Realm 06 - A Touch of Love (32 page)

“I
apologize,” Carter said compliantly. They had agreed the earl would tarry at the inn an hour or two before he followed them to Derbyshire. It would not do for “Miss Patrick” to be seen traveling with Charleton. After the stilted moments following Carter’s suggestion of the earl’s visit at Blake’s Run, Carter had escorted Mrs. Warren to the let coach, and they had departed Manchester. Enduring her silence for some twenty minutes, he had finally sucked in his pride and offered yet another request for forgiveness. “I meant only to assist you.”

She turned her head slowly to glare at him. Her eyes darkened with aggravation. Through tight lips, she said, “You say you mean to provide me choices, but then you snatch those options from my grasp before I have the opportunity to weigh them.” Mrs. Warren returned her gaze to the passing terrain. “Despite what you think of me, Sir Carter, I am capable of executing a degree of caution.”

Decidedly piqued, Carter chose his words carefully. “What would you have me do?”

A single tear slid over her cheekbone, and Carter clinched his fists rather than to reach for her. With a soft sob, she said, “Perhaps it is time you accepted your own advice: Return to your position in London and leave Simon and me to our chosen devices.”

In many ways, Carter wanted nothing more than to walk away from her. Lucinda Warren was the most frustratingly desirable woman he had ever encountered. Yet, his heart wished to guard her from harm. “I cannot leave immediately. After all, it was I who extended the invitation to Charleton, and as the earl holds great influence with the Home Office, I cannot offer him an offense.” He paused to examine her reaction, but Mrs. Warren refused to meet
his gaze. “I will wait several days and then claim I have been summoned to London. Until then, I will limit our interactions to those with the company of others. I assume those terms will meet with your agreement.”

“Do as you wish, Sir,” she said bitterly. “You require not my permission to act in your best interests.”

He gave a dramatic shudder. Nothing about the agreement to withdraw was in his best interest, but Carter kept his thoughts private. Rather than to argue further, he slid lower in his seat, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes. He did not appreciate the concept of being labeled a miserable failure. It was an odd sensation, but somehow he would find the strength to leave Lucinda Warren behind.

Lucinda waited until she heard his soft snore before turning her head to look upon his beloved countenance. In the late morning light filtering through the coach’s window, she studied the lines of his face, attempting to memorize every small detail. His forbidding countenance reflected the strength of his character. In a few days, he would be gone, and she would likely never see him again. The realization tore at her heart, but she knew it was best. She held no doubt if she remained close to the baronet, Lucinda would succumb to her desire for him, and she would not compromise herself simply to know the pleasure of his embrace. Sir Carter’s honor would demand he make her a second proposal when he discovered her not the experienced widow he thought her to be. No, Lucinda would not trap him into a loveless marriage. She had already weathered one disastrous joining; a second would destroy her. She set back into the well-worn squabs to study him closely. No other man would ever own her heart, but perhaps one day she might discover another, a man she could respect and with whom she could show affection.

“Welcome, Your Lordship.” Lawrence Lowery led his wife, Carter, and Mrs. Warren in greeting their unplanned guest. When Carter had announced the impending arrival of the Earl of Charleton, Law had presented him with a look of scathing disapproval. “Arabella and I planned a speedy withdrawal to the
dowager house,” he had growled, but Lawrence knew duty better than anyone. He and Arabella had quickly organized the staff to accommodate the earl.

Charleton slowly disembarked. “You have a beautiful property, Hellsman. The Dark Peak creates a majestic backdrop.” He shook Law’s hand and air kissed the back of Arabella’s knuckles. With an appreciative smile, Charleton said, “You have discovered a jewel, Hellsman. Wherever did you find the acquaintance of Lady Hellsman?”

Law gestured toward the house. Good-naturedly, he said, “It is a long story, Your Lordship. Perhaps over tea, you can persuade Lady Hellsman to share her version of our courtship. I am certain it varies from mine.”

The earl chuckled. “It sounds delightful. My curiosity is piqued.”

Law placed Mrs. Warren on his arm, while Charleton escorted Arabella inside. “Let us say the story begins with a rainstorm and a dark cave.” Law laughed easily as Arabella blushed prettily. Mrs. Warren glanced over her shoulder to Carter, but he refused to acknowledge her questioning gaze. Despite Carter’s best efforts not to know jealousy, his brother’s marital happiness grated on Carter’s well being. Rather than to follow immediately, he turned to give the earl’s driver directions for the coach. He would eventually join them in the sitting room Arabella had designated for entertaining, but he would not readily rush into the revelry.

After an hour of polite conversation, Lord and Lady Hellsman and Sir Carter excused themselves, leaving Lucinda and the earl alone. As nervous as she had ever been, she asked, “May I send for the boy, Your Lordship?”

The earl appeared relaxed and content. “Might we wait a bit? I find myself full of questions and would wish to learn more of my niece.”

Lucinda attempted to steady her breathing. “Certainly, Your Lordship. What do you care to know?”

“I suppose Sir Carter explained how I searched for you after Waterloo,” he began.

She paused to collect her composure. She would not permit her uncle to observe her surprise. “I fear the baronet omitted that particular fact,” Lucinda said with uncertainty.

Silence filled the space between them. Finally, the earl said earnestly, “In London, we had received reports of the chaos following Waterloo. A mass exodus of English citizens flooded our docks, but despite my relentless searches, you were not among them.” Lucinda heard the crack of emotions in her uncle’s voice, and she felt a twinge of guilt for causing him grief. “I sent several investigators to Brussels. They discovered neither you or your father had attended the Duchess of Richmond’s ball.”

“Before the battle, the colonel had been ill for a week or more,” she confessed. “I could not leave him.” Lucinda easily recalled how she had so wanted to attend the duchess’s ball. To dance and to laugh and to be a girl again.

The earl nodded his understanding. “Was Roderick ill when he rode into battle?”

Tears clouded her eyes, and Lucinda worked hard to blink them away. “I begged Father not to go, but, of course, he would not abandon his men.” She thought,
Yet, he abandoned you
.

Charleton’s lips turned down. “Was Roderick unaware of the exodus of English citizens from Brussels? According to all accounts, Napoleon’s speedy advance had surprised even Wellington. They say the duke rushed from the ball, leaving his hostess in a distraught state.”

Lucinda lied, “I doubt Father was aware of the danger.” She swallowed the urge to blush.

The earl did not appear convinced, but he said, “My men found no evidence you returned to the residence you shared with your father.”

“No. I volunteered in the hospitals, tending the wounded. I have no idea how long I remained among the Belgium nuns who housed the most severely wounded, but one day, Sister Agatha announced the convent would close, and they were to remove to a southern province. By then, there was nothing remaining of my former shelter. The army had assigned it to another family. My few belongings were stored in the ‘deceased’ section of a military warehouse. I retrieved them before I convinced the paymaster to give me father’s last pay; with the money, I booked passage home. Originally, I returned to Devon, but Father Warren refused to accept me in his home.”

Her uncle’s mild oath did Lucinda well. If she had been a man, she might have challenged Gideon Warren to a duel for his total disregard for her future. “Why did you not return to Merritt House?”

“Father had let the property when he returned to service, and I had always wanted to visit London. I purchased passage on a coach and made my way to the Capital. With my widow’s pension and the small allowance from my mother’s will, I did well until Simon appeared on my doorstep.”

Charleton appeared quite vexed. “I should never have accepted the Belgium reports that you likely perished. Early on, I checked Captain Warren’s files, but there was no news of your claiming his allowance.”

“While he was still alive, Father would not hear of my accepting the allowance, but after Father Warren’s rejection, I held no other alternative.” Thankfully, her uncle did not comment on her refusal to seek his assistance.

“Did you not claim the rents to the Devon estate?”

Lucinda forced the lump in her throat away. “I had no rights to the property.”

The earl’s tone was kinder than she deserved. “I demanded the old earl bequeath the property to Roderick upon his marriage to your mother with the understanding it would be left to their child–their children. The house is yours if you wish it. At a minimum, the rents should be returned to you.”

Moisture returned to Lucinda’s eyes. She owned a piece of property. She felt her heart falter. Small, it was, but she was not destitute, after all. “The rents would do me well for now. I am not certain I would wish to live along side Coltman Hall and the Warrens.”

Her uncle said by way of agreement, “I will send word to my man of business to learn what has become of the rents and to make arrangements for their immediate dispersement to you. That is if you hold no objections.”

“That would be most kind, Your Lordship.”

Contentment glittered in his nut-brown eyes. “This has been an superb beginning. Thank you, my Dear. I believe it is time I have the acquaintance of young Simon now.”

Carter had not gone far. In fact, he had chosen an adjoining sitting room to read through the reports, which had arrived in his absence. Carefully, he had released the latch and set the door ajar so he might eavesdrop upon Mrs. Warren’s conversation with the earl. He could not decipher the words,
but he could hear the tone and knew satisfaction. No anger peppered their speech.