Nicholas shook his head sadly. “You cannot make up for all the ill that the world has wrought for them. It isn’t your responsibility.”
“Isn’t it? Am I not my brother’s keeper then?”
Nicholas stared at him thoughtfully for a moment and then uttered the one thing that was always a source of contention between them, “Perhaps your happiness would be better discovered in finding a woman to marry and having a family of your own rather than trying to reassemble one from the broken pieces our father left behind.”
No more was said as a soft knock sounded on the door to the small dining room. The innkeeper poked his head in, a frown upon his face, and said, “My lord, I’m terribly sorry to disturb you but there is a group of young persons here who are quite insistent upon seeing you!”
Cornelius did not allow his expression to betray him. He kept it completely neutral as he said, “Yes, we’re expecting them, but I wasn’t certain of when they would arrive. Please have more food brought out and the necessary crockery and cutlery for them, if you will.”
The innkeeper was less skilled in concealing his reaction. His bushy eyebrows climbed skyward, reaching nearly to his balding pate. “Aye, my lord. I’ll see to it.”
A moment later, the door opened again and the Misses Collier stepped inside with a young and gangly-limbed girl beside them. She had long dark hair that hung over her shoulders in two thick braids and a scowl upon her face that looked very much like the one Nicholas wore on occasion. Had there been any doubt of her parentage, it was quickly allayed. The youngest of the Colliers, a shaggy-haired boy with a gap-toothed smile and mischief in his eyes prompted Garrett to smile before he could catch himself.
Rising to his feet he approached the young girl. “You must be Lila. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
She bobbed a slightly curtsy but said nothing. It appeared his sister was rather shy.
“Come and sit,” he urged, gesturing to the many chairs that were placed about the periphery of the small room. “The innkeeper is having more food brought in if you haven’t dined yet.”
“Oh, no!” Primrose Collier began. “We couldn’t possibly put you out or stay so long.”
“It’s not beets is it? I can’t stand beets!”
That pronouncement, his words tripping loudly over his elder sister’s protests, came from the youngest member of the Collier crew. His eyes were wide with horror and complete disgust.
Once again, Cornelius found himself smiling. “I can attest to the fact that it is very good, hearty stew made of rabbit and carrots and I think potatoes. But there is not a beet to be found.”
Primrose spoke again, giving her younger brother a quelling look which seemed to escape the boy entirely. “We only came so that Lila could meet you, my lord. We did not come here to be—”
“Fed? I was going to order a second serving for us anyway. It’s no trouble at all to share,” he insisted. How long had it been since they’d really eaten? The younger ones were likely fed and the older sisters likely did without. That much, he was certain of. He was just as certain that the word that had been on the tip of Primrose Collier’s tongue had been charity. She did not want his charity.
Lila looked back at her with dark imploring eyes. “Can we stay for dinner, Prim? It smells heavenly.”
The look that passed between the two girls was one of tenderness and understanding. It was clear to him, young as Primrose and Hyacinth were, that they had been mother and father to both Lila and Rowan. Their own mother had failed them, and their respective fathers were blights on mankind, his own included in that. How many others, he wondered? How many had already been lost to poverty or illness? To crimes so unspeakable he couldn’t even envision them? And all because his father hadn’t felt the need to bother with providing for any children he might have created.
“If you are certain it won’t be a bother, Lord Ambrose,” Prim said hesitantly, her pride shrinking at the request. “We’d be very pleased to stay.”
“It’s not a bother in the least. It’s a joy to have the company and be spared more conversation with this lump,” he said, gesturing toward Nicholas. Lila didn’t smile, but her lips quivered slightly as if she were on the verge and little Rowan dissolved into peals of giggles. He’d win them over one by one, Cornelius thought, even Primrose. Why that mattered to him so much was something that did not bear thinking about, not yet at least. He continued introductions. “Lila, this is my half-brother, Dr. Nicholas Warner, which unfortunately makes him your half-brother, too. I am terribly sorry about that.”
Perhaps it was his teasing tone or that the girl enjoyed Nicholas’ pained look. But her lips quirked of their own volition and she puckered them to keep from smiling or, heaven forbid, laughing outright. Once she’d regained her composure, she replied, “It’s very nice to meet you, Lord Ambrose and Dr. Warner.”
Turning to the boy, Ambrose said, “And you must be… Rowan, I believe it was?”
“You have very fine horses, my lord,” the boy said. Each word was enunciated carefully and Prim ruffled his hair in encouragement.
“Thank you, I am rather fond of them myself,” Ambrose agreed. “Please, everyone sit and let us enjoy this fine meal.”
Once they were all seated, food had been brought and served to everyone around the small table. Cornelius spoke directly to Lila. “Do you know why I’m here, Lila?”
“Because we have the same father, my lord,” she answered. “You found letters that said so.”
He was surprised by how much they’d told her and more surprised with the very adult way she had replied to his question. “Yes. That’s right. What you might not know is that our father was a wealthy man and he left a great deal of wealth to me and to my brother, also your brother, Nicholas.”
“But he didn’t leave anything to me,” she said. “Because he didn’t want me.”
Cornelius sighed heavily. “I don’t think it was that. I think that he left the bulk of the estate to me with the understanding that I would find any other siblings and be certain they were cared for. He was a silly man… our father. Details and responsibilities were something he didn’t do very well with.” That wasn’t entirely truthful. His father had been very good with details and responsibilities but, like so many men, he felt his illegitimate offspring were the sole responsibility of their mothers. Except for Nicholas’, but then it had been clear that the man’s feelings for that particular mistress had been deeper than most. Perhaps, the degree to which he’d provided for the children was based on how much value the mother held for him.
“And you do well with responsibilities and details?” Lila asked.
“I do,” he answered, feeling as if what he said and did not say was very important in that moment.
“And you want us to live on your estate,” she replied.
“Yes. I have a cottage there where you and your sisters and brother may stay.”
“But we won’t live with you,” Lila said firmly. “Because you don’t really want me anymore than he did. I’ll be a burden and an obligation, just as I am to my sisters. The only difference is that they love me.”
That had not gone as planned. Cornelius stared into that forthright and curiously adult expression on a child’s face and realized that he was utterly ruined.
Chapter Six
Prim wanted to crawl beneath the table and hide. She could not believe how Lila was behaving. And of all the times that Hyacinth had to be struck with one of her megrims, this was the worst! For all the good her elder sister did sitting beside her, she might as well have been alone with Lord Ambrose and Dr. Warner and Lila’s ridiculous statements.
“Lila, do not be rude. Lord Ambrose sought you out because he wished to meet you and because he wished to provide for you in some way. Love, even when people share blood, is not always instantaneous. I would remind you that you asked our mother to send Rowan back from whence he’d come!” Prim reprimanded gently.
“He smelled,” Lila insisted.
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br /> “I offered the cottage,” Lord Ambrose said, “because I thought you would be more comfortable there. Propriety would not allow your elder sisters to reside in my house because they are not my relations and I did not think you would wish to be parted from them. Regardless of that, you are welcome in my home at any time, Lila. I look forward to having you there and getting to know you.”
Prim sighed in relief. Despite his momentarily poleaxed expression, he’d handled that much better than she had and he seemed to understand that it was necessary to speak to Lila as if she were an adult in spite of the fact that she clearly was not. “There, Lila! You see? Lord Ambrose is only trying to do what is best for everyone here.”
“Why?” Lila questioned him further.
Prim wanted, in that moment, to choke her younger sibling. She’d finally managed to work her way around to accepting that Lord Ambrose’s offer would be the best thing for all of them and now Lila wanted to interrogate the man about his motives. She looked to Hyacinth for help, but her older sister was sitting in the chair, her hand over her eyes. Her pallor was terrifying.
“Because I want to have a family, Lila. I want to know my siblings and have relationships with them. If you’d be more amenable to residing at Avondale Hall with me, then I can always arrange for a chaperone for your sisters. Perhaps that would be best,” he offered.
“Viola and I could come stay after our child is born, but she cannot travel for some months,” Dr. Warner offered. “Is there not another relative we can impose upon until that time?”
“We have Aunt Arabella… my father’s aunt. She is… well, odd—and very old—but otherwise quite capable of the task,” Lord Ambrose replied.
Prim was caught. Well and truly caught. And Hyacinth still sat silently at her side with her delicate features pinched and drawn with pain, oblivious to all that had just transpired.
“Lord Ambrose, I thank you for the offer, but it really wouldn’t be proper. You hardly know us after all, and we—none of us are prepared for life in a grand estate. We haven’t the wardrobe for it and would only be an embarrassment to you,” Prim insisted.
Lord Ambrose cocked his head to one side, staring at her in such a way that she felt he could see straight through to the heart of her. Then he replied, “And I don’t entertain, Miss Collier. There are rarely any guests at Avondale aside from immediate family and a very few close friends. Very few… I can assure you that you all will have everything you need.”
Prim shivered. He was referring only to clothing and necessities. A traitorous part of her wished he meant more than that. Every minute in his presence was a danger to her.
“I think I should be the one to decide,” Lila said. “After all, I’m the one who is getting an entire family in the process.”
All of the adults in the room turned to look at the solemn-faced child who had made such a profound statement.
“I think it impacts everyone, Lila, but you are correct in stating that you should have a significant say in the matter,” Garrett agreed. “If your sisters are in agreement with that.”
“We don’t really have any choice now, do we?” Prim said, but the reply lacked heat. The child making more sense than anyone had taken the starch out of them, it seemed.
“Then it seems, Lila, that it is up to you,” Garrett summed up.
“I have questions, my lord,” Lila said.
“And I hope that I will have answers,” he replied evenly.
Prim supposed it was a rather odd thing to face interrogation from a child but he appeared to be game if it would sway things in his direction. In fact, he appeared to be remarkably calm in the face of such an unusual predicament.
“How many brothers and sisters do we have?” Lila asked.
“Well, I don’t have an exact number,” he answered. “There are Nicholas and you. I’ve found indications that there are others but I haven’t yet managed to locate them. I have hired inquiry agents to look into it, however. As soon as we can manage to locate them, we will reach out to them just as I have reached out to you.”
With a solemn gaze and a serious expression, she asked, “And are you going to invite them to live at Avondale, as well?”
He cleared his throat. It was clearly a stalling tactic, but then he answered her with the same aplomb with which he seemed to do everything. “It depends on what their situation is. If they are adults or if they are well situated in life, then likely not. If bringing them to Avondale would be a viable option for everyone, then certainly, an invitation would be issued.”
And as long as they weren’t sunk so far into a life of crime that it was too late to save them, then yes. The implication was clear in his voice and in the dubious expression he wore, though Prim understood immediately why he wouldn’t wish to say anything to Lila. Some people were beyond saving.
“Will it be terribly stuffy like it is whenever we call on Lady Linden?” Lila asked. “The chairs are all hard and no one laughs. Everyone smiles like someone’s pinching and they don’t want to let on.”
Garrett smiled. “I promise it won’t be like that. I want you to be very happy at Avondale. It’ll be your home. Not a mausoleum.”
“What’s a mausoleum?” Rowan piped up.
“It’s a place where they put dead—” Nicholas offered.
Prim cut him off abruptly. “They keep old things. Very old things.”
“Yes, very old,” Garrett said, biting back a smile. “What do you think, Lila?”
“You don’t have to make a decision right away,” Prim interjected.
“I want to, Prim,” Lila said softly. “I want to go and live there and see what it would be like if my father had loved mama and married her instead!”
Prim’s heart broke in that moment. Lila had never been around men. She didn’t know what it was like to see a man behave honorably. They were nothing more than acquaintances or strangers to her. Of course she was curious and of course she wanted to know more about him and about the father who had never bothered to acknowledge her in any way.
“Very well, Lord Ambrose. But any expenditures for me, Hyacinth and Rowan will be considered a loan only. You will be reimbursed for them,” Prim insisted. Even if she had to sell her soul to the devil to see it accomplished. She would not allow herself to become beholden to any man for any reason. It was a hard lesson she had learned from watching her mother’s life and bitter, lonely death.
“I am certain that we can come to an agreement on the terms, Miss Collier,” Lord Ambrose answered. “Naturally, in light of your efforts in caring for Lila all this time, some recompense should be owed by my father and that will naturally have fallen to me.”
Prim didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Control was slipping away from her. They would move into his home, because that was what he wanted, because it was what Lila wanted and likely needed. If he could behave honorably for Lila’s sake, ensure her future in ways that she and Hy never would be able to, wasn’t it worth any sacrifice on her part? Her pride and dignity were not worth depriving Lila of a future where she might be, if not a lady, then at least someone respectable. Her sister would not have to bow and scrape and be grateful to everyone who deigned to show her a kindness, even if it was only to lord it over her later.
“Very well. We shall accept your invitation to Avondale Hall,” Prim replied. “But my sister and I will work while we are there. Surely there are tasks that we might be able to see to as a way of earning our keep.”
“If you feel you must do so, Miss Collier, yes, a task will be found. But it is not necessary.”
“It is not necessary for you, my lord. But it is for me. We have managed to survive this long without being dependent entirely upon the charity of others. I find that I am unwilling to give up our autonomy for dependence now, regardless of how generously it is offered.”
He stared at her for the longest time, his dark gaze pinning her to the spot. There was something inscrutable about his expression and his study of her that left Prim uneasy
. But then everything about him left her uneasy and very uncertain of what her future might hold.
Before she could say anything further, Hyacinth rose to her feet, swayed alarmingly and then collapsed to the floor.
Dr. Warner sprang into action, shouting for someone to fetch his bag. Lord Ambrose left the room immediately and returned only moments later with a dark leather bag in his grasp.
Prim knelt on the floor next to Hyacinth, cradling her sister’s head as Hyacinth was taken by one of the fits that had always plagued her. It was not as bad as it had been many times before, but even then, Hy’s fits were not so violent as those of some others who suffered such conditions.
“Does this happen often?” Dr. Warner demanded.
“It happens more frequently in times of stress and I fear there has been a great deal of stress lately,” Prim confessed.
“And I have added to it,” Lord Ambrose commented softly.
“No! Not—I mean, yes, this was unexpected and necessitated a great deal of thought and soul searching for both Hyacinth and me but that is not the sort of stress I mean. We’ve been struggling for months to keep body and soul together. The small amount of money that had been saved is dwindling far more quickly than we can earn the necessary funds to replace it. I had just accepted an offer to work as a maid for Lady Linden as the sewing and washing that Hy and I took in was no longer enough to meet our needs.” It was a humiliating thing to confess, but Prim felt that, under the circumstances, she had little choice. If Dr. Warner could help Hy, then withholding information was hardly the right course of action.
“Sewing… lots of fine needlework, likely late into the night?” the doctor asked.
The Awakening of Lord Ambrose (The Lost Lords Book 6) Page 4