Ashes of Roses

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  “Well then, profit, of course,” Monsieur Delacroix laughed, and his eyes glittered eagerly.

  “Certainly, those involved in arranging circumstances as such that it would require we drop below fifty-one percent ownership, would benefit greatly in the hostile takeover that would ensue,” I rattled off the truth, glibly. “Our valued employees and ourselves, not so much.”

  Monsieur Delacroix blinked.

  “As I said, Anika is invaluable to our success, both in her business sense, and her amazing ability to discern character,” Miles added. He looked slightly amused by Monsieur Delacroix’s expression.

  “It is no matter of luck that your wife is just such an asset, I am sure,” Lady Carlisle remarked. “I would imagine her father is well-versed in business, himself. In a country without titles, I suppose it a worthy consideration, when developing a criteria for a successful match.”

  “Anika is indeed gifted, but it isn’t her talents in the area of business, or her father’s, which fulfilled either of the two criteria I found to be essential in a wife,” Miles replied. “The first, was that we must have a deep and abiding love for one another. The second, though not by matter of importance, was that her Father must be the King.”

  I knew where he was going with this, but judging by the wide-eyed looks cast my way, I was the only one.

  Lady Carlisle was the first to regain the power of speech.

  “Really, now,” she said in fascination. “Miss Fairgrave neglected to mention it. Of what country is this?”

  Miles shook his head.

  “To be the daughter of a king was of no interest to me. Anika, however, is a daughter of the King. That holds greater value than any title bestowed by man. That value is eternal, and her lineage is evidenced every day in the way she exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in her love for me, and others, and seeks to conform more closely to the image of His Son. Anika’s earthly father is a man whom I am proud to call my father-in-law, but nothing is of greater value than this.”

  That gave Lady Carlisle something new to think about, and everyone else, as well. I suspected it wasn’t a criteria any of them considered considering before, but either they respected Him enough to treat Miles’ words with respect, or they respected Miles enough, to do so. Maybe it was some of both.

  Ashley’s expression was somewhat troubled. I wondered what she was thinking.

  “How very fortunate then,” Lady Carlisle replied. “Or perhaps, I should say it is a blessing.”

  “It is, and I truly am,” Miles agreed, and he and I shared a smile.

  “We both are,” I added.

  “If only we all could be so blessed,” Sir Edmund said quietly. The glance he exchanged with his mother held no smile, implied or otherwise. She returned his gaze unflinchingly.

  Monsieur Delacroix appeared oblivious to the distinctly pointed undertone. The Countess either didn’t notice, or didn’t care. Ashley glanced at Sir Edmund furtively, then returned her eyes to her plate.

  “Indeed,” Lady Carlisle said slowly. “When one bears the title of baronet, additional criteria are necessarily involved. It has not been a simple task for Sir Edmund to find a partner befitting his station in life. I am pleased to announce that at last, he has.”

  Ashley’s eyes were locked on her plate. The fork she held, trembled in her hand.

  Lady Carlisle rose deliberately to her feet, and lifted the glass containing the latest installment of alcohol.

  “A toast, to Sir Edmund and Countess Ava, on their engagement.”

  I stared in surprise, and shot Monsieur Delacroix a look. He was clearly too old for her—and that was not calling the kettle black!—but they were together. Weren’t they? But he seemed perfectly pleased. He joined Lady Carlisle in toasting, as requested. I was too stunned to do so, besides which, we didn’t waive our no-alcohol policy in favor of toasting. There was no water option offered with dinner, and this announcement hardly felt worthy of celebration.

  Sir Edmund looked grimly resigned, as he downed his glass. Countess Grieve appeared too disinterested to bother acknowledging her own engagement. If she was even aware of it, at all.

  Ashley’s eyes were dark as she slowly raised her goblet, and drank. There was disillusionment in her eyes as she set it aside, and looked at Sir Edmund. If he noticed, he gave no sign. His gaze was fixed on the fourth course, as it took the place of the third.

  “Congratulations, Edmund,” Ashley managed to say.

  He heard. He must have. But he acted as though he wasn’t even aware of her existence.

  Ashley dropped her gaze.

  “I hope you’re both very happy together,” she said quietly.

  But that wasn’t the truth.

  Chapter 6

  “I don’t even know where to start,” I sighed in exhaustion, as Miles and I finally settled into bed, after the world’s most awkward engagement dinner, ever.

  “It’s four o’ clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, our time,” Miles stifled a yawn. “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but that’s thirty-four hours since we left the Lodge on our way to the airport, and very few of those have been spent in sleep. If you try hashing it over now, you may have to do it without me, in anything other than a physically present, sense.”

  “I wish I could fall asleep as easily as you,” I lamented, as he hugged me close, tucked the covers around us, and tucked my head under his chin.

  “Try,” he mumbled, and I laughed.

  “Okay,” I said. “What was up with Monsieur Delacroix, and Countess Grieve, anyway? I know the guy’s old, but I thought they were together.”

  “This isn’t what I meant by ‘try’,” Miles half-grumbled. “And they are together, though not in the way that you mean. Monsieur Delacroix is the second-cousin Marge told us about. The one the Countess went to stay with, after her mother died. Lady Carlisle explained their relationship at dinner.”

  “That must’ve been one of the times I was checking for darkness, and my mind wandered. Or, it may’ve had something to do with jet lag.”

  “I know the feeling,” Miles stifled another yawn, which made me yawn, too.

  “I didn’t see any darkness, not of the murderous kind,” I reported. “Although there were plenty of other kinds, I couldn’t see. Monsieur’s greed, being one.”

  Miles laughed softly.

  “I wish I had a picture of his expression, when you laid out his ulterior motive.”

  “It’s too bad you can’t come with me to view the truth,” I said. “I can see it, any time I want. It really is funny.”

  “Alright, I’m jealous. You happy now?” he replied, and I laughed. I also hugged him with the arm I had wrapped around his chest, and managed to kiss his cheek.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Me too,” he said. “I’m also winding down. What else do you have?”

  “Why would Sir Edmund go along with that crazy engagement story?” I wondered. “His mother has complete control of the estate. Is she threatening to kick him out, if he doesn’t?”

  “If so, then why?” Miles replied. “Other than the title of Countess, inherited from her Scottish father, what possible benefit is there?”

  “I don’t know, but… she sure takes recreating life in Edwardian times, seriously.”

  “Only when it suits her,” Miles corrected. “Her son holds the actual title, which was passed on to him after the death of his father. Yet Lady Carlisle placed herself at the head of the table, and her son at the foot. While she attempted to follow Edwardian protocol and separate husband from wife, she placed Sir Edmund and the Countess together, despite their engagement, which she clearly supports.”

  “That’s weird,” I frowned. “And are you serious, husbands and wives weren’t supposed to sit together?”

  “Bizarre, isn’t it,” Miles replied.

  “But it was perfectly fine for them to sit by other people,” I tried to comprehend.

  “It wasn’t just fine, it was required. It was a bad time i
n history for marriage, in the higher castes, at any rate. Time in the home was highly structured, and time together, limited. Love and commitment weren’t prerequisites for marriage, it was all about the social ladder, and rising in status. By and large, fidelity wasn’t a thing, nor was it expected to be.”

  “That’s awful!” I exclaimed.

  “Yes. It was. I’m thankful my family maintained the standards of the Victorian Era, rather than adopt a lifestyle of moral bankruptcy.”

  “Why would Lady Carlisle want to emulate that?” I frowned.

  “She picks and chooses, so perhaps she doesn’t. During Edwardian times, the style of the manor was modified to that of an English country house. If it remained clearly Victorian, perhaps that would be her aim.”

  “That would be better, but it would still have her picking her son’s wife for him. What does she see in the Countess, besides her title? And what does she have against Ashley, besides the lack thereof? Or maybe she likes to see her son miserable. She respects you, because you stood up to her, and informed her she insulted us both. But she strikes me otherwise as being mean, and vindictive. She knows how Ashley feels. She looked at her like she was a bug, and felt satisfaction in squashing her. Ug! Poor Ashley. My heart hurts for her. How could Sir Edmund do that to her? He promised he would tell Lady Carlisle he loved her, and that they were in a relationship. Ashley had been pressuring him to, she didn’t like sneaking around, and he said he’d do it this afternoon. She was blindsided, in the worst way.”

  “Wait,” Miles said. “This is the first I’ve heard of this.”

  “I got a lot out of ‘I hope you’re both very happy together’,” I said. “And then he wouldn’t even look at her. He just let her walk in and be hit with all of it, without even warning her. He acted like she wasn’t even there. Or like he knew, and wished she wasn’t. I’m amazed she was able to sit through the rest of that ages long dinner without bursting into tears. I couldn’t have.”

  “No, you couldn’t, because that would never happen to you,” Miles said firmly, as he hugged me a little tighter. “You know that. Following someone else’s plan, anyone else’s, if it meant losing you, isn’t something I’d do. Even if you were engaged to my brother. I wouldn’t shoot him, but I would tell him I loved you, and that you were meant to be my wife. I would hope that when I did, you’d agree, rather than stand there looking shocked.”

  “Yes, I’d agree,” I laughed.

  “Good, because I wouldn’t care what anyone else thought of me, or what I lost as a result, as long as I had you.”

  “You’ve got me,” I smiled. “We’ve often found that nothing is as it seems, but if I had to analyze tonight based on what we know, I’d say Lady Carlisle was proving she’s the one in control. And she is, because her son doesn’t have enough character to stand up to her. How could he claim he loves Ashley, and do that? Do you suppose the Countess has any idea the turn her future is expected to take?”

  “I’m not convinced she has even a rudimentary grasp of the English language, so perhaps not,” Miles replied.

  “As greedy as her second cousin is, he’d be glad to go along with it,” I said. “Considering her lack of interest in her surroundings, and the separate bedroom policy, she could end up married and never even know.”

  “Now that you mention it, I could see that happening,” Miles replied. “The whole thing is bizarre, speaking of which… as Ashley has heard of no ghostly stories or legends here at the manor, nor have there been any encounters reported, maybe what you’ve seen and heard is caused by something else.”

  “I’m sure of that,” I agreed. “It’s more like other-time, than other-worldly. I seem to be starting it off, somehow. Both of us, sometimes I guess, when we start talking as if it was about a hundred years ago.”

  “Hm. I’ve never felt more compelled to work words like ‘super cool’ and ‘ya’ll’ into my conversations,” Miles remarked, and I laughed.

  “I know the feeling. I do seem to have some control over it, though.”

  “Good. Then stop it,” he ordered. “I don’t like that you saw me fade, and someone else try and take my place. I’m content never knowing what that’s all about, or where following it would lead.”

  “No one could take your place,” I assured him. “But I agree.”

  “Good,” Miles said, and then he was quiet. If he wasn’t already asleep, he soon would be. I closed my eyes, and prepared to follow.

  The young woman regarded her reflection in the mirror, as she carefully removed the pin that held the beautiful hat securely in place atop her brown curls. It was a triumph on the part of the millinery artist who created it. The lovely folds of soft fabric, ribbon, flowers, and ostrich plumes, satisfied something deep within, some part of herself once starved nearly to extinction. But no longer. Her heart swelled with joy, and her brown eyes sparkled back at her, merrily.

  She gently lifted the hat from her head, then nestled it safely in its place inside her hatbox. Imagine, having so many hats, that such a thing was necessary! Yet an imagination was unnecessary after all, as her reality was better than any dream possibly could be.

  The young woman looked about her once more, noting the luxuriously appointed room as she crossed the floor to stand in front of the fireplace, and the cheerful flames that crackled and danced amongst the burning logs. It was indeed lovely, though she did believe she preferred her own.

  Upon second thought, she remembered but little, having spent so short a time there. She reminded her suddenly impatient heart that her absence was but temporary. Once she returned, she need never leave home again, unless she cared to.

  The door opened, and in walked a gentleman.

  “Thank you, that will do nicely,” he directed the two footmen who followed, carrying a heavy trunk between them.

  “Very good, sir,” the first footman said, and he and the second footman placed it conveniently beside the wardrobe.

  “Will there be anything else, sir?” the first footman asked politely.

  The gentleman glanced at the young woman who stood near the fireplace, absorbing its warmth. She smiled as she shook her head slightly, and an answering smile lit his brown eyes.

  “Only note that it will not be necessary to tend the fire next door, as the room shall remain unoccupied throughout our stay,” he said.

  “As you wish, sir,” the first footman replied with a nod of acknowledgement, and they took their leave.

  The gentleman saw the door securely closed, then joined the young woman by the fire. Her brown eyes sparkled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, then gave him a sideways glance.

  “I began to wonder if you changed your mind,” she teased. The thought amused him, and he laughed as he pulled her close.

  “I cannot imagine why you should think such a thing,” he smiled.

  “You were away so terribly long,” she replied.

  “Five unbearable minutes,” he said, as she ran her fingers through his dark blond hair.

  “And are you here to stay, now you’ve collected your trunk? Or must I begin arranging furniture so that you are unable to escape back into the separate space your family so thoughtfully, or otherwise, prepared for you? You best know, I intend to keep you.”

  “You have me,” he said softly. “Resorting to force will not be necessary, I assure you.”

  My eyes popped open.

  “Miles! Wake up!” I exclaimed in excitement. I also shook him a little, for good measure. His heart pounded against my cheek in response, and his arms tightened around me.

  “What?” he asked sharply.

  “Miles, I know what it is I’ve seen and heard, since arriving here! I don’t know everything, but it’s your brother, James, and his wife, Katharine!”

  “What?” Miles asked in confusion.

  “It was Katharine I saw in the mirror, and James who spoke! You both said the exact same thing, only he was talking to her!”

  Miles was still for a moment, other than
his heart, which began to slow.

  “How do you know this?” he questioned.

  “It was like a dream, only I don’t think it was. I recognized them, and then he said what he did. She was teasing him about rearranging furniture so he couldn’t escape to his room, and that’s when he said it. They were here, at the manor, like we are. This was their room. Or hers. Then it was theirs, they felt the same way we did, about separate bedrooms.”

  “But—when? Why? Are you sure about this?”

  “I know what I saw,” I said with certainty. “It was like a dream, but it wasn’t.”

  Miles processed that for a minute. Either that, or he was falling back asleep. I shook him again.

  “I’m awake,” he replied. “I’m also trying to make sense of this. If James and Katharine were ever here, I never knew it.”

  “It was right after they got married,” I remembered. “They weren’t at the estate long, then I guess they went on their honeymoon. And they came here.”

  “You’re right,” Miles recalled. “They returned to the estate on July 20th, 1901, and were married the next day. Afterward, James felt it was best to take Katharine away for a while, until they could be certain the sheriff of Abramstown wouldn’t come nosing around. They left for New York the following week,and from there they sailed to Europe.”

  “There was a fire in the fireplace,” I frowned. “Does that make sense, in July?”

  “I recall that in summer, the Isle of Camden’s typical daytime temperature is only in the mid sixties. So, yes. The manor wouldn’t achieve an indoor temperature higher than that, without a source of internal heat.”

  “And mid-sixties is much too cool for comfort,” I shivered.

  “Why would you dream this?” Miles wondered. “They returned safely to the estate, and lived out the rest of their lives, there. If anything of interest occurred here, they kept it to themselves.”

  “I don’t know why, I just know I did,” I replied.

  “I need to talk to Trix,” Miles said.

  “If only you two could communicate over the phone. How about FaceTime?” I suggested. “You’d be able to see each other, anyway.”