Legacy Redeemed (Redeemed, Restored, Reclaimed Book 1)

by Aubrey Grayson

  But when Julian had cried off of their betrothal, Hector had advised her of his plans to make her earn her keep as a courtesan, and he had instructed his servants that she should remain on the premises while he attended a house party in Norfolk. The better to remind her of her place. Because Susannah had never been one to wander, the servants hadn’t seemed particularly concerned that she’d depart.

  So it had been with relative ease that Susannah escaped their notice when she left for the ball. Amy had done a quick sweep of the area to make certain no one was near, and then Susannah scooted out the door. Amy would claim that Susannah felt poorly and request a tray of food be brought up for her dinner.

  They’d devised a rather elaborate plan to get Susannah back inside the house without attracting notice, but as soon as the hack arrived, it became obvious she wouldn’t need to use it. The house was ablaze with lights, and servants milled around the front with lanterns. Two burly footmen rushed to open the carriage door, and glared suspiciously at Susannah.

  “Where’ve you been, now, Miss Susannah?” the younger of the two—Burke, she thought—growled.

  She forced a laugh, hoping it sounded lighthearted and not nervous. “Why, I’ve been to a ball of course! Where else would a young lady be on such a lovely evening?” She took Burke’s hand and alighted from the coach.

  Burke narrowed his eyes. “You expect us to believe that the likes of you—”

  He was cut off by the other footman clearing his throat loudly. “Ahem, Miss Susannah, need we remind you that your guardian left instructions for you to remain at Dunmore House until his return from Norfolk?”

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, laying her hand gently on his upper arm. “Oh, you are quite right, Smith. I had quite forgotten about that.” She gave his arm a little squeeze, leaning in to speak as though she were being confidential. “I am so sorry to have caused you any concern. As soon as he returns, I’ll go straight to him and tell him about the whole thing and confess that it was all my fault and none of yours.”

  Smith turned a bit gray at the idea and grimaced, knowing as well as Susannah that both she and the servants would be blamed. “Indeed, miss, perhaps we needn’t get you into trouble as long as you stay put from now on.”

  Burke glowered at the idea that she wouldn’t get into trouble, but stayed silent, seemingly content to keep himself out of Hector’s wrath as well.

  Susannah squeezed again before releasing Smith’s arm, a repentant expression on her face. “Oh, Smith, you are very kind. I promise to remember from now on. But tell me, why are all the lights ablaze? What has happened?”

  Smith looked grim. “We were searching for you, Miss Susannah. All the household has been in quite a state since we found you missing. And your maid was caught lying to cover up the fact that she couldn’t keep you here.”

  By now they had walked up to the steps of the door. “Oh, poor Amy! I just went off without even mentioning my destination. She must have been so frightened when she found I wasn’t there.”

  If Smith suspected that Amy had been part of the deception, he hid his feelings with a grunt that could have been interpreted as agreement. “Indeed, Miss Susannah. She tried to cover her mistake by calling for your dinner upstairs. But Mrs. Clifford insisted on seeing it to you herself, and, well…you weren’t there.”

  Of course it had been Mrs. Clifford who caught her out. The housekeeper was deeply attached to Hector and always saw that his orders were followed through.

  “I see. Well, along with improving my own memory…” Here, she smiled sheepishly. “I shall have to speak to Amy about her deception. I’m sure she was only trying to protect me, but it does look a bit like she was trying to protect herself from getting into trouble. I assure you it won’t happen again.” Susannah finished just as they entered the foyer, and none other but Mrs. Clifford came swooping about the corner.

  “See that it does not, Miss Susannah.” One would think that Susannah was the servant and Mrs. Clifford the matron of the house the way the housekeeper looked down her nose as she spoke. “Your guardian left strict instructions on your behavior. I have half a mind to dismiss your maid straightaway.”

  Susannah played along, pleading with the woman. “Please, Mrs. Clifford, do not. It was my error, not hers. I assure you she knew nothing of my plans for the evening. She simply panicked a bit when she couldn’t find me, and in her state of bewilderment, made a poor choice in dealing with the problem. Please do not make her bear the burden for my sins.”

  The housekeeper’s haughty expression didn’t change, but she said, “I suppose I can allow her to remain. However, to ensure that she remembers that deception is a sin, she shall eat nothing but bread and water for the next fortnight.”

  Susannah forced a smile. “You are the most generous of women, Mrs. Clifford. I shall let her know of her good fortune while she helps me ready for bed.” She made the pretense of fighting back a yawn, lifting the back of her hand to cover her mouth. “Which I think I shall have her do now.” She looked about her at the servants assembled in the foyer. “Again, I am so very sorry to have given you any worry. And I shall remember from now on that I am not to go out while my guardian is away.” She stood up straight and put on her most sincere expression for that bit. When she finished, she smiled sleepily, and wished them good night, and ran up the stairs to the safety of her room.

  Amy was sitting on the bed, waiting for her. She jumped up as Susannah entered. “Oh, Miss Susannah! There you are!”

  Susannah walked to the dressing room and kicked off her slippers. “Yes, and I seem to have caused quite an uproar in my absence.”

  Amy grimaced. “Yes, and do tell me quickly what happened at the ball, because I think as soon as I leave here, I’ll be sacked.” She closed the gap between them, taking Susannah’s jewelry from her and putting it into the small jewelry box on the dressing table.

  Susannah sat on the stool before the mirror. “No, I talked Mrs. Clifford into only giving you bread and water for a fortnight. You won’t be dismissed.” And thank heavens for that. Amy was Susannah’s only ally. They had quickly become friends when the girl was assigned to be her lady’s maid, and Susannah doubted she could carry out her escape plan without Amy by her side.

  “Oh.” Amy’s expression was rather dubious, as she removed the pins from Susannah’s hair. “Thanks?”

  Susannah laughed. “Don’t worry, goose. I’ll share my portions. And besides, we do not plan to remain at Dunmore House for a fortnight. We shall be on our way and out from the thumb of Mrs. Clifford—and my guardian—long before that.”

  Amy ran her fingers through Susannah’s hair, shaking out the tight twists, before she turned to put the pins on the dressing table. “Oh! Then I take it Mr. Weatherford was amenable to your reconciliation?”

  So much had happened that Susannah had nearly put her confrontation with Julian out of her mind. Amy’s words brought the humiliation back with a jolt. “Er, no. No, he was not pleased to see me. But that is even more reason why we must leave.” It occurred to Susannah it was a bit much to ask Amy to leave her employment to follow after a fugitive, penniless girl like herself. “That is, I have to leave. If you prefer, we can make it look like I duped you.”

  Amy shook her head and sighed. “No, if you go, I go, one way or the other. Clifford will sack me the second you go missing, so I might as well go along with you.” She looked meaningfully at Susannah. “Besides, someone needs to watch after you.”

  Susannah engulfed her in a tight embrace. “Oh, thank you, Amy. I was so afraid you would say you wouldn’t come along!”

  Amy patted her arm reassuringly. “Of course I’ll come. But…where shall we go? And how shall we escape?”

  The first part was easy to answer, but the second question required much discussion. Finally, after an hour or so, the two women arrived at a plan worth risking. They had to act fast, or Hector would surely catch up with them. They would leave the next day.

  ***

 
Susannah hardly slept that night. There was much to do and little time in which to do it. The sooner they left meant the farther away they’d be before Hector was notified that Susannah was missing. If the weather held, they could reach their destination by Sunday. There was no travel on the Sabbath, and Susannah didn’t wish to waste her limited funds stuck in an unknown location for an entire day.

  She didn’t have much to pack, which was a blessing, since carrying luggage out of the house would be impossible. Her wardrobe was adequate but modest. She decided to take her favorite ball gown, but left the others. She doubted she would have need of one during a trip to the country, but she didn’t know when or if she would have funds for another, so it seemed wise to keep it. That, along with the rest of her clothing, would fill one trunk, which was the limit on this occasion. She scooped her mother’s scientific journals and her father’s Bible into a small valise that she would carry with her. She had precious few memories of her happy childhood. She wouldn’t be parted from them, even though she was unlikely to ever have use for them. And that was that. All her worldly belongings.

  Susannah considered writing letters to her sisters, to let them know of her change of address. But she didn’t know how long she’d be in Devon, and besides, it had been two years since she’d heard from either one of them. The chance that they would wish to reach her during her brief sojourn by the sea was small. She’d write them when she was settled into her new life, whatever that might be.

  Just before dawn, Amy arrived in her room, her own valise in one hand and a large basket in the other. “Are you ready for a grand adventure?” she asked with a smile.

  Susannah felt an overwhelming rush of gratitude for her. She had no idea why Amy agreed to join her, but she was grateful nonetheless. Amy helped support her younger brothers and sisters. If Susannah wasn’t able to pay her, they would be the ones to suffer. But for some reason, Amy believed that Susannah would survive this situation, and that alone was enough to make Susannah believe it too. Or at least hope it might be true. But just in case, Susannah had set aside enough money from her paltry funds to send Amy back to London, and two weeks’ pay for her.

  Amy bundled Susannah’s clothes into a basket. “I can honestly say,” she said, “that I never thought that I’d appreciate your guardian’s preference for keeping laundry out of the house!”

  In many households, laundry was performed in the scullery, but Hector claimed to be bothered by the smell of soap. This meant the maids of Dunmore House were forever doing laundry in a small storage room in the mews behind the house. Conveniently, the household’s trunks were stored in the mews as well. Amy would take their belongings—Susannah’s clothes covering their valises—down to the mews, then pack them. If all went well, no one would see her, but if someone did, she would complain that Susannah added extra laundry to her chores, in addition to Mrs. Clifford’s punishment.

  After Amy left, Susannah quickly changed into the dress Amy had brought her. If any servants saw Susannah’s face, she would be instantly recognized, but from a distance the servant’s garb would do the trick. Besides, two maids traveling together would attract far less notice than a young woman traveling alone save for a single servant. No need to expose herself to scrutiny if it could be avoided by a simple change of clothes.

  Susannah listened for footsteps outside her door but heard none. For once, her guardian’s debauched lifestyle was working in her favor. Since he was accustomed to sleeping in quite late, he had ordered the servants to stay off the level of the family’s rooms until much later than most households. They could start their work downstairs, but no one was to be disturbed upstairs until well after the sun had risen.

  Nevertheless, she tiptoed down the hall to the servants’ staircase. She kept her head down so her cap covered much of her face. As she reached the landing at ground level, the smells of breakfast rose from the kitchen below, and her stomach rumbled a pang of regret that she wouldn’t be partaking this morning.

  Soon she was through the doorway to the back garden, her spirits at once soaring because the first hurdle was past and fearful she could still be stopped. Amy had advised her to duck behind the tall garden wall, as any servant would do. She peeked around the corner and, seeing no one, stepped into the service garden. She quickened her steps, the call of freedom beckoning her on, barely noticing her surroundings. So when the cock crowed his morning song only inches away from her, her heart nearly stopped. Her feet took flight, and within seconds she was with Amy in the mews.

  Amy, much to Susannah’s chagrin, was wiping away tears of laughter.

  Susannah harrumphed. “You needn’t laugh. We are in the midst of a rather harrowing escape.”

  This made Amy laugh harder. “Oh, miss…your face… And you jumped nearly over the wall.”

  Susannah attempted to keep her face severe, but she soon dissolved into laughter alongside her friend. After the tension of fleeing her room, it felt so good to let the laughter flow.

  But too soon, they had to carry on. They’d meet the hack—Amy had arranged it before the sun even came up—on the street near Hyde Park. The less the driver knew about them, the better. Unfortunately, this meant they had to carry the trunk between them, as well as their valises. Fortunately, it was a short walk, even burdened as they were, and within a quarter of an hour, they were safely ensconced inside the plain black walls of a hired carriage. Two anonymous ladies amid the London masses. And for the first time since she’d come under Hector’s guardianship, Susannah breathed freedom.

  Chapter 6

  The solicitor’s office was just as Nick remembered it. All shades of browns and deep, rich greens. As second son of the late Earl of Weston and brother to the current one, he’d spent plenty of time here. He supposed they hadn’t changed it in the years he was gone. In fact, he supposed they hadn’t changed it since he came ten years ago, when Nick was barely out of Oxford and Terence was forced to take on the heavy mantle of nobility. The memory brought the shadow of grief, and he shook his head to banish it.

  His solicitor, however, was not the same man he remembered. New streaks of gray slashed through his hair, and he seemed to have developed jowls. Today he seemed to have a particularly tired expression, as though a weight pulled on him. Mr. Brown had always been a rather pleasant, if somewhat obsequious, man. Nick hoped this dour disposition had nothing to do with the reason his presence had been requested.

  Alas, it was not to be.

  “Mr. Daventry, let’s get straight to the point. I’m afraid this matter has to do with the settlement of your grandfather’s will. Not the late Earl of Weston—the other one.”

  His mother’s father.

  Nick shifted his weight in his chair. “I see. What of it?”

  “Well, as you know, it was your grandfather’s wish for you to inherit his holdings in Devonshire.” The man paused and looked at Nick expectantly.

  Nick had no idea what the man was getting at. This had all been taken care of years ago. He raised an eyebrow and returned the expectant look.

  This caused a bit of stammering. “Of course you know. Of course. It’s just that there was a stipulation.”

  The stipulation had been his marriage by the age of thirty. He nodded. “Which I met.”

  By now Nick was feeling a bit sorry for the poor man. He was turning an alarming shade of red. “Yes, sir, it’s just that…well, sir…you are no longer married.”

  Any kind feelings Nick had evaporated instantly. His eyes narrowed in on his prey, and his voice was clipped. “Mr. Brown, I cannot fathom any reason for you to refer in such a callous manner to my wife’s death, but I suggest you explain yourself.”

  Mr. Brown was practically apoplectic. “O-o-of course, sir. Sorry, sir. It’s only…it’s the will.” The man’s voice squeaked out, and he swallowed and regrouped before he went on. “The will states that you must be married on your thirtieth birthday, not by.” This fact seemed to give him enough confidence to finish. “I regret to inform you t
hat your prior marriage does not fulfill the requirements of the stipulation.”

  Nick was stunned. He didn’t know how to move or even blink, let alone respond. What were the implications of this? The will had given him Poppledown Park. Did this new revelation mean his home, Gabriel’s home—Mary’s home—was lost to him?

  If there was one thing an Eton education had taught him was that a show of strength got things done. Perhaps rubbing elbows with the brats of England’s most powerful men had been good for something. He leaned forward in his chair. “And what shall we do to fix this?”

  Mr. Brown cowered a bit but still didn’t give the answer Nick had hoped for. “I’m sorry, my lord. We’ve examined the will at length. We don’t see a way around it. In order to retain Poppledown Park, you must marry before your birthday.” The man smiled a bit wanly. “Fortunately, sir, you still have plenty of funds. It will hardly make a difference to your wealth, and you can always purchase a new estate.”

  Nick blinked. That might be true, but he couldn’t imagine calling anything but Poppledown Park home. But still, maybe this was a way out of the dilemma. “Then it should be no trouble to buy it back. Who will inherit it in the event that I don’t marry?” Because he wouldn’t. He refused to force a stepmother upon Gabriel. Or a woman inferior to Mary upon himself. Especially after nearly being deceived by that woman at the masquerade ball. He sneered at his foolishness in thinking of her as Cinderella.

  Mr. Brown stopped shuffling papers on his desk, as he now spoke, drawing Nick’s attention away from his own idiocy. “Ah. I see here that it will go to your first cousin, a Mr. Julian Weatherly. I’ll need to arrange a meeting with him to notify him of this turn of events. Would you like me to make an offer to purchase at that time?”

  This kept getting worse. If he lost Poppledown Park—when he lost Poppledown Park—he would never recover it. Julian was hardly a fan of the Daventry family. In fact, he would probably consider it a personal duty to refuse to sell the property back to Nick or Terence. Not to mention a pleasure. Nick shook his head. “No, not yet, thank you.”