A Hope Remembered (25 page)

“What does he need four cars for?”

Lyle kept a steady gaze. “To bring guests from the rail station to the hotel.”

Nora fiddled with the cuff of her dressing gown. “You mean the hotel he and Colin plan to build here, on my land?”

“Do you plan to sell then?”

“I don’t know.” She’d gone back and forth in her decision. Half the time she was convinced she ought to stay, to be near the only family she had left in the world. The other half of the time she wanted very much to be gone, away from Colin. “I have to give Sir Edward my answer in five days.”

“And I shall be off in five days.”

She lifted her head to look at him. A feeling of sadness washed over her. First she’d lost Colin and now Lyle would be leaving her, too. “You’re going back to London?”

“I’m sure I’ve worn out my welcome. I’ve been here more than a month now.”

“Are you sad to go?”

He rubbed the top of his cane. “Very much so. You and Colin and Lady Ashby…and the others…have made me feel accepted. It’s different here than in the city.”

“These others you mention wouldn’t happen to include a certain brown-haired maid,” she teased, “who works at Elmthwaite?” She’d noticed the way Mary and Lyle had been conversing at the dance after the shearing and guessed they’d managed to have other conversations since.

Lyle’s face grew red, making Nora chuckle. “It might.” He cleared his throat and his color returned to normal. “Speaking of people at Elmthwaite, why did you refuse to see Colin?”

It was Nora’s turn to blush. “I just…couldn’t. I’m sorry—I know he’s your friend.”

“Last I remember, he was your friend, too.”

“He lied to me, Lyle.” She didn’t bother to hide the undercurrent of anger from her voice. “He was sent by his father to win me over so they could buy my land.”

“At first.”

Nora blinked in confusion. “What do you mean, at first?”

Lyle bent forward and rested his arms on the edge of the bed. “He didn’t plan to start caring for you, Nora, but that’s what happened.”

The traitorous seed of hope attempted to sprout inside her again, but Nora mentally tore it up. She wouldn’t be fooled into trusting where she shouldn’t. “Maybe so, but he has a very odd way of showing it. Like throwing a rock through my window with a note telling me to leave. Or destroying my garden or pushing over a section of my rock walls.”

Lyle’s brow furrowed. “Whatever are you talking about?”

“Someone did all those things to get me to leave. And as far as I know, Colin and his father are the only ones who want me gone.” The admission stung her throat.

“I don’t know who did those things, but I’m confident it wasn’t Colin.”

Nora shook her head. The room was beginning to feel stiflingly hot. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know Colin,” Lyle said, sitting up straight. “Even if he was charged to persuade you to leave, condoning violence isn’t in keeping with his character.” Nora gave a snort of disbelief. Lyle waited to continue until she met his gaze again. “The other reason is that the night of the party, Colin told me everything—about his father’s plans and about his willingness to go along with them. Until something happened.”

“What?” The word was out before Nora could stop it. She didn’t want to hear this, did she? It would only make not seeing Colin that much harder.

“He wasn’t getting to know you for his father anymore; he was doing it because…he loves you.”

Nora rested her head against the bed frame. She felt too tired to sit up any longer. Could Lyle be right? Did Colin love her? A part of her thrilled at the possibility, while her more practical side balked. Love or not, he’d still been nice to her under false pretenses. “Is Elmthwaite Hall that important?”

“Is this place?” Lyle waved his hand to encompass the humble room.

“Yes,” Nora whispered.

She of all people knew what it was like to give up her childhood home. Is that why Colin had agreed, in the beginning, to Sir Edward’s plans? Not only had Elmthwaite Hall been in his family for centuries, but the house held memories of his brother, too. Was it so wrong then that Colin would want to hold fast to it?

“Thank you, Lyle, for telling me. I understand a little better now,” she admitted. “Though I still think Colin should have told me right away what he was playing at.”

“Would you have bothered to get to know him if he had?”

Nora wanted to say “yes,” but she wasn’t sure. What if she hadn’t befriended Colin? Despite his betrayal, she’d learned so much from her association with him, especially things about herself. “I don’t know…” She pressed her lips over the emotion rising up her throat. “But I also don’t know if I can trust him again.”

“Fair enough. I ought to let you rest now.” Lyle set down his cane and climbed to his feet. “You should know, though, Lady Sophia has wasted no time in filling Colin’s vacant hours with outings together. She’s already been flying with him twice.”

Flying with Colin? Jealousy swept through Nora at the thought of someone else in his aeroplane, experiencing the thrill of flying with him, seeing his eyes shine with pure joy. She tamped the feeling down, though. Why she should care if Colin favored the smug heiress now? “Will I see you again before you leave?”

Lyle nodded. “Good day, Nora.”

“Thank you again for stopping by.”

“My pleasure.”

After he left, Nora whistled for Phoebe. She didn’t want to be alone. The scraping of claws on the stairs preceded the puppy’s entrance. Phoebe hopped onto the bed and settled against Nora’s side. She stroked the dog’s soft fur as she tried to make sense of the cyclone in her mind.

She could almost excuse Colin’s actions, except for the acts of vandalism. But if he hadn’t done those, as Lyle firmly believed, then who had? And why? Not knowing made her decision to stay in Larksbeck or sell the farm all the more difficult.

A wave of dizziness crashed over her, making the room tilt and spin. Nora laid her head onto her pillow, her eyes shut tight, and prayed sleep would come. Only then would she be free of the confusion and frustration that had become her constant companions.

F
rom the air, Nora’s cottage looked so small. Tomorrow would mark one week since Colin had seen her last—one week since the night of his father’s party. How drastically life could change in a matter of days or moments.

Colin guided the biplane in a wide circle over Elmthwaite Hall. Over the stately towers, the gardens, the lawn. Over the blue lake reflecting the green, cloud-shrouded mountains. The beauty of it hit him today as it hadn’t in a long time. No wonder his father wanted to bring tourists here. People of all backgrounds, even troubled ex-soldiers like Lyle, could find peace in this lakeside valley.

The place was not only the lifeblood of his ancestors for three centuries, but Colin’s, too. Could he stand by and watch the place parceled off piece by piece until nothing remained? This place where he’d been born and lived, like his father and his grandfather and so on, back to the first Ashby who’d fashioned the beginnings of the house out of rock from the fells.

No. He couldn’t give up Elmthwaite, but he wouldn’t take Nora’s home to keep it either. Whatever her feelings were for him now, she deserved to keep her home as much as he did his. So where else could his father build a hotel?

Colin flew in toward the lawn and guided the plane downward. Lady Sophia twisted in her seat to smile back at him. He smiled in return. While the heiress might still be a bit self-absorbed, he hadn’t loathed her company the last few days.

The biplane’s wheels touched the grass and Colin cut the engine. The plane rolled forward across the expansive back lawn. Its length had always made the perfect spot for taking off and landing, with plenty of room to turn the craft around in preparation for his next flight.

As the plane came to a complete stop, Colin gazed at the house in the near distance. Ideas began to coalesce in his mind and filled him with sudden anticipation. One meant sacrifice on his part, but it was worth it if Nora could keep her farm. The other meant a way he could help some of the returned soldiers.

Colin climbed out of his seat and helped Lady Sophia to the ground. “Did you enjoy that flight as much as your first one?” he asked as he set the wheel chocks into place.

“Very much.” They both removed their helmets and goggles. “I wish we might have stopped at that castle we saw. Those were beautiful ruins.”

He settled for a nod. He’d flown over Brougham Castle so she might see it, but he hadn’t wanted to stop. That place would forever remain his and Nora’s, regardless of the way things had turned out between them.

“I believe I’ll go change,” Lady Sophia said, falling into step beside him as they walked toward the house. “Then perhaps we might go for a walk?” The eagerness behind the question was unmistakable.

“I need to speak with my father first. But I shall see you at dinner.”

“Very well.” She walked beside him in silence for a minute before she stopped. “Colin?” He came to a stop as well and waited for her to continue. “We leave tomorrow for home, as you know, but I was wondering if perhaps…” Her cheeks turned an attractive shade of pink. “Well, I thought perhaps you might want to join us. You could stay with us for a few weeks, or longer, if you decide. We could run up to London while you were there. You could fly your aeroplane.”

Colin studied the helmet and goggles he carried. Did he want to go with Lady Sophia and her family? Perhaps a change of scenery would do him good. “Thank you for the invitation. I’d be honored to consider it.”

She smiled. “I hope that means you’ll say ‘yes.’” She linked her arm through his as they returned to the house.

Inside Lady Sophia excused herself to go upstairs, while Colin halted in front of the closed doors of the library. He and his father hadn’t spoken directly to each other since their confrontation about Sir Edward’s visit to Nora.

Colin expelled a long breath and pushed open one of the doors. Sir Edward sat with his back to his desk, his face toward the window. Colin stepped unnoticed into the room.

Dressed as he was in his pilot clothes, prepared to speak to his father, time felt as though it had wound backward, to the morning nearly three months before when he’d agreed to help with the plans for the hotel. How much things had changed since then—how much he’d changed.

He cleared his throat to announce his presence. “Father?”

Sir Edward glanced over his shoulder. “Colin. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“May I speak with you?” Colin crossed the room and sat on the short couch, facing the desk.

“Yes, of course.” Sir Edward turned his chair around. He sat stiff and straight, as though steeling himself for something unpleasant.

Their interactions hadn’t always been this way, had they? Colin tried to remember happier times between him and his father. A long-forgotten memory nudged its way forward in his mind—a summer day in Scotland when Christian had been in bed with a cold, and Colin and Sir Edward had gone fishing in the loch, just the two of them. Colin recalled the warmth of his father’s hand on his shoulder as he’d cast his line and the easy laughter they shared when he caught a twig instead of a fish.

“What do you wish to discuss?” his father asked, his tone bordering on impatience.

“I have a proposal—for the hotel.”

“Let’s not be hasty. Miss Lewis is to give me her answer tomorrow and I believe she’ll agree to sell.”

Colin set his goggles and helmet on the couch beside him and bent forward, his elbows on his knees. “She may, but I’ve come up with another idea so we don’t have to rely on her agreement or the money from someone like the earl.”

“Go on.” Sir Edward laced his fingers together and rested them on the desk.

For a brief moment Colin allowed himself to grieve what he was about to lose, then he recalled Nora’s face the night she’d first seen her cottage. He was doing the right thing. “I think you ought to build the hotel on the far edge of the back lawn.”

His father studied him. “That’s where you land your aeroplane.”

“I know, and it would mean building a much smaller hotel.” Before his father could protest, he hurried to explain. “I recognize it’s not ideal, but it would give guests access to the gardens and house them closer to the automobiles as well.”

“Interesting thought.” Sir Edward leaned back in his chair. “You realize we have no other property for your plane, though. You’re prepared to give that up?”

Colin gave a resolute nod. “I am.”

“Why?”

He lowered his gaze to his empty hands, unwilling to give voice to the reason.

“You want to do this,” Sir Edward interjected into the ensuing silence, “even though Miss Lewis no longer shares your affections?”

Colin lifted his head. “How do you—”

“Come, my boy. You wouldn’t be spending time with”—he lowered his voice—“the earl’s daughter if Miss Lewis were still around.” He chuckled when Colin gaped at him. “I don’t always need your mother to tell me what’s going on under my nose.”

“So you agree then?” Colin pressed. “Would a smaller hotel still save the estate?”

Sir Edward tapped his fingers against his chin. “Building on our own land would allow us to cut out outside investors and keep more revenue for ourselves. But I don’t think it would allow us to live as we’ve been.”

Colin hung his head, tasting bitter disappointment, until his father continued. “However, if you are willing to sacrifice your enjoyment of flying, then I believe your mother and I could forgo some of the niceties we’ve come to expect.”

“It will work then?” The question came out a plea.

“We can easily extend the drive to the back lawn and the gardens would be a nice draw for visitors.” After a long moment, Sir Edward gave a decisive nod. “Yes, I think it may work. Well done.”

His father’s praise seeped into Colin’s soul, eradicating any remaining sorrow at giving up his flying days. In the end he’d done his duty as future baronet to save Elmthwaite Hall.

“There’s something else.” Colin picked up his stuff and stood. “I’d like you to give Lyle a job.”

One of Sir Edward’s graying eyebrows rose in challenge. “Doing what?”

“He’s actually quite handy with machines. He fixed my aeroplane the other week when I couldn’t get her started. I think he’d do an excellent job maintaining the cars.” Colin changed his tone from confident to entreating. “Things haven’t gone well for him in London since the war. I think he’d welcome a permanent change.”

“All right then. I’ll consider it. Anything else?”

“Yes.” Colin gave a decisive nod. Nora had told him the idea to help other soldiers would come eventually, and it had. He only wished he’d thought of it sooner. “I wish to use Brideshall.”

“Whatever for?” Sir Edward asked, his expression baffled.

“I want to turn it into a home, a hospital of sorts, for soldiers. Ones worse off than Lyle even. Those who haven’t been able to adjust to life at home yet.” He took a step forward, earnestness fueling his motions. “Brideshall is the ideal setting. It’s away from the village and has the loch surrounding it.”

“How would you pay to care for these men?”

Colin swallowed hard. “I don’t know for certain. I envision the men will help around the home, to earn their keep so to speak. But we’d likely need to organize some sort of charity to fund their care.”

When he’d finished, Colin waited in the growing silence for his father’s response. This, more than flying even, was what he was meant to do, at least for the next few years. Colin felt it in every cell of his body.

Sir Edward studied him for a long moment, then glanced away, an unmistakable sheen to his eyes. “I rather like the idea of helping others who served in the war, as you and Christian did.”

Elation soared through Colin. “Does that mean we can do it?”

“It will take much planning. Nearly as much as the hotel. But yes.” A rare show of excitement lit his blue gaze. “I believe we can do it.”

Colin couldn’t help grinning. “Thank you, sir.” He started for the door, but his father called him back.

“I am…” Sir Edward coughed and shifted in his seat. “What I mean to say is I may have misjudged…certain things.” Colin kept silent. “These new ideas of yours show real ingenuity and selflessness. I didn’t know quite what to do with you when you came home. I know you didn’t want to be baronet, but we had no choice.”

He lowered his hands to the armrests of the chair and rubbed the worn fabric. An air of exhaustion seeped from him, reaching Colin across the room. “I know you’re not Christian.” Colin felt his gut tighten at the words, but his father’s next admission erased the tension. “And that is good. I think these times call for someone like you, Colin, to run things here. Christian would have done it the way I have, the way my father did, the way my grandfather did. But the world is changing, and for good or ill, we must change with it. I believe you’re the man for the job.”

Regret for their contention in the past and happiness at his father’s approval made it impossible for Colin to speak. He’d waited his entire life for this moment, and yet, it might have come earlier if he’d been content to be himself sooner.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” Sir Edward said, bending over the papers on his desk.

Colin recognized the dismissal as a way for both of them to remain stoic, at least outwardly. With a nod, he exited the library and drew the door softly shut behind him. Neither of them may have said all they wanted to, but Colin sensed something significant had changed between them. He no longer saw his father as unyielding and incapable of understanding, and his father no longer saw him as a poor substitute for Christian. If nothing else, Colin had Nora and the hotel project to thank for that.