An Elaborate Hoax (A Gentlemen of Worth Book 5) (9 page)

Crawling on all fours, David moved next to Davy. “Where is it, you say?”

“There! It’s right there.” The lad pointed into the dimly lit interior of the shrub, his head lowered to peer at it properly.

“It should be fairly obvious, I think. Once I can see it,” David mumbled, mostly to himself. The ripe ones were dark in color, red perhaps, was his recollection. The earth never seemed so hard, and finding the ripe ones never seemed so difficult.

“It’s right there, Da. Right there.”

“I shall attempt to reach it.” David stretched his arm, trying to find something that resembled the
feel
of a berry: something small and round. He wasn’t having much luck.
Ow
. Something scratched his cheek, just under his eye.

“There can’t be any ripe ones, there’s no sunlight. And berries cannot grow without sunlight,” an unfamiliar, youthful voice intoned from above him.

David removed his arm and sat upon one hip. He squinted at the know-it-all.

A Miss Know-It-All, to be precise, not much older than Lucy, if he were to guess. She stood there all blond ringlets poking out of a straw bonnet, arms akimbo, looking down her nose at him.

Was she telling him they had gone through all that bother for nothing?

Davy had found a second, slightly smaller version of Miss Know-It-All, and stood toe-to-toe with her.

“What’s your name?” the smaller one asked, staring wide-eyed at him. “I’m Sylvie.”

Davy stood mute. He behaved as if he had never seen anyone who stood in equal small stature as he before.

“That’s not how you speak to someone whom you don’t know, Sylvie. You shouldn’t even speak to him at all until you’ve been properly introduced,” Miss-Know-It-All told her smaller twin. “That’s not the way it’s done.”

“I agree that one must behave with all due propriety, but who is to make the introductions if we are all unknown to one another?” David directed this at the elder sister.

“Well . . . I think . . . Maybe we should—” The etiquette question had stumped her. David had to admit she looked to be the picture of perfection in a miniature pelisse.

“Have no fear, Clemmy,” a young lady, one who truly had to be in charge, interjected. She was also dressed very fine and addressed him very prettily. “Mr. Cavanaugh is known to me, and I can make the proper introductions.”

The woman knew him? David scrambled to his feet, knocking the dust from his buckskins. “I beg your pardon, ma’am.” He studied her and tried to find something familiar about her. Surely he could not forget such a lovely creature as this.

“It has been several years, I believe,” she continued. By his response to her, she offered, “I am quite certain I have not altered all that much.”

David did not know many people from this area. Not of her age, and if it had been some years since he’d seen her, she could not even be close to twenty. Who
could
she be . . . “You cannot be Miss . . .
Lemmon
?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“You must be fifteen, perhaps sixteen by now?” It had been quite a few years since he’d seen her.

“I’ve just turned eighteen.” Miss Lemmon smiled in a shy manner and cast her gaze down, averting eye contact. “I am to be presented next Season.”

“I wish you much success. I’m certain you will make a splash.” From David’s experience, she would indeed. She had much to learn when it came to single men, eligible single men. A young female could not color up and giggle at every encounter with the opposite sex. A little Town bronze would make this country flower into a most lovely parlor rose.

“Who are these other lovely young ladies with you, may I ask?” He’d noticed some staff had accompanied her: a nanny, by her dress, and another, quite possibly her lady’s maid. One of Miss Lemmon’s ilk would not be traipsing about the countryside without some type of chaperone-like figure, for propriety’s sake.

“Oh!” It was as if Miss Lemmon had momentarily forgotten her charges. “These are my nieces, Clemmy and Sylvie.”

Clemmy made a very nice curtsy. Sylvie, who still faced Davy, did not move, and continued to stare at him.

“Girls, this is our neighbor, Mr. Cavanaugh. He resides at the Willows.”

“
Wiww-whoas!
” Davy repeated.

“The Willows!” Sylvie mimicked then giggled, which made Davy laugh. Their laughter broke the formality of the gathering.

“How do you do, sir?” Clemmy recited very properly.

“I am fine, thank you.” David swatted at a bug flying close to his face and hit his sleeve, which raised a cloud of dust. He coughed. The girls laughed.

“And who are your companions?” Miss Lemmon prompted, “Your . . .”

My . . . the children, of course!
“Yes, indeed! Ah . . . this is Lucy.” David wrapped his arm around her shoulders, proudly claiming her, and gestured to the boy. “The lad is Davy.”

“They are quite a handsome pair.” Miss Lemmon acknowledged the children with a nod.

“Yes, they are.” He smiled with genuine pride.

“Oh, sir.” Miss Lemmon gestured to his face. “You’re bleeding.”

David touched his cheek, and his finger came away tinged with blood. “I’ll be fine.”

“Please, you will allow me to tend to it?” She had already moved to do so. “Mrs. Wilson!” Miss Lemmon called out. “Ask James to bring the small hamper out, if you please?”

A maid, a nanny, and a footman?
Exactly how many persons were in their expedition?

David did not wish to submit, but he really had no desire to return to the ground and hunt berries by himself. Glancing at the children, he noticed that Davy and Sylvie had resumed staring at each other, and Lucy was deep in conversation with Clemmy.

“If you insist,” he acceded, mostly for his own selfish reasons. Who was he to turn down an attractive young lady’s attention?

“We’re not looking for berries,” Clemmy told Lucy. “We’re out to have a picnic.”

“Picnic?” Lucy brightened. “That sounds delightful!”

Picnic
. . . David had not thought as far ahead as to supplying food provisions for their party.

Miss Lemmon instructed the footmen, yes, there were two as it turned out, to set up the picnic in the clearing where the sunlight, what there was of it, could warm the occupants. “I’ll have two stools placed here, please, and the small hamper—here.” She held her hand out where she wished the items to be placed.

The small furniture appeared, as did the small hamper on a folding table.

“Sit, please, Mr. Cavanaugh, and do allow me to tend to your injury.” She seated herself next to the small basket and unfastened its lid.

David glanced at the children playing some sort of follow-the-leader game with Clemmy leading the way under the watchful eye of the nanny.

He sat to Miss Lemmon’s left with his injured side toward her.

“I see your shirtsleeve will also need to be mended.” She pointed out the small tears he’d acquired while rummaging through the shrubbery.

Hendricks would certainly not be happy about the state of David’s shirt.

“First allow me to wipe your face, if I may?” She employed the folded bit of linen in a fashion that told David she had some experience with injuries of this nature.

“Is my face . . .” It was futile to attempt to check the condition of his visage without a mirror.

“There’s a bit of dirt, just there, and there.” She indicated the areas that needed attention. “But I do not want to chance it getting into your wound.”

“By all means, proceed.” David laid the matter of his care completely into her hands.

She opened several bottles, and with a quick whiff, determined the correct concoction. After pouring a small amount onto a clean, folded, white cloth, she brought it to his face.

His uncertainty prompted her explanation. “It is merely boiled water with lime juice, very refreshing, and it will clean your face quite satisfactorily.”

“I expect it has been successfully used on the children.” He allowed her to blot the right side of his face with the saturated cloth, concentrating on those places she had indicated were soiled.

“Many times, I can assure you.” Her focus was on his injury, not their physical proximity. “I must confess, I am quite the doting aunt. I rather enjoy taking the children on outings, cleaning up their sticky fingers, and overseeing their artistic endeavors.”

“They are very lucky children, I must say.” David tilted his face to his right, allowing her to clean his left cheek.

She folded the cloth in half, using the unsoiled portion for the remainder of his face. “They’ll need a governess in another year or two.”

“By then you should have children of your own, don’t you think?” David imagined she would make a wonderful mother . . . and some man an excellent wife.

“I suppose it is possible.” His suggestion made Miss Lemmon blush. With a final swipe she proclaimed, “There. The bleeding has stopped, and I’m certain it will heal without a scar.”

“So I am spared a hideous disfigurement, you say?” He stood and straightened his sleeves and waistcoat, feeling more the thing.

The children’s chanting in the background came to his ears as they began another game.

“You may even resume your previous activity. However, I’m afraid you won’t find any berries out here,” she confessed.

“We won’t?” He watched her replacing the items she’d used in the hamper.

“The weather has been too cold. The sun has not shined for months.” Closing the wicker lid, Miss Lemmon’s gaze rose to meet his. “We can share our picnic with your party, if you’d like?”

“You are too kind.” David bowed his head to her and smiled, feeling quite satisfied. A picnic luncheon sounded very nice, and it seemed the day would not be a complete loss.

Chapter Eight

I
am quite beyond words.” Dr. Harding released his patient’s wrist after feeling her pulse. “You are doing marvelous, ma’am.”

“Can I have that beefsteak, then?” Grandmother Cavanaugh inquired in complete sincerity. “Just a few slices, mind you. Thin ones.”

“Beefsteak, is it?” His eyes widened in surprise. “I think it might be wise if you start with some beef broth and then perhaps some boiled chicken after that, in a few days.” His tone was meant to pacify her yet remain encouraging. “We’ll talk about beefsteak in another week or two.”

“That sounds splendid!” Mrs. Cavanaugh straightened and smoothed her bedcovers. “I shall be able to visit with the children this afternoon, will I not?”

“I believe your family is the best restorative, ma’am.” He laid his hand upon her shoulder. “And if they promise to behave themselves and not cause you any overexertion, you may see them for a few minutes.”

Mrs. Cavanaugh’s countenance brightened, but she maintained the calm her doctor had requested. “Caroline, dear.” The older woman faced Penny and spoke with such a heartfelt entreaty. “I depend upon you to arrange a visit.”

“Of course. I shall attend to it as soon as possible.” Once David and the children returned from their outing. “Later this afternoon, perhaps?”

“Yes. I do feel I need to rest now. Fatigued. Yes, I am feeling very fatigued,” Madam confessed and surveyed the room for her pet. “Where is Pug?”

“Here he is.” Mrs. Sutton appeared with the bundle of fur in her arms.

“Good boy, Pug. You lie here next to me. Yes, that’s right.” Mrs. Cavanaugh gently patted where she wanted the dog to settle. “We’ll have a short rest, and this afternoon we’ll see the children.” He must have been used to the routine for he settled at once, finding a spot to lie down.

“Madam must have quiet. Now, you all move along.” Nurse ushered the small group who had congregated in the sickroom toward the doorway. Enthralled by the good news, they remained silent until they reconvened on the ground floor in the foyer.

“This is truly amazing. My sisters have not overstated her condition one bit.” Dr. Harding, who must have witnessed all sorts of recoveries during his practice, appeared to be searching for words after his visit with Madam. “I find Mrs. Cavanaugh’s condition quite unbelievable. She has been going on very poorly, you understand. I had not thought she could last but a few more weeks.”

“Thank heavens!” Mrs. Sutton exclaimed with a sigh of relief. His words were the news they all had been waiting to hear.

“I thought we had all imagined her improvement,” Penny confessed. She exhaled as a hopeful glance moved between her and Mrs. Sutton. How nice it would have been if David were present to hear the physician’s encouraging verdict for himself.

Woodsworth appeared with the visitor’s outer raiment and stood by the front door.

“Yes, Madam rallies.” Dr. Harding slipped his arm into his waiting sleeve. “It is a miracle to see her awake and so alert.”

“Will you not stay for tea, sir?” Mrs. Sutton offered in an emotion-filled sob of gratitude, as if he had performed the miracle himself.

“I’m afraid not, Mrs. Sutton. I’m pressed for time. I shall return in a few days.” He shrugged into his coat. “I am hoping the patient continues to improve. My sisters will keep me updated. Madam still needs to grow stronger before she attempts any physical activity. I find her craving for beefsteak encouraging but amusing. Under no circumstance will you allow it, Mrs. Sutton,” he cautioned her.

“Of course not, sir.” The companion smiled, blinking her moist eyes and sniffing a bit.

“Broth only, mind.” The doctor retrieved his hat and set it on his head.

“Yes, sir.”

He stepped forward to the door held open by Woodsworth and faced Penny. “I can only think the presence of you and the children have strengthened her will to live. There is no better medicine than that. Good day to you, ladies.”

They bid the doctor farewell, and Woodsworth closed the door. The women’s jubilant mood in the foyer was palpable, shared surprisingly, but far more subtlety, by the butler.

Penny had not expected that Mrs. Cavanaugh would be running about the green with the children and Pug anytime soon, but it was reassuring to hear it was what she wished. David would be greatly pleased that his grandmother was improving.

This turn in Grandmother Cavanaugh’s condition changed everything. Penny and the children had come to bid his elderly relative an eternal farewell and ease her passing. Now they were in residence to aid her recovery. How long would they need to remain at the Willows?

It was of no matter. Regardless of how long their stay was extended, Frances would need to be informed.

“Now that Madam is resting, I need to speak to Cook about her dinner.” Mrs. Sutton had regained her composure.

“I think I will take this opportunity to write to my niece,” Penny announced.

“You will find paper and ink in the desk in your bedchamber and also in the small secretary in the green parlor,” Mrs. Sutton called over her shoulder. “Woodsworth, if you would come with me, please.”

“Thank you.” Penny decided she would remove to her bedchamber for privacy and explain the change in circumstance as best as she could to Frances. She was not quite certain how she would phrase the news to her niece. The visit, which they had originally believed to be close to a fortnight, would undoubtedly be much longer than either of them expected.

David had led the way for most of the journey home. Upon setting sight on the Willows, Lucy, followed, of course, by Davy, ran toward the back door. The approaching commotion signaled the staff, who must have alerted those inside the house.

A small crowd gathered at the back door. Even from his distance from the house, David could hear the children giggle when Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Sutton peered into the empty pails and teased, “Nothing? Not one single berry? Did you two eat them all?”

The children said they hadn’t found, nor seen, any berries and denied consuming a single one.

By the time he arrived, a warm, mouthwatering aroma had engulfed them all. It was the scent of some type of delectable morsel baking in the kitchen.

“What is that heavenly scent?”

“Strawberry tarts,” Mrs. Sutton announced.

David’s mouth began to water, as did Lucy’s and Davy’s by the way they were licking their lips. Neither gave any indication they had just eaten. “We had an enormous picnic lunch only a few hours ago. You can’t be hungry again?”

“Children are always hungry, don’t you know?” Mrs. Parker informed him. “Especially when sweets or puddings are involved.”

“Yes, oh, yes!” David smiled. He liked the sound of that, all right. “Aren’t we all famished?”

Mrs. Parker eyed the children’s soiled hands, turning both pairs for a thorough inspection. “Would you mind seeing the children to the nursery, Mrs. Sutton?”

“Of course,” she replied with a nod.

“You will go to Nanny at once,” Mrs. Parker instructed. “After you have washed and changed your clothes, you can sit down to Cook’s strawberry tarts. I trust you will not waste away to nothing in the meanwhile.”

“No, ma’am, we shan’t,” Lucy answered.

Her brother mimicked instantaneously, “No, ma’am.”

“All right then,” was Mrs. Parker’s reply, but David detected it lacked any elements of stern discipline. “Off you go.” She waved them away, and they moved quickly, without running, with Mrs. Sutton. “Mr. Cavanaugh?”

“Ma’am?” He raised his eyebrows. “Do you have equally precise instructions for me to follow as well?” He could not imagine what she had to say to him. He hoped it involved the previously mentioned aromatic fruit tarts.

She gazed at him in a serious, yet positive manner. “Dr. Harding has been here to see your grandmother.”

“Gran?” He glanced into the house, ready to rush to her bedside. “Has something happened to her? Is she all right?”

“Do not fret, sir,” Mrs. Parker assured him in a calm tone. “She is much better than all right. She is—”

“Wait. Do not speak here. I do not wish us to be overheard,” he whispered, keeping his voice low. “To the rose garden.” He gently took her arm and proceeded to the terrace.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She was clearly not happy with his pronouncement but humored him by allowing him to lead her. “Very well. There is nothing amiss. It is the best of news, truly.”

“You know how I feel about the staff listening to our conversations.” David looked casually over his shoulder, checking that they weren’t being followed.

“The staff already know about Dr. Harding’s visit, and what he said, and about Madam’s condition.” Her continual refusal to comply with his wish that she remain silent was maddening.

“That’s beside the point. If you would only wait before continuing, please?” He turned about for a second glance, this time toward the south side of the house.

“Very well.” Again she humored him and fell silent.

It wasn’t only speaking in front of the servants that bothered him. If she and David were out of sight, in an area a bit more secluded, she might reveal more. He moved quite hastily to the far side of the terrace and finally to the rose garden before releasing her arm. “Now.” He exhaled, looking around one last time, and focused his full attention upon her. “You may proceed.”

Penny could not believe how he went on about being spied on. It was the most foolish, ridiculous notion. She moved away from him but not before she caught an unusual fragrance lingering in the air.

“What is that?” She inhaled again, hoping to catch a second whiff. It was faint, and its identity was not immediately apparent.

“What is what?”

“That fragrance? Can you not smell that scent?” Penny sniffed again.

David mimicked her, breathing in the air. “Might it be lime? My face has been cleansed with lime water some hours ago.” He smiled, appearing rather pleased about it.

“Lime water?” Citrus juice had been employed by servants to clean a myriad of items, but lime water to clean one’s face? Actually, given a moment to consider, her instant reaction was that the scent was rather intoxicating and it had the strangest effect upon her.

Penny really had no time to contemplate that puzzle and pushed all thoughts of it aside. More serious matters were on the horizon. “As I started to tell you, Dr. Harding stopped in to see your grandmother a few hours after you left.”

“He said she was improving?” David voiced hopefully.

“Not merely improving. He seems to think she will fully recover.” Penny imagined David was more than thrilled with the news. “And she would like to see the children as soon as possible.”

“Oh, that is very good indeed!” David spun around her. She could hear the relief in his voice. “Quite excellent!”

“Do you think the children visiting with your grandmother is
good
? I think we tempt the fates, sir.”

“No, it’s not possible.” He remained fast in his confidence.

“One or two wrong words from them and your ruse could be exposed. It is a great source of concern to me, and it should be to you as well.” Penny wasn’t certain he knew just how fickle, or forgetful, children could be. “And do you know what that would do to your grandmother?”

“Everything is going to work out splendidly now that Gran’s health is improving.”

Penny exhaled in exasperation. Was this a game of chance to him? Did he not realize a life—the life of his grandmother—depended upon it? Discovering her only grandson had no children, no family, would devastate her.

“Then by all means let us ready little Lucy and Davy for their introduction to Gran. I expect that they—” He was staring in the direction of the manor house. Something had caught his eye.

Penny turned her head to look in the same direction. The moving figure, that of a man, was clearly approaching. After some moments it was discerned to be a footman.

“What is it?” David’s stern tone toward the servant was a hostile one. He had not appreciated being disturbed.

“Mr. Woodsworth’s sent me to fetch you, sir.” The footman slowed to a walk for the few feet that remained. “Miss Lemmon has arrived. She’s waiting in the green parlor.”

“Ah, Miss Lemmon!” David’s demeanor altered, softening. “Tell her we’ll be in directly. Thank you.”