“That seems hard to believe,” Robert responded .
One of the businessmen unrolled a map and set it open on a table .
“Please, take a look at this map.” Robert went over to the table. “As you can see, there are ranges of hills on either side of this valley which connects this river to the Ouse. This is our only possible way to reach the North Sea. The hills are configured such that we cannot connect the two rivers except across your lands—there is no other way .”
“Please, My Lord, you must allow us to transverse your property,” another businessman spoke up .
Robert was riled. “Oh, I must, must I? Remember to whom you are speaking. I must honor my Queen. I must honor my God, but I will be damned if I must honor your insulting request .”
The men stepped back in shock .
The bishop stepped forward and said softly, “My Lord, if I might make a suggestion .”
“What?”
“If your concern is the bisection of your property, I feel certain we could build a bridge across the canal that would accommodate your need to connect your lands .”
“Oh yes, most certainly. Or several bridges if need be,” several of the businessmen spoke up .
Robert turned away from the men and paced the room as he contemplated their suggestion. Then he turned back to them .
“Gentlemen, I am sorry if I lost my temper with you just now, but I am absolutely resolute in my opposition to this plan. I shall never consent for this canal to be built across my lands .”
“But please, think of the welfare of the county. It would bring so much prosperity to all of our residents, both rich and poor. Every single citizen would benefit,” one of the businessmen pleaded .
The bishop came over to Robert and entreated, “We can pay very handsomely for the land. To what use are you putting that land at the present time ?”
“It is used for grazing and planting,” Robert answered .
The bishop turned to the delegation. “Perhaps we might work out some kind of royalty arrangement to compensate you further. It is my understanding that the canal is to charge a toll and I feel certain the Viscount would be open to assigning you a reasonable portion of that toll for your use .”
The others thought that a splendid idea and offered up a, “Hear, hear !”
Robert stood resolutely and answered, “Gentlemen, this meeting has ended.” And he strode out of the room .
As he charged through the statue gallery he was greeted by Amelia who had obviously been waiting for him. She held up her hand to signal him to stop .
“How did the meeting go?” she asked .
“You know about the content of the meeting?” he asked .
“I suspected,” she evaded .
“You suspected or you helped the Viscount to arrange this meeting?” he demanded .
“I might have had an inkling .”
“You can tell your Viscount that my decision has remained unchanged. There will be no canal across my property .”
Robert stepped around her and left her fuming .
* * *
“L uddy, I am so sorry, I did everything I could. I was ever so sweet to him and I stayed out of the way and gave no indication that I knew the delegation’s purpose in meeting with him. I truly thought he might respond to your delegation .
Ludlow stood at his bay window studying a flock of swallows swooping in the sky .
“Then I shall need to up the ante, I see,” he said with his back to her .
“Oh, Luddy… I am not sure …”
“When is his book being published ?”
Amelia was stricken. “How do you know about the book ?”
He turned to her. “You told me .”
“I could not have. I was sworn to secrecy. No one is to know he is the author .”
Ludlow laughed. “My darling, Amelia. You have no secrets from me. I know everything about you .”
Now Amelia was frightened for Robert. “What are you planning to do ?”
Ludlow tapped his lip as he contemplated. “You do not think I am going to tell you, do you? You would run off and tattle to your dear brother and then I should have no leverage .”
“Then I shall tell him you are planning something and to be on the lookout .”
Ludlow laughed. “Truly? And jeopardize your seven and a half percent? I think not .”
* * *
D iana had been correct. Robert was stymied in his writing by not being able to base his next book on a new adventure. But he was not able to travel just yet. His book would be launching in the autumn and he wanted to be present when it came out. Did this mean, then, that he was going to be a one book author? He certainly hoped not .
He went to his globe and spun it around as his father had done and used his finger to stop it—landing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Not a very promising destination. He spun it again and found himself in the wastelands of greater Russia. Also, not very appealing. It was clearly not the time to travel .
Frustrated and restless, he turned from the globe. Perhaps his orchids might calm him, but he was too agitated to concentrate on the simplicity of his plants. He needed something more vigorous. A ride to inspect his borders, perhaps? No. The agitation was in his mind not his body. He realized physical exercise would be insufficient to calm his present restlessness .
Maybe he could calm himself at his little house on the river. Its simple confines might help contain his restlessness. But without a stimulating subject to write about, he would still be in this frustrating situation .
Then he thought about Diana’s books. He had promised to read them and that might be just what he needed to distract himself from his own confusion. He went to his desk and picked up her first book, The Flowers of Farthingale .
He slipped the book into his coat pocket. He opened the doors from the library and headed down the path that led along the side of the lake. A fish jumped from a portion of the lake covered with lily pads where new lilies were just starting to bloom. He walked until he came to the Roman temple at the far end .
A gentle and warm early May breeze wafted through the pillars and Robert pulled up a comfortable chair, stretched out his legs, opened the book, and began to read .
It was nearly four o’clock in the afternoon by the time he checked his pocket watch. How was that possible? He was nearly three-quarters through the book and had become so entranced, he read through lunch and it was now tea time .
He realized he was hungry and thirsty and headed back toward the house. But his mind was buzzing with the pleasant sensations he had experienced while reading .
Diana’s book was not a tale of adventure—but a tale of the heart. But it was far from boring as he thought it might be. It thrilled him. Rarely had he experienced such deep emotion, as he recognized Diana in the character of the heroine. It gave him even deeper insight into this marvelous woman whom he so admired and respected. He was proud that she was to be the face of his book .
But it set him to thinking about her book as opposed to his book. Would her readers accept his masculine adventure from the author of such a gentle and touching story as Flowers was? That gave him pause and he thought he ought to meet with her and discuss the disparity in their content and styles .
But first, he wanted to finish her book. He sat in his favorite chair in the library, as Sithens served him tea and scones, and lost himself once again in the rest of Diana’s book .
By the time he finished his tea he had also finished the book. He put it down on his lap and folded his hands resting them on the book .
Splendid. Simply splendid. His first thought was to dash over to Cambridge and corral Diana and pump her for information about her writing. But it was already late afternoon, and it would soon be suppertime at the Browning household. No. It would need to be another time .
But the reading had accomplished what he had hoped it would. He felt calmer and more at ease. His anxiety over his writing frustrations had lessened and
he knew that he could be patient until he was ready to write again—even if it meant he would need to wait until he was able to travel .
Chapter 15
F inally, Diana had a clear morning of writing in front of her. No Adam. No Goodwin sisters. No Mother. No Father. All seemed to be occupied with their own tasks .
Diana reread what she had written on her Christmas story and picked up where she left off .
Mother came home from the mill exhausted as she usually was. On her way home, she had spent a few pennies on some cabbage, carrots and a few parsnips to make a soup for their supper. As usual, there would be no meat. However, a neighbor had given her several beef bones she could cook up into a broth as a base for the soup .
Tommy ran into the room with the happy news of his new job at the butcher’s and the promise of tripe for Christmas dinner .
“What a fine boy you are, Tommy,” Mother said as she patted his head. “It will be a very fine Christmas, indeed .”
Tommy threw himself on the bed beside his sister. He put his hand on her head .
“Are you sad?” he asked, whispering in her ear so mother would not hear .
Doris turned her head toward her brother and whispered back, “There was not a single tree to be had for the little I had saved .”
“You saved money?” Tommy asked in wonderment, not knowing about her selling flowers to fine ladies on the street until she told him what she had been doing .
“Maybe you could sell a few more before Christmas. Ladies love flowers at Christmas time,” he encouraged .
“I will try .”
Tommy was afraid he would not wake up in time to be at the butcher’s on time, so he ran a thread out the window by the bed and tied the far end to a pipe across the alley where Mrs. Cartwright always passed by in the morning on her way to work at the bakery. He knew she went to work at four o’clock. He tied the other end to his finger and hoped that when she passed down the alley she would break the thread, which would pull on his finger and wake him up .
He was sound asleep when his hand was violently yanked and he awoke. He heard the church bells ringing three and heard Mr. Cartwright returning home drunk and banging into the trash bins. Tommy had forgotten about Mrs. Cartwright’s drunk husband and now he dare not fall asleep again in case he not wake up in time to go to his new job .
There was an unexpected knocking at the front door and Diana was jerked out of her writing reverie .
“Oh bother,” she said, as she put down her pen and headed downstairs to see who was calling .
She threw open the door a little too forcefully and it knocked against the wall .
“Oh,” she exclaimed, as she was surprised to see Robert standing before her. “Did we have an appointment ?”
“We did not,” he said beaming. “But I read your first novel and I wanted to come and say how much I enjoyed it .
“You did?” she asked with some surprise .
“It is such a lovely May morning. Come, let us take a walk in your meadow. I should like to talk to you about it .”
“Well…” she hesitated .
“Oh, I have interrupted your writing, have I not? I am so sorry .”
“Robert, no. It is quite all right. I can use a break anyway,” she lied. “But yes, it is a lovely morning .”
Diana had to admit to herself that she was a little thrilled that Robert had liked her book. She had not expected him to. She grabbed a shawl from a peg in the front hall and closed the door behind her .
“I must stop by the gallery to let Mother know I shall be out if she comes looking for me .”
Diana opened the gallery, and the little bell rang .
“I am going walking with the Earl .”
“Very well, dear,” Mother responded .
Robert waved to Mrs. Browning and then the two of them headed down the street toward the meadow .
“As part of my duties as the local Earl, I host a local fete each June. Might we stop by to see your Sinclair friends? I should like to invite you and them to be my honored guests that afternoon. Sort of honorary lords and ladies of the fete, if you will .”
Diana laughed. “Oh, my. The Sinclair twins as lords of the fete? That should be a sight. Now if you were inviting them to be honorary clowns I might understand .”
They came to the stile, crossed over and began walking. The field was filled with new spring flowers and Diana stooped to pick some as they leisurely walked along the path .
“I have to say,” Diana said, “I am surprised you enjoyed my book. I thought it might be too light reading for your taste .”
Robert looked over at her. He had picked a long stalk of grass and was chewing on it as he responded. “I can understand why you might say that. But I sat down to read it when my mind was in agitation and by the time I had finished nearly three-quarters of it I had lost all track of time and I was calm again .
“Really? That is nice to hear,” she said, looking away a little embarrassed at his praise .
“I loved your characters—their subtle interactions and the contradictions in their behavior at times. The complexity made the story more real for me .”
Diana nodded but had nothing to add .
Robert continued, “My story is so much more straightforward. It is an adventure and it is all about action. My characters take a back seat to the story line .”
Diana turned to him. “I look forward to reading it. When do you think you will get the galley proofs ?”
“Soon.”
They walked on in silence for a few moments, Diana picking more flowers .
Then Robert said, “Having read your book I am somewhat concerned about what might appear to be a drastic clash in styles to your readers when my book comes out under your name .”
“That has crossed my mind as well, even though I have not read your book yet .”
“Do you foresee that becoming a problem for either of us?” Robert asked .
“I don’t know how you might feel about this, but I was thinking it might be worthwhile for me to write a preface to your book saying that I was experimenting with a new style. Wanting to break from my old genre and explore new writing avenues. Do you think that might work?” she said looking up at him. “Or might you want to reconsider using me as your surrogate author? Perhaps a man might be better suited to represent you .”
Robert reacted forcefully. “Oh, no. Not at all. I have made my arrangement with you and I mean to stick by it. However, I do feel your suggestion of a preface might be a good idea. Why do we not each write one and we shall let Sir Cecil decide which might be best suited for the front of the book .”
“I like that idea,” Diana said smiling and relieved that he did not want to cancel their arrangement .
They had, by this time, reached the far end of the meadow and had started walking back. By now Diana had picked two small bunches of flowers and had determined to give one to her mother and one to Robert. But then she suddenly realized it would be inappropriate for an engaged lady to present such a gift to a single man who was not her fiancé. But that also seemed to be a ridiculous convention and she determined she would give the bouquet to Robert .
“What is the date of your fete?” Diana asked as they descended the stile and began walking towards the Sinclair’s house .
“I believe it is the twenty-second. But I am not sure. It is the closest Saturday in any event .”
When they reached the Sinclair’s front door, Diana knocked .
“It is Diana and her Earl,” Geoffrey shouted over his shoulder after answering the door. “Hello, you two—do come inside. We are sorting beans—can you believe? We grew fa-a-a-r too many last year and have let them dry. Now we need to take out all the spoiled ones. Want to help ?”
Miriam appeared with a large bowl in her hands .
“Oh, hello. Sorry for the mess, but shelling and storing dried beans is not an easy task. Tea? Shall I make us some tea ?”
“Not for me,” Robert
said, “I have already kept Diana too long from her writing. I read one of her books and just had to tell her how much I enjoyed it. Have you read any of her novels ?”
Geoffrey pointed to a bookshelf. “Read them all.” He turned and pinched Diana’s cheek. “Our very own national celebrity. How could we not have ?”
“I must not stay. Just wanted to invite you three to our local fete in June. I want you to be my honorary guests. I will even ask you to be judges of the pies and cakes. Everyone loves doing that .”
“I want to judge the boot toss,” Geoffrey chimed up. “All that black footwear flying through the air… what a thrill .”
“I think that might be arranged,” Robert said laughing .
“And flowers? Will there be judges for best roses, and dahlias and snapdragons and such?” Miriam asked .
“There will, but the judges for that event are rather specialized and they are the same each year. So, pies and cakes are all I can offer you .”
“That will do .”
“Want some beans?” Geoffrey offered. “We got bushels and bushels .”
“I will take some,” Diana said. “Robert? How about you ?”
“No thank you. Cook takes care of all of that. And she is a fierce warrior if I intrude into her domain. And now I best be going,” he said nodding good-bye .
“I will get some of your beans when they are all sorted,” Diana said .
“Bye, bye,” Geoffrey said, waving to them as he closed the door .
“Those two amuse me greatly. You should put them as characters in one of your books,” Robert suggested as they headed back toward Diana’s house .
She laughed. “No one would believe them if I did .”
Reaching the front gate, Diana handed Robert a bunch of her flowers. He seemed surprised .
“For me ?”
“For you. And why not ?”
“I am afraid they might get damaged and not survive my ride home. Why not give them to your mother ?”
“These are for my mother,” she said, holding up the second bunch of flowers .
“Then for your father… or even yourself. They would be lovely next to your inkwell when writing, would they not ?”
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