The blonde woman approached the brother and putting a hand on his arm, spoke softly to him. Nate knew better than to turn his back on such a man, so he backed away a few paces, before turning and following Damaris inside.
Mrs Higgins stood in the hallway, ordering everyone down to the kitchen for warm milk or tea, and cake. Nate briefly wondered if these children even knew what cake was, but from the way her declaration stopped their tears, they knew it was something special.
Damaris picked Ella up and settled the girl on her hip as she dried her tears and spoke soothingly to her. When she had calmed down somewhat, she placed her back on the floor and told her to go with Lilly to get her warm milk, although it took an assurance that Damaris wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, before Ella would go.
Finally Damaris turned to Nate.
“So that’s your brother?”
She nodded and sighed. “Christopher is my oldest brother, and that was his wife, Hortense.”
“You handled that very well,” he told her and she smiled, although it was hollow. Now that the confrontation was over, she seemed smaller and even fragile, which was not a word he would usually use to describe Damaris.
“Thank you. Oh, I hope he hasn’t brought Mother; seeing him is as much as I can bear right now.”
“You can handle anything,” he assured her.
“What shall I do with the children? They can't stay here any longer, I just wasn’t expecting Christopher to come so quickly. He must have left before father’s body was identified, as I did.”
“Where does he live?”
“Paris, I think.”
“You think?”
“He married after I did, I haven’t even seen his wife before today.”
“How is that possible?”
“I wasn’t told of the wedding until after the fact, then Mother wrote and told me. The next thing I knew, he and Mother left to live with her family in France. I haven’t heard from them since.”
“They didn’t contact you after your husband passed?”
“He died before they left.”
He was having a little trouble keeping track of her family’s events and envied her her encyclopaedic memory.
“What am I going to do about the children?” she wondered. “And Mr and Mrs Higgins? I have properties on my estate in Bellchester where they could retire, but they probably won’t want to leave Lanford. I suppose I could find a cottage locally but they’ve lived here for decades, they won’t want to move overnight.”
“This isn’t your brother’s house yet, or yours for that matter, so they don’t have to go anywhere.”
“Christopher won’t like that, he’ll make things difficult.”
“So you’re just going to let him have his way?”
“It’s easier that way and even if I was inclined to keep fighting with him, it’s the Higgins who would pay the price.”
He couldn’t really argue with that logic. “Well, I suppose the children can come to Copley Hall with us. We can turn the school room into a dormitory, Emily and Lisa can care for them with Lilly’s help, they won’t be too much in the way up there.”
“But what about beds?”
“We can take mattresses from the guest bedrooms; it’s not ideal but it’s better than nothing.”
“And it puts an awful lot of people out.”
“They won’t mind, I’m sure.”
“And it doesn’t solve the problem of Mr and Mrs Higgins.”
“True, but there must be a cottage on the estate they could retire to. I’m sure we can work something out with your brother that would allow the Higgins to take their time moving.”
Damaris didn’t look certain but Nate thought he understood what the brother wanted. Money. There didn’t seem to have been any love lost between Christopher and his father, he hadn’t rushed back to find his father’s killer, or to ensure his father had a decent burial; no, he had returned for the money.
Before they could discuss anything else, the front door opened and Christopher returned. Through the open door, Nathaniel could see that most of the crowd had dispersed and only two people remained, a man and a woman who were probably Christopher’s servants. His wife accompanied him inside.
“My apologies for my behaviour earlier,” Christopher said as he approached. “It has been a long and tiring journey and what with the loss of my father, finding his house filled with strangers made me a little overwrought. Please forgive me.”
Nathaniel nodded his acceptance of the apology, although he didn’t believe a word of it. Christopher stepped closer and introduced himself.
“I am Christopher Howard and this is my wife, Hortense Howard. Darling, this is my sister, Lady Damaris Wellesley, widow of William Wellesley and the Dowager Countess of Bellchester.”
“And I’m Nathaniel Copley, Marquess of Lanford and Justice of the Peace.”
They bowed to each other.
“Very pleased to make your acquaintance and once again, please accept my apologies.” He turned to his sister. “I know that a lot of bad blood has passed between us, Sister, but I hope we can put our feuding aside, at least temporarily, for Fathers sake; it’s what he would have wanted.”
Nathaniel could see that Christopher had found the right argument and Damaris agreed to the truce.
“Yes, he would. In that spirit, we will remove the children and their guardians but in return, I ask that you not place any burden on Mr and Mrs Higgins.
“But they are housekeeper and butler, are they not?”
“They were, until Father disappeared and you moved away. Now they are simply caretakers. They are too old to care for the house as well as its occupants but with the children gone, there is plenty of room in the servants’ quarters for your staff”
“We didn’t bring any staff, only my valet and Mrs Howard’s lady’s maid.”
“Not even a coach driver?”
“We travelled by stagecoach, it just seemed easier.”
“Why not bring staff if you intended to stay here.”
“Because I thought there was a housekeeper and butler in residence!” His anger was building again. His lies were no match for Damaris’ intellect and Nate was proud that she didn’t miss a thing.
“Paid for by me and therefore in my employ. You would have left the house empty and who knows what damage might have been done.”
Hortense gently tugged on her husband’s arm and he took a deep breath.
“Quite right. We will stay at the Heath Inn instead.”
“I’m certain that Lord Copley could recommend some staff for you.”
“No.” Howard shook his head. “It’s easier to remain at the Inn. We won’t be staying long, hopefully.”
Damaris didn’t disagree.
“Well, I suppose we’ll be off, get settled.” Christopher looked from one to the other.
Nate neither liked nor trusted this man but something told him that it would be best to give into his hint and invite them to stay with him. He wasn’t certain that he could stand their presence for long but the house was big, so hopefully they could avoid one another for the most part.
“You are welcome to stay at Copley Hall.”
Damaris gave him an incredulous look but Christopher beamed at him.
“That’s very kind of you, thank you.”
“Load your belongings onto my carriage and wait for us. We won’t be long.”
“Of course, of course. And thank you again, Lord Copley.
Christopher and his wife headed outside, while Nate and Damaris headed down to the kitchen.
“Why did you invite them to stay?”
“Have you heard the phrase, keep your friends close but your enemies closer?”
“Yes, it’s quite often attributed to Sun Tzu but was actually Machiavelli, who wrote something similar in one of his letters.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if your brother tried something underhand, like getting you cut out of the will. I think we need to
keep an eye on him and that will be easier if he is under the same roof.”
“I cannot argue with logic like that,” she smiled.
When they got to the kitchen, they found the children sitting at the long table, all sipping from mugs. Ella left hers and scrambled out of her seat to go and meet Damaris, who stroked her hair as the girl hugged her skirts.
“Could I speak with you in private?” Damaris asked the caretakers, and the four of them headed through to the housekeeper’s sitting room. Ella followed as well but Damaris made no move to send the girl away.
“I’m sorry for the upset,” Damaris said. “We have reached a truce with Mr Howard and he will be staying with Lord Copley and I at Copley Hall, meaning that you and the children are free to remain here.
The couple looked relieved, which made Damaris feel pained.
“Unfortunately, he is correct in one way; you cannot remain here indefinitely. Father told me that his assets were divided equally among us, and I am certain that my brothers will want to sell the property. It won’t happen overnight so you still have time, and Lord Copley has offered you a cottage on his estate to retire to. I will of course continue to support you for the remainder of your days.”
The Higgins had sobered as she continued but they couldn’t argue with her plan.
Nate realised that Damaris was rich enough to buy her brothers’ share in this house but he didn’t mention it now. It wasn’t good business sense to keep a large townhouse only to house two former servants. He would mention it to Damaris when they were alone however and leave the decision to her. The couple might actually enjoy having their own little cottage, where they could perhaps tend a small garden, and that would be much easier to keep than this large old house.
“We understand, dear,” Mrs Higgins assured her. “You’ve always been very kind to us and you continue to be; this isn’t your fault and we don’t blame you.”
“Thank you.”
“Besides, a cottage might be nice, might’n it, Mr Higgins? You could grow your vegetables and town wouldn’t be very far away.”
“Aye. Some say that a change is as good as a rest, so we’ve nothing to lose.”
Damaris was relieved. They left and just Nate, Damaris and Ella remained.
Damaris took a seat so that she was more level with Ella and took both her hands in her own.
“Ella, I have a suggestion for you. I know that you have friends here but I was wondering if you would like to come and live with me? You would have your own room and lots of clothes and toys to play with, and of course, I’ll be there too. Do you think you might like that?”
Ella’s eyes grew wide.
“I know it must be scary for you and you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, I just thought that perhaps you liked me and might want to live with me.”
The girl still didn’t speak but she didn’t look as afraid either.
“How about this,” Damaris suggested. “You come to live with me for a few weeks and if you don’t like it, you can return to your friends here, how does that sound?”
Ella cocked her head to the side for a moment as she thought, then she nodded.
Damaris gave her a huge grin and pulled the child into her arms, holding her tightly. “Thank you. I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”
When they separated, Ella went with Lisa and packed her few belongings, while Damaris spoke with Lilly for a few minutes, then they all returned to the carriage.
The ride to Copley Hall was awkward and mostly silent, so it was a blessed relief when they arrived and alighted from the carriage.
“You take Ella,” Nate told Damaris. “I’ll show our guests to their rooms.”
She didn’t need telling twice and almost ran inside, pulling the girl after her.
Hearing more voices than was usual, his mother came out to the hallway as they entered, and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him.
“Mother, these are our guests for a few days, Damaris’ brother and his wife, Mr and Mrs Howard.” The very slight emphasis he put on the word guests would be missed by most, but he knew his mother would hear it, and realise that there was more to the story that couldn’t be explained yet. “May I present to you my mother, Lady Copley.”
“Very pleased to meet you,” Isabelle told them as she curtseyed. “I didn’t know you were coming but all our guest rooms should be ready to occupy, if you’ll follow me.”
***
In an effort to help Ella feel at home, and possibly a desire to hide from her brother, Damaris settled in the playroom with Ella as they explored the cupboards, drawers and shelves.
There were all sorts of toys in here, from wooden building blocks, to jigsaw puzzles, to a three foot tall rocking horse. One wall had a large chalk board and coloured chalks, probably for the children to draw on and one cupboard housed an elaborate toy theatre, with cardboard characters who could be arranged to act out scenes. There were two freestanding bookcases and the books ranged from childish fairy tales, to adult fiction and textbooks.
Ella seemed rather overawed by the choice of playthings, so Damaris chose the brightly coloured building blocks and dragged the box to the centre of the room. She had no idea what to try and build so in the end, she opted to see how many bricks she could pile up before the tower toppled over. Ella stood and watched as the tower grew but showed no sign of wanting to help, even when coaxed.
The tower made it to about two feet tall before it toppled over. The next one to just over a foot, as Damaris placed the blocks unevenly. She began the third tower, again placing the blocks unevenly upon one another, and as she reached for the next block, Ella reached out and correctly positioned the building block.
It became a game, with Damaris placing the block poorly and Ella placing them correctly. Eventually Damaris just handed her the blocks to place on the tower and this time, the tower reached almost three feet before toppling over. Damaris laughed but while Ella’s eyes shone with pleasure and she gave a small smile, she didn’t laugh. In fact, she still hadn’t spoken a word.
They were joined by Isabelle, Nathaniel, Annabelle and Matthew at different times, although Ella hid from everyone except Nathaniel.
They moved on from the bricks to a jigsaw of Europe but it was fairly easy, since each country was a whole puzzle piece.
The adults and Gladys ate dinner with Ella in the childrens’ dining room, because it was less formal than any of the dining rooms downstairs. Ella had no table manners at all and once she realised she wouldn’t get in trouble, ate ravenously. Gladys did her best to slow her down and helped her to eat, with a patience that few adults would show. They tried not to stare at Ella too much, although she was so cute that at times it was hard to resist, but they were here so the girl could get used to them and wouldn’t fear them, and staring at her wouldn’t help matters.
Christopher and Hortense had been served dinner in their rooms, under the pretext that they would be too tired to socialise, and Damaris was pleased that she didn’t need to dine with them.
Ella seemed to come out of her shell a little over dinner, which is to say that she made eye contact a few times. When they were finished, it was time for her to go to bed, so Damaris asked her to choose a book from the playroom. When Ella made no move to do so, Damaris chose a book of folk stories. Gladys helped the girl change into her night things and put her to bed, then Damaris began to read from the book.
It had been a busy few days for the girl and before Damaris had finished the first chapter, Ella was sound asleep.
Damaris closed the book and pressed a soft kiss to Ella’s temple. Gladys followed suit, then headed into her room, next door, although Damaris was pleased to see that she left the door open and an oil lamp burning, just in case the child woke up frightened in the night.
It was still early since they had eaten dinner at the time children usually would, so Damaris headed downstairs and found the family in the drawing room.
She and Nate managed to have an almo
st private conversation while the others chatted, and she told him what Eliza had told her earlier, about the rumours circulating about Wallace Sondham. Nate admitted that he didn’t know the gentleman very well but he was worth investigating, just in case the old adage of no smoke without fire was true.
Exactly how they went about investigating him was unclear at the moment; they couldn’t even talk to him until he returned from London. She suggested that in their official capacity as Constable and Justice, they could order the butler to allow them to search Sondham’s study, with the hope of either finding something incriminating or perhaps an old diary, which might detail his movements at the time her father disappeared.
Doing that however, would let Sondham know that he was a suspect and if there was any incriminating evidence they hadn’t found, it would surely be destroyed once he learned of their visit. That was assuming that it hadn’t been destroyed the moment Charles Howard’s body had been discovered.
Nate suggested that they pay a visit to Charles’ solicitor in London the following day, both to get started in settling the estate, and so that they could ask if he knew who handled Sondham’s legal or business affairs. As much as lawyers and accountants were supposed to keep their clients affairs private, they often didn’t see the harm in talking amongst other lawyers or the gentlemen at their clubs.
They could also pay a visit to William Manning, his friend who worked at his father’s auction house. William had replied to say that the list of paintings didn’t mean anything to him off hand, but that he would ask around. Although the list seemed random, Nate couldn’t shake the feeling that it was important. Why else would he write the names in runic letters if they meant nothing?
Damaris agreed, although she seemed unhappy to note that Christopher would insist on going with them and if they didn’t tell him, he would feel slighted, which would raise his ire.
Nate didn’t particularly seem to fear Christopher’s anger but he could see that Damaris did, so he agreed to appease her brother as much as possible.
***
Her Saving Grace Page 22