Daughters of Harwood House Trilogy : Three Romances Tell the Saga of Sisters Sold into Indentured Service (9781630586140)

by Crawford, Dianna; Laity, Sally

  He laughed and ushered Mariah and his sister inside.

  Entering the marble-floored foyer and noting the exquisite crystal chandelier overhead as they approached a grand, graceful walnut staircase, Mariah turned and shot him a meaningful look. Wasn’t he ever going to tell his family what she truly was? To her dismay, he and Victoria ignored her and exchanged casual comments while mounting the stairs.

  As she reached the top landing, Mariah forgot everything except what lay before her eyes. These people were wealthy beyond all expectation. A delightful sitting area overlooked the tastefully appointed foyer below, where huge urns of fragrant summer flowers topped mahogany pedestals situated between gilt-framed family portraits. Her assessment of the splendor was interrupted as Colin took his leave and strode into one of the rooms down the hall.

  “This way,” Victoria said pleasantly and led her into a bedroom easily twice the size as the one Mariah and Lily had shared back home.

  Mariah barely concealed her awe as she beheld the utterly feminine bedchamber obviously belonging to the two older sisters. Matching brass beds with frilly canopies, one done up in pale pink, the other in soft lavender, were separated by a carved washstand. A pair of armoires faced each other across the expanse of the room, dark spots against the floral wallpaper.

  Victoria led her to the commode, bearing a hand-painted pitcher and bowl. Lace-edged white cloths for washing and drying hung on either side of a large oval looking glass. “I’ll help you out of that gown so you can refresh yourself.”

  “Thank you.” Mariah observed Colin’s sister’s reflection as the girl gently undid the lacing in the back of her gown. Such sweet features housed those enormous azure eyes. A yellow ribbon that matched her flounced day gown held thick golden curls off her face as she met Mariah’s gaze in the glass.

  “I must say, your gown is quite stylish,” Victoria admitted. “Is it what they’re wearing in England this season?”

  Mariah nodded. “It’s one of my newer frocks. But I’m afraid that for now a good brushing will have to disburse all the travel dust. My trunks won’t arrive until later this evening.”

  “Not at all. You can wear something of mine—that is, if you don’t mind wearing one not quite so up to date.”

  “How kind of you, Victoria. I’m sure whatever you loan me will do nicely.”

  Dipping one of the washing cloths into the bowl, Mariah squeezed out most of the water and placed the cool dampness to her throat.

  “Do people really go to Bath just to take baths?” a childlike voice asked.

  Mariah caught reflections of the two younger girls in the mirror. They had come in without her notice. She grinned at them, then continued her ablutions. “The baths are large indoor pools where a number of people can benefit from them all at one time. The waters come hot out of the ground and contain healing minerals that attract older folk with aching joints. In season, the city is filled with music and dramas, and young maidens stroll about with their friends, hoping to catch the eye of dashing young gentlemen who will then invite them to dance at the evening ball.”

  Heather, the middle daughter, scrunched up her face. “That sounds a bit silly, if you ask me.” She flicked a strand of nearly straight blond hair out of her face.

  “Well, I don’t think it sounds silly at all,” Victoria breathed, her beautiful eyes gleaming as she looked over Mariah’s shoulder. “You children will understand when you’re older, I’m sure.”

  Heather snorted. “You’re scarcely two-and-a-half years older than me, you know.”

  “A very important two-and-a-half years,” her older sister said, arching her brows. She began working on the corset that had been one of the causes of Mariah’s discomfort that day. “Heather, would you fetch my lavender gown out of my armoire? I think that would look nice on Miss Harwood.”

  “You may call me Mariah, if you wish.” She felt someone tug on her arm.

  “Are all those people naked in the baths?” Amy wanted to know. Questions filled the blue eyes in her heart-shaped face.

  Victoria and Heather both gasped, but Mariah burst out laughing. This was like being with sisters back at home in her own room. She swung around and gave Amy a hug. “No, little one. They wear bathing costumes. It’s all perfectly respectable.”

  A thought came to her as she stepped out of the dress pooled at her feet. How delightful it would be if she were a real guest in this happy and wealthy home…or perhaps, someday in the future, the mistress….

  Colin washed, changed, and brushed his hair before rushing out of his room and down the hall, the envelope of money in his pocket. He needed to speak to his family before Mariah came down.

  As he reached the stairs, he slowed. What exactly would he say? Lord, please give me the right words. You know how much I want her to stay. With a last glance at the room where the girls had taken Mariah, he descended the steps at a deliberately slow pace. If he did not appear calm, how could he expect his parents to be?

  Voices drifted from the parlor, so he joined them there.

  “You look much better,” Mother said with a smile as she looked up from her embroidery. “I’ve been wondering, Colin, dear, where exactly it was that you met the lovely Miss Harwood. How did you happen to bring her home unannounced?” She set the needlework aside on the lamp table next to her Queen Anne chair.

  Not even a moment’s grace? He swallowed.

  His father rose from the brocade couch. “Cora, my love, do allow us to take care of the horse business before you start the inquisition.”

  With a slight frown, she opened her mouth to protest, then sighed. “As you wish. First business, then the inquisition.”

  “Did Lindsay try to get away with paying less than we agreed upon?” Father asked, as he and Colin strode past the massive unlit fireplace to an open window overlooking the flower garden.

  Colin smiled. “He tried, but once he examined the animals, he stopped attempting to negotiate.” Removing the envelope containing the contract and banknotes, he felt his heart pounding. “Pa, I’m afraid you’ll find it forty pounds shy.”

  His father frowned. “But you said—”

  Giving the older man’s arm a squeeze, Colin edged him farther away from Mother.

  Too late. She tossed aside the hooped material she’d resumed working on and came to her feet. “What did I just hear? Forty pounds is missing? What on earth have you been up to?”

  Chapter 4

  I’d appreciate it, Mother, if you didn’t speak until I’ve finished,” Colin requested with all the confidence he could muster. “I’m sure you’ll appreciate what I have to say by the time you’ve heard the entire story. First, however, let’s all sit down.” Not wanting to earn a disapproving glare from her, he concentrated on using proper diction.

  As they took seats, Colin noticed his father didn’t appear quite as suspicious as his mother. But then, the older man had always been harder to read.

  “To begin with, I had just finalized stabling the horses aboard ship when I happened to notice this lovely young woman in very fashionable blue standing on the city’s auction block.”

  “An auction block!” From the look on Mother’s face as she glanced out to the grand staircase, one would think he’d said Mariah had come straight off a prison ship.

  He shook his head. “You must stop leaping to wrong conclusions. Miss Harwood’s being there was actually quite heroic.”

  She tucked her chin in disbelief and opened her mouth to respond, but Father placed a hand over hers. “Cora, love, let’s hear the lad out. I’m sure there’s more to the story.”

  “Thank you.” Colin gave his father a grateful nod. “As I was saying, there she stood with a ship’s blubbery captain touting what a highly educated gentlewoman Mariah was, how she played several musical instruments. He also reported that she’d sacrificed her own opportunities to willingly accompany her sister—or rather, two sisters—here to the colonies.”

  “Aha!” Mother gasped. “So she a
nd two sisters, no less, could actually be infamous criminals.” A note of triumph rang in her voice.

  “No, Mother. Wrong again.” Colin fought to squelch his mounting irritation with her. “Miss Harwood’s sister Rose learned that their father, Bath’s finest goldsmith, would be put in debtor’s prison because a young lord met an untimely death before he could pay a huge debt he owed the man. Therefore, Mr. Harwood was unable to meet his own expenses. Without consulting her father, Rose packed up most of their furnishings and sold them on the Bristol docks to satisfy her father’s creditors. She even used her sisters’ dowries. But she was unable to raise the full amount, so she contracted an indenturement with a ship’s captain.”

  “A reputable father wouldn’t allow such action,” Pa interjected.

  “I’m sure he wouldn’t had he known of her intent. But it was too late. She’d already paid out the money. Upon learning of her deed, her two sisters were loathe to have her sail to this foreign land alone. Out of their love for her, they also contracted with the same captain. The crafty man made a solemn promise to sell them together, but upon arriving in Baltimore he reneged and sold them separately.”

  “I know the kind,” his mother admitted. “Always profiting from others’ misfortunes.”

  At that moment, their slave, Pansy, stopped at the doorway and rapped softly on the jamb. “Mistress, Eloise be wantin’ to know how much longer y’all wants her to hold suppa’.”

  “Just a few minutes more,” Mother answered, then turned back to Colin.

  “Considering that these highly accomplished sisters were not the usual bond servants,” Colin went on, “and considering our Miss Harwood’s remarkable beauty, I was appalled to see a number of unsavory types intent on bidding for her. They made no attempt to disguise their vulgar reasons for wanting her contract. I simply couldn’t allow her to fall into any of their despicable hands.”

  His father nodded and sat back with a knowing grin.

  His mother, however, pursed her lips and huffed. “So, my gallant son, you had to charge right in and save the fair maiden…with your father’s money. Just tell me, what possible use do we have for another servant? All our needs are already being met.” One of her brows rose slightly higher. “Or can it be that, like those other men, you decided to buy her to meet some personal, might I add baser, need of your own?”

  “Mother! I cannot believe you would think such a thing of me, much less speak those words aloud.” He purposefully sat straighter. “To be quite honest, my thoughts were of you. You and the girls. Not only does Mariah have exquisite penmanship for writing letters and invitations, she’s been educated in all that finishing school nonsense, and—”

  “It’s that finishing school nonsense,” she inserted, elevating her chin, “that turns a clumsy girl into a marriageable wife and mother.”

  Colin realized with a measure of relief that she’d fallen right into his plan. Splendid! “Well, you and Pa are planning to send Victoria off to that ladies’ academy in Williamsburg this fall, are you not? And at substantial expense, even though she doesn’t want to go. Now you won’t have to send her away. Mariah will be here for the next four years, long enough to turn all three girls into simpering, British-accented gentlewomen, and for a fraction of the cost you expected to lay out. Plus, she plays four instruments, and having just arrived from a fashionable resort city in England, you’ll have the advantage over other ladies on the latest styles. Think about it.”

  She tapped an impatient finger on the armrest of her chair. “Well, I can see she’s certainly made a believer out of you, at least.” Mother’s doubtful tone attested that she remained unconvinced.

  What more does she want? Colin elaborated further. “I had the opportunity of meeting both her other sisters. In fact, the eldest one insisted we were not to neglect Mariah’s religious instruction. She made me promise to deliver—as she so aptly put it—her ‘virtuous sister’ to you before nightfall.”

  That information put a grin on his mother’s face. “You don’t say.” Releasing a sigh, she tipped her head to one side in thought. “Very well. I suppose we can give Mariah a try. I did not fail to notice, however, that you have already begun calling her by her given name. That’s far too familiar for such a brief acquaintance, to be sure. And should I ever catch you two in any sort of dalliance, I promise you this: we will sell her at once.”

  By the time Mariah left Victoria’s room with the other two girls in tow, she looked and felt much improved in a clean frock, with her hair restyled. Even with her corset laced so tightly she could scarcely breathe, she found the bodice more than a little snug, but the strategic placement of a lace handkerchief helped alleviate the problem. She knew the gown’s lavender hue, her own favorite color, was quite flattering and brought out the hint of violet in her eyes.

  In addition, the girls seemed delightfully eager to get to know her, though they continued to address her formally, as their mother wished. As they reached the top of the graceful staircase, Mariah hoped the dinner with their parents would go equally well.

  Her confidence faded on the descent. Detecting a decided strain in the voices coming from what must be the parlor, she sensed that Colin had most likely told his parents about her. Please, dear Lord, give me just this one perfect night.

  Halfway down, she saw her rescuer and his parents exit the room. Colin and Mr. Barclay smiled up at her. Mistress Barclay did not.

  What exactly had he said to them? How she wished she could get him aside and ask. But of course, that would be impossible at the moment. She made a concerted effort not to falter as she continued down. “I do hope I haven’t kept you all waiting overly long,” she ventured cheerily.

  “No. Not at all.” Mr. Barclay inclined his head. “You look lovely, my dear.” He turned back to his stony-faced wife and offered his arm. “Shall we go in to supper, Cora, my love?”

  The girls trailed after their parents, three sunny blossoms in their blue, green, and yellow pastels.

  Colin offered his arm to Mariah. “Everything is fine,” he whispered, pulling her arm within his. “And Pa is right.”

  “About what?”

  “You look lovely. Exceptionally so.”

  She relaxed a little. “Thank you, kind sir.” Releasing a pent-up breath, she gazed up at her handsome knight of the realm. Once again, he’d made everything right. On the other hand, if everything was right, why was his mother not smiling?

  The dining room, Mariah noticed upon entering, fit in perfectly with the other beautiful accoutrements in the mansion. White wainscoting lined the lower portion of the walls, with pale blue, flocked wallpaper above. A slightly smaller chandelier above the long, lace-covered table sent rainbow prisms dancing over the gleaming china and crystal goblets set before each place. Colin drew out one of the mahogany chairs in the center for Mariah and took a seat next to her.

  Lively Amy scooted onto the chair on her other side, while her sisters took their places across from them.

  On the edge of her vision, Mariah could see Colin’s parents occupying the head and foot of the table. She casually adjusted her position just enough to avoid Mistress Barclay’s brittle stare.

  A half door swung open, and the maid, Pansy, entered the room. Attired in a serviceable black dress with a crisp white apron, she carried in a tureen of a delicious-smelling soup and began ladling it out.

  Mariah’s stomach crimped. She’d thought the fare at the roadside inn had smelled enticing, but this was pure heaven. Colin had not exaggerated about his family’s excellent cook. She sighed as she waited for her soup. Hopefully, his mother would keep any unpleasantness she might have planned until after the meal.

  Once Pansy had dished out Mariah’s portion of the creamy chicken soup, Mariah was about to pluck up her soupspoon when she remembered her napkin. She unfolded it and placed it on her lap as a lady should.

  It was that precise action that saved her further embarrassment, because before she could reach for her spoon again, Mr. Ba
rclay cleared his throat. “Let us bow for prayer.”

  Of course. Mariah cringed. How easily she had forgotten her manners.

  “Our Father in heaven, we do thank You for continually showering us with such bounty. I pray we never take Your blessings for granted. And Lord, I especially want to thank You for bringing Miss Harwood to our home to tutor our girls. Because of her, my precious daughters will not have to be sent away to school. I would miss them terribly. We pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.”

  A definite stirring from across the table could be heard even before the man concluded his prayer. Mariah opened her eyes to see a grin dancing across Victoria’s face. “Do you mean it, Poppy? I don’t have to go to that awful school? Becky Sue absolutely hated it there. She was forever sharing horror stories about the dreadful headmistress.”

  “Yes, dear,” her mother replied, “but what a marvelous improvement that school has made in Rebecca. She’s so much more graceful and mannerly since enrolling there.” She turned to Colin. “Wouldn’t you agree, son?”

  He drew his attention from Mariah and focused on his mother. “I can’t say I noticed, myself.”

  “Me neither,” Amy piped in. “She only acts stiff and snooty and ever so proper when old people are around. The rest of the time she’s her regular old self.”

  Her sisters giggled along with her, making it all the harder for Mariah to keep a face as straight as their disapproving mother’s.

  The mistress shifted her sharp stare to Mariah. “Well, now that we’ll have a tutor right here at home, I’ll know from the start if we’re getting our money’s worth.”

  Would she ever. A woman with her sharp eye would never miss a thing. Just observing the elegant lady of the manor delicately fill her spoon and lift it to her mouth, Mariah had no doubt the woman would fit right in were she dining with royalty.