It was as he was approaching one of the smaller saloons that he heard a conversation taking place between his mother and father. Their voices were raised, and though he would normally have walked on, the anger in his father’s voice prompted him to stop. Fearing that something untoward had happened, he paused by the open door to listen.
‘—won’t have it, Sarah. He should never have asked!’
‘But why would he not ask, Richard?’ his mother said. ‘You have always given Peter an allowance. Why should you not increase it now that he is about to be married?’
‘Because he is not marrying the woman I wish him to!’ his father said peevishly. ‘He is determined to marry that Darling chit, and do not think I fail to recognise the idiocy in having to say that! Silly name, Darling,’ he muttered.
‘You cannot blame the child for her name,’ his mother said in a tone of mild reproach. ‘She had nothing to do with that.’
‘No, but she has everything to do with what’s happened since. And if Peter thinks I’m going to increase his allowance in order to provide enough money for the two of them to live in luxury, he’s got another thing coming. In fact, it’s time I put an end to this once and for all.’
There was a slight, tense pause. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean that, if he insists on going through with this marriage, I will cut him off.’
Alex caught his breath, astonished that his father would even think of such a thing.
It was clear his mother was equally nonplussed. ‘Richard, you can’t!’
‘Yes, I can. The money is mine to do with as I please. If it pleases me to cut my youngest son off without a penny, that is exactly what I shall do.’
‘But how will they survive?’
‘He can apply to the church for a living. That’s respectable enough. They’ll provide him with a house and a wage and Linette can become a parson’s wife, as her sister no doubt will.’
There was another brief pause. ‘You think Emma Darling has hopes of marrying the vicar?’
‘Why not? I’ve seen the way he looks at her,’ the earl said in a disparaging tone. ‘No doubt he thinks to marry her and to improve his lot in life through her sister’s connection to us.’
‘Oh, Richard, I really think you’re taking this too far. If Peter and Linette truly are in love, why not just accept it and let them marry?’
‘Because love, my dear, is for peasants and stable boys. Not for those of our class. We marry for the good of our families.’
‘I didn’t marry you for the good of the family,’ his mother pointed out. ‘I married you because I fell in love with you.’
‘You were the daughter of an earl, like Lady Glynnis,’ the earl said, his voice softening. ‘I did not flaunt my father’s wishes and run off with a dairy maid.’
‘Perhaps because you never fell in love with a dairy maid.’
Alex managed a smile at the teasing note in his mother’s voice, but it was clear from his father’s reply that he was not amused. ‘Of course not, because I would never have lowered myself to associate with one. But I’ve had quite enough of Peter flouting my authority. He should be more like Alex. You don’t see him acting like an irresponsible fool. He’s marrying as he should, to a woman as noble as himself.’
‘But have you ever heard Alex say that he’s in love with Glynnis?’ his mother asked. ‘Do you think he genuinely cares for her?’
‘What does it matter if he cares for her? If he decides she’s not the one he wants to spend his nights with after they’re wed, he can find himself a mistress and take his pleasures there. Once he’s secured an heir, they can each go their separate ways, as long as they do it discreetly. But at least Alex is doing what society expects of him. What I expect of the man who will one day take my place!’
Standing by the door, Alex felt the beginnings of a slow, simmering anger. His father certainly wasn’t painting a very flattering picture of his life with Glynnis, and, given the way his father felt about Glynnis, Alex would have thought him reluctant to see either of them seek out other partners. But it seemed his only concern was that Alex marry well and produce the required number of children. It didn’t matter what happened between him and Glynnis once the requisite heir had been birthed. They could each go their own separate ways and take pleasure in the arms of another if that’s what they wanted. After all, that was the way society did it.
‘—never gave a damn about his obligation to me and this just proves it,’ his father was saying. ‘Well, we’ll see who has the last laugh. When he’s living with her and not able to scrape together money enough to buy food, we’ll see if he thinks love is worth the trouble. I’ll have Sufferton draw up new papers as soon as we get back to London.’
‘Oh, Richard! Surely you would not be so cruel!’
‘Sometimes it is necessary to be cruel, my dear. A son has to learn obedience to his father. Loyalty to his family name. If he doesn’t, how will he ever be able to pass those qualities on to his sons? Who, by the way, will also be shunned by good society through the thoughtlessness of this marriage.’
Alex backed away from the door, having heard more than enough. He couldn’t believe his father would go to such lengths. To cut off his own son without a penny just to prove a point was the height of cruel and heartless treatment. No, it wasn’t required that a father give an allowance to his second son, but that was always the way it had been done in their family. The earls of Widdicombe were known for their generosity towards their children. Even daughters were permitted liberal inheritances as long as they married men of whom the family approved.
Of course, the sons in the line had always done as their fathers expected as well. But now, one of them had dared to step out of line, and his father had made it very clear that he was not the title holder to do that with.
In his room, Alex paced the floor, wondering what he could do. There was no point in trying to persuade his father to change his way of thinking. His mind was clearly made up. Peter’s asking for an increase in his allowance to cover the costs of his new life with Linette had obviously been the last straw. But if Peter went ahead with his marriage, he would be cut off, and possibly disowned.
At one time, Alex wouldn’t have believed his father capable of taking such a hard line, but given what he’d heard today, he knew better. And that left him very little in the way of options. In fact, it left only one. If he could not persuade his father to change his mind, or Peter to break off his engagement, there was only one other avenue he could pursue.
Linette. He would appeal to her sense of fairness and family loyalty, and pray that she would be willing to listen. If she loved Peter as much as Alex believed she did, she would do anything to prevent seeing him cut off from his family. Given that the ties to her own were so strong, she would surely wish to see him remain close in the arms of those who loved him.
And there was only one way that was going to happen. Peter might hate him when he found out what he’d done, but if there was any chance of salvaging his brother’s relationship with his father—and possibly his very standing in society—Alex was willing to give it a try. He was doing what he had to for the good of the family.
Hopefully other people would be able to see it that way, and be called upon to do the same.
* * *
Emma was just getting up from the dinner table when the letter was delivered.
‘What’s that, Jenks?’ Mr Darling enquired.
‘A letter from Ellingsworth, sir. For Miss Linette.’
‘No doubt a love letter from her devoted swain,’ Ridley remarked without enthusiasm.
‘Don’t be a tease, Ridley,’ Linette said, holding her hand out for it. ‘May I be excused, Papa?’
‘Of course, my dear. Reading like that is best done away from such mundane matters as family and sustenance.’
Emma smiled as Linette scampered off to read her letter. At least one member of the family was happy. Ridley had been noticeably withdrawn since Lady Gl
ynnis’s departure, and she oft-times found it an effort to smile in response to her father’s quips. He had asked her, more than once, if something was amiss, to which she had promptly and emphatically replied that everything was fine.
Fine. Such a pathetic word, Emma thought as she made her way to the drawing room. It was neither descriptive nor emotive and communicated nothing about the way one truly felt. The weather was fine, but did that mean it was excellent or simply not bad? Fine really said nothing at all…and it described her mood perfectly.
* * *
Fifteen minutes on, the clock on the mantel chimed the hour. Emma lifted her head from her embroidery and glanced around the room. Strange, her sister hadn’t come back downstairs. Linette liked to finish her day with some quiet reading by the fire, but tonight she had taken her letter upstairs and not returned.
Emma set her tambour aside and started for the stairs. She couldn’t explain why, but she had a bad feeling that refused to be shaken. It was as though something unpleasant was about to happen. As though something over which she had no control was going to cause serious harm to those she cared the most about.
She reached her sister’s room and knocked lightly on the door. ‘Linette, are you coming back downstairs?’
When there was no answer, Emma pressed her ear to the door—and her suspicions were confirmed. The sobs were muffled, but her sister was definitely crying. ‘Linette, what’s wrong?’
The sobs came to abrupt end. ‘Nothing! I’m f-fine.’
‘You’re not fine, dearest. Can I come in?’
‘No. Go away, Emma. Please, just…go away.’
Go away? Linette had never told her to go away before. What could possibly have been in that letter that would make her ask such a thing now? Emma tentatively opened the door and saw her sister sitting on the edge of the bed, the letter lying on the floor at her feet. ‘Linette, whatever is the matter?’
Her sister was too upset to speak. Her eyes were red and swollen, her lips compressed as though to keep from bursting into tears again.
Emma closed the door behind her. ‘Has this something to do with the letter from Peter?’
‘The letter wasn’t from…P-Peter,’ Linette stuttered. ‘It was from…Lord Stewart.’
Alex? Emma glanced at the discarded piece of parchment. Why on earth would Alex be writing to Linette? ‘What does it say?’
The younger girl closed her eyes, a shimmer of fresh tears on her lashes. ‘Read it. I can’t bear to look at it again.’
Quite sure it could contain nothing of a personal nature, Emma picked it up. The writing was bold and slanted, as though written in a hurry. She could almost see his arm sweeping across the page.
Dear Miss Linette,
This letter will not make you happy and I pray you will find it in your heart to forgive me one day, but know that what I am about to say cannot be delayed. You are aware, I’m sure, that my father has not reconciled himself to your marriage to my brother. I had hoped that in doing what was expected of me, he would feel more lenient towards Peter, but it seems that is not the case.
My father has made it very clear that if you and Peter wed, he will cut my brother off without a penny. In short, he will disown him and I think you can understand the consequences of such an action. You will both be denied access to good society and my brother will be forced to vacate Ellingsworth Hall and look for accommodation of a far more humble nature. This will likely lead to his seeking employment within the church, as this manner of occupation does provide somewhere in which to live.
This might be something you could both bear and I have no doubt that the strength of your love would enable you to endure this. But there is another consideration. If my father disowns Peter, he effectively disowns any children resulting from the marriage. Therefore, I am asking you to do what must be done because you are the only one who can.
I am asking you to release my brother from his promise. A harsh request, I know, and one that will cause you deep pain. But I can assure you that nothing else will restore Peter to his father’s good graces. A father who, I regret to tell you, is not currently enjoying the best of health…
Emma let the letter fall. There was no need to read on. Everything she needed to know had been said in those four paragraphs. Alex wanted Linette to break off her engagement to Peter. He was asking her to ‘do the right thing’ by appealing to her sense of goodness and love. It was horrible! After everything they had been through, after everything that had happened, Alex clearly felt no differently about the matter than he had on the day when he had asked her to persuade Linette to break off her engagement. The only difference was that now he had bypassed her and gone directly to Linette in his desire to achieve his goal.
‘He wants m-me to b-break it off,’ Linette sobbed. ‘He says I have to…for the good of our children. What am I going to d-do, Emma? I love Peter so much! How can I ever let him go?’
Emma had no idea what to say to console the weeping girl. She pulled her sister into her arms and held her close, even as her heart hardened against the men who had done this. Dear Lord, was there no end to the misery that dreadful family was willing to inflict? No pain they would spare? She was beginning to curse the day she’d ever heard of Peter Taylor and certainly rued the day Alex had walked into her life.
Well, it was time to take a stand. No one had the right to meddle in someone else’s personal affairs—Alex certainly had no right to meddle in Linette’s. Or to shatter the poor girl’s dreams. She was the least capable of dealing with emotional heartache. Emma, at least, was older and strong enough to deal with her own disappointment, as was Ridley. But she would not allow Alex to destroy the happiness of someone as innocent and trusting as Linette.
Not as long as she had breath enough to say it!
Chapter Thirteen
It was probably just as well the letter had arrived at the end of the day, Emma thought as she prepared to set off the next morning. Had it come earlier, she would probably have marched off to Ellingsworth at once, demanding to see Alex and confronting him without having taken the time to think through what she wanted to say. She would have flown at him like a mother hen at a fox, her only thought being to protect her chick, even though both she and Linette would likely have suffered as a result.
Instead, she had lain awake through the long hours of the night, reviewing everything that had happened and trying to come up with a logical argument. If she did not, she feared she would arrive at the front door of Ellingsworth, angry and emotional, and stumble and stutter her way through her tirade and, in doing so, forget the most important things she needed to say.
She couldn’t allow Alex to see her that way. She had to be cool and rational. She needed him to listen to what she had to say and to present her arguments in such a manner that he would be willing to give some credence to her line of thought, perhaps even be open to working with her to reach some kind of satisfactory conclusion.
She accepted that there would be no resolution to her own problem. Alex was lost to her. There would be no lastminute change of heart. No sudden, unexpected revelation that would allow them to be together. He was engaged to marry Lady Glynnis and nothing was going to change that. All she would ever have was the memory of his kiss.
That would stay with her until the day she died. She would never forget the feeling of his arms holding her close, the tenderness of his mouth as it closed over hers, his lips moving so sensuously over hers. She would cherish that memory for ever, like a jewel in a keepsake box, to be taken out and admired when she was old and alone.
But, hopefully, it wasn’t too late for Linette. With luck, Emma would still be able to make Alex see the merit in allowing the marriage to take place. Yes, Peter could apply to the church, if not in Little Moreton, perhaps in a neighbouring parish. Mr Tufton would surely know of something. Or they could live here at Dove’s Hollow. Her father would never refuse them a room and then there would be no immediate need for Peter to find employment.
/> There were solutions, Emma told herself as she bent to let her maid set the riding bonnet atop her freshly styled curls. There were ways they could make this work. And by the time she spoke to Alex, she intended to have them memorised and ready to present so that he would find no flaws with her logic.
She took a last look at her reflection in the glass and was satisfied with what she saw. She had decided to ride over to Ellingsworth in her new habit because she knew she looked well in it, and a good appearance gave her confidence. Devoid of excess trimmings, the outfit was elegant simplicity at its best. The jacket was a touch darker than the skirt, both being in her favourite shade of periwinkle blue. Her black, high-brimmed bonnet was trimmed with trailing blue ribbons and sat jauntily on her head.
‘Have you been in to see to my sister yet, Jane?’
The little maid shook her head as she picked up the breakfast tray. ‘I did, but she was feeling right poorly, miss. Said she was supposed to have gone to see her young man this morning, but given how she was feeling, she had Jenks take a letter over to say she wasn’t coming.’
Emma froze. Linette hadn’t been planning on going to Ellingsworth this morning. She had been planning to take the trap to visit her friend, Miss Tamblyn. Linette had told her as much only yesterday afternoon. Then why had she sent a letter to Ellingsworth cancelling an appointment that didn’t exist? More importantly, to whom had she sent the letter?
Emma swept up her skirts and headed for her sister’s room. ‘Linette, may I come in?’
After a moment, she heard a faint voice say, ‘Come in, Emma.’
She opened the door to see Linette standing in front of her wardrobe, fully dressed and with her travelling bag lying open on the bed. ‘Are you going somewhere?’
Improper Miss Darling Page 22
