by Brenda Hiatt
"I agree, he deserves the hangman's noose," Lord Rushford was saying, "but I understand your inclination to spare him." He glanced at Dina. "Still, he's proved himself completely without principle, so I can't see allowing him to simply go his own way."
"Certainly not," exclaimed Lady Killerby, a handsome, middle-aged dowager who had been visiting her son at Ivy Lodge and who seemed to have installed herself as a matriarch of sorts. "Such impudence cannot go unpunished. What have you to say for yourself, young man?"
Silas blinked, for it was the first time in the discussion that someone had addressed him directly. "Er . . . That I'm very sorry, my lady, and will never do any such thing again."
Dina was startled when Lady Killerby snorted rudely. "Pretty words are easy enough to say. I don't believe them for a moment. What made you think you could carry off such a scheme as eloping with an unwilling lady?" She gestured toward Violet, who appeared to be struggling to stay awake.
"It was a foolish impulse." Silas looked contrite, but Dina didn't believe it any more than Lady Killerby did. "When she refused my offer, I was so distraught that I fear I was not thinking clearly."
"It was a remarkably well-planned impulse," Thor said dryly, "as you had clearly already arranged with Plunkett to exchange vehicles to put off pursuit."
Silas's eyes darted around the room, his composure slipping. "It, ah, it was Plunkett's idea. I should have guessed he would put you on my trail. He's as guilty as I, believe me."
"Perhaps not quite, but it may comfort you to know he did not escape unscathed." Thor looked over at Dina with a half smile that sent a pleasurable tingle down her spine, despite the seriousness of the current proceedings. "In fact, he may well be leaving England soon to avoid further consequences."
"Perhaps that would be the best solution for Silas, as well," said Dina on sudden inspiration. "We have an uncle in America. Silas could take ship and join him there."
"Uncle Kendall?" Silas asked, clearly alarmed. "But he doesn't even like me."
Dina smiled, liking her plan more and more. "Because he could always see right through your little schemes. He won't allow you to impose upon him, that's true. But as his nephew, he won't turn you away, either."
"I . . . I suppose not," Silas conceded. "But—"
"An excellent solution," Lord Rushford declared. "What say you, Moore? You have the choice of starting over in America or relying on the tender mercies of the English judiciary."
Silas flinched, but Dina could not find it in her to feel sorry for him. "Very well. I'll go to Uncle Kendall."
"Good choice," said Thor. "But before you leave, I believe it would be best if you signed over your share of Ashcombe to your sister, as you will not be in any position to care for it. In return, I'm sure she will be willing to pay your passage and advance you a small sum to set yourself up in some trade or other across the Atlantic."
For a moment, Dina thought Silas would refuse. But then she could see him working through his options and realizing that he had none. Reluctantly, he nodded.
"I suppose I can trust her to see the estate don't come to ruin," he said grudgingly. "What do I need to do?"
Lord Rushford, who seemed to have some expertise in such matters, began outlining what documents would need to be written up, signed and witnessed, while Dina listened in growing disbelief. Ashcombe was to be hers! With Silas no longer draining away its income, she had no doubt that she could turn it back into the productive estate it once had been—with Thor's help.
She looked over at her husband with a grateful smile, to find him watching her.
"You approve?" he asked quietly.
Dina nodded, her mind flooding with possibilities.
"Then I propose we leave for Ashcombe in the morning."
Chapter Twenty-Two
In fact, their departure was delayed until Saturday, for it took all of the next day to make the arrangements that would change the course of more than one life. With the help of a local solicitor, the necessary papers were drawn up to transfer full ownership of Ashcombe to Dina and Thor.
Lord Rushford was persuaded to escort Violet back to Plumrose under the chaperonage of Lady Killerby, who claimed she was longing to see Lady Rumble again. Viscount Killerby, her son, offered to come along as well, as he was still unable to hunt as a result of an injury he had sustained early in the season.
And Sir Charles and Lord Uppingwood, another member of the Seven Saints Hunt Club, offered to escort Silas to Bristol, where Lord Uppingwood had family, from which port Silas would be able to take ship to New York, in America, where Uncle Kendall lived.
Dina's only disappointment, among so many satisfactory developments, was that she and Thor had yet to share a bed. While at Ivy Lodge, Lady Killerby had insisted that Dina share a chamber with Violet to preserve propriety in such an overwhelmingly male establishment.
"Though no fault of her own, this incident is of just the sort that is likely to cause talk," Lady Killerby affirmed. "Should that occur, it will be as well if we can all say that there was never the least opportunity for Miss Turpin to have been visited in private by any gentleman during her absence from home."
She could not disagree with Lady Killerby's reasoning, Dina supposed, however it might frustrate her personal plans.
Finally, however, all was settled and three carriages stood in the yard before Ivy Lodge, ready to leave for their various destinations.
"Goodbye, Silas," Dina said to her brother. "Please believe that I wish you the very best in your new life in America. Give Uncle Kendall my love."
Silas gave a terse nod. "Take care of yourself, Dina. And you, Turpin, treat her properly, won't you?"
"You have my word on it," Thor promised, one hand on Dina's shoulder.
As he climbed into the coach beside Lord Uppingwood, Dina could not suppress a last twinge of wistfulness for what might have been. Perhaps, someday, in the distant future—
"Grant, you and Dina will be returning to Plumrose soon, will you not?" Violet asked as Lord Uppingwood's coach started off, interrupting Dina's melancholy thoughts.
"I'm not certain," Thor replied, glancing down at Dina. "There may be much to do at Ashcombe before we can safely leave it in the hands of the steward. We won't know how much until we get there and look things over."
Violet started to pout, but then seemed to remember something and grinned conspiratorially at Dina. "Well, take your time, then. Just don't forget about my come-out next month. I am counting on you both to rescue me from Aunt Philomena."
She hugged and kissed them both, then turned expectantly to Lord Rushford to help her into Lady Killerby's coach. However, little Lord Killerby was quicker, despite his limp, and stepped forward to hand her up beside his mother.
"Keep an eye on her, won't you Killer, Rush?" Thor called as the gentlemen climbed into the coach after her. "The girl's already eloped twice, so there's no knowing what she might attempt next."
Violet's indignant protest was cut off when Lord Rushford closed the coach door and the coachman whipped up the team.
"And now, it's just us." Thor smiled down at Dina with an expression that made her heart pound. "Shall we?"
He opened the door of the last coach, the same brown one Silas had used for his kidnapping, though with a far superior pair of horses. Dina allowed him to help her inside, fighting down an absurd flutter of nervousness as he seated himself beside her and closed the door.
"If all goes well," Thor said as the coach started off, "we should reach Ashcombe by dinnertime. What is the first thing you'd like to do once we get there?"
"Decide which bedchamber we will occupy for our stay," she replied daringly.
Thor chuckled and pulled her against his side. "I was going to suggest beginning the construction of a swimming pool."
Though she laughed along with him, Dina felt a stab of irritation. Did he still believe that they could only safely be intimate with such a precaution? She was determined to prove him wrong—and before morning. Here in the
coach was hardly the place to start, however, so she turned the conversation to her hopes and tentative plans for the estate.
With just one stop at midday for luncheon and a change of horses, they were able to reach Ashcombe before nightfall. Thor helped Dina from the carriage with a renewed sense of relief that the problem that was Silas Moore had been solved so neatly. He only wished the same could be true of his remaining problem —that of achieving the kind of marriage he and Dina both desired.
Though he supposed he should feel reassured that she was tougher than he'd assumed, the events of the past few days had served to make him feel more protective of Dina than ever. That moment on the road when she had crumpled after a blow from her brother's fist still haunted him.
"Good evening, Purseglove," Dina greeted the startled butler when he opened to Thor's knock. "Will you please gather all of the staff here in the hall as quickly as possible? I have an announcement to make to them."
Though the man's brow furrowed with apprehension, he only said, "Of course, ma'am. I'll have a footman bring in your luggage."
"Er, we don't have any," Thor said, hoping the Ashcombe servants were not overly given to gossip. "It will be arriving in a day or two, however."
"Very good, sir." His eyes bright with curiosity and concern, Purseglove left to carry out Dina's order.
A few minutes later, some dozen or so servants were collected in the entry hall, their faces all reflecting their anxiety at such an unprecedented event. Thor stood off to one side, letting Dina handle this, as they had agreed.
"Thank you for coming so quickly," she began. "I have something to tell you that will undoubtedly come as a surprise."
"Please, mum, are we all to be sacked?" blurted out one young housemaid, apparently unable to contain her worries. Though the housekeeper quickly shushed her, the older woman's expression was just as distraught.
"Sacked?" Dina repeated, looking around at them all. "Certainly not. Why should you think such a thing?"
"Er, well, ma'am, we know money has been tight," the housekeeper, Mrs. Macready, explained, twisting her apron between her hands. "And Mr. Moore has threatened to let every one of us go, at one time or another." She peered past Dina toward the front door, as though expecting him to come bursting in at any moment.
Dina smiled around at all of the anxious faces. "You no longer need to fear anything my brother might have threatened, for he will not be returning to Ashcombe for quite some time, if ever. He has decided to take an extended trip to New York, in America, to visit our uncle there, and has left the management of the house and estate to me—and to Mr. Turpin." She nodded toward Thor.
A few of the junior servants broke into a spontaneous cheer before the butler and housekeeper frowned them into better decorum. Purseglove then turned to Dina with the first smile Thor had seen on his face. "That . . . that is welcome news, ma'am, if I may say so."
"You may indeed. Over the next few days, Mr. Turpin will be going over the books with the steward and if any of your wages are in arrears, they will be paid up. I hope that together we can all make Ashcombe a more pleasant place to live and work."
This time the senior staff made no effort to quiet the younger ones when they cheered, instead joining in the general air of celebration.
"But now, ma'am, sir, do let us freshen up your rooms," said Mrs. Macready, beckoning to two of the housemaids. "And I don't doubt that Cook will want to put together something extra special for your dinner, as soon as may be. Shall I put Mr. Turpin into Mr. Moore's old chambers, next to your own, ma'am?"
Dina nodded. "And have the door between the two chambers unlocked, if you please. We'll wait in the parlor until everything is ready."
The servants all bustled off and Thor followed Dina to the parlor. "You handled that admirably," he told her once they were alone. "Not that I doubted for a moment that you would." He was beginning to wonder if there was any area in which Dina could not impress him with her competence.
"I've known most of the servants for years. Some, all of my life." She smiled a bit wistfully. "I confess, I have missed them—and my home—more than I ever expected to when I first left here a month ago."
"Not surprising, as you've lived your whole life here, even if some of your memories are less than pleasant."
"Some, yes," she conceded. "But I have many happy ones as well: of my mother when she was alive, of my Uncle Kendall's visits and the lessons he gave me, my rambles about the countryside, swimming in the pond . . ." She stopped, coloring slightly.
Thor felt his body responding to the same memory. "Perhaps tomorrow you can show me the pond— though just now it is likely iced over. I would like to learn all I can about Ashcombe."
"Yes, the better you know it, the better you will be able to advise me on how we might turn it back into a profitable estate."
"That, too. But I find myself wanting to see all of the places you haunted as a girl, to share in your favorite memories of the place. Will you show me?"
Her face lit up with delight. "Truly? I should love to do that. Tomorrow, after services, we can start with the house and grounds, then traipse about the countryside. I'll . . . I'll show you all of my secret retreats."
Thor was touched more than he could express by the trust that promise implied. He prayed he would never do anything to violate it.
Dinner was announced then, and they repaired to the dining room. The servants, clearly delighted at the change of regime, were assiduous in their attentions during the meal, frequently expressing their pleasure at having Dina home. As a result, Thor and Dina were forced to keep their conversation to household and estate matters, since they never had the room to themselves.
As the last plates were cleared away, Thor rose, feeling no particular desire to linger alone with a cigar or brandy. "Would you care to return to the parlor?"
But Dina shook her head. "Why do we not see if our bedchambers are ready? You will not have seen yours yet, and will want to make some changes, I know."
"Tonight, all I care about is having clean linens to sleep on, after so much travel," Thor said, though in fact his thoughts were straying to other possibilities. Dina had not suggested any such thing, however, and he was not about to press for anything that might cause her discomfort.
"Come, then," she said, getting up and tucking her hand through his arm.
As they mounted the stairs, Thor fought to subdue his body's eagerness for something that almost certainly would not take place tonight. Dina was tired. He was tired. Or so he kept telling himself.
"This is my room, as you may recall," she said, opening a door on the right to reveal a pleasant chamber boasting a large four-poster hung in yellow and green and a wide stone fireplace, in which a cheerful fire already crackled.
"Yours will now be the next one along—the best bedroom, by the bye, or it will be once you've arranged it to your liking." Closing the door to her chamber, she opened the one to his.
Though he felt rather uncomfortable at the idea of sleeping in the room her brother had occupied, Thor could not deny that it was a handsome chamber of noble proportions, with wide, double windows, heavy, well-made furniture and beautifully carved woodwork. The colors were a bit somber for his taste, but that would be easy enough to remedy.
"I take it these were your parents' rooms, when they were alive?"
Dina nodded. "They are so much larger and nicer than the others that Silas and I moved into them after a year or so."
Remembering the shabby guest chamber he had occupied on his previous visit to Ashcombe, Thor could not fault their decision. "I'm sure we can make the other rooms more pleasant as well, with some work, against the day that they might be needed for visitors."
"An excellent idea," she agreed, stepping into the room to pull the window curtains closed. "You have candles on the mantel and desk, and an oil lamp on the bedside table," she pointed out. "Until our things arrive in a few days, I fear you will have to make do with some of Silas's clothes, though they
will doubtless be a bit small."
Was it his imagination, or did she seem nervous? "I'm certain I can manage," he said. "If necessary, we can drive into Litchfield on Monday and purchase a few things."
"Yes. Of . . . of course." She was definitely nervous. "This door leads to a dressing room," she said, opening it, "beyond which is another, and then my chamber." She tried the handle of the door linking the dressing rooms and it turned under her hand, proving that the housekeeper had unlocked it, as she had requested.
Blushing, she turned back to him. "Ah, as my maid is still at Plumrose, I thought . . . that is . . . would you mind helping me change for bed?" She asked the question in a rush, as though determined to get it out before she could lose her courage.
Thor felt his throat drying at the thought of undressing her. Surely, that would not be a good idea? Safer for one of the housemaids to—
"Certainly," he heard himself saying. "As my valet is not here either, I could use some assistance as well."
That was not true, for he could easily disrobe without her help, but it seemed the . . . polite thing to say.
"Of course. Let's, ah, go into my room, shall we?"
Thor could understand her reluctance to undress, or to . . . do anything else . . . in the room that had so recently been her brother's. He would make some changes to the chamber tomorrow, he decided, though he didn't examine why that seemed so important.
Wordlessly, he followed her through the two dressing rooms to her chamber, trying to keep his eyes from the inviting four-poster as she led him to a spot right next to it. She had only asked for help with her clothing, he reminded himself. Besides—
Without warning, Dina turned, put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him down for a kiss. After one startled instant, Thor responded, gathering her slight body to him, delighting in the taste of her lips, the firm lushness of her curves. She was everything he wanted— everything he could ever imagine wanting.
Just before the capacity for rational thought left him entirely, however, he remembered the possible danger they were courting. Gently, he disengaged himself from her kiss to look down at her tenderly. Not for the world would he have her believe he did not want this.