by Kate Pearce
She and Edwin had done their best to keep an eye on the errant pair, but it had proved a difficult task within the confines of the castle, which lent itself to concealment. Poor Edwin had gallantly stuck by her side. If it hadn’t been for his assistance and calm good sense, Violet’s day would have been even worse.
Violet paused on the stairs. She didn’t understand what Edwin saw in Letty to attract him.
Where had that thought come from? It was none of her business whom Edwin wanted to marry.
“He’d be bored silly in a week.”
She said the words out loud. She loved her half-sister, but Letty had been told she was beautiful since the day she was born and hadn’t considered gaining any further accomplishments other than those essential to ensnare a husband since.
But men, as a rule, seemed to prefer a pretty face to an intelligent mind. She just hadn’t realized Edwin felt the same. She reached the lower level of the castle and cautiously approached the concealed stairwell.
“Mr. Nankervis?”
“At your service, Mistress Violet.”
He was suddenly in front of her. He held an old-fashioned lute in his hand and wore what she could only describe as a masquerade ball costume worthy of the great King Henry VIII himself. Violet only just managed to stop gawping to speak.
“You look rather… splendid.”
“Thank you, Mistress.”
He bowed low in a courtly manner, the feather in his purple velvet cap almost touching the floor.
“Do you often wear such garb in your profession?”
He brushed a hand over his matching purple breeches and yellow hose. “One needs to be seen when one is performing.”
“Ah, does the Earl of Banfield still maintain the ancient tradition of employing musicians in his household?”
“I believe there has always been a troupe here, aye.”
As the castle was in mourning, perhaps the earl had thought it unseemly to offer his guests music, which was why Benedict Nankervis was at liberty to help her.
He bowed again and gestured for her to follow him to a deep embrasure with a cushioned seat. There was very little light on this level of the castle. At this time of night, only a couple of tallow candles set high on the walls illuminated the vast echoing space in irregular patches. She could only hope there were no rats or vermin scuttling around her toes. Her companion seemed to almost float through the air, his boots making no sound on the flagstones.
She sat down and Benedict sat opposite her. On closer inspection, he appeared to be around her stepmother’s age, had blue eyes, a reddish tint to his hair, and freckles. In truth, he looked remarkably like a portrait she had once seen of the young King Henry VIII in his prime.
“Art thou sure about pursuing this man, Mistress?”
“Doubly sure.” Violet tried to ignore the growing qualms of doubt rattling her certainties. “Even if Charlie can’t bring himself to fall in love with me, his behavior will hopefully push my half-sister away, leaving Edwin the opportunity to plead his case with her.”
“Edwin is the older brother?”
“Yes. Have you met him? He’s terribly nice.”
“I have seen him, aye. A fine upstanding gentleman.”
“Indeed.”
“Now, we should discuss our cunning plan to win thy true love for thee.” He fixed Violet with an unnerving stare. “Art thou an accomplished singer or player of a musical instrument?”
“I can play the pianoforte and harpsichord, but not very well. I can just about hold a tune. I avoid being asked to perform if I can.”
“So the chance that Charlie might hear you sing a sonnet of my composition and instantly fall in love with thee is slight?”
“I believe so. He hates having to listen to music. I’m sure your composition would be excellent, but he’s heard me sing many times before and not reacted in quite that way.”
Which was a shame, because Edwin was very well versed in theater and music. They had enjoyed many an interesting discussion on those topics. Letty was tone deaf, and only bothered to perform when her mother insisted.
“What if thou were in danger?” Benedict asked. “Would Charlie save thee?”
“What kind of danger?” Violet asked cautiously.
“Nothing too deadly. We do not want to cause thy actual demise.” Benedict pursed his lips. “There are plenty of places within the castle for a maiden to be rescued. I shall think of some onerous task where Charlie can become a hero for thee.”
“And that will make him care for me?” Violet was aware that she might sound skeptical.
“Any man who rescues a fair maiden is instantly smitten by her.”
Her companion seemed quite firm in his belief of this outcome, and it wasn’t as if she had any ideas of her own to offer.
“Then you will… arrange something?”
He stood and bowed with a courtly flourish. “Indeed, I will take the first opportunity that offers itself.”
“Which will be when?”
He winked at her. “If I tell thee, Mistress, thou will not behave in a natural manner and allow thyself to be rescued.”
“Being rescued is not natural to me at all,” Violet muttered as Benedict turned toward the stairs.
He chuckled before walking beside her to the bottom of the stairwell. “I must away to make my preparations. Good night, Mistress Violet.”
She barely had one foot on the first step before he had disappeared. For a man of his stature, he was remarkably quick on his feet. She would retire to the room she shared with Letty and hope her half-sister didn’t wish to chat for too long about how wonderful Charlie was before she finally fell asleep.
Violet paused on the top stair to catch her breath. She hadn’t been in London for Letty’s first Season, having decided to attend the birth of her oldest sister Minerva’s first child. Her sister lived in Scotland, so she’d agreed to stay for several months. She’d told everyone that she wished Letty to have the opportunity to shine without having to consider her older sister’s feelings. Not that Letty would have done that anyway, because she rarely thought of anyone but herself, but it had been a comforting lie.
Had Charlie changed in the year since she’d seen him? He was the same age as her, but looked, on close inspection, harder and far less amused with his life. Rumor had it that he drank and gambled too much. She had always defended him, stating that there was no harm in him—that he would settle down—that he…
Had she been fooling herself?
She shook off her sudden inexplicable doubts. He needed a wife to curtail his excesses and understand him. She would be perfectly capable of doing that. She’d always loved him. He would listen to her. There was no harm in his nature, just high spirits and, as the youngest son, he’d perhaps been over-indulged.
Violet shivered as one of the doors banged somewhere down below in the kitchens. She hurried along to the main stairs. Tomorrow, Charlie would rescue her from peril, and finally see her with new eyes.
At least, she hoped he would…
Edwin looked up from his newspaper as Violet paced the library, her hands clasped in front of her, a frown marring her brow. She wore a dark blue dress, a black lace shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her brown hair was braided on the top of her head, allowing just two soft curls to fall to frame her face. Despite her distracted air, he was happy to sit and just appreciate the sight of her.
It was midmorning and after breakfast the guests had dispersed to various parts of the castle to write letters, ride horses, or gossip in the drawing room. He’d chosen to sit in the library where it was relatively quiet to read the three-day-old news from London.
“Is everything all right, Violet?”
She started as if he’d poked her.
“Everything is fine. Why do you ask?”
He pointed at the floor. “Because you have been wearing a path into the carpet for at least half an hour, and sighing fit to launch a fleet of ships.”
She subs
ided into the large leather winged chair opposite him. “I’m sorry, Edwin. I was deep in thought. Do you want me to leave you in peace?”
“Not at all.” He folded the newspaper and laid it on the table in front of him. “Is there anything I can help you with?” Some devil encouraged him to continue. “Are you concerned because your half-sister is spending all her time with my brother?”
Her quick smile was constrained. “If my stepmother is happy to see them together, what can I do about it? She’ll just accuse me of being jealous of Letty again.”
“Jealous of Letty?” He sat back. “You?”
“But I am jealous. I wish I had her beauty.”
“You are not beautiful, that is true,” Edwin said slowly. “But you are very pretty, and when you smile your whole face lights up.”
She bit her lip. “If I was beautiful mayhap Charlie would find me more acceptable.”
“Charlie is a fool.”
Her startled gaze flew to his face. “I beg your pardon?”
“I love him very dearly, Violet, but sometimes I long to shake some sense into him.”
“Are you angry because he is preventing you from speaking to Letty?”
“No, I’m angry because he doesn’t think! He just goes blundering in and ruins things for everyone else.”
“He doesn’t mean to. He’s just a bit thoughtless.”
“Violet, please don’t defend my own brother to me. He’s not a child. He is a grown man. At some point he needs to realize that and take some responsibility for his actions.”
She shot to her feet. “I understand.”
He reached out and caught her hand. “I’m sorry, Violet. I am out of sorts this morning. My sleep was disturbed by the wind howling around the castle walls. Please forgive me.”
She smiled down at him. “There is nothing to forgive. I can imagine having Charlie as a brother is quite a responsibility.”
“You have no idea.” He had no intention of telling her about Charlie’s debts and mistresses, or his soft heart, which led to him being swindled by everyone from the boot boy to his current cronies. “Even when he exasperates me, I remember that you are right and that he does have a good heart.”
Her expression lightened. “He’d happily give his last farthing away to someone in need and never think about how he’d get on without it.”
Because he knows he can come to me to bail him out. “Indeed.” Feeling somewhat cynical, Edwin put his spectacles in his pocket. “Would you care to brave the battlements with me? It’s not raining for once, and I hear there is an excellent view of the village and the sea from up there.”
“That would be delightful.”
It was quite a climb to reach the top of the castle, and they were out of breath when he finally wrestled open the sturdy oak door that led out onto the battlements. A gust of wind almost blew him sideways, and he grabbed hold of Violet’s arm to stop her losing her balance along with him.
“Goodness me!” Violet exclaimed. “The view is spectacular.”
They walked across to the crenellated wall and stared out. There was a hint of an iron-grey sea, the bright green of the rolling hills, and the village of Bocka Morrow tucked away in one of the folds.
His family had arrived in Cornwall on a foggy and rainy day, and he’d been denied even a glimpse of the sea and surrounding countryside. The stark beauty of the coastline with its ragged rocks was a revelation. He peered down to see if he could locate the bottom of the castle wall, which appeared to grow out of the rocks surrounding it.
“One can see why this place was easy to defend,” Edwin mused. “No one in their right mind would attempt to scale these walls.”
“Apart from the odd fire-breathing Cornish dragon, perhaps.”
“He’d have to be a very determined dragon.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Why do you assume the dragon is male?”
He shrugged. “Aren’t they always the ones who come to castles to steal maidens and princesses?”
“I suppose so.” She made a face. “One has to wonder what the female dragons think about that.”
He chuckled and reached for her hand. “Unfortunately, our myths and legends are silent on that matter.”
She smiled back, and he retained her hand in his. “Violet—”
She stiffened, her gaze moving past him to where Charlie and Letty were emerging from the doorway. They were holding hands and giggling like schoolchildren. Part of him loved to see his brother enjoying himself without the aid of strong drink, money, or games of chance. The rest of him hated seeing the hurt on Violet’s face.
“Do you want to go in?” he murmured as Charlie spotted them and waved.
“No, I’m fine, thank you.” She straightened her spine and erased all the tension from her face. “It is far too beautiful to leave yet.”
Charlie most improperly wrapped an arm around Letty as she shrieked at the wind, and held her close against his side.
“Well met, brother. Good morning, Vi.” His grin was infectious. “Don’t you wish we had some boiling oil to pour down on the approaching invaders?”
“It would certainly be entertaining,” Edwin agreed. “Although I cannot imagine having to patrol up here through the winter storms and all the weather the sea can throw at you.”
“You’re always so practical, Edwin. Think of the adventure!”
Letty giggled. She did that rather a lot, but she was only eighteen and hopefully she would grow out of it. Charlie smiled down at her. “You’d let me save you, wouldn’t you, Letty?”
“You would be my favorite knight. I’m sure you’d fight all my dragons.”
After a swift glance at Violet, Edwin drew Charlie to one side and walked with him over to the other side of the battlements.
“I’m not trying to be an exasperating older brother, but your attentions to Miss Letitia have become rather marked. If you aren’t careful, her father and mother will develop expectations.”
“It’s none of your damned business, Edwin.”
He placed his hand on Charlie’s sleeve. “Actually it is. You cannot support a wife without the support of your family.”
“Don’t remind me of my obligations.” Charlie shrugged off his hand. “I am very well aware of what I owe Father and you.”
“Then if that is true, perhaps you might look at it another way and have a care for Miss Letitia’s reputation. She is in her first Season and is expected to make an advantageous marriage.”
“I know all about that.” Charlie stared bleakly out over the countryside. “She told me. Obligations to one’s family are the devil, Edwin.”
“I’ve always thought of them as being the price to be paid for being born into such wealth and position.”
“You would. You don’t have an imaginative bone in your body. All you think of is duty and sacrifice.”
“I’m the eldest son. How can I escape those things without hurting everyone I love?” Edwin let out his breath. “Charlie, just think very carefully about what you are doing, will you? For your own sake, and for Miss Letitia’s. We might be at a family gathering in the middle of nowhere, but gossip can still spread.”
Charlie didn’t reply and Edwin turned to check on the progress of the ladies, who had walked back toward the door.
“Shall we…? Violet! Watch out!”
Something was sliding down the steep incline of the roof at an ever-increasing speed. With a curse, he ran forward, wrapped his arms around Violet, and dodged to the side, bringing them both down to the ground. He took the brunt of the fall by turning onto his back so that she landed on top of him.
There was a crash, and someone was weeping, but all he could think of was the warm weight of Violet in his arms and the scent of her lavender perfume. Her grey eyes locked on his as he brought one unsteady hand up to brush the curls from her face.
“Are you all right, Violet?”
“What… happened?”
Before he could answer, Charlie unceremonio
usly hauled her to her feet. Edwin cautiously got up as well, wincing from where the cobblestones had connected with his spine.
A large slate roof tile, half an inch thick and about the size of a dinner plate, lay in pieces on the ground right where Violet had recently been standing.
Charlie made a tutting sound. “Good job Edwin saw that coming down, Vi, or you would’ve gotten a nasty blow on the head.”
Violet pressed her fingers to her throat. “Oh, my goodness!”
Charlie gathered Letty into his arms. She was sobbing as if she’d the one who’d been hit “Your sister is terribly upset. I’ll take her back downstairs to Mrs. DeLisle.”
Edwin remained with Violet, who was staring down at the tile in horror.
“Are you certain you are unhurt, Violet?”
“I… yes. Thanks to your quick actions I am quite unharmed.” She managed a shaky smile. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “It was only by chance that I saw it happen and was close enough to act promptly.” He hesitated. “I’m sure Charlie would’ve done the same if he’d been looking in the right place.”
“I’m sure he would.”
He took her hand. “You’re trembling.”
“It was something of a shock.”
“Indeed.” He didn’t seem to be able to let go of her hand. He brought it against his chest as he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and drew her close. To his great relief she didn’t pull away, but relaxed into his embrace, her head on his shoulder. He nuzzled her hair and gently kissed the top of her head. He held her and simply enjoyed the sensation until she pulled away.
“I should go and change my dress. I’m covered in mud.”
He let her go even though he didn’t really want to.
“I’m sure my coat is ruined.”
She paused. “Are you all right? It must have felt like a sack of corn landed on you.”
“Hardly that. I barely noticed your weight.”
“As I said, you should really have been a diplomat.”
He was pleased to hear that she sounded more like her old self.
“I wonder what dislodged the roof tile.”
Edwin looked up at the roofline. “Probably one of the seagulls. I doubt there’s much maintenance done on this roof. It looks fairly old. I’ll mention it to the butler, and mayhap the earl can warn the other guests to be careful if they come up here.”
