The Portrait

by Joan Wolf

  “I could not sleep last night,” she said. “I am concerned about Leo’s possible connection to this murder.”

  “He didn’t do it…” I began but she interrupted me. “Of course he didn’t do it! Leo is far too decent a man to sully his hands with murder.”

  “I agree.” I allowed William to fill my coffee cup. English tea was all right in the afternoon but not in the morning.

  “I shall be attending the funeral with you tomorrow,” Aunt Augusta announced.

  I returned my muffin to the plate and looked across the table at her. But Aunt Augusta…your back. Won’t the carriage ride be too painful for you?”

  “I know my duty,” she replied austerely. “We have a connection to that family, and as the oldest living member of our family I feel it is my duty to attend.”

  “I see.” It was all I could think to say. Aunt Augusta never went anywhere. I wondered if she also wanted to meet Henry’s heir.

  I sipped my coffee in silence and Aunt Augusta ate two sausages. When she had finished, she said, “Once this funeral is over, we must begin to plan the wedding.”

  I sighed. “Do we need to have a large wedding? I would love to be married with just the family present. It would be much more personal.”

  She put down her fork and regarded me frostily. “This wedding isn’t for you, it’s for Leo. As the Earl of Camden, he has certain social obligations, and this is one of them. The tenants and townsfolk will be expecting and looking forward to a big wedding. You must understand Isabel that Leo is beloved by the people of Camden. He is good to his tenants and he purchases almost all of the supplies for his house and stables from local people. These people want to see him married. They want to see him happy. And we must oblige them.”

  “I understand,” I said softly. “It is nice to hear how beloved Leo is in the countryside.”

  “He is a good man,” Aunt Augusta said in a voice I had never heard before. “He has housed his officious old aunt for years and never once made her think she was a burden.”

  I felt tears sting behind my eyes at these words. I blinked them back and smiled. “You have been very helpful to me, Aunt Augusta, and I appreciate it. I hope I can count on your advice in the future. I don’t have any experience in running a house this size.”

  Her eyes brightened. “I shall be happy to advise you, Isabel. Please don’t hesitate to come to me at any time.”

  “I won’t,” I said.

  The two of us finished our breakfasts in peaceful accord.

  *

  The funeral took place the following day. Aunt Augusta was going to stay over at Mansfield Park in order not to make the coach journey twice in one day, and Aunt Jane had volunteered to stay with her. They came in the carriage with Leo and me. Since Mansfield Park was only eleven miles away, Leo would send the carriage back for them tomorrow. Mother and Sir John drove in their own coach and, since it was a fine day, Robert and Margaret went in the phaeton.

  I felt like such a hypocrite as I walked behind the black carriage that was carrying Henry’s casket to the church. The procession was impressive. Four black horses with black plumes on their heads drew the carriage, and a gathering of black-clad mourners followed behind us. Mother and Sir John walked beside Leo and me. Robert, Margaret and Aunt Jane walked behind. I wondered if they felt like hypocrites too.

  After the church service the family was expected to accompany the casket to its final resting place while the rest of the entourage went back to the house for food and drink. I watched as some workers lowered Henry into the grave and I shivered. I thought about death and how it can be so unexpected, so unprepared for. Being young was no protection. A bullet had struck down Henry; a disease had struck down my mother. It was important to seize happiness and cherish it while you had it.

  I am so fortunate I thought as we turned away from the grave and Leo put his arm around my shoulders. I turned my cheek into the black wool of his coat and closed my eyes. I have Leo, I thought. I have Papa. I have Mother. Please, God, I prayed. Keep us all safe.

  We stayed for a short time at the small reception that was held in the drawing room. To the huge disappointment of all of us from Camden, the new heir turned out to be a thirteen-year-old boy. His father, who had been Henry’s first cousin, had died recently from pneumonia. Obviously neither father nor son had shot Henry.

  The evening was coming on by the time we returned home. Susan grabbed me as soon as I came in the door wanting to know how the funeral had gone. She accompanied me to my room and established herself in the comfortable chair in front of the fireplace. I told her about the heir as Elisabeth helped me change into dinner clothes.

  “A thirteen-year-old boy!” She was as stunned as we had been when we met James Lewins. “I hope he’s nothing like Henry was when he was young.”

  “He seemed to be very nice, very young, and very overwhelmed. His mother told me he couldn’t wait to go back to school.”

  “Was there much talk about the murder?”

  “Not in the drawing room, but I’ll wager there was a lot of talk on the back lawn.” The lawn was where refreshments had been set up for the tenants and neighbors.

  “How many of them attended? Mama says that Henry did nothing for his tenants and they all despised him.”

  “I heard one man saying to another that he felt obligated to eat and drink at the bastard’s expense since Mansfield had done nothing to help put food in the mouths of his children. If this had been France he would have had his head cut off, which he richly deserved. Then someone else wouldn’t have had to kill him.”

  “You don’t mean that!” Susan said. I had learned that the English aristocracy were terrified by what had happened in France, and I thought my brother was a good example of just why our revolution had occurred.

  I was dressed by now and Susan stood up to walk out with me. “Was there any talk about the murder?” she asked as we walked down the hallway.

  I stopped and turned to her. “The story of our meeting with Mr. Sinclair has spread all over town. Everyone seemed to know about it.” I was so furious my voice shook. “That batard Wolcott must have told everyone. I would like to shoot him in the head.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Susan said staunchly.

  “The most frustrating thing was that while I knew people were talking about it, no one said anything to us. Leo told me to ignore the talk and act normally and I tried to do that.” I drew a deep breath to calm myself. “One good thing did happen, though.”

  “What was that?”

  “While we were waiting for our carriage to be brought around several of Leo’s tenants came up to him and said he was not to worry, that no one believed he had shot Henry.”

  “What did Leo say?”

  “He thanked them and said he hoped that others felt the same way. They said everyone believed in Leo’s innocence. And”—I paused to emphasize this point—“the tenants also said that even if Leo had done it, they were still behind him, that everyone was happy to be rid of Lord Mansfield.”

  “Good for them!” Susan’s eyes were sparkling. “It’s not fair for Leo to be put in this position.” She took my hand and squeezed it. “But isn’t it wonderful that Mansfield is dead?”

  I looked at her and we both grinned. “It is,” I said. “It certainly is.”

  Susan said, “Now we can turn our attention to your wedding.

  “Yes,” I said. If a big wedding was what Leo needed, then I would help to give it to him.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The coroner arrived the day of the funeral and he called for an inquisition to take place the following day. Usually the bodies of those who died by sudden, violent or unnatural death were not allowed to be buried until after the coroner and the jury viewed the corpse. Because of Henry’s elevated position the coroner had accepted the magistrate’s description and allowed my brother’s body to be decently buried.

  The inquest was to be held in the taproom of the local tavern, as it was th
e only room big enough to hold the number of people expected to turn out. The hateful Wolcott sent a formal summons to Leo requiring him to attend.

  Leo and I had just returned to the house from our ride and were eating our breakfast when Hobbs came in with the summons. Leo had not expected this, and he was furious. His face hardened, his eyes narrowed, and the classically perfect bones of his face stood out under his whitened skin. In a dangerously quiet voice he said, “I can’t believe he has the audacity to do this. He knows, he must know, that I would never stoop so low. I would have found a way to get around Mansfield without having to murder him.”

  At this point Robert and Margaret came into the room. Robert took one look at Leo and said, “What has happened?”

  “This has happened.” Leo tossed the paper in Robert’s direction.

  “The bastard,” Robert said, looking up from the summons. “You should remove him from office, Leo. He doesn’t deserve to represent justice.”

  “I’ll worry about that in the future,” Leo returned. “Right now I am obligated to respond to this bloody summons.”

  Margaret looked at Leo in visible shock. I wondered why until I remembered that the word “bloody” is a terrible swear word in England. I thought that one of these days I must find out why. This however was not the day.

  “What is the date of the inquest?” Robert asked.

  “Tomorrow.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “Thank you, Rob.”

  “I’ll go too,” I said.

  There was a small silence then Leo said, “You cannot accompany me, Isabel. The inquest will be held in a tavern.”

  “A tavern filled with every local in the area and they all will be drinking,” Robert added. “It is not a place for ladies.”

  I looked from Leo to Robert then back again to Leo. “I grew up in a circus. What kind of people do you think I associated with? I can assure you I won’t be uncomfortable if I am surrounded by the lower classes, even if they are drinking.”

  The men were silent.

  Margaret was the one to answer me. “Your station in life has changed Isabel. You are to marry the Earl of Camden, and his countess cannot be seen in local taverns. It would cause a scandal.”

  I shot back, “If the aristocracy in France had mixed with the lower classes more, they wouldn’t have had their heads cut off! The English should learn a lesson from that.”

  Robert and Margaret stared at me in horror.

  Leo said tiredly, “Isabel, sweetheart, this is not the time to discuss French aristocrats. I can assure you that I very frequently mix with the people who work for me. That is not what is at issue here.”

  Instantly I wanted to kiss away the worry lines on his forehead, but since I couldn’t do that I said instead, “All right. I will remain at home. But I want to hear about everything that happens.”

  “I promise that you will,” Leo said.

  “Don’t worry, Isabel,” Robert said seriously. “No one is going to arrest Leo.”

  “They had better not,” I said.

  We finished breakfast and the two men departed, leaving me alone with Margaret. She said, “There is something we need to discuss, Isabel.”

  I looked at her in surprise. Margaret was always pleasant, but we rarely had a private conversation. She said, “When you marry Leo you will become the mistress of this house. You and I must sit down sometime soon so I can show you my books and explain how they are kept.”

  I looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that I have been doing the work of the mistress of the house for years but once you are married it will be your responsibility.”

  I let these words settle into my mind. I had lived at Camden Hall long enough to understand that the status of each resident was vitally important to them. Margaret was already eclipsed by Aunt Augusta. Now I would be taking away the status she did have. She was not in a comfortable situation.

  As I looked at Margaret’s strained face an idea struck me like a force of lightning; if something should happen to Leo, Robert would be the next earl! I absolved Robert of wanting to do away with Leo but what about Robert’s wife? Margaret would be a countess if Leo died, and her son would be the future earl.

  The more I thought about this idea the more likely it became. If Leo didn’t marry again, Robert or his eldest son David would become the earl. And no one in the family had expected Leo to marry again. Everyone thought he would never replace his beloved Catherine.

  And then I had come along.

  At this point in my musings, reality reared its ugly head. My brother had been shot in the head. Whoever fired that shot had to have been an excellent marksman or incredibly lucky. Either way, it couldn’t have been Margaret.

  She could have hired someone.

  I looked across at my future sister-in-law as she sipped her tea. I had absolutely no proof to support this theory. If I confided it to Leo, he would be furious with me for thinking such a thing. He had great respect for Margaret.

  I told Margaret I would be happy to sit down with her at her convenience, bade her good morning and went upstairs to confide in Elisabeth, the only person in the house who might take my idea seriously.

  *

  Leo and Robert did not return home until teatime. I had passed a horrible day. I actually snapped at Papa when he said something perfectly sensible. I apologized profusely and he assured me he forgave me, but I caught him looking at me worriedly and I returned to the house to leave him in peace.

  By the time Leo and Robert appeared I had gone from being worried to being scared. Why were they so late? Robert had assured me that the inquest would be over quickly. Had Leo been arrested? Could Wolcott arrest an earl? Would there be a real trial? Could Leo lose his head?

  Leo and Robert were smiling broadly when they came into the drawing room when we were having tea. A shout of joy rose from around the room.

  Robert raised his voice, “It’s over and Wolcott has been removed from office.”

  The aunts, my mother, Sir John, Susan and Margaret surrounded the two men in the doorway. I remained where I was. I was well acquainted with the signs of men who have had too much to drink, and the two men standing on the threshold of this room had clearly been drinking. They had been drinking in the pub while I had been at home making myself sick with worry. Quite suddenly I was furious.

  Robert was talking, telling everyone that when Leo had given his testimony about being held up because of his horse’s shoeing problem and Alcott had asked him to provide proof the entire room had erupted in outrage. How dare the squire ask his lordship for proof? Everyone knew what a fine man his lordship was. It was an insult to ask him to produce two blacksmiths when everyone present knew he would never lie under oath. Not his lordship. Never his lordship. The men who had been called as a jury declared his lordship innocent and joined the crowd. Leo bought drinks for everyone and he and Robert joined the celebration.

  He had never once thought that I might be worrying myself sick. I came from a country that cut off nobles’ heads when they displeased the crowd. I really hadn’t thought Leo would lose his head today, but I was worried he might be arrested. I had been picturing him in prison. And he hadn’t once thought to send me word that all was well.

  I wanted to leave the room, but it would cause too much speculation among the family if I did, so I remained where I was and waited for Leo to come sit beside me. Eventually he did. I said, “Congratulations on not being arrested.”

  I could feel him staring at my profile. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing at all. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself drinking all afternoon at the tavern while I worried myself sick about you. You might have sent me word that all was well.”

  “Isabel.” His voice was patient, the voice you use when speaking to a child. “I told you there was no chance of my being arrested. And you yourself said that it’s a good thing for a noble to associate with his inferiors.”

&nb
sp; I stood up. “I feel a headache coming on. I think I shall retire to my bedroom.”

  He stood as well. “I will escort you.”

  I glanced up at him and looked away quickly. His mouth was set in a grim line and his eyes were narrowed. I swallowed. “I don’t need your escort.”

  “Nevertheless, you have it.” He took my arm in a firm grasp, said something to Aunt Augusta about my not feeling well, and walked me out of the room.

  We went up the stairs in silence, and when we reached my room I tried to pull my arm away while saying, “You have done your duty and escorted me safely to my room. I will see you at dinner.”

  He tightened his hand, opened the door and walked the two of us inside. I called Elisabeth’s name but she didn’t answer. I remembered that she took tea with Mrs. Adams this time of day. I looked up at Leo, who was standing too close to me, and said, “Au Revoir.”

  He said, “I told you not to worry,” bent his head and kissed me. It was a hard kiss, and I tried to pull away, but then it softened and his body bent over mine. I felt the angry resistance in my own body drain away and my arms slid around his neck so that my body was pressed full length against his. I kissed him back, loving the feel of his strength against me, the feel of his hair under my fingers, the smell of his skin….

  Two hard hands gripped my shoulders and lifted me away from him. I looked up, shocked by the interruption. His hair was hanging over his forehead and his neck cloth was disarranged. He said, “This is dangerous, sweetheart. I thought your maid would be here.”

  My heart was hammering and I was breathing fast.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t send you word,” he said. “I didn’t realize you would be worrying.”

  I looked up into the blue eyes I loved so much. “I’m sorry I was cross. You were right to remain and celebrate with the men who were so loyal to you.”

  We looked at each other. There was a gap of perhaps two feet of carpet between us and we both wanted desperately to cross it. Leo said, “I will see you at dinner.”