by Stella Riley
There was a short slightly tricky silence while Major Moulton looked from one to the other of them. Finally, he said, ‘All right. Clearly, Radford got his information from Lydia Neville’s brother … which makes me wonder just how stupid you think I am.’
‘It’s not that,’ said Eden quickly. ‘Recently I seem to have been finding myself on the wrong side of the line rather frequently. And if my actions with regard to Aubrey Durand come to light, you would be the first person they’d question. I didn’t want that.’
‘Then, with all due respect, Colonel – you’re a bloody idiot.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Don’t mention it.’ Ned turned back to Gabriel. ‘What happened to them, the three who were tried?’
‘Fox pleaded guilty and is to be transported, Vowell was hanged and Gerard went to the block.’
‘Dire retribution,’ breathed Eden.
‘Exactly. I always said that removing the late King’s head was a mistake and that, if Parliament was dissolved, there would be nothing left to balance the power of the Army. But I used to think Cromwell would try to maintain the existing order to some degree or other – instead of which he’s turned military dictator. If the Council of State had any say in his recent actions at all, I’d be surprised to learn of it.’ Gabriel stood up and stretched. ‘And so, gentlemen, I intend to be elected as member for this district. And then I’m going to take my seat in Westminster and try to bring the Lord Protector to heel … in which, one hopes, I shall not be labouring alone or in vain.’
* * *
Eden spent three nights at Brandon Lacey. At Gabriel’s invitation, Ned Moulton remained for a further week, thus leaving his Colonel free to visit his family in Oxfordshire alone.
In the stable yard and once more on the point of departure, Eden looked at Gabriel and said, ‘I’ll see you in London, then.’
‘Yes. By the end of this month, since Parliament’s due to open on September 3rd. Venetia will stay behind until after the harvest and then join me. She may or may not bring Phoebe with her. I don’t know.’
‘Phoebe,’ said Eden cheerfully, ‘has got over me. I don’t know why everyone seems to have thought she wouldn’t.’
‘Speaking for myself, I gave up predicting women a long time ago.’ There was a pause; and then, ‘You are going to Thorne Ash, I hope?’
Eden’s jaw tightened. ‘Yes.’
‘And staying more than twenty-four hours?’
‘Again – yes.’
‘Good.’ Gabriel smiled and offered his hand. ‘Please give my warmest regards to your mother.’
~ * * ~ * * ~
FIVE
When it was too late to do anything about it, it occurred to Eden that perhaps he ought to have let his family know he was coming. As it was, he rode into Thorne Ash’s courtyard feeling unsure of his welcome and, as a result, distinctly edgy.
The first person he saw was his brother-in-law.
Ralph Cochrane, blond and massive as a Viking, was engaged in fixing a new wheel to a cart. When he spied Eden, he summoned a stableman to take his place and then slowly straightened his back and stood up.
‘Well,’ he said coolly. ‘Finally.’
Eden dropped to the cobbles but held on to his horse’s reins as if intending to unsaddle her himself.
Seeing it, Ralph said, ‘Leave that.’ And over his shoulder as he advanced towards Eden, ‘Harris … go into the house and have somebody tell the ladies that Colonel Maxwell has arrived and will be with them shortly – then see to the Colonel’s horse.’
‘Sir.’ The man nodded and walked off.
Ralph looked unsmilingly back at Eden.
‘A word or two in private, if you wouldn’t mind.’
Eden suspected that he was going to mind but decided he might as well get it over with. Following his brother-in-law inside the shadowy quiet of the stable, he said, ‘I’m sorry I’ve taken so long to get here. But Lambert --’
And that was as far as he got before a fist like Thor’s hammer knocked him off his feet. Head ringing and pain roaring through his jaw, it took a moment to reassemble his wits and come to the conclusion that it would be stupid to stand up just yet.
‘That,’ snapped Ralph, ‘was for not managing to get here in time to mark the tenth anniversary of your father’s death. Everyone else came – even Kate and Luciano from Genoa – but not you. And you can save your excuses. I’ve heard too many of them already. So just shut your mouth and listen. I don’t mind being a father to your children – in fact, since Tab and I still haven’t any of our own, I wouldn’t be without them. But I do mind you behaving as if they don’t exist.’
‘I don’t --’ began Eden weakly.
‘You bloody well do! You haven’t been near them for nearly seven sodding months, Eden – and the last time you did come, you only stayed forty-eight hours. Mary, of course, doesn’t expect anything else. But Jude is fourteen years old and starting to wonder why his real father has no time for him.’ Ralph stopped, ran a furious hand through his already wildly disordered hair and said, ‘You won’t have noticed – but he’s a son any man would be proud of. So what the hell is the matter with you?’
‘Quite a lot, obviously.’ Hoping it was now safe to do so, Eden stopped massaging his jaw and got to his feet. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘It’s not me you need to apologise to.’
‘I know. I’ll --’
‘Try explaining yourself to your mother.’
‘I will as soon as --’
‘And don’t expect anybody to fall on your neck. They won’t.’
Eden decided he’d had enough.
‘I don’t expect it – though I hope nobody else feels inclined to break my jaw. I’m sorry it’s been seven months. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here last month for Father. I’m sorry that previous visits have been short. I’m even sorry I can’t meet everybody’s expectations. But I’m here now – contrite and prepared to stay for at least a week if you think you can put up with me for that long. And now do you think I might be allowed inside the house?’
* * *
Mr Cochrane let him go into the house alone – where, in fact, Dorothy Maxwell did fall on her elder son’s neck, saying, ‘Oh Eden – my dear. What a wonderful surprise!’
Kissing her cheek and then each of her hands, Eden smiled ruefully and said, ‘I’m sorry. By the time I realised that I should have sent word, it was too late to do it.’
‘Sent word? Why on earth would you need to do that? This is your home.’ Stepping back a little, Dorothy touched the bruise that was already forming on the side of his jaw. ‘No sooner here than fighting?’
‘No. Just taking my punishment like a man. Father would be proud. Or then again, maybe not.’ He looked past her to where his sister stood, flanked by Jude and Mary. ‘If anybody else wants to hit me, now would be the time.’
Tabitha smiled, shook her head. ‘Ralph has been a little annoyed with you.’
‘I noticed.’ Eden strolled forward, to give and receive a swift hug and then immediately turned to his son, saying, ‘Good Lord, Jude … you’re nearly as tall as I am. What on earth is your Aunt Tab feeding you?’
The boy, red-haired as his father and still lanky as a new colt, gave a brief and clearly involuntary grin. ‘Scraps, mostly.’ Then, holding out his hand, said self-consciously, ‘How are you, sir? Uncle Toby wrote that you’d been sent to end the Scottish rising.’
Eden took the proffered hand and, knowing that he only had himself to blame, hid how being addressed as ‘sir’ felt like a punch to the stomach. ‘Well, I lent a hand, certainly. But I actually went north to deliver much-needed supplies to General Monck.’
‘And are the Scots defeated now?’ asked Jude quickly.
‘All bar the shouting,’ agreed his father with a slight smile. Then, keeping every nerve and muscle under rigid control, he turned to Jude’s ten-year-old sister. ‘And Mary … you’ve grown too, I see.’
‘Yes, sir.’ The girl drop
ped a slight curtsy and, without meeting his eyes, said in a colourless little voice, ‘Thank you.’
‘She can ride her pony nearly as well as me,’ announced Jude with a hint of challenge.
‘Is that so?’
‘It is indeed,’ interposed Dorothy smoothly, seeing pitfalls ahead. ‘In that respect, she’s just like Kate at the same age. But all this can wait. No doubt you’re eager to get rid of the dust of the road and change your clothes. Your room is waiting and Flossie has sent up hot water. Then, when you’re ready, you can come down and tell us all your news.’
Eden sent her a fleeting smile and gratefully accepted the reprieve.
Perhaps, he thought, now the first moments are out of the way, it will be easier.
* * *
When he went back downstairs, he found his mother waiting in the parlour. She was alone. Gesturing for him to sit beside her, she said simply, ‘I told everyone that I wanted you to myself for a little while. I didn’t think you’d mind.’
‘No. Of course not.’ He absorbed the threads of silver in the rich, dark red hair and the small lines around the still-lovely green eyes. ‘I believe I’m glad of it.’
‘Yes. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I expect you’re finding it difficult to adjust.’
Eden swallowed and heard himself say baldly, ‘It … I shouldn’t find it difficult. Not now. I don’t know why I still do.’
‘Of course you do. It’s because you’re never here often enough – or long enough – to become accustomed and remember who you are.’
‘I know who I am.’
‘No, Eden. You only know part of yourself. The rest is shut away in a box that you refuse to open.’ She patted his hand. ‘But we needn’t speak of that now. Tell me what you’ve been doing these last months. I know from Toby that you’ve been kept exceptionally busy.
Toby said that, did he? It’s more than he’s ever admitted to me.
But he put that thought aside and began giving her a carefully edited picture of his working life since Cromwell had made himself Lord Protector. Dorothy listened carefully for a time and then said, ‘Is that all you’ve been doing? Working?’
‘Yes. All too often, there’s no time for anything else.’
She surveyed him thoughtfully.
‘To all intents and purposes, you’ve been single for a decade and free to re-marry for the last year and a half. I’d have thought that, by now, some lady might have engaged your … interest.’
Eden opened his mouth to say no, then closed it again as an image of Lydia Neville hauling him over the coals in that tiny office came to mind. Resolutely banishing it, he said evasively, ‘I rarely meet any ladies.’
Dorothy noticed that he’d side-stepped the question but chose not to pursue it. She said, ‘That’s a shame. I don’t like to think of you spending the rest of your life alone. But perhaps you have a mistress?’
Eden’s jaw slackened in surprise and then he laughed.
‘What sort of question is that for a mother to ask her son?’
‘A perfectly natural one when the son in question is thirty-five years old and free to take his pleasures where he chooses,’ came the composed reply. ‘However … you needn’t answer if you’d rather not.’
‘Thank you.’ He realised he’d forgotten how acute his mother could be. Amusement rippling through his tone, he said, ‘You shouldn’t confuse me with Toby, you know. He’s the one with women tripping over themselves and each other in order to catch his eye.’
‘I know about Toby,’ replied his mother calmly. ‘Tabitha only tells me half of it, of course, but I’m adept at reading between the lines. Ah … and speaking of Tabitha … nothing has been said yet but I think you must make allowances if Ralph is particularly tense at the moment.’
‘I don’t follow,’ began Eden. And then, ‘Oh. Yes. I see.’
Ralph and his sister had been married for six years. During that time, Tabitha had conceived twice and miscarried both babes around the start of the fourth month. The second time had been especially bad and there had been fears for her life. If Tabitha was in the early stages of pregnancy now, it was no wonder Ralph’s nerves were at full stretch.
‘Does Toby know?’ asked Eden.
‘I imagine so – though I doubt Tabitha has actually told him.’
He nodded, aware of the peculiar bond between the twins.
‘I imagine we can expect him to arrive any day, then.’
‘Yes.’ She paused and, looking down at her hands, added carefully, ‘He came at the end of June, of course, and brought Amy with him. Kate was here, too.’
‘Ralph told me.’ The last day of June. The day after the battle of Cropredy Bridge in ’44. The day Father died. Do they think I don’t remember? That I don’t mark the occasion in my own way and as best I can? ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be here as well but it … wasn’t possible. We were still chasing General Middleton from glen to glen in the highlands.’
Dorothy looked up at him then and said quietly, ‘You needn’t explain. I know you loved your father and haven’t forgotten. But it’s time to put aside the other memories of that day. Not just for yourself – but for the children. Particularly Jude.’ She stood up and said, ‘He is unlikely to make it easy for you … but if you don’t forge a relationship with him now, you’ll lose him forever. It’s up to you.’
* * *
Supper with everyone at the table together was less awkward than he’d expected. Due largely to Dorothy and Tabitha, conversation flowed relatively easily; Ralph showed no sign of wanting to hit him again; and though Mary said very little, Jude occasionally whispered something in her ear that made her giggle. Gradually, Eden relaxed.
It was the following morning before the rest of the family conspired to leave him alone with his son. Jude immediately suggested that they ride out together.
‘I thought,’ he said politely, ‘that you might like to see the changes and improvements that Uncle Ralph has made here and there.’
‘Yes. I’d like that very much.’
They spent an hour or more touring the home farm and surrounding land while Jude pointed out various things, casually expounding on subjects which Eden realised he’d once known all about himself but now recalled very little. After a while, he said, ‘I’m impressed. You obviously take a lot of interest in the running of the estate.’
Jude shoved a recalcitrant lock of red hair back from his face.
‘When I’m not at lessons, I go around with Uncle Ralph most of the time. He explains things and sometimes asks what I think and then we discuss it.’ He paused and then said, ‘Of course, soon I’ll be going to university and I won’t be here as much. So I want to learn everything I can before I go.’
‘Are you looking forward to Oxford?’
‘I think so. Did you enjoy it when you went?’
‘Yes. But it was a little different for me, I suppose. Your Uncle Francis and I went there together.’ Eden hesitated briefly. Then, ‘He’s in Paris, by the way – Francis. He’s married to a French actress and he writes plays for the theatre where she performs.’
Jude nodded. There was a long silence but finally he said expressionlessly, ‘I know Mother didn’t die when they said. That she just … left. And I know she’s really dead now. But no one says what happened to her. Do you know?’
Eden swallowed and worked hard at keeping his voice perfectly neutral.
‘She tripped on the stairs and fell. It was an accident.’
Another nod, another silence and another unexpected question.
‘Are you going to get married again?’
‘I don’t plan to do so.’ He shot his son a sideways glance. ‘Do you mind either way?’
Jude hunched one shoulder and reined his horse to a stop, forcing Eden to follow suit.
‘Not for myself. But … if you chose the right kind of lady, I think it might be nice for Mary. It’s not that she needs anybody really. She’s got Aunt Tab and Uncle Ralph and Grandmother. But i
f you were married, your wife might like her.’ He turned an austere, faintly accusing and very adult stare on his father. ‘She knows that you don’t.’
Once again, Eden felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach.
‘That isn’t true. I --’
‘Yes it is. You can barely look at her. She knows that. She just doesn’t understand why.’
Christ. This is getting worse by the minute.
Eden didn’t want to ask but couldn’t see any way of avoiding it. To give himself a few second’s grace, he dismounted and turned to look unseeingly across a field of corn.
Finally, forcing the words out, he said, ‘And you think you do?’
‘I know I do.’ Jude also dismounted and studied the soon-to-be-harvested field. ‘At first I thought it was because she looks like Mother but it isn’t. It’s because --’ He stopped abruptly and then went on bluntly, ‘It’s because you don’t think you’re her real father.’
Eden felt the ground sliding away from beneath him.
‘What makes you suppose that?’
‘Something Aunt Tab said to Grandmother. I didn’t mean to listen but … well, it’s what they think.’ He turned, waiting until his father looked him in the eye. ‘If it’s true, I wanted to hear it from you. Is it?’
Knowing what his answer would unleash, Eden shut his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. ‘Yes.’
Jude drew a sharp breath and loosed it. He didn’t immediately say anything but when he did, his words were unexpected.
‘I thought you’d lie. I’m glad you didn’t.’
A small, harsh laugh scraped Eden’s throat.
‘So am I.’
‘You don’t have to tell me the rest if you don’t want to. After all, if it’s true, it’s pretty obvious that Mother had … that she was … well, you know.’ Another pause. ‘I suppose you’re sure?’
‘As sure as I can be – though perhaps not entirely.’
Jude considered this.
‘Then why can’t you give Mary the benefit of the doubt? Even if you’re right and it is true, it’s not her fault, is it? And – and she’s still my sister.’
‘I know. And I’ll try harder.’
