Barons, Brides, and Spies: Regency Series Starter Collection Volume Two

by Mary Lancaster

  “Well, I’ve got a little money behind me – the Navy’s had to pay me out for twenty years of service. Perhaps I’ll buy myself a cottage and a fishing boat, and that’ll do enough for me.”

  Mrs. Trellow cocked an eyebrow at him. “Now ye’ve settled down, ye should be thinkin’ of findin’ yerself a wife to keep house and be a companion – ye’re not as young as ye used to be!”

  “Leave him be, Pol, there’s plenty of time for him yet.”

  “I appreciate the vote of confidence.” Adam grinned behind his glass and drained the rest of the beer. “I think I’ll take a walk down to the fleet at Flushing and see if there’s anything doing.”

  “Have ye been to Falmouth, lad?”

  “Just once,” said Adam. “The Andromeda is still in port and…”

  He shrugged his shoulders, leaving the rest of his feelings unspoken. Jory nodded his understanding. Polly shook her head, tut-tutting her dismay once more.

  “Make sure ye be back by dark,” she said. “I be servin’ up pie tonight and there’s a fresh barrel of cider Will’s bringin’ back from Truro.”

  “Thank you.”

  Adam meant it sincerely. The Trellows were decent people, salt of the earth, and he wanted to lie to them as little as possible.

  The road from the village rounded a hill over a distance of several hundred yards before it emerged onto the low lands exposed to the English Channel. Standing lookout over them all was Ponsnowyth Church, Norman in design, made of bluestone. The cemetery beside it was windswept, keeping the grass low, while both tree and headstone alike bowed to the greater power of the elements.

  Adam looked up at the sky. With twilight still some time off, he figured he had time to stop. In fact, he had time to do anything he wished. He shook his head at Ridgeway’s instruction to keep himself visible.

  In that case, perhaps he should march up to the front door of Kenstec House and deliver a blow or three to Squire Denton in long-overdue repayment of the beating he received at the hands of Geen the overseer as a first and final warning to stay away from Kenstec, and Constance in particular.

  For a long time, what happened in the wood after he found his gift to Constance gone was knocked clean out of his head. It came back to him bit by bit like a jigsaw over weeks and months. He had been in agony, Adam recalled, every inch of his body hurt from the beating when they handed him the quill. He signed what he thought was a promise to never see Constance again and another paper that Geen had told him was an apology for presuming to be familiar with someone his better.

  What he hadn’t known was one was a letter to his family telling them he had made the decision to go to sea, and the other was his letter of indenture. Adam had only learned about that when he returned to sort out his father’s effects after the old man’s death.

  By that time, the circumstances of his enlistment had been moot because, by some strange quirk of nature, Navy life had agreed with him. He had been just promoted to bosun’s mate by then and, for the most part, the resentment was as long gone as the bruises and the cuts he wore on his first voyage. He was genuinely content for a while. His old life – and Constance – just a bittersweet memory.

  He glanced over the low stone wall that surrounded Ponsnowyth Church. There, among the greyed and weathered headstones flecked with moss and yellow lichen, was a clean, new gravestone, a little grander than the rest – in marble, no less.

  Who was this then?

  He opened the gate and entered the churchyard. The western sun shone brightly on the stone and he couldn’t make out the inscription until he was almost upon it.

  Beaufort Denton

  Esq.

  9 September 1732 – 6 January 1804

  Late of Kenstec House

  husband of Caroline

  father of Lydia

  So, the old man had kicked the bucket at last. In the mood he was in at the moment, Adam was tempted to spit on his grave, but he refrained.

  Caroline and Lydia. The old man had also remarried and sired another daughter. Adam looked at the well-tended but older grave alongside the squire’s.

  Tressa Denton (nee Keast)

  1754 – 1782

  loving wife of Beaufort Denton, esq

  mother of Constance

  forever missed

  Obviously not missed that long. But that was odd…why wasn’t Constance’s name on her father’s grave, along with her father’s widow and her half-sister?

  With trepidation and increasing confusion, Adam walked along the row of graves that marked the resting places of generations of the Denton family.

  Constance’s name was not among them.

  *

  Constance? Constance!

  The man’s question lingered and his exclamation rang in Olivia’s ears as she ran through the woods into the safety of the estate grounds.

  Who was he? Why would this stranger mistake her for a girl who had been dead these past twenty years? She was afraid she knew the answer, but no – surely it was too much of a coincidence for it to be Adam Hardacre.

  By the time Olivia had got halfway across the lawn, she had dissuaded herself from such a foolish belief. She must have misheard the man. Clearly, he had been as surprised by her appearance there as she was of his.

  She let herself into the house via the kitchen and bolted the door. In the stillness, she became acutely aware of her isolation inside the manor walls. Perhaps it wasn’t wise to stay here on her own tonight.

  She wondered if it was too late to accept Polly’s invitation to live at the inn for a few days. Olivia hadn’t minded being on her own in the earlier part of the week when there was much to do in the house. But now, with that work nearly completed, one could almost entertain the thought of ghosts.

  And while she was in the mood to contemplate such matters, it was also time to stop dwelling in the past; worse still, in someone else’s past.

  The fate of the ill-starred lovers from Constance’s diary was long ago and there was nothing more she could do about it. The mystery of it had been solved.

  Olivia went up to her room and packed a small valise. The afternoon sun through the window brought out the red grain of the mahogany of the writing box. Inside it, she had reunited Adam’s love notes with Constance’s diary as well as the letters from St. Thomas’ Hospital in London which told of the young woman’s untimely end.

  She ran her hand over the box. Did this Adam the carpenter still live?

  If she left now, she could stop by the Trezises’ at the timber mill on her way to the inn and ask if they knew how to contact the former owner. She would write him a letter to explain who she was and what she had found. She would make the offer of returning the box and the papers relating to his one-time sweetheart.

  Without truly knowing why she did so, Olivia shoved the writing box under her bed next to her trunk. Something that had been hidden for so long ought to be kept hidden until it could be returned to its rightful owner.

  And as for the stranger, she would describe him to Polly and Jory and see if they knew him from their village or the surrounding area, or if someone new had arrived locally. If anyone would know who he was, then they would.

  The sun had reached the top of the tree line by the time Olivia had bolted the kitchen door and it took another half an hour to brush down and feed the old grey gelding before it started to feel too neglected.

  Perhaps she should ride him, although she would struggle to get a saddle on him without the assistance of a groomsman. Cooper, the youngster the Trellows employed as a stable boy, could look after him much better than she could. She would suggest to Mr. Fitzgerald that the horse be agisted in the paddock behind the inn until Mistress Caroline made a decision whether or not to sell the animal.

  Olivia tied the green ribbon of her straw hat under her chin and picked up her bag. She followed the drive to the road and took one glance back at the imposing house.

  She’d almost forgotten about the uncomfortable exchange with the solicit
or earlier that morning. Mr. Fitzgerald had been about to kiss her hand and there had most definitely been a look, although, equally, she could have been mistaken in believing his interest in her extended beyond that of the most basic and professional sort.

  But what if she wasn’t wrong? Should she accept his attentions? What were his intentions? Inexperienced in these matters she may be, but she was not a naive woman. Olivia knew full well that a man may use flattery to win his way and offer a woman nothing more than words that would prove empty in the morning.

  Olivia Faith Collins, you’re a shilly-shally of the worst order!

  And with that admonishment, she squared her shoulders and marched down the road in the late afternoon sun.

  It was high time she stopped putting off a decision about her future. The next time Mr. Fitzgerald came to call, she would ask to accompany him back to Truro so she could call in on an agency and begin her search for new employment.

  Chapter Seven

  Olivia walked into the inn, hoping Polly wouldn’t make a fuss. Luck wasn’t with her.

  “See, what did I tell ye? Feelin’ lonely up at that big house by yerself? Didn’t I tell her, Jory?”

  “Aye, ye did,” her husband answered with a smile and friendly wink in her direction.

  The woman dropped her drying cloth on the bar, which her husband picked up and seamlessly added the task of drying glasses, mugs and pots to his well-practiced routine. Olivia felt sheepish, but nonetheless allowed herself to be embraced in Polly’s mothering arms.

  “Come with me, I have a nice little room for ye,” she said, leading Olivia up the narrow stairs to the floor above. “It will be so nice to have dinner with ye again. Ye’ll meet our new lodger – he’s just come in and will be stayin’ with us for a little while.”

  “A new lodger?” she asked, hoping her inquiry didn’t come across as too nosy.

  “Well, he’s not really new. We’ve known Adam and his family for years.”

  Adam? Olivia nearly missed the top step and only just avoided a stumble.

  She felt herself go red and it didn’t go unnoticed by Polly.

  “Are ye feelin’ yerself, dear?” she asked, opening the door to the room. “Ye’ve gone quite a color. I expect the exertion in the heat’s done it – and I bet ye’re not eatin’ proper.”

  “You’ve spoiled me for anything I might have prepared for myself,” said Olivia. She placed the valise on the bed. “This Adam, he’s a local man?”

  Polly pulled back the curtain, spilling the room with light, before wrestling with the latch on the window.

  “Oh, my word,” she averred. “His family lived here for years but he up and went into the Navy. Now, he’s back for good – or so he says – but ye can never tell with sailors.

  The sash lifted with a squeal.

  “I’ll introduce the two of ye,” said Polly.

  “Oh no, please don’t go to any bother, I’m sure Mr.…” Olivia stopped herself from saying the name Hardacre aloud since Polly had never mentioned the man’s surname. “Er, your guest, will be catching up with friends and family.”

  Polly patted Olivia’s arm in passing. Her protest fell on deaf ears. “No trouble at all, Missy. He’ll be in for tea.”

  Now alone, Olivia put hands to her cheeks. They still felt warm. She was drawn to the fresh air, still warm as twilight approached. The long rays of the sun painted the road in front of the inn gold, like a strip of ribbon as it curved around the hill.

  The streams and tributaries that fed into the estuaries were a flat, pale, blue-grey color highlighted by the sun, brighter than the land around it – paddocks and farms dotted about, cast in heavy purple and green shadows as twilight advanced.

  Below her, Will lit the lamps over the entrance of the inn. Little flickers of yellow light danced and bobbed before finally filling the glass with a cheerful buttery glow as the young man closed the front glass.

  She tried to take in the name of the new lodger and wished she’d asked Polly his last name. Did she actually want confirmation of it?

  Footsteps below heralded someone’s approach but the man’s features were obscured by the tricorn hat he wore.

  “Evening, Will.”

  “Evenin’ sir, fine night it is.”

  “Aye, fine night it is.”

  Was that the man she saw in the ruins? She didn’t think so, but she wouldn’t know for sure until she saw him. And what then? What exactly would she say? Are you the Adam who gave some measure of happiness to a sad young woman one summer twenty years ago? Did you know there were fruits of your passion? Did you know it came to such a sad end for her? And, perhaps, also for the child she carried?

  Olivia closed the window part way, enough to let in a little of the breeze. She slipped off her walking shoes and lay on the bed. Over and over in her mind, she practiced the conversation.

  The best and most satisfactory one to her mind was the version in which the man from the woods would frown and say, “I think you have me confused with some other fellow.”

  Yes, that would be the best result of them all.

  The sound of a door closing startled Olivia from a doze. The room was in darkness apart from a sliver of moonlight through the window.

  Heavy booted footsteps walked past her door and down the stairs. Now fully awake, she heard the sound of conversation in the dining room and kitchen below. She quickly set a lamp, then hastened to draw the curtains before freshening herself up.

  Ponsnowyth itself was a little village that served the wider district. But being so early in the week, only half a dozen people were in to dine. Olivia was acquainted with all of them though not terribly well. The Denton family didn’t socialize much in the village and she had been bound by the family’s habits. But she knew many of the local people from church and had encouraged Lydia at least to do her social duty and call when someone was ill.

  On her way to a quiet corner, she made sure to stop and greet each of the diners. Although no one here was a stranger to her, neither was she so well acquainted with any that she would be invited to join them for supper.

  It didn’t bother her. She frequently dined alone – it was the expectation for a governess and she had done it for years. In fact, it wasn’t until after Squire Denton’s death that his widow insisted she join the family for meals, saying it was good for womenfolk to stick together.

  Even now, however, sharing mealtimes with others seemed strange. While she could coach young Lydia into being an informed and witty companion at the dinner table, Olivia had not the confidence, nor the opportunity to practice such lessons for herself.

  Polly set a pasty before her. The aromatic filling of beef and vegetables stewed in a brown fish stock set her mouth to watering – along with the perfectly cooked buttery pastry. Soon, all the meals had been served. A few more villagers came in to spend the evening – some to drink, others to play draughts or the traditional skittles game of scattle and smite – but none were the mysterious man from the woods.

  The evening wore on and after having thoroughly beaten Will in a game of dominoes – and to be fair, he had been distracted, only laying down a tile each time he passed her table on the way to perform chores – Olivia decided to retire to bed.

  However, as she passed by the inn door, it swung open abruptly and she was nearly barreled over by a rushing man. His strong hands held her shoulders as she regained her balance.

  “I beg your pardon for bumping you, Miss, I was in a hurry,” a warm, pleasant voice apologized. “Polly’s so strict about closing her kitchen on time.”

  Olivia smiled, raising her head to tell the man the offense was small and forgiven. Then she looked into his face.

  The man from the woods!

  She heard herself gasp. The man’s expression changed from concern to surprise as he, too, remembered her. She had no idea how long they stared at each other, but the tension was broken by Polly’s call as she approached.

  “Adam! Ye’re back.”

&n
bsp; He gave Olivia’s shoulders a quick squeeze of reassurance and released them before sidling around her in order to greet Polly.

  “I’m not too late, I hope. I just about ran all the way back from Flushing for one of your pasties.”

  Polly laughed and gave the man an affectionate pinch on the cheek. Olivia started for the stairs but found her hand snagged.

  “Don’t go away, Missy, there’s someone I want ye to meet.”

  She allowed herself to be drawn back to the hallway.

  “Adam, this is Olivia Collins. Olivia, I’d like to introduce ye to Petty Officer Adam Hardacre.”

  *

  Polly slipped her arm in his.

  “Adam’s retired from the Navy—”

  “—In a manner of speaking—”

  “—And he’s come home to Ponsnowyth.”

  Adam watched heightened color come to the woman’s cheeks and the doe-like eyes from their earlier meeting widened once more. He felt her discomfiture. She dropped a small curtsy, out of habit it would appear, although he thought under the circumstances he ought to bow to her.

  “Miss Olivia was governess at Kenstec House,” Polly continued without once taking a breath. “Miss Lydia and Squire Denton’s widow have taken themselves off to London.”

  So, she was not a maid at Kenstec.

  “I’m afraid I won’t be in Ponsnowyth for much longer, Mr. Hardacre,” the governess said. “I shall miss this place, but I wish you well for your homecoming. I imagine there is much you will want to catch up on.”

  She stepped back as though about to take her leave, but Polly wasn’t having any of it.

  “Ye can have a chat while I bring his supper and fetch ye a slice of apple pie with a cup of tea.”

  Adam met the woman’s eyes once more, and they shared a mutual look of empathy – the recognition that being under Polly’s roof gave her permission to order anyone about as she pleased. They followed her across the dining room.

  One or two of the men – old men now who had been acquainted with his father – rose to greet him. A moment later, everyone in the inn – including people Adam wasn’t sure he actually knew, was shaking his hand to welcome him home.