Whispers in the Wind

by Janet Woods

  Good was not a label Ryder would have hung on Oliver Bryson. ‘Not up to the preaching?’

  ‘I’m up to it, but I haven’t got the inclination to sort out the saints from the sinners, and I find the latter infinitely more amusing.’

  Hal’s huff of laughter brought an appreciative smile from Luke Ashburn and Ryder grinned at his friend. ‘May I present Halifax Stover. We soldiered together for many years and he’s my guest whilst he sorts out the path his future will take. He practised law before he took up soldiering, but he can turn a hand to anything.’

  Hal offered a short bow. ‘Ashburn … Mr Tessler, my pleasure.’ Hal removed himself to the window seat where he could observe rather than take part in a conversation that didn’t really concern him. The two visitors seated themselves in the chairs by the fire.

  The refreshment was brought in and served, the maids departed.

  Ryder gazed at Stephen. ‘I take it you’re here on business.’

  ‘Yes … but not your business. Despite your long absence the balance of your estate is enviable.’

  ‘I’ve already been taken to task by that young man over there, Stephen. Must I suffer a second lecture on my shortcomings?’

  Stephen didn’t hedge. ‘I’d heard that Miss Lawrence had returned to the district and was your guest.’

  Ryder tried not to sigh. Everyone in the district would know by now. ‘You are referring to Mrs Pelham, I believe. What of her?’

  Stephen Tessler said awkwardly. ‘She wed the man, then?’

  ‘Mrs Pelham is now widowed. She and the young woman who’s looking after her intend to move into the property Mrs Pelham owns in Brackenhurst when she’s recovered.’

  Luke bristled as he interjected. ‘It’s that property I wish to see her about. I understand she has a claim to the cottage. The ownership of it is actually in dispute because I bought it as part of her father’s estate. I’m willing to offer her a settlement.’

  ‘I don’t think Mrs Pelham is well enough to receive visitors or to make that sort of decision yet. If she accepts a settlement, then she and her aunts will have nowhere else to live.’

  Ryder wasn’t surprised when Luke Ashburn said, ‘I bought the property that had once belonged to Mrs Pelham’s father from the legatee with a loan from my … the reverend. It included several cottages that formed the boundary of Brackenhurst village. It was my understanding that Duck Pond Cottage was part of the smallholding I bought, but we couldn’t find the deeds. It was certainly the largest building in the village, apart from the church and the vicarage … a small manor that the landowner would normally have resided in. If it’s not part of the parcel of my land then it will appear as if a large bite has been taken from the estate – a bite I’ve paid for. I’d intended to move into Duck Pond Cottage and make it my home.’

  ‘One would hardly notice the bite, unless we could fly. Were you not made aware of the circumstances surrounding Duck Pond Cottage before you purchased the smallholding?’

  ‘I’d heard rumours.’

  ‘That you chose not to investigate properly. Caveat emptor, my friend. Let the buyer beware. Didn’t Mr Tessler advise you?’

  ‘I was in London at the time and Luke acted in haste.’

  Ryder knew the property well, since he’d spent much time there, making polite conversation with Adele’s relatives while his eyes had feasted upon the vision of loveliness she presented.

  She’d been chaperoned all the time so how the hell had she met Edgar Pelham? His jaw tightened. The cottage had been left to Adele by her maternal grandmother, with the provision that her two unmarried daughters could make their home there while they lived. It would have been part of Adele’s dowry, and Ryder’s by default if they’d wed.

  ‘Is Duck Pond Cottage on your estate plan, then?’ Ryder asked.

  ‘It’s on the plan but I was told Mrs Pelham now owns it. I visited the Manning sisters to enquire about the whereabouts of their niece. As soon as I started asking questions the two women chased me off with a broom.’

  Hal suggested with a grin, ‘Perhaps they were the wrong questions.’

  The man offered Ryder an ironic look. ‘They were very protective of their niece, though one wonders why after—’

  When Tessler cleared his throat there was a sudden silence.

  Ryder stared at the man. ‘After what?’

  Luke’s eyes shifted sideways. ‘Your pardon, my lord … I spoke out of turn.’

  ‘You most certainly did. Let me make one thing clear. Mrs Pelham is my guest and is to be referred to with the respect afforded to all widowed ladies. I will not have her subjected to gossip and innuendo, especially while she’s recovering from an illness. As for selling you her birthright, where else would she go?’

  Alarm stabbed at Ryder. Surely she wasn’t going to leave the district when she’d just returned. Adele had grown up here. But then, she had left once before. Ryder gazed from one to the other. ‘As your business is not with me I would suggest we postpone further discussion until Mrs Pelham is able to attend and I can arrange for somebody to act as her adviser. Good day, Mr Ashburn. Hal, if you wouldn’t mind.’

  When the door closed behind the two men, Ryder said, ‘A moment in private if you would, Stephen; I won’t keep you long.’

  ‘My lord, if this is about Luke, I can only endorse his character. He is hard working, but sometimes he is too honest for his own good.’

  ‘It’s not about him, though he needs to learn some manners. He’s young and brash, that’s all. I want to know if the trust Adele’s grandmother left is still intact?’

  ‘The capital is, but most of the interest has gone in repairs to Duck Pond Cottage. Two years ago the stream became bogged and flooded the ground floor, causing considerable damage. Part of the brickwork collapsed and the front of the house needed new mortar. It was discovered that some of the floorboards had damp rot, and had to be replaced. Luke does what he can. He doesn’t want the place to fall into disrepair in case it proves to be his property. On the other hand, if he spends too much it could be wasted, since he may never be reimbursed. The cottage is beginning to look a little shabby.’

  ‘I understand. You said my own estate is sound.’

  ‘Extremely. You have a solid building on equally solid ground that stands firm against anything the weather can throw at it. It has needed very little maintenance. Financially you’re in an enviable position. If you never lift a finger to earn another penny you’ll die wealthy, and that thought brings me to this, my lord. Prior to your intended marriage you made a will … and considering the present circumstances it needs to be updated.’

  ‘The will can stand for now. The time to change it will be when I have an heir.’

  ‘You have no wife.’

  He smiled. ‘Thank you for pointing it out, Stephen, but I’m not over the hill yet. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a suitable woman to bear me a son or two.’

  ‘No … I suppose not.’

  ‘Now that’s settled there’s something I want you to do. And as with everything that’s been said in this room, in complete confidence.’

  ‘I’m at your service, my lord.’

  ‘Transfer one thousand guineas into Mrs Pelham’s account, and pay the young man with you what he’s owed for this past quarter.’

  As Ryder knew he would, Stephen Tessler protested. ‘But my lord, surely you’re not going to repeat past mistakes now you are older and more sensible. Mrs Pelham has proved unreliable in the past and has a stain on her character. You should entertain a little, acquaint yourself with young ladies who’ve emerged from childhood during your absence.’

  ‘Enough, Stephen! I’m old enough to run my own life. Besides, Hal and I have made the acquaintance of several young ladies in London before we came here, and I’m ready to settle down.’

  Ryder wasn’t convinced that being in love with Adele had all been a mistake. Playing the gentleman when he should have reined her in had been. Now he was several years older an
d wiser and Stephen was suggesting he throw himself on the marriage market.

  He didn’t want to go through the rituals of courtship again, but he would have to … the balls, the pretty manners, the flirting eyes, inviting smiles and the moment when a woman gave in to his advances. He’d already been through all that with Adele, but they still had some business left between them, for she’d never said goodbye.

  He smiled. She’d been such an innocent that he hadn’t seen it coming until it was too late. Now he realized he was paddling in dangerous waters thinking of her at all. ‘I gave no indication that I intended to marry the woman.’

  Tessler looked relieved. ‘But one thousand guineas! It’s an outrageous sum and one that won’t be easy to disguise in the books.’ Tessler was practically wringing his hands at parting with such an amount, even though it wasn’t his money.

  ‘It’s a pittance when weighed against my stated worth. I’m sure my purse will stand the onslaught. Just do it, Stephen. As it is, Luke Ashburn will have to bear the loss of his hasty purchase by himself. If the deeds of the cottage are found and the acreage of land it stands on is challenged I will testify on Mrs Pelham’s behalf, since I know the cottage was a legacy from her grandmother, and part of her dowry settlement.’

  ‘Am I to take it that—’

  ‘Take nothing for granted, Stephen. For the books you need only record the truth. The one thousand guineas is the reimbursement of the part of Mrs Pelham’s dowry that had already been settled on me by her father two days before we were due to wed. It will be returned to her, along with her allowance.’

  The sigh that left Stephen was slightly deflating. ‘Ah yes, the dowry. You’re aware it would be quite in order for you to retain it.’

  ‘Then Mrs Pelham would be without funds to fall back on. Do I strike you as a man who would leave a lady of my acquaintance in financial distress?’

  Stephen looked suitably chastened.

  ‘In the meantime, I’ll ask Hal to take a look at the cottage with me. He has studied law, but his father was an engineer and he grew up with a practical education in the home. Have the sisters been informed of their niece’s return?’

  ‘I expect so … people gossip.’

  ‘As I’ve noticed. I just hope they don’t take a broom to me, like they did to your protégé.’

  The accountant’s mouth pursed a little. ‘About Luke.’

  ‘What about him?’

  ‘If you need someone to manage the Madigan estate I’d be obliged if you’d consider him.’

  ‘He hasn’t displayed himself to any good so far.’

  ‘You couldn’t get a more honest man and he’s hard-working and clever. He doesn’t like being tied to a desk.’

  ‘He’s certainly his own man, but can he take instruction, I wonder?’ Ryder frowned. He didn’t like being pressured over this, since he was hoping that Hal would take the position, despite his intention to leave and follow his fortune in the spring. ‘I’ll consider him, Stephen … I promise. Ask him to attend me here in one week with a plan for working the estate. If he’d like to dine with me in the early afternoon I can promise him the best pork pie in the district from my new cook – especially since it was part of Ashburn’s pig that was hanging in the smokehouse.

  ‘There is one thing you might like to consider. It might cause a conflict of interests for you to have too many fingers in the pie, and I shall have to take that into account when I hire management staff.’

  They set off for Brackenhurst at a leisurely pace early in the afternoon and reached Duck Pond Cottage half an hour later. It was a large cottage, solidly constructed of brick, a double-storey building with a maid’s room and an attic under the tiled roof. Smoke trickled from the chimney. To one side stood a brick stable and a small barn. The door hung from its hinges and chickens pecked and clucked around the entrance.

  The garden was overgrown with untidy clumps of grass and the pond was spilling over a low stone retaining wall to lap at the gate. Apart from the water it was exactly as Ryder remembered it.

  Hal frowned. ‘If that wall is indicative of the pond’s usual depth then the stream must be blocked lower down. Even after the thaw this should have receded quicker.’

  ‘There’s a sluice gate, I recall.’

  ‘Then I’ll wander off downstream and try and find it while you chat to the ladies. It’s probably clogged with rubbish. I’ll see if there’s a hayfork in the shed.’

  As they pushed the creaking gate open the chickens scattered. A couple of clacking ducks rushed at them in a fast waddle from the back garden, their chests puffed out with importance and threat.

  Hal grinned. ‘Here comes the navy … one each. I wager I can throw mine further.’

  They scooped the ducks up and tossed them in the air. Ryder’s landed in the pond in a heap of ruffled feathers and squawks, while Hal’s gracefully circumnavigated the water before doing a final skim and landing next to its partner. Both quacked in consternation and fluffed their feathers at being routed so easily. They headed off downstream.

  Two women rushed from the house yielding brooms. ‘Shoo! Out … out, you men! This is private property.’

  The second one grabbed the other woman by the elbow, bringing her to a breathless halt. ‘Stop at once, Prudence, it’s Lord Madigan!’

  Prudence peered at him, and then smiled. ‘Bless my soul, so it is. It’s been a long time since we set eyes on you, my lord. Have you brought news of our Adele? The rector’s wife said she has been found and she has a lung infection. She said Adele was at death’s door and she’d tell us when we’d be allowed to visit. That was a while ago and we’ve been so worried.’

  He put a hand under her elbow when she bobbed a curtsey. ‘Mrs Bryson has no authority, since Adele is being cared for at Madigan House. She has indeed been ill, but she’s recovering her strength. Hal has a note for you from her and as soon as my carriage is ready for the road I’ll send it to collect you and bring you for a visit.

  ‘There, I told you Mary Bryson was a busybody as well as a sticky beak,’ Patience scoffed, and taking the folded letter from Hal’s hand she tucked it in her sleeve. ‘We will read it later, Prudence. My lord, you have forgotten your manners, who’s the handsome young man with you?’

  ‘So I have. I’m so used to him that sometimes I forget he’s there. Miss Manning, Miss Prudence, this gentleman is Sergeant Halifax Stover, my friend and companion over the past few years.’

  Hal kissed their hands. ‘My pleasure, ladies.’

  ‘You don’t look a day older than when I left,’ Ryder said.

  The two women exchanged a glance and a smile. ‘You were ever the flatterer, my lord.’

  When Hal offered them a smile and bowed, Prudence elbowed Patience in the ribs. ‘We’ll be the talk of the village tomorrow for entertaining two young men … what fun.’

  ‘Hal is going to help me investigate the sluice, so he’ll need the help of a hayfork if you have one. After that we’ll inspect the house and see if it needs any repairs.’

  ‘The pond water rises and creeps under the flagstones in the kitchen when we sleep sometimes – such a nuisance. We fear we might drown in our beds. I told that to the young man who bought the estate, Ashburn his name is. The cheek of him, he just laughed and said the worst that will happen is that our petticoats will get damp. If he’d ever worn a petticoat he’d know how uncomfortable that would be!’

  ‘I’m sure he would.’

  ‘He offered to rent us a dry cottage if it got too deep … said he’d move in here instead. We don’t trust him, do we, Prudence? He’s Mary Bryson’s nephew, and she knocked at the door as brazen as you like one day and told us this cottage belongs to her nephew, not to Adele, so we’d better look after it. And that, after we grew up here.’

  Prudence snorted. ‘Mary always made mischief with that wicked tongue of hers, and her man has never been able to cure her of it. Not that he wants to. He likes to know everybody’s business. Our mother left the cottage
to Adele because she knew we’d always have a home here. We’ll be all right now she’s come home. We knew she’d come one day. It was good of you to take her back.’ Her voice trailed off when his smile faded and she kissed his cheek. ‘I beg your pardon, my lord, for a moment I’d forgotten the hurt she caused. Forgive me, but I can’t condemn her for it since she’s my beloved niece.’

  He kept his voice gentle. ‘Of course, but you must understand, Miss Prudence, that Adele paid me the ultimate insult. She is my guest due to necessity and I see her as little as possible. When she’s recovered she’ll be restored to your care along with the young woman with her, and that will be the end of it. We will speak of it no more. Now … we must start our inspection.’

  ‘Will you stay to take some refreshment afterwards, my lord?’ Patience asked a little tentatively.

  ‘Thank you but no, I have work to do restoring Madigan House into a workable dwelling.’

  They left the women looking disappointed and located the sluice, which was set in a low wall across the stream and had a metal gate that slid up and down to regulate the water flow. There was a small but tightly packed wedge of debris built up, but it didn’t entirely block the sluice. A couple of good pokes with the handle of the hayfork dispersed it.

  Hal said, ‘It’s simple enough to fix. It’s been deliberately closed, but only enough to cause a nuisance rather than real damage. Who’s responsible for its maintenance?’

  ‘Whoever owns the Lawrence property. Luke Ashburn I suppose. He wants that cottage and is playing games. Under old common law, possession is nine-tenths.’

  ‘But it’s a rule of force, not a law.’

  ‘Exactly. If Ashburn can get the Manning sisters out and he moves into the cottage himself, he can then apply to a magistrate for a new set of deeds, citing possession. He already has a strong case without the deeds, and it would be much stronger if he had possession.’

  The water was running clear now. It was one of the chalk streams that filtered through the downs. It serviced many village ponds before it disappeared into the Purbeck Hills, then travelled on to the sea.