Silas tipped his head but had already lifted his newspaper. A quarter of an hour. He must spend at least that long in his chair before leaving. Lord Neil’s remark about a wager told Silas all he needed to know. His name and Miss Fox’s had been put into the betting book. Her reputation was not as safe as he had hoped.
Chapter Four
The rest the doctor ordered did not come easily. Esther’s inability to have a moment of peace almost drove her away from her stepbrother’s home. She had made the mistake of leaving her bedchamber after breakfast, dressed comfortably, to sit in the morning room overlooking the park.
Diana, finding Esther contentedly reclining on a couch, had stayed nearby. In fact, she only left Esther’s side when callers were announced. She insisted on going to speak to each person herself, rather than have the butler turn them away.
“I simply must do my part to end the rumors before they start,” she had said the first time she scuttled from the room. As soon as she returned, she reported on who had come and what they had said.
“It was that dreadful Mrs. Linton with her flighty daughter. Why you thought to befriend that girl, I will never know. She nearly fainted in our entry, describing your wound.” That Diana conveniently forgot that she was the one who suggested Esther visit Miss Linton made Esther smile.
Then later, “It was that Mr. Garrick. I had such hopes for him. But he made it clear he did not appreciate your heroism. Dreadful man.” Each visitor and their motives for coming were speculated over all the morning and afternoon long.
Esther’s head pounded dreadfully, and she could not take more than tea and a slice of bread for luncheon. Her stomach felt as though it might misbehave again. She rose from the couch and went to the window, looking down into the park with its beautiful spring grasses and shaded flower beds.
A knock on the front door reverberated through the house and Diana rose from her chair, a disapproving wrinkle upon her brow. “I thought we had seen the last of our visitors. Especially since it is not our at home day.” She huffed and went out of the room without another word.
Realizing this might be her last chance to escape, Esther crept after Diana. She reached the hall at the same moment, it seemed, as Diana reached the entryway. She heard her stepsister-in-law greeting the newest visitor.
“Lord Inglewood, good afternoon. Dear me, I had almost forgotten you promised to come.”
Silas’s deep voice filled the air, carrying through the house to Esther’s ears. “Mrs. Aubrey. It is good to see you again. Is Miss Fox recovering?”
“Yes. Somewhat. She has been resting all day.”
If only that were true.
“Excellent. I am glad to hear it. I have come to speak to your husband. He is Miss Fox’s guardian during her brother’s absence, is he not?”
“He is. Yes. He is in his study, if you will but come this way. My lord, is the situation as serious as I feared yesterday?” Diana’s voice faded as she led Silas down the hall to Hugh’s study.
Esther halted where she stood, straining her ears for the answer. While Silas said he would come, she hadn’t really thought he would. She was nothing to him. A note might have sufficed. What did his visit mean? Merely that he kept his word, or that the gossip running its course outside the house forced him to come? The number of callers turned away during the day indicated some interest in their little drama, of course. But Diana always exaggerated society’s importance in their life. Didn’t she?
“It may be, Mrs. Aubrey.” Silas’s words barely reached Esther this time.
Would she be called to the study? Wouldn’t they would want her to know what was being said, what their course of action to route the gossip would be? Esther may not have reached her majority, but at twenty years old, she knew her own mind.
For several long moments she waited, listening for footsteps, for a servant to be called, for any indication that her stepbrother had sent for her. No one came and the house remained quiet, except for the occasional loud thump overhead, from the nursery.
It occurred to Esther, as she stood in the upstairs hall, that every person in the study below viewed her as a child. Her stepbrother hardly bothered with her, Diana always bemoaned looking after her, and Silas had, in their childhood, always made a point of telling her she was too young for everything she wished to do. Too young to take part in the games Silas, her brother, and their friends made up. Too young to follow them to the seaside. Too young to leave the nursery and go off on an adventure.
Esther tightened her jaw. If Silas thought he could discuss her future with others and leave her completely out of it, he was wrong.
She whirled away from the main staircase and hurried to the hidden, narrow stairs used by the servants. Those stairs let out into a closet adjacent to her stepbrother’s study, that would give her perfect opportunity to press her ear to the door and hear everything said inside. Though her head and stomach protested the speed at which she moved, she could not allow herself to miss a moment more of the conversation below.
Only once before had she eavesdropped in such a horribly juvenile manner, when her brother and stepbrother discussed what was to be done with her while Isaac went to battle. Knowing the men in her life made decisions for her future, without regard to her desires, made her already delicate stomach sour still more.
Her slippers hardly made a sound on the steps as she descended to the ground floor, and the door to the study closet opened without even the tiniest of squeaks. She stepped through household cleaning implements and around a small shelf, then pressed her ear to the crack in the door. Hugh was speaking.
“…disturbing they would put an innocent woman’s name in that book. Are you certain, my lord?”
Silas’s voice, low and unimpressed by the distress in Hugh’s words, answered calmly. “Very certain. I asked a colleague to check before I left.”
Diana sighed loudly, dramatically, and Esther pictured the woman’s look of despair without difficulty. She had seen it many times. “But to wager on whether you would wed her or not—that is despicable, surely?”
“It is not the worst thing in that book, madam.” How did Silas manage to sound aloof about such a serious thing? Even Esther knew what they meant. Everyone knew about the famed bets that went on in clubs like White’s. To know her name now graced a page, that men of power saw it and chortled or speculated about her, sent a shiver through Esther.
“I do not care about the wager,” Hugh said, his voice cutting through the momentary silence. “I care about my sister. Esther has prospects, but they will dry up if this becomes an issue. Her dowry isn’t enough to make fortune hunters seek after her, but I had hoped it would be able to secure a comfortable match. Now it might not be enough to make gentlemen overlook yesterday’s theatrics.”
Silas’s answer was slow, but she sensed a change in the tone, however slight it might be. “Theatrics? I am certain Miss Fox saved my life, for which I will forever be grateful. I cannot be sorry for it, though I do wish to lessen the impact of the situation on her reputation.” Protectiveness? Was that what she heard? Or was it merely irritation with the situation?
The newspaper and caricaturists all called him a man of ice and stone. Before he had put that mask in place, Silas had been a playful and somewhat vexing boy, always with mischief twinkling in his eyes.
“My lord, what do you propose we do?” Diana asked, her voice quieter, almost subdued. Esther might not have known it to be Diana speaking at all.
“A withdrawal from Town might be wise,” Silas said, his words firm and without feeling once more. “We can give the gossip some time to dissipate. If the subject of the tittle-tattle is gone, people will lose interest. Something else will come up, people will focus their attention elsewhere. It has happened before.”
“Do you plan to leave London as well?” Hugh asked. “I cannot leave. My business dealings require I be here for several weeks, at least.”
Diana’s words rushed out, tailing her husband’s pronounc
ement. “Perhaps we can find a way to send Esther on a visit. She has friends in the country, as does her brother, who would be delighted to have her to stay. Certainly, the whole family removing from this house would cause more comment than a young lady leaving to visit friends.”
Esther leaned her shoulder against the door, closing her eyes in the darkness. Of course Diana would not wish to leave. Not in the spring, when she had friends to visit and parties to attend. The woman showed Esther every kindness, but they were not related. Not really. Giving up the comfort of Town and all her friends would be a hardship Diana wouldn’t like to face.
“That would look like we had quietly gotten rid of her,” Hugh said, annoyance coloring his words. “You cannot take the household back to the country?”
“I had rather not,” Diana stated, her voice small after her husband’s more forceful question.
Why wasn’t Isaac here? Isaac would not dither about Esther’s reputation, or her coming and going. He would laugh at the issue, insist nothing was wrong, and they would go about life as normal. Isaac wouldn’t send her away.
Then again, he had needed to when he was the one who joined the army.
Esther pulled herself from her thoughts when she realized Silas was speaking again, sounding every inch the Earl of Inglewood.
“If Esther has a friend to go to in the country, I think that would be best. She can enjoy time elsewhere, I will have my business finished in a day or two, and Mrs. Aubrey can remain here to observe the situation among her set. We will keep in contact, of course, and when the gossips forget the whole thing, we will know of it.”
That sounded most decisive. Esther nodded, as though her agreement meant something.
Silas kept speaking, still in that commanding way. “I think I know the perfect place for her to go, too. The Everlys. Miss Fox knows the Misses Everlys quite well. They are part of the set we grew up with. I will write to them at once.”
Esther drew up, frowning at the crack in the door. Hope and Grace Everly were not her friends. They were Isaac’s and Silas’s friends. The two girls had followed the boys about everywhere, and kept up, and had been permitted to go where Esther was not. Oh, she didn’t necessarily think ill of them, but they were not the first people she thought of to spend time with.
The Everly family lived on an estate bordering the seat of Silas’s title, Inglewood.
“That will do quite well. Esther loves the sea.” Diana’s eagerness slipped through the door, touching on Esther’s pride in the worst sort of way. She had heard enough.
Esther withdrew, as quietly as she had come, and slipped out the door to the servants’ staircase again. She took the steps slowly, her slippers barely scuffing the wood. and found her way back to her bedroom. Her pounding head and roiling stomach gave her reason enough to wish for her bed. But hearing her life planned out for her—without her consent—left Esther still more exhausted than before.
She collapsed into her bed, pulling one of the pillows tightly into her arms.
Everyone either left her behind or sent her away. Her whole life had been an example of one or the other. She really ought to be used to it.
Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and sunk into her pillow. No one would ever see her as more than a troublesome child to put aside, no matter how much she tried to prove the contrary.
Chapter Five
The hired coach rolled to a stop, much to Esther’s relief, before the home of the Everly family. It was a lovely house of relatively new construction, all gray stone and green shutters. The family called their home Everly Refuge.
Esther stared out the window, not bothering to move as her maid fussed about the dust on their skirts and whether they were fit to be seen by their hosts. “I am certain a few wrinkles are expected after two days of travel, Mary,” she said, trying to come out of her morose state.
The coachman opened the door while his partner dropped Esther’s luggage upon the ground. The double doors of the house opened at the same time, and two male servants hurried down the steps to gather her things. Mary started fussing again, but this time at the other servants, to be certain they handled Esther’s things appropriately.
“Esther Fox,” a bright voice shouted, bringing Esther’s attention to the door again. One of the Miss Everlys had appeared, though which took a moment to guess.
Hope and Grace Everly, the first-born children in their family, were twins as identical as two spots on a leopard. An expert might be able to tell them apart, but those not intimately familiar with the women had no hope of being certain who they spoke to without receiving hints. Given the exuberance of the greeting, and the manner in which the dark-haired woman flew down the steps, Esther guessed her identity.
“Hello, Hope.” Esther forced a smile. Though they were not close friends, she had grown up admiring both Everly sisters. To be on more equal footing with them now, as they were all far past schoolroom age and unmarried, might mean making a better relationship.
Hope reached out to take Esther’s hands in hers and made a show of looking Esther over. “There now, look how grown up you are. I believe the last time we saw each other you had just come out. That must have been three years ago.”
“Yes, it was. It is very good to see you again. I must thank your parents for extending an invitation to me.” It was the right thing to say, but Hope’s raised eyebrows indicated she knew the truth of the matter.
“Mother thought you might wish to freshen up before greeting the whole household. Come, let me show you to your room and you can rest until dinner.” Hope linked arms with Esther, and Esther just about pulled back in her surprise. Somehow, over the course of the last few years, she had surpassed Hope in height. As the twins were four years older than she, Esther had been used to looking up to meet their eyes.
No other family member appeared to speak to Esther, and Hope filled the quiet of the house with talk of all their plans for the coming week. Spring in the countryside had come at last and Hope intended to take full advantage of it.
“It has been abominably wet of late,” she said as they climbed the stairs from the ground floor to the first. “There are occasional afternoons full of sunshine. We must visit all the old haunts and picnic beneath every tree. I detest being indoors all winter. Spring is freedom itself.”
“I suppose I can see it that way,” Esther murmured, rather distracted by the thought. She had been sent away from London, a social exile, which made the idea of freedom immediately attractive to her.
Hope threw open a door with a flourish. “We have put you in the Yellow Room, though I think it ought to be called something more descriptive. I hope you find it suitable.”
Esther stepped inside, the cheery colors of the room surprising her. The walls were papered in yellow and green, the bedspread a fine yellow striped pattern. Cream-colored curtains hung in the windows, lifting when a breeze blew through the open window. Perhaps exile wouldn’t be too difficult to bear.
“I hope once you are settled you might tell me what all of this is about,” Hope said. She regarded Esther with undisguised curiosity. “Silas’s letter was far too vague for my liking.” She must have seen Esther’s dismay, for she quickly added, “I wasn’t supposed to read the letter. It was addressed to Papa, but he left it on his desk. If you would rather not discuss what happened—”
“What did the letter say?” Esther asked quickly, before she lost courage. How much had Silas revealed of her plight? Of his part in it? And what, exactly, had he done to ensure the Everlys accepted her into their home?
Hope did not even blush, though that one eyebrow arched upward again. “Nothing of much consequence. Silas wrote to father, asking if we would open our home to you for a fortnight. He said there had been some trouble in London and it was best you were looked after somewhere quiet for a time.”
“Looked after?” Esther shook her head and began to untie her bonnet’s ribbons. “Like a naughty child sent back to the nursery.” She pulled the bonnet off and slu
ng it toward the bed, uncaring that Hope saw the momentary lapse in decorum.
“Miss Fox, here we are.” Mary entered the room from a closet, clean clothing in hand. “I have put your things away and we can get you into bed for that nap.”
Esther shook her head and turned away from Mary. “A nap is the very last thing I want at present.” Crossing her arms, she realized Hope had lingered in the doorway. “Forgive me, Miss Everly. I am out of sorts.”
“We have known each other too long to be formal, Esther.” Hope waved away the propriety and came further into the room, closing the door behind her. “If you have no wish to nap, I have no wish to leave you. I had much rather uncover the story behind your coming, and how Silas fits into it, and why you are angry with him.”
“Angry?” Esther drew back. “With Lord Inglewood?” That could not be right. The situation upset her, of course, but to be angry at a man because she had dared to help him would be a ludicrous situation indeed.
Hope took the chair near the empty hearth and gestured to Mary. “You may as well make her comfortable while she speaks. I have the feeling this is quite a tale.”
Ought she to tell Hope? She knew the woman’s character of old, but had the mischievous and practical child turned into a responsible adult? Esther hovered between speaking and keeping the details behind her visit to herself. Confiding in someone, not just about the day of the incident, but her own feelings on the repercussions, might be something of a relief.
“Esther,” Hope said, slumping back into the chair in a most unladylike manner. “I will not leave until I know the whole of it. If you refuse to tell me, I will get Grace, and she will have you confessing quickly.”
Rescuing Lord Inglewood: A Regency Romance Page 4
