A Sense of Fate (Perceptions Book 7)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Conrad did not inherit?’

  ‘No. He has two elder brothers with whom he is not on speaking terms, and he received nothing under the terms of his father’s will. It all went to the elder two.’

  ‘Ah, I see.’ She frowned. ‘Well, actually I do not. How is he supporting himself if he has lost his position and has no inheritance to fall back on?’

  Archie lifted one shoulder. ‘Perhaps your father has engaged his services in some capacity or other.’

  ‘That I very much doubt.’ She drummed the fingers of one hand against her knee. ‘Papa does not approve of disobedient children, and you are looking at someone who is in a position to know.’

  ‘I shall never tire of that particular view,’ he assured her in a softly flirtatious tone.

  ‘Then you are easily pleased, Lord Felsham. And don’t flirt with me. It isn’t helpful and I have no idea how to respond. They don’t teach the art of flirting in Sunday school and I certainly didn’t learn it at home, where such behaviour is frowned upon.’

  ‘Of course it is, since it is harmless and pleasurable.’ He chuckled. ‘Anyway, you hold your own well enough against me without the benefit of instruction.’

  ‘Gosh, it’s warm in here.’ Her cheeks turned even redder and she flapped a hand in front of her face, using it as a fan. ‘We urgently need to know what connection Conrad has to Papa. There must be something.’

  ‘Pawson is making further enquiries.’ Archie smiled at her. ‘Be patient. We will get answers soon enough.’

  ‘In that case, we shall not spoil our pleasure by speaking of the horrible man again today. Tell me instead what mischief you have been getting yourself into.’

  ‘Merlin and I have behaved with absolute decorum.’

  She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘I believe it of Merlin. If he is half as contented as Mabel, then he requires nothing more than a warm stable and a manger full of hay. But you, Lord Felsham, I feel are on intimate terms with mischief.’

  Archie clutched a hand dramatically to his heart. ‘You wound me, Miss Latimer.’

  She laughed. ‘That I very much doubt. And furthermore, I doubt whether your reclusive proclivities have prevented the local matrons from calling and forcing their dreary daughters upon you. Mrs Finch mentioned that something similar happened to your father not long after…’ She clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘I’m sorry, Archie. That was insensitive. I know how much you admired your mama.’

  ‘No offence taken. Besides, your Mrs Finch is in the right of it. The pater found the machinations of the local witches, as he referred to them, diverting. I have learned from him, and I don’t receive anyone other than by prior appointment.’

  ‘Then I must ensure that I don’t make an impulse call and risk being turned away.’

  He winked at her. ‘For you, I will always make an exception.’

  ‘Because you have nothing to fear from me.’ She nodded and quickly turned away, but not so quickly that Archie didn’t see a flash of insecurity work its way through her expression. Her lack of confidence in her ability to compel him gave Archie another reason to hope. ‘Well, that’s true enough, I suppose, otherwise we would not be sitting here together, quite so shockingly alone.’

  ‘I shall do my very best to behave myself, but I cannot make any promises.’

  ‘You don’t need to. I can run faster than you.’ She gulped. ‘Sorry again. I seem to be behaving rather insensitively today, which is not my intention.’

  ‘Perhaps you wouldn’t want to run away.’ He chuckled when her blush deepened. ‘Anyway, no apology is necessary. I dislike it when people feel obliged to temper their words around me. I have no one to blame but myself for my situation and have come to terms with it, after a fashion.’

  Draper appeared to inform them that luncheon was served. Archie levered himself from his chair as elegantly as his impediment permitted. He took a second to allow his leg to adjust, took up his stick and offered his opposite arm to Flora.

  ‘Are we to take luncheon in the conservatory? I do like the room but won’t it be cold in this weather. I don’t mind for myself, but your joints…’

  ‘Wait and see.’

  They made their way to the conservatory where a coal stove had been installed. It heated the space very efficiently, and if anything it was too warm. The plants flourished and something Archie couldn’t put a name to gave off a pungent aroma.

  ‘This is delightful,’ she said, glancing out at the grounds before taking the chair that Draper held out for her. Archie waited for her to settle herself and then took his own seat, placing his stick against the wall. ‘I don’t suppose you stir from your library when you are alone, so at least my presence makes you use more of your home. Speaking of your library, may I borrow some books for Mrs Finch?’

  ‘Take as many as you like.’

  ‘Thank you. She will appreciate the loan of some of your weightier tomes. I have nothing nearly serious enough to satisfy her hungry mind. She pretends not to enjoy the novels I take her, although I know that she does. Anyway, I have brought the books that I borrowed before back, and I enjoyed them,’ she said, taking up her soup spoon. ‘Thank you. They are in the carriage.’

  ‘Pawson will deal with them.’

  Draper poured a little wine for them both and discreetly withdrew.

  ‘Your very good health, Flora,’ Archie said, raising his glass and smiling. ‘And thank you for your challenging company.’ He paused. ‘I think.’

  ‘To your health too,’ she responded. ‘I don’t mean to be challenging, if that’s what I am. It’s just that…well, I like to express my opinions. I was never able to do so as a child, so I won’t apologise for being myself now that I can. It isn’t as though I have any need to be on my best behaviour in order to impress anyone.’

  ‘You impress more by being yourself. You are unique amongst young women.’

  She sent him a worried look. ‘Is that a good thing?’

  He laughed at her uncertainty. ‘You won’t hear any complaints from me.’

  ‘How is the steam bath?’ she asked, after the soup plates had been removed and they had been served with roasted pigeon, the rich aroma assailing Archie’s nostrils. ‘Does it make a difference?’

  ‘I don’t know how I ever managed without it.’

  ‘Then I am glad my suggestion helped.’

  Archie watched her enjoying her food, wishing for a fanciful moment that time could stand still and that he wouldn’t have to send her back to Lyneham in an hour or so’s time. It was a delicate dance they were performing, and Archie was unsure of the steps. If he stifled her she wouldn’t stand with him again for this metaphorical measure of theirs. And yet having her here brought the place to life. She was the missing component that felt natural and right. Could she not sense it too?

  ‘What are you thinking?’ he asked, wondering if she would tell him the truth.

  ‘I was actually looking at the wonderful location of that flowerbed just outside this conservatory and thinking what a fabulously convenient herb garden it would make. It’s the correct orientation to receive exactly the right amount of sunshine and the herbs would thrive.’ She smiled across the table at him, her features alive with enthusiasm as she spoke of a subject which enthralled her. ‘Did you know that certain herbs give off a wonderful aroma? If you were to sit in this room with the door open in the height of summer, it would bring its own rewards.’

  Not without you to share it with me. ‘I will suggest it to my head gardener.’

  ‘And I can advise him on what would be best to grow, if you like. Then your housekeeper can make up the tinctures and ointments that I ordinarily supply you with.’

  ‘Tired of helping me already, little one?’

  She waved his teasing complaint aside. ‘You are too accustomed to having everything on your own terms. I cannot be continuously at your beck and call, Lord Felsham.’

  ‘Well, that’s me told.’

  Flora laughed and pushed her empt
y plate aside. ‘That was quite delicious. You spoil me.’

  ‘Not nearly as much as I would like to,’ he replied, enjoying her enthusiasm. It was a long time since he had seen anyone reduced to raptures by a humble whipped syllabub.

  ‘Come on, Archie. Let’s walk outside and you can show me your steam room.’

  ‘It’s cold out there.’

  ‘I shall not be deterred by a little inclement weather. Oh, unless it will be awkward for you underfoot. But it won’t be.’ She fidgeted in her seat, always anxious to be active. ‘The sleet is not settling or turning icy. Besides, never fear. I shall not let you fall.’

  His momentary scowl clearly confused her, so he wiped it from his face. She took him to task whenever he felt sorry for himself, which he did at that moment. The fact of the matter was that he should be preventing her from falling, but the tables had been turned, reminding him of his incapacity.

  Archie smiled and rose slowly to his feet, waiting impatiently for the pain to recede before grasping his stick and offering Flora his arm. She was already on her feet and heading for the door, mindless of the fact that her outer garments were still in the hallway. Shrugging, Archie led the way outside, taking the path he’d had laid that led directly to his new steam room. The wind bit into his cheeks and played with Flora’s hair, snatching it from its pins and blowing long strands across her face.

  ‘This is it.’ Flora opened the door before Archie could perform that service for her and glanced around with interest. ‘Gosh, I had no idea it would be quite so elaborate.’

  ‘Well, you know me. I tend not to do things by halves. Besides, I decided that if I would be spending a good part of every day in here then I might as well make it comfortable.’

  ‘This is where you relax, and the steam is produced by that boiler,’ she said, pointing to a long bench and then the boiler in question.

  ‘Quite. Then I plunge into the cold water in that pool. It has a rejuvenating effect, just as you warned me to expect. I cannot believe that none of the many doctors whom I have consulted ever suggested this form of recreation would be beneficial.’

  ‘I like the tiling. Very elaborate.’

  ‘It is based on the Turkish example. After all, we English did steal their idea.’

  ‘I really must try this one day.’

  Archie cleared his throat. ‘I thought you were worried about what people might think.’

  ‘Not when you are in it,’ she said, accompanying her words with an exaggerated eye-roll.

  ‘Shame.’ Archie gave a regretful shrug, which earned him a jab in the ribs from Flora’s elbow.

  ‘You are impossible.’

  ‘So I have been told.’

  She shook her head at him and wandered back outside. ‘It’s been a lovely day, Archie. Thank you. But time is getting on, I don’t like the look of those low clouds, so if I can drag my maid away from Mr Pawson I think we should be getting back.’

  ‘Let me know if you have any further problems with Conrad,’ Archie said as they walked back to the house.

  ‘And you must let me know if you find out anything interesting about his connection to my father.’

  ‘You can be sure that I shall.’

  They returned to his library, where Archie rang the bell for Pawson and watched Flora as she bundled her tangled hair beneath the hat, which she put back on before sliding her arms into the tippet that he held out for her. Standing behind her, he impulsively brushed a stray strand of hair from her shoulder, took her upper arms in a firm hold and recklessly kissed the long column of her neck.

  ‘What am I to do with you?’ he asked no one in particular.

  The pithy form of retort that he had come to expect from her was not forthcoming. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot and, glancing over her shoulder, he could see that her cheeks were flaming. Damn it, he’d forgotten himself and frightened her off! How could he have been such an idiot? All the patience he had put into keeping his feelings in check had been undone by one unguarded gesture.

  He steeled himself to move away from her and formulate an apology that would probably sound half-hearted. He could never bring himself to regret something that felt so right. Surely he had earned a brief, treasured reward for his endurance. He hesitated and she seized the initiative, surprising him as she so easily could by turning to face him, standing on her toes and placing a gentle and all too brief kiss on his lips.

  ‘You are my guilty pleasure, Archie Felsham,’ she told him, looking surprised when the words slipped past her lips, almost as though she hadn’t intended to speak them out loud.

  She returned to adjusting the tilt of her hat as though nothing had passed between them, leaving Archie to wonder if this had been a defining moment, a turning point in their friendship, or if he had dreamed the fleeting episode. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her, but he could hear Pawson’s footsteps approaching in response to his summons and the opportunity was lost to him.

  Polly followed Pawson into the room, looking bright-eyed and flustered, causing Archie to wonder what his man had been getting up to with the chit. Not a great deal of imagination was required, although Pawson would never overstep the bounds with a young girl who had already been badly damaged by the demands of men. But that wouldn’t stop him from flirting outrageously, and Polly didn’t appear to be upset by the attention.

  ‘Ah, Polly. Are you ready to leave?’ Flora asked. ‘We ought to be going before the weather closes in and we inconvenience Lord Felsham’s driver and his team.’

  ‘Quite ready, miss. It’s been a lovely day.’

  ‘Indeed it has.’ She turned to smile at Archie in her customary friendly manner, and the intimate moment between them might never have occurred. ‘Thank you, Archie. Behave yourself—if you possibly can.’

  ‘You ask a lot.’

  ‘I know.’

  He took her gloved hand, raised it to his lips and chastely kissed the back of it. Their gazes clashed for a prolonged moment and she was slow to look away again. He wondered if she was aware that her violet eyes were glistening with sensual disobedience at that precise moment. She was curious, he realised; curious about matters of which she had no real understanding, and he ached to be the one to educate her—but not, he was astounded to discover, in any capacity other than her husband.

  Dear God, it seemed that even rakes reformed their ways eventually, given sufficient incentive.

  ‘I shall collect you next week, as agreed, and take you to Beranger Court.’

  ‘I don’t recall actually agreeing to anything,’ she replied airily, ‘but I suppose it makes sense for us to travel together.’

  ‘How very gracious you are, Miss Latimer.’

  She laughed. ‘If it’s graciousness you require, Lord Felsham, then you should look elsewhere.’

  ‘Never,’ he said softly. ‘You’re stuck with me.’

  ‘How very reassuring.’ She glanced out the window. ‘Come along, Polly. We’re keeping the horses standing about.’

  They walked to the entrance vestibule together. Draper opened the front door for her and she turned in the aperture to look at Archie for a protracted moment before descending the steps and accepting Pawson’s hand as he helped her into the waiting conveyance. Pawson closed the door behind Polly, jumped onto the box seat beside the driver and the carriage moved off.

  Archie remained where it was and watched it until it disappeared from sight, oblivious to the cold, feeling the grey shroud of loneliness descending over him in the carriage’s wake.

  Chapter Seven

  On the homeward journey Flora smiled as Polly chattered on about her exciting day. Not the smallest detail about the arrangements below stairs in Archie’s massive house appeared to have escaped her notice.

  ‘The kitchens are that vast, miss, I never saw such a thing. And so well organised, too. Everyone has a purpose and they all seem happy in Lord Felsham’s employ. They feel that sorry for him, what with his injuries, but look upon him as
a fair master whose luck is about to change.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘They didn’t exactly say, but I got the impression that they thought he would soon be married. The cook and some of the maids said it was beyond time there were children in the house.’

  ‘Quite so.’ Flora ignored the sinking feeling in her heart at the prospect of Archie’s domestic felicity. She knew it was mean spirited, but she couldn’t help the way she felt.

  ‘Everyone was so kind to me,’ Polly said, oblivious to Flora’s inner turmoil. ‘There were no snide looks because of…well, you know.’

  ‘I imagine Mr Pawson would have had something to say on the matter if there had been.’

  Polly blushed and looked out the window. She’d had a bad time of it; compromised by her previous master and then turned away without a character when her condition became apparent. Archie had recommended her to Flora, rightly assuming that she would take the girl’s side and welcome her and the baby into her home. In return, Polly had given exemplary service and was now confident enough to enjoy Mr Pawson’s obvious interest in her without suspecting his motives.

  Flora wondered where it would end. Would Archie object to Pawson marrying? And if he did, what would Flora do for a maid? There were plenty of girls looking for work, but she had become attached to Polly and she would miss her little daughter enormously if they were to leave Fox Hollow.

  She glanced out the window. Fat snowflakes had begun to fall, the temperature had dropped and the snow would likely settle, making the roads difficult to negotiate.

  ‘We shall be snowed in, miss,’ Polly said, pressing her nose against the window glass. ‘Alice hasn’t seen snow before. She will be fascinated.’

  ‘Undoubtedly. You must help her to build a snowman, Polly.’

  ‘I shall do that, although Will, I dare say, will beat me to it. He don’t say much, but he adores little Alice and she loves him right back. I am so lucky. It’s not always that way for girls like me.’