Lady Trevarren and the Emerald Brooch: A Regency Romance and Murder Mystery

by Miriam Rochester

  Cecelia’s face blanched. ‘That is not true. It cannot be.’

  ‘Face it, Cecelia, it is true. I can forgive you for your assault on me, but as for the rest of it, I am not so sure.’ He turned to her in exasperation. ‘The Viscount will hang for his crimes but whatever am I to do with you, Cecelia?’

  Cecelia faltered. She had been well and truly deceived but that could hardly excuse her actions. She watched Harry as he paced the floor agonising over her fate. Harry could hardly stand the sight of her but neither could he see her hang. In a way, she was as much a victim of Viscount Ashenden’s wickedness as Rupert was.

  Under normal circumstances, after his marriage, she would have retired to the Dower House situated half a mile from Winstanley Hall, but as she hated Sophie that was entirely out of the question. He did not even want her on the grounds.

  He turned to her. ‘Have you relatives far away from here?’

  She looked at him questioningly. ‘I have a sister in Aberdeen and a maiden Aunt in Brussels. Why?’

  He took a deep breath as if he were making a momentous decision. Brussels was the furthest away. ‘You have a choice, Cecelia. I can hand you over to the magistrate with all the facts and you will probably hang. Either that or you can remove to your maiden Aunt in Brussels. I will pay for your expenses and you can take your personal belongings and the clothes on your back, but that is all. Under the circumstances, I consider that I am being merciful. You have played Rupert false but I do not think he would want to see you hanging from a gibbet. I was here long enough to witness that he had a certain fondness for you. He was no angel himself. I think you deserved each other.’

  Cecelia ignoring the last part of his speech stood up and ran over to him. ‘Oh, thank you, Harry. I will do just that.’

  Harry turned his back to her and stared sadly out of the window. He felt melancholy and dejected. He was not even sure if he was doing the right thing but he had seen enough misery and death to last a lifetime, and if by some improbable chance, Cecelia was telling the truth, the least he could do was give her the benefit of the doubt.

  He turned back to face her with welling emotion. ‘Yes, well, if you are going to Brussels, I suggest you do it quickly. Viscount Ashenden has been arrested and I cannot guarantee that he will not implicate you. Come to the study in fifteen minutes and I will give you enough funds to see you through the next six months. After that, you are on your own. There is just one more condition. I never want to see you again. If you ever speak of this to anyone, you will be punished.’

  Cecelia nodded gratefully. She was just too thankful for his clemency and did not argue. Hopefully, six months would give her time to seek a new husband and start all over again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Harry was prepared to give his sister-in-law a week to arrange her departure, but now, doubting the Viscount’s loyalty and at risk of betrayal, she left that very afternoon. She had visions of being arrested at any moment and could not flee quickly enough. The Newcastle Coach for London had already left so Harry allowed her the Winstanley Carriage and Jeffrey the Coachman to convey her to York and relative safety. She would pick up a mail coach from there. Metcalfe, the butler accompanied her. On being dismissed, he decided to seek employment in London where wages were much higher. The new Earl had refused to give him a reference but Lady Northcote said she would provide him with one provided he would escort her to London.

  Harry watched until the carriage disappeared down the driveway and turned to Thomas who was waiting in the wings. ‘Well, Thomas. I am in need of a new butler. Will £70 a year do?’

  Thomas grinned from ear to ear. It was a promotion he could not have expected for years, and seventy pounds was a great deal more than the average wage. ‘Yes, my Lord, it will do very well. Thank you, sir.’

  ‘And one more thing. If you are serious about that girl on the tenant farm that you told me about, I am not an employer that does not allow his servants to marry. There is no more need for clandestine outings. No doubt things can be arranged. What is her name by the way?’

  ‘Alice, my Lord and she is a darling.’

  Harry just smiled. ‘I have promised to go to Chalcotte Grange this afternoon. Say nothing for the moment and I will inform the rest of the servants when I return. Meanwhile, you can have the rest of the day off to visit your Alice and tell her the good news.’

  ‘So you are staying with us, my Lord. I am glad. And may I wish you and Lady Trevarren happy.’

  Harry looked surprised. ‘Of course, I am staying, Thomas. I never expected to be Earl of Winstanley, but now that I am, I must take care of my responsibilities. Now off with you, before you decide to take more liberties,’ he added affably.

  Thomas took his leave and Harry went to the stables to saddle Julius. He had not instructed the groom but it was a task he was always willing to do himself. He was eager to see Sophie but he also wanted to speak with Sebastian about his ideas for the land. If Sebastian’s ideas had merit, it may be the very opportunity he needed to turn around the Earldom’s fortunes.

  By the time Harry reached Chalcotte Grange, it was four thirty in the afternoon. He was dismounting just as Daniel approached on Zephyrus. ‘Oh, you are still here. I am so glad I caught you. I thought I was going to miss you, Colonel.’

  Harry tied Julius to a rail and greeted the boy. ‘I have just arrived, Daniel. I am very late as I had some important things to attend to.’

  As Daniel stepped nearer, a pungent smell assaulted Harry’s nose. ‘Goodness Daniel, what mischief have you been up to now? You smell like a cesspit!’

  Daniel gave a broad grin. ‘I have been mucking out the Kennels, sir. Not the most pleasant of tasks.’

  Harry grimaced and looked the young rascal up and down. ‘I thought your Uncle had a man to do that?’

  ‘Oh, he does. It was punishment for riding out last night in Sebastian’s wake without so much as a by your leave.’ Daniel looked anything but contrite and gave a huge mischievous grin. ‘Uncle Jack was as mad as fire but it was worth it, Colonel.’

  Harry laughed and tussled his blond head. He could not quite imagine his indolent Uncle Jack being mad as fire and assumed it to be an exaggeration. He liked Daniel. He was a quiet and mild boy but he had spirit. ‘Daniel, I do swear that you are turning out to be just like Sophie. You are developing the most alarming characteristics. Now if you are wanting my company, I suggest you run along and get a bath.’

  Daniel ran ahead and Harry followed him into the house to be greeted by the rest of the family. He apologised for being late but on explaining the reason they understood entirely. Sophie could not help but feel sorry for lady Northcote but she was glad she was gone. The Countess had actively done everything in her power to show her dislike.

  On entering Chalcotte Grange, Harry felt a huge weight fall off his shoulders. He had found his late brother and sister-in-law disappointing, but this was a family he could gladly affiliate himself with, and all that was left for him now was to discuss details for the forthcoming wedding.

  It was arranged that the wedding would take place in September. They would call the bans and Harry would use some of the time in between to visit his estates in Rothbury and get his affairs in order. He knew he had a good Steward but he still needed to check that all was well. Sebastian offered to accompany him. Northcote Manor was a rolling estate dedicated to sheep farming and was successful. Sebastian thought he could glean some ideas for Chalcotte Grange. Perhaps they could share ideas and make plans.

  This being agreed, Harry asked Sophie if she would like to take a walk. Since the ball at the Newcastle Assembly Rooms, it seemed an age since he had spent much time alone with her.

  Harry took Sophie’s arm and tucked it under his own and the pair took a walk along a nearby path leading to the duck pond. He smiled at her. ‘In six weeks’ time we will be married, Sophie and I will no longer need to ask permission to see you. It seems an eternity. I can hardly wait.’

  Sophie laughe
d. ‘It is amazing that you always manage to contrive it, anyhow.’

  ‘That my lady rogue, is because you are a veritable hoyden but I would have you no other way,’ he replied humorously. ‘If it were not for Thomas and yourself, I may have been found floating face down in the North Sea this morning. I owe you both my life. By the way, this morning I promoted Thomas to Butler and I am to pay him a most extortionate wage. It was the least I can do, but what can I do for you, my rogue to show you my appreciation.’

  Sophie looked at him with warmth in her wide blue eyes. ‘To be you wife is enough reward for me,’ she replied. ‘The name Northcote once fostered abhorrence in me, but you have given it an entirely different meaning. I will be proud to be called Northcote now.’

  Harry looked into those earnest blue eyes that had intrigued him weeks ago. The fact that Sophie had turned out to be his lady rogue did not surprise him at all. He thought even then that he was fickle to be attracted to two women at the same time but the explanation had been simple. He wondered how he had taken so long to realise it. There was only one woman for him and she stood right before him. He would do right by her, not because of moral obligation but because he loved her.

  By now they had reached the duck pond. He took her hand and led her toward a fallen tree trunk that acted as a makeshift seat and they sat down. ‘You do not know how I delight to hear those words, Sophie,’ he said as he kissed her gently. He raised his head. ‘I know I cannot undo all the injustices that my brother perpetrated toward your father, but I will do my best to make you happy and I will make it up to Daniel as well.’

  Sophie smiled at him. She did not quite know how he could make it up to Daniel. She knew that Harry had estates and a competency of his own, handed down to him through his brother Stephen, but the Winstanley Estates were not in such good standing. She suspected that he had used some of his own money to make good and rectify his brother’s double-dealings. She still hoped that the secret of the brooch’s contents, once retrieved, would be enough to establish Daniel.

  She was touched by Harry’s sincerity but doubted his ability to truly help Daniel. ‘I know you will do your best, Harry but I do not see how you can. Really, it does not matter anymore for I have the brooch now.’

  Harry sensed her doubt. ‘I am not entirely rolled up you know. My estates in Rothbury are doing well and I do have a little something from my years in Portugal and Spain. Sebastian and I have lots of ideas for the improvement and prosperity of our neighbouring estates. It will take a few years but with a little planning, I think we will flourish. By the time Daniel is eighteen he will not remember what was lost.’

  He sighed a little. He wished he did not have to go to Northcote Manor at all, but before he could settle at Winstanley Hall he would need to check that all is well with his Steward. Besides, he had a secret errand but he needed to finalise details before he could tell Sophie. Then he could return to Winstanley Hall, marry and settle down.

  He took her hand and grinned at her mischievously. ‘I think I may be able to scrape together a little bit of money for a honeymoon. Where would you like to go? The continent is still a little unstable at the moment, so my suggestion would be the Lake District. It is supposed to be lovely there and I have not seen it.’

  The Lake District did sound lovely but Sophie had other ideas. ‘Harry, I need to go to London to retrieve the contents of the strongbox. Can we not go there instead?’

  Harry was a little disappointed. He had almost forgotten about the brooch and London did not appeal to him. It did not seem five minutes since he had left Horse Guards to return up North, but returning may not be such a bad idea after all. Meeting Sophie had influenced his decision to sell out and by the time of his marriage, his prolonged leave would be running short.

  She sensed his disappointment. ‘Maybe we can visit the Lake district in the spring.’

  He brightened perceptibly. ‘Of course, we can. Well if we are to go to London you had better show me this letter. I think we need to crack the code if we are to succeed. At the very least, we will need to know which bank we are dealing with.’

  Sophie smiled and reached into her reticule and pulled out the letter. ‘I was hoping to discuss it with you and I have brought the letter with me. I showed it to Sebastian. He tells me it is Coutts Bank on the London Strand.’

  Harry perused the letter. The paper had been folded many times so that it would fit into the back of the brooch but it was still quite legible. ‘Sebastian is right,’ he confirmed. ‘These three crowns that your father has drawn is the symbol for Coutts bank. The code does not look too difficult. In the main message, your father has just substituted numbers for letters. As for the bank account numbers, he has just reversed the principle. It is just a case of working out the sequence.’

  She smiled. ‘That is just what Sebastian said. We sat together and worked it out but once I understood the basics it was I who cracked it.’ She bent her head over the letter and excitedly pointed to a section of code. ‘This series of letters here is the strongbox number and it translates 1802.’

  Harry grinned and handed it back. ‘Well my lady rogue, it appears that I am redundant.’ He waited until she put the letter safely back in her reticule and then leaning over, he whispered in her ear. ‘Now that problem is solved, I can think of much more interesting things to do…’

  Chapter Eighteen

  Harry and Sophie were married on a clement if not sunny September day. Sophie looked stunning in a high waist gown of gold satin, Harry and Sebastian wore their scarlet regimentals and Daniel looked deceptively cherubic in a suit of dark blue velvet with a cravat tied by Sebastian in the difficult but elaborate waterfall.

  After the wedding, the wedding breakfast was held at Winstanley Hall in the large ballroom where Lady Northcote had held her ball just weeks earlier because it was larger than the hall at Chalcotte Grange

  Harry was relieved. It was certainly a happier affair than the ball at the Newcastle Assembly Rooms. Daniel, however, was somewhat despondent. Harry could not help but notice and approached him. ‘What troubles you, young Daniel?’ he asked.

  Daniel’s face was sombre. ‘It has just occurred to me that Sophie will no longer live at Chalcotte Grange. She is a constant plague but I have the feeling that life will be rather dull without her around. I am going to miss her, sir.’

  The Colonel laughed. ‘Do not worry, Daniel. Chalcotte Grange is just a half hour ride away and Zephyrus can do it in twenty minutes. You can have your own room here and stay whenever you wish as long as your Aunt and Uncle approve, of course.’

  Daniel brightened. ‘Oh, can I, sir? I notice you have a billiard room and a tennis court. Will you teach me to play?’

  Harry smiled at his sudden exuberance. ‘I will be happy to teach you all those things, but please allow me my honeymoon first, Daniel.’

  Daniel grimaced. ‘Well I suppose so, but do not be away too long. I still have Sebastian and he is top of the trees, Colonel, but it is not the same and we do not have a billiard room or a tennis court at Chalcotte Grange.’

  Harry laughed. He felt quite humbled that Daniel had made an idol of him despite everything Rupert had done. ‘I am sure that between Sebastian and myself, we shall succeed in making a gentleman and a Corinthian of you yet. And one more thing Daniel, now that I am officially your brother, you may call me Harry in private.’

  This invitation was enough to put Daniel into whoops and make him forget that he was ever despondent at all and he ran off to tell Sophie.

  The wedding breakfast having ended, Sophie waved goodbye to the last of her guests. She watched as the Wyndholme carriage disappeared down the long drive of Winstanley Hall. She was alone at last with Harry. He grinned and swooped her up, carrying her back up the steps into the house. As soon as he was out of the earshot of his faithful servant, Thomas, he leant over and whispered in Sophie’s ear. ‘Alone at last,’ he grinned as he carried her up the large spiral staircase. He entered a bed chamber and as So
phie looked around, she noticed that it was vaguely familiar. It was the chamber in which he had caught her red handed, searching for the Trevarren Brooch. Sophie blushed at the memory of that evening. Harry had been understandably on the offensive and behaved in a fashion that was far too familiar!

  ‘This is the Countess’s bed-chamber and your room,’ he said making no effort to put her down, ‘but I think you already know that. I have had it redecorated to remove any traces of the former Countess. If you do not like it, you can change it when we return from London.’

  Sophie thought there had been something different about it but had little opportunity to take in any detail, as he carried her across to the connecting door and gently kicked it open. ‘And this is the Earl’s chamber,’ he continued with a mischievous smile. ‘I do hope you will spend most of your time in here.’

  He walked across and lay her on the large four poster bed. ‘Now where were we he said as he leant over her? ‘Ah yes…’

  *****

  The next morning Harry and Sophie left for London. Harry not caring for the perceived delights of London decided to make long stopovers on the way, spending time in the historic city of York and then moving on to Warwick. That way the long journey to London would not be so tedious. Sophie sat in the carriage across from him in excited anticipation but Harry had his reservations.

  He smiled at her. ‘Sophie, I need to tell you that the London ton is not as permissive or as tolerant as your Aunt Caroline. What is acceptable up North will be frowned upon in London. I fear you are more likely to meet the likes of the Dowager Countess Northcote.’

  Harry only hoped that Cecelia had not spent too much time in London and spread her wicked lies before her. He considered. If she had, she would have exhausted his patience and he would be unable to ignore it.

  Sophie wrapped her fan on Harry’s knuckles and brought him back to attention. ‘Do not worry, I promise to behave all that I should.’