Hope for Tomorrow (25 page)

Thankfully when his elder sister had married, she had employed their nanny first as a companion, then as nanny to her own children. All the children loved her and still called her 'Nan'.

Lucien walked until he reached the Higher Royal Hotel on the sea front, where Martha was staying. He hadn't planned on coming here but now that he was, it made perfect sense that after such a confrontation, he would seek out someone who did care for him.

The porter showed him up to their suite and Gus greeted him warmly.

“
Good to see you,” Gus said, inviting Lucien inside.

“
Uncle Lu-Sin!”

Lucien turned to see Hope running towards him and he picked her up and twirled her around before settling her on his hip.

“
Hello, darling girl, how are you enjoying Blackpool?”

“
I haven't seen much of it yet but the sea looks lovely. Come and see.”

She squirmed until he set her down then she ran to the balcony and opened the doors. Lucien followed her out.

“
Isn't it lovely?” Hope said. “I've never seen the sea before. Have you?”

“
Yes, but not until I was much older than you are.”

Hope grinned and Lucien smiled down at her. She was such an adorable child, so open and without artifice.

That was a trait often found in children but he thought that despite her social mobility of recent years, Martha was still basically herself, especially around him and she hadn't let society dictate to her how to live her life or raise her child.

He and Hope headed back inside as Martha emerged from her room. They had rented a suite of rooms with one large central room that had a seating area, a dining table and three bedrooms leading off the main room, one for Gus, one for Martha with Hope and her nanny sharing the third.

They made small talk while they drank tea, then Gus said that Martha and Lucien must have business matters to discuss and  suggested that he and the nanny take Hope out for a walk along the sea front.

Hope gave that idea her wholehearted endorsement in a very unladylike manner indeed, but no one reprimanded her. Hope had already learned that you could be more relaxed around your family and friends than you could in public.

They collected what they would need, then Martha bent to kiss Hope goodbye and as she kissed Gus on the cheek she whispered “Thank you”.

“
We should be a few hours,” Gus smiled as he replied. “I'm hoping we can find a nice tearoom on the front where we can indulge in some pastries.”

“
Have fun,” Martha said, closing the door behind them.

It was kind of Gus to give them time alone but Martha could tell that Lucien was here for more than just intimacy. She sat beside him on the sofa and took his hand.

“
What's wrong?” she asked.

“
My father,” he admitted. “I don't think he has long left.”

Martha didn't answer, she just sat and listened as he talked since she knew that was what he needed. Lucien and his father had a complex relationship but underneath the animosity she knew that they both cared about one another. What little affection or praise he had received from his parents had almost always come from his father rather than his mother.

“
I've known this day was coming for a long time so you would think that I would be a little more prepared... I spent so long hating him, blaming him for my not having a choice in my future. Now I can see that it isn't his fault, the laws of primogeniture had nothing to do with him. He was only tough on me to prepare me for my future; he was trying to help me, not hurt me.”

He finally looked over at her and Martha could see tears shining in his eyes.

“
I'll miss him,”he finally admitted.

Martha took him in her arms and rested his head on her breast as he broke down and began to cry. She held him and soothed him until his tears dried.

“
I'm sorry,” he said as he pulled away and smiled awkwardly.

“
Don't be,” she assured him. “I'm glad you felt that you could trust me.”

Lucien's smile faded and he reached out with one hand and caressed her cheek.

“
I love you.”

“
I love you too.” She smiled bashfully.

Martha took his hand from her cheek and stood up to lead him to the bedroom where she took the lead. Lucien tried to reciprocate on a few occasions but Martha always stopped him, doing her best to show him how much she loved him, how much she cared about him.

When they were finished and she lay beside him, Lucien looked over at her. He hadn't thought it possible to love her any more than he did but he had been proved wrong.

“
I'm so sorry,” he said, tears stinging his eyes once again. “I never wanted to hurt you, I was-”

Martha placed her hand over his mouth and smiled.

“
I know.” She removed her hand and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“
Do you forgive me?” he pleaded.

“
I do.”

“
Do you mean that?”

“
I forgave you the moment I held Hope,” she admitted. “You gave me such a blessing with her.”

Lucien pulled her to him and held her tightly.

“
I don't deserve you,” he said.

“
I know,” Martha said, keeping her tone light and teasing. “But you've still got me.”

Finally they separated, knowing that they couldn't risk being caught
in flagrante
. Lucien was getting used to helping her with her corset and many buttons, though if he was honest he preferred unwrapping her to wrapping her.

“
Will you join us for dinner?” Martha asked as she repaired the damage done to her hair.

“
I would love to,” he said, meaning every word.

He had eaten with them a few times when he stayed with them in Penchester and even though he was a guest, he felt as if he were at home. Maybe it was the fact that he considered Martha and Hope family, or maybe it was the affection that they all shared. Whatever the reason, he wanted to feel like part of a family tonight.

Martha and Lucien were sitting properly on the sofas when the others returned and the evening passed in a pleasant haze of wine, conversation and good food, which they ate at the dining table in their suite.

Lucien was loathe to part with them at the end of the evening but Martha let him tuck Hope into bed and read her a chapter of her bedtime story. The nanny stayed in Hope's room and Gus excused himself for a moment so that they could say goodbye.

Lucien had to return to Marchwood the next day so they knew that this would be the last time that they would see each other for a few weeks. They kissed tenderly, each loathe to end it but when they finally separated,  they stayed in each other's embrace.

“
I never asked,” Lucien said softly. “Why did you change your mind and finally accept one of my mother's invitations?”

“
Well no one here knows who I used to be and it was a good excuse to get Gus away from work for a while.”

Lucien could have kicked himself for not remembering that Gus was also unwell.

“
Is it bad?” he asked.

“
No worse,” she admitted. “But I'm still worried.”

“
I'm sorry, I should have asked earlier.”

“
It's all right; I think a dying parent takes precedence over an unwell one.”

“
If you need me, I'll come running.”

“
Thank you.”

He stole one final kiss and then left. The night was cool as he headed back to his parent's house and he thought that was rather fitting, for the world always felt a little colder when he left Martha's presence.

Lucien managed to have a brief talk with his father before he left the next morning and overall, he thought that he was coming to terms with his father's imminent death and when he received word a week later that his father had passed away, he was upset but pleased that he'd had a chance to say goodbye.

He didn't write to Martha since she would have only recently returned to Penchester and he didn't want to take her away from Gus too soon.

Instead he focused on work, both the estate and Beaumont & Aldercott. His mother returned to the estate two days later and the funeral was held the day after at the church on the estate. His sisters returned for the funeral as well but like him, they had visited their father in Blackpool before he died so it hadn't come as a shock to them.

The family stood together but Lucien kept his distance from his mother following an argument they had the night before.

It seemed that almost the moment she stepped foot into Marchwood Hall, someone had told her that Martha had stayed there while she was away and Lady Beaumont had been furious.

“
How dare you bring that whore into my home!” was her opening gambit to Lucien as soon as she saw him, but Lucien refused to rise to the bait.

He poured himself a large whisky and sat down before answering.

“
It's my home now, mother.”

“
I am still the Countess of Marchwood!”

“
No, you are the Dowager Countess now.”

“
Not until you take a wife! How you ever expect to find one when you are gadding about with that housemaid is beyond me! I just pray that word of this doesn't get back to Miss Aldercott.”

“
You really do seem to be fixated on her,” Lucien said. “Why?”

“
Because she is the only woman you have ever shown even the slightest interest in! She may not be aristocracy but I will take what I can get. That's even if she will have you after such indiscretions! Honestly, what were you thinking?”

Lucien felt his temper rising and considered his mother for a moment.

“
You know that Miss Aldercott is Augustus Aldercott's adopted daughter, don't you?”

“
Of course I do. Everyone knows that she and her sister are his wards.”

“
What would you say if I told you that her name used to be Martha Dawley and that her sister is in fact my daughter?”

Lady Beaumont paled as she thought of all the women she had recommended both Aldercott & Daughter gloves to and now Beaumont & Aldercott coats and capes to! If they ever discovered that her son was in business with a housemaid... no, the idea was simply to humiliating to contemplate.

“
Don't say things like that!” she chastised him.

“
Why not? It's the truth; talented, rich woman or housemaid, I love her and I always have.”

Lady Beaumont swooned and fainted. That was her usual tactic when upset. Lucien calmly got up and rang the bell for a servant to take her up to bed. He was fairly certain that his mother wouldn't tell what she knew because of the humiliation that she would feel for having recommended her to so many friends.

Indeed the Aldercott name was now so well known that he was certain that most people would dismiss such allegations, preferring the fiction to the truth. Aldercott & Daughter were the only gloves to wear if you wanted to appear stylish and Beaumont & Aldercott were quickly becoming the newest “must have” items in fashion. The gentry never let a little thing like truth get in the way of something they wanted.

Lucien left his mother to the servants and just as he suspected, she hadn't said a word to anyone, though she had been frosty with him ever since.

After the wake, Lucien retreated to his study to compose a quick letter to Martha, letting her know that his father had passed on but that she wasn't to worry about him, and telling her what had transpired between him and his mother the previous evening.

He ate dinner with his sisters and brothers-in-law but his mother stayed in her room. No one thought anything of it since they had buried her husband that day and assumed that she was overwrought.

He was pleased to note that both sisters looked happy and there was genuine affection between them and their spouses, even if it paled in comparison to his feelings for Martha.

Their husbands asked about his business venture and he was happy to talk about it all evening but he kept his answers brief out of respect for his sisters, who he knew weren't interested in business.

The following day he had a meeting with a man from the railway to begin discussions to sell them the land they needed.

Since his daughters were given their share of their inheritance as dowries, his father's will was simple, especially since while assets rich, they had been cash poor for a while now. The estate came to Lucien in its entirety with the proviso that Lady Beaumont would be taken care of and could live on the estate, either in the Hall or in the smaller manor house, for the remainder of her days.