Harry nodded off to sleep in his chair, but awoke with a start and stood up. “I can do this no longer. Maria, come we must go to bed. Hopefully they will be back early tomorrow. It is my guess they decided to stop for supper and perhaps stayed at an inn for the night.”
Maria groggily stood up from her chair and closed the book that lay in her lap that she had tried to read to keep awake. “Oh, yes. Then I bid you good-night.”
The next morning both Maria and Harry were late arising. Harry was grumpy, and Maria kept yawning at breakfast.
When Daniels came to serve the tea, Harry asked, “Has there been any word of my aunt?”
“I am afraid not, Milord. I had someone keep watch all night in case they came in late, but they did not appear and there has been no word from any authorities.”
Harry looked at Maria and it was clear they were both fearful.
Harry needed to attend to the cattle this morning, but he was reluctant to leave until this situation was settled. He was on the verge of sending out one of the grooms to check with the local constabulary to see if there might be any reports of accidents. But, at that moment, the carriage came up the drive and both he and Maria rushed outside and up to the carriage door when it finally stopped.
“Oh, my dear niece and nephew, you have no idea the ordeal we have been through. I swear it was even worse than toppling over the falls,” Aunt Agatha said as she descended from the carriage. Her dress was torn, covered in grass stains, the veil on her hat was torn and the feather atop was broken.
From behind her came Chilton, looking frazzled, battered, and with cuts and abrasions.
“Come, we must have tea immediately and then I must compose myself.” She spotted the butler. “Daniels, a bath if you please. And then I must lie down until at least lunch time.”
“Aunt, do you not think you owe us at least a brief explanation?” Maria asked, testily. “We waited up until very late hoping you would return. And mother has been beside herself with worry.”
“Are either of you injured?” Harry asked. “Do either of you need medical attention?”
Aunt stood for a moment and tears came to her eyes. She dabbed at them with her handkerchief, then said, “Highwaymen. We were attacked, roughed up, robbed, and then left to fend for ourselves.”
At that point the coachman climbed from the driver’s seat. He looked to be in pain.
“Milord, I believe I may have a broken arm,” he said holding his left arm.
Harry immediately went to him, took him by the shoulders, and nodded to Daniels, handing the coachman over to him to take care of.
“Are you certain neither of you are hurt?” Maria asked going to her Aunt and putting an arm around her shoulder.
“Scrapes and bruises, but nothing serious.”
“My finger hurts,” Mr. Oakley said, holding it up for inspection.
Harry turned to Daniels as he was leading the coachman inside. “Please have someone fetch the doctor. It seems we now have a second person who needs to be examined.”
“Yes, Milord.”
“But what took you so long to get home?” Maria asked Agatha.
“During the scuffle the horses were spooked, and they charged ahead. It took us forever to find the carriage. It was a good several miles down the road and there was a broken spoke. The poor coachman had to drive very slowly for fear of further complications.”
“Dear Aunt… Mr. Oakley… we are so very sorry for your misadventure. But think of it as another chapter in the book I know you shall one day write,” Maria said.
Aunt’s face brightened up. “Oh, Maria, my dear, what a splendid idea. It never crossed my mind, but I think I shall get started on it right after lunch.”
Chapter 20
After the uproar of the morning, Harry found it refreshing to be working with his cattle again. Even after the hoof and mouth scare, they were far less of a worry than the human events of the past few days.
Christopher was spending most of his time now with Dorothy, so Harry worked only with his foreman. They spent the entire morning inspecting all the rest of the cattle for wooden tongue but found no further infections. The infected cattle were improving daily, and after a quick visit with Doctor Carson, it was concluded that these cattle could be let back with the rest of the herd by next week.
Harry had an exhausting morning and was happy to get back to the house just before lunchtime. He went first to his study and saw Anna’s drawings. He remembered they were to meet to inspect the well house site, but that was out of the question now, after her father’s death. But as he laid his hand on top of the drawings, he felt a stab of regret as he remembered their kiss. But was it regret or was it longing?
He stared across his study as he relived that unforgettable moment when he took her in his arms when he became overcome with passion. If only she did not care for Percy… but that was not the case. She did, and that tortured him. He shook himself free of those thoughts and looked at the post that Daniels had delivered earlier.
There was a letter from Miss Nora. He opened it and read:
Your Lordship,
I wanted to let you know that thanks to your kind efforts in escorting me home, my ankle is quite healed now and I am walking about almost as before. I have no doubt I shall be skipping about our grounds like a baby lamb before long.
I certainly did enjoy my fishing lesson (apart from the tumble into the stream) and I am only sorry that I lost my most delightful catch. But I am certain the poor fish is ever so grateful for my fall and his escape.
And in grateful acknowledgement of your efforts on my behalf, I should like to invite you to supper on Friday evening. It is the very least I can do to show you my appreciation. Regretfully, any trout that might be served will not have been caught at my hand.
My grandparents shall be away for the weekend, so it shall be just the two of us for supper.
I look forward to your acceptance.
Ever Yours,
Nora Fitzwalker
Harry put the letter down and found that he was conflicted about accepting her invitation. He had, only the moment before, been reliving his kiss with Anna and now he must decide if he wanted to go forward with this developing relationship with Miss. Fitzwalker. But this was a conundrum he had considered before. Wait and hope that Anna would finally recognize his passion for her, or whether to move forward with a possible courtship with the lovely Miss Nora. If only he could just step away from the whole situation, but he could not. Anna needed him at this troubling time in her life, and he must be there for her, even if it gave him grave discomfort to be around her, loving her as he did with no hope of his love being requited.
He reached for a piece of note paper and replied in the affirmative to Miss Nora, even though his heart ached, and he recognized just how manipulative Miss Fitzwalker could be.
He finished the letter and placed it in its envelope when Maria appeared.
“Are you coming to lunch?”
He looked up and said, “Yes, I am. And how are our attack victims doing? Did the doctor arrive?”
“He did,” Maria said coming over to his desk. “Coachman Dipple does have a broken arm, but it is a simple break and should heal quickly. Aunt Agatha is now consumed with the idea of writing her memoirs and feels no hurt or pain, whatsoever. And Mr. Oakley has what is known as a jammed finger and will recover with no further medical attention required.”
Harry laughed. “I am happy there is no greater damage than that. All will be well.”
But Maria did not seem settled and Harry asked, “Is there something else you wanted to ask me?”
Maria hesitated but a moment, stood before her brother and said, “Harry, I do have something I wish to discuss with you.”
“Very well, will we have time before lunch?”
“I believe so.” But she seemed reluctant to speak.
“What is it?”
“Percy… has he said anything to you about his feelings for Anna?”
“When I went to visit the Hoskins sisters after their father died, Anna mentioned that Percy had come to pay his respects, almost immediately after you informed him of their father’s passing.”
“He must have felt that was the right thing to do.”
“But she also mentioned that he expressed his deep romantic feelings for her and said he had never spoken to her before about these matters because he was too shy.”
Harry could not help but laugh. “Shy? Percy shy?”
“My reaction exactly. Percy is the least shy person I have ever known. Why would he tell her such a thing? Do you believe he might have developed true feelings for her?”
“I have no idea. As far as I know he has never shown any interest in her romantically.”
Maria turned from her brother and said quietly, “When we went on our picnic the other day, he did ask me what dowry I might be able to bring to our marriage. I told him frankly, but he seemed disappointed at the amount.”
Harry stood up and went to Maria. “My dear, I have reason to believe the Duke is in terrible financial trouble. It could be that he is putting pressure on Percy to marry, hoping to bring a marriage settlement into the family.”
“That would explain his probing questions at the picnic.” She then turned to Harry. “Do you think he might be turning to Anna now because he believes she will have a substantial inheritance from her father?”
“Oh, Maria… it would be so very sad if that was true. But I cannot answer you because he has said nothing to me about his intentions.”
“Might you enquire?” she asked.
“I most certainly will. But do you think he would tell me if he was going behind your back to woo Anna? It would be such a terrible betrayal.”
Maria put her arms around her brother and laid her head on his chest. “Oh, Harry…”
Christopher came on his morning visit to Repington Hall, but instead of being greeted by Dorothy, it was to Anna that Warrick directed him in the sunny Wedgewood parlor.
“Good morning, Miss Anna.” He looked around the room for Dorothy, but she was absent. “Ah… I was expecting to see your sister.”
“Yes, I know,” Anna replied as she set aside her crochet work. “But come sit with me, I should like to chat with you alone before you go to her. Do you mind?”
“Not at all. It will be a pleasure to converse with you,” he said, while he came to sit in a chair opposite her. “I know I have neglected seeing you, but… well… you know how it is with young love.”
Anna was patient as she smiled. “Christopher… I may call you Christopher now that we are to be family?”
“Of course… Anna?” he said, as he was simultaneously asking to call her by her first name alone.
“Absolutely, you may call me Anna.” She studied him for a moment. “This has been quite a whirlwind of a time, has it not? Father’s passing—you and Dorothy getting engaged. It must be upending your life as much as it is ours.”
“I have certainly been excited, but I did not know your father, and while I sympathize with your loss, it has not affected me as deeply as it has the two of you.”
“Of course. That is to be expected. Now tell me, Christopher, have you informed your parents of your engagement yet?”
“I have written but I have not received a response.”
“Is there any reason they might object to this marriage? Did they have an intended for you that you will disappoint by this announcement?”
Christopher looked a little uncomfortable with that question. “Well, there was a young lady… but mind you, I had not met her officially… however, my parents seemed to be directing me in that direction.”
“And was there land involved in this proposed marriage?”
“She was the daughter of a neighboring estate owner. I believe my father was suggesting a merger of lands. That sort of thing, you know.”
“Hmm. Yes, that is usually the case.” Anna picked up her crocheting again. “And I expect Dorothy has spoken to you about the fact that the both of us will be inheriting a great fortune.”
Christopher hesitated and said, “She has mentioned something like that. Yes.”
“You can see my concern. It is nothing on you personally, but single ladies in our position must be ever aware of fortune hunters. I am certain you can understand that. So, my question for you is, did you propose to Dorothy before or after she mentioned that there would be a considerable dowry attached to her marriage?”
Christopher thought for a moment. “To be quite honest I cannot remember. I know I had been thinking of proposing to her some time before, but because of your tragedy I, of course, held back. I did not want to appear intrusive on her grief. But to answer your question, I did say something about needing to speak to my father about a proposed marriage with Dorothy. However, she would not hear of it and… rather pushed me to propose. Although I am certain she knew I would sooner or later. I believe she was just trying to remove the stigma of me asking her while she was in mourning.”
“Hmm. That sounds like what I would expect of her.” Anna said and smiled. “I am sorry if I seem unkind, but I am just trying to make certain my baby sister is pursuing a wise course. And I need to know your motives for wanting to marry her.”
Christopher stood and very clearly and forcefully said, “I asked Dorothy to marry me because I value her above all else. I love her dearly, tenderly, and absolutely. I promise to be the very best husband possible, and I am certain she will be warmly welcomed into our family. I hope that you will meet my family soon so that you might see for yourself how loving they can be. I have no reservations at all that you will fall in love with them too.”
Anna smiled and returned to her crochet work. “I am delighted to hear that. Now, I feel certain Dorothy is anxiously awaiting your visit.”
Chapter 21
The Duke had come home the next morning from his disappointing meeting with Mr. Campbell in a foul mood. Arnold had stayed at the pub and drunk himself into a stupor. He had to be escorted out of the pub when it closed, and he wandered the streets until he remembered where he had quartered his horse. He had finally ridden home at dawn.
Back at the house, he was frustrated, he felt impotent, and he raged at what he perceived as a universe set against him. He fell asleep again at his desk and had finally awoken at mid-morning. He limped through the house to Percy’s rooms and threw open the door to find Percy lounging in a window seat reading.
“Damn you boy, why are you not out doing something useful? You should be visiting Miss Hoskins? You must strike while you can. Within days… hours… swarms of young men are going to swoop down and ply her with kind words, flattery, and sweep her off her feet with offers of marriage. And where will you be?—reading some damn trashy novel.”
Percy stood up from the window seat. “I know that Miss Anna already has feelings for me, so I feel confident she will respond. However, I also feel it would be insensitive of me to press my suit at this time, just a few days after her father’s death. Certainly, you can see that?”
Arnold was not satisfied with that answer and stepped toward his son. “I am not saying propose to her now but go over and show her your sympathy. Offer to console her. Do anything to keep you in her mind. You absolutely must marry this woman!”
“But I do not even know what the inheritance is. What if she is to be no better off than Maria? I do not think she even knows at this point. These things take time. Her first concern is to hold a service for her father. Then there will no doubt be solicitors, and a will, and who knows how long any of that might take.”
“Then get yourself to London. Start looking for a bride there. How am I going to get it through your stupid, thick head that we are in a crisis here? The on
e opportunity I had has just fallen through, and I swear, unless you do something now, the creditors will swallow us alive before the autumn.”
Percy put his book aside and sighed. “Very well, I will go to see her this afternoon, but do not be surprised if instead of helping my cause, I hurt it by appearing to be too obviously a fortune hunter.”
“Good God, boy, do I have to tell you everything? Do not be obvious. Do not talk money. Show her your heartfelt sympathy and concern. Offer her soothing condolences and let her open her heart to you. After all, you know her to have feelings for you. She is still a vulnerable woman with desires. Work your way even deeper into her heart, and when the time comes, then strike. It cannot be more than a few weeks or a month, can it?”
The Scandalous Saga of the White Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 14
