by Rose Pearson
With an effort, Henry shook the tension from him and tried to smile, recalling that they were doing their best to keep Lord Slate completely unaware of their investigation into him. He allowed Roderick to speak rather loudly, his jovial tone still grating on Henry’s nerves as they approached their waiting horses.
“Mount and turn the horse in a circle, so that you face the house for a moment,” Roderick said, as he pulled himself into the saddle. “And for goodness sake, smile.”
Hating that he had to put on such a façade, Henry did as his uncle asked – only to freeze in his seat as he saw none other than Lady Jacintha looking out at him from one of the windows.
The urge to race towards her was stronger than ever before.
“Don’t.”
His uncle’s fierce whisper met his ears, forcing Henry to look away.
“I can see her too but you must ride away. Lord Slate cannot know that we are worried about their presence in his home. You have come to call on them and that is all. Please, Henry, do as I ask.”
With an effort, Henry turned his horse and began to follow Roderick down the estate path, devastated that he had to leave Jacintha behind. She had not been smiling when he had caught her gaze, nor had there been any happiness in her expression. Was that because she was glad to see him leave? Mayhap she did not wish to see him, mayhap it had been her own wish to send him away.
A heavy weight settled in his stomach, bringing him nothing more than torment and pain. Spurring his horse to a gallop, he rode out past the gates that led to the estate and then down towards the beach, the horse’s hooves kicking up sand as he went. Roderick was right behind him, clearly aware of his frustration.
“You ought not to have shouted at the butler,” Roderick said, as Henry pulled his mount into a trot. “I know you are desperate to see her but such a reaction will only arouse suspicion.”
“I need to see her,” Henry replied, looking out at the sea and trying to calm himself down. “What am I to do if he will not allow me into his home?”
“Then you simply try again,” Roderick replied, simply. “Give it a couple of days and, in the meantime, remember that we are doing all we can to try and apprehend the smugglers. It may be that, in doing so, we find a way to reveal Lord Slate’s true nature to her regardless of your intervention.”
Whilst that was true, it did not bring Henry a great deal of comfort. “I can hardly bear this, Uncle.”
His uncle gave him a grim smile. “I’m afraid there is nothing more you can do, Henry.”
Closing his eyes for a second or two, Henry drew in a deep breath, filling his lungs with sea air. How much he had changed in these last few months! How much he had grown! Jacintha was the only one he thought of, the only one in his heart. His affection for her, his love for her, was growing steadily until he thought it might burst from his chest.
“Very well,” he muttered, turning his head to look at his uncle. “Then show me what I can do to help. I want to do all I can to stop Lord Slate.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jacintha turned away from the window, her heart tumbling into her toes. Henry had been here and had been turned away. It was quite purposeful on Lord Slate’s part, she was sure of that, although she was not sure as to why he might have done it. Was it in an attempt to keep her here, in the hope that she would give in to his demands to warm his bed before their supposed marriage. Not that she had any intention of marrying him, of course, for she was still determined that as soon as her father had recovered, they would leave this place.
Thankfully, her father was now doing much better than he had been two days ago, although she had not yet confessed the truth to him about what Lord Slate had done. Harmonia had accompanied her to dinner each evening and Lord Slate had been rather tight-lipped which had sent equal jolts of fear and relief straight through her. It was as though he could not say anything to her when Harmonia was present and, given that her sister insisted on accompanying her to her room once they retired, Lord Slate had very little opportunity to speak to her alone. Of course, Jacintha did not have anything in particular to say to him, finding herself shying away from him whenever she could.
If only she had seen Henry approach, then she might have made her way down below stairs in order to speak to him herself, but she had not been alerted to his presence until she had seen him from the window.
How much her heart had lifted at that moment, so glad to see him that tears had pricked at her eyes. They had then fallen like rain on her cheeks as he had ridden away, filled with sorrow that he had been forced to leave the estate. She had been filled with the urge to run after him, to beg him to help them escape from Lord Slate’s home, but she had been forced to remain where she was, knowing that any attempt to do so would be prevented by either Lord Slate or his staff.
In the days she had been here, Jacintha had learned that Lord Slate’s staff were particularly loyal to him. Her movements around the house had been noted and Lord Slate had told her, very firmly, that such explorations were not permitted. She had not returned to the library or the secret passage since, although she had wondered why he had appeared so concerned over her exploration of the house. Not that she had wanted to ask him, given his demeanor.
“We should prepare for dinner.”
Turning to see Harmonia enter the room, Jacintha gave her a small smile. “I do not particularly wish to.”
“I know, but we have very little choice,” Harmonia replied, coming over to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Mayhap we should try to talk to Lord Slate a little more, in case that makes it easier. Mayhap he is feeling embarrassed and does not quite know how to smooth things over. Not that I am suggesting that you consider him again, for I certainly would not encourage you in that, but even some conversation might make things a little more amiable?”
Jacintha shook her head. “You are very good to try and think the best of people, Harmonia, but I cannot believe it.”
Harmonia sighed. “I am sorry to hear it. However, you can draw comfort that the time here will be over soon. Papa will be ready to travel in a couple of days.”
Jacintha’s throat ached for a moment as she struggled to contain the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes. “Henry is here,” she managed to say, looking over at her sister. “Lord Slate would not permit him to visit with us.”
Harmonia’s eyes widened in astonishment. “My goodness,” she breathed. “Well, mayhap he will be able to accompany us when we return to London – or home, whichever father wishes.”
“I wish he could help us,” Jacintha whispered, a single tear falling from her eyes. “Oh, Harmonia, I have made such a mistake.”
“Do not think about that now,” Harmonia replied, firmly. “You must be strong for a little while longer, Jacintha. Just until papa is better. Then it will all be over.”
Dinner was a tense affair. Lord Slate said very little, as usual, although his gaze remained fixed on Jacintha. Harmonia and Jacintha ate quickly, knowing that taking their time would not bring them any kind of reprieve.
“You have not gone exploring any more, have you?”
Jacintha looked up, trying to smile. “Of course not. I have been caught up with my father’s wellbeing.”
He grunted, looking rather relieved. “Good.”
“Although I have been wondering about that passageway in the library,” Harmonia interrupted, trying to smile at Lord Slate as though continuing the conversation was a good thing. “Where does it lead? Our own home has a few passages very similar to yours, although it simply leads to a different part of the house.”
Jacintha groaned inwardly, aware of what Harmonia was trying to do but wishing that she had told Harmonia not to speak of the passageway to Lord Slate, worried that it would only make him angrier with her exploration of his home.
“The passageway?” Lord Slate repeated, a dark look appearing on his face. “When did you discover this?”
“Quite by accident, I assure you,” Jacin
tha replied quickly, reaching under the table to squeeze Harmonia’s hand so that she wouldn’t say any more. “I closed the door at once when I realized what I had discovered. It is rather interesting, of course, but I would not want to pry.”
He grunted, eyeing her with suspicion.
Lifting her chin, Jacintha returned his fierce gaze with one of her own. She was not about to be intimidated and Lord Slate’s ferocious demeanor was not going to quell her spirit and she certainly would not apologize for stumbling across something quite unexpectedly. Nothing would induce her to do as he wished, no matter how angry he appeared.
“I saw Lord Musgrove came to call upon you today,” she said, not quite sure where this sudden swell of bravery had come from. “What a shame that you could not admit him. I would have liked to greet him.”
His brows lowered, his gaze narrowed.
“After all, he is a good friend of ours and I am delighted to know that he is nearby,” she continued, hearing Harmonia’s swift intake of breath. “I think his uncle lives nearby. Do you know him?”
“No, I do not,” Lord Slate replied, tautly. He did not say any more but turned to his glass of port, refilling it almost to the brim and drinking from it heavily. Jacintha felt her stomach turn over but refused to allow any kind of fear to show in her expression. Seeing that Harmonia was close to finishing her own plate, Jacintha cleared her throat and settled her hands in her lap.
“I do hope you will not mind if we excuse ourselves to take tea in our room instead of in here,” she said, calmly, looking over at the maid who bobbed a curtsy at once and left the room. “We need to ensure that papa is sleeping well before we retire.”
“Although I do hope that he will be up and about tomorrow,” Harmonia added, making to rise from the table. “Do excuse us, Lord Slate, and thank you for an excellent dinner.”
He shot to his feet, his hand shaking as he pointed one finger at Jacintha. “You will stay. Harmonia, you will go.”
Harmonia caught Jacintha’s hand, suddenly frozen in place.
“I don’t think so, Lord Slate. That would be quite inappropriate,” Jacintha said, as firmly as she could. “Do excuse us.”
He stormed around the table, stopping just in front of them both. “There is something I wish to ask you in private, Jacintha. Your sister need not remain for this.”
Jacintha swallowed hard, worried what he might do to Harmonia if she insisted that her sister remain.
“Very well, Lord Slate,” she replied, hearing Harmonia’s whispered “No, Jacintha!” coming from behind her.
Turning around to her sister, she gave Harmonia a tight smile. “I will be out in just a moment. Will you wait for me by the staircase?”
Harmonia did not answer her for a moment, her eyes wide with fear.
“Please, Harmonia,” Jacintha urged, quietly. “I will be quite all right.” She did not want to pretend that she was not scared of what Lord Slate intended, but nor did she want her sister to come to any harm. It was clear that Lord Slate was fueled both by anger and by liquor but Jacintha was determined that she would fight off any kind of advance. If she had to, she would scream aloud and Harmonia would be by her side in an instant.
“I warn you now, Lord Slate, that my father will know of all that passes between us,” she said, calmly, as Harmonia reluctantly left the room, leaving the door wide open. “You tried to press your advances on me once before and I will not allow it to happen again.”
“Of course not,” he replied, although the dark look did not disappear from his face. “But what I have to ask you should be only between the two of us.”
Jacintha looked up at him steadily with a confidence she did not feel. “If you are about to ask me to marry you, Lord Slate, I fear that you will be sadly disappointed.”
His lip curled, his eyes narrowing. “Why would you refuse me?”
She shook her head, dampening down her anxiety in order to remain steadfast. “Are you truly asking me such a thing after how you have behaved?”
“I expect my wife to do as I ask – and not to go prying into things that do not concern her.”
“Then I hope you find a wife who is willing to do as you ask,” Jacintha replied, making for the door. “Do excuse me, Lord Slate. I have the feeling that we will be leaving your home within the next few days.”
He lurched for the door, slamming it hard before she could reach it.
“You have seen too much,” he snarled, grasping her shoulder. “I cannot allow you to leave me. You will marry me, Jacintha, or it will be all the worse for you.”
A curling fear made her wrench herself away from him, wondering what it was he meant. “I have seen nothing, Lord Slate,” she said, moving around the table so as to put something in between them. “You are talking nonsense.”
“You should never have snooped around my home,” he said, slamming one fist down on the table. “You should have kept your nose out of my business!”
Without having the smallest idea of what he was talking about, Jacintha stared at him in confusion. “Lord Slate, I will not be marrying you. I have no idea of what it is you are speaking and I intend to leave this house at the soonest opportunity.”
Letting out a roar of frustration, Lord Slate made to race around the table towards her, only for Harmonia to open the door, her eyes wide and face pale. Jacintha darted for the door, pulling it firmly behind her before rushing Harmonia up the stairs to her room, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
“You must sleep in my room tonight,” Harmonia exclaimed, as they reached her bedchamber and, with as much haste as they could manage, shut the door behind them before locking it securely. “I will not allow you to sleep in a room alone. He has keys to the house, Jacintha!”
“I think it best,” Jacintha replied, her hand over her frantically beating heart. “Goodness, Harmonia, thank you for coming when you did. I do not know what would have happened should he have reached me.” She shuddered, still feeling panic swirling around her. “He thinks I have seen something I ought not to and insists that I marry him so that he can keep my neck in a noose.”
“You know papa will not have it. We will be quite safe here together, I am sure of it.”
Jacintha shook her head. “We will need to push something heavy in front of the door before I can sleep a wink.”
Together, they shoved a heavy set of drawers against the door, both of them breathing hard as they pushed it into place. Sagging against the wall for a moment, Jacintha closed her eyes and thought of Henry. He was nearby, close to them all and that in itself was a comfort. If only he had been able to come into the house today, then she would have been able to tell him just how sorry she was for ignoring her heart and thinking only of practicality. Would she ever get another chance to explain to him where she had gone wrong?
“It is done,” Harmonia said quietly, taking Jacintha’s hand and leading her to the table and chairs by the fire, where a tea tray sat waiting for them. “Come now, you need to rest. We both do. Everything will change come the morrow. I know we will be gone from this place as soon as papa is recovered.”
Chapter Nineteen
Much to her surprise, Jacintha slept well that night, probably because she had her sister next to her and the chest of drawers against the door. Her exhausted mind had refused to dream and so she slept soundly, only to wake the following morning with a deep sense of foreboding.
The banging at the door alerted her to the fact that the maids were trying to get in with Harmonia’s breakfast tray. Rousing her sister, they stumbled, bleary eyed, towards the door and moved the chest of drawers back into its original position before unlocking the door.
Grateful it was their own maid who appeared at the door, Jacintha gave her swift instructions to have her breakfast tray brought to Harmonia's room, as well as a change of clothes. The maid was dispatched quickly and, ensuring that the door was locked and the key left in the door, Harmonia and Jacintha sat down, placing their chairs directly in the s
tream of sunshine coming from the window
“At least it cheers the spirit,” Jacintha murmured, softly. “I must speak to papa this morning, even if he is not ready to rise from his bed.”
“I think he will be ready,” Harmonia replied, encouragingly. “He was in good spirits yesterday.”
Jacintha nodded, remembering how her father had smiled up at her from his bed, the color back in his cheeks. “I just hope this news will not throw him back into weakness.”
“I doubt it,” Harmonia replied, with a quick smile. “I think it will put a fire into his bones, pushing him to leave this house at once.” She put a gentle hand on Jacintha’s arm. “You know he will believe every word you say.”
Thankfully, two hours later, Jacintha found that Harmonia had been right. Her father was in a blaze of fury on hearing what had occurred, enraged that Lord Slate had tried such things with his daughter. He exclaimed over how respectable Lord Slate had appeared, how trustworthy and honest, only for him to try and take advantage of Jacintha when she had been entrusted to his care.
“We shall pack immediately,” he declared, getting up from his chair and ringing the bell so furiously that Jacintha thought he might pull it from the rafters. “And where is the man? I wish to speak to him before we depart.”
“He – he has gone out on business, my lord,” the Duke’s manservant replied, emerging from the shadows in order to begin preparations to leave. “I do not know when he will return.”
“You will not call him out, papa,” Jacintha said, firmly, appreciating her father’s anger for her sake, but not wishing him to be hurt. “I am quite safe, as you can see. You do not need to involve swords or the like.”
Her father shook his head, his lip curling. “I would very much like to inflict some kind of injury on that man, but I will not,” he said, decisively. “I know all too well that he has more youth and strength on his side, but I will ensure that all of society knows of his behavior. I will not allow him to continue with his good name intact.”