The Master of Stonegrave Hall

by Helen Dickson

  ‘Teaching is an admirable profession. I can see you are an independent young woman and if that is what you want to do then I see nothing wrong with that. However,’ she said, her eyes settling on her brother-in-law, ‘might I suggest that in persuading Miss Lewis to stay, you make use of the charming aspects of your character, Laurence? You might have better success in changing her mind if you remember that she is a woman with needs and feelings and dreams of her own.’

  She turned to Victoria. ‘I think,’ she said, looking as if she were trying to smile when she felt concerned about this latest turn of events, ‘you are very brave, Miss Lewis, to take up residence with my formidable brother-in-law.’ And then, as if she’d belatedly thought of it, she held out her hands and exclaimed with a bright smile, ‘Oh—and, welcome to the family. I shall make a point of visiting you often. We are going to be great friends. I know we are.’

  Something about this forced, desperate cheer in her voice set off alarm bells in Victoria’s brain and she felt her hands tremble as she held them out to Lord Rockford’s sister-in-law. ‘Thank you.’ That sounded so inadequate that an awkward pause followed. ‘Lord Rockford only informed me of my changed circumstances a few minutes before you arrived, so you will have to forgive me if I seem a little shocked. I would like it very much if we could be friends—and please call me Victoria.’

  ‘I would like that and you must call me Diana.’

  ‘I am sure Diana will be a great help in introducing you into society, Victoria.’

  ‘I will gladly help her in that task.’

  ‘I have not had much of that,’ Victoria remarked. ‘Oh, an occasional party when I was at the Academy in York, but that is all.’

  ‘But you do know how to dance?’

  Victoria laughed. ‘Yes, of course I can dance. That was one thing our teachers made sure of.’

  ‘Then that is all right then. You should come with us to London. You have been to London?’

  ‘No, I’m afraid not.’

  ‘I would love to show it to you! It is the most exciting city. We can go shopping and I will be happy to assist you to make appropriate acquaintances and introduce you to eligible young gentlemen.’

  The moment she had said those words, Diana wished she had remained silent. Laurence had never been one to refuse a challenge. As she expected, her brother-in-law met her gaze and replied, ‘There will be ample time for that’, observing the scene with mingled irritation and interest. ‘Do not forget that Victoria is in mourning for the next twelve months.’

  ‘I am perfectly aware of that, but in the meantime there is no harm in looking to see what is on offer,’ Diana said with a tranquil smile while a teasing light danced in her eyes. ‘I’m sure you wish to marry, Victoria,’ Diana said, breaking into her thoughts.

  ‘I...’ She took a deep breath and bent her head, feeling her new friend’s eyes on her. ‘Truly, I have not thought about it. It is unlikely to happen.’

  ‘But it will.’ Diana laughed not unkindly at Victoria’s naïveté and glanced at Laurence, who was listening to the conversation with quiet interest. ‘Victoria is charming and, as pretty as she is, you will soon have a stream of suitors knocking on the door.’ She was also unique, Diana suspected. Based on what she had witnessed, she could not believe Laurence was immune to this young woman’s attractions. But her immediate concern was for Nathan and how this would affect him—and Clara. She must not forget Clara.

  ‘But there is one important factor you have not considered, Laurence. Victoria cannot possibly stay here alone and unchaperoned. If we were to do that, nothing we could say or do would salvage her reputation or enable her to make a suitable match. By the time the on dit have circulated through the city, she’ll have become your paramour, and you cannot risk that sort of gossip.’

  ‘Fine,’ Laurence agreed. ‘What do you suggest?’

  ‘You need a chaperon of unimpeachable character and reputation who can stay with her at all times. The obvious choice is Aunt Libby. She would make a perfect duenna. Aunt Libby is Laurence and Nathan’s unmarried paternal aunt who lives with us at the Grange,’ Diana explained to Victoria. ‘This was her home before she moved to the Grange. No one would dare question her acceptability.’

  ‘Will she come?’ Laurence asked.

  ‘I’m sure she will be happy to help out. Besides, you know how she loves being at the Hall. Aunt Libby has a wide circle of friends, Victoria—’ Diana smiled ‘—so be prepared to be invaded. I’ll speak to her when I get home.’

  Laurence nodded with approval. ‘Do that. I’ll bring the carriage over in the morning. I also have to speak to Nathan. He will be at home, I trust?’

  ‘I’ll tell him to expect you.’

  When Diana had left, promising to call again very soon, Victoria escaped to her room, still feeling raw after her bitter altercation with Lord Rockford and the terrible pain she felt on having to abandon her dream of being a teacher.

  What was she to do? Tears of self-pity and outrage stung her eyes. What did Lord Rockford know, sitting in his fine house, what did he know about being lonely and scared and needing money and no way, it seemed, of getting any, and how dared he talk to her as if he had some claim over her? She didn’t need him or his help. She didn’t need anyone. She would manage perfectly well on her own...

  ‘No, you won’t,’ she said aloud. ‘You won’t manage at all.’

  She went on to reflect just how badly she was managing, how much she did need help and that it had been kind of Lord Rockford to take her on at her mother’s request. She certainly needed it. Earlier she had furiously rebuked him and now she had an insane urge to beg him to forgive her and to ask him to put his arms round her.

  Knowing she was risking a cutting rejection, she went in search of him.

  He was seated at his desk engrossed in his ledgers. She looked at his handsome, ruggedly lean face with its stern, sensual mouth and hard jaw, and her stomach flipped over. She felt as she always felt when confronted by him—slightly weakened as if the huge force of his energy somehow attracted some of hers and drew it off.

  He appeared to be the image of relaxed elegance, looking not only casual but supremely self-satisfied, his expression so bland and complacent, that once again she felt there was more behind her being at Stonegrave Hall. She asked herself the question—how did she feel about this man who she seemed unable to banish from her life? She searched her mind carefully, frowning as she looked away from him, trying to be completely honest with herself. He was capable of plucking at the strings of her heart and turning her bones to water with a single glance.

  Glancing up, he quickly looked down again. ‘What is it? I’m very busy.’

  Feeling rather like a bothersome child who had just been firmly, but politely, put in her place, Victoria said hesitantly, ‘I—I’m sorry for interrupting you.’

  Throwing down his quill, he sat back in his chair and looked at her. ‘It’s late. I thought you’d be in bed.’

  ‘I couldn’t go to bed until I’d—I’d...’

  Shoving back his chair and getting up, he walked round the desk and held out his hand to her. ‘Come and sit down.’

  She did as he bade and he seated himself opposite.

  ‘I—I will leave in a moment, but what I want to say cannot wait.’

  Steepling his fingers together and balancing one ankle atop the other knee, he looked at her perched on the edge of her seat, her hands clasped in her lap. It was obvious that she was nervous and uneasy about something.

  ‘Well—let’s hear it,’ he said.

  ‘I—I want to apologise to you for my behaviour today. I was rude and insulting towards you and now I heartily beg your pardon. I was awful, wasn’t I?’

  ‘Pretty much.’ His face relaxed and a ghost of a smile twitched his lips. ‘But since you apologise most charmingly,
you are forgiven.’

  Victoria glanced at his paper-strewn desk. ‘You’re always working. Do you have to work so hard?’

  ‘I have a lot to do.’

  ‘Don’t you have people to do it for you?’

  ‘I do—and they do, but I like working.’

  Gazing across at him, she plucked up her courage and said, ‘Considering my disgraceful behaviour earlier, I can understand if you think I’m the most tiresome and unpredictable female alive.’

  ‘You are quite unlike any female I have met before, but you had just buried your mother. You were upset and grieving—and disappointed and deeply hurt at having to set aside your ambition of becoming a teacher. Victoria, I do understand and commiserate. That said, I would like to enjoy your company better. I would like you to be more amiable towards me. I find you quite challenging.’

  She had difficulty suppressing a smile. ‘You make me sound like a mountain you would like to climb. Why do you find me challenging? Is it because you want to bring me to heel and, when you have done so, trample me under your foot?’

  He arched a brow, amused. ‘No, but I would like you to be less hostile towards me, less stubborn, and accept your situation. It is new to us both. We both have to adjust.’

  ‘I know and I will try to make the best of what I find to be an extremely difficult situation. I would like to tell you that I don’t belong here. I never will. I want to go home, back to Ashcomb—but I can’t go home. My mother saw to that when she made you my guardian and I had to abandon my dream of becoming a teacher.’

  ‘You are right. Accept it. Your former life is over—permanently.’

  ‘I know, but that doesn’t lessen the pain of what I have lost.’

  His gaze swept over her face. He had to admit he found her oddly disturbing. It wasn’t just her beauty, the fair skin, the fine features—not even her sensuality or the undoubted presence of strong hungers in her—it was the odd blend of vulnerability and intense courage, of toughness and tenderness and her insistence she needed no one. He thought of her more than he cared to admit even to himself.

  His expression softened. ‘Did anyone ever tell you that you have lovely eyes, Victoria? You have a lovely mouth as well.’

  She looked away, staring out of the window. ‘Please don’t say those things.’

  ‘You’re right. But you really are a beautiful young woman. I can see I’m going to have my time cut out fending off your many suitors.’ Standing up and leaning over her, reaching out, he placed his forefinger gently on her cheek and turned her face back to his. He arched a questioning brow.

  Victoria lifted her small chin and met his gaze unflinchingly, feeling his finger scorch her flesh. Firmly she removed it with her own. ‘If it is your intention to gentle me, my lord, you will have to use brute force to subdue my rebellion rather than seducing me. Those are the only tactics I know.’

  In spite of himself Laurence threw back his head and exploded with laughter.

  Wounded by his reaction, Victoria scowled at him. ‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’

  ‘Every minute of it,’ he confessed, still laughing, his eyes dancing with merriment. ‘It appears to have slipped your mind that seduction is a time-honoured tradition in my family—one that we’re good at.’

  ‘As my mother found out to her cost when she encountered your father.’ She gave him a prim look. ‘You’re supposed to be taking care of me and setting a good example—not seducing me. Do guardians take such advantage as this?’ she asked him, her words more effective at stopping him than a slap across the face.

  ‘Not if they can help it and you are quite right—and I am rightly chastened.’ His wickedly smiling eyes captured hers and held them prisoner until she felt a warmth suffuse her cheeks.

  ‘You do like the Hall, don’t you?’

  ‘It’s a beautiful house. I always thought so. As a child I would often see it from a distance when we played on the moors and wondered what it must be like to live in such a splendid house.’

  ‘Did your mother not tell you of the time she worked here?’

  ‘Yes, and the balls and everything, but the telling is never the same as experiencing it for oneself.’

  ‘Then you shall. When your period of mourning is over, we shall have a ball—or a party at the very least.’

  ‘I would like that. Tell me, Lord Rockford—’

  ‘Won’t you call me Laurence?’

  After thinking it over for a moment, she smiled. ‘Yes, all right,’ she conceded to his immense surprise and satisfaction. ‘Laurence it is then. Tell me when you first knew my mother. She often told me of her time here, but she never talked about you or your brother.’

  She looked at him. His blue eyes were very tender, very thoughtful, and there was a long silence before he spoke. Then he said, ‘She left the Hall when Nathan was born. This may seem strange to you, but I knew your mother for a very long time—since I was born, in fact. She was a person of extraordinary strength of character, loyalty and kindliness—characteristics not usually found in one so young and placed as she was. Because she was in attendance on my mother, we became as close as two people could be, coming from different classes and different backgrounds. There were times when, as a boy, I needed a friend. She tried to be that friend. I was very fond of her and I think she was fond of me.’

  Victoria sat speechless, staring at him.

  ‘When she left and married your father, there wasn’t much that happened to her over the years that I didn’t know about.’ He shot her a look. ‘You, too, for that matter. So now you are here, I would like you to know that you don’t have to worry about anything.’

  ‘And your brother? Will he accept me—living here? As I recall, he was not in the least happy to see me.’

  Laurence’s expression hardened. ‘Nathan does not feel as I do. He came along later and did not understand the way things were. But I don’t want you to worry about that. You have met Diana, seen how charming she is and how eager she is to befriend you. She’ll talk to him, make him see how things are—and I intend to ride over to the Grange in the morning and explain everything. He’ll come round.’

  Victoria’s heart was thumping painfully. She didn’t believe him—at least, she did believe him, but she felt there was quite a lot he wasn’t telling her—and she needed to know—and he wasn’t going to tell her. He was clearly trying to shield her from something out of kindness, however misplaced. He had certainly done more than anyone to try to help her. She smiled at him and said, and meant it, ‘Thank you. Thank you for telling me about your relationship with my mother. It does help—but—I’m sorry if my being here has upset things between you and your brother. He must love you. You must try to make things right.’

  ‘Make things right?’ he echoed. ‘My dear Victoria, you are unbelievable. For your information I am not the one who made things wrong.’

  ‘I never assumed that you were,’ she assured him. ‘I’m only trying to help. Whatever unpleasantness lies between the two of you, I don’t want to think I am the cause.’

  ‘You’re not,’ Laurence said tightly. ‘Now please leave it. The conversation is tedious.’ His tone was irked, but inside he was trembling.

  ‘I’m concerned, that’s all. You and your brother have a problem and I want to help.’

  ‘We don’t have a problem and I don’t need anybody’s help. I never have.’ He pinned her with his gaze. ‘I never will.’

  She looked at him impatiently. ‘Please hear what I have to say. Nathan is your family. If I had one more day with my dear father—and my mother—I would pay a king’s ransom for that, but I can’t. They are gone. And some day you are going to know how that feels.’

  His response to her words was quick and fierce. ‘I was never adored by my parents, Victoria—particularly not by my father as you were, and you�
�re never going to know how that feels.’

  She stared at him, deeply moved by his revelation. If, as he said, he was not close to his parents, after what he had told her about his relationship with her mother, she hoped she had brought some warmth and happiness into his life during the time she had worked at the Hall. She smiled softly. ‘So what happens now?’

  ‘That’s up to you.’

  ‘You mean I have a choice?’

  ‘Within reason.’ And then he smiled and Victoria was dazzled.

  Dear Lord, he made her heart beat faster, but she struggled to maintain at least an outward show of calm. The human heart was such a strange thing, she thought. There was no control over this chaotic beating thing that lusts and yearns. It was its own master and went where it would, the paths it travelled traverse and secret—even to the mind that claimed to be superior.

  * * *

  The following morning, after visiting the Grange, Laurence returned to Stonegrave Hall with Aunt Libby, having spoken at length to his brother. As the younger son of the deceased Lord Rockford, Nathan had inherited neither title nor substantial fortune, yet he had managed through dint of will, unstinting work and a prestigious marriage to Diana Ellingham—whose father had grown rich from shipping and property, his wealth split evenly between his two daughters on his death—to amass a considerable fortune.

  To his relief, Nathan’s anger had abated somewhat since Laurence had last seen him at Stonegrave Hall, but he would not accept the situation. It had come as no surprise to him that Mrs Lewis had made her daughter Laurence’s ward. Nathan knew Diana had been to see her and tried to talk him into accepting her—indeed, she had tried to tell him that he would like her, but he had very firmly shut her up on that subject.

  He had looked at Laurence when he strode into the room. ‘You cannot seriously mean to go through with this.’

  ‘I intend to do exactly that.’

  Nathan’s face whitened at his words. ‘Why?’ he demanded. ‘You can’t expect me to believe that you feel responsible for her.’

  ‘Yes, I do.’