The Beleaguered Earl

by Allison Lane

  “We have time, then. We are not here.” He turned to the servants. “Wilkins, you and Harris pack our belongings. Henry, take Missy to her old room on the nursery floor, then help carry the luggage to the attics. Mrs. Tweed, can you and Rose make the bedchambers appear unused in case Ashburton decides to explore?”

  She nodded, momentarily energized by the danger that faced her employer. “Opening windows will dissipate your scents. If he asks, we are taking advantage of warm weather to dry out a leak.”

  “Excellent.”

  “I will put the food away, then help upstairs,” said Jeanette.

  “Perhaps I can claim Jeanette is a nurse brought in to help with Mother,” said Hope.

  “Not a chance,” said Blake. “Ashburton knows every courtesan in the country.”

  Max nodded. “He probably knows everyone I invited. I don’t think this visit is an accident.”

  Hope’s eyes widened. He could almost read the thoughts parading through her mind – concern that disturbing her mother might bring on a fatal relapse, suspicions about what Ashburton might hope to achieve, uncertainty over the effect this might have on the rest of them.

  But overriding everything was a stark terror that drove icy knives deep into his soul.

  * * * *

  Hope pulled her eyes from Merimont’s mesmerizing gaze as the servants hurried out to begin covering their traces. She knew her face was white. She could only pray that it recovered some color before Uncle Edward arrived.

  Since he had no legitimate reason to call, he must be planning to cause trouble. This must be why he had wagered away the estate. If he was stupid enough to believe that a new owner could break the lease, he would try to goad Merimont into throwing them out so he could gloat over their plight. But she could deal with that.

  What she feared was Merimont’s house party. Watts had long ago admitted that he was expected to report any visitors to the manor. He had never had cause to do so – and he was thrilled to have Merimont in charge now – but Uncle Edward might have set up more than one spy in the neighborhood. If he knew, he would cause as much trouble as he could.

  “We haven’t time to warn Watts,” she said, turning to Merimont. “Will he reveal your presence?”

  “Since he now works for me, I doubt he would tell Ashburton anything,” he replied firmly. “He is less than complimentary about the man. In any event, he is surveying timber today and should not return until late.”

  “I can only hope.”

  “Why not refuse Ashburton entrance?” asked Rockhurst. “He has no reason to expect hospitality after the way he has treated you.”

  “Turning him away would merely pique his curiosity. And Mrs. Tweed can hardly claim I am out. He would insist on awaiting my return. He knows I never spend the night elsewhere. Asking the staff to deal with him will guarantee that he moves in.”

  “And we cannot have that,” said Merimont. “But you should not see him alone. He hates your mother, and thus you. That makes him dangerous.”

  “This will hardly be the first time I have faced him,” she said, shrugging, though she recalled all too clearly her narrow escape on his last visit. But that was not a memory she wished to share. “Mother has been blue-deviled since Grandfather’s death, so I have been the one to meet with him. She rarely did more than share meals with us.”

  “What if he wants to harm her?” Merimont demanded, surprising her with his insistence. “You need a way to enforce your wishes.”

  “I don’t see—”

  “At least listen to him,” put in Rockhurst quietly.

  Hope glared at Merimont. “Your fears are exaggerated,” she insisted.

  “Perhaps, but it is better to plan for all contingencies. I do not know Ashburton well, but I have seen his sort before. The only argument they understand is force. You are not strong enough.”

  “I do not understand what concerns you.” Though she feared that she did. Uncle Edward had made it clear that he would restore Redrock if she consented to be his mistress. Might he use force to achieve that end? It was the only form of ruin left to him.

  “Do you want him to move in?” He nodded at her gasp. “You cannot allow him under this roof. Aside from the effect on your mother, if he discovers us, he would destroy both of your reputations.”

  “To say nothing of yours.” She glanced from one man to the other. “I care little on my own account, but I will not tolerate having him injure you. Yet you can hardly protect me. He would recognize you in a trice. I will have to rely on Henry.”

  “Inadequate. For all his enthusiasm, he is too young. But Wilkins can pose as your butler. Ashburton has never met him.”

  “He knows I have no real staff. Henry I can pass off, as he is a tenant.”

  “But your situation has changed, Miss Ashburton. Under the lease, staffing the estate is my responsibility. I prefer a full complement of servants so the property remains in good repair.”

  She nearly choked.

  “Just in case Ashburton has checked the names of my servants, you may call him Reeves,” he added. “That name is connected to none of us. And he is powerful enough to eject Ashburton if necessary. Your uncle is soft from too much wine and too many hours of idleness.”

  “Very well.” She didn’t like it, but she had to admit that having Wilkins nearby would help her relax.

  * * * *

  Max watched her leave, then turned to Blake. “Suppose she cannot turn him away.”

  “We can probably manage one night in the attic. Locking all the doors will protect us.” He frowned. “Of course, Ashburton’s groom will spot our carriages in an instant.”

  Max groaned. “You had best visit the stables. Lock the carriages away and find a way to explain the horses. The fences are too shoddy to risk turning them out to pasture.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I wish I knew his purpose.”

  “As do I.”

  Max went upstairs to help clear bedchambers. At least he didn’t have to fret over Mrs. Tweed or Rose. They hated Ashburton at least as much as Hope did.

  He disliked sending her up against her uncle with only Wilkins for protection. He ought to be doing it himself. Skulking about the attics while Hope was in danger made him feel like a coward. But he could not take chances until he understood the man’s purpose.

  Fear and regret bedeviled him as he scrambled through the next hour. If only he had settled with Hope so he had a legal right to protect her. Yet revealing his intentions might play into Ashburton’s hands. What was the man’s goal? Even if Hope successfully turned her uncle off, could they prevent him from settling in the village?

  One crisis at a time, he admonished himself, tossing dust covers over furniture. First he had to erase evidence of his presence. And the White Heron was small, he recalled. It wasn’t the sort of inn Ashburton would approve. He was a man who puffed up his consequence by ostentatious display and loud complaints about perceived slights.

  * * * *

  “Thank you, Reeves,” said Hope as Wilkins set the tea tray on a convenient table. She poured, making sure it was very weak – her uncle disliked weak tea above all other beverages.

  “I would have preferred wine,” he said, setting the cup aside.

  “We have no reason to stock wine,” she said smoothly. “We rarely entertain.”

  He frowned. “My man can procure some from the village.”

  “That isn’t necessary. You won’t be staying.”

  “Of course I will. I am your uncle.”

  “A connection neither of us wants.” She swallowed tea to give her time to remove the irritation from her voice.

  “Your mother would insist that you offer hospitality to family,” he swore.

  “An odd notion that proves you know nothing about her, sir.”

  “Lord Ashburton. You will address me by my title, girl.”

  She ignored him. “Mother is ill, which is another reason you cannot stay. You might expose her to the cowpox sweeping the area –
if it is merely cowpox,” she added lightly, grateful to Merimont for suggesting this excuse. “She is too weak to throw off another malady.”

  He paled. “Watts should have notified me immediately.”

  “Why? The estate is no longer yours.”

  “Aha!” A triumphant smile twisted his mouth. “I was right. Merimont is here. No one will believe that you refused the advances of so unprincipled a libertine.”

  She forced a shrug. “Why should I care for the opinion of people stupid enough to believe a word you say? Most will not, for he stayed only long enough for tea. Lord Rockhurst accompanied him.”

  “I am aware of that. So did Sanders, Dornbras, and Sir Reginald, to say nothing of their female companions.” His eyes gleamed.

  “You are misinformed.” It was difficult to remain casual under such provocation.

  “Hardly. Dornbras mentioned the orgy before leaving town.”

  “Then he must have mistaken its location.”

  “The man never misses a thing,” he growled.

  She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know about that. Lords Merimont and Rockhurst informed us of the change in ownership, then spoke with Watts. Merimont was unhappy about the estate’s condition, as you must have expected. He issued a spate of orders before leaving, one of which augmented my staff. A butler showed up last week, and I received word yesterday that a cook and several maids will soon follow.”

  “You lie! The stable is full of horses. Where is he?”

  “You are offensive, sir,” she snapped, thinking furiously. “I often supplement our income by boarding horses for neighborhood house parties.”

  “Watts never mentioned it.”

  “Why should he? You forbade him to bother with the house and grounds. Since the stables fall under my control, what I do with them is my own business.”

  “You won’t best me, girl. No one will believe Merimont remained here long enough to check the books, yet did not stay either here or in the village.”

  She shook her head pityingly. “This discussion is pointless, sir. I doubt he examined the books, for he and Lord Rockhurst were merely paying a courtesy call. His orders correct obvious problems – broken fences, a roof leak, repairing the dower house, removing deadwood from the park. With harvesting done for the year, he has plenty of time to consider next year’s planting. Or he may let Watts deal with it. His rumored interests hardly include agriculture. But I suppose we will learn more when he returns.”

  “When?”

  She shrugged. “I did not ask, though I cannot imagine we will see him until the dower house repairs are complete. If you truly care, write to him – not that I can see that this is your concern.”

  “It will be. You are naïve indeed if you think he will settle for that ruin down the road. He will throw you out like the refuse you are,” he said with a satisfied sneer. “You will come crawling to me, begging for support.”

  She shook her head. “Our lease is unbreakable, as you should know. But you needn’t fear any requests for help. Mother needs peace of mind, something you would never allow her.”

  “Such a dutiful daughter.” He rose to loom over her chair. “Don’t pretend with me, girl. I know you too well.”

  “Another delusion.” She ignored his attempt at intimidation, grateful that Wilkins hovered nearby. “You will wish to leave if you hope to reach a comfortable inn before dark.”

  Merimont had been right, she admitted, watching her uncle’s face turn purple. The man had expected to ruin her. Why did he hate her? She posed no threat to his pocket, his family, or even his reputation – which he was tarnishing with no help from others. She lived hidden away in the country, unknown, without power, and had met him only a dozen times in her life.

  Wilkins appeared in the doorway. Ashburton stepped back a pace, glaring.

  “What is it, Reeves?”

  “The coachman is unloading luggage, Miss Ashburton. Should Mrs. Tweed prepare a bedchamber?”

  “Not today, Reeves. My uncle was just leaving.”

  “But—” Ashburton glared.

  “The subject is closed,” she said firmly. “I cannot accommodate guests at this time. You forfeited your right to shelter when you wagered away the estate. Now that you know we will make no demands on you, there will be no need for further contact.”

  “This way, my lord,” said Wilkins, sounding like the haughtiest of butlers.

  Ashburton spluttered. For a moment, she feared he would refuse. But he finally left.

  She collapsed.

  “Sherry?” asked Wilkins, returning with a tray after locking the front door. He proffered the decanter that usually sat in the office.

  “Thank you, Wilkins. I have never seen him more furious.”

  “I took the liberty of asking Ned to follow him,” he said, naming her groom. “If he remains in the area, you will wish to know where.”

  His words echoed long after he left. She had grown complacent in the last fortnight, but Uncle Edward had not washed his hands of them. Why hadn’t she realized that ten years of petty revenges would never balance a quarter century of hate?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Two days later Max found Hope in the library thumbing through an herbal. She’d hardly spoken to him since Ashburton’s visit.

  He suspected that her uncle was behind her sudden coolness. She must now recognize what he’d acknowledged a week ago. She’d been compromised. Despite her denials to Ashburton’s face, everyone in the area knew about the house party. The locals might believe that she had moved out for a week, but the discrepancy was bound to come out.

  Ashburton would twist the tale into a serious scandal. Despite her innocence, she would bear the stain of loose conduct for the rest of her life. Wedding him was her only choice.

  Knowing that she needed time to absorb that truth, he had allowed her to avoid him, spending his days with Watts. The changes they’d made since Ashburton’s visit had made avoidance easy. He had dispatched Jeanette back to London, then moved into his original bedchamber to keep from disturbing Mrs. Ashburton. Missy and Blake shared the west wing with him, leaving Hope and her mother as the sole residents of the east wing. The house was as divided now as before he’d torn down the barricades.

  Mrs. Ashburton had improved enough to take solid food and converse rationally. Sharing meals with her mother kept Hope out of sight. But it was time to press his suit.

  He told himself that she would be expecting it, yet he was uneasy, for she rarely reacted as other ladies did. And now that he’d come to the point, he was even more uncertain. How harshly had Mrs. Ashburton depicted marriage? The facts Blake had divulged raised more questions than they answered.

  She ignored him as he crossed the library, her expression announcing that she did not wish to see him.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked.

  She shrugged.

  “Has your mother relapsed again?”

  “Not really.”

  “Does she need the doctor?” He felt foolish quizzing her, but she gave him no choice.

  This time she met his eyes. “Her fever is gone, and she is breathing easily, though she is still too weak to stand. But blue-devils plague her.”

  “They often accompany serious illness.” He kept his voice calm and refrained from crowding her. She would flee from any sign of coercion just as she’d fled from his touch and his compliments.

  “It is not just this illness,” she said, responding to his silent encouragement. “Her melancholy has deepened every year since Grandfather died. This latest malady was the final straw. She is making little effort to recover, even claiming that unconsciousness is preferable to thought.” Her eyes brightened suspiciously.

  He recognized her problem. It was not just the idea of losing a beloved mother. Loneliness must loom as an equal terror. Her lack of supportive family was a point he could use in his favor, but first he must address Mrs. Ashburton’s blue-devils. “You can hardly blame her for growing weary of the struggle,”
he said gently. “Mrs. Tweed told me how often she has been ill. Having only Ashburton to call on cannot be easy.”

  “We don’t.” She frowned. “Even you should realize that he would never lift a finger to help unless he could turn the situation against us.”

  “I phrased that badly. I meant to say that most people can rely on family in times of trouble, but you lack that option. Knowing that he can disrupt your lives must be disheartening, at the very least.”

  She nodded. “Grandfather protected us during his lifetime and did what he could to defend us after he died. Or thought he did.” She stared out the window so he could no longer see her face.

  “How did he fail you?” he asked, curious because the lease had provided more safeguards than he would have expected.

  For a moment he thought she would change the subject, but she finally answered. “He did not expect to die. He was healthy, active, and came from a long line of graybeards. The lease protects our home, but he made no arrangements to ensure his other plans.” She laughed without mirth.

  “Other plans?”

  “I was to spend a year at a school for young ladies, learning how to go on in society – Mother was little help, as she had not come out before her marriage. Then we were to attend the Season in London. Mother was ambivalent about it, but Grandfather convinced her that it was for the best. Yet in the end it didn’t matter.”

  “What happened?” He moved a step closer.

  “Grandfather died a month before I was to leave. He suffered a fit while heading home after a visit. Since his will made no mention of school or Seasons, Uncle Edward canceled them.”

  “So you lost your chance to marry.”

  “In retrospect, that was for the best. Grandfather never realized that Uncle Edward would turn on me as he’d already turned on Mother. Had I gone to London, Uncle would have turned society against me. Even with Grandfather’s support, the situation would have been intolerable.” She returned the herbal to its shelf. “Mother was shocked to discover his animosity after Grandfather’s death. That was what started this melancholy.”