Lord Deverill's Secret (26 page)
Read Lord Deverill's Secret Online
Authors: Amanda Grange
They walked across the lawns and went into the library through the French doors. As they did so, Cassandra heard Lizzie’s voice.
“It’s Lizzie. She must have arrived early. She wasn’t meant to be here until this evening.”
A moment later her sister was running across the room to greet her, whilst Jane hung back shyly. On seeing Justin, however, Lizzie stopped. She looked at Cassandra enquiringly.
“I have taken your advice, Lizzie,” said Cassandra with a smile. “I have found a husband!”
“I knew you would,” said Lizzie. She turned to Justin, beaming. “Are you a marquess?” she asked.
“No, sadly not,” he said. “I am merely an earl.”
“Never mind,” she said consolingly. “I’m sure it’s very nice to be an earl.” She turned to Cassandra. “Don’t worry, Cassie, when I marry my marquess, I won’t expect you to curtsy to me, and neither of us will curtsy to Jane.”
“Jane is going to marry a duke,” Cassandra explained to Justin, as Jane hung awkwardly by the door.
“Ah. A very good idea,” he said to her kindly.
Lizzie was not impressed.
“I don’t think so. Dukes are always old and fat. Are you rich?” she said to Justin.
“Lizzie!” said Cassandra.
“No, alas not,” he said.
Lizzie gave a heavy sigh.
“Then it will be up to me to restore the family fortune by marrying a
rich
marquess.”
“That is very good of you,” said Cassandra, “but before you save us all from ruin you will oblige me by showing your guest to her room and then washing your hands before supper.”
“Oh, if I must.” Lizzie ran over to the door and took Jane’s hand, then stopped and looked back. “I’m glad you’re not going to marry horrid Mr. Brown.”
Cassandra and Justin exchanged glances, but remained silent. It was better for Lizzie not to know what had happened.
“So am I,” said Cassandra lightly.
Lizzie and Jane ran out of the room.
“You won’t mind Lizzie living with us?” Cassandra asked, as she and Justin walked over to a deeply buttoned sofa and sat down.
“Of course not,” he said. “She’s part of the family. It’s where she belongs.”
Cassandra looked round the much-loved room.
“I would like to live here when we are married,” said Cassandra. “I know the house is shabby, but I don’t think I could bear to leave it. Will you mind?”
Justin stroked her palm.
“Not at all. I think it’s a good idea. We can rent out my house in Brighton. It won’t be enough to pay off the mortgage on the estate, but it will bring us some luxuries. For my own sake, I don’t mind being poor,” he said, looking into her eyes, “but I’m sorry I have so little to offer you.”
“Not so little. So much,” she said.
He smiled down at her. Then, taking her in his arms, he kissed her.
“I thought we were going to wait until we were married,” she said, when at last she emerged from the embrace.
“So did I. It seems we were both wrong,” he said.
Then he kissed her again.
EPILOGUE
Cassandra could hardly believe it was almost five years since she and Justin had been married. So much had happened in that time. First there had been the wedding, which had been a lavish affair. Justin’s sister had insisted on providing them with a wedding breakfast on her estate and had hired a French chef specially for the occasion. She had arranged a sumptuous meal which had been crowned by a cake made out of spun sugar, of which Lizzie had eaten so much that she had made herself feel sick. Afterwards, when the September daylight had faded, they had watched a spectacular firework display. Then had come the honeymoon in London, with all the joys of shops and theatres, and all the pleasures of getting to know Justin not just as a man but as a husband, and their return to their estate, where they had begun their married life. Justin had continued to pursue the traitors’ ringleader, finally finding evidence against Mr. Elwin and bringing him to justice. And now here she was, with three children and a happy, if impoverished life.
Cassandra turned her attention back to Maria’s letter, which she was reading in the library, curled up on the window seat.
My dear Cassandra,
We haven’t seen you for an age. We do so hope you will come and visit us. Come soon! I am so sorry you have to sell Justin’s house, but I know that renting it is no longer good enough for you so I will give you what help I can, Cassie dear. It seems no time at all since you were selling your own house. It’s hard to think you and Justin have been married for five years. I am so pleased you married him, Cassie, I always said he was just the husband for you.
Cassandra smiled.
“Something interesting?” asked Justin, who was sitting at the desk and wrestling with the accounts.
“Maria is reminding me that she always said you were the husband for me.”
He laughed. “After Lord Armington, I believe.”
“Lord Armington was very charming,” Cassandra teased him.
“Be careful. I’m still not past the days of being jealous! What else does she have to say?” he asked.
“She says that she will give us what help she can to sell the town house,” she said, as her eyes scanned the page.
Justin threw down his quill.
“Are you sure you’re happy with this idea?” he asked. “Once it’s sold, we won’t be able to buy it back again.”
She uncurled herself and put the letter aside.
“Yes, I am. As long as you are not having second thoughts?”
“No. We can put the money to better use. Lizzie is almost sixteen now. She will be needing a season, with clothes and fans and everything else that goes with it. And our own children will be needing things soon. They are growing up.”
“Jay is four,” said Cassandra, with a quirk at the corner of her mouth, “and Victoria is three. And the baby is not yet one.”
“There you are, they will be needing horses before you know it,” he said, laughing. Then, becoming serious he said, “No regrets?”
“None,” said Cassandra.
She went over to the desk and put her arms round him, kissing him on the forehead.
He pulled her on to his lap and kissed her thoroughly on the lips.
“Mmm,” she said.
“And talking of our children, where are they?” he asked, as he reluctantly let her go.
“In the garden with Lizzie. They are making the most of the fine spell of weather.”
She looked out of the window at the sky. It had patches of blue, but already the clouds were gathering again. There had been a storm in the night, and it seemed as though they were in for more bad weather.
“You had better fetch them in,” said Justin, looking at the sky. “I think it’s going to rain heavily soon. It’s very different from the summer we met. I seem to remember it being sunny every day then.”
Cassandra straightened her gown and went out into the garden. She had filled out since she had met Justin, assuming a more matronly figure, but her eyes were as blue and her hair as golden as ever. She had given these attributes to Jason, their son, a little boy everyone called Jay, but Victoria had inherited her father’s dark hair and green eyes.
She saw little Jason now with Lizzie, sitting on one of the paths that ran through the shrubbery, but there was no sign of her daughter.
“Where’s Victoria?” she asked.
Lizzie looked up, and turned clear blue eyes on her sister.
She’s very beautiful, thought Cassandra with pride. Even more beautiful than I was at her age.
Lizzie’s figure was curvaceous, and had already caused interest amongst the local boys, but Cassandra meant Lizzie to have a wider choice of husband than was available in their own small neighbourhood. When the time came, Lizzie would have a London season—and perhaps find a handsome marquess!
“She was here a minute ago,” said Lizzie.
Cassandra looked round for her daughter, then saw her by the roots of the oak that had blown down in the night.
“It was lucky the tree was no nearer the house,” she said. “If it had landed on the roof, we would have had to spend a fortune in repairs.”
She went in search of her daughter, and soon saw her running towards her.
“What have you there?” said Cassandra, looking at the sparkly thing round Victoria’s neck. As she drew closer and scooped her daughter into her arms, her eyes grew wide.
“Victoria, where did you get this?” she asked.
Victoria waved an arm back in the direction of the oak tree.
“What is it?” asked Lizzie, standing up and dusting her hands, before joining her sister.
“I’m not sure,” said Cassandra.
Lizzie took Victoria.
“These look like rubies,” she said in surprise.
“I know.”
They looked at each other.
“You don’t think…” began Lizzie.
“I’m not thinking anything,” said Cassandra.
She went over to the toppled oak, closely followed by Lizzie. There, in a hole beneath the roots, was a treasure trove. Rubies, sapphires and diamonds winked in a ray of sunshine. Pewter plates were mingled with bracelets and necklaces, whilst goblets had strings of pearls spilling out of them.
Lizzie climbed into the hole and came out with an armful of gold and jewels.
“It’s the treasure,” she said.
“But it was buried beneath a chestnut tree,” said Cassandra uncomprehendingly. “Joseph’s journal said so.”
“But Joseph wasn’t a gardener,” said Lizzie, beginning to laugh. “He was like all the other Paxtons. He couldn’t tell one plant from another—or one tree either, it seems!”
“And all this time the treasure’s been lying here, just waiting to be found,” said Cassandra. “I must tell Justin. He’s about to write to his lawyer and tell him to go ahead with the house sale.”
“We won’t need to sell anything now,” said Lizzie, draping jewels around her neck. “I can have a wonderful season, with silks and satins and lace. Oh, Cassie, just think what it will mean. And I can wear the family jewels,” she said, picking up a diamond brooch.
“You are far too young for diamonds,” said Cassandra. “The brooch is mine!”
“Then I will have the pearls,” said Lizzie.
“An excellent choice. You can have them remodelled in the latest style.”
“And we can sell some of them,” said Lizzie. “There are so many we won’t notice. I can have new clothes, and so can you, Cassie.”
“And so can the children!” said Cassandra. “And not just clothes, but horses, too. Justin can fill the stables and the children can have ponies to ride.”
She scooped Victoria up in her arms.
“Come,” she said, “let’s show Papa what you’ve found.”
She carried the little girl back into the house.
“I find I’ve changed my mind about selling the Brighton house after all,” she said.
“Hm?” He did not look round.
She walked over to the desk and put Victoria in his lap.
“Hello, sweeting,” he said, kissing her on top of her head.
He still did not look up from his figures.
“I think we should keep it,” she said.
Victoria took the rubies from her own neck and hung them round her Papa’s.
“Pretty,” she said.
“Very nice,” he said absently, fingering the rubies. Then his fingers stilled. He took his eyes from his ledger and looked at the necklace, then looked up at Cassandra.
“Where…how…?” he asked.
“We’ve found the treasure.”
“No!”
“Yes. Under an oak tree!”
He sat back in his chair and laughed.
“An oak tree! So Joseph was no more a gardener than you are!”
“No.”
“But is there more?” he asked, fingering the rubies.
“Much, much more,” she said. “We’re rich. Just think what this will mean.”
“It means we will be busy,” he said.
“Yes, we will.” She picked up Maria’s letter. “I had better write to Maria. Instead of going to Brighton to visit her, I think she had better come here to visit us instead!”
Amanda Grange
lives in Cheshire, England, and has written many novels including
Darcy’s Diary
and
Captain Wentworth’s Diary
. Visit her website at www.amandagrange.com.
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