by Janet Woods
A subtle blend of lavender and roses assailed his nostrils as she swept past. After she’d gone he slowly let out the breath that had captured her fragrance. Then something he’d overheard her say kept him staring into the hall whilst the echo of her footsteps whispered back to him.
‘Who the hell is Edward?’ he muttered.
Edwina tried not to appear too eager when Gerard requested permission to attend her in her bedchamber, so she kept him waiting. Willow had already acquainted her with the happenings of the morning, and had invited her involvement in an amusing deception.
Considering his transgressions of late, and Willow’s part in his resurrection, she was only too willing to humor her. Incorrigible as Willow was, he deserved it she told herself.
‘You look ill-used,’ she scolded, managing to hide her delight when he was admitted, and sounding as if he’d been away for one night instead of four long years. ‘I’d decided you were undeserving of my sympathy, but my mind is changed at the sight of you. Your homecoming was beset with sorrow and shock, but I hope your recent indulgence is not to become a habit. We need your strength.’
The shame Gerard felt at her words was not up for discussion. He offered only a brief, ‘I beg your forgiveness, Grandmother.’
‘It’s yours, Gerard, for you are my beloved grandson.’ She smiled at him, noting the lines of maturity the previous few years had marked on his face. ‘Come and give your grandmother a kiss. I’ve missed you.’
‘I thought of you often, Grandmother.’ Kissing both her cheeks he sat on the side of the bed and took her hands in his. ‘I didn’t expect to find you bedridden.’
‘An attack of the rheumatics.’ She made a face. ‘If your good lady has her way she’ll cast it from my bones without delay. She allows no pessimism in the sick. She’s kept your father alive by power of will alone. The doctor is quite out of countenance with her.’
Gerard frowned. ‘He wishes my father to perish?’
‘Of course not. It’s just that he says one thing and she does another.’ Her smile was thoughtful. ‘Ambrose improves a little each day. It’s because he loves her and wishes to please her.’
‘I’ve observed them together. She takes advantage of his helplessness and treats him with no deference.’
Edwina noted the ironic tone of Gerard’s voice. ‘Do not bore me with highhandedness.’ His mouth tightened at her rebuke. ‘Your wife has been the mainstay of this household. Despite her youth she’s worked longer hours than the servants, and performed tasks no lady should be expected to do. She’s kept the household together and earned the respect and love of everyone in it. Yes, she has faults. Flouting convention is one of them.’ Her voice softened. ‘You should not find it difficult to forgive such a small imperfection. She has many graces to make up for it.’
‘She has indeed.’ He gazed somewhere into the distance. ‘I cannot recall meeting a woman both pleasing to the eye and intelligent before.’
‘That’s because you’ve always looked for the one and discounted the other.’ She gave a snort of disbelief. ‘Women are forced by circumstance to submit to men, therefore they emphasise the one trait and hide the other. Will… ?’
Gerard’s eyes sharpened. He should have remembered such an unusual name.
Edwina sucked in her breath. ‘Your wife is not skilled in the art of deception. What she feels is mirrored in her eyes whether it be anger, mischief, or rebellion. She applies herself to life with honesty. Remember that, Gerard. Her happiness means much to me, and it’s in your hands.’
‘I’ll do my best to be a good husband to Willow.’ He was amused to discover the old lady indulging in such a childish game. When he chided her with it she gave a hint of a shrug and smiled. ‘There is much of the child in her to be indulged.’
‘We have much to catch up on, Grandmother.’ Drawn by the sound of laughter he crossed to the window. Willow was comforting a small boy. Jeffrey was chasing a grey pony on horseback. He cornered the pony behind a shrub and led it back to the child. The boy had the look of a Lytton. ‘Your letters didn’t mention that my mother had produced another son?’
‘No such event occurred.’
Jeffrey leaned from his saddle to present Willow with a leafy twig from the shrub. They laughed when she struck his booted leg with it. The flirtatious gesture annoyed him, and he frowned when his grandmother explained.
‘The boy is the child of Daphne de Vere, and heir to Sheronwood.’ The King is his godfather. Daphne has requested we keep Edward here, believing he will be safer at Lytton House than in London. She hopes to visit him in the spring if her duties at court allow.’
Instructions were issued to the boy, who kicked the pony’s flank and set it trotting across the garden. Pleased to observe the child’s fall had not frightened him, he smiled in approval when the boy managed to turn the pony’s head and bring it back to his tutors. Willow hugged the child as she lifted him from the pony, then took his hand and escorted him towards the house. Jeffrey led the pony away towards the stables.
‘Heir to Sheronwood, you say?’ His voice was cynical as he turned from the window. ‘Offering hospitality to relatives of Marquis Lynchcross is fast becoming a habit. Odd, considering he’s suspected of murdering my grandfather.’
‘Your grandfather killed his father. It was that which started the feud.’
‘A duel, I believe.’
‘Aye,’ Edwina said softly. ‘It was a duel over his mother. The marquis was only fourteen when he caught them together. He vowed he’d never rest until his father was avenged. Now hate has consumed him, and he’s unable to stop.’
Startled, he stared at her.
‘Why do you think the earl made you swear an oath not to challenge the man? The feud was caused by a Lytton. Ambrose intends that the Lytton family should not add fuel to the fire.’
‘The reason for his chicanery now becomes clear,’ he reflected. ‘Willow’s mother practiced the black arts, that’s why she was foisted on to me.’
‘If you’re referring to your marriage Gerard, I should like to point out that Willow was blameless of any wrong.’ Edwina’s look was as wintry as the snow-laden sky outside. ‘She was offered no choice. You saw the state she was in when she arrived.’
‘I saw it.’ Shame licked at him. ‘Tell me about the child. How did he come be in our charge?’
‘Daphne feared for Edward’s life with her husband showing signs of madness, so she sent him to Sheronwood to be in his great-grandmother’s care. The boy travelled down with Willow and myself. Smallpox took Rosamond before she could meet her great-grandson, so Edward is now in our charge.’ Edwina smiled. ‘He’s a well-behaved child and, as you’ve observed, favors the Lytton side of the family. Even so, the marquis is fond of him.’
And any other child who takes his fancy by all account, Gerard thought. No wonder Daphne de Vere had sent her son to the country. The marquis had been her stepfather for a major part of her childhood. Gerard tried to put aside the uneasy thoughts that skimmed the surface his mind.
A recollection came to mind, one he didn’t really wish to examine at close quarters. He dismissed it, concentrating instead on amusing his grandmother with stories of his years in America. They passed a pleasant morning, his grandmother listening intently when he described the tobacco plantation he’d won on the turn of a card in Virginia.
‘My husband would have enjoyed hearing about this,’ she said when he’d finished. Her hand covered his. ‘Your memory of your grandfather would be vague.’
‘I remember him as a kindly man who taught me to play chess with great patience. He will always have my respect.’ He stood as a maid entered bearing a tray of food. The delicious aroma made his mouth water. ‘Poached trout,’ Edwina said, lifting the lid from one of the dishes.
‘Begging your pardon, My Lord.’ The maid eyed him nervously as she bobbed a curtsy. ‘Cook says will you be taking dinner tonight.’ ‘Of course I require dinner.’ The girl was a recipient of a frown. ‘W
hy should the cook need to ask?’
‘Cook didn’t know whether you were still… ?’ The girl hung her head and muttered. ‘She thought you might still be ill sir.’
Was that how his insobriety had been discussed amongst the staff? His head began to throb again, a reminder of his excesses. He’d been a fool. ‘As you can see, I’m not.’
‘You’ll be wanting a tray then?’
‘Why the devil should I need a tray? I’m not indisposed.’
‘Calm down, Gerard.’ Lady Edwina smiled reassuringly at the maid. ‘Because of the epidemic, formal dining was dispensed with.’
‘On whose orders.’
‘Lady Sommersley’s.’
‘I see.’ He began to burn. Dinner at Lytton house had always been an event he enjoyed. He liked a fine table set with polished silver and crystal, enjoyed the company of family and friends, the leisurely ebb and flow of pleasant conversation. He was beginning to feel like a stranger in his own home. The daughter of the marquis would have to learn that some traditions would resume now he was home.
‘Tell Lady Sommersley and my brother I’ll expect them in the dining room for dinner.’
‘But, sir -’
It was time he made his authority felt. ‘Do not question my order, girl.’ Nodding to his grandmother he strode from the room.
‘My Lady?’ The maid turned to Edwina for guidance.
‘Do as he said, my dear.’ She gave the girl a serene smile. It seemed Gerard was about to learn the hard way that disrupting Willow’s routine was not the wisest thing to do.
The meal was quite spoiled. His wife was making a fool of him in front of the servants, Gerard fumed as he paced the length of the dining hall. She’d deliberately set out to thwart him, to undermine his authority as her husband. Had he been a different type of man he’d have taken a horsewhip to her. And where was Jeffrey?
He stopped pacing to bark an order at the footman, then seated himself and began to wait, his fingers drumming on the table.
A few minutes later the door burst open. In a flurry of blue silk Willow advanced on him, her eyes glittering in the light from the sconce she held aloft. ‘I believe you demand my immediate presence.’
‘It has always been the custom at Lytton to take dinner in the dining hall,’ he said before she could draw breath. ‘In future you’ll be on time, or you’ll forfeit the right to eat.’
‘Thank you for the advice, husband.’ Her voice trembled with the effort of keeping it calm. ‘If that’s all you wish to relate I’ll go about my business now without further delay. Pray, excuse me.’
‘No I will not!’ He could not believe the insolence of her tone. ‘You will remain until my brother joins us, then we will dine together in a civilized fashion.’
‘I have no time to be civil. If I forfeit my dinner by not being here, then so be it.’ ‘
You will stay!’ His voice flayed her like a whiplash when she turned to leave. ‘It’s apparent you’ve had your own way for too long. You’re my wife, and as such will obey me.’
‘I shall do no such thing. I have no intention of dining with a man who displays such ill manners and bad humor.’
His glare would have intimidated most people, but Willow ignored it. She’d worked hard to establish an easily managed routine in the house and had no intention of acceding to her husband’s bullying. He just didn’t understand that a routine had to be followed, or chaos would result.
Jeffrey appeared from the shadows behind her and said in a conciliatory manner. ‘There’s much to do before we dine, Gerard. It was our intention to ask you to join us— ‘
‘Our intention?’ Gerard’s gaze swept haughtily from one to the other. ‘Since when have you been a couple?’
‘Pray do not display such tedious arrogance.’ Willow gazed at the waiting footman. ‘Please make sure the earl’s tray is taken upstairs.’ Her hand swept in an arc across the table. ‘Remove this and find some means of keeping it warm. We’ll dine later.’ She turned towards her husband who was gazing at her with incredulity etched on his face. ‘Let me explain the situation.’
‘There’s no need to explain.’ His fist crashed down on the table, setting the cutlery dancing. ‘It’s obvious you have no intention of paying service to your position as wife, or obeying your husband’s lawful commands. You’ve taken my bread, enjoyed the comfort of my roof over your head, and worn the clothes I’ve provided on your back. You’ve been spoiled in my absence, and I’m sorely tempted to send you back to your father. Do not try my patience much further, madam.’
An anguished gasp issued from her mouth and she fell silent. Her eyes became fearful, as if haunted by memories of her past. He began to regret his words, but pride would not let him retract them.
‘Do not go on I beg of you, Gerard.’ Jeffrey put a restraining hand on his arm. I’ll dine with you if that’s your wish. It will be like old times.’
‘No, Jeffrey, it will never be that again.’ The anger drained from him as fast as it had arrived. He gazed silently at Willow. She was wearing an expression of such abject misery he was moved to guilt as he remembered the bloodied stripes the marquis had given her as a wedding present. ‘I’ve no intention of sending you back.’ She stood perfectly still when he advanced towards her. Her rigidity surrounded her with a barrier of tension. The purple quartz of her eyes was cold and glittering in the candlelight. Abject misery or not, she was not appeased by his about face.
‘I wish to point out that I’m not a servant to be ordered about,’ she snapped in a voice as cold as her eyes. ‘I demand to be treated with respect.’ The smile she sent his brother was troubled. ‘Explain to my husband the routine I’m forced to follow. He may condescend to listen to you, Jeffrey. God knows, he’s too proud to listen to a woman, whom he seems to regard as some sort of chattel.’ Her eyes swept over the table. ‘You will excuse me, husband. Others are more needful and deserving of my time.’
He could only admire her grace and courage as she swept from the room leaving her fragrance to linger about him. Then that too was gone. He turned to find Jeffrey staring at him with disdain in his eyes. Dear God, what had he done to turn his brother against him? He sighed. ‘I cannot bear to have you look at me so. Come, tell me what’s on your mind. You can speak the truth without fear of reprisal.’
Jeffrey’s eyes were flint hard. ‘You’ve changed, Gerard. You’re not worthy enough to be husband to Willow.’
‘What!’ He stared at him in astonished outrage for a moment, then seeing the misery in his brother’s eyes experienced a rush of sympathy. Jeffrey was in love. Willow the object of that love.
‘Nevertheless I am her husband,’ he said gently. He threw his arm around Jeffrey’s stiff shoulders in brotherly affection, waiting a few short moments until he relaxed. ‘Come,’ he said, sighing as he lead him to the table. ‘I seem to be doing everything wrong of late. You’ll give me the benefit of your advice, and I’ll tell you all about Virginia whilst we wait for the food to be warmed. Why does Willow not have the time to dine with us?’
‘Our beloved father will not eat unless she’s there to coax him. We usually have our meal on a tray afterwards and spend some of the evening in his company. Willow said it’s important father feels needed and loved at this time. We were going to invite you to join us.’
‘Why did she not tell me that?’ he asked, mortified by his lack of understanding of the situation.
‘I believe your pride would not allow her to.’
‘You’re right,’ he muttered. He gave his brother a conspiratorial grin. ‘Tell me, would Willow regard an apology with favour?’
Jeffrey returned the grin. ‘Unless you’d welcome another flea in your ear, wait until her temper cools.’
Gerard decided to make his apology later. The house was quiet when he slipped from his bed and shrugged into his robe. A grin played around his mouth. Willow would make a delightful change from the women he usually associated with. Something about her told him she’d be
an apt pupil once she got over her initial shyness.
Anticipation roused him into a gentle half-readiness and he felt like laughing. Married four years and his wife still a virgin? No wonder she had such a foul temper.
Candle held aloft he stepped through the concealed door to the adjoining chamber. He stopped, looking about him in uncertainty. The oath he gave was succinct, and his half-arousal became a shadow.
Where the hell did she sleep?
Chapter Five
When they came into the hall they didn’t see Gerard at the top of the stairway. Willow’s cheeks glowed with cold and her eyes sparkled with mischief.
She snatched the hat from his brother’s head and threw it up in the air, laughing when a shower of snowflakes drifted down. Catching the hat with one hand, Jeffrey grinned as he helped her off with her cloak. They were just back from a ride. Willow’s riding habit was mismatched, the blue coat and hat at odds with the brown skirt. It offended Gerard’s aesthetic sense.
‘Let’s go and warm ourselves up in the ballroom,’ she suggested, stamping her feet against the cold on the crest of arms embedded in the marble floor.
Gerard shrank into the shadows when Jeffrey gazed about him. ‘What if Gerard’s about?’
‘Stop being faint-hearted, Jeffrey. After his excesses of the past few days he’ll probably sleep until noon.’
The scorn in her voice whipped color into Gerard’s face. Not so, little lady. His face was thoughtful as he watched them disappear in the direction of the ballroom. His habit was to rise early, especially in winter when the daylight hours were short. This morning he intended to breakfast with his father’s steward and familiarize himself with estate news. He wanted to discuss the new agricultural system he planned to implement. The commonly used strip system was inadequate. He couldn’t understand why his father hadn’t already begun to modernize the estate.
First, he’d make it his business to find out exactly what Jeffrey and Willow were up to in the ballroom so early in the morning. A grin tugged at his mouth as he descended the stairs and slipped into the study. Was she teaching Jeffrey to dance at this early hour? The thought amused him while he waited for Rodgers to bring his hot chocolate.