“You suspect foul play?” Caleb looked genuinely worried and had Oasis not been aware of the blonde sleeping a few doors down the hallway, old insecurities regarding Tia and Caleb might’ve resurfaced.
“We might find nothing, but my instincts tell me otherwise.”
“Consider it done.”
They drank their tea in silence and just when Oasis was about to speak again, Sylvie entered the kitchen. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Oasis and she came over to pull her into a tight embrace. “It’s so great to see you again. Now, go sit while I make you a hearty breakfast.”
After a quick refill of their cups, they moved over to the table. Oasis threw a cautionary glance over at Sylvie who was humming as she pulled cured ham and eggs from the pantry. “There is something else, but this will not be so easy to resolve,” she added with a grimace. “The king arranged for Tia to marry the Archduke of Seville.”
“What?” Caleb hissed. “Can he even do that?”
“He can and he did.”
“I don’t understand much of this nobility nonsense, but can’t this be reversed?”
“I’m not sure, but I hope to find out.”
“Good,” Caleb said. “I’m in.”
Oasis frowned. “Don’t you have enough on your plate?”
“I do, but anything to do with that woman, becomes my business. She’s got balls and I love that about her.”
Oasis chuckled. She wondered what Tia would say about her possessing male genitalia. She would probably just purse her lips and ignore the remark as a polite English lady is wont to do. “You’re so right about that.”
***
Tia opened her eyes and squeaked softly when she looked into the face of her guest. She frantically sat up and tried to brush her hair out of her face.
“Your Majesty, my apologies, but I wasn’t informed about your visit.”
The queen smiled warmly, but the sadness still lingered in her eyes. That, together with the fact that the woman was breaking protocol to visit the home of a non-Royal, was evidence that the queen was sincere in her affection for Tia.
“I should be the one apologising. I heard that you were involved in a carriage accident, and I had to come see you for myself.” She smiled when Tia self-consciously touched her hair. “I asked them not to wake you when I was told that you were sleeping, but I needed to see you to convince myself that you were fine.”
“I greatly appreciate your concern, Your Majesty,” Tia said shyly. She felt incredibly uncomfortable lying in bed while the Queen of England was standing. The queen picked up on her discomfort and patted Tia’s hand gently.
“Now that I’ve seen you, I can go home with a peaceful heart. If you are better by the end of the week, I would love to invite you for tea. Maybe we could discuss your ideas further as well as the possibility of a visit to the areas in discussion.”
Tia blinked at the older woman. Did she hear the queen right? Was the woman thinking of visiting the slums? That was the single most insane idea Tia had ever heard and at the same time, also the most brilliant. An image spoke a thousand words. If the queen could see the conditions that the people lived in, then her idea was sold already.
“I will definitely be by for tea, Your Majesty.”
Tia was still in shock long after the queen had departed; leaving behind a cloud of expensive rose water perfume. She looked at the clock and to her surprise saw that it was already past noon. She took a quick inventory of herself. The traces of her earlier headache were gone and the cut above her eye hurt a little less. Sleep was indeed a great healer. Her chambermaid entered and after a quick bath, Tia was dressed and ready for a late lunch. With her body healing, her appetite had returned and she was eager to see what the cook had come up with for lunch. Afterwards, she would mull a bit more over her situation. There must be incidents where arranged marriages had been cancelled or even annulled. If there was even one, she was sure to find it and make it work for her.
***
Oasis puffed on the cigar, closing her eyes in pleasure at the taste of the fragrant smoke. She had attempted to get Caleb to try a cigar, but the man had only sampled it once and told her bluntly that it was a disgusting rich man’s indulgence. Why would you puff on something you couldn’t inhale? According to Caleb, it was like burning one’s money. Disappointed that she wasn’t going to get to share this vice with her best friend, Oasis had made peace with the fact that at least they had more things than not in common.
Tia was one.
And that was why Oasis was here, in the stuffy Gentleman’s Club, for the weekly Toast. The Toast was initiated by a drunken member, who after having had his wedding proposal to a beautiful lady, turned down, had drunkenly announced a toast in honour of her beauty. Since then, the Club’s management had allowed its members to pay tribute to members of the fairer sex that they believe to be some of the greatest beauties alive. Oasis watched, amused, as the men filled their glasses hastily, for none would want to be caught without a drink in hand when the Toasts were made.
A young lord, still sporting apple red cheeks, stood up and walked to the centre of the room. “I want to initiate a toast to honour the beauty of Lady Mariam Blake.” The men cheered and sipped from their drinks.
“To Lady Gemma Parkhill.”
“Lady Penelope Howe.”
The men cheered and just when there was a last mouthful left in their glasses, Oasis rose. “To the exquisite Lady Tia Miranda Bellingham, the Duchess of Camphor.” Her announcement was met with a loud cheer. Tia had been named almost every week and was quite revered by the members of the club. Oasis finished her drink and called the server over for a refill. She was immediately joined by two men.
“It’s truly sad to think that she will be leaving England soon to brighten up the Spanish Court,” one of the men muttered as he looked down into his empty glass. “What it says about us, I wonder. That we are not good enough to hold onto our beautiful women.”
The other man, an elderly Parliamentarian grimaced. “The Archduke is a formidable ally to have, but I can’t say that I like the man.”
Oasis sat up straighter. This was exactly why she came here. “From what I’ve heard, he is well-respected by his peers.”
The man snorted. “They fear his power and connections. The man is beyond arrogant and has the ear of the King. He would not pursue anything, unless it was coveted by others. He is known to subject his peers to the most humiliating acts, if he found them to have something that he wanted for himself.”
The server brought her drink and she quickly ordered refills for her two companions. The day was looking up.
XVI
‘Lady Tia’s great Solution'
“Are you sure you want to do this, Tia?”
“No,” she answered truthfully.
“Then don’t do it. Let’s go home and find another way.” Burton was desperate and it was evident in his voice. Yesterday, after having spent the afternoon and most of her evening thinking about her situation, she had locked herself in the library. It was already past midnight when Burton had found her there, pouring over dairies and historical accounts of the British Empire. She had told him everything and together the two of them sat through the night, reading hours of historical accounts. It was close to dawn when Burton came across something. By the look on his face, she could immediately tell that he didn’t like it. Nonetheless, here they were, ready to implement their plan.
“There is no other plan, Burton. This is it.”
“Oh Tia!” Burton’s eyes were shining with unshed tears. She gently cupped his cheek.
“It will work, it has to.”
Burton blinked and his eyes were clear again. “Then we need to do this. I’ll leave and wait for you to send me a note to come and get you.”
Tia squeezed his hand. “I’ll do so.”
“Be safe, Tia.”
Tia looked out the window of the carriage at the large house. “I will be safe.” She noticed that Burton still hesi
tated a moment before he disembarked and helped her out. For a few tense seconds, she clutched his hand. “You be safe, too.”
She walked up the stairs and was shocked when it was pulled open before she had even knocked. “Good afternoon, Your Grace.”
“Good afternoon. Is Lord Pope in?”
***
Oasis was hungover and the fact that she had to spend two hours in a carriage early this morning had not improved her mood. As soon as she had arrived at Trenton Hall, she had gone to bed. After lunch, she had joined the men outside where they were fixing the sewage system for the tenants’ homes. Other lords would not dare to be found working in the sun like a commoner, but Oasis loved manual labour, especially when she was suffering from a hangover. The best cure was to sweat it out. After all, it was a small price to pay for the information she had gotten the day before.
“It’s time to call it a day, milord,” her overseer called out. Oasis wiped her brow and accepted the cup of apple cider the man held out to her. “If more of the men worked as hard as you, I would only need a handful of them to keep the estate running.”
Oasis drained the cup and handed it to the man. “Thank you, Geoffrey. Could you send someone to the house and tell them that I’ll be spending the night at the camp.” She hadn’t been back home since she had been stabbed and considering all that had happened and was still happening, she suddenly felt the need to be surrounded by her family. She set off on foot for the twenty-minute walk, passing tenant’s homes and stopping at short intervals to chat with some of them or to engage their children. She passed the last house and all that lay before her was the forest. Oasis was taken back to her childhood as she read the animal tracks. She might have been her father’s dirty little secret growing up, but she could never fault him for giving her the rich and loving childhood she had experienced here in this forest. She knew she was nearing the camp, when the animal tracks became fewer and the faint smell of wood fire permeated the air.
She suddenly stopped, her senses alert. The birds were quiet. She turned slowly, her gaze sweeping the area. She turned back, only to feel something plough into her, taking her off her feet. Oasis landed on her back with a thud, winded and her eyes wide in shock. A dark curly head came into view and dancing dark eyes watched her as a smug smile played over a handsome face.
“City life has made you soft, cousin.”
“You…you…” Oasis sputtered, but it was difficult to scream while she was still winded. “I swear I’ll kick your scrawny butt when I get up from here.” She slowly sat up, glaring at her cousin as she felt her ribs to see if they were broken. “You could’ve killed me, Joshy.”
The man-child shrugged. “Would’ve served you right, too, walking around the forest like a dandy traveller. There are more dangerous creatures here than me.”
She got up and dusted herself off. “I was paying attention.”
“Yes, but you weren’t aware that I was tailing you for almost five minutes.” He came closer, his hands held up in surrender. “Can I embrace my favourite cousin?”
Oasis pulled him to her and they embraced long and hard. Joshy was only sixteen, but he was already showing the promise of one day growing into a strapping young man. With their arms around each other’s shoulders, they walked the few yards to the camp. As soon as they were in the centre of the camp, Oasis shifted her weight and threw the young man over her shoulder and watched as he lay in stunned silence, to the obvious pleasure of the onlookers.
“Who’s a dandy now, boy?”
“Oasis!” A heavyset woman pushed through the gathering crowd and grabbed Oasis in a tight embrace. Oasis smiled as her aunt mumbled something in Romani and pinched her cheeks and butt. “You are too thin, draga mea. Is no one in the city able to make a good warthog stew?”
Oasis laughed, thinking of the expressions on her peer’s faces were she to invite them over for a warthog stew. “No, aunt, there is no one.”
“Then it is good that you came home. I have some cooking on the fire.”
***
Tia was nervous as the carriage drove through the pitch dark night. It was almost time for supper when one of the tenants brought the news that Pope would be spending the night at a camp. She had asked how far it was to the camp and if someone could take her. The housekeeper was quick to pack up a supper for them and not for the first time, Tia wondered about the servants who didn’t seem fazed by her presence. Was it perhaps because Pope brought so many women here that they had learned to take it all in stride? The carriage hit a rock and she squeaked as she was almost tossed from the seat.
“My apologies, milady,” the driver was quick to apologise. “We’re almost there.”
How could he tell, when they were surrounded by nothing but darkness and trees? She leaned back in the seat. Maybe she had been too hasty to implement the plan. Was it too late to turn back now? Should she ask the driver to take her back? The carriage began to slow down and a few minutes later it came to a stop.
It was too late to go back now.
“Thomas, am I needed at the house?” Pope’s voice filtered through the night and Tia was surprised to find her body respond to the deep voice.
“No, milord, but I brought you a guest.”
The door was pulled open and Pope peered inside. He didn’t hide his shock at seeing her, his jaw dropping slightly.
“Lady Tia?”
“I was waiting for you at the house when the message came that…” Faced by his obvious shock, Tia found her voice trailing off as did her confidence. “Maybe I should just go back and …”
“No, please, stay.” He held out his hand to help her out of the carriage. This close to him, she could smell a faint trace of sweat and her heartbeat accelerated. What was it about the man, she asked herself for the hundredth time since meeting him? “Thank you, Thomas. Will you be okay driving back alone or should I send someone with you?”
“I’ll be fine, milord, thank you. Goodnight, milady.” And with that Thomas turned the carriage around and rode off. Without the lanterns of the carriage, they found themselves in darkness.
“The camp is about hundred yards from here. We should make it before the heavens open up.”
In the dark, and with her high heeled shoes, it took them longer to get to the camp. To make matters worse, they couldn’t outrun the rain and they both were drenched by the time they made it to the camp. Tia barely had time to take in the scene of the campground, before she was whisked away by a woman who helped her change out of her wet clothes. By the time she was dressed in a surprisingly comfortable colourful skirt and tight black blouse, the rain had let up. As she stepped out of the woman’s hut, Tia took in the view before her. About fifteen cabins and wagons made up the camp. The cabins were at a distance from each other, making the camp seem larger than it actually was. In the centre was a large tent with an opening at the top, through which the heat and smoke of a large fire escaped.
“Ready to meet my family?”
Startled, Tia found Pope looking at her. He was dressed in dark trousers and a dark shirt, making him look dangerously handsome. “Yes,” she said a little breathlessly.
An hour later, after having met all of Pope’s aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews, she was seated next to him, looking on as the young girls were dancing to the music of a flute and drums. The sound of the music was so rich and earthy, that Tia found herself tapping her foot to it.
“Do you like dancing?”
“With the right person, yes.” She smiled when Pope chuckled. “As you know by now, it’s become nothing more than a tedious duty where I’m from.” She looked around at the happy people and back to Pope. “Speaking of where I’m from, what about you? I’ve met your family, but I still don’t know anything about you?”
Pope drank from his cup and refilled hers. Tia took a small sip. The wine was quite strong and she didn’t want to be too tipsy later when she spoke to him about her plan.
“The earl, my father, had a short dalliance
with my mother when he was studying in France. When she fell pregnant, he brought her, her family and a few friends over to England with him and gave them free run of the forest.” A loud shrieking from the girls distracted them both. They saw one of Oasis’s aunts dancing with the girls. She recognized the woman as the one who accompanied Pope to her house that night. Tia watched Pope and saw the affection on his face. “My mother and her sisters raised me and the earl’s mother, my grandmother, made sure that I had a private tutor.”
Tia touched his hand. “And where do the colonies come in?”
“When my father got married, his wife was struggling to conceive and having me around was too painful a reminder for her. Thus, my father bought a plantation in the colonies and gifted it to my mother and me.” Tia heard the slight edge in Pope’s voice and decided to change the topic. She had known that he would have had an extraordinary life story, but she didn’t want to dredge up painful memories for him.
“I’m only happy that I had the good fortune of meeting you,” she said softly and immediately found herself the focus of his dark eyes. There was a gleam of uncertainty and Tia shrugged. “I’ve learned a lot about selflessness from you. You taught me loyalty and what true friendship is all about. So, yes, I’m grateful to whatever it is that brought us together.”
For a long moment, their gazes held and Tia could feel herself being drawn deeper into the dark hypnotic stare.
“Why are you here, Tia?”
“The dancefloor is getting crowded now. Let’s not talk about our problems right now.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “Later.”
“Well, in that case, will you dance with me?”
***
Oasis studied Tia’s face closely as she waited for the woman to turn her down. But she was pleasantly surprised when the blonde stood and held her hand out to Oasis.
Worlds Apart Page 23
