by Janet Woods
Ryder took some coins from his pocket and handed them over. ‘Buy yourself and your handlers a jug or two for your efforts, and give them my thanks. Pick up John Moore from the workhouse with your next load if you would. He should be ready and waiting.’
The man touched his hat. ‘That I will.’
Sarah caught up to him. She was out of breath. He’d forgotten she was behind him. ‘Sorry, did I go too fast?’
She nodded.
‘It’s not much further, Henry,’ and he patted his horse, wondering if he would recognize his stable after all this time. ‘We’re nearly home.’
Ten minutes later they were about to pass under the ornate rusting archway that supported the gates. Although the gates hung open he stopped to give the bell pull a vigorous shake to announce his arrival. The metal pull came off in his hand. He threw it aside with a snort of disgust. It had about as much pride left as he did. He gazed up at the arch where the words ‘Madigan House’ were fashioned in rusting wrought iron. He was the last of the Madigan family and had inherited the earldom from his father when he was quite young.
He must do something about the gate and its arch, he thought. Five years ago he’d ridden out through it, his heart broken into pieces. He’d painted the gate himself to welcome his bride to her new home. It had been as black and glossy as a raven’s wing, the letters were picked out in gold, and the cartouche in the middle of the gates bore the family coat of arms of three arrows in red and gold.
Now it was all one colour … rust brown.
‘Welcome to Madigan House,’ he said to the young woman, who was waiting patiently beside him. After all, she was barely a child and nothing was her fault. She seemed older than he’d been led to believe.
‘Sixteen,’ she said when he asked. ‘Thank you, my lord, I’ll try not to get in your way.’
He left the horses with the new stable hand, collected the parcels together and made his way to the house, the girl following, and equally burdened. She seemed to have bought rather a lot for a small amount of money, and he grinned when he remembered the seven per cent.
The house bustled with activity. Hal came striding out from the kitchen in his shirtsleeves and a dusty apron to cast an eye over the newcomer. ‘You must be Miss Pelham.’
She nodded. ‘My name is Sarah.’
Ryder told him, ‘Show Miss Pelham to the kitchen, Hal, and introduce her to the staff. Perhaps you could find her something to eat and drink while I go and see Mrs Pelham.’
Hal’s smile faded. ‘Mrs Pelham is asleep. Besides, there’s something you should know before you go up there.’
Arms filled with packages, Ryder headed for the stairs, flinging over his shoulder before taking them two at a time, ‘I already know, Hal. The town’s full of it.’
‘Go easy on her. She’s very weak.’
‘Don’t worry, I promise I won’t strangle her.’
He nearly tripped over the dog, making it yelp as he entered the room. He stared down at her – his lovely Adele. How vulnerable she was with her pale, fragile face and with the naked column of her throat visible, so he wanted to place a kiss in the shadowed hollow there. The last few years had changed her from a healthy and innocent young girl into a gaunt woman who seemed as delicate as crystal. He would get her well and her beauty would bloom again, was his first thought.
‘Adele,’ he murmured, and reaching out he touched her mouth with his fingertip.
The room was warm. Perspiration left a damp sheen on her forehead and she began to toss and turn and mutter in her sleep. The sweep of dark lashes guarding her eyes fluttered, then opened. She gazed at him, eyes shiny with fever and whimpering like a puppy. ‘Is it you I owe my life to, sir?’
‘Indeed, it is, Adele.’ Did she not recognize him then … the man who’d once loved her more than his own life? The hurt in him was profound … nearly unbearable. Then he remembered his beard.
He smiled when she closed her eyes again. An idea shimmered in the dark depths of his mind like a new star being born. He must consider ways and means in which the debt she now owed him could be repaid.
He whispered in her ear, ‘You mustn’t die, my Del … not until you explain your actions that day. I absolutely forbid it, do you hear?’
She sighed and mumbled something unintelligible.
The carriage clock on the mantelpiece chimed, reminding him the house was being brought back to life. Hal would have wound it.
He was reluctant to leave Adele’s side, but she was not his responsibility now. The sooner she recovered and left his hearth the better it would be for his own peace of mind. At least he would be able to think straight once she was gone.
He turned, to find the girl standing by the door, watching him. She must have followed him, and was light on her feet. A girl of her age shouldn’t wear such a worried expression.
‘I told Hal to take you to the kitchen.’
‘I wanted to see Adele first … to make sure.’
‘You thought I’d harm her, didn’t you? Come here.’
She stepped forward, her eyes as wary and golden as those of a fox, but she wasn’t afraid to have her say. ‘Men do hurt women when they’re angry. You were angry and I was afraid for her.’
She has courage, he thought as they stood side by side looking down at the women in the bed. ‘Does she look as though I’ve abused her?’ He had to admit she looked as though somebody had.
‘No … I’m sorry.’
‘You made me feel like a criminal in my own home, but I can understand your fear.’ He supposed the girl had been talking about her father with her reference to anger. He wondered, even knowing he didn’t want to pursue that notion.
His thoughts were erratic, full of cracks and threats, at odds with each other. He dragged an ounce of normality to the surface. ‘From now on, when I tell you to do something I expect you to obey me. Is that clear?’
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Do you think you can manage to look after the invalid single-handed? The doctor will visit and will advise you if necessary.
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Good. Will you be comfortable on the truckle bed for now, Miss Pelham? There’s a room adjoining, but it’s extremely dusty.’
She nodded. ‘I’ll see to it tomorrow.’
He turned towards the door, saying, ‘Inform the housekeeper if there’s anything you require. Just remember the servants are all newly appointed, and have a lot of work ahead establishing their routine.’
‘Then I’ll offer her my help. On behalf of Mrs Pelham and myself please accept my thanks for your hospitality, my lord. I will try not to disrupt your household more than necessary before we move on. That’s what Adele would want. She’s not going to die, is she?’
‘No,’ he said curtly, shocked to the core at the thought of such a possibility.
Once outside the door he leaned against the wall. He was trembling, and drew in a deep, steadying breath. He expelled it slowly, allowing the tension to drain from his body. Every emotion he’d experienced all those years ago when Adele had discarded him had returned with a vengeance. He’d survived the meeting, but only just. Awareness had peeled from his hide like a rotten onion, each layer exposing another, deeper bruise. He wasn’t even sure if Adele had recognized him, and the thought that she mightn’t have rankled.
Would she die? Not if he could help it. He wanted her to live. He needed her to face up to what she’d done to him – needed to know why she’d done it.
Sarah had told him that Adele hadn’t mentioned his name very often, unless they were alone and she remembered her childhood. But she’d told the girl to tell him she was sorry. A little blast of happiness centred inside him at the notion that she’d survived.
Then he reached a conclusion that for his own well-being he would avoid her altogether!
Three
Madigan House began to bustle with servants and its character emerged from under the accumulated dirt like the glow of sunshine. Not that there w
as much sun in evidence. Winter had proved to be cold so far and the snow kept them isolated.
With food and rest Ryder’s unwanted invalid began to improve. Her coughing fits were less aggressive and the periods between them longer. Hal visited her every day and brought Ryder frequent reports.
‘Mrs Pelham doesn’t suffer from such severe exhaustion now.’
Ryder told himself he was indifferent. He poked at a posy vase containing a knot of satiny snowdrops he’d stopped to pick that morning from under a hedge on his ride. ‘Is that so?’
‘She was hungry today and ate all of her chicken broth.’
There came a vision of Adele’s pearly teeth biting into a chicken leg and tearing off the flesh – of her tongue delicately probing the corners of her mouth to capture any broth that might have escaped. Lucky chicken. He sighed as he lied, ‘Excellent … the sooner she’s able to fend for herself the sooner they’ll depart.’
He ignored the fact that he could have sent her home for her aunts to nurse or that his feet sometimes carried him unwillingly along the corridor to where she resided. He was unable to stop them.
Once, he’d heard her sing and he’d smiled and pressed his ear against the door panel, but the pesky little terrier seemed to have appointed himself Adele’s protector and had thrown himself vigorously at the bottom of the door and yelped.
‘Come here, Gypsy, it’s nothing but a draught,’ she’d called.
Feeling like an intruder in his own home Ryder had made a dash for the main staircase in case she let the beast out and it sank its sharp little teeth into his leg.
Once Adele and her stepdaughter had gone he wouldn’t have to creep around his own home. He’d forget her and get on and enjoy his life, like he had before. He stared into space for a moment. There was something wrong with that, but he couldn’t think of what it was.
‘If you don’t pay attention you’ll fall off the ladder, Ryder,’ Hal said, bringing him back to the present.
They were in the library. Ryder was up a ladder replacing the dusted books while Hal passed them up. It was a tedious job, shelf by shelf, and he had to be vigilant to keep them in proper order.
Hal resumed his musing. ‘Mrs Pelham got out of bed and walked around the room this morning. She was wobbly and exhausted afterwards.’
‘She should wait until she’s stronger,’ Ryder said evenly, ignoring a sharp thrust of alarm.
‘Perhaps you should advise her to that effect, Ryder. She’s eating well now, so will soon gain some strength. She’s headstrong though.’
‘Mrs Pelham doesn’t need advising since she’s an adult and is well aware of the benefits of eating well … besides, having appointed yourself as her nursemaid, you can advise her.’
Hal pushed back at him. ‘What shall I tell her to account for your bad manners, that you are suffering from the megrims because she tweaked your nose half a dozen years previously? It’s a long time to hold a grudge.’
‘It was more than a tweak, and you can tell her whatever takes your damned fancy.’ This advice was followed by a warning frown from Ryder. ‘Best you stop playing Cupid, Hal, else I’ll be tempted to kick your arse and flatten you.’
Hal grinned. ‘You haven’t managed it yet, my fine lord, but you can only try. You’re so stiff with pride that you’d snap.’ He clicked his fingers in the air and smiled.
Ryder threw a book at him and Hal tossed it back so quickly that Ryder nearly fell off the ladder trying to catch it.
There was a timid knock at the door.
‘Come in,’ he bellowed from his precarious perch.
A maid entered with visiting cards on a silver salver and looked timidly up at him. ‘Two gentlemen have called to see you, my lord.’
‘Don’t look so scared, girl, I wasn’t shouting at you.’
Hal took the cards and read them out. ‘Stephen Tessler and Luke Ashburn.’
Familiar with the names, Ryder said, ‘Stephen Tessler is my financial representative and Ashburn is a young man who was employed to look after the estate in my absence, or so I understand.’
‘You were lucky it happened to be a person of integrity. Shall I withdraw? I can always find some silver to polish.’
‘No … stay, Hal.’ He slid down the ladder and nodded to the maid. ‘Get rid of that posy; Mrs Pelham might enjoy them. Show the gentlemen in. Bring in some tea, and some cake if we have any. I thought I smelled some apple parkin earlier.’
‘That you did, my lord, it’s just come out of the oven.’ The maid smiled and placed the snowdrops on the tray.
Ryder and Hal hastily shrugged into their coats while the visitors shed their topcoats and hats and handed them to the maid in the hall
Ryder smiled at the older man as he entered. ‘Good day, Stephen.’ He introduced Hal. ‘As you can see we’re not sorted out yet, and we’re making ourselves useful to the staff by cleaning the bookcases.’
Stephen offered his hand along with a smile. ‘I apologize for arriving unannounced, my lord. It’s my pleasure to see you again and to introduce Luke Ashburn.’
‘Ah yes … I’ve been expecting you, Mr Ashburn, but I would have appreciated you making an appointment, since we are still understaffed and you now find me at a disadvantage. I believe you’ve been managing my estate.’
Ashburn smiled widely as his approving gaze roved around a library that was now redolent of beeswax and oiled leather. ‘The staff you have are serving you well, and you could hardly call it management. I’ve spared some of my time to keep a good eye on the place since your appointed caretakers departed – for which I was paid.’
‘So I understand.’ Crossing to the fire Ryder placed another log in the grate and pushed it to the back of the fire with his foot. ‘And you made good use of the kitchen garden and the smokehouse … something we were pleased to take advantage of when we arrived.’
‘I believe it was custom that a portion of the food produced on the Madigan estate was for the poor. I couldn’t spare the time to grow corn crops, especially since we had no licence to work your land, but a few vegetables and a couple of pigs and sheep go a long way when one is hungry. The Reverend Bryson told me your great-grandfather had started the practice, and he suggested I continue it – rather, keep it up on your behalf.’
Ryder turned, pleased that the man held tradition close, despite his other shortcomings. ‘The poor need to be cared for, so thank you. One for one, my father termed it … one for us and one to cater for the needy.’
One kiss for Adele and one for himself in return.
Ryder dragged his mind away from the sweeter memories. ‘It was a pity you turned my manservant out. He would have saved you the time to spend on your own pursuits.’
‘I noticed from the estate books that your personal servant had retired with a generous bonus, and someone told me you’d furnished him with his own cottage. I thought he might be taking advantage of the fact that you were away.’
‘That same someone forgot to inform you that John Moore was tricked out of his money and ended up in the poorhouse.’
Ryder was the recipient of a direct and challenging look. ‘Are you seeking to place the blame on me for his plight, my lord? May I say that I was looking out for your interest, not the interests of former estate workers.’
Life in the army had made Ryder impatient with people who minced words. This man was the opposite, straightforward enough to be thought of as offensive if Ryder had been in a different frame of mind. He allowed him to have his say.
‘The hiring of caretakers seemed an unwarranted expense, as did cleaning the place, since you had no permanent staff left. I came on a weekly basis with one of my field workers to make sure all was well. We tended the kitchen garden at the same time. Mr Tessler and my uncle advised me over certain matters, such as the repair of tiles loosened in a storm and a broken window. A ledger was kept on all expenditure. It’s in the clerk’s office.’
‘The interior of the house was neglected, even the essential
rooms.’
‘They are only essential if people use them, my lord. It seemed a waste of time as well as money to employ a new housekeeper to clean so many empty spaces, when there was nobody in residence to fill them. So I had the furniture covered with dust sheets and ignored the rest. Had you let us know of your intention to return …?’
Ashburn had a lot to say for himself and Ryder raised an eyebrow as he gently pushed him to see how far he’d go. ‘May I just say I’m not accountable to you, or anyone else.’
‘An enviable position, my lord.’
‘You think so? Actually it’s a more responsible position than I’d prefer.’
Ryder eyed him. He was a handsome young man of medium height, slim and well muscled. His grip had been firm, his voice confident although slightly aggrieved.
‘My lord, I understand your displeasure at having the privacy of your home invaded by a stranger. If you will allow me I will present you with my final account and will depart. It’s itemized, so judge for yourself if my efforts on your behalf for these past years were wasted, and pay me accordingly – or pay me not at all if that is your will.’
Ashburn was easily offended.
‘Don’t be so hasty, Mr Ashburn. I’m not criticizing you, and since you arrived unbidden, you will do me the courtesy of staying until you are dismissed. I’m well aware that when I left I abandoned my responsibilities towards the estate to the hands of others. You know as well as I that the accounts are presented to Mr Tessler, a man who acts in my absence, and I won’t deviate from the custom. But your uncle spoke well of you and I’m prepared to believe him. I’m rather surprised you haven’t been mentioned in the past to me.’
The man shrugged. ‘My position on the family tree is precarious to say the least. Perhaps he didn’t see the need. The reverend paid for my education and helped raise me in recent years, so alas, any compliment he might affix to me is double-edged. However, I stop short at following in the good reverend’s footsteps.’