But it might be appreciated if you incorporated a few turquoise ribbons into the design for your gown, Emma. I know the gesture will please her ladyship.’
‘That I can certainly do. There is little I would not do to please Grandmamma.’
‘Well, that’s settled then. We sh
all not tell her in advance since it will spoil the surprise.’ Flora watched as Emma produced the sketches the modiste had prepared with suggestions for bridesmaids’ gowns. Since Flora thought all the designs suitable, she left the girls to wrangle over the final choice. ‘If you will excuse me.’ She stood. ‘The countess will wonder what has become of me. It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Defoe, and I hope we shall meet again soon.’
‘Oh, do come to dinner tomorrow evening and bring your family,’ Emma said. ‘We still have so much to talk about and I know Grandmamma will enjoy hearing about your travels.’
‘Thank you.’ Miss Defoe looked a little taken aback by the invitation, bringing to Flora’s mind Luke’s disapproval when he spoke of her new family. ‘We shall be delighted.’
Flora left the girls with their heads together, pouring over the designs and earnestly discussing their merits.
‘I have just met Miss Defoe,’ Flora told the countess as she took her customary stool at her feet. ‘I rather liked her.’
‘The child’s had her share of travails, but handled them with composure.’
‘Tell me more about her family.’ The countess pretended not to enjoy gossiping, but Flora knew it was her favourite pastime. One which she took little persuading to indulge. Flora tutted when she observed the tincture that she had prepared for the dowager still sitting on a small table at her side. Flora picked up the glass, handed it to her charge and stood over her, arms akimbo, whilst she swallowed it down.
‘It does no good,’ the countess complained.
Flora knew that it did. ‘It does no harm either,’ she contented herself with saying. ‘And it pleases me to see you take it.’
‘I am not here to please you. It is supposed to be the other way around.’
‘We give one another pleasure then,’ Flora said, resuming her seat and ignoring the old lady’s mulish expression. ‘Besides, it wouldn’t kill you to admit that you have much less pain since I have forced you to drink my potions.’
‘Much you know!’
‘We will agree to differ then.’ Flora shook a finger beneath the dowager’s nose to emphasise her point. ‘You were about to tell me about the Defoes.’
‘Not quite top drawer. Well, not in our class, but amiable enough. Class distinction isn’t what it once was, and the aristocracy has had to adapt.’
‘And admit self-made men to its ranks,’ Flora added, with an exaggerated eye-roll and mischievous smile. ‘Only imagine.’
‘Enough of your impertinence, miss. We cannot all be bible-bashing puritans.’
‘Perish the thought!’
‘Do you want to hear this or not?’
‘Miss Defoe seems delightful. A pretty little thing. Unlike me she’s fashionably petite, with lots of blonde hair and blue eyes. No pretentions that I could detect, and a pleasing personality. I can quite understand why your grandson Charlie has an eye for her.’
The dowager’s expression lit up and Flora regretted expressing an opinion when she had nothing more than instinct to back it up. The countess would either decide to encourage the possible match or interfere in it, according to her whim. Either way, her meddling would embarrass both parties.
‘Her father made a fortune in railways in some way or another. Saw an opportunity and got in early, trusting his instincts and putting his money behind those wretched steam engine things.’ She flapped a hand. ‘Don’t ask me more than that. What do I know about trade? He married the local squire’s daughter and had just the one child. Quite refined they were, given their humble origins.’
‘Stop being so standoffish,’ Flora chided. ‘I know very well that you judge people by their ability to entertain, not their ancestry, over which they have no control.’
‘It’s ironic, the wife died by the means that made them wealthy. Some sort of accident on the railway. Very sad. Miranda was quite small at the time. Her father was left as a wealthy widower, a target for all the local females with ambitions. He resisted the lot of them, until he met the woman he eventually married.’
‘I can tell by the way you’ve turned up your lips that you don’t like the now Mrs Cooper.’
‘A gold-digger if ever I saw one. But she dazzled Defoe and he wouldn’t hear a word against her, even though rumours of a chequered past spread like wildfire through the district.’
‘Perhaps she was once an actress,’ Flora suggested, grinning.
‘I don’t know what she was, but I do know that the marriage was only four years old when Defoe, who had been perfectly healthy, fell victim to the influenza epidemic that swept the country that winter.’
Flora widened her eyes. ‘You think there was something suspicious about his death? A lot of people died during that particular epidemic. I visited quite a few families that year. My mother couldn’t be persuaded to step foot over the threshold of any house where sickness resided, which made her less than ideal as a clergyman’s wife. However, she was so suitable in all other respects that Papa graciously overlooked her phobia in that regard and—’
‘And allowed you to take all the risks.’ The countess pursed her lips. ‘No wonder he wants you back. Clearly he considers you both useful and disposable.’
Flora gave a wry smile. ‘Very likely.’
‘Anyway, I loudly opined that Defoe’s death was highly suspicious, but as always, no one listened to me. Only when she married Cooper the moment she was out of mourning did others come around to my point of view. The man was rumoured to have been her long-time lover, but by then of course it was too late to prove anything.’
‘At least the second wife didn’t get control of Defoe’s fortune, which is probably what she hoped for.’
The dowager chuckled. ‘I should like to have seen her face when the will was read.’
‘You think Defoe realised he’d been cuckolded, came to his senses and made sure his daughter’s interests were protected?’
‘I do indeed.’ She scowled. ‘Problem is, that woman with her young husband and his two younger brothers have been traipsing all over Europe and beyond these past two years. No prizes for guessing where the funds to pay for it all came from.’
Zeus joined them and curled up at Flora’s lap. ‘Damned turncoat,’ the countess said, no real conviction in her tone. ‘Some animals have no loyalty. They’re like people that way.’
‘If your stories are to be believed, ma’am, you flitted from lover to lover with no sense of commitment yourself, so you can hardly blame Zeus for enjoying my company.’
‘I can do whatever I wish.’ The countess elevated her chin. ‘And for your information, my stories are never exaggerated. In fact, I temper them in order to save your blushes.’
‘I wish you would not hold back on the salacious details.’ Flora leaned her elbow on a table and grinned up at the dowager. ‘I dare say they would be educational, and I am quite impossible to shock, you know.’
‘Ha! I should have let your miserable father take you away.’
‘We were talking of Miss Defoe.’ Flora wrinkled her brow. ‘Surely her late father’s attorneys must approve any expenditure. Expenditure that might extend to his late wife and her new husband at a pinch but surely not to all his relations, too. Does that not seem like mismanagement to you?’
The countess shook her head, causing her multiple chins to wobble. ‘What do I know about the particulars?’
Flora grinned. ‘That will not prevent you from speculating.’
‘Insolent child!’ The countess fell into momentary contemplation. ‘I don’t like the sound of these younger brothers scrounging from Miranda. Where’s their self-respect?’
‘Have you met them?’
‘No. When Defoe remarried we were highly suspicious about his new wife and not anxious to welcome her into this house. Other leading families in the district followed Luke’s example and they were ostracised.’
‘Harsh,’ Flora murmured.
‘But necessary. Emma retained her friendship with Mirand
a, of course. We sensed that she would need a confidante more than ever since she had lost her father’s undivided attention. But as I say, the new Mrs Defoe wasn’t invited to any of the better houses in the area, which must have come as a bitter blow. I sensed a social-climbing hussy in that one.’
‘Well, she has been invited here now. Emma has asked the entire family to dine here tomorrow evening. Should she have done that?’
‘She probably didn’t think. Still, it may not be such a bad thing. I’d like to satisfy myself that Miranda isn’t being exploited. The child is too trusting for her own good.’
‘How will you do that?’
‘I have my ways. Being considered dotty has its advantages. No one takes me seriously and people tend to forget that I have the hearing of a bat. All sorts of indiscreet remarks are made in my presence. You will discover for yourself when you get old that you become invisible. An irrelevance. An inconvenience.’
Flora laughed. ‘No one could accuse you of being invisible, or neglected. All your grandchildren adore you and have your best interests at heart, as well you know. And I myself am moderately fond of you too, even though you never have anything polite to say to me.’
The countess made shooing motions with her hands. ‘Take yourself off for the rest of the afternoon. I’m going to sit here in quiet contemplation and don’t need to put up with your constant chatter.’
In other words, she intended to sleep. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Perfectly. It’s a lovely day. Take some of that exercise you are so keen on and stop bothering me.’
The countess was generous with the amount of time she gave Flora to herself. Flora thanked her and kissed her cheek.
‘You make me feel like a lady of leisure,’ she said. ‘You are very kind.’
A Sense of Purpose Page 3
