He glanced around the entrance hall, hoping to see Miss Thornton, but the hall was empty. Then a footfall on the stairs attracted his attention. He looked up and into Amanda’s widened eyes. Although she appeared surprised and even a bit disgruntled, she certainly didn’t look ill.
She paused for a second but then continued down the stairs until she faced him in the entrance hall. She gazed at him with a bland expression on her face. “What are you doing here, my lord?”
“Who’s sick?” Blackbourne demanded.
Amanda’s chin shot up. “The illness here is of no concern to you. Please leave us in peace to deal with the situation.”
“Be damned if I’ll just turn and slink away, Amanda. You may still be angry with me, but I insist on knowing who’s in need of a physician. After all, I feel no small sense of responsibility for you.”
“Do you?” Her smile was tinged with scorn. “As I’ve told you before, you are my son’s guardian, not mine, and according to my latest report from Thomas, David is not ill.”
The physician cleared his throat and both Amanda and Blackbourne started, then turned toward that gentleman, who stood just inside the front door. “I believe I was summoned to see a patient here.”
His tone implied a degree of condemnation for the delay and a blush tinted Amanda’s face. She nodded to the physician and turned to the butler. “Hammond, please escort this gentleman to our guest bedchamber.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The physician bowed, then followed Hammond up the stairs, leaving Amanda and Blackbourne standing alone in the entrance hall.
Aware that her cheeks were flushed, Amanda fought back an urge to scurry after Hammond so she wouldn’t have to confront Blackbourne, but she realized she couldn’t avoid telling him the truth forever. “I suppose you have a right to know,” she conceded, “but from what I’ve been told, you will not like what you are about to hear.”
Anger slowly faded from Blackbourne’s eyes, to be replaced by puzzlement, then suspicion. “I don’t know who has been telling tales about me, but I assure you that no one is authorized to speak on my behalf. Now tell me who is in need of a physician.”
“Your mother.”
Amanda had anticipated anger from Blackbourne, but she had not been prepared for the shock that instantly darkened his eyes. And certainly she had not expected the blood to drain from his face so rapidly nor for it to return so quickly. He stared at her for several seconds as though trying to determine if she had, in fact, murmured the words he thought he had heard.
“My mother? Why in Hades would you have my mother in your house? You don’t know my mother.”
“Your mother is ill, my lord. She’s ill and has no place to go. I took her in because I was asked to do so. I was told that you would not be willing to contribute to her care.”
Blackbourne’s eyes narrowed. “Someone has been telling you a great many things about me, it seems. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say this smacks of Aunt Cordelia’s doings.”
Amanda merely returned his gaze. She had no intention of implicating anyone else in her activities.
Blackbourne shrugged. “You needn’t say anything. Obviously the information would have come from Cordelia. She’s the only one who has kept up with my mother over the years and that was for her own purposes, of course.”
“What do you mean, for her own purposes?”
“Aunt Cordelia is aware that knowledge can often be used for one’s own advantage, but that isn’t your concern. Your main concern at the moment is that Cordelia is trying to use you and I don’t intend to let her pull you into her web. Thus, you need to rid yourself of my mother.”
Amanda felt her mouth drop open. Most of Blackbourne’s conversation had gone right over her head, but she had certainly understood his last sentence. “Get rid of your mother? Surely you jest. Your mother is quite ill.”
Blackbourne’s lips thinned. “My mother’s condition is none of my concern, nor should you make it any of yours. I’ll return this evening and I’ll expect that you will have made other arrangements for my mother. If nothing else, send her to Cordelia.”
“I can’t do that.”
“In that case, I’ll be happy to do it for you. Which chamber is she in?”
Amanda stepped between Blackbourne and the stairs and planted her feet. Squaring her shoulders she stared directly into his eyes. “You misunderstood me, my lord. It’s not that I can’t turn your mother out, it’s that I won’t. No matter what happened in the past, she is now ill and destitute. I can’t turn my back on a fellow human being in need.”
Blackbourne’s sigh was so deep that his shoulders lifted and then dropped. “My dear Amanda, I applaud your compassion but I fear it is misplaced. Some people are not worthy of charity. My mother is one such person. She’s bad through and through.”
“Obviously you feel deep anger toward her, my lord, but perhaps she has changed. And even if her behavior has been less than admirable in the past, she still is deserving of compassion today.”
Blackbourne’s eyes narrowed. “Not from me, she isn’t. And you certainly owe her nothing. This whole episode is merely a ploy by my aunt to cause problems for you and, by association, for me.”
Amanda’s brow furrowed. “I fail to understand why you and your mother keep accusing Lady Cordelia of wishing to cause trouble. Apparently Lady Cordelia had your mother’s welfare in mind when she asked Lord Appelton to recruit me to help rescue your mother and take her into my home. How, pray tell, does this turn Lady Cordelia into a troublemaker?”
Blackbourne grimaced, then rubbed his forehead with the fingers on his right hand for several seconds. “We’re straying pretty far from the topic, Amanda. The point is that I want you to get rid of my mother. She’s not fit company for you and if the ton finds you’ve befriended her, all of Cordelia’s and my efforts will have been in vain. So if you want to ensure that David is accepted by his peers someday, you’ll cut your acquaintance with my mother. Give her money if it will make you feel better. You can make sure she has what she needs to put a roof over her head and food on her table. In fact, I’ll provide funds for you to pass along to her. I’ll send over a footman this afternoon with a substantial amount of money, enough to pay for her upkeep for several months.”
“Thank you, my lord, but that won’t be necessary.” Amanda forced a smile when she would have preferred to burst into tears. Not only had her day been incredibly stressful, but now she was faced with angering Blackbourne again.
But she didn’t have time to indulge her sense of misuse. She nodded to Blackbourne in what she hoped was a regal manner. “If you will excuse me, my lord?”
His gaze was decidedly suspicious and he stared into her eyes for several seconds before speaking again. “I’d advise you to bear in mind that I mean what I say, Amanda. I’ll return around eight this evening and I expect that woman to be gone by then.” He turned and strode briskly to the door, barely pausing long enough to allow the footman to open it for him.
“Well,” Amanda murmured to herself as she turned toward the stairs. “That was unpleasant.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Two quarrels with Blackbourne in the space of one day were unnerving. And a third quarrel was in the offing, because when Blackbourne returned to find that Amanda had ignored his orders and that his mother was not yet gone, he was not going to be happy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Determined to put concerns about Blackbourne out of her mind, Amanda hurried upstairs to the guest room where the physician, with Rebecca looking on, had finished his examination. He turned when Amanda entered the room. “Ah, there you are, my lady. I was just explaining to your companion that Lady Blackbourne appears to suffer more from fatigue and hunger than from any disease, although some fever exists and she has a cough. I am leaving a bottle of medicine for her, but I feel she will benefit most from rest and adequate nutrition.”
Amanda nodded. “That’s good. But what should we feed her?”
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“Nothing rich at first. Simple gruels and some mild puddings will suffice. As she grows stronger, you may increase the variety of her victuals and introduce some meat to her diet, followed by eggs and milk. However, should you feel she is not responding, you must send for me again.”
“We certainly shall,” Amanda assured him. She turned to Rebecca. “Would you see this gentleman out, Becky?” She waited until the two had exited the room, then pulled a chair beside the bed and seated herself.
Blackbourne’s mother appeared to be dozing, but after a few seconds, she opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, then moistened her lips, but she didn’t speak.
“Would you like a drink of water?” Amanda asked.
The woman blinked again and her gaze sharpened. “No, thank you. Who are you?”
“You don’t remember?”
“I recall that you came to my room at the inn but I don’t remember your name nor do I know why you bothered with me.”
“I am Amanda, Countess of Willowvale. Lady Cordelia asked me to fetch you from the inn and to shelter you until you’re feeling better.”
A frown pulled at the woman’s brow. “Cordy asked you to care for me?”
“Yes. She knew you were in dire straits and I’m pleased to be able to help.”
“Why?”
Amanda suppressed a sigh. Clearly there were undercurrents in this situation that could pull the unwary down. She feared she was as likely to drown in these familial waters as to swim, but she’d already jumped in and could do nothing now but try to keep her head above water.
“Lady Cordelia indicated that she is concerned about your welfare but is not financially able to provide for you.”
Lady Blackbourne snorted. “Never in her life has Cordy been concerned with anyone other than herself. But why would she call on you?”
Amanda chose her words carefully. “Lady Cordelia helped introduce me to society in recent weeks and no doubt she felt she could depend on me to return the favor.”
“More likely she hoped to cause someone some discontent. Still, I suppose I owe her at least a modicum of gratitude for my rescue. A few days more and I believe I would have been dead. On the other hand, perhaps she wished to prolong my suffering.”
Amanda bit her lip but refrained from replying. What an unhappy family the Blackbournes were turning out to be. The son hated the mother. The mother distrusted her sister-in-law. The sister-in-law, well, there was no saying exactly what Lady Cordelia was up to, but Amanda was beginning to realize it would not be anything admirable.
“You’re not jumping to Cordy’s defense,” Lady Blackbourne noted. “Still, I suppose you must be her friend in one guise or another. You are certainly no friend of my son’s or Cordy would not have assisted you in any way.”
Amanda sat a bit straighter in her chair. “Why do you say that, my lady?”
“Cordy has always hated my son as much as she adored his older brothers.”
Amanda tried to recall any tidbits of information she had learned over the past weeks about Blackbourne’s family. There had been two half brothers, she knew, who were in line for the title before him and who had drowned, along with their father. But Lady Cordelia had never mentioned her two deceased nephews at any time. Perhaps their deaths were still too painful for her to contemplate.
Amanda sighed. “I must inform you, my lady, that I am ignorant about the relationships within the Blackbourne family. In fact, I didn’t know you were alive until this morning.”
Lady Blackbourne nodded. “I’m not surprised. After all, I’ve been dead to my husband’s family since the day I left him.”
“Leaving one’s husband requires a great deal of courage, I would imagine.”
“Courage? No, my dear. It would have required courage for me to stay, courage I obviously lacked. But in my own defense, I must say that my actions were also dictated by my love for my son.”
“But you left your son behind.”
She nodded. “Yes, I did. And with good reason.”
Amanda’s thoughts turned to David. Could she ever move on to another life, leaving him behind, if breath still existed in her body? She could not imagine doing so, not for any reason in the world. Her thoughts must have been reflected in her eyes, for Lady Blackbourne nodded knowingly and her lips twisted into a bitter smile.
“You judge me, my lady, and find me wanting. I can understand that, I suppose. Shall I explain my actions, or do you prefer to believe the worst of me, as everyone in my husband’s family has done for so many years?”
Amanda did not answer immediately. How did a woman explain leaving her son behind? Whatever her reasons, her actions had hurt her child deeply. Amanda recalled how the blood had drained from Blackbourne’s face when he learned that his mother was housed here.
But the woman claimed to have a good explanation for her actions and Amanda was curious to see what that explanation might be. “Very well, my lady, I will listen to your reasons.”
Lady Blackbourne expelled a long sigh, then pulled a deep breath into her lungs. A cough caught and racked her slender frame until Amanda gave her a spoon of medicine. She followed that with a glass of water. After the cough finally died away, Lady Blackbourne pushed herself up on the pillows and began to talk.
“You may have heard that I left my husband for a merchant. What you may not know is that I was in love with my merchant long before I married the Marquess of Blackbourne.”
Amanda raised her brows. “If you were in love with one man, why marry another?”
“You are a woman of the world, Lady Willowvale. You know that the reasons behind a marriage often have nothing to do with love. In my case, I had a very substantial dowry and the Marquess of Blackbourne needed my money. My father was more than pleased to see me marry into the nobility. After all, his mother’s sister, my great aunt Bertha, had shamed the family by marrying into the merchant class. She had been happy, at least, and quite well off. She seemed especially fond of me and often requested that I visit her. My father agreed only because Aunt Bertha frequently sent me back home with substantial gifts for everyone. Father was delighted when my aunt offered to contribute a substantial amount to my dowry because he knew there was a good chance of attracting a nobleman with such largess. What he did not know was that during one of my visits with Aunt Bertha, I had met and fallen in love with a friend of my great uncle’s family.”
“Ah,” Amanda murmured. “I begin to see. But please go on.”
“Robert was heir to a prosperous business in the city. Unfortunately, he had no title nor any hopes of attaining one. About that time, the Marquess of Blackbourne’s wife died, leaving him with two sons to raise and a gambling habit that had left him deep in debt. He looked about for a wealthy wife who couldn’t afford to be picky and he discovered me.”
“How did he learn about your wealth?”
“Our homes were not ten miles apart and I’m sure my father had made it known throughout the area that I was possessed of a substantial dowry. I was engaged to be married to the marquess before I even knew the man was interested in me.”
Amanda was uncomfortably reminded of her own situation. Not that she had been in love with another man, thank goodness, but her father had practically betrothed her to the Earl of Willowvale before telling her of the plans. He’d assumed she would be thrilled to marry into the nobility and she hadn’t wanted to disappoint him. Later she wished she’d refused, but then David had come along and she couldn’t regret anything that led to the birth of her delightful son.
“Did Robert not object to your marrying another man?” Amanda asked.
“How could he? He knew my father would never agree to a marriage between us. So he accepted the situation and married another woman, the daughter of a merchant who wanted to align his business with that of Robert’s family. They had two healthy children but unfortunately, she died while giving birth to their third.”
“So Robert was left a widower,” Amanda noted. “And wh
at of your marriage? I assume it was not happy.”
“I never expected to be happy and my husband was not especially cruel, at least at first. But he made it obvious he did not consider me his equal. He never took me to London and he rarely allowed me to entertain at Bourne Hall. He didn’t even want me to visit my family just a few miles away. I was quite lonely until my little boy was born. Then Garath became my obsession.”
“And what did your husband think of his new son?”
“He detested him.”
Amanda straightened in her chair. “Surely you are mistaken.”
“I wish I were. I still don’t know for certain why he felt the way he did. Of course he had his heir and a spare from his first marriage and they were more like him in their personalities than my son would ever be. Garath had my disposition, quiet and a little shy.” She took another sip of water before continuing. “As Garath grew older, his half brothers adopted their father’s attitude and tormented him every chance they got. At first they merely teased him mercilessly. By the time he was six, they had started mistreating him in other ways. They would hit him, pinch him, push him down. I began to fear for his safety.”
“And their father did nothing to stop them?”
“On the contrary, he laughed with them. If I tried to protect Garath, their treatment of him worsened. Finally I asked my husband to allow us to leave, to go back to my family. He refused, of course. He did not want to give the neighbors cause to talk about us.”
Amanda discovered she was sitting on the edge of her chair now. She forced herself to relax and lean back. “What happened then?”
“Garath and I had a respite of sorts when the older boys went away to school and my husband decided to spend most of his time in London. For a while we were happy. Then they returned, the three of them, for the summer months. I tried to hide Garath as often as I could, sending him to visit neighbors, the Clemmons family, whenever possible. But the boys discovered what I was doing and told their father and the torment worsened.”
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