The Ghosts of Ardenthwaite (The Northminster Mysteries Book 5)

by Harriet Smart

  “Not for a while yet, I’m afraid,” he said walking round to her side. “But I may be able to replace it with something a little less clumsy. The joiner here could make some more delicate splints, perhaps. And I suspect you have just got the bandages soaked –”

  “No, it is covered in oiled silk. See,” she said, taking it from the sling. “This is Mr Bodley’s notion. He had Miss Waites sew a sleeve for it.”

  “Bodley is extraordinary,” said Felix, admiring the black silk casing.

  “He told me all about you,” she said, and Felix wondered what on earth had been said, and indeed who had raised him as a subject of conversation.

  Before he had a chance to answer, the fountain decided to deposit upon them both, and with some force, as if it had now turned spiteful. She did not object at all when he took her elbow and steered her from its range.

  “It’s quite taken agin us!” he managed to say, once he had mastered his laughter.

  “Yes, I think so,” she said and gave a shiver, for a raft of pewtery clouds had drifted in and suddenly blocked the sun. He went to pick up her shawl and bonnet.

  “Perhaps we should go inside,” he said, and put the shawl, which was brightly checked and made of delicate silk, about her shoulders.

  “Do you like my plaid?” she said, adjusting it. “Or is it not a proper plaid? I have been wondering what a proper Highlander’s plaid might be like.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know. It’s very pretty, though it would not keep you warm in Pitfeldry. Nor here, if that cloud is anything to go by. Shall we go and find a fire?”

  She nodded, and they went back into the house by the library door. Here they were met by Lord Rothborough on the way to his study, which was reached through the library.

  He looked them over as they stood there, with their wet faces. Felix was holding Miss Blanchfort’s bonnet, as if he had plucked it from her, causing her hair to fall down in the process.

  “I didn’t notice it was raining,” he said.

  “It was a very particular rain-shower,” said Miss Blanchfort, and she and Felix both burst out laughing.

  “Excuse me?” said Lord Rothborough.

  “The fountain,” Felix managed to say. “The breeze conspired against us.”

  “That would be very charming if you were both still in the schoolroom, but you are both a little old to be –” He broke off, glanced around him, with an air of irritation. “Could you please both go and make yourselves respectable? We have important business this afternoon. Eleanor, your mother has finally yielded to my persuasion and will be here shortly.”

  “I shall not see her!” said Miss Blanchfort.

  “Eleanor, we have been over this,” Lord Rothborough said. “You must make your peace.”

  “No, no, no!” exclaimed Miss Blanchfort, shaking her head, “I shall not see her!” She ran past him and out of the room.

  “Eleanor!” said Lord Rothborough going after her, but the door was slammed in his face. Turning back, he said to Felix, “Well, don’t just stand there, go and talk some sense into her!”

  “What on earth can I say to make her change her mind?” said Felix.

  “A woman in love will listen to her lover when she will listen to no one else.”

  “In love? Do you think that she is –?” Felix broke off.

  “It would seem so.” He sighed. “Go and get some dry clothes on and then talk to her. If this match is to be brokered then she must absolutely submit to her mother. Otherwise your cause is lost. So it is in your interest to persuade her. Yes?”

  “But this morning you said that there was no haste and now you are talking –”

  “That was before you were cavorting in the fountain with her.”

  “We were not in the fountain, and we were not cavorting,” Felix said.

  “You may as well have been. The effect is the same. And that was hardly the measured approach I was suggesting.”

  “Nothing at all happened.”

  “No, of course not,” said Lord Rothborough. “Even I know that you would exercise restraint in such circumstances. But for a girl like Eleanor, the slightest favourable attention adds up to something significant. And you have now become significant. It is a good thing that it seems to be mutual and you are at present free of entanglements. You’re lucky, my boy, to have such a prize as Eleanor Blanchfort within your reach, and to have those around you who will support such a suit. Now go and get changed, will you?”

  Felix was happy to be dismissed.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Lady Blanchfort was already an hour late. Miss Blanchfort had also failed to come downstairs and wait for her arrival, despite being sent for on several occasions.

  “I am very sorry, my Lord,” said Taylor, Miss Blanchfort’s maid. “But she says she will not come down. She says she has a headache.”

  “You do not quite believe in this headache, do you, Taylor?” said Lord Rothborough.

  “That isn’t my place to say, my Lord,” said Miss Taylor.

  “It is just as well that we have a medical man at our disposal,” said Lord Rothborough. “Mr Carswell, go and see if you can assist her.”

  So Felix went upstairs to Miss Blanchfort’s dressing room. This was a generous room, hung with green damask and with a fine prospect of the park. Miss Blanchfort was sitting in one of the window seats, wrapped in her plaid silk shawl, her face half buried in it. She looked miserably up at him as he entered.

  “Mr Carswell, miss,” said Taylor. “For your headache.”

  “Thank you, Taylor,” she said. “That will be all.”

  Taylor, who was a middle-aged woman of sober appearance, gave a disapproving sigh and seemed to consider the point at some length before she finally went into the adjoining room and closed the door behind her.

  “Do you have a headache?” Felix asked, going to the window and sitting down beside her.

  “Yes,” she said. “Of sorts.”

  “A poultice with Eau de Cologne might help,” he said.

  “What would help –” she began and broke off.

  “Do you have some Eau de Cologne?”

  “On the dresser there.”

  He went and found the flask and soaked a handkerchief in it, before coming back to sit beside her. He pulled down the blind to reduce the light, and taking her chin in his hand, tipped back her head so that he could press the folded cloth to her forehead. She leant back, accepting the attention without any resistance, closing her eyes and sighing slightly as he did so. He leant a little closer, wondering if this was a sign of her inclinations towards him, or mere relief. That she yielded so easily to his touch was both delicious and alarming. If he had awoken a passion in her, then it only served to fuel his own desire for her.

  They sat there for some minutes in silence, and then he gently took off the poultice. She caught his wrist and opened her eyes to him, as well as parting her lips, as if daring him to kiss her. He would have done so, but with some effort managed to resist. He moved away a little with the scent of the Eau de Cologne hanging between them, sweet and sharp, as enticing as the girl herself, and then he found he could no longer hold back, and pressed his lips to hers.

  It was more than pleasant, and it left them giddy.

  “That,” she said, “is an excellent cure for a headache.”

  “I think I need to complete the prescription,” Felix said, and kissed her again. In truth he wanted far more than kisses, and from the fierce little movements she was making against him, and the strength of the grip of her undamaged arm about him, he could tell she was as hungry as he was. But of course, that was impossible.

  So as gently as he could, he disentangled himself, and moved a little distance away to a chair next to the window seat.

  “All in good time,” he murmured, giving her one final kiss, and she nodded, and they sat, composing themselves.

  He smiled across at her, drunk with happiness. Her ardent eyes were fixed on him, as if he were the sou
rce of all meaning and happiness in her life. He was, just as Lord Rothborough had said, extremely lucky, and in that moment any last hesitation receded. Any difficulties could be surmounted, he was certain. All he knew was that he must take his chances with her.

  He reached out for her hand and kissed it at some length, before looking up at her again and saying, “I don’t know how I begin to ask you this, after such a short a time, but it feels that there is a congruence, a purpose, a rightness to it, for all the difficulties we will undoubtedly face. Everyone will no doubt call me presumptuous to even consider you as a potential wife, since I am nobody in particular.”

  “You are not a nobody to me!” she said. “Do you think I care for any of that?”

  “I have nothing. You have everything.”

  “You have a house. Surely that is all that anyone needs? I like your house, Mr Carswell. I should like to be mistress of it, if that is what you are trying to say to me,” she said.

  “That is exactly what I have been trying to say,” he said laughing now. “Would you like to be mistress of Ardenthwaite, Eleanor?”

  “Yes, yes, I would. Very much.”

  He moved back onto the window seat and began to kiss her again.

  “Oh, I hope we can be married soon,” she said.

  “We shall have to be,” he said, breaking from her, anxious that he should not go too far. This time he got to his feet and walked away. She too got up and stood, shaking out her shawl and her skirts.

  “I was supposed to persuade you to come down,” he said. “You have to talk to your mother. In fact, we must talk to your mother.”

  “Very well,” she said, with surprising cheerfulness. She came over to him and pressed herself against him. “As you wish.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “What can she do to me now?” she said. “I shall be married and that will be that. She cannot put me back in her prison. You have rescued me. I have been rescued!” With this statement, she turned her face up for another kiss, her head thrown back. Felix could not resist, and he wrapped his arms about her, feeling her collapse with the pleasure of his kiss. He felt faint at the thought of the hours of conjugal pleasure that awaited them.

  There was a loud cough. Taylor had come back into the room and was standing at the doorway looking as if she wished to horsewhip him.

  “I think you should leave now, sir,” said Taylor. “And Miss Eleanor, don’t think I’m not going to tell her Ladyship about this.”

  “Oh, be quiet, Taylor!” said Eleanor. “Come, Mr Carswell, let us go downstairs!”

  -o-

  Lord Rothborough, Lady Maria and Lady Blanchfort were sitting in the small drawing room. Eleanor and Felix went hand in hand to the closed door and then stopped before it.

  “Shall we?” he said. She nodded and then they went in, still holding hands.

  It was Lord Rothborough who saw them first. Lady Blanchfort had her back to them and was some distance away. Lord Rothborough had risen from his chair and seeing their knotted fingers, made a brief chopping gesture, to make them break apart. When they did not, he repeated it again, with a fierce shake of his head, which counselled Felix to prudence. Felix let go of her hand, and Lord Rothborough’s countenance now assumed a genial welcoming smile. He stretched out his hand to greet his ward.

  “Ah, there you are Eleanor,” he said. “I hope your headache is better?”

  Eleanor glanced at Felix, and he gestured that she should go to Lord Rothborough. She did, and even kissed him on the cheek.

  “Here she is, Anne,” said Lord Rothborough.

  Felix remained by the door, feeling like a footman, and waited for his own summons. Lady Blanchfort had not risen nor turned.

  He watched as Eleanor made a perfect little curtsey to her.

  “Eleanor,” Lady Blanchfort said.

  “Mama.”

  “You look flushed,” said Lady Blanchfort.

  “That will be the remains of the headache,” said Lord Rothborough. He gestured to Felix to come forward. “Is that the case, Mr Carswell, that a slight fever can persist after a serious headache?”

  “Yes, my Lord,” Felix said, coming and standing by Eleanor. “Good afternoon, Lady Blanchfort,” he said, making a slight bow. “You can see she is doing very well here. Her wrist is mending as it should, and there have been no complications.”

  “How fortunate you have been at hand to treat her,” said Lady Blanchfort. “You must remember to send me your bill, Mr Carswell. And as for complications, I can see there has been a major one. What has been going on?”

  “Mr Carswell has asked me to marry him, and I have said yes,” said Eleanor.

  Lady Blanchfort rose from her seat, and said, “Do not be silly. Now, would someone ring for a servant? We must fetch your wraps. It might be rather cool in the carriage. There is no real warmth in this spring sunshine, I find. We do not want our precious patient to catch cold, do we, Mr Carswell?”

  “Mama, did you not hear what I said?”

  “Yes, and it was not worthy of remark.”

  “We are engaged, Mama,” said Eleanor.

  “It is true,” said Felix, taking Eleanor’s hand and kissing it. “Miss Blanchfort has done me the honour of consenting –”

  “Done you the honour?” said Lady Blanchfort, shaking her head. “There is no honour in this. This is barefaced machination of the most vile description. But you will not succeed, sir, in your pretensions.”

  “Sit down, Ann,” said Lord Rothborough. “I think you and I need to talk. The young people can go elsewhere. Maria, why don’t you go with Eleanor and Mr Carswell into the music room?”

  -o-

  “Can this be true?” said Maria as they went along the passageway. “No wonder you looked so sore when I teased you this morning, for which I am more sorry than I can say! Oh, how very exciting!”

  They went into the music room, and Lady Maria insisted on kissing them both.

  “The way my mother looked just then,” Eleanor began, “it may be impossible –”

  “Oh, but Papa is for it, I’m sure,” said Maria. “He is able to achieve the most extraordinary things – is that not so, Mr Carswell?”

  “I can vouch for it.”

  “How can she object when you make such a fine couple?” Maria went on, putting their hands together and performing a mock betrothal.

  “Because I have nothing?” Felix said. “And you know who I am?”

  “You are my brother,” Maria said, “and no one shall ever stop me from thinking of you as anything else, and as you are my brother, then how can you be unequal to anyone? It is true fate has made things awkward, but the fact of it remains! Dear Eleanor, I could not be more happy to have you as another sister, and I know Papa will be doing everything to accomplish this for you.”

  This show of sincerity and enthusiasm was profoundly touching, and Felix kissed her again, and the three of them walked about the great room. Lady Maria began on the subject of wedding journeys.

  “You must go to Scotland,” she said, “surely?”

  “Oh, yes, to the Highlands,” said Eleanor. “Might we?”

  “I should think so. We will have to go and see my parents, I suppose.” With a slight shock, he realised he had not thought at all about what they might make of this marriage.

  “Mr and Mrs Carswell!” said Maria. “Oh, they are the sweetest people imaginable, Eleanor. I met them last summer when they were at Ardenthwaite.”

  “I hope they will like me,” said Eleanor, glancing at Felix with some apprehension.

  “I am sure they will,” he said, but did not add that he was sure they would dislike her fortune and her connections. But then the thought of showing her the country near Pitfeldry, which he felt would be greatly to her taste, and sharing with her all the pleasures of a Highland summer, made him dismiss any difficulties. “We must certainly go to Perthshire!”

  Maria rushed to the piano and started to play a reel. Felix was about to make Eleanor d
ance with him, when Lord Rothborough came into the room. He stood looking rather grave, and Maria stopped playing at once.

  “You are both quite settled on this?” he said. “Felix, Eleanor?”

  “Yes, my Lord,” said Felix. “Quite settled.”

  “Eleanor?”

  “Yes, my Lord,” she said.

  He nodded and said, “Lady Blanchfort would like to speak to you, Felix.”

  “Not me?” said Eleanor.

  “No, not at present,” said Lord Rothborough. “You wait here.”

  Felix left the room with Lord Rothborough and when they were outside, he said, “Well, you exceeded my expectations there. Good Lord! A little decorum would have made things a great deal easier for me. Really, did you have to be quite so intemperate? I did not send you upstairs to get engaged to her.”

  “I could not have done otherwise,” Felix said. “It all became very clear when I went up. And she loves me. You said I was lucky, my Lord – I am. I see that now.”

  “You certainly are,” said Lord Rothborough. “Lady Blanchfort was something of an obstacle, but I think have managed that for you.”

  “By using the matter that you said was discreditable about her?” said Felix.

  “Yes, and I hesitated to do it, but seeing you and Eleanor – it seems my sentimental nature got the better of me. I think you are well suited, and it is better that you are married sooner rather than later, even though she is only seventeen. You are both passionate creatures. Marriage will settle you.”

  “She is only seventeen?” Felix said.

  “Did you not realise that?” said Lord Rothborough.

  “No,” he said. “We have not discussed it.” He realised how little they had discussed in the course of their strange, slight acquaintance. “She does not seem that young.”

  “She is just a touch younger than Maria,” said Lord Rothborough. “Does that disturb you?”

  “I don’t know,” said Felix. “What do you think?”

  “As I said, you are a pair of hot-heads, and apparently violently in love. The match is advantageous for both of you. It could be that she is too young to be a mother, but you and I both know that is a situation that can easily be postponed until she is ready for such a responsibility. Indeed, until you are ready. Now, will you go in?”