The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight

by Christina Courtenay

  ‘I’ll come with you. I want to hear this.’ The guy fell into step beside her, walking with long unhurried strides. ‘Want any help with that?’ Again, that annoying smile and his eyes were twinkling too as if he was amused by her efforts to stay calm.

  ‘No, thanks, I can manage.’

  She did, but only just, and she ended up panting with the effort of upending the barrow onto the compost heap, which didn’t help. Nor did the stranger, who followed behind her but didn’t offer assistance again. Instead he crossed his arms, making his biceps bunch up in the most eye-catching way. Annoying man, he was probably doing it on purpose so she’d look at him. She didn’t want to but Tess had to force herself not to stare at the tattoo, which was strangely fascinating. By the time they got to the potting shed, where Bryn could usually be found if he wasn’t outside, she was ready for some answers.

  ‘Bryn, are you there?’

  ‘In yere.’ The old man’s Welsh lilt was one of the things she loved about him. That and his ready smile. ‘Just making tea again. Would you like some, my lovely?’

  Tess walked into the shed, closely followed by the shirtless stranger. ‘Yes, please, but Bryn —’ She didn’t have time to finish her sentence.

  ‘Oh, there you are, er … Josh. Come and have a cuppa as well, won’t you?’

  ‘Sure, sweet.’

  Bryn looked from one to the other. ‘So you’ve met his lordship then.’ It was a statement, not a question.

  Tess swivelled towards the younger man. ‘L-lordship? What do you mean?’

  ‘The new owner of Merrick Court,’ Bryn explained patiently. ‘Josh, he says to call him, but I don’t know …’ He scratched his balding head.

  But Tess wasn’t looking at him. She glared at the newcomer. Josh, Lord Merrick? He couldn’t be, could he? ‘Why didn’t you mention that?’

  He grinned. ‘You didn’t ask.’

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake …’ Tess stared at the man. Why hadn’t he told her who he was instead of letting her think he was just some workman? But then she had been rather rude so perhaps he’d wanted to punish her a little? She felt her cheeks heating up, embarrassed now by her lack of manners.

  ‘And who are you?’ Josh said. ‘I thought no one else worked here.’ He raised his eyebrows at the old man as if they’d been discussing this earlier.

  ‘Oh, didn’t I say?’ Bryn tutted at himself. ‘This yere is Lady Merrick.’

  ‘What?’ Josh’s eyebrows shot up even further. ‘But I thought … oh, bollocks.’

  ‘Er, would you care to explain that eloquent statement?’ It was Tess’s turn to cross her arms.

  He looked a bit sheepish. ‘Uhm, well, I was expecting what the lawyer called a “dowager”. I mean …’

  Tess cottoned on. ‘Ah, an old-age pensioner? Sorry to disappoint you.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed exactly.’ Josh grinned briefly again as his gaze travelled the length of her body, lingering on her curves and long, honey-gold hair which was currently piled on top of her head and fastened with a clip. But then he seemed to recollect that he was talking to a widow and the smile disappeared. ‘That’s to say, your age doesn’t matter to me. I was just surprised, is all.’

  ‘I should hope not too.’ Tess was annoyed to find that the warmth in his eyes as he’d given her the once-over made her hot and flustered. He was disturbingly handsome. How old could he be? Probably in his early thirties, although possibly younger as he was so fit. It was hard to tell.

  ‘Come and have some tea and then you can get to know each other,’ Bryn suggested.

  ‘Good idea.’ In truth, Tess had forgotten the old man was there, she was so focused on Josh. Which was totally wrong. She shook herself mentally and went to sit down.

  ‘So you’ve been the lady of the manor then,’ Josh commented, taking the mugs from Bryn and setting them on an old table surrounded by stools.

  Tess loved it in here. It had been her refuge whenever things with Giles got too bad. Sitting in such timeless surroundings, breathing in the scents from the garden and chatting to the old man had always filled her with peace and inner strength.

  Not today though. Josh made her all jittery and it annoyed her that he had this effect on her. She didn’t like feeling wrong-footed and they had definitely not started off the right way. But he was nothing like she’d imagined he would be. Not that she’d thought much about it, but she too had envisaged someone older, so she couldn’t really blame Josh for thinking the same about her.

  ‘Yes, you could say that,’ she replied. It was not a role she’d ever felt comfortable with but it was in the past, so no point mentioning that.

  Bryn brought out his trusted old biscuit tin and put that on the table, together with a carton of milk.

  ‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ Josh said, his eyes showing that he meant it. ‘Now that I’ve met you, I can see it’s doubly tragic.’

  Tess assumed he was referring to Giles’s youth. ‘Thank you. Yes, it was a bit of a shock, to say the least. An accident,’ she explained, as Josh obviously didn’t know what had happened. ‘Didn’t the lawyers tell you anything?’ She tried to keep the irritation out of her voice, but she was still a bit cross about stumbling on him like this. Why hadn’t he come up to the house? Or rung to say he was coming? And why was he working in the garden? But maybe the solicitor had told her about his visit and she’d forgotten. The medication she’d been taking did make her lose track occasionally. Another good reason she’d stopped taking it.

  Bryn answered the second of those questions as soon as he’d perched on one of the stools while Tess and Josh helped themselves to biscuits.

  ‘Josh arrived a bit early so I persuaded him to wait before waking you. I didn’t know you were up and about today. And he offered to help me with some of the heavy work while he was waiting. I hope you don’t mind, Lady M?’ He’d always called her that, as a sort of joke, ever since she’d told him not to be so formal with her.

  ‘Well, no, of course not, but …’

  ‘I’m sorry, I should have let you know I was coming,’ Josh put in. ‘But I was under the impression you’d moved out. I’m afraid I was in a bit of a hurry when I went to see Mr Harrison, the lawyer, in London and I must have missed the part about you still living here. I just wanted to come and have a look at the place.’ Josh waved his biscuit to encompass the estate. ‘He said the “custodian” would let me in. I had no idea that meant you.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘Why are you still here? If you don’t mind me asking.’

  Josh’s piercing green eyes made Tess want to squirm, but she had every right to be here at the moment. ‘Mr Harrison felt that from a security point of view it was better to keep the house occupied and it took them rather a long time to find you, I gather.’

  ‘I was travelling. The friend who was in charge of collecting my mail back home in New Zealand didn’t think the envelope from Harrison looked important.’ Josh rolled his eyes. ‘Just because it wasn’t a bill. He’s not the sharpest tool in the box but he’s a good mate.’

  ‘Right. Well, anyway, Mr Harrison asked me to stay on and so I did.’ Tess had looked into renting a place nearby but hadn’t wanted to start paying rent before it was necessary. That would have been a waste of money.

  ‘Okay. I understand where he was coming from and I’m grateful to you for waiting so long. As I said, if I’d known I’d have come sooner. I’m sure we can come to some agreement now.’

  ‘So are you wanting to move in immediately?’ Tess held her breath, hoping he’d say no.

  ‘Not exactly. I’ll need a place to crash for a few days while I look at everything, but after that I don’t intend to live here. I’m selling up. From what I’ve heard, that takes a fair bit of time in this country. Two to three months, right?’

  ‘You’re selling Merrick Court?’ So Rosie had been right. Tess should be pleased the house might go to Louis after all, but for some reason she wasn’t. This man had only just
arrived and he hadn’t even seen it yet. How could he care so little for what had turned out to be his birthright?

  Josh sighed. ‘Yes, that is my plan.’ He glanced at Bryn. ‘Although I’m getting the vibe you guys think I’m nuts.’

  ‘No, no, it’s up to you, of course. For now, I’m sure we can find you a spare room or two to sleep in.’ It was meant to be a joke, but Josh’s expression turned pensive.

  ‘Hmm, yeah, that’s a bit awkward, huh? I’m guessing you still feel this is your home so I wouldn’t want to be an uninvited guest. Maybe there’s a hotel nearby or something?’

  ‘I don’t mind, really.’ Although that was a lie and Tess had a feeling he could hear it in her voice.

  ‘How about you use my guest room?’ Bryn put in. ‘I’m only just down the road so you’ll have easy access to the house.’

  Tess and Josh answered at the same time.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Oh, Bryn, we don’t want to put you out …’

  Bryn chuckled. ‘It’s no bother. You’re more than welcome, especially seeing as you own my cottage too.’ The twinkle in Bryn’s eyes told Tess he didn’t mind and she wondered what Josh had done to get into the old man’s good graces so quickly. Perhaps it had been the digging? Not exactly the behaviour expected of a lord.

  ‘It should be me moving out,’ Tess said, but Josh held up a hand to stop her protesting any further.

  ‘No, it’s fine. I stuffed up by not telling you about my arrival so I’ll stay with Bryn. Cheers, mate,’ he added and clapped Bryn on the back before grabbing his T-shirt which had been half shoved into his back pocket. As he pulled it on, Tess looked away, even though her eyes wanted to stray to that amazing torso. ‘Have you got time to show me round the house now or should I come back later?’

  ‘The house? Oh, yes, sure.’ Tess stood up, dragging her thoughts away from the sight before her. Even with his T-shirt back on he was incredibly attractive, but it shouldn’t matter to her.

  ‘I saw Miss Rosie and the children arriving yesterday,’ Bryn commented while he started clearing away the mugs. ‘Come for a visit, have they?’

  ‘No, she’s just here to annoy me.’ The words came out before Tess had a chance to think about it, but when Josh snorted, she realised she’d been a bit indiscreet. ‘I mean …’

  Josh laughed, a delicious rumble that made something inside Tess stir. ‘No, don’t backtrack on my account. I love a good family feud. Had my fair share of them. I take it she’s family?’

  ‘Not mine. She’s my late husband’s sister. And it’s not exactly a feud,’ Tess started to say, but then wondered if it was. She and Rosie had been at loggerheads almost from the first time they’d met, since Rosie hadn’t considered Tess anywhere near good enough for her brother. Presumably she’d have preferred one of her posh friends, not an art student from a very middle-class family.

  ‘Miss Rosie never did learn any tact,’ Bryn put in. ‘Spoiled by her da’, so she was, something rotten. Always demanding this, that and the other, and usually got it. I suppose it’s the husband that buys it now.’

  ‘Well, he can afford it,’ Tess muttered. Besides having inherited a fortune, George was something important in the City and he seemed to give Rosie whatever she wanted.

  ‘Are they staying long?’ Bryn asked.

  ‘No idea. I didn’t even know they were coming, but they’ll have to fend for themselves food-wise as I can’t afford to subsidise anyone.’

  Bryn smiled. ‘Speaking of food, I’ve been offered a couple of hens. What do you think, should I take them? It would give you free eggs.’ His smile faded. ‘Although maybe there’s no point now as I don’t know where I’ll be living in a few months’ time. No, tell you what, I’ll just borrow a couple from the farmer down the road.’

  Tess swallowed hard and nodded. ‘Yes, why not?’

  He was such a sweetie, trying to help her out. He knew she was struggling to make ends meet. Without a regular housekeeping allowance, her only income was from the fledgling business that she’d started as a hobby. It wasn’t making much profit as yet, but she was working on it so hopefully it would do soon.

  ‘I’ll see to that then. I’ll keep them in my own garden.’

  ‘Thanks, Bryn.’ Tess turned to Josh. ‘Shall we go?’

  ‘Yep. Lead the way, Lady M.’ He smiled at her and for some stupid reason she felt her cheeks heat up again. The way he said ‘Lady M’ in that wonderful Kiwi accent made her nerve-endings tingle, which was ridiculous. There was a whole nation of people who spoke like that, he was just one of them.

  ‘It’s Tess,’ she said. ‘Bryn only calls me Lady M because … well, it’s a joke.’

  ‘Okay, Tess it is.’

  His green gaze fixed on her for a moment, filling her with confusion. Those eyes felt familiar, unsettling, but exciting at the same time. It was as though she knew him, but of course she’d never met him before today. Strange.

  ‘Come on then.’ She headed for the door. ‘Thanks for the tea, Bryn.’

  Chapter Seven

  Merrick Court, 22nd May 2016

  Josh followed Lady M – or Tess as she’d insisted he call her – out of the workshop and round to the front of the house, still reeling a bit from the discovery that she wasn’t a little old lady. Instead she looked to be in her mid- to late-twenties and she was hot, no two ways about it – long golden blonde hair piled in a sexy mess on top of her head, beautiful blue eyes in an equally lovely face, and a great figure. The sadness he’d glimpsed in those big eyes had got to him though. She had been through a lot recently and he’d had an unexpectedly primeval masculine urge to gather her close and assure her everything would be all right. That he’d protect her, help her with whatever was troubling her.

  He was an idiot.

  It was nothing to do with him, obviously. He was only here to view his inheritance and had no reason to become embroiled in her affairs. Besides, she probably wouldn’t thank him for interfering. She had shown some spirit, that was for sure, but he had a feeling it was only because he’d surprised her and jolted her out of her grief. Bryn had confided his worries about the mistress of the house and now Josh could see what he’d meant.

  Lady M needed support.

  But he wasn’t the man to give it to her. He wasn’t staying and he didn’t want any ties or complications. And she would definitely mean both if he got involved. Much better to keep his distance.

  As they rounded the corner of the house, he stopped to stare up at the imposing façade of the huge mansion that was now his. He whistled softly. ‘Yo!’

  The papers Harrison had given him had said something about ‘an early medieval fortified manor house’ that had undergone several transformations during its long existence. Josh knew a bit about English architecture and saw a Norman tower in one corner which looked incongruous next to a Georgian frontage, complete with imposing staircase leading up to the main entrance. A Tudor wing on the other side of the tower gave the house a lopsided feel, but its windows with thousands of tiny panes of glass glittered invitingly in the sunlight. On the opposite side was a Victorian wing, with huge Gothic windows that were probably draughty as hell.

  You couldn’t help but admire it. Despite the strange mixture of building styles, it was beautiful and he loved its quirks; a mullioned window here, a crenellation there, with a couple of gargoyles in between keeping guard. No thought to any symmetry whatsoever. The gargoyles weren’t scary-looking and weirdly enough helped give a homely feel to the house. If he’d been looking for a permanent place to settle in the UK, this might have been worth hanging onto.

  Tess had stopped over by the steps and was waiting for him, but he took his time, scanning the many windows. This may be a place you could call home, but there were shadows here too. Souls. Spirits, whatever you wanted to call them. Many more than he’d seen anywhere else, apart from when he’d visited old castles and monuments. He couldn’t help but notice them.

  Ever since he was a ch
ild he’d seen things that couldn’t be explained – shadowy forms, not visible to anyone else but clear to him. He’d been frightened at first, especially when his mother told him it was only his imagination, but when he was ten, a visit to his Welsh-born grandparents helped as he’d found out he wasn’t alone.

  He’d been staring at a dark shape in the corner of the room for some time when his grandmother Nerys came and put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, love,’ she whispered. ‘He’ll not hurt us. He’s just confused as he hasn’t found his way to the light yet.’

  Josh blinked up at her. ‘Y-you see them too?’

  She nodded and put her arm round him, giving him a reassuring squeeze. ‘Yes. It’s a gift, passed down through my family, but not everyone has it.’ She glanced towards Josh’s mother, who was talking to his grandfather, both oblivious to any spirits. ‘I didn’t know you did until now.’

  ‘Are we … psychic, then?’ he asked, whispering too as he felt this was a secret only the two of them shared.

  ‘No, we just open our senses more than most people. Ignore the shadows and they’ll leave you alone.’

  From then on, he’d accepted his ‘gift’ and tried to follow her advice. He wanted nothing to do with departed souls.

  Through a large Gothic window on his left he glimpsed the shape of a woman in a crinoline, walking back and forth while seemingly wringing her hands. He’d bet hers was a sad story and she hadn’t found the rest she’d sought in death. Suicide? Probably.

  To her right, there was a huge bay window, and lounging on the window seats inside were several tiny blurred shapes. Josh swallowed hard. He hated it when he saw the spirits of departed children as it usually meant they’d suffered in some way. An epidemic? Nerys had told him little ones should never have got lost on the way to the light, but it happened. He turned away, not wanting to look at them or speculate about their fate.

  Continuing his sweep across the front of the building, his gaze came to rest on the Norman tower. The windows there were mere slits for the most part, but up on the first floor there was a bigger one with a myriad of leaded glass panes. He’d read somewhere that medieval ladies usually had what they called a solar, a room with extra large windows to let in more light so they could work at their sewing or something like that. He assumed that’s what had lain behind this window.