Sins of Omission

by Irina Shapiro

  I felt a jolt of tension roll over Hugo as he spotted the manor house in the distance. He’d dreamed of this moment, had longed for home, and had taken the risk of sailing to England at the end of November when events leading up to the fall of James II were about to unfold. The prudent thing would have been to wait until spring, and allow the political dust to settle, if such a thing were possible in England, but Hugo simply couldn’t wait any longer. He was desperate to go home and reclaim his life. I put my hand in his as an array of emotions raced across Hugo’s features. This was uncharted territory, and neither one of us had any inkling of what this homecoming would bring.

  Chapter 2

  The house was as cold as a tomb, and just as dark when everyone finally trooped into the foyer. Archie had to break one of the high windows in the cellar kitchen and come around to open the front door since there was no other way in. Hugo had never needed a key to his own house; there had always been servants to let him in. He stood in the darkened foyer, listening to the deafening silence of the empty house. All he heard was the howling of the wind outside and the creaking of the wood as the house settled for the night. Archie grabbed a few candles on the way from the kitchen and now lit one, casting the travelers into a golden pool of light which reflected off the breastplate of Bruce’s armor which had guarded the foyer since the house had been built during the reign of Henry VIII.

  “Mama, I’m hungry,” Valentine whined as the younger children rubbed their eyes. It was nearly their bedtime, and after a day of traveling they were ready for bed despite having slept in the coach. Neve looked bemused, the fatigue clearly showing on her face. She needed to warm up, have something to eat, and rest. The past weeks had been hard on her, and although one more night wouldn’t make all that much of a difference, Hugo felt as if he’d let everyone down. They all huddled together, like a band of refugees, and it was time to get matters under control. Tomorrow, he would figure out what went wrong, but for tonight, he had to get everyone fed and settled.

  Hugo herded everyone into the front parlor and lit a few candles, dispelling the gloom of the winter evening. Opening the shutters was pointless since it was already pitch dark outside. The furniture was covered in dust sheets, and according to Archie, there wasn’t a scrap of food in the larder, nor was there much firewood. The house had been deserted for years.

  “Archie,” Hugo began, “go to the tavern and get some food, enough to last through tomorrow. Don’t forget milk for the children.”

  He then turned to the coachman who came with the rented coach. The man would wish to return to Portsmouth come morning, but for tonight he was Hugo’s responsibility.

  “Master Harvey, please see to the coach and horses and fetch some water from the well,” Hugo requested of the man, who looked non-too-pleased at arriving at a house that hadn’t been inhabited in years. After a day of driving through the cold, barren countryside, he’d no doubt been looking forward to a hot meal and a comfortable bed.

  “I’ll stay at the inn tonight, if it’s all the same to you, your lordship,” he replied, jamming the hat back onto his head. He’d already been paid for his services, so there was nothing to keep him from leaving.

  “As you wish, Master Harvey. Perhaps you can give Archie a ride then since we have no horses of our own,” Hugo replied without missing a beat.

  “It would be my pleasure,” the coachman replied sarcastically, clearly annoyed at having to spend his hard-earned money on lodging and food. Hugo reached into his purse and passed the man several coins, having correctly deduced the reason for his surliness.

  “Thank you kindly, sir, and a good night to you all.” Hugo waited for the man to leave before continuing with his instructions.

  “Neve, prepare two bedchambers for tonight. The children can go in with us, and Archie and Frances can share for one night. I doubt anyone will be particularly shocked,” he added, seeing the look of astonishment on Frances’s face.

  “Frances, please mind the children while Neve is upstairs. I will lay the fires in the rooms and in the kitchen and put on some water to heat. There’ll be no hot baths tonight, but at least we’ll have some hot water for washing.”

  Hugo left the women to it and went out to get firewood. He hoped it was dry, or it would be a very cold night indeed. His mind buzzed with questions as he chose the driest logs from the sorry pile behind the house. Why was the house empty? Where the devil was everyone, and where were the horses? The stable was dark and empty, as was the kennel which normally housed a few dogs. Where was Brad? Bradford Nash was not the type of person to just ignore a request, or to forget. Hugo felt a twinge of unease as he thought of his friend, but there was nothing he could do until tomorrow.

  Hugo gathered as much firewood as he could and went back into the kitchen. It took him some time to get the fire going, but the damp wood finally caught, illuminating the large room which seemingly hadn’t been used in years. There was no water, so he found a bucket and went to the well. The water was frozen solid, and throwing the bucket against the ice did little to crack the crust of ice. Hugo went out to the shed where he found a long stick resembling a pike. That would do it; or so he hoped.

  **

  The church clock struck ten, the distant chime reverberating through the silent house. There had always been plenty of empty rooms, but for some reason, the house never felt as forlorn as it did tonight. Hugo gazed at the children who were fast asleep in the big bed. They’d been overwrought and tearful, but Archie brought some fresh bread and cheese, hot stew and meat pies, as well as bottles of ale and milk, and they had a feast in the kitchen, seated around the long table and warmed by the roaring fire. The food and cozy atmosphere lifted everyone’s sagging spirits. The children were washed and put to bed after supper, leaving Hugo alone with Neve. They hadn’t been alone since they left their house in Rouen, and it felt wonderfully peaceful to just sit by the fire and talk awhile before joining the children in bed.

  Archie and Frances had also retired after cleaning up the remains of their meal. Archie insisted on making a pallet on the floor and allowing Frances to take the bed, which confirmed Hugo’s suspicion that their relationship had never been consummated despite their betrothal. He wouldn’t have blamed them if it had been, but was glad that Archie chose to wait. Hugo never asked Archie any personal questions, but he was sure that Archie had been as celibate as a monk since declaring his love for Frances. Who would have thought that Archie would last that long? Hugo mused with an inward smile, but love did amazing things to people, as he himself knew only too well.

  “Do you think the letter went astray?” Neve asked as she turned her back to allow Hugo to unlace her gown. It was travel-stained and smelled of Neve’s particular scent, which Hugo loved, but Neve wrinkled her nose in disgust and threw the gown into the basket of items to be laundered at the first opportunity. The basket was already overflowing with children’s clothes, dirty clouts, and the damp and yellowed linen that Neve pulled off the beds.

  “I can only assume that it did,” Hugo replied thoughtfully. He didn’t want to worry Neve unnecessarily, but couldn’t hide his unease from her shrewd gaze. Neve knew Brad well enough to know that had he received the letter their reception would have been a very different one, but there could be other reasons why Brad had been unable to comply with Hugo’s request, such as illness or death. Hugo hadn’t had a letter from Brad since September; a letter which had been penned in July. A lot could happen in five months.

  “You think something is wrong,” Neve stated as she turned around to face him. “Tell me.”

  “I don’t know; I really don’t,” Hugo replied as he pulled Neve onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. “Archie said that there was much talk at the tavern. James II tried to flee London three days ago. He threw his royal seal into the Thames before he was apprehended and turned back by forces loyal to William. I knew this would happen, but somehow it still shocks me to hear it. How could he not stay and fight, and
defend his kingdom and God-given right to the throne?”

  “Reading about history is never the same as being a part of it, is it?” Neve asked as she snuggled closer to Hugo. “I should know,” she added with a smile, “I used to consider myself quite the expert.”

  “No, things never appear as frightening or real as they do from a safe distance of four hundred years.”

  “James will be gone in less than ten days,” Neve reminded Hugo. “William will allow him to leave unharmed. I think that’s a generous gesture on his part.”

  “It has little to do with generosity,” Hugo replied as he stared at the leaping flames of the fire. “William is no fool. He realizes that throwing his father-in-law, who also happens to be his uncle, into the Tower as one of his first acts as future king will make him look petty in the eyes of the people, and the last thing he wants to do is turn James into a martyr for Catholics. Allowing James and his family to live in exile is a savvy political decision since he will be seen as being magnanimous by both the Catholics and the Protestants.”

  “But it will also give the Catholics hope, which will lead to decades of failed rebellions and countless deaths,” Neve countered hotly.

  “Yes, but William and Mary don’t know what you do, and besides, executing James wouldn’t put an end to the problem. William would also have to kill the child, his own wife’s little brother, which would be seen as unnecessarily cruel and incite rebellion anyway.”

  “You know,” Neve said as she yawned, covering her mouth daintily. “There was a time at school when I thought British history was boring,” she said with a smile as she slid off Hugo’s lap.

  “Really?” Hugo asked, stunned.

  “Yes. It was such a chore trying to remember who was related to whom, who’d been executed, crowned, or exiled. I never imagined I’d get to live it.”

  “There are days when I would give a lot to be bored,” Hugo replied as he pulled back the covers and got into bed next to Valentine who was snoring lightly. Michael was between the two girls, his fair head resting on Elena’s pillow and her arm protectively placed around his middle.

  “Me too,” Neve replied. She got in on the other side to make sure that no one rolled off the high bed during the night. Hugo reached out and took Neve’s hand, holding it for a moment while they bracketed their children. His whole world was in this bed, and he meant to keep them safe, no matter what it took.

  Notes

  I hope you enjoyed this installment of the Wonderland Series. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. I love hearing from you. If you’d like to join my mailing list to learn about new releases and promotions, please email me at irina.shapiro@yahoo.com with your email address, which will always be kept confidential.

  Please visit me at www.irinashapiro.com to find out more about my other titles and future releases.