A Sense of Injustice (Perceptions Book 4)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Well then, we are agreed.’ Luke stood. ‘I shall leave you to have the matter out with Mrs Brigstock and—’

  ‘Uncle, do we have visitors?’ The door flew open and a very pretty woman whom Luke assumed to be Mrs Brigstock put her head around it. Luke could see Miss Gregory’s familiar features at her shoulder. ‘I saw a strange horse in the…oh, excuse me.’ She bobbed a curtsey and smiled demurely. It was evident that she knew who Luke was and awaited an introduction. It couldn’t be avoided and Luke gave Exton a curt nod, permission to go through the motions.

  ‘Lord Swindon, may I make my niece, Mrs Brigstock, known to you? You are already acquainted with Miss Gregory.’

  Luke gave a curt nod in response to both girls’ curtsies but refrained from making any comment.

  ‘Do you wish to leave, my lord?’

  Exton’s meaning was obvious. Luke desperately did want to quit the room, but could see that his old friend needed his initial support in order to confront Mrs Brigstock with what he knew. Exton had mentored Luke through the minefield of local law and order responsibilities when he inherited an earldom he wasn’t ready to take on. It was time to repay the favour.

  ‘Not if you would prefer for me to stay.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Exton let out a long breath. ‘Lydia, go to your room and remain there until I send for you.’

  ‘But, Uncle—’

  ‘Go!’

  Miss Gregory studied the steely set to her uncle’s features and fled from the room.

  ‘Sit down, Felicity.’

  ‘Of course, Uncle.’ She offered him a sunny smile, virtually ignoring Luke as she took a chair. Like a seasoned soldier smelling a forthcoming battle, she focused all her attention upon Exton. ‘Are you quite well? You look terribly pale. Is there something I can fetch you for your comfort?’

  ‘You are the cause of my discomfort, Felicity.’

  ‘Me?’ She gave a convincing display of ignorance, but Luke noticed a tic working beneath her eye and watched her throat bob as she swallowed repeatedly. ‘Whatever have I done, and why does it involve the earl? Tell me at once and I shall put it right. The last thing I wish is to cause you any distress when you have been so kind to me.’

  Luke could see that Exton was having trouble formulating a sentence; not because he doubted his niece’s complicity in a wicked murder conspiracy and plans to force a young woman into an unsuitable marriage, but because he was filled with shame on her behalf. The most honourable of men, Luke knew it would take a great deal of time for his old mentor to recover from this disgrace. The least he could do was to take control.

  ‘Cleethorp is on his way to London,’ Luke said curtly, watching her reaction closely.

  ‘To whom do you refer, my lord?’ she asked with a convincing display of ignorance.

  ‘Do not play games with the earl!’ Exton roared. ‘We are aware of your association with the man, and what the two of you did to bring about your husband’s death.’

  ‘Me?’ She widened her eyes as her glanced flitted between the two men. ‘My husband died in a terrible accident.’

  ‘We know the truth,’ Luke said with exaggerated patience. ‘About Brigstock and your shameful attempts to manipulate Louise Pearson.’ Felicity’s face paled but she continued to portray the epitome of innocence. ‘I don’t know how you imagined you would get away with following the poor girl here and continuing with your machinations beneath my nose. We are not complete idiots, and we take care of our own. Cleethorp is gone and will not return. He wants nothing more to do with you.’

  ‘Uncle, what is this mockery?’ She sat a little straighter. ‘You can’t possibly allow his lordship to make unsubstantiated allegations against a member of your own family. You are our patriarch and we look to you for protection and guidance.’

  ‘Silence!’ Exton bellowed. ‘You may speak when I give you leave and not before.’

  Felicity laced her fingers in her lap and subsided into an uneasy silence, her eyes welling with tears. Tears of self-pity rather than remorse, Luke knew, feeling not one iota of pity for a situation that she had brought upon herself.

  ‘I cannot make you quit Swindon,’ Luke said. ‘Only your uncle possesses that power and I will leave the two of you to discuss the situation. However, know this.’ Luke stood, looming over the woman. ‘You will never be welcome in my home and I will ensure that you are not invited to any of the other leading houses in the district if you do somehow manage to persuade your uncle to allow you to remain here. I will not have Miss Pearson subjected to the sight of you, not after what you have put her through. It is only for the sake of her reputation that I am not making public what I know about your behaviour. But if one shred of doubt surfaces about the Miss Pearson’s character then I shall know where the rumours started. If you consider your circumstances to be uncomfortable as things stand, rest assured that my retaliation will give you reason to think again.’

  Mrs Brigstock lifted her chin, seemingly unaware of the tear trickling slowly down one cheek. Or perhaps she was not. It was all an act, and Luke wasn’t about to be taken in by it. ‘You do me a disservice, sir. Where is your proof?’

  ‘I would advise against testing me, madam,’ Luke replied in a steely tone. ‘I have spoken with Brigstock’s solicitors in person.’

  ‘Oh.’ She touched her tips with the fingers of one hand.

  ‘Oh indeed. You may not be aware that your husband left a letter with instructions that it be published in the national newspapers if you did anything to disgrace his memory. Anything other than murdering him, obviously. Even he didn’t imagine you would go that far. If you create problems in Swindon or do anything to draw attention to Miss Pearson, I shall ensure that letter is published, your reputation will not recover and you will not be accepted anywhere. And now, Exton, if you will excuse me, I feel a pressing need for fresh air.’

  He sent Felicity a look of curling disdain and quit the room. Luke shook Exton’s hand as the squire escorted him to the front door and then accepted his hat and gloves from the hovering butler, who had doubtless overheard the entire exchange between Luke and Mrs Brigstock. He certainly appeared to be having trouble containing a smug, most un-butler-like smile.

  ‘Will you be all right?’ Luke asked, clasping his old friend’s shoulder. ‘If you would prefer for me to stay—’

  ‘Thank you, but I can handle matters from here. I will send you a note in the morning to confirm that she is gone. I just wish there was something I could do to make amends to Miss Pearson,’ Exton said, scratching his wispy head.

  ‘Make sure Mrs Brigstock leaves the district and that you don’t allow Miss Pearson to realise what you know. The kindest thing we can do for her is to treat her normally.’

  Exton nodded decisively. ‘Quite so.’

  Romulus bounded up the front steps, having been released from Onyx’s stall when the horse was led round. The sight of his uncomplicated adoration restored Luke’s spirits after the unpleasant interlude he had just lived through. He ruffled the dog’s ears, wished Exton good luck and then descended the front steps in order to mount Onyx.

  He rode home slowly, still conscious of the weight of his responsibilities and the restrictions they placed upon his freedom of choice. But if his position of authority also enabled him to put the likes of Cleethorp and Mrs Brigstock in their place then at least he could do some good, and really had little cause for complaint.

  He sent for Flora and Paul the moment he returned to his library, thinking it better to see them together. As things stood, it would be unwise for him to receive Flora alone. He owed her an apology for his behaviour in the barn, but couldn’t bring himself to apologise for something that had seemed so natural, so subliminally right.

  Paul arrived first, but Flora was close on his heels, looking anxious for information.

  ‘I can confirm that Cleethorp caught the London train,’ Paul said, ‘and think it safe to assume that we have seen the last of him.’

  ‘I wish we c
ould make him pay for what he did,’ Flora said, scowling and twisting her fingers together in a gesture of frustration. Unlike Luke, her thoughts appeared to be exclusively focused upon justice for her friend and she had forgotten all about the passionate kiss they had shared just a few short hours ago. ‘However, his having to go cap in hand to his brother and offer to work for a living will have to be punishment enough. And as for Mrs Brigstock…well, I don’t want to think about her at all.’

  Paul and Flora both smiled when Luke related the substance of his interview with Exton and then Mrs Brigstock herself.

  ‘She will attempt to convince her uncle that it was none of her doing and that Cleethorp manipulated her,’ Luke said.

  ‘Exton will have none of it,’ Paul said. ‘He will be mortified, especially because it is you who brought his niece’s behaviour to his attention.’

  ‘Well,’ Flora said, standing. ‘Thank you for telling me, but if you will excuse me, I must return to the countess. She is determined to come down to dinner this evening, which is good news since it means that her health has improved, so I had best get along and change myself. She dislikes being kept waiting. You can be sure that the moment we receive confirmation that Mrs Brigstock has left Swindon I shall lose no time in setting my friend’s mind at rest. Thank you on her behalf, Luke, since she can hardly thank you herself.’

  Luke smiled at Flora. ‘She is entirely welcome,’ he assured her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Flora and Louise walked in the grounds of Beranger Park. A month had passed since Luke’s confrontation with Mrs Brigstock and the weather had turned distinctly chilly in the interim. The trees were now almost leafless and a cold wind bent the bare branches back on themselves as the girls scurried to take shelter in the pavilion behind the boathouse at the far end of the lake.

  ‘I am so very pleased that your worries are at an end,’ Flora said, meaning it.

  ‘Because I am not carrying that horrible man’s baby, you mean? I must confess it’s a massive relief, as is the fact that Cleethorp and Mrs Brigstock have left the area.’ Louise pulled her cape more tightly about her and shuddered. ‘I hope I shall never see either of them ever again.’

  ‘I am perfectly sure that you will not. They are both survivors, and they know better than to cross swords with Lord Swindon. He will make good on his threats if they do and denounce them both. There is not enough evidence to accuse them of murder but rumour will be sufficient to destroy them both. They won’t take the chance.’

  ‘Your earl can be very forceful.’

  ‘He is not my earl, Louise.’ Remus materialised in Flora’s direct line of vision, chuckling. Flora sent him away again with a flip of her wrist. He seemed to choose his moments to eavesdrop on her conversations. ‘He is my employer.’

  ‘If you say so. I did not witness his lordship’s confrontations with my tormentors first hand, but to have made them take to their heels he must have put the fear of God into them. Words cannot express my gratitude.’

  Flora shook her head and decided it would be best to change the subject. ‘How was your trip?’ she asked, aware that her friend had just spent a week in her London home.

  ‘My aunt was totally shocked when I told her I expected her to leave my property immediately.’ Louise’s smile was satisfied rather than vindictive. Given the problems that Louise’s aunt had caused for her, Flora was unsure whether she would have been so restrained. ‘I have never seen the colour literally drain from a person’s face before. She claimed not to have colluded with Cleethorp and once upon a time I would have believed her.’

  ‘Of course you would,’ Flora replied briskly. ‘She had convinced you that she cared about you, but it seems to me the only person she cared about was herself. She was perfectly willing to throw you to the wolves in order to secure her own future. I am glad that you don’t feel any lingering loyalty towards her.’

  ‘Absolutely none.’ Firm resolve underlined Louise’s words. She had matured during these past few weeks, Flora realised. Hardly surprising, given what she had been forced to endure. All the worry, the threat of disgrace. Flora couldn’t begin to imagine how tormented, how helpless, how ashamed she must have felt. ‘When tears failed to move me, my aunt predictably tried to make me feel guilty. She claimed she had given up her life in order to look after me and that she had received no thanks for her sacrifice. I told her she was now free to continue with the life that was so important to her and need have no further concerns for my welfare.’

  Flora grinned. ‘I wish I could have been there to witness her reaction.’

  ‘She called me ungrateful, undutiful and lots of other unpleasant names that I won’t offend your ears by repeating. But I expected something of that nature. I have observed her reaction before when someone has said or done something to upset her. She has a sharp edge to her tongue. Anyway, in the end I told her that if she was not prepared to pack her things I would have someone do it for her and then physically evict her. She claimed she had nowhere to go, of course. No money of her own to set up her own establishment and she deserved help from me, but I refused to listen. I know very well that my father paid her handsomely whilst he was still alive and that she made economies in the housekeeping budget, pocketing the difference herself.’

  ‘So she will not starve.’

  ‘No, she will not. But neither will she be able to live in the style to which she became accustomed.’

  ‘No more should she.’ Flora’s tone turned speculative. ‘It must have given you a great deal of satisfaction to have stood your ground.’

  Louise’s smile was imbued with a new-found self-confidence and the worry lines had left her eyes. ‘You have no idea.’

  ‘Oh, I think I have. I stood up to my own father recently and had the pleasure of seeing him back down. After all the sadness he caused me during my childhood, I won’t pretend that I didn’t enjoy exacting a little revenge.’

  ‘Well, we are both free of our pasts now, and I can start again.’

  Zeus appeared from nowhere and wrapped himself around Flora’s legs.

  ‘Hello, you.’ Flora dropped a hand and ran her fingers along the cat’s sleek back. ‘What mischief have you been causing? He looks upon the lake as his private domain and spends hours stalking the fish. Not that he ever catches any. They are far too wily to be taken in but that doesn’t seem to put Zeus off.’

  ‘Instinct, I suppose,’ Louise replied, smiling at the cat as he stalked off with his tail swishing before settling down in a patch of reeds that he must have assumed would hide him from approaching fish.

  ‘What shall you do with yourself now?’ Flora asked.

  ‘I intend to remain with Grandmamma. She has asked me to stay and I look forward to getting to know her and Marianne far better. I should not have allowed myself to be influenced into neglecting them. I was concerned that Marianne would hanker after life in London. She deserves to enjoy parties and balls, but I am worried about mixing in society and running into Cleethorp. Besides, not being married myself I can hardly chaperone Marianne, and Grandmamma has no taste for what she describes as London’s absurdities.’

  ‘There is plenty of society to be had in Wiltshire, and the rules are not so stringent.’

  ‘That is what Marianne said when I discussed the matter with her. I told her I was thinking of purchasing a house in the area large enough for her, Grandmamma and me to live in comfort and she is keen to help me search for the right place. I have already asked my lawyers to set in motion the sale of the London house.’ She shuddered. ‘I want nothing more to do with the capital. I have been given the opportunity to get to know my sister and I fully intend to guide her into the best possible marriage.’

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘Me?’ Louise shook her head emphatically. ‘After what happened to me, I cannot ask any gentleman worthy of the name to overlook my shame.’

  Flora squeezed Louise’s hand. ‘It is not your fault. You were raped.’

  ‘W
ell, of course that is what I would say if I wanted to gloss over an indiscretion. Who would believe me without asking for the name of the man responsible? I mean, any gentleman who supposed himself to love me would seek to exact revenge on my behalf. Call Cleethorp out or something equally ridiculous. You know how men can be about these things, and I cannot have bloodshed on my conscience.’

  ‘Not all men are the same. Henry seems very enthusiastic to embrace your company. Every time you come here he makes an excuse to see you.’

  ‘Not the last few times,’ Louise said, so quickly that Flora realised her friend had noticed the omission and had been disappointed by it.

  ‘He has taken over responsibility for one of the earl’s estates. A manor house a few miles from here. The house has been vacant for too long and the tenant farmers have been allowed to take liberties. I think the earl realises that Henry needs more responsibility, so he has given his brother the opportunity to prove his abilities. That is where he is today, I think.’ Flora grinned. ‘Otherwise, I am sure he would have found an excuse to join us.’

  ‘And you would suddenly remember an urgent errand that the countess required you to undertake on her behalf.’ Louise smiled as she shook a finger beneath Flora’s nose. ‘You are really not very subtle.’

  ‘Some situations require transparency, especially when one party is being particularly pig-headed.’ The girls stood and made their way back towards the house, the cold wind encouraging them to walk briskly. ‘Don’t judge all men by Cleethorp’s standards.’

  They embraced at the front portico, where Louise’s carriage awaited her. ‘I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening,’ Flora said. ‘You are all engaged to dine here.’

  ‘We are looking forward to it.’

  Flora waved the carriage off and then quickly returned to the house, stamping her feet to ward off the cold.

  ⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎