An Unlikely Father

by Lynn Collum

  Jamie and Honoria sketched a bow and a curtsey respectively and chimed in unison, “Good evening, Uncle Oliver.”

  The earl cast Miss Collins an irritated glance before he gestured to the boy and girl. “Well, be seated and tell me what you think about England, since it is your first visit.” The children went to the sofa and Miss Collins chose a chair facing them, smiling at the pair as if they were her own progeny.

  Jamie shifted restlessly on the gold-and-blue damask furniture. As he eyed the gentleman, a complete stranger, he saw little to alleviate his fear. He wanted to take Honoria and run back to the comfort of the sitting room, but Miss Collins said he must get acquainted with his father’s brother. The boy shot the lady a questioning look, then decided that for his sister’s sake he must be brave. What did he think about his new home?

  “ ’Tis frightfully cold here, sir, even when the sun is shining.”

  Miss Collins nodded her approval at Jamie. Then she looked to the earl. “I told the children that you would make certain they had proper clothing for our English winters. I fear we are all sadly lacking in woolen coats.”

  “To be sure, my wards will have proper wardrobes.” The earl cursed his thoughtlessness on the matter. Even he knew that India’s climate required little winter attire. “I shall send for a seamstress from the village tomorrow.”

  The lady’s brilliant smile sent a tremor of awareness racing through Hawksworth’s body. He forced his gaze back to the children, telling himself that Miss Collins was not the type of female he generally admired.

  Without much thought to the direction of the conversation, the earl remarked, “When the weather is warmer, Jamie, you might like to go to the river and fish where your papa and I used to when we were your age.”

  Honoria’s blue eyes grew wide and she drew her hands to her cheeks. “You mustn’t make Jamie go to the river, Uncle. It is full of dragons.”

  Jamie cuffed his sister on the shoulder. “They aren’t dragons, silly. Only crocodiles, and I am not afraid.”

  Emily rose and went to sit beside the trembling little girl. She had been only a few years older than Honoria was now when she’d first arrived in India and knew what terrors the child must have suffered in the country. “Honoria, there are no crocodiles in England, only in the East Indies.”

  “Are you sure?” The little girl looked doubtful as great tears welled up her eyes. “Papa always said we were never to go the river alone.”

  “And so you shouldn’t. But there can be no harm in Jamie fishing with his uncle.” Seeing the doubtful look on the child’s face, Miss Collins looked to Hawksworth for help. “There are no crocodiles in England. Ask your uncle.”

  The earl had no experience dealing with children’s fears, but something instinctive in him told him to go to the child. He crossed the space, then knelt and took her fidgeting hand in his own larger one. “My dear child, as Miss Collins just told you, we have no crocodiles in this country. You must know that I would never allow you to do anything that might harm you, Jamie or little Wesley.”

  Honoria stared into her uncle’s blue eyes, which reminded her of dear Papa. “What about tigers? Are there any tigers in your woods?”

  The earl smiled at her. “Not a single tiger to be found, but you must promise me that you will not venture into the woods without Miss Collins or your nurse.”

  The little girl’s head bobbed, making her black ringlets bounce. “And elephants, snakes or lizards?”

  Hawksworth shook his head in disbelief. “Good heavens, child, have you encountered every frightening creature of nature?”

  Emily and the children exchanged a knowing glance. “My lord, an Indian estate is not for the weak of heart or spirit. Encounters with the resident wildlife are often unavoidable.”

  The life the three of them had experienced was so far removed from what the earl had known, he almost felt envious. But that emotion was quickly extinguished when Miss Collins next spoke.

  “My lord, I wish to show the children how different your estate is from their father’s in India. Will you take them to visit your home woods? A brisk walk with the children tomorrow morning would be just the thing.” The lady’s amber eyes twinkled at him.

  At once the children, long pent up in ships, carriages, inns and nurseries, expressed their delight in such a plan. Jamie spoke for them both when he cried, “Oh, yes, Uncle, a walk in the woods!”

  The earl rose and moved back to the fireplace. It would be churlish to refuse such a simple request. He glared at the lady who had backed him into a corner. “While that is an admirable suggestion to ease your fears, I don’t want the pair of you to be out in this weather until you have proper garments. Once fitted with warm coats and sturdy walking boots, I promise to take you and Miss Collins walking in the woods.” There was no way he would allow the lady to abandon him with his wards as she had once before.

  Sir Ethan and Mrs. Keaton made an appearance in the drawing room at that moment, having met just outside the door. Emily directed the children to bid their uncle and his guests good night. Then she announced she would return once she’d seen them safely under the watchful eye of the new nurse. With the spontaneity of the young, both children gave their uncle a hug before bidding everyone good night.

  As she led the children upstairs, Emily smiled to herself. She’d seen the softening in the earl’s eyes, if only for a moment, as he’d responded to the children’s affection. The first meeting with his lordship had gone well, and now they had plans for a walk in the woods. Lord Hawksworth might not know it, but the children were beginning to wrap their little fingers around his heart as she had known they would. The only problem was, Emily was afraid that if she wasn’t careful she might find her own heart in danger of being captured by a rake.

  Five

  After safely delivering Honoria and Jamie into the capable hands of Mrs. Waters, Emily returned to the drawing room and to her surprise experienced a congenial evening. His lordship offered no rebuke for her high-handedness in bringing his wards to him without his permission. Instead he was all that was pleasant, engaging in amusing banter with Sir Ethan as well as inquiring about the ladies’ experiences and life in India. He offered information on a variety of subjects he thought might interest the newly returned travelers, such as new books in print and changes in the landscape of London.

  By midnight Emily had retired to her bed certain that there was more to Lord Hawksworth than his reputation as a rake. With time and a little push on her part, no doubt he would soon form a loving bond with his niece and nephews.

  But as with most circumstances in life, matters rarely proceed so smoothly. The following morning, Honoria woke long before the sun’s golden rays had begun to brighten the day. She lay in the warm comfort of the large four-poster bed for some thirty minutes hoping someone would soon come, but at last the impatience of her six years drove her to rise.

  She threw back the covers, slid down from the high bed and found her slippers, but in the dim pre-dawn light could not find her wrapper. As the cold began to penetrate the simple white muslin gown, she decided not to waste time searching for the garment. She went to the door and pulled it open. There were no servants moving about, so she dashed down the hall past Miss Collins’s room to Jamie’s, opened the door and entered.

  Kali, dozing on the end of Jamie’s bed, stood and wagged his tail at the sight of Honoria. She ignored the small black animal to climb the mounting stool, then shook her brother.

  The boy rubbed his eyes, then realized who had awakened him. He sat up and yawned. “What time is it, Nory?”

  “Don’t know but I am hungry.”

  Jamie peered out the mullioned windows at the sky, which was beginning to grow pink. “Won’t be time for breakfast for hours, you silly.” But having said that, the boy realized that he too was starved. Dinner the night before had been some strange concoction with too many vegetables in a heavy sauce which Jamie thought tasted like leaves. He and Honoria had only moved the f
ood around on their plates, devouring the crusty bread, then the custard that followed. It had not been a filling meal for the growing pair.

  Honoria tugged at the sleeve of her brother’s nightshirt. “Can we not go to the kitchens and find some bread, butter and honey or jam?”

  Jamie scratched his head as he pondered such a daring move. Two days earlier he would never have dreamed of venturing about Hawk’s Lair without Miss Collins or Mrs. Keaton, but his uncle had been quite agreeable last night. Surely he would not object to two starving children getting a little something to eat as long as they didn’t disturb anyone.

  “Very well, but we must be quiet.”

  He tossed back the covers and donned the slippers his sister handed him. The pair tiptoed to the door; then Jamie stopped and looked at his dog, who stood on the floor gazing up at him expectantly. “Do you think we should take Kali?”

  “To be sure. If we leave her here alone, she will bark and howl, waking the others.” Honoria bent down and stroked the dog’s furry head, which garnered her a lick on the hand.

  With that decision made, the children slipped out into the hall and made their way downstairs in search of sustenance, their faithful companion trailing behind them. It took some time before they found the green baize door which signaled entry into the kitchens, but at last they entered a cavernous room with windows near the ceiling which cast just enough light by which to see.

  Everything was in its place. Rows of copper pots were set neatly on shelves built into the wall. There were cabinets full of dishes standing on edge to display the lovely blue pattern. Two large fireplaces and assorted tables cleaned the night before stood empty.

  Honoria gave a shiver as they looked about the unfamiliar room. “ ’Tis cold in here. Can we not make a fire?”

  Jamie felt very grown-up as he replied, “To be sure, for I often watched Bhava build the fire in the kitchen at home in Haora.”

  The pair walked past the first fireplace, which housed a black range set into the alcove, and made their way to the open hearth, where a spit rack stood empty and clean in front of a great banked pile of ashes. Jamie held out his hand searching for warmth.

  “Perchance there are a few embers still warm in there, and I shall not need to use the tinderbox ” He very much hoped so, remembering Bhava warning him never to play with fire. “Help me put a log in to see if it will rekindle a flame.”

  Honoria eyed the spit rack in front of the fireplace doubtfully. It was empty of meat, but the many iron skewers and the large frame looked too heavy to move. Still, she had faith in Jamie.

  She followed her brother to the wood box situated near the back door to select a nice sturdy log. Jamie pulled it out and Honoria took the opposite end; then they made their way back to the pile of ashes.

  Jamie paused and eyed the rack thoughtfully, then looked at his sister. “What we must do is toss the log over the spit.” With a forceful swing, they threw the wood over the iron rack so it would fall into the accumulated ashes. But they misjudged their strength and the log thunked against the top of the hearth and plummeted into the ashes at an astonishing speed.

  As the log crashed into the remnants of last night’s fire, ash shot outward in a gigantic explosion of soot as if blasted from a cannon. The shower of ash rained down all over the kitchen. The children were waving their hands and coughing as the particles fell and Kali began to bark in all the excitement.

  At last the air cleared and Honoria opened her eyes, then gave a howl of laughter. Her brother’s black hair looked grey, as did his face and nightshirt. Kali had fared little better, but a quick shake and a sneeze seemed to set all to rights for the dog.

  Jamie blinked the ash from his lashes, then looked at Honoria, who was equally coated in grey powder. But instead of laughing, he wailed, “This is dreadful! We shall be punished for this. Uncle Oliver will never let me go fishing now.”

  Honoria, being the more practical one, simply shrugged her shoulders. “I do not think Miss Collins will be so very angry. She will make Uncle be kind, like she did on our first night at the castle when he was so very cross. After all, this was but an accident.”

  “But we should not have come,” Jamie said sadly as he looked down at his hands, which were surprisingly free of soot due to the length of the sleeves of his nightshirt. He bit at his lip, knowing they had often gone to the kitchen at their father’s plantation, but it somehow seemed different to do it at the castle.

  Honoria, undaunted by the mess, gazed about her. “But we are here, so let us find something to eat.” She marched around the nearest dust-coated table and found the door to the larder. Within a matter of minutes she announced the discovery of all the items they required—bread, butter and strawberry preserves.

  Jamie hesitated but a moment before hunger won the day. “Well, if we are going to get punished for this visit to the kitchens, we may as well obtain the reward for our efforts.”

  Completely unaware that they were making sooty tracks in the larder, the pair brought their breakfast out and placed it on a small table as far from the scene of their crime as possible. They unwrapped the loaf of bread and discovered they required a knife. Jamie opened several drawers in the tables but found only towels and aprons.

  Moving to the cabinet that housed the dishes, he tugged on the first drawer. It appeared to be stuck. He put all his weight behind his effort, and the drawer at last came free—completely free of the cabinet, spilling most of the silverware all over the soot-coated slate floor.

  Jamie looked at the mess, then with a stoic, “In for a penny, in for a pound,” he selected one of the knives that had remained in the drawer and hurried back to the table to slice and butter the bread.

  Perhaps it was fortunate for the children that Martin and several other footmen were with Antoine when he arrived in the kitchen that morning and discovered that his domain had been desecrated. Upon entering the room and seeing not only soot and ash coating every surface, but silverware scattered about the floor, as well as his lordship’s wards sitting at Antoine’s table, the Frenchman fell into such a fit that Martin was convinced the frog cook would have a seizure and die.

  In a flash of desperation, the footman sent Sam to summon Miss Collins so the children might quickly be removed from the Frenchie’s sight. Nate was dispatched to awaken Mr. Bedows in the hope that the butler might manage the ranting Antoine. Martin could only hope that Bedows would appear first. Otherwise Antoine might do himself a harm at seeing a female in his kitchen.

  Upstairs, a sharp knocking at her door woke Emily. The footman, in a rush of words, explained about the disaster in the kitchen and the presence of the children. Emily’s heart plummeted. She’d been so pleased with last night’s meeting, and now this! She requested that Sam wake her manservant and have him come to her at once. Swarup might be needed if tempers flared in the kitchen.

  With that she closed her door and quickly dressed in the first gown her hand touched, not bothering with her stays. Things were too desperate at the moment. She didn’t put up her hair or don her stockings. She slipped her feet into her half boots and raced down the stairs.

  She arrived in the large kitchen some five minutes after being summoned, Swarup right behind her. The chaos which met her eyes was far worse than she had imagined. She would not even hazard a guess as to how soot had gotten everywhere; she could only assume the children were involved.

  As she surveyed the disaster, Antoine, a short, rotund fellow with long dark hair, came into view. He was ranting as he paced in front of the hearth. Kali was right on his heels, barking her displeasure each time the man came near the children and shook his fist. The other servants were standing back, fearful of the Frenchman’s mood.

  The remnants of the bread and jam on the table beside Honoria and Jamie told the tale. The children must have risen early and crept into the kitchen in search of food. How the place had become coated in ash was still a mystery, however.

  Deciding she must do what she could t
o get things under control, Emily pushed her way through the crowd of footmen hovering at the door and made her way to the children.

  She ignored Antoine, placing an arm round each child. “Do not be frightened. I am here. We shall see you safely through this misadventure.” With that the trio turned to face the Frenchman, who’d halted both his ranting and his pacing to stare at Emily in horror.

  Antoine pointed a trembling finger at her and demanded, “Who is zes femme that dares enter my domaine?”

  Emily was uncertain how to reply, having no true status in the castle. She didn’t want to jeopardize the children’s fate by getting into a quarrel with his lordship’s prized cook. But neither did she want this man to think he could terrorize and dominate the children.

  “I am Miss Emily Collins, sir. I have come to return the children to their rooms.” Thinking it best not to pay undue attention to this tyrant, she called to Martin as she led the children towards the door. “We shall need a great deal of warm water to bathe—”

  “Arretez! You will not leave here, mademoiselle, until I, Antoine, have an explanation for zes...” The Frenchman had to search for the exact word in English. “... zes atrocity.”

  Emily was quite unused to being spoken to in such a manner by a servant. But for the children’s sake, she tried to rein in her temper. “As you can see, there was an accident when the children came down to find something for breakfast. I do believe they owe you an apology, monsieur.”

  Antoine began to bellow his abuse in French. It was clear an apology would not suffice, but Emily’s French was so deficient that she was unable to discern what the fellow was saying.

  Losing her patience, she stamped her foot and shouted, “Silence! I have had quite enough of your insolence to me and to his lordship’s wards. You forget yourself, sir.”