“In a minute. First, come see what I’ve done. Or, you go on up, Sophia. Come along, Gabriel.”
A ball of dread formed in her stomach, like something rank and curdled. What had Teresa done? She followed as Teresa took Gabriel’s arm and led him into the drawing room.
“There. You see? It’s all back as it should be, establishing a proper flow. Though I’ll have to enlist some footmen to go through the attic and pull out the organza settee, my favorite piece.” Pleased with herself, Teresa clasped her hands under her chin.
Sophia swept by her husband and his mother. Mrs. Hoyle stood off to the side while two of the footmen arranged an end table near the claw-footed green velvet sofa.
“Put it down. Don’t touch another thing until further instruction from me.” Disheveled as she was, Sophia managed to speak in her most imperious tones. “Mrs. Hoyle, I see we have much to discuss. I’ll expect you in my office in one hour.” An hour should give her enough time to put herself back together properly.
“Lady Averford thought you might like to see it again as it was, my lady.”
Sophia, an artful and empty smile on her face, turned to her mother-in-law. “Teresa, I see you’ve had an entertaining morning. I know how you need to keep yourself amused. Thank you for this glimpse into Thornbrook Park’s past. Perhaps you should take up a hobby. Some women your age like to quilt, I understand. Mrs. Hoyle can find you some fabric scraps from among your old clothes in the attic.”
“Quilting? Me? I wouldn’t know where to begin. I’ve never been skilled with a needle and thread. No, I’m much more suited to decorating and let me add that…”
“Good afternoon.” Agatha, in a chartreuse-and-peacock ensemble, complete with a feather fan, came along at the perfect time, escorted by Lord Markham. “We’re just coming in from a walk. It’s a lovely day. Have you been out too, Sophia?”
Bless Aunt Agatha. Sometimes Sophia wondered if she really did possess a sixth sense. She prayed that the same sense had kept Agatha and Lord Markham on the opposite side of the grounds, far away from the gardening shed. “Yes, Auntie. Gabriel and I have just returned.”
“And someone’s been playing with the furniture. Time for a change? I have to tell you that it’s all wrong, dear. It had a certain flow, the way you had it. Now it’s, forgive me, it’s a jumbled mess.”
Sophia smiled, genuinely this time. “It was just an experiment. It’s all going back as it was.”
“Thank goodness. Teresa, dear.” Agatha turned from Sophia to Gabriel’s mother. “I’m about to give Charles a reading. Tarot cards, are you familiar? Come along to the parlor, and I’ll give you a spread too.”
Teresa’s cheeks burned as red as her tea gown. “Thank you, but I have plans to go up to the attic.”
“Please reconsider,” Lord Markham spoke up. “I’d hoped I could count on being entertained by two lovely women this afternoon. I’ve been so lonely.”
“I suppose I could take some time.” Teresa cast one last glance at her handiwork before agreeing. “You know I love to be in demand.”
Sophia breathed a sigh of relief to see Teresa walking away. She turned to the footman. “Now, put it all back the way it was. Mrs. Hoyle, I believe you can direct them. And I’ll see you shortly.”
“One thing, Lady Averford.” Mrs. Hoyle approached. “I’m not sure which office you mean.”
“Not sure which office? The office I’ve been using for over a year now, of course. You know exactly the one.” Mrs. Hoyle remained loyal to the Dowager Countess. Sophia would make it clear that Hoyle’s continued employment relied upon her changing sides. There was only one woman at Gabriel’s side in charge of Thornbrook Park, and it was not his mother.
“Lord Averford’s office then?” She looked at Gabriel with a thin-lipped smile. Did the harridan mean to drive a wedge between them or at least to capitalize on their perceived separation? Sophia had always had a hard time getting on with Mrs. Hoyle, but she’d thought they had reached some understanding between them. Apparently she had thought wrong.
Gabriel stepped forward and draped an arm over Sophia’s shoulders. “My office is the lady’s office. The countess is more than welcome to conduct business affairs there as she has done so capably in my absence.”
“Of course, Lord Averford. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. Let me get things settled here and I will join you in an hour, Lady Averford.”
Sophia tipped her head in Mrs. Hoyle’s direction. “That will be all for now. I’m going to freshen up.”
“Allow me to escort you, darling. I seem to need a change of clothes too.” Once they were out of earshot of the servants, he whispered, “Since we’re both a little dirty…”
Standing one stair ahead of him, Sophia was nearly his height. She turned and splayed her hand on his chest. “Don’t even think of it. We had our moment, and now it’s back to business.”
“Our moment? Ouch. I knew it was quick but…”
“Gabriel.” She flashed him a warning glare and turned to continue up the stairs. “I need a bath.”
“I can help you with that.”
“Alone. You don’t give up easily, I’ll grant you that.” She reached the top of the stairs. He grabbed her hand as he came up the last step.
“I’ll never give up when it comes to you.” He placed a kiss in the center of her palm. “I hope you’ll allow me to join you when you reprimand Hoyle.”
“I wouldn’t call it a reprimand. More of a reminder, perhaps, to understand where her loyalties should lie.”
“In that case, I believe we should make a united front. She needs to know that I stand behind you in whatever you decide to do.”
“Thank you.” She softened at once. Her knees might have quivered the slightest bit. “I appreciate your support.”
“I’ll see you in an hour.” He turned on his heel to walk off toward his room. She’d expected him to put up more of an effort to seduce her again, but he’d apparently taken her word that she had no intention of a repeat performance. Even though the sight of him walking away made her sorry that she hadn’t changed her mind in time.
* * *
Gabriel admired the way Sophia took command of the situation with Mrs. Hoyle, effortlessly putting the housekeeper in her place. He’d taken a chair at the worktable in the far corner of the office, where he busied himself with a book while looking on. Sophia sat behind his desk as if she belonged there, and she probably did. She had kept the place running smoothly for just under a year.
Sophia had changed out of her afternoon frock into a severe, gray silk blouse buttoned up all the way to the middle of her neck and paired with a figure-hugging skirt. The figure-hugging might have been a figment of his imagination. He hadn’t actually gotten a good look at her skirt since she had been seated before he came in.
“I need you to understand, Mrs. Hoyle, that the Dowager Countess is a guest at Thornbrook Park. While I appreciate you going above and beyond the call of duty to make a guest feel at home, this does not include rearranging the furniture.”
Hoyle nodded. “My apologies. I suppose I got carried away with nostalgia. I do miss the old days when the earl and his brother were boys.”
The crafty woman had managed to both apologize and call attention to her senior position at the house at the same time. Not to mention that she was undoubtedly trying to provoke a similar wave of remembrance from Gabriel and hoping that he would interfere.
“Be that as it may, Mrs. Hoyle, I expect to be consulted before any changes in my house take place, cosmetic or otherwise.” Sophia tapped a finger emphatically on the desk. “Considering the temporary nature of the furniture rearrangement, I’m letting this incident pass without formal reprimand. But keep in mind that I expect your loyalty at all times.”
“I know, my lady. Again, I’m sorry for my lack of judgment this once. It won’t happen again.”<
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Sophia cocked a brow and got to her feet. “Very good, Mrs. Hoyle. I expect you’re eager to get back to work. Don’t let me keep you any longer.”
“Do it again, Lady Averford,” Gabriel said, once they were alone again. “That saucy arch of your brow.”
She laughed. He would never tire of that sound. “I’m curious where Mr. Finch was in all this. I would have expected him to put a stop to the nonsense before it began. But then, I suppose he was also here during your mother’s time.”
“Finch is fiercely loyal to you,” Gabriel said, reaching for her hand. “You can’t imagine he didn’t know about the Kenner and Grant situation the entire time, but he never said a word.”
“You really think he knew?”
“I know he did. I could see the relief on his face when I figured it out. Not much goes on around here that Finch doesn’t know about.”
“Exactly my point.” She let go of his hand to throw her arms up in confusion. “So why didn’t he stop Mrs. Hoyle from rearranging my furniture?”
Gabriel shrugged. “It’s not something he would want to get wrapped up in, is it? They’re peers. I certainly wouldn’t want to be on Hoyle’s bad side and have to keep working closely with the woman.”
“True enough. I suppose I should go and see how Anna’s settling in.”
“A moment more of your time, please.”
“Yes, Gabriel? What is it?” She stepped closer. To his surprise, she looked almost like she hoped he was about to kiss her again. In fact, he had considered sweeping everything off his desk to take her then and there, but he couldn’t be sure she would truly appreciate the gesture.
“This worktable.” His mouth went dry. He could still make an attempt? No. “If we moved it out, we could fit in another desk. All yours. What do you say?”
“We could work in here together? Work together on running the estate?”
“That’s the idea, yes.”
“I’m not too…feminine for the job?”
He shook his head. “It’s what makes you perfect for the job. You add a certain sensibility. But I can’t promise that I won’t occasionally make my way over to you and try this.”
Testing the waters, he reached out and trailed a hand down her blouse, just over her breast and the stiff stays of her corset. She didn’t back away. Instead, she boldly met his gaze. “I might like that. As long as we made sure to get our work done first.”
“Business, then pleasure?” He nodded. “Yes, I think we can manage that.”
Before he could take his chance on easing her to the desk, there was a knock on the door and their butler appeared.
“I’m sorry, my lord, for interrupting.” Finch cleared his throat. “There’s a man here from Higgins Farm. He’s waiting in the drawing room.”
“Higgins Farm?” Sophia pursed her lips. “I wonder what could be wrong. I’ll meet him in the parlor. Send for Mr. Grant to join us please, Mr. Finch.”
Without another word to Gabriel, she turned and rushed out after Finch. Had she forgotten he was there? He followed her. “We might not need Mr. Grant. I have him working on something.”
“He’ll want to be kept informed.” She didn’t even bother to turn around.
When they got to the drawing room, they found Anna Cooper engaged in conversation with the man from the farm. Gabriel would say he was more of a boy, a lanky lad all elbows and knees, little more than eighteen if even that.
“Anna, I see you’re feeling more at home. You’ve met Ethan Nash from Higgins Farm?” Sophia could undoubtedly see that there was no need for introductions.
Anna nodded, never taking her eyes from the boy. “Yes. Ethan has come by Tilly Meadow once or twice. He’s friends with Brandon.”
Of course he would be, two lads of about the same age.
Ethan stood. “Good day, Lady Averford. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“What seems to be the trouble, Ethan?”
Gabriel waited but was never introduced. He stood back and listened as the tall young man fingered the brim of his hat in his hands while trying to explain the problem to Sophia.
“Last week’s rain caused the creek to flood, and now it’s threatening our crops. It looked like it would level off, but it just keeps rising. It’s as high as it was last spring,” Ethan explained.
“After the winter snows.” Sophia nodded. “I can’t imagine the rain alone was enough to make it rise to that extent. I wonder if something happened downriver.”
Ethan shrugged. “With Mr. Higgins away, I want to keep any flooding down but I don’t have enough men. We’ve got to make sandbags and build them up at the water’s edge. If you could spare a few to come help out? Garden boys, footmen?”
“With Higgins away? Where is he?” Sophia asked, more curious than demanding.
“His wife took the twins to visit her mother, and the boys fell ill. He went to help. They’ll all be back in a few days, I imagine, but in the meantime…”
“He’s left you in charge. Yes, that’s quite a responsibility on your hands. Last time, Mr. Grant and I came to help. We can come along again. Oh, Mr. Grant. There you are. We have a little problem,” Sophia called out to Grant standing in the corridor.
He entered the room and Sophia seemed all too willing to rely on him when she hadn’t even cast a glance back at Gabriel. Back in her role of authority, she seemed to blossom as she explained the problem to her partner, the estate manager. How Gabriel longed to be the man she relied on in a crisis, but she hadn’t given him a thought. Perhaps it’s what he should expect after being out of her life for a year, but it came as a blow, especially after what they had just done. Forgotten so easily. Gabriel turned to go back to his study when Anna called him back.
“Lord Averford. I’m so happy to see you.” Someone was. “Thank you for the position. I mean to do my very best. Mr. Kenner has already been working with me, thank goodness. I might be lost without him.”
“Kenner is, is he? Good man. You could learn a lot from Mr. Kenner.” Gabriel had to wonder just a little at Kenner’s motives. Anna was quite pretty, with a trim figure and long brown hair that reached her waist unbound, but she was so young. But then, Kenner seemed younger than his six-and-twenty years. Gabriel would have to keep watch on the situation, just in case. “And have you settled in?”
“Yes. It’s so nice having a room of one’s own. At Tilly Meadow, I shared a room with Emily.”
“It’s nice for now, but you might find that you get lonely. When you’re used to having someone there, and suddenly she’s not… Well.” He looked at Sophia, still engaged in lively conversation with Mr. Grant and Ethan. “It can hit you unexpectedly. Fortunately, you’re close enough to go back to Tilly Meadow and visit when you want. And of course, you can always invite Emily for a night or two here.”
“That’s exactly what the countess said. Emily would like that. But not right away. I mean to keep it all to myself for now.”
“Good idea, at least until you become accustomed to your duties. My wife can be a strict taskmaster.”
Anna’s smile lit up her face, and possibly the entire room. She had her mother’s angelic good looks. “Mrs. Dennehy warned me.”
“Did she?” Gabriel laughed. “That’s Mrs. Dennehy for you. She’s an excellent judge of character. You’ll find our Aunt Agatha to be equally forthright, if a little more eccentric.”
“I met her. She complimented me on my aura, but I’m not sure what she meant by it.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“I expect that I will.” Anna’s attention was drawn to the farmer.
“You know each other well, then? You and young Ethan?”
“Not really well. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be distracted. There’s flooding, apparently. I could lend a hand with the sandbags.”
“You know about sandbags?”
Her brown eyes widened. “I have lived on a farm for some years now, Lord Averford. I’ve been called on to help with all kinds of work.”
“Of course. Why not offer a hand? We can’t stand over here being ignored much longer, can we? Let’s go. Anna here has some expertise with stemming floods,” Gabriel interrupted Grant before he could make another new and undoubtedly fascinating point. “We volunteer our services.”
“We were just getting ready to go,” Sophia said, looking from Gabriel to Grant as if being forced to choose between them. “It’s hard work, Gabriel. Manual labor. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“I certainly couldn’t stand idly by while my wife lends her services.” It was certainly a new side to Sophia, this selfless volunteering for rough duty. Did she think him incapable or merely too highbrow to lend a hand? She had no problem volunteering her Mr. Grant for the work. “I can go instead of Grant. I’ve got Mr. Grant at work on something for me.”
“Mr. Morris is researching the matter,” Grant said. “My hands are tied until Morris gets back to me.”
“Morris the solicitor?” Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “Working on what?”
Gabriel ignored her. “You could be working with Kenner to draw up the papers in the meantime, Grant. I need you here. No point running off to the Higgins’ place. Anna and I can go, and I’m sure we can round up some of the men from the yard.”
“What if I have work for Anna to do?” Sophia crossed her arms. She would be stubborn, would she?
“Anna’s just gotten settled. You haven’t put her to work yet.”
“I’m happy to take Anna.” Ethan was bold enough to state his preference. “Anna, you can ride with me. What do you say?”
Anna brightened up. She took Ethan’s arm. “Yes.”
“I’ve only brought the pony trap,” Ethan said. “There’s room for two, but it’s not quite what you’re used to, Miss Cooper.”
The Great Estate Page 12