A Companion of Quality

by Nicola Cornick

  Caroline had been wondering this very fact herself. She was not missish, and had even speculated that Julia could be the Admiral’s natural daughter and therefore Lewis’s half-sister, which would of course have precluded a match. However, she had seen a locket of Julia’s with a picture of her father in it, and the fair good looks of the Beechams were unmistakable in father and daughter. There could be no family reason to forbid the banns, so there had to be some other barrier. But Julia, even in her most impassioned railing against the Admiral’s decisions, had not identified a reason…

  “Lewis was asking me this morning whether it was true that Papa was set against Julia marrying Andrew,” Lavender said, still frowning. “Then he asked me what happened the night Julia arrived here three months ago! I tried to answer as best I could but I do so dislike mysteries! Still,” her brow lightened a little, “there is one matter that need concern me no longer! Is it very bad of me, Caroline, to be so pleased that I will not have Julia as a sister-in-law?”

  Caroline tried not to smile. “My dear Lavender! Have you yet considered the possibility that your brother might renounce his inheritance for Julia? Then you would be heiress to Hewly and have Julia as a sister into the bargain!”

  Lavender clapped her hand to her mouth, but quickly recovered herself. “Oh no! But I should not at all wish to be the owner of Hewly! No, Lewis will never give up the estate for Julia!”

  “He may put love before duty,” Caroline said, feeling as though she had to point out the possibility even though it wrenched at her own heart.

  “No,” Lavender said again, apparently restored to serenity, “Lewis does not care enough for Julia to do such a thing! In fact,” she raised her lavender-coloured eyes to Caroline’s face, “I do not believe that he cares for her at all! He must look elsewhere for a bride!”

  Caroline felt herself blush under her friend’s penetrating scrutiny. “Well, there are plenty of other eligible young ladies in the neighbourhood, and he has a whole twelvemonth—”

  “Pooh, Caroline, do not be so foolish!” Lavender smiled at her. “You would be perfect for Lewis! And I know he likes you! What could be better?”

  Caroline reddened even more. “You mistake, Lavender. Your brother and I would not suit! Besides, I am scarce eligible! Anyway, I am to go away. Julia plans to leave Hewly in a few days—”

  “Well, you need not go too!” Lavender leant forward urgently. “Please, Caroline, stay here with me instead! I could do with a companion!”

  Caroline shook her head. “Lavender, I cannot. I have written away for other posts—”

  “Because of Julia? But you need not worry, for if you stay here with me—”

  “It is not just that.” Caroline spoke desperately. She put her cup down. “There are other reasons—”

  “It is because of Lewis, isn’t it!” Lavender sat back with some satisfaction. “I knew it! I knew you cared for him!”

  Caroline put both her hands up to her burning cheeks. “Oh Lavender, pray do not!”

  “I’m sorry!” The younger girl looked suddenly upset. “Dear Caroline, I will not press you to stay if you do not wish it, nor will I embarrass you any further. But,” she hesitated, “please do not go with Julia! If you must take another post, stay here until it can be arranged! I promise—”

  A bell rang from within the depths of the house. “That will be Julia,” Caroline said evenly. “She wishes me to write her some letters—”

  “Oh, why can she not write for herself!” Lavender said stormily. She sounded more agitated than Caroline had ever heard her. She stood up, almost sending the tea-tray crashing to the floor. “Oh, it puts me out of all patience to see you at her beck and call! It is simply not right! I am going to visit Nanny Prior! She will know what to do for the best!”

  Caroline sighed as she righted the tea-table and tidied up the cups. Matters suddenly seemed very uncertain. She would dearly have loved to stay at Hewly with Lavender, who was the best of good friends. Her feelings for Lewis precluded such a course of action, however. Then there was Julia, who might still become the next Mrs Brabant were Lewis to renounce his inheritance. Whatever the outcome, her role as Julia’s companion had to come to an end.

  The bell rang again, impatiently. Caroline smoothed her gown. She knew that the only outcome was to take up another post, away from Julia, Lavender, and Lewis most of all. It was a sensible course of action. It was appropriate. And it seemed a desolate future.

  Later, after Julia had dictated so many letters that Caroline’s hand positively ached, she finally escaped to the library for a little solitude. It was not yet time for dinner but the lamps were lit and the January evening was drawing in. Feeling strangely restless, Caroline drew near to the fire and stood for a while looking into its glowing heart. She heard Lewis and Richard Slater come in from their ride, and tensed as she waited to see if they would come into the library.

  Since her quarrel with Lewis the previous day there had been no time to ask for forgiveness and Caroline doubted that he would accept her apology anyway. Not that it mattered—Lewis had far greater issues to consider than a foolish argument with Julia’s companion! Caroline shrank a little at her own presumption in imagining that he would even remember it and resolved that it would be better simply to avoid him until she left.

  The voices faded away and Caroline sighed a little and moved over to the bookshelves, looking for something to distract her mind. The books by the writer of Sense and Sensibility were not so appealing at a time like this, mirroring as cleverly as it did the trials of everyday life. Instead Caroline’s eye was caught by the rows of old estate maps, and she remembered what Lewis had said about the garden designs dating back to the time of the Percevals. It might distract her a little to study the old plans.

  She put out a hand and pulled one of the maps from the shelf. The paper stuck slightly, as though caught on another document, and Caroline paused so that she did not rip the old parchments. She took out two or three of the maps, found that they were all stuck together and began cautiously to separate them out.

  Something fell from between the folds of one of the maps and Caroline bent down for a closer look. It was a piece of paper, folded roughly, blotched and splotched with ink. Caroline’s heart began to race. She remembered Nanny Prior’s words about the document the Admiral had been writing on the night he died, the one that had not been seen since and was almost forgotten. Perhaps this could be the very letter, though what it was doing amongst the estate maps was a mystery in itself. Turning the paper over in her hands, Caroline saw that it had Lewis’s name at the top.

  “My dear Lewis,

  I am writing this in great haste lest I never have the chance to tell you—”

  Guiltily, Caroline looked away and stuffed the letter into the pocket of her gown. She bundled the maps together again and pushed them haphazardly back on to the shelves, all the time frantically thinking of what she should do. There seemed to be little choice. Although it had only been five minutes previously that she had resolved to avoid Lewis for the rest of her time at Hewly, she was going to have to seek him out. There was no alternative.

  She moved over to the fireplace and rang the bell, telling the footman who answered that she wished him to tell the Captain that she requested an appointment. In a surprisingly short time, the man reappeared.

  “Captain Brabant’s compliments, Miss Whiston, and he will see you now in the study.” The footman bowed and backed out of the room, waiting politely for Caroline to precede him into the hall. Caroline went, feeling distinctly nervous. But then, she told herself sternly, all she had to do was to hand the letter to Lewis and withdraw. Her obligation in passing him the Admiral’s last message would then be fulfilled.

  “Miss Whiston.” Lewis stood up as she came into the room and waited until the servant had closed the door behind her. His expression was unreadable. “You wished to speak with me, ma’am?”

  “Yes, I…” Caroline cursed herself for her inarticulate
ness. All her eloquence seemed to have deserted her of late whenever she was near him. She could not believe that she could be so tongue-tied. She came forward hesitantly and held out the letter.

  “I found this today, sir—just now—and felt that it should be handed to you immediately. Now if you will excuse me—”

  “Please take a seat.” Caroline could not be sure whether Lewis was so preoccupied that he had not heard her, or was simply ignoring her plea to escape. His head was bent over the letter and he did not look at her, but his words seemed unequivocal enough. She sat down gingerly on the edge of one of the chairs and waited whilst he started to read.

  “This is in my father’s hand,” Lewis said, looking up suddenly. “You say that you found it recently, Miss Whiston?”

  “It was in one of the old estate maps.” Caroline felt uncomfortable, as though she had been prying. “I was not certain whether or not it was important, sir—for all I know it may be several years old, but as it was addressed to you—”

  “Did you read it?” Lewis asked sharply.

  Caroline coloured a little.

  “Only to find the direction, sir…”

  She saw Lewis’s mouth twist in a slight smile at her use of the same words he had once spoken to her.

  “I see.” He scanned the rest of the letter quickly. “So you have no notion of the contents?”

  “Not in the least, sir.” Caroline held his gaze. “As I have said, I do not even know if it is a recent letter or several years of age. The only reason I thought it might be important was that I remembered Mrs Prior saying that the Admiral was writing a letter when he was taken ill. So I wondered…”

  “If this was that very letter?” Lewis was watching her intently. “Did Mrs Prior say that? I had not heard that tale. But then, there is much that I have not heard…”

  Caroline frowned a little, uncertain what he meant. Lewis smiled. “Forgive me for the mystery. But this is odd. There seem to be too many missing letters in this house! Do I take it that you have not found yours?”

  Caroline blushed. “No, indeed, sir. I have searched everywhere.” She got to her feet. She knew she had to apologise and she felt better standing up. “Captain Brabant, I feel I should—”

  “Please, Miss Whiston,” Lewis held his hand up, “if you are about to refer to our disagreement then I beg you do not.”

  “But—” Caroline watched as he crossed the room towards her. Somehow his approach made her feel vulnerable. She toyed with the idea of sitting down again and changed her mind. That would be even worse.

  “You must permit me, sir…That is, I wished to apologise…”

  Lewis came right up to her. Caroline looked up into his face and completely lost the thread of what she had been saying. There was a smile in the blue eyes that told her more eloquently than any words that she was forgiven. She tore her gaze away from his and realised with horror that her hand was now resting against his chest. She withdrew it hastily.

  “Your apology is accepted, ma’am,” Lewis said gently. “We have both made errors of judgement.” He gave her a smile that sent the blood tingling through Caroline’s veins. “Let us study to do better in the future.”

  “I fear that there will be little time,” Caroline said, backing away from him. “Mrs Chessford and I are to leave for London in a couple of days—” She broke off, remembering that Julia’s circumstances might change again should Lewis declare himself.

  “Yes, I met Lavender earlier and she told me that you planned to leave Hewly,” Lewis said. He was still watching her. “Can we not prevail upon you to stay here, ma’am? I know that my sister would be pleased for you to stay, not as a companion, but as a guest—”

  “You are both very kind,” Caroline said guardedly, avoiding his eyes, “but I fear I cannot accept.”

  “May I not press you to do so, Miss Whiston?” Lewis had taken her hand now, the pressure of his fingers insistent on hers. “It would be more comfortable for you to remain here, even if it were only until you took up a new position—”

  Caroline’s misery threatened to overwhelm her. To have Lewis ask her to stay for all the wrong reasons was particularly disheartening.

  “My mind is made up, I fear, sir,” she said, giving him a tight smile. “You really must forgive me. I cannot stay at Hewly.” She tried to free herself.

  “If it is because of Julia—” Lewis began.

  “Please—” Caroline found that her composure was at breaking point. “I wish the two of you very happy, but I cannot—” She broke off before she could give herself away any further.

  “Excuse me, sir,” she said. “I must go.” And she hurried from the room before Lewis could ask any more difficult questions.

  The snow started that night. It brushed against the windows, falling softly, cloaking the woodland in white. Caroline stood by her bedroom window, watching the flakes swirl in the wind and shivering a little to think of the dark night in the cold forest. The same feeling of restlessness possessed her that her dogged her footsteps all day. It was odd; she felt as though the house was waiting for something to happen. She shrugged off the fanciful notion, but even so, she found she was not tired enough to go to sleep.

  The clock had struck one when Caroline heard the creak of a step on the landing outside her door. It seemed an odd time to be prowling about, and she wondered whether Lavender was unable to sleep and was needing some company. She opened her door softly. The dark stairs stretched away below and Caroline could just see an insubstantial figure descending into the gloom. Then a stair creaked sharply. Caroline froze. What kind of spectre was it that trod so heavily that the ground shook beneath their feet? Perhaps the sort who had taken her letters?

  Caroline slipped out of her room and closed the door soundlessly behind her. All the doors leading off the landing and the corridor beyond were closed and blank. She paused for a moment. There was a sound from below—the noise of a step on stone. The air shivered a little with the draught of an opening door. Intrigued now, Caroline crept down the stairs. The hall was all in darkness, which made navigation difficult, but Caroline thought that she espied a flickering light moving behind the door of the servants’ quarters. She hesitated, unsure whether to go in and confront whoever was lurking there, or to wait and see if they emerged again. Whatever they were up to was evidently secret, for the light glimmered erratically and there was no sound.

  Caroline put her hand on the door knob and was about to turn it when a sudden sound from further down the corridor made her jump almost out of her skin. Someone was coming out of the study; a different person from the one whose light she could still see behind the closed door, but someone equally secretive and cautious. Without further thought, Caroline dived through the open door on her left. It was the library.

  The curtains were not drawn and the sharp moonlight reflected on the snow outside and lit the room with a bright white glow. Without conscious thought, Caroline made for the window and pulled the heavy velvet curtain about her. She thought that she could hear pursuing footsteps on the stone flags of the hall, and suddenly it seemed foolish in the extreme to be creeping about in the dark, particularly without anything with which to protect herself. She was about to emerge into the room to arm herself with a candlestick when there was a sound on the threshold and the door closed with a slight but unmistakable click.

  They were in the room with her. Although Caroline could hear nothing, some sixth sense told her that she was no longer alone. She froze as still as a mouse, yet she was certain that whoever it was who was standing inside the door, watching and waiting, could hear her frightened breathing. Telling herself that there could be no danger, that she was no silly girl to be frightened by gothic horrors, Caroline drew herself up to her full height. In a moment, when she had steadied her nerves, she would throw back the curtain and confront whoever was there…

  Even as the thought went through her head, the curtain was seized and thrown back, and she found herself looking into the furious
features of Lewis Brabant.

  Chapter Ten

  “What the hell…” Lewis began angrily. He cut off whatever he was about to say and ran a hand through his hair, as though the gesture could help dissipate some of his pent-up fury.

  “What the devil are you doing here, Caroline?”

  “What am I doing here!” Caroline exclaimed. “What are you doing, scaring me half out of my wits—”

  Someone else moved in the shadows and Caroline smothered a squeak of alarm. Lewis clapped a hand over her mouth. “Quiet! It’s only Richard—”

  Captain Slater came forward into the moonlight. He sketched an immaculate bow. “Servant, Miss Whiston.”

  Caroline stifled a ridiculous desire to laugh. Here they all were in the darkness of the library in the dead of night, whispering lines like characters in a bad play.

  “What were you doing in the servants’ quarters earlier?” she whispered urgently. “I saw you—”

  “That wasn’t us,” Lewis began, only to break off as Richard put a hand on his arm.

  “Don’t believe we’ve time for explanations now, old chap! They’re coming…”

  There was a sudden noise outside the door. The effect on the men was instantaneous. Lewis stepped back behind the curtain next to Caroline, and Richard Slater moved swiftly across to the other side of the bay window, where he took up a similar stance. It was not a moment too soon. The door of the library opened and candlelight spilled into the room.

  “Come along, you foolish girl!”

  Caroline heard the edgy whisper as she watched through a crack in the curtains. There was no mistaking those impatient tones.

  “We don’t have much time! I only got as far as that prosy bore Shakespeare last time! Oh, was there ever such a clunch-headed idiot? Why can you not remember where you put it?”

  Caroline heard the other figure mumble something under its breath, only to be cut off sharply.

  “Cease this ridiculous whining, girl! We have not the time for it!”