The Fancy (34 page)

in their suites, sitting with her daughter just as Aislin

finished with her.

He went directly to his wife, bent, kissed her

brow and took a seat across from them, looking from

one woman to the other. They became silent; both

knew what was going on and waited for him to

speak first.

Quinton scratched his head, sighed and looked

at Cora, “My mother says-…”

“Yes, I told her, she hurts my daughter, I wil kil

her.”

Quinton didn’t know what to say at first.

“Wh – what has made you feel, that she would

hurt your daughter, my wife?” he asked calmly.

“She is evil, your mother. She is a wicked

woman and cannot be trusted. Moose-Taima, feels

the same – while my daughter lie sleeping, she try to

sneak in on her – why?”

“She says that she only wanted to speak with

her.” Quinton tried reasoning with her, reeling from

her blunt words.

“I do not trust her. I have told my daughter, do

not trust her, and now, I tel you – do not trust your

own mother, she is evil – her soul is wicked. She has

no care for people – her
own
people. If she would

starve them, neglect them as we found them so that

she may hold her wealth close to her, she wil kil my

daughter to keep these things. It is only because she

is your mother, that you try to trust her, but in your

soul, you know that al I say is true. You are not an

unwise man, and despite your mother, you have

heart, you have soul – a good one. If you choose to

send me away, I shal go. In doing so, I bid you,

guard my daughter – if ignored, she wil die, and so

wil the child she carries.”

Quinton sat unable to speak. He could not take

his eyes from Cora, because as much as it tortured

him to hear her words, in the pit of his stomach, he

knew that it was true. His eyes went to his wife – she

sat silently, waiting.

He stood – stil unable to speak; unable to

defend her, his throat simply would not open to

mutter words of denial. He backed away from them,

turning and went for a walk. At some point, he felt a

cold nose in his palm and looked down to see

Moose walking along with him.

Sarah final y made her way down the stairs to

the breakfast room; her mother by her side - she was

a bit queasy, but nothing that would keep from

getting things done that day.

There were some in the vil age sick, who

needed her and Quinton to visit them, with so much

to do – there was little time for the nonsense

between his mother and her.

It was time to face her.

She begged her mother to leave her on her

own to face her, promising that she was completely

capable of taking care of herself. Cora went to the

gardens – she had plenty to do in getting al the

seeds she’d brought with her planted, the herbs they

used for medicine, and the seeds to start a hemp

field there – which could be used for so many things

– she wanted it planted first thing.

As for Sarah, she went to the kitchen looking

for something light to eat, al within could not move

fast enough to satisfy her need. Word had already

spread that she was with child – al knew save

Quinton’s mother; no one cared to share that bit of

good news with her.

Leaving the kitchen, Sarah took her tea, a bit of

cheese and rye bread to calm her stomach. It drove

the servants crazy that she would not sit and wait to

be served, insisting that there was nothing wrong

with her legs – she was not the lazy sort and was not

about to become so just because there were

servants now. Leaving the kitchen, she gave them

something better to do, which was to prepare as

many food basket bundles as their carriage could

hold to take to some families – she wanted them

completed within a couple of hours. As she left the

kitchen, al within sighed with the chief cook cal ing

out, “Yee’ve heard – crack on – le’s get it done then!”

In the breakfast room – the sun shining in

bathed her skin in glorious heat. She nibbled and

chewed wondering where Moose was, and her

husband for that matter; last – her mother-in-law?

Glancing up from her table setting, she spotted her

across the room, standing in the door, eyes on her –

as if she had been preparing herself to final y face

her.

Sarah smiled at her, “Good morning, or –

afternoon.”

Lilith took a deep breath, and striding her way,

returned the greeting, “Yes, afternoon. You slept

late.”

“Worn out from travel and other matters.”

“Yes, I imagine so. And, since we are here, I

hope you feel as I do, that it is time we spoke.”

“I do, have a seat.” Sarah invited the older

woman.

Lilith did al that she could to fight down her

resentment of being spoken to as if she were the

guest in her own home. Her body was stiff; no matter

how she tried to cover it, her true feelings were clear

to see – it was her eyes, her mouth, her brow and the

way she tilted her head, as if looking down her nose

at Sarah.

“I see no reason for pretense – so I wil save us

both from acts of make-believe. Whether it is due to

the color of my skin that puts you off, or the fact that I

exist
period
– and have come to make changes – I

know not which makes you unhappy; al that is

certain is that I can do nothing towards either. I am

here to stay – as for the changes I have made, they

were necessary. As my husband’s father has

passed, he has taken on his name...” Sarah paused,

seeing that al she said went into ears of resentment,

yet she carried on, “… your son, my husband – I both

admire and adore – al that is connected to him, I

wish it be known as the very best-…”

“Impossible with you – as his choice…” Lilith

interrupted.

Sarah sighed, she saw Lena once more, her

advice, and thought
, ‘So it must be…’ -
“And I’ve

heard, the same has been said of you. You see Lady

Lilith, I know, that you started out as nothing more

than a chambermaid – one whose ambitions were

solely for self, no one else. Your own people, from

whom you’ve come – despise you. After what you’ve

done to them and with the privilege you were given,

why would I care about your opinion, of me?”

Lilith shot to her feet, steaming, red – angry.

“We cannot live together, that is clear to me.”

Sarah stated what she saw was true – she too

stood. “I wanted us to talk and try to be civil enough

to give each other time to at least get to know one

another – but it is as plain as the nose on your face,

you wil never work with us - nor me – and I – Lady

Lilith, love my husband, I am not going anywhere.

This leaves only you as the one who must leave.”

“You think you can come to my home, and in a

day, simply kick me out of it?! My son wil not al ow

this – no matter what you’ve done to fool him,

seduce him!”

“Madam, it is nothing more than a choice he

must make, forced on him by you, not me. I would

spare him this if I could – you – however make it

impossible.”

“You wil not win! Do you hear – you wil not win!

WhistHirst is mine – I have not done al that I have,

only to lose it to the likes of a common Moor!”

Sarah straightened her back and squared her

shoulders, stating, “There are worse things Lady

Lilith, than being a Moor – I could have been born

you – and nobody here, seems to like you; in fact,

you don’t even like yourself. What possibly could be

worse than that?”

Lilith stood so angry she actual y bared her

teeth as her upper lip snarled and quivered.

Because Sarah would not leave, or break the stare

into her eyes, she had little choice but be the one to

snatch her gown back, spin and storm from the

room.

Sarah finished her breakfast, went back into

the kitchen to check on the baskets and found that

many had been done. With Heathcote’s assistance,

a carriage was made ready for her, and the baskets

loaded onto it.

She tried to find Quinton, but could not – and

gave up looking, deciding to focus her attention on

the people who could not help themselves. El en was

busy with Col een on the assignment she’d given

them; Erwin was in the vil age helping and directing

the repairs to the cottages; Evan could not be found

and so Hayden made himself available for anything

Sarah might need, including driving the carriage,

with her mother present and together they headed off

to the vil age to give out the baskets, and check the

health of those in need.

The size of the vil age and the need of so many,

kept her busy. She did not check the time, and would

not. In truth, she did not care to see Quinton or his

mother again that day. Hayden didn’t think that it was

a good idea that she keep her distance from their

Lord, but also, found her so irresistible he would

fol ow her anywhere. As the day progressed, with

each new visit in the vil age, Cora could see that her

daughter had more than just her husband as an

admirer. To be fair, Hayden was a perfect gentleman

to them both; even so, Cora noted the look in his

eyes when Sarah was distracted; his heart was there

for her – and that could be risky to her marriage.

Hayden was attractive, on the large side, tal ,

strong, not so muscular looking; he had a soft

looking body – not very defined in his shape. He

wasn’t fat, but it wouldn’t take much to tilt him that

way if he didn’t stay active. His eyes were cognac;

hair sandy blonde; with a soft face that looked

younger than his years.

Cora would not interfere, but hoped her

daughter would notice the man’s attention to her was

a bit more than it should be.

They stayed away from the mansion al day and

into the evening from one cottage to the other until

Sarah was at risk of her knees buckling. Cora

couldn’t help but wonder if Sarah had stayed away

deliberately to irritate her husband? She was moving

from one area of the vil age to the other to make it as

hard as possible to find them should he come

looking; and he had – forced to use Moose to track

them, or rather, her.

By the time he caught up with them, it was dark

and they were on their way back to the mansion. In

truth he had not been out long looking for them, it

was the dark that made him seek them out.

Meeting them on the road, his eyes went from

Hayden to his wife, “I wil take her the rest of the

way,” he informed him, moving his horse up along

the carriage where she sat.

Sarah was too tired for much resistance, and

al owed her husband to transfer her from the

carriage seat to his saddle.

Hayden nodded and snapped the reigns to

take Cora the rest of the way back to the mansion –

it could not be missed that he had little to say to

Quinton. It was something Quinton was trying not to

see, but it was becoming more obvious that Hayden

was attracted to Sarah, the signs that it was so had

begun on the journey through the South in America

and while crossing the ocean.

For the time being, it was a matter for the other

man to squash, it was either that, or depart for the

time being, his wife was the first to be dealt with.

“Why did you spend the entire day out? Have

you eaten?”

“Along the way, yes.” She answered.

“And the day away?” He reminded her.

“I searched for you, could not find you – and so

left you alone, which I assumed you wished to be.”

“I returned home, not long after you left.”

She let the silence be her response to that.

“I know that you and mother spoke today, it did

not go wel – I was informed by the servants.”

She stil had nothing to say.

“She is gone. My decision to send her to

Wil bourne house had been made – before the

servants spoke of what transpired between you. My

resolve that she must go was not an easy one, but

necessary. You see, long ago, she and my feelings