She smiled at his reassuring words, while his touch warmed her and made her feel something else. She was brought out of her thoughts by the appearance of Lady Dunham.
“Lord Halkyn, you are here at last! What a lovely surprise your letter was,” the lady smiled at Stephen.
Stephen took Lady Dunham’s hands in his and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Elizabeth you are looking as beautiful as ever, I see.”
“Pah!” Elizabeth responded. “You wouldn’t have said that an hour ago when I was racing back across the estate, in my breeches, splattered in mud and hoping I would have time to change before you arrived.”
“Managing the estate, then?” Stephen asked with a smile.
“Of course! I’m not happy unless I’m on the land. No balls and routs for me, thank you very much!” she responded with feeling.
“It was a great loss to Society when you left London; the entertainments just don’t have the same sparkle anymore,” Stephen said smoothly.
“Fudge!” Elizabeth replied dismissively. “My removal will have only been noticed by Violet, Edward and yourself. Everyone else had dismissed me as a country bumpkin within a short time of my arrival.”
“It was your insistence on talking about crop rotation and planting schemes that did it,” Stephen responded in mock seriousness.
Elizabeth laughed, but moved to Charlotte. “And you must be Miss Webster. You are very welcome here. Lord Halkyn spoke very highly of you in his letter, and I must say I have been looking forward to meeting you,” Elizabeth said easily.
Charlotte curtseyed and smiled at her hostess. “I’m afraid I’m only going to disappoint you, I know nothing about crop rotation or planting schemes. Although I have to admit I know nothing about balls and card parties either, Lady Dunham,” she admitted truthfully.
Elizabeth threw her head back and laughed, “Oh my dear you don’t know how those last words warm my heart. You are going to fit in perfectly here. But you must call me Elizabeth, I don’t think I will ever get used to being addressed as Lady Dunham, it sounds so false somehow.”
“Thank you, please call me Charlotte,” Charlotte replied. She thought that she may feel a little less daunted if she did not have to be so formal with Elizabeth. She was a striking woman. She had dark hair and the most expressive hazel eyes. Her hair was placed in a high bun, but wisps of hair fell around her face, taking off the harshness of the hairstyle. Charlotte had the distinct impression that Stephen really liked Elizabeth; he seemed to be making a real effort to be genuinely charming with her.
“Are you trying to monopolise my wife again, Halkyn?” came the deep voice of Lord Dunham. This was the meeting that Charlotte had dreaded, and the sharp words did not offer any reassurance to her nerves.
“Dunham! Still as miserable as ever, I see. Why do you stay with him, Elizabeth?” Stephen asked.
“Lord Halkyn, you are terrible! When will you ever change?” Elizabeth responded without taking any offence.
“I am looking forward to the day he oversteps the mark again, and I shall leave him with a permanent reminder of his folly. I know that I didn’t go far enough the last time,” Lord Dunham growled.
“Ha, you are an old married man now; you have me at a disadvantage, since I could not fight you because of my regard for Elizabeth. Although if you ever want an escape from your husband, I would not mind making you a widow, my dear,” Stephen said with a straight face.
“Children, children!” Elizabeth interjected before her husband could respond. “Let us not forget our manners in front of Charlotte. My dear, I would like to introduce Miss Charlotte Webster.”
“Miss Webster,” Lord Dunham bowed.
Charlotte curtseyed in return. “My Lord,” she murmured. He was a handsome man, as dark as Stephen was blonde. He had deep brown eyes, which were shooting daggers at Stephen. At the moment, Charlotte could not see why Elizabeth had married him, he seemed stern and foreboding. She mentally questioned Stephen’s motives for coming to Somerset, and she had a feeling she would not like the answer.
Elizabeth beckoned to a woman passing through the hallway. “Martha, would you please take Miss Webster to her room to freshen up? Charlotte, Miss Fairfield will see that you have everything you need, she runs this house like clockwork.”
Martha came across the hall and escorted Charlotte upstairs. Elizabeth invited the gentlemen into the drawing room. When they were seated, she turned to Stephen. “Now then, my Lord, your friend is a lovely creature, but how did you meet?”
Stephen smiled; Elizabeth was always the one to get straight to the point. “Well first things first, you can drop the ‘my Lord’ nonsense, especially as you are now the same rank as I my Lady,” he said smiling. “Stephen, if you please.”
“Fine, although you will always outrank me, in my head,” Elizabeth said honestly, referring to when they first met and she was plain Miss Rufford. She was distracted by a snort from her husband. “Now Michael, don’t be uncharitable, you are normally such a good host.”
Michael grunted at his wife, “It depends on the quality of the guests we have,” he responded uncharitably. He was annoyed with Stephen for visiting. He would never trust him fully after the way he had behaved with Elizabeth previously, and was waiting for him to step out of line so that he could throw him off the property.
Stephen, true to form, did not leave Michael waiting for long, before the usual antagonism started. “Well today, you have the highest honourable motive for my visit, so make sure you are on your best behaviour. I had thought marriage might have mellowed you, but it appears not to be the case.”
“And it appears that you have not a shred of decency left in you!” Michael snapped. “What right do you think you have to bring your latest mistress here, and parade her in front of my wife? What has Elizabeth ever done to you that would cause you to act with such lack of respect?” He demanded.
Stephen flared up immediately. He was annoyed that Michael could think he would insult his wife, but as for what he had referred to Charlotte as, it made him almost shake with anger. “You bloody fool! You know damn well I think higher of Elizabeth than I do of anyone else of my acquaintance! I would never insult her, but you have overstepped the mark. How dare you, yes how dare you, whether this is your house or not, insult an innocent girl like Charlotte! You refer to her as if she is a mistress of mine? Have you seen how young she is? What kind of monster do you take me for, that I would prey on an innocent girl and then parade her as if she was a dance hall act? She does not deserve that Dunham, and I would have expected better of you.”
Michael and Elizabeth were both taken aback by Stephen’s outburst. He had always been the one who was out to have a good time and be easy with everyone in the main. He tried to be controversial, but it was in the pursuit of entertainment. Elizabeth had always thought that he was a little unfeeling, especially when she heard his views on love and marriage. This outburst though, was so obviously out of character, that both of them were immediately more curious as to who Miss Webster was. They had stared at Stephen, almost open-mouthed, but they were both distracted when they heard a noise from the doorway. Both Miss Fairfield and a very pale Charlotte had obviously overheard the full speech.
“Charlotte!” Stephen sprang into action. The look of pure mortification on her face wrenched at his insides, and he vowed that he would make Michael pay for insulting her so. “It’s no slur on you; it is my past reputation being thrown in my face again. I’m sorry.”
Elizabeth gave her husband a furious look. “Charlotte my dear, I feel we have all got off to the wrong foot. You should have not heard that.”
“So it would be fine to say it out of my hearing?” Charlotte asked sounding defiant, but her eyes were just a little bit more shiny than normal.
“No it certainly would not have been fine,” Michael interjected. “I sincerely apologise Miss Webster for my appalling behaviour. Halkyn is correct, it was because of his, of our,” he said with a slight smile and apologeti
c glance at his wife, “past behaviour. I welcome you into my home unreservedly and ask that you forgive my lack of manners.”
Charlotte was not immune to a handsome man, especially when he was begging her forgiveness. Michael had changed from an indignant Lord of the manor to a charming gentleman. She inclined her head. “Thank you, you are very kind,” she said quietly.
“I don’t usually receive forgiveness so quickly!” Stephen interjected. “Why do you let him off so easily?”
“Probably because he is a respectable husband, while you are a complete cad!” Charlotte responded in her usual quick way.
“Why of all the..” Stephen started, but there was no point in him continuing, as his words were drowned out by Elizabeth and Michael’s laughter.
Chapter 6
Charlotte was not so flippant and brave during the evening meal. She was seated next to Lord Dunham, with Miss Fairfield sitting opposite her. Elizabeth sat at the opposite end of the table to her husband and was flanked by Stephen and a Mr Anderton, Lord Dunham’s man of business. This meant that Charlotte was diagonal to Stephen and therefore had no means of receiving support from him during the meal. She was forced to converse with Lord Dunham and Mr Anderton. Both gentlemen were charming and pleasant, but Charlotte felt completely out of place. Even Lord Dunham asking her to use Michael, after the fourth or fifth time she had referred to him as ‘my Lord’, did not ease her tension. He was not as easy going as his wife, and she dreaded telling them of the situation she was in, and it was a certainty that he would find out the truth later.
On the opposite corner of the table Stephen was having a far more pleasant evening with Elizabeth, but he was aware that Charlotte was feeling uncomfortable and he felt for her.
Elizabeth noticed his glances across the table and was even more curious. “Charlotte seems a lovely girl?” she enquired innocently.
“She is, although don’t be fooled by her quiet demeanour, she has a lot of spirit. Dunham is overwhelming her at the moment,” Stephen replied with a slight frown of concern for Charlotte.
“Spirited and beautiful, she will be a real hit. Has she come out?” Elizabeth probed.
“No,” Stephen said, just a little uncomfortable at being reminded of Charlotte’s young age. “She got into a bit of a scrape before she had the opportunity.”
“I’m curious to hear what has happened,” Elizabeth said honestly. “We shall wait until you gentlemen join us in the drawing room. There is no point giving the staff an opportunity for gossip.”
“I appreciate that,” Stephen replied. “So, how is married life? Not regretting refusing me?” Elizabeth had been the one and only woman Stephen had previously considered marrying. She had refused him because she had wanted to marry for love. Instead of being angry at her refusal, it had made Stephen think that perhaps he should try to find someone who would love him after all. Those thoughts had obviously not stopped him in his normal pursuits, which had led him to Charlotte.
Elizabeth laughed, “I think my regrets are at the same level as yours,” she responded. “We would never have suited.”
Stephen smiled, “I suppose not. I could not have coped with turning to mush like Dunham appears to have done.” He had noticed the looks that Michael had been sending his wife during the meal.
Elizabeth smiled at her husband, a smile that was filled with love and affection. “He is the most wonderful of men. I could not be happier.”
Stephen made some disparaging remark, but his words hid the emotions which the look Elizabeth had given her husband had stirred. It was not jealousy as such, he did not regret not marrying Elizabeth at all, she was correct when she said that they would not have suited. Looking at Dunham and Elizabeth, for the first time in his life he saw what true happiness could bring, and he realised that he wanted it also. He did not believe he could find it, but even as those thoughts passed through his mind, he looked at Charlotte and wished she was older. She may have been a good match for him, but he could not seriously consider such a thought, as to do so would cause something like regret.
Seeing the way his two hosts felt for each other, made him long that one day he would find someone foolish enough to put up with all his faults and love him as Elizabeth loved Michael. He shook himself, thinking that he must be getting old, to have such melancholy feelings. He needed a night out in one of his clubs and then onto a certain type of establishment. He thought of Baron Kersal. If he was to be honest, he had never liked the man, but Charlotte’s situation made him hate him. When everything was settled with Charlotte, Baron Kersal would have a visit he would not easily forget.
Elizabeth led the ladies out of the room and left Michael, Stephen and Charles Anderton to enjoy their port. Stephen used it as an opportunity to find out more about Kersal.
“Did you ever use the pleasures provided by Baron Kersal?” He asked, accepting a glass of port from Michael.
Michael looked at him in puzzlement. “No, why?”
“I just wondered if you know how well he was connected,” Stephen said. He was not going to divulge too much information while Charles was present.
“No, I had my vices, but I kept away from men like Kersal. They seemed to be a little too close to being depraved for my liking. I don’t think he is well connected; he may have plenty of visitors, but I think that is more to do with the services he is providing. I don’t think he is well liked,” Michael responded, making assumptions that he hoped would be explained.
“You were more astute than I was then,” Stephen responded with a grimace at admitting Michael was right about something. “It seems he has started to become involved with something illegal.”
“I would distance yourself from him. If he is stopped, he won’t have any compunction about taking you or anyone else who is in his circle down with him,” Michael said thoughtfully, for once not gloating over Stephen’s compliment.
“I intend being the one to take him down!” Stephen replied, the frown and firm set of his mouth conveying the seriousness of the comment. He was a man who was rarely without a smile, and even if that smile was sometimes cynical and mocking, it was still a smile.
When the gentlemen rejoined the ladies Charles moved across to Miss Fairfield and whispered in her ear. She stood immediately and spoke to Elizabeth. “Would you excuse me please?” She asked her mistress.
“Yes of course, you aren’t working at this hour are you Martha?” Elizabeth asked her longtime companion and member of staff.
“Mr Anderton would like to have a word with me. I shall retire afterwards if you have no other need for me,” Martha responded.
“No we don’t require anything else, thank you. Good night Martha, Charles. We shall see you tomorrow,” Elizabeth replied easily.
The pair left the room and closed the door behind them. “I can see why you keep them on board,” Stephen said approvingly at the obvious action. “I’m glad they’ve left, I don’t want everyone knowing our business.”
Charlotte flushed at Stephen’s words. “What he means is my foolishness,” she said honestly.
“They would be very discreet, but it would be harder to speak with a large audience,” Elizabeth said. “Are we to know your scrape, my dear?”
Charlotte looked quickly at Stephen. “I haven’t said a word, don’t look daggers at me,” he said holding his hands up. “Elizabeth is naturally nosey, and unfortunately intelligent with it.”
Elizabeth laughed, instead of being offended. “Be careful Charlotte, he was always very smooth.”
Charlotte wondered about the pair, but could not dwell on it; she had to relay her story again to strangers. Her colour and discomfort increased as she explained herself, but she felt some comfort in the fact that Stephen had sat himself next to her on the sofa. It was inappropriate for him to sit so near, but although he was not touching her, she felt comfort in his closeness. She did not elaborate on the way that she had sought Stephen’s help, but told them that she had appealed to Stephen, and he had helped
her. Between them, they explained how she had been brought there, to try and ensure that, if she was seen that there would be no slur on her character.
Elizabeth and Michael both noticed the unusual action of Stephen sitting next to Charlotte while she was telling her story. He had not touched her, but watched her and interjected if he thought she was struggling with the story. When Charlotte had finished, he smiled at her in reassurance.
“Kersal is taking a big risk getting involved with such a scheme. They must have men at more than one school,” Michael said, frowning.
“I’m not sure how many are involved,” Charlotte responded. “I do know there are more than two though; the girls mentioned at least two schools. Apparently the money he is going to make is very good.”
“All it will take is for them to pick the wrong girl, and they could be exposed. No one except the immoral would tolerate such an unsavoury scheme,” Michael continued.
“He has already picked the wrong girl! I intend making my disgust known,” Stephen said grimly, receiving an alarmed look from Charlotte.
“You could endanger yourself,” Michael said. “There must be a lot of money being made, as Charlotte says, for it to be worth the trouble. You need to be wary Halkyn, he will not scruple to get rid of anyone who tries to interfere. Don’t let your headstrong ways put you in danger, you are not infallible.”
Stephen responded with his usual style. “Why Dunham, are you saying you would miss me if I was done away with?”
“No, but my wife would be upset. Why, I have no idea, but as my wife’s happiness is my main concern, I advise you to not get yourself killed,” Michael said dryly.
Charlotte gasped and put her hand on Stephen’s arm. “No! You cannot, you must not put yourself at risk because of me. I wish I had never asked for your help if the result will be that you get hurt!” she said in a panic.
Stephen covered her hand with his. “Have you so little faith in my abilities?” He asked. His tone was light, but for some reason it meant something to him that she had faith in him.
An Inconvenient Trilogy - Three Regency Romances: Inconvenient Ward, Wife, Companion - all published separately on Kindle and paperback Page 25
