by Janet Woods
Warm and serviceable but dull, came into his mind. Were she his wife she would wear the best gowns money could buy.
Her luggage hadn’t turned up yet, but he intended to make more enquiries.
He put the thought aside. It was the daffodil time of year and the flowers spread across the landscape in their different shades. Some were robust gold trumpeters, others a delicate, fluttering pastel, like little butterflies dancing over the cabbages. Yet others resembled a pale spread of lemon curd. England’s landscape had a calm beauty, compared to the busy plumage of the Indian subcontinent with its brilliantly exotic colours.
‘Lovely,’ he murmured, and didn’t know whether he was referring to her reflection in the window or the flowers dancing on the meadow.
She turned, an enquiry in her eyes. ‘Did you say something?’
He shrugged. ‘It was nothing of importance. I was admiring the daffodils and thinking how pretty they were and I must have said something out loud. Do you have any plans for the future, Mrs Pelham?’
‘My needs are few but it depends on what’s left from my mother’s legacy. I imagine it will be depleted somewhat now … though I have the cottage.’
Only if she could prove it was hers. Ashburn had a strong claim, and a ruthless nature. He wouldn’t think twice about turning the Manning sisters out, and Ryder was glad he hadn’t managed to do so by now. He grinned. The sisters wielding broomsticks were a force to be reckoned with. ‘You will need to set funds aside to maintain it.’
‘Yes … I’ve noticed a couple of damp patches on the walls downstairs. I thought it might help if I cut back the ivy.’
‘It might, but you’ve been ill. Overtaxing your strength could cause a relapse. I doubt if flooding will occur again now we’ve fixed the sluice gate. It was partially blocked and your aunts told me the cottage garden was inundated with water on several occasions. Hal said it should dry out quickly. The garden is beginning to take shape again. You arrived home at the right time of year to prune the roses back, I see.’
‘They should have been pruned at the beginning of winter. Still, they should catch up after this rain we’ve had.’
‘They should make a good display in the summer months, then.’
‘Yes. It’s been hard work. Hal dug the weeds in and took a scythe to the long grass. My aunts have grown very fond of him and we’re grateful for his help. We’ll miss him when he’s gone, though he’s promised to visit us. I’ve suggested he open his legal office here.’
A smile curved his lips. How banal their conversation had become. What would she do if he kissed the perfect curve of her mouth until she was senseless? He was tempted to. ‘Hal leaves for London within the week. He intends to attend cases in the Old Bailey to refresh his knowledge on prosecution techniques, and should be back in the autumn.’
Odd that they could chat about trivial domestic matters when so much that was personal was left unspoken between them.
Ryder needed to know why she’d left him waiting at the altar without a word. He could still taste the humiliation burning inside him – remembered the embarrassed coughs as invited guests took their leave one by one, murmuring … what? It had to be condolences for there had no longer been a need to congratulate him. The air had been thick with pity. It had felt as though Adele had died, but it was something deep inside him that had died that day.
Adele’s father had rushed into the church … breathless and untidy with haste and uttering the unutterable for anyone left in the congregation to hear and digest as he’d condemned his daughter, making it impossible for her to return. ‘Adele has eloped with the architect. She’s no longer my daughter and I’ll never allow her to enter my home again.’
As if Adele was a smear of horse dung to be wiped off one’s boot, and indeed, Ryder would have done the smearing himself had he run into her then.
On investigation the self-proclaimed architect had turned out to be a stonemason’s labourer with visions of grandeur, more braggart than skilled. Ryder been tempted to go after the pair, but pride had stopped him.
Then it was back to Madigan House – to the celebratory feast that had never taken place and the nervous bewilderment of his staff as he downed half a bottle of brandy before he’d summoned Stephen Tessler to his side to inform him of his imminent, and very drunken departure.
‘Why, Del?’ he murmured, and her name sounded like an accusation.
Her eyes came up to his, a turbulent and unguarded blaze of pain. Then a curtain was pulled across them. ‘My lord?’
‘Oh, for God’s sake call me Ryder. I can’t stand this formality from you.’
‘As you wish, Ryder. What did you intend to say to me?’
Obviously she had her own demons to cope with. ‘Nothing … it doesn’t matter.’
They lapsed into an uneasy silence again and he pondered on several matters … Adele’s missing deeds for one. He’d never doubted Stephen’s honesty before, but now there seemed to be a solid relationship between Reverend Bryson, his nephew, and Tessler. A man could not serve two masters and he wondered … where would Stephen’s loyalty fall were it put to the test?
Ryder was being pressured from three points and he didn’t like it. He was doubtful about hiring the nephew to run his estate despite Ashburn’s competence in many areas. He had no reason to dislike or mistrust the young man. Put simply, his arrogance, when coupled with his connections, irritated him. As for the Reverend Bryson, he should caution his wife about the danger of indulging in gossip.
When they came into the outskirts of Poole the traffic became denser and they slowed to a walk until the coachman found a gap to occupy.
‘Where are you going first?’ Ryder asked.
‘To the offices of Mr Tessler. I believe he attends his clients here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Dorchester office on the alternative two days. I want to find out if I can afford a donkey and cart. It’s hard for my aunts to have to walk everywhere.’
He helped her down from the carriage. ‘Perhaps you’d allow me to escort you to the sale yard, I might be able to advise you.’
‘I expect you know more about donkeys than I do, so thank you.’
He gave a faint grin. ‘I know an ass when I see one, and I see one every morning in the mirror.’
She almost smiled, but not quite. ‘People will talk if they see us together.’
‘They already talk about us, Del. I expected nothing less when I decided to return home, did you?’
‘They don’t know the truth.’
‘Neither do I … Would you care to enlighten me?’
She plucked at the seam in her glove and gazed directly at him. He could have drowned in her eyes. ‘You do understand it was not my intention to cause you embarrassment by returning, and for that I’m sorry. I’d heard that you’d joined the army and had died of wounds in India.’
‘Ah … the deadly snake story. Who told you about it?’
She shrugged, saying quietly. ‘I can’t remember.’
She was lying … she did know, she just didn’t want to face up to it. ‘It wasn’t from Edgar Pelham by any chance, was it? Remember him … the man you married while I was making a fool of myself waiting at the church? You owe me an explanation. Did you love him?’
If she had, at least he’d be able to console himself with the fact that she’d been happy with someone else. Yet anger roiled in him at the thought that she might have.
‘No, I didn’t love him … How could I when I …’ She bit down on her lip. ‘I cannot trust anyone with the truth.’
‘You can trust me, Del. Believe me, I’ve gone through all the reasons why you might have left me standing at the altar. None of them make sense except that you cared for him more than you cared for me.’
‘Have you, Ryder? Are you as sure of that as you sound?’
‘Try me.’
She took a deep breath, and then shook her head as though she’d thought better of it.
He placed a hand on her forearm. ‘I will h
ave the truth of the matter from you eventually. You owe me that, at least.’
‘You’d hate me if I told you.’
‘It would be impossible to dislike you any more than I already do. To abandon me on our wedding day and marry a man you hardly knew was cruel. If I thought you’d loved him I could have found it in my heart to forgive you, but you never even said goodbye.’
He’d been brutal – too brutal, and he winced at the flare of hurt that exploded in her eyes. Nothing could have prepared him for the shock of her next statement though. He’d forgotten how hard she could respond in retaliation.
‘I was never married to Edgar Pelham. The ceremony was irregular.’
He stared after her, his mind grappling with the statement as she turned her back on him and walked off. Was she saying she’d been the man’s mistress? The thought soured inside him like poison as he reached a conclusion.
Adele was right – he did hate her more!
Trying hard not to weep, Adele couldn’t believe she’d told Ryder she hadn’t been married to Edgar. As if that wasn’t bad enough, if she told him the whole truth he’d never deign to speak to her again.
To save her reputation she’d married Edgar on board the ship. It wasn’t until later that she’d discovered the marriage to be illegal, for the captain wasn’t licensed to conduct weddings and a shipboard ceremony wouldn’t be sanctioned by the Church. Far from being horrified she’d welcomed the news, for it meant that Edgar would have no right to her property … such as it was.
She walked away as fast as she could, and when she looked back there was no sign of Ryder. Mr Tessler’s business premises came into sight. Paint the colour of olives supported his name in discreet gold lettering and the glass-panelled door and windows shone in the sunlight.
The clerk showed her into the office. There was another man with Mr Tessler and they both stood when she entered. Of medium height, the younger man was conservatively dressed and wore an air of confidence. A glance from a pair of pale-blue eyes flickered over her.
Mr Tessler smiled. ‘I hope you are fully recovered from your recent illness, Mrs Pelham. May I introduce Mr Ashburn?’
‘Ah yes … I’ve heard of you.’
From her aunts, who found Ashburn’s very existence irksome – but he must know that.
Ashburn’s curt nod dismissed her, before he went to stand by the window.
Adele gazed at the lawyer. ‘I was under the impression we had an appointment, Mr Tessler. Am I to conduct my private business in front of a stranger?’
Tessler dug his pen into his blotting paper and sighed when the nib bent. ‘Mr Ashburn requested a meeting to discuss the ownership of Duck Pond Cottage. He thinks, and I agree with him, that it will save time.’
The assumption annoyed Adele. ‘Save whose time? Certainly not mine. Mr Ashburton’s business is not my business so perhaps you’d reschedule a meeting for another time.’
‘Come now, Mrs Pelham, there is enough time for him to be heard, surely. He has a case.’
She stood. ‘I will not be patronized by you, Mr Tessler, and neither will I allow you to intimidate me, Mr Ashburn. The cottage is mine, courtesy of my grandmother, who owned it and left it to me. My father had no right to claim it as part of his estate and I have proof of ownership. This conversation is now at an end, at least until I can get expert advice. If Mr Ashburn refuses to leave, then I must.’
Ashburn spun round. His breath smelled faintly of ale. ‘I’ll go. Good day, Mrs Pelham … or is it still Miss Lawrence?’
Mr Tessler came round the desk. ‘That’s enough, Luke. If the lady wishes to wait until she is properly represented then we must accommodate her.’
‘Lady? I don’t think—’
The door swung open and Ryder stood there. ‘Ashburn. Get out before I throw you out!’
Ashburn shrugged and shame filled his eyes. He mumbled, ‘It’s nothing that should concern you, my lord. I was just leaving.’
As the man moved to push past Ryder stretched an arm across the doorframe, effectively blocking him. Anger burned in his eyes. ‘I know what I heard. I suggest you apologize to Mrs Pelham before you leave.’
Ashburn said without any shred of remorse in his voice, ‘I beg your pardon, Mrs Pelham. I lost my temper.’
She had the feeling Ashburn wouldn’t beg for anything, or if he did, he wouldn’t mean it. When she nodded to Ryder he removed his arm and allowed the man to pass.
But Luke Ashburn couldn’t resist having the last word. ‘You know we must have this conversation at some time, Mrs Pelham. I suggest we have it sooner rather than later so you can consider your options. I would hate to have to use force to evict you and your aunts, which is what my … uncle and aunt have advised.’
Had they then? Ryder closed the door on him.
‘Thank goodness you returned,’ she said.
‘I wanted to apologize to you for my churlish remark.’
The threat withdrawn, Adele began to fall to pieces. Her lips trembled and she whispered as she clutched the corner of the desk for support. ‘He gave me a fright and I’ll recover in a minute or two.’
Ryder guided her to a chair. ‘Sit there. Do you have any brandy, Stephen? A good shot with some water added if you please.’
The lawyer hastened towards the decanter on a low table.
Adele swallowed the brandy with a grimace and a few seconds later the heat rushed to her face and she swooped in a breath. It had been stronger than she expected.
Stephen Tessler was apologetic, but he’d lost his forcefulness in the face of Ryder’s annoyance. ‘I’m so sorry, Mrs Pelham. I had no idea the young man would act in such a disgraceful manner when I invited him to meet you. Oh dear … I feel quite put out.’
Adele nodded, and took a couple of deep breaths to help clear the brandy fumes. They seemed to rush straight from her mouth and into her head, making her feel decidedly woolly.
Ryder said, ‘So you should be, Stephen. I’m going to say this but once. I was seriously thinking of offering Ashburn the management of my estate, but after witnessing his behaviour towards Mrs Pelham today I’ve decided to postpone my decision and cast my net wider. In fact, I’m beginning to question your closeness to various people who have been involved with the Madigan estate in my absence, and their relationship to me. I don’t like my business being bandied about.’
A horrified expression appeared on the accountant’s face and he spluttered, ‘My lord, surely you’re not suggesting – I assure you, everything has been strictly above board.’
‘Like the sale of Squire Lawrence’s estate?’
‘I knew nothing of it until the deal had been done and the estate had been acquired by Mr Ashburn. Then I was invited to do the paperwork and I discovered the mistake regarding the purchase of Duck Pond Cottage. I took a stand on that, as you know, the matter is still not resolved.’
‘As far as I’m concerned, it has been. I’m surprised that the reverend would sell the roof from over the Manning sisters’ heads … or that you would sanction it.’
‘It was not my place to offer advice, though I did suggest they make a thorough search for proof of ownership.’
‘Can I confirm something … how did Ashburn pay for the estate?’
‘I believe the reverend offered him a loan. It was a bargain even without the cottage. He’s a hard-working young man and he intended to farm the land then sell it as a going concern.’
Ryder admired a man who could turn an honest profit from his own effort. ‘Did he have a buyer in mind?’
Stephen hesitated and Ryder didn’t push it.
‘I know you’re honest, Stephen, and I would rather have you running my financial affairs than anyone else. I’m not asking you to abandon your friendship with the Bryson family, since you don’t need my approval. However, now I’ve returned, remember that my business is not their business. Neither is Mrs Pelham’s business. I was appalled to find him here – doubly so when I saw the contempt with which he tre
ated a woman he’d only just met. She has done nothing to earn such scorn from strangers. We must not let this happen again, do you understand?’
Stephen knew an ultimatum when he heard one. ‘You have my assurance, my lord. As for the young man, he’s been influenced by his relatives, I fear, and at this moment will probably be regretting his outburst.’
‘Good.’ Ryder smiled down at Adele, whose cheeks now glowed as red as apples. ‘Are you feeling stronger, Mrs Pelham?’
Adele felt extremely strong, if rather lightheaded from the brandy. Feeling an urge to giggle she offered him a small smile in return. After all it wouldn’t be wise to allow him to become too familiar. She tripped over her tongue, said, ‘Yeth, my lord,’ then giggled.
Amusement lightened the dark blue of his eyes. His lashes were dark and thick. He was more handsome than she remembered, more muscular and more commanding – more of everything. In a word … Imposing! He’d asked; how could she have left him?
The simple answer was – she’d had no choice. How could she have stayed?
‘Did I hear you say Yeth? In that case I’ll go to the sales yard and inspect the asses while you conduct your business with Stephen.’
Now she did laugh. ‘I said yes. I think.’
He smiled. ‘Look after her, Stephen. No more brandy. I’ll return within an hour.’
The financial adviser saw Ryder out and took his place behind the desk. ‘Now, Mrs Pelham … how can I be of service to you?’
‘I want to know if any of my legacy is still intact, and if I can afford a donkey and a cart.’
‘I see … Yes to the first. The allowance is worth two hundred pounds a year, which is ample to manage your household with, especially when your aunts’ allowances are added to it. That sum has accumulated over the last six years. Then there is your dowry.’
‘But that was given to—’
‘The earl was generous enough to return it. Because you’re still of marriageable age he feels you might yet need it to attract a suitor of substance.’
The thought rankled. How dare Ryder suggest such a thing? She was beginning to appreciate her freedom. Her life was her own to live as she wished. Her aunts had welcomed her home without discrimination. Edgar no longer had any hold on her and neither did Ryder. She still loved Ryder, but with an aching heart, and knew she would do so for ever, as she’d once promised him.
