Loving Protector (4 page)

“Really?” For reasons Calista could not
fathom, the Colonel seemed to be on his guard.

“Yes, young Ronald Purbeck. A distant
cousin, I believe. They say that His Grace will name Purbeck as his heir.”

“He may do as he wishes with his titles
and lands,” said the Colonel. His lips set in a thin line.

“Oh but Brook…” Lady Bedlington stopped
and glanced at Calista. “I am sure Miss Haywood will soon be bored if we
discuss people she does not know.”

“Please do not mind me,” said Calista.
“I realize you have not seen each other for a while.”

“No, we must not exclude you,” said the
Colonel.

“I should like, if you do not mind, Lady
Bedlington to know more of the squabble between the Churchills and Queen Anne.
If that is not presumptuous of me.”

The rest of the luncheon was spent in
lively conversation about the trials and tribulations of the first Duke and
Duchess of Marlborough and the building of Blenheim Palace. After lunch, the
colonel showed Calista around the rest of the house, outlining his plans for
renovation, but always asking her opinion. That too led to lively discussions.
She could not remember when she had last enjoyed a day so much. Most of her
happy moments were stolen, when she was able to slip out of Haywood Manor and
go walking alone. In winter, when it was impossible to go outside, days spent
in Blanche’s company became unbearable, despite Evelyn’s attempts to pour oil
on troubled waters.

“Thank you for showing me your house,”
she said to the Colonel when they travelled back to Lady Bedlington’s home. “I
hope I will be able to see it when it is completed.”

“You will be amongst my first guests,”
he promised.

Blanche and Evelyn had returned home by
the time they reached Lady Bedlington’s. They were also accompanied by a young
dandy of about twenty. He was handsome in what Calista thought was a rather
bland way, and dressed in the height of fashion.

“Mr. Purbeck,” said Lady Bedlington. “We
were just discussing you.”

Mr. Purbeck bowed. “I hope in good
terms, Lady Bedlington.”

Lady Bedlington did not reply to that.
Instead she made the introductions. “You know my nephew, Colonel Brook
Windebank, of course.”

“I have heard of your exploits on the
battle field, Colonel,” said Mr. Purbeck. Calista was not sure if she imagined
it, but Mr. Purbeck did not seem to like the colonel. “How sorry I was that the
war ended before I could do my bit.”

“I am sure the war’s loss is society’s
gain,” said Blanche, fluttering her eyelashes at Mr. Purbeck.

“No doubt,” said the colonel, with a wry
smile.

“And this,” said Lady Bedlington, “is
Miss Haywood.”

“Charmed, Miss Haywood, I am sure. I
have been hearing all about you from your charming sister.” Calista did not
like to imagine what Blanche had said to Mr. Purbeck, but she took the
compliment at face value, curtseying to him.

“We met Mr. Purbeck this morning,” said Blanche,
when they were all seated. “He is in London with his cousin, The Duke of
Midchester. The duke has made a great favourite of Mr. Purbeck.”

“I do not like to boast,” said Mr.
Purbeck, “but His Grace finds me indispensible.” All the time he spoke, his
eyes were on the Colonel.

“And yet he is managing without you at
the moment,” said Lady Bedlington.

“What? Oh yes.” Mr. Purbeck laughed
awkwardly. “I have heard that you like to tease, Your Ladyship. He would
approve, I am sure, of me making sure two ladies returned home safe.”

“Yes, it must have been treacherous
travelling all the way from the next street,” said the Colonel.

“Unlike you, Colonel, I do not have the
benefit of being able to save them from highwaymen.”

“I am sure you should be very brave if
you did,” said Blanche. “But the highwayman was not that much of a threat I am
sure.”

Calista, Evelyn and the colonel
exchanged glances, each suppressing a grin.

“I wish to talk of other things,” said
Blanche. “Mr. Purbeck, via the Duke of Midchester, has secured us an invitation
to Almacks for the Wednesday ball. Sadly only Mama and I may attend, Calista,
as it would have been rude to ask the Duke for another invitation when he was
so generous.  I am not even sure you would benefit from the visit.”

Almacks was the most prestigious club in
London. Unlike most clubs, it allowed both sexes. The female patronesses of the
club ruled it with a rod of iron, and the people who were allowed to enter its
hallowed halls were strictly regulated. The patronesses also had the power to
refuse entry, and met every Monday night to decide who had committed a serious
enough social faux pas to be excluded.

“I am sure,” said the colonel, in a cold
voice, “that my Great Aunt has enough influence of her own to secure Miss Haywood
an invitation. If she does not, then I do.”

“Oh no, please, do not bother on my
account,” said Calista, her cheeks reddening.

“Brook is right,” said Lady Bedlington.
“I will ensure Miss Haywood goes to the ball.”

Chapter
Four

“I must take my leave,” said Mr. Purbeck
standing up. “I shall look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday night. If I
can bear to keep away.” He looked at Blanche as he spoke.

“Thank goodness he has gone,” said Lady
Bedlington.

“You do not like him?” said Blanche.

“No, I do not like him. He is a popinjay
and a sycophant.”

“But he is the Duke of Midchester’s
favourite,” said Blanche. “He told us all about the quarrel the duke had with
his son. Do you know that the son challenged his own father to a duel? It
caused such a scandal and his son had to leave the country. After that, the
duke cut his son out of the inheritance. Now, it is certain that Mr. Purbeck
will be named his successor. He is so handsome, is he not?”

“I think I have made my feelings plain,”
said Lady Bedlington.

“With all due respect, Your Ladyship, I
think you are being unkind.”

“With all due respect, Miss Kirkham, I
have reached an age when I can say what I wish. Mr. Purbeck seeks to deny the
rightful heir to the Duchy of Midchester. I think you will find, despite your
dreams and fantasies, that society has different ideas and that such a thing
will not be so easy. All the rightful heir has to do is claim his inheritance
and all Mr. Purbeck’s plans are as dust.”

“Mr. Purbeck says that the duke’s heir
said he did not want to bear his father’s name and title. He told his father he
would rather starve in a garret than to do so. How can a son say such a thing
to his father?”

“Perhaps,” said the Colonel, “he had
good reason.”

Calista looked at the Colonel and an
idea began to form. Purbeck had been cold towards him. Lady Bedlington had made
a point earlier of indicating Purbeck’s interest in the title, but the Colonel
had insisted that the duke may dispense of his lands and titles as he wished.

“Mr. Purbeck says that the duke’s son is
a dreadful man. Proud and stubborn.”

“Blanche,” said Evelyn in her quiet way.
“I do not think that it is correct for you to criticize a man you have never
met.”

“And one to whom I’m related,” said Lady
Bedlington.

“You’re related…” Blanche’s face turned
ashen. “I had no idea. I mean…”

For Calista that gave her the proof she
needed that the Colonel was the Duke’s son. She realized his eyes were piercing
into her, as if he followed her train of thought.

“Miss Haywood,” he said, when the other
ladies were leaving the room to go up and change for dinner. “Could I speak to
you alone for a moment?”

Lady Bedlington glanced back and smiled.
“You are allowed five minutes with her, Brook. Anymore than that and I will
barge in on you.”

Her Ladyship herded the others out of
the room and shut the door.

“What is it, Colonel?”

“I suspect you have guessed my secret.”

“You are the duke’s son?”

“Yes, but I would be grateful if you
could keep that to yourself and do not even tell your step-mother and
step-sister.”

“But surely others know. I think Mr.
Purbeck does. He seemed to look at you strangely.”

“No, Purbeck has other reasons to
dislike me. I was once romantically attached to his elder sister. Unfortunately
I found out that she was had already made a promise of marriage to another man.
She told her family that I abandoned her, and I did not dispute the fact. If it
salvaged her pride to think so, I was not about to deny her that small
victory.”

“What I mean is that surely others know
who you are anyway?”

“Great Aunt Agatha does, of course. But
I took my mother’s family name as soon as I was old enough. People know that my
father has a son, but they do not know my birth name, and he has never
acknowledged me publicly. I have seen my father twice in my life. Once when I
was a baby, which naturally I do not remember. Apparently he came to see me at
our relative’s house, took one look at me and walked away. And once again when
I called him out.”

“Would it be rude of me to ask why you
did that?”

“My father may be a gentleman by birth
but he is not a gentleman by deed. My late mother was sixteen when they
married. It was arranged by the families so there were no illusions about it
being a love match.  However, from the very beginning my father treated
her abominably, both physically and mentally. He was violent, and he paraded
his mistresses in front of her in her own home. When she was seventeen years
old and expecting me, she fled my father’s house and went back to her family,
fearing for her life after my father had flown into a drunken rage, egged on by
his current mistress.” The colonel’s eyes became dark and brooding, as if the
pain of thinking of his mother’s suffering were too much for him. “They
protected her, of course, but she never spoke out against my father publicly.
You are aware, I am sure, of the double standards that exist in society, Miss
Haywood. A man, especially a nobleman, may behave as he pleases, but his wife
must always be above reproach and is expected to put up with ill treatment in
silence. She has no recourse in a court of law, and my father would not divorce
her.” The Colonel’s eyes became sad. “My mother died when I was five years old,
but her family, perhaps mindful of the way she was treated, refused to let me return
to my father for fear he may treat me just as badly. As it stands, they paid me
a very great favour in doing so. I did go to my father when I was twenty-one,
hoping to find him changed. It was a foolish notion.” He fell silent for a
while, as if he was seeing the scene in his mind’s eye. Calista, transfixed by
the tragic story he told, said nothing. “I suppose I thought that as he had
come to see me when I was born, he had some interest in me. He denounced me on
the spot. He said that my mother was a …” He drew in his breath sharply. “I
shall not share that word with you. I will only assure you that my mother was
everything that was good and pure in this world. That is not a son’s delusion.
That is the opinion of everyone who knew her. My father denied that I was his
son. I was furious. Not for me, but for the insult he paid my dear, gentle
mother. So I challenged him to a duel. It was illegal to do so, and still is,
but I felt that I owed it to my mother who had been so badly treated to protect
her good name. I was a better shot than my father, but still I only winged him,
simply to make my point.  That was when he disowned me completely, saying
that if I ever tried for the dukedom he would leave word with his lawyers that
I was not his true heir. He claimed he had proof that my mother deceived him.”

“But that is not true.” Calista felt a
lump in her throat. Having been loved and protected by both her parents, and
then by Evelyn, she could hardly comprehend a father treating his wife and son
so badly.

The Colonel smiled sadly. “No, I am sure
it is not. From the time she married till she left at seventeen, my mother was
seldom in anyone’s company but my father’s. He made sure of that, so that his
cruelty would not be discovered. But I would still not have her name sullied.
Mud, as you know, Miss Haywood, sticks. I do not mind for myself. I have made
my own fortune, and distinguished myself as a soldier. If I were thrown out of
society because that society believed me to be illegitimate, I would survive.
The hypocrisy that exists is astounding. The only commandment of the nobility
is ‘thou shalt not be found out’.   I do not care if my father does
disown me publicly as well as privately. But I will not stand by and let anyone
cast aspersions on my mother’s character. Not after all she suffered at his
hands.”

“I am so sorry for both your suffering,”
said Calista, as a tear slipped from her eye. She had an image of an eager
young man, hoping that his father would accept him, despite everything. It must
have hurt the Colonel far more than he pretended.

“I cannot say I suffered. My mother made
sure of that by taking me to a safe haven where I was loved and nurtured.”

“It must have hurt deeply when your
father disowned you.”

“Do not imbue me with a sensitivity I do
not have, Miss Haywood. I can honestly say I hate my father, and am just as
happy to disown him.” Despite his words, Calista believed he was telling a lie.
She could not blame him. It was no doubt a way of protecting himself against
the pain of his father’s behaviour.

“I believe your five minutes are up,”
said Lady Bedlington from the door. She smiled kindly at Calista, who curtseyed
and went to leave the room. As Calista turned into the corridor, out of the
corner of her eye she saw Lady Bedlington move across the room and put her hand
on the colonel’s arm in a touching gesture, murmuring something in sympathetic
tones that Calista did not quite hear.

Calista only wished that she had the
courage to touch him in the same way. She would have done anything to take away
his pain.

“What on earth did the Colonel want with
you?” said Blanche when Calista arrived at their sitting room.

“He is renovating his house and asked my
opinion on some things,” said Calista. She wished she did not have to deal with
Blanche of all people. She felt moved by the colonel’s story and wanted to be
alone to think about it. To think about him.

“Your opinion? Oh well, I am sure that
is his way of trying to include you. Just like his insistence you go to
Almacks. I think he feels sorry for you. Do not think he will marry you,
Calista. You are far too unimportant for a man like the colonel.”

“Blanche,” said Calista, her temper
rising. “Do you ever get tired of the sound of your own voice?” She brushed
past Evelyn, ignoring the fact that her step-mother reached out for her, and
went into her room, slamming the door after her.

She heard Blanche’s muffled tones
through the door. “Mama, how could you let her speak to me in such a way? And
me about to become a duchess.”

Calista lay on her bed in the darkened
room, thinking of all she had been told. She realized how lucky she had been,
to be raised first by two parents who loved each other dearly, with a gentle
father and loving mother, and then to have Evelyn as a step-mother. Admittedly
Blanche could be a problem, but even she did not behave violently towards
Calista.

After half an hour, the door opened a
little. “Calista…” It was Evelyn. “May I come in, dearest?”

“Yes, of course.”

Evelyn shut the door and came to sit on
the edge of Calista’s bed. “Blanche’s words have hurt more than ever, have they
not?”

“No, I do not care what Blanche says.”

Evelyn stroked Calista’s arm. “Oh I
think you did then. I have known you to defend yourself to her, but never to
give way to temper.”

“I am sorry.”

“You do not have to apologise to me,
child. Nor to Blanche for that matter. She goes too far and it is good for her
to be told when she is wrong. You like the colonel, do you not?”

“Of course, he is a very fine
gentleman.”

“No, I mean you like him as a man. I was
young once. I know that look in your eyes. But something else has upset you.
Why did he wish to speak to you? Has he said something offensive to you?”

“Oh no, he would never do such a thing,
Evelyn. I am afraid I am sworn to secrecy. I cannot tell you.”

“Very well, I will respect that. You are
a good girl, Calista. I am sure he likes you too.”

“Blanche is right, I am sure. He just
feels sorry for me and wishes to be kind. Not that I expect him to want to marry
me. Unlike Blanche, I do not see every man I meet as a potential husband.”

“No, I think that when you fall in love,
it will be once only and it will be the love of a lifetime.” Evelyn smiled.

“Is that how you felt about Blanche’s
father? When you married him, I mean.”

“No. Not really. We were fond of each
other. At first but… I am afraid I have my secrets too child. Some that are too
painful to share and some that might explode and…”

“What?” Calista sat up. “What is it,
Evelyn? You may trust me with anything, I hope you know that.”

“Yes, I know, dear, but I fear from the
look in your eyes that you are the keeper of enough secrets at the moment. When
Blanche is safely married and nothing can be undone… then I may tell you. I can
only hope that you will not think unkindly of me.”

“I am sorry if you have known pain,”
said Calista, taking Evelyn’s hand in hers. “I would do anything to spare you
from it.”

A tear formed in Evelyn’s eye and rolled
down her cheek. “You are a dear girl and I love you as my own. We will find
happiness you and I, Calista. I know it.”

“But first we have to get Blanche
married off,” Calista said impishly. “I am sure there will be any number of
Dukes in Almacks. Or Earls or Marquises. Perhaps now we are no longer at war
with France, we could marry her off to a nice French diplomat and then she will
go and live abroad.”

“You should not make me laugh at such
things,” said Evelyn, giggling. “Blanche is my daughter after all.”

“I am sorry,” said Calista, becoming
serious.