“I have been at the local church for the past thirty years,” Rev. Smitten replied. He smiled at Damon and Caroline. “I hope you will have many happy years. Thank you for an enjoyable evening.” Damon walked Rev. Smitten and his wife to the front door.
Caroline said good-bye to them in the lounge. She moved close to the fireplace. It was a cool night.
So the Reverend and his wife had been here for many years. She must visit Rev. Smitten and try to get him to talk about Damon and his parents. Hopefully, if she knew more about Damon’s family, she’d understand him better.
“May I fill your wine glass, milady?”
Charles’s voice startled Caroline. His small, dark eyes gleamed with malice when he smiled at her.
“No, I am going to retire.” Caroline started to leave.
“I will win, you know. I never lose.” Charles’s cold words stiffened Caroline’s shoulders.
She turned to him. “Everyone loses sometime in their life.” For the second time, Caroline thought she saw a flash of sadness or despair in his dark eyes, but if so, it was gone quickly. With those final words Caroline walked calmly out the door and up the stairs to her room.
At every corner she felt challenged. If only her old nanny was here with her. She’d have someone who truly loved her and gave her good advice. That was it! She would ask Damon for permission to use her own money to bring Nanny Fowler here along with Mary.
Having to ask permission for anything was difficult and left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she would do it. She wanted her nanny and personal maid by her side.
* * * *
Damon did not forget about taking Caroline riding. He woke her early. “Come, get up, and we’ll go on our early-morning ride.”
Caroline opened her eyes to find smiling dark-blue eyes greeting her. He looked younger in his open-neck shirt and tight leather breeches. His brown hair was curly and tousled. She stopped herself from reaching out to touch him.
Groaning, she sat on the side of the bed. “It’s not even daylight.”
“This is the best time of the day. Get into your riding habit and join me in the barn.” Damon waved and headed out of her door.
* * * *
Agnes came in right after Damon left and helped her dress, arranged her hair, and put on her red bonnet. “You will be noticed from far away, milady, in your fetching hat.”
Caroline laughed. “I’m sure I will. I have never bought any bonnet so dashing before. I love it.”
“You look very pretty,” Agnes said.
Caroline glanced at her reflection in the mirror. The red bonnet set off her black riding habit. She twirled around and felt almost happy.
Sweet Lady and Devil were saddled and ready to go when Caroline got to the barn. Damon helped her up and soon they were riding across the fields. The cool, damp air blew across their faces. The sun was just beginning to lighten the sky.
Caroline sat straight in the saddle and took deep breaths of the clean air. She smiled at Damon.
“Race you to the top of the hill,” Damon said.
“See you there.” Caroline charged forward but knew in her heart that Sweet Lady would never beat Devil. She laughed as she rode ahead of him.
* * * *
Damon followed closely, waiting for just the right moment to speed by her. Her golden hair was confined in her bonnet and he wished he could see it flying free behind her. Her laugh floated back to him on the morning breeze.
The gunshot shattered the quiet and birds flew up out of the bushes squawking. Damon saw Caroline flinch. He urged Devil onward, quickly covering the short distance between them.
Caroline had slowed her horse. Damon reached across and grabbed her reins, stopping her and pulling her down.
“Run for the trees.” He had pulled his rifle out of the holster by his saddle. Trying to shield her, he placed himself between her and the direction from where the shot had come.
Everything was silent. The birds had settled back into the bushes. Damon scrutinized the area around them from the edge of the wooded area. He saw no evidence of anyone. He walked further into the trees to check on Caroline.
“Are you all right? Did you get hit?” Damon asked anxiously.
Caroline had torn her sleeve and was looking at the side of her arm. “It barely grazed me, thank goodness.”
Damon checked her left arm. There was a small red area with very little bleeding on the upper area.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone about now. I think it might have been a poacher and his shot went wild. It probably scared him when he saw he almost hit us. I’ll have Charles check into it.”
He pulled her close and tipped her face upward. “Are you certain you’re all right?” He kissed her forehead. “My heart stopped for a second when I heard the bullet.” He clenched her tighter to his body as his heart raced with the memory of the last time he’d heard the unexpected sound of a bullet.
“Damon, I am a little shook over being shot.”
“You’re trembling.” He swung her in his arms and carried her to her horse.
“I want to go home.” Caroline glanced at her arm where the area had begun to bruise. Her eyes were tearful.
“Of course, I’m sure this has been very upsetting to you. I’m sorry our ride was terminated so suddenly and so frightening for you.” He brushed the tears away and kissed her gently on the lips.
Then Damon put her on her horse. He rode close beside her back to the house, and carried her in. He called for Mrs. Parker’s help and placed Caroline in a chair in the lounge.
He explained what had happened to Mrs. Parker. She sat beside Caroline and started cleaning the small area.
“Poachers? We’ve not had any poachers in a long time, milord.”
“I know of no other explanation, Mrs. Parker. I will follow up and see what information I can find out in town. Charles and I will ride there this morning. Take good care of milady.”
* * * *
She had worked hard at remaining calm on the ride home. When Damon strode out of the room, she started shaking again.
Charles shot at me. I’m sure. Caroline recalled his words from last night. This had been his warning. Old Peter was right. She had made a dangerous enemy. She had started to say as much to Damon, but she knew he wouldn’t believe her.
Mrs. Parker fussed over Caroline all morning and Caroline was glad to escape to her room after lunch. She locked her doors and pulled out the diary, reading portions of it again.
According to the latter part of the diary, Damon’s father had begun to feel the same way about his cousin, Charles, as she did, and two weeks later, Damon’s father was dead.
* * * *
Damon arrived home just in time for dinner. He hurried upstairs to change. Caroline sipped her glass of wine, while she sat by the fire in the library and waited on him.
“Are you all right?” Damon asked solicitously as soon as he entered the room.
“I’m fine, really. Everyone is drowning me in concern, but I have only a small bruise and some slight soreness. What did you find out in town?”
Damon poured his drink and sat down across from her. “No one has been aware of any poachers, but there is a lot of unrest several villages over. Someone from there could have decided to poach here.”
“What kind of unrest?” Caroline asked.
“There’s a factory in the area. They hire a large number of men and work them in bad conditions with poor pay. It creates a tense atmosphere and angry, frustrated men.
“Charles said he’d have everyone keep an eye out. I don’t think whoever it was will return.”
“You’re right, I’m sure. Could we go into dinner?” Caroline asked, changing the subject.
“Of course. One thing though, I don’t want you riding horseback for a while. If you want to go out, ask me or Charles to accompany your carriage.”
“That’s quite unnecessary. No one will shoot at my barouche.”
“I don’t want you trav
eling anywhere alone.” Damon spoke more harshly than he’d meant to.
“I won’t. I was going to ask if my old nanny, Dottie Fowler, might come and stay with me. She’d be my companion and go with me wherever I go.” Caroline waited, holding her breath.
“Where is she now?” Damon asked.
“She was retired when I first went to London. She lives in a small cottage on my father’s estate. I’ve been sending her extra money to help supplement the small annuity she receives from my father.” Caroline paused and then added, “I would need to send her the money to travel here and buy whatever she needs for the trip.” She sat quietly, holding her hands tight in her lap, waiting for Damon’s answer.
He sat relaxed in his chair looking at the fire. He finished his drink and got up giving her his arm. “Let’s go into the dining room. I will think about your suggestion.”
Caroline started to say something else, but held her tongue. If only she had control of her own money, she could do as she pleased. But men did not think women smart enough to handle their own affairs. She glanced at Damon, and he looked down at her questioningly.
“Fine,” Caroline said. “Shall we go into dinner?”
* * * *
After Caroline retired for the night, Damon sat in the library, holding a glass of cognac between his hands. She had been quiet most of the meal and retired early to her room. He was aware of her disappointment when he had not readily agreed to sending for her old nanny.
Arranging for her to come to Atelstone would necessitate sending a message to Caroline’s father, something he did not particularly want to do. Also if she came, Caroline would feel free to travel about, as she wanted, anytime she wanted. After the episode this morning he preferred her nearby, at least until he was satisfied regarding who really shot at them.
Damon had been a firm but fair commander when he sailed the seas to recoup his fortune. He was not used to being challenged, and yet his small, fiercely independent wife seemed to do so at every turn. Damon sat back in his chair and took a swallow of his drink.
So Caroline had ideas that they should live in the ancestral seat. He had always planned on Atelstone Hall being his home until the day his father died. He had pictured a wife and children running through the halls and laughter echoing off the old walls.
But in his dreams when he saw his wife and children, they were in the distance. He’d reach out for them, but one by one they vanished in a mist, and he was alone. In his dream he had failed them as he felt he had somehow failed his father.
“Enough,” Damon mumbled to himself. He abruptly stood and drank the last of his cognac.
Buckley came to the door. “Are you retiring for the night, Lord Royston? If so, I shall put out the fire.”
“Yes, Buckley, it has been a long day.” Damon passed him and started up the stairs. When he walked down the upstairs hallway, he hesitated outside Caroline’s room. Then he shrugged and went further down the hall to his door.
Tomorrow he would write to his father-in-law about the nanny and ask about Mary, Caroline’s lady’s maid. The more people he had around his wife, the better.
* * * *
Caroline wanted to visit Rev. Smitten and his wife, but how? She would ask Damon to take her by on his way to town and pick her up later.
She dressed in a red candy-striped dress with a red bonnet that had white lining and feathers. She got ready early to catch Damon at his breakfast.
“You look very bright and cheerful. Are you planning to go out today?” Damon looked across at Caroline coming through the doorway.
“I was hoping you would take me to the Rev. Smitten’s home on your way to town and pick me up on your return,” Caroline said.
“Why would you want to visit Annabelle Smitten? You saw what she was like the other night.”
“She was more pleasant in the lounge. She agreed to make a list for me of the local gentry. The ones I should invite to the house party activities. Also, she had some suggestions of entertainment for the ladies.”
Damon leaned down and kissed her on his way out. He stopped at the door. “After you have breakfast send one of the footmen to the barn for me. I’ll pick you up out front.”
“Thank you.” Caroline smiled at him.
“You may not thank me after spending several hours with Mrs. Smitten.”
Caroline chuckled and picked up her toast to butter it. “I’ll try to not complain all the way home.”
Damon waved and Caroline heard him whistling as he left the room.
She touched her lips where he’d kissed her lightly. Just the one touch had filled her heart with hope regarding their relationship.
When she finished breakfast, she hurried to freshen up and went outside to wait for the carriage. Damon wasn’t long. She slid into the seat beside him and breathed in his fresh, clean, woodsy scent. It didn’t take long riding in the carriage to reach the church. Her disappointment to leave Damon so soon surprised Caroline.
Damon helped her out and held her hand a second longer than usual. Mrs. Smitten broke the spell by coming through the gate to greet Caroline. Damon greeted her, and then left for town.
After sipping her third cup of tea while Mrs. Smitten filled her in on all the local gossip and more information than Caroline wanted to know about the local gentry, she acknowledged Damon had been right. This was turning into a dreary, boring visit.
Caroline saw her opportunity when Mrs. Smitten took a swallow of tea. “Mrs. Smitten, you said your husband was working on his sermon, but do you think I might speak to him before I leave?”
“Certainly, my dear. He will be pleased you took the time to see him. Come this way. His office is in a small room at the back of the church.”
Caroline smiled when she saw the bright, tiny room where the Reverend sat with books and papers around him. She suspected he had chosen his room with an eye to privacy and quiet, away from his garrulous and curious spouse.
“My dear Lady Royston, do come in and join me.”
“I hope I am not interrupting you at an important time.”
“Not at all. I am almost finished. Annabelle dear, would you please bring us some tea and cakes.” Reverend Smitten smiled at his wife.
“None for me please. Your wife has been most gracious, and I am full of hot tea and wonderful sweet cakes,” Caroline said quickly.
“Do sit down, Lady Royston. The flowered sofa, by the window, is quite comfortable.” Rev. Smitten watched as his wife left the office. “I have a feeling your visit is not only to get to know my wife and me better.”
“You are an astute man, Reverend.” Caroline stopped talking when the maid brought in the tray and set it on the table in front of the sofa.
Caroline poured Reverend Smitten’s tea and handed it and the plate of cakes to him. He sat behind his desk, quietly waiting for her to speak.
“I hope that anything I say to you will be held in strictest confidence, Rev. Smitten.” Caroline watched his eyes as she asked her question.
Rev. Smitten’s mouth curved into a gentle smile. The expression in his eyes was wise and kind. “I do not discuss any personal information I receive through my position with anyone, especially not my wife.”
Caroline nodded reassured. “You said the other night that you knew my husband’s parents.”
“Yes, I was young and inexperienced, and Lord Royston, your husband’s father, and his wife gave me an opportunity at the start of my career. You look much like Damon’s mother. She was small, slim, blonde, and very caring. Her husband and son adored her.”
“I understand she died in childbirth when Lady Hannah was born,” Caroline stated.
“It was a terrible time. Lord Royston’s father and mother had been overjoyed to discover she was pregnant. They had not expected to have any more children, and the baby was perceived as a gift from God.
“When she died, I feared Damon’s father would lose his mind. I worried that he might harm himself. We all tried to watch him closely.”
“Did he ever attempt to hurt himself?” Caroline asked.
“Not unless you count his drinking heavily and gambling. Your husband worried about his father, but Damon was only twelve when his mother died. There wasn’t much he could do to help his father, and he was dealing with his own grief.”
“What about Lady Hannah?”
“Her aunt and uncle were her main caregivers from the start, and her brother loved her and showered her with attention.” Rev. Smitten stopped and took a sip of his tea. “The strange irony of it all was that Damon’s father seemed to be getting control of his life the last few months before his death.”
“What do you mean?” Caroline asked. She glanced out the window. Damon was due anytime now.
“He was home more often and taking an interest in the estate. He didn’t seem to be gambling as much. I thought he had finally resolved to take back charge of his life and family. I was stunned as word of his death went through the village.”
Caroline shivered. A cloud had moved across the sun and the day turned cloudy outside. “Thank you, Rev. Smitten. I wanted to understand my husband better, and I didn’t want to ask him questions that are still painful to him.”
Rev. Smitten stood and walked over to her. He took hold of her hand. “He needs you. He may not admit it, but he does. I’ve seen so much change in him. Some of the difference is maturity, and some is something else. Help him all you can, my dear lady.”
Caroline looked straight into Rev. Smitten’s eyes. She saw his concern. “I will try,” she promised.
When Caroline walked outside into the church yard, she noticed the cemetery at the side of the church and strolled in that direction. The largest headstone was for Damon’s parents, buried side by side. His mother had been thirty-five when she died and his father forty-three.
“Rev. Smitten said I’d find you here.” Damon’s voice brought her head around. “Whatever are you doing? I’ve always thought it depressing and morbid to stand around in graveyards.”
The Viscount's Vendetta (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 16
