The Cynfell Brothers Collection

by Samantha Holt

  He eyed the passing lamps until they were out into the countryside. Because of the lack of light, their pace was slower than he would have liked. He rested his head back and tried to close his eyes, but his pulse thrummed through him, quick and hard, making rest impossible.

  Julian would have sent notes to all of them. He probably should have seen if Ash was travelling to Warwickshire straight away too but to get across London would have taken another half-an-hour. He’d catch up with his brothers eventually.

  He must have drifted off to sleep at some point because he woke with a stiff neck and the sun glimmering annoyingly through the window. He drew the curtain closed and tried to ease the pain in his neck. Anna slept on, looking a little ruffled. No doubt they would look a funny pair in their finery this morning.

  When they reached Oxford, they caught the second train of the morning not fifteen minutes after their arrival. The train wasn’t busy so they had a compartment to themselves.

  “All will be well,” Anna assured him.

  “Yes.”

  He knew the word sounded hollow.

  Thankfully, the rest of the trip to Lockwood Manor was easy. They found a carriage willing to take them the few miles from the station. The long path leading up to the house was eerily empty. He’d normally expect children to be playing out on the lawns or for there to be horses or carriages sitting outside the grand house.

  Harris swallowed the knot of tension in his throat and forced himself out of the carriage before handing down Anna. The butler greeted him and a footman swiftly aided him with his suitcase.

  “Lord Harris, welcome back to Lockwood.”

  “I am sorry that it is not under better circumstances. This is Miss Anna Dubois. I hope you’ll be able to arrange a room for her.”

  “Of course, my lord.”

  “How is Oliver?”

  “It is hard to say, my lord. The marquess and the marchioness are at his bedside at present. Why do you not wait in the drawing room, and I shall let them know you are here? Lord Jasper and Lord Dante are here too.”

  Harris nodded and escorted Anna into the elegant drawing room. Both of his brothers were by the fireplace, nursing what smelled to be large cups of coffee. No doubt they’d had long, tiresome journeys as well.

  “Harris,” Jasper greeted.

  “You must have come quickly,” Harris said to his older brother.

  “Henrietta and I were visiting when Oliver fell ill,” he explained.

  “And we took the first train from Oxford,” Dante explained. “I imagine we must have missed you by only an hour.”

  Both men looked expectantly at him, and he drew Anna forward. “Forgive me, this is Miss Anna Dubois. A, uh, friend.”

  His brothers would know she was his lover—what other explanation was there? Hell, they were hardly innocent virgins before they married so they could have nothing to say about the situation.

  “We’ve met before, I believe,” Jasper said. “In London once or twice.”

  “Yes, I believe so,” she replied. “I am sorry that we are not meeting again under better circumstances.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Dubois.” Dante flashed her a charming smile.

  Suddenly, Harris hated his brothers. “Josephine is here too?” Harris asked, referring to Dante’s wife.

  “Yes, the ladies are with Viola at present,” Dante said, moving over to the side table on which coffee and a few select pastries had been left out, presumably for the incoming guests.

  “I’m assuming Julian sent word to everyone,” Harris asked. He poured some coffee and inhaled the luxurious sent before shoving a pastry into his mouth. He had not realised quite how hungry he was.

  “Yes,” Jasper confirmed. “I imagine the others shall be along shortly.”

  “Ash is in London so I would assume it won’t be long until he’s here.” Harris took a long sip of the coffee and eyed his two older brothers. “What did the doctor say? What are Oliver’s chances?”

  Jasper gave him a grim look. “Who can say? It’s consumption. It very often kills.”

  The coffee began to burn in his gut. “Oliver’s a strong boy.”

  “He is indeed. Let us hope he is strong enough for this.”

  “Harris!”

  He whirled to see Henrietta and Josephine enter the room. Henrietta greeted him with an affectionate cuddle, whereas Josephine—ever the lady—gave him a more subdued kiss on the cheek. Both women somehow managed to look as beautiful as ever in spite of likely very little sleep.

  “Did you just arrive?” asked Henrietta. She stole a curious glance at Anna.

  He eyed the woman who had somehow tamed his errant brother with her curvaceous figure and rather amusing manners. Though she did not look fatigued, worry sat behind her gaze. Henrietta and Josephine had children now. No doubt, they would be feeling almost as anguished as Viola and Julian were. He could hardly imagine what it must be like for them all.

  “Yes, I travelled through the night.”

  “Ash isn’t with you?”

  He shook his head. “Honestly, I did not even think to stop by and see him.”

  “I am sure he’ll be here before long,” Josephine said. “No doubt the house will be full of you all soon enough, and Lord knows, Julian could do with the support.”

  After he introduced the women to Anna, they tucked themselves against their husbands and a pang of envy surged through him. Which was ridiculous. He had Anna here with him after all. But to be so openly affectionate...Christ almighty, what a sap he was turning into.

  Harris turned at the sound of footsteps coming into the room. Pierce, followed by his wife Evelyn, and Gideon and Ash joined them. He greeted his brothers and Evelyn, who made her way over to the other women.

  “No Lila?” he asked Ash.

  Ash shook his head. “She’s in a, uh, delicate condition.”

  Harris grinned. “Well done, brother. Adding to the Cynfell clan.”

  “Do not say anything to anyone,” his twin warned. “It’s early days, and I’m sure everyone would rather focus on Oliver.”

  “I won’t say a word.”

  “You brought Anna with you?”

  “She insisted.”

  “I see.” Ash’s expression darkened.

  “Don’t look at me so, I am not playing some wicked game with her.”

  “Be sure that you are not.”

  Harris rolled his eyes. “Need I remind you, you are barely the older brother. Stop acting as though you have years of experience on me.”

  Ash shook his head and stilled when Julian entered the room. His brother might be the eldest of them, but he had never seen him look so aged. He offered them a grim smile and clasped Ash’s shoulder.

  “Thank you for coming. I didn’t expect you all to come so quickly.”

  “Is Viola with Oliver?” Ash asked.

  Julian nodded. “She refuses to rest.”

  “Perhaps one of the ladies will be able to persuade her to take a break later,” Ash suggested.

  “Hopefully.” Julian released a long breath. “It looks like we’re in for a long wait. Let us pray.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Harris stepped out of the house and peered at the sky. The day remained clear which was good news. The roads would be dry and the carriage conveying Oliver and his parents back from London would be without delay.

  And they would finally have news of how he was doing. After days of no improvement, the local doctor had sent the boy down to London for treatment. He only hoped it was enough.

  “When shall they be arriving?”

  He turned to find his mother on the stoop. Though she tended to keep herself away from most of them, she had been at Julian’s wife’s side for most of this awful event. It was mildly strange to see his cold-hearted mother nursing a child and bonding with Viola. Julian’s American wife had certainly had an interesting impact on her.

  “Within the hour, hopefully.”

  “Let us hope this m
odern medicine works. In my day, we took to our beds and hoped for the best.” She shook her head. “Unfortunately, it was usually the worst.”

  “I’m not sure what they can do for Oliver,” he warned.

  There was still no cure for consumption in spite of the medical advances. They just had to pray the boy was strong enough to fight it.

  The woman strolled into sight, and Henrietta and Anna waved in their direction. He lifted a hand while his mother steadfastly ignored them.

  “That woman is your lover, I take it.”

  Inwardly, he cringed. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to his mother about his sex life. He hardly felt comfortable talking to her about the latest updates to the dower house let alone how he spent his private time. None of them had ever been particularly close to their mother.

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “Pretty woman. Quite intelligent too.”

  He stared at his mother. “Pardon?”

  “You should snap her up before someone else does.”

  Harris had to stare at her for quite some time longer. Did his mother even know about Anna’s past? She must, he was certain of it. Somehow, his mother knew everything. So why on earth was she of all people telling him to snap her up?

  “Marriage, Harris. Marriage is what you need.”

  “A marriage like yours?” He regretted the words when she flinched a little. The truth was, he was not used to his mother showing any display of feelings. He had to wonder if she had not been inhabited by some mischievous ghost or something equally bizarre.

  “I do not think you would have a marriage like mine with Miss Dubois.”

  Harris looked away from where the ladies moved across the lawn, twirling their parasols and looking as beautiful as ever. His sisters-in-laws had been completely accepting of Anna, and they had all come to enjoy each other’s company as far as he could tell. Though the circumstances could be better, he hoped she at least enjoyed the companionship they provided.

  Thoughts of marriage were luckily dispelled by the sound of horse hooves on the road. The women hastened to join him, and he motioned to the footman.

  “You may wish to fetch the others. They shall want to be here.”

  His brothers had joined him by the time the carriage pulled up outside of the house. Anna came to his side and grasped his hand. He stole a glance at her. He could swear, in that moment, a word he seldom used rattled around his head. It vanished quickly when the carriage door opened and Julian stepped out.

  Oliver was bundled in his mother’s arms and did not look any better but the weariness had eased from Julian’s face.

  “He is still sick,” Julian announced. “But the doctor said it was not as bad as we had first thought. With care, he shall recover.”

  The air released from their collective lungs. No one said a word, but Harris spotted tears in many an eye.

  Viola handed the boy over to Julian who carried him inside while the rest of them followed.

  Anna tugged Harris aside.

  “I shall have to return to Stourbridge soon, now that the danger is passed. I hope you don’t mind, but I have been away too long.”

  “No, of course.” He lifted her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I must thank you for your support. You have been wonderful to me and my family.”

  “You have a delightful family. I’ll confess I am most envious of it.”

  “Had you grown up with six brothers I think you might be saying otherwise.”

  “Well, I am glad I got to meet them.”

  “When shall you leave?”

  “In two days if possible.”

  “Of course.” An ache began in his gut. She could not stay by his side forever, he knew that. He hadn’t even thought he wanted her to, but now she was leaving...

  “When shall I see you again?”

  Her eyes brightened. “Soon, I hope. The invitation to visit Stourbridge is still open.” Anna offered a shy smile. “It always shall be.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Miss Dubois.”

  Anna paused as she passed the kitchens and stopped in the doorway. “Yes, Mrs Baxter?”

  The head cook motioned to the menus currently spread across the large wooden table that occupied the middle of the room. The maids and waiters scurried by, ever busy serving and preparing food for the guests at Stourbridge. Anna prided herself on being able to provide the finest and most up-to-date cuisine but she warranted many guests would be surprised to find that the chef was a woman of thirty when most fine restaurants were headed up by men.

  “Do you have a moment to look over the new menus?”

  She held back a sigh. It was not that she did not want to look over them, but she was incredibly pressed for time. She should not have stayed away for so long, but how could she have left Harris at such a time?

  Damn, she needed to write him a letter today too. She’d only managed to pen a brief one a few days ago and she really wished to inquire after Oliver. His last letter had implied he would be staying a Lockwood for a little while longer.

  Stepping into the kitchen and drawing in the smell of sweet pastries, she scowled when her stomach gave a little lurch of protest. Determined to ignore the odd sensation, she leafed through the menus and nodded. “All looks well.”

  The cook’s eyebrows arched. “Are you sure?”

  She was not offended by the woman’s surprise. After all, she usually rejected the menus several times when they revised them, but today she had not the time or the will to change them. They all looked perfectly fine anyway.

  “Yes. These will do nicely.” She put down the final menu. “If you need anything more, I’ll be in my office.”

  “Of course, Miss Dubois.”

  Anna hastened upstairs and through the main hallway. She moved past the statues of couples in various stages of copulation. Funny how they had never bothered her before. They had been a means to an end. A way to make Stourbridge that little more scandalous. While many saw them as art and others saw them as something incredibly sordid—and no doubt that appealed to them—she had hardly spared them two glances after installing them.

  Today, however, they left an ache in her chest. Mostly because she recalled what it was like to be entwined similarly with Harris. And with those thoughts came the hard realisation that it was not just the sex she was missing.

  Anna strode through to her office and found her secretary occupying the white and gold space.

  “There’s some new membership requests for you to look at,” Nora told her.

  “Have they been checked?”

  “Yes, they’re simply waiting on you to say yes or no.”

  She nodded and moved behind the elegant desk. “Thank you, Nora. I’ll get through these today and you can write the confirmations shortly.”

  The young woman nodded and took that as her dismissal.

  Sitting, she rested her head on her hands. She had to face facts. Her love for business, for profit had gone. If she did not find it again, Stourbridge would suffer and so would the people relying on her for their livelihood. She owed it to the many girls she had rescued off the streets and from abusive houses to be the best business woman she could be.

  But the hunger was gone. Spoiled by one man. He had forced her to see outside of Stourbridge, outside of her bitter need for revenge upon those who treated her with scorn. It no longer mattered if she had their secrets or not, if she could know the details of their little lives while they glanced at her with fear.

  Anna had received a taste of life without Stourbridge, and she wanted more.

  She wanted Harris.

  Those three little words haunted her mind. They were not new but they were becoming more forceful. She had been able to admit she was wildly fond of Harris—and his family, really. But those three words. What could they ever mean? She had little idea if Harris loved her, but he had certainly been attentive and wonderfully supportive. Harris knew more about her than any other person on the earth and still
wished to be by her side. But that did not necessarily mean love. After all, he had pursued her out of lust, not love.

  She closed her eyes as a wave of weariness came over her. She opened them again and glanced at the clock. It was only just past lunchtime, and yet she was ready to give up for the day. Scowling at the letters in front of her, she tried to force her attention on sorting them into piles of yes and no. The exhaustion edged into her mind, though, making it cloudy and hard to concentrate.

  She clapped a hand over one application from a respected doctor.

  A tiny jolt of horror speared her. She had been sleeping a lot of late and feeling exhausted in between. Her odd appetite was unusual too. Swinging from wishing to eat a lot to feeling nauseated.

  Was she sick? She swallowed. She would have to speak to the doctor. It was likely nothing serious, but what if she’d contracted consumption too?

  She abandoned the applications and found Nora at her desk. “Could you send for the doctor when you get the chance?”

  Very little surprised Nora. After all, working in a place like Stourbridge hardened most of them. But her assistant’s brows rose. “Is all well?”

  “Yes, yes. It’s nothing urgent.”

  “I’ll send for him straight away.”

  “It really isn’t urgent,” Anna insisted, more to quieten the small voice of panic echoing through her mind.

  She rarely got ill—she hardly had time to—but this lethargy and odd appetite was not right. With any luck, it would be something mild and the doctor could reassure her. Once he had, she was bound to be able to get on with her work.

  Anna retreated into her office, shut the door and tried to focus on the remaining applications. Several lords, a journalist—well, he was not going to get accepted—and a surgeon. All vying to get through her doors.

  She eyed the white door to her office. Few of them would really understand what Stourbridge was. A den of sin run by a woman but more than that, a place of refuge. Most thought she was merely the face of the place, and she did not care enough to let them know otherwise. Her position brought her enough power as it was. Her nameless, faceless master granted her all the power she needed in the eyes of society.