There were always flowers in there as well, which could be used for nature lessons or drawing but mostly, were just there to cheer up the room.
Lessons were not confined to the school room either, with regular trips into the gardens, especially on nice days, where they would sit on the chairs and tables to study things such as maths, or roam the gardens in search of plants. As they got older, their mother opened her laboratory to them, showing them how to use a microscope and perform experiments.
Learning had been a joy which was why as an adult, she still liked returning to the school room to visit her siblings and help them with their studies.
Without conscious thought, she moved slightly, looping her arm around Cole’s leg and resting her cheek against his knee. Her hand rose to clasp Marie’s small one, her thumb stroking across the back of the child’s soft hand.
In recent years, she had begun to doubt whether she would ever have her own family and mostly, she thought that she would be happy whatever happened. Right now though, she could almost believe that these were her children; she was just old enough to have a six year old child, and she had never wanted a family more than she did at that moment.
The light click of claws on the floor drew her gaze to the doorway, to see that Ann had escaped from Mrs Cole again and had discovered her whereabouts. The little dog came over to them, turned around twice, then settled next to her, pressed against her thigh.
Content, Thea closed her eyes and allowed Cole’s voice to transport her to magical, mystical places.
***
Cole was quite taken by the change in Thea. She had been hesitant when she arrived but not distant, as she had been this morning. The jacket of her habit also had half a dozen buttons undone at the neck and collar which was unusual, even for Thea.
Her hesitancy had gradually dissipated as she talked with his sisters and he found himself quite charmed as she leaned against his leg, and then a good deal more than charmed when she wrapped her arm around his calf and rested her head against his knee. The scene was perfected by her taking young Maria’s hand and he was unable not to picture a similar scene, only with their own children.
It seemed wrong that he should feel happiness and hope while his father lay dying but at the same time, there was a natural sort of symmetry to it; as his last parent neared death, he was starting a family of his own. At least, he hoped he was.
The story ended far too soon and he wondered if he might have time for another story. His youngest sister had clearly sat still for too long however, and Maria squirmed from his lap, intent on getting to know their visitor better.
Sylvia seemed to know that something was wrong however.
“Is it Daddy?” she asked quietly.
Cole glanced over to Marie but she was too busy entertaining Thea to overhear.
“His illness is bad today,” he admitted.
Sylvia nodded. Despite her tender age, she sometimes seemed to have an insight that was far older than her years.
“Can I see him?”
“I don’t think so, the doctor gave him something for his pain and he is sleeping.”
“He will probably only yell anyway, and tell me to get back to Mrs Cutler.”
Maybe it was better that he was asleep when they saw him. “I’ll see if he is up to visitors and if so, take you after your lessons, then he’ll have no reason to shout.”
“Thank you.”
“And try to remember, it’s not you,” he tried to reassure her. “He’s in pain and pain makes even the best of us bad tempered. Try to think of him as he was last winter, when he ventured into the gardens with us and helped build a snowman.”
“He kept saying it was out of proportion.”
“Then the spring, when we walked into town.”
“He kept telling Marie that she was too slow.”
“He has never exactly been a warm man,” he admitted. “He does care for you, he just sometimes has trouble showing it.”
Sylvia wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head to his chest. “When father dies, you won’t send us away, will you?”
Cole squeezed her tightly. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Mamma said you would, she said you don’t like her and that if you sent her away, she would make sure we came too.”
“Awful witch,” Cole muttered, wondering what kind of parent said such cruel things to their child. “If your mother is sent away, it will only be to the Dower house, not a mile away from here, and you won’t have to go with her, you can stay here with me if you want.”
“But she is our mother.”
“And I will be head of this family. If she wants my financial support, and I am certain that she does, then she will abide by my conditions.”
“Thank you, Cole.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, just as the heavy footfalls of the governess returning signalled an end to their time together.
“Will you come back tomorrow?” Sylvia asked, climbing down from his lap.
“Don’t I come every morning?”
“But you haven’t been staying very long.”
“I know, but when things are sorted and our guests finally return home, everything will be as it used to be and we’ll have time for stories and to go riding and walking.”
“Then I hope they go soon.” Sylvia smiled.
“Miss Sylvia, that is rude, the governess, Mrs Cutler said as she entered the room.
Cole caught his sister’s eye and gave her a mischievous wink. “Me too.”
“We have to resume our studies now, Master Cole. Please also remove that dog, he is not allowed in the school room.”
“Of course. Thank you, Mrs Cutler.” He went to Marie and kissed her goodbye as well, then took Thea’s hand and led her from the room.
“They’re lovely children,” she said.
“Aren’t they? I’m not convinced they’re related to me but they are very dear to me.”
Thea looked surprised. “Do you have proof?”
“No, only the fact that they look nothing like my father, myself or any of my siblings. Since they are not boys though, it matters little; if anything should happen to me, they will not inherit over my sisters.”
“That’s very magnanimous of you.”
“They’re sweet children; if in fact they are not blood related, they make it very hard to blame them for their parents’ sins. Do you feel in the mood for a walk?” he asked.
“That sounds very nice, there was something I wanted to discuss with you, actually.”
“I thought there might be.”
Chapter Twelve
Thea and Cole made their way out into the grounds, heading north, away from the Abbey.
“This morning, I…” She swallowed. “I discovered something that troubled me and made me doubt you.”
“Did you perchance see Eliza Buchan leaving my room?”
She stopped walking, surprised by his candour. “Not exactly, I overheard you talking as I passed your room.”
“Eliza came of her own volition, I did not invite her. She seemed to have noticed my partiality for you, my dear, and decided to declare her love for me. I told her no, as nicely as I could.”
“So when you flattered her?”
“I was attempting to soften the blow. Shortly afterwards she began insulting you, and I sent her away with a flea in her ear.”
Thea visibly sagged. “Papa said there would be an explanation but I made assumptions and stuck with them. I’m sorry I didn’t ask for your side sooner.”
“And me.” He stopped walking and turned to face her.
He caught an escaped strand of hair and ran it through his fingers for a moment, until he caught her eye and felt unable to look elsewhere. His own desire was reflected in her eyes and he knew he was about to behave in a very ungentlemanly manner.
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
“I do hope so.” She teased.
“In full view of the house,
where anyone with a mind to look out can see us.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do,” he smiled. “I want everyone to know that it is you I have chosen.”
His words surprised her, given that last night he had said only that he wanted to explore their feelings together. “You have?”
“Indeed. Up there in the school room, I had a glimpse of our life and in that moment, knew I could not have a family with anyone else. I love you, Thea.”
Tears stung her eyes but she didn’t reply and after an interminably long wait, Cole spoke again.
“Do you… do you think you could feel the same about me?”
“I have thought myself in love before,” she admitted, “but now I see that what I felt then is just a pale reflection of how I feel now, as pale as the reflection of moonlight when compared to the sun.”
“I sense a ‘but’ coming.”
She didn’t deny it but she did smile at his charm.
“I’m frightened, Cole.”
“I know you are, which is why I won’t offer you any false sentiments or assurances.” He reached both hands up and cupped her face. “I cannot promise that we will always agree, or that we will never quarrel, or that I will never say anything hurtful; I am only human and as flawed as the next person. I can promise you that I will always love you, that I will never try to clip your wings or stifle your spirit, and that I will do my best every day to prove myself worthy of your love. Does that sound like someone you could marry?”
She raised her hands to cover his and laughed, causing her tears to spill over.
“Is that a ‘soothyes’?” he asked, thoroughly confused by the mixture of laughter and tears.
“Yes,” she laughed. “It’s a ‘yes’.”
He grinned and put his arms around her, pulling her to him and squeezing so tightly that her feet left the ground. Taking advantage, he spun them around in jubilation and quickly overbalanced, falling to the grass but making sure he broke her fall.
Thea shrieked in surprise as they fell but was soon laughing once she realised she was in no danger. Thea lay atop him and he joined in with her merriment, knowing that they had doubtless attracted watchers now, if they didn’t already have them.
“Kiss me,” he ordered.
“You’re bossy,” she told him, her lips nonetheless edging closer.
“You confuse my desperation with bossiness,” he assured her.
“Is that right?”
“It is.”
Suddenly things didn’t seem quite so funny now, in fact as she stared down into his eyes, she felt anticipation eclipsing her joy for a moment. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his.
She felt a wild, almost primitive need to be closer to him, to rip and tear at his clothes until they were skin to skin, and just the thought made her give a small mew of pleasure.
If kissing him could do this to her, she had no idea what making love to him would do. She could only assume that it would drive her temporarily insane with need but even if that proved true, it was worth it.
One of his legs had wrapped around hers and she felt heat pool in her pelvis, in anticipation of the delicious delights she had yet to savour.
Someone coughed nearby and they both froze, having completely forgotten that they were visible from the house.
Thea buried her head in Cole’s neck, and he peered over her shoulder.
“Ah, Black. Something we can help you with?”
“The magistrate, Lord McAllister is here to see you, Sir.”
“Right, of course, we’ll be right in. Thank you.”
Dismissed, Black gave a sniff and with his head held high, headed back to the Abbey.
“He’s gone,” Cole assured her, rubbing his hand up and down her back to soothe her.
“I can't believe we did that.” Her words were muffled by his neck.
“I can, I’m just pleased Black came out when he did.”
Thea groaned. “How am I ever going to face everyone?”
Cole began to laugh, which made Thea rear back. “Don’t you dare laugh at me!”
She tried to get up but Cole tightened his hold around her waist and goddamn it, the man was much stronger than he looked.
“I’m not laughing at you,” he assured her. “Not exactly.”
She ceased struggling to glare at him.
“Be sensible, Thea, you have no qualms about drilling into a skull-”
“It wasn’t drilled,”
“-and examining the brain. You have no problems putting grown men in their place when you find their politics wanting, and you even goaded one of those gentlemen into solving a magic trick he had no hope of solving, under threat of you donating his money to a cause he dislikes! But you are afraid what people might think of you kissing your future husband?”
“Well, when you put it like that…” she muttered. “Although to be fair, no one but you and I know that we just got engaged.”
“They will soon enough. Now, let’s go and see the magistrate so we can get on with solving this crime and I can get these parasites out of my house. Then we can focus on important things, like our wedding, and honeymoon, of course, mustn’t forget that. Where would you like to go?”
Thea laughed. “You are insane.”
“I’m crazy for you, if that’s what you mean.”
“You win, Mr Cole, I will go inside with my head held high and stare any detractors down.”
He smiled, stole one last, quick kiss, then released her. They brushed themselves down for grass and leaves as they walked but before they entered the house, Thea stopped him with a hand on his forearm.
“Thank you,” she said with sincerity.
In the face of his problems, with his father dying and suffering, her embarrassment was nothing in comparison, yet he had set his own woes aside to tease and cajole her into being brave. She hoped that when the time came to return the favour, she would know what to do for him.
***
Lord Copley shook his head and turned away from the window.
He was thrilled that Thea had found someone worthy of her and he trusted her judgement, mostly, but he was still the father of a daughter, with all the usual desires to watch over and protect her.
His wife had taught him not to protect her too much, to allow her to trip and fall, to make mistakes so that she could learn to correct them, but it had never come easily to him.
There had better be a marriage proposal imminent, that was all he would say.
With four daughters and only one son, he was going to be white haired by the time his youngest was ready for marriage, he was sure of it.
He and his wife had agreed to take steps to prevent pregnancies from occurring too closely together and thanks to his wife’s knowledge of anatomy and his of preventative methods, they were quite successful (without needing to abstain). That meant there was an average of five years between his children, save for one set of twins.
Oh, why couldn’t he have had all boys? Rightly or wrongly, he would not feel nearly so protective of sons.
Chapter Thirteen
Lord McAllister was a dour sort and, as he freely admitted ‘a simple man’, meaning that he did not overthink things, or spend too much time thinking at all, it seemed. As far as he was concerned, someone was hiding in the room when Mrs Garwood locked the door and after killing her, he hid again and slipped out at some later time.
Mary Potter was meeting a boyfriend, probably another servant, and he had killed her in a fit of rage. Perhaps she had stepped out with someone else, or perhaps she refused an offer of marriage, either way, the killings were unrelated.
He simply would not countenance any other explanations; the witnesses had to be wrong, Thea had to be wrong, Dr Kerridge had to be wrong.
Of course, none of his explanations provided him with a viable suspect, but it was one of the servants, of that he was sure.
To Cole’s surprise, Thea quickly ceased trying to argue with him and the
meeting was ended after less than thirty minutes. Lord McAllister’s primary purpose in coming, was to interrogate the staff once more, to try and bully a confession, or uncover an inconsistency.
“Vile, wretched little man,” Thea said as they entered the library. “I’m surprised he had the intelligence to tie his own shoes.”
“To be fair, he probably has a valet to do that, so you may well be right,” Cole noted, and she laughed. “So, what would you like to do next?”
“I think we should find my father. He will no doubt have heard about… well. We should tell him that we are not in fact trying to ruin my family but do have honourable intentions.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Father!” they turned to see him standing in the doorway. “We were just coming to find you… To tell you the good news!”
“So it’s true, you are betrothed?”
“I asked while we were walking in the grounds,” Cole stepped forward, standing slightly in front of Thea, almost protectively. “I apologise for not asking your permission before-”
Copley held up his hand to stop him. “Any man who believes that daughters are possessions to be traded between gentlemen, is a fool. My daughter’s agreement is all that is necessary but given the haste in which this union was made, I would ask you to delay marriage, at least for a short time.”
“Of course, Sir.” Cole was suitably contrite.
“Absolutely not!” Thea stepped around Cole. “You and Mama knew almost instantly that you were right for each other and her behaviour was not exactly chaste either, was it?”
“Thea, your mother was a widow when we met, not an innocent like you!”
Ann moved to stand between them, growling at Copley, completely unaware that her small stature made the gesture seem sweet, rather than threatening.
“She was widowed from a loveless marriage that had been arranged by her father, you were her first and only love, Papa, and she yours. You were both as innocent as I in matters of the heart.”
Murder at Locke Abbey Page 17
