“You don’t have to apologize.”
“Yes, I do. I didn’t come here at all last year.” And had it not been for another one of Celia’s schemes, he wouldn’t be here right now. “From now on, I’m going to come here every year, and we’re going to do a lot of things together. When you’re older and in better health, I’m going to bring you to London to live with me. Then we don’t have to spend so much time apart.”
“What about Mother?” Reuben asked. “Will she come, too?”
“If she wants to, she is welcome to join us.” Since there was nothing else Corin could think of to add, he asked, “Do you want to catch another fish?”
With an excited nod, Reuben jumped up and grabbed his fishing pole. “Are you going to catch one, too?”
Laughing, Corin replied, “Why not?” He got up and grabbed his own fishing pole. Then he joined his brother at the lake.
***
Corin paid close attention to Candace during dinner that evening, wondering if he could see her the same way Reuben did.
As usual, his mother did most of the talking. She was rambling about her love of embroidery. Candace replied to her, often asking questions here and there that encouraged his mother to go into even more detail on the subject. The whole conversation couldn’t have bored him more.
And Reuben felt the same way since he was trying not to fall asleep. His head bobbed forward a few times. At one point, Corin thought it might end up in the plate, but the boy quickly straightened up, blinking his eyes several times in order to refresh himself. Then, as if he hadn’t almost fallen asleep, he proceeded on with the meal.
Corin was impressed. At only eight, the lad had figured out how to keep himself awake during a very dull meal. That would serve him well in the future when he attended dinner parties. A lot of those could grow wearisome, especially when ladies started discussing the latest fashion or gossip.
But Corin wasn’t here to take note of his brother’s ability to survive a boring dinner. He was here to study his wife.
“I think I’ll work on a new tablecloth,” his mother said. “It would be nice to have a new one, don’t you think?” She gestured to the tablecloth that was currently covering the table.
“I think the one you have now is already pretty,” Candace replied. “The flowers are intricately done. I can’t recall the last time I saw such detail in a tablecloth, or anything else now that I think about it.”
“Yes, but it’s old. I made this when I was expecting Reuben. It’s long since served its purpose. I hate old things. I like things that are new and fresh.” His mother sipped her wine then continued, “What kind of design do you like, Candace?”
Candace’s eyes grew wide. “Are you thinking of making a tablecloth that would please me?”
“Why not? You are my daughter-in-law. You’re part of this family. I think it would be nice to have something to remember you by when you and Corin return to London. It’ll be like a part of you is still here.”
Candace’s cheeks grew pink with pleasure. “I don’t know what to say. Besides a good friend I have, I can’t think of a single person who misses me when I’m not around.”
The confession caught Corin’s attention. He didn’t know whether it was true or not. He was sure more than one person in London must miss Candace when she wasn’t around. After all, most people had more than one friend. But by the wistful tone in Candace’s voice, Corin knew that Candace believed only one person missed her. Ever. And it made her sad when she thought about it.
Which was surprising. Up to now, she had struck him as a very confident lady. He got the impression that she didn’t need people. She seemed very independent and self-sufficient. For the first time, he was seeing her in a new light. He was seeing her through the eyes that Reuben did.
Deep down, she was lonely and sad, though she would rather die than admit it. He couldn’t blame her. No one wanted someone else to pick up on such things. They would want others to believe they were happy, that they had everything they wanted. Everything was about appearances, especially in London. Even if they didn’t feel like it, they managed to put on a mask and act as if everything was fine. To do otherwise would either make them seem pathetic or make them the object of gossip.
“What kind of designs do you like on tablecloths?” his mother asked Candace.
Shifting in her chair, Candace scanned the one already on the table. “These flowers are very pretty. I like them a lot. I suppose if I were to add anything, I would add trees.”
“Trees are nice,” his mother replied, looking pleased that Candace was offering her opinion. “What do you like about them?”
“I like the way the branches jut out from the tree. The way the branches bend and twist in places fascinates me. Most people say they like autumn leaves because of the colors. Some say they like the flowers or budding leaves in the spring. But I like the way trees look in the winter, especially when a fresh layer of snow is on them.”
“They do look lovely when it snows. Reuben likes that, too. I’ll get started on the tablecloth tonight when I finish your new gown.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t go through all that trouble. You’ve done so much for me already.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Out here in the country, there’s nothing much to do. A person has to find ways to occupy their time. Besides, I love all kinds of sewing. I love to make clothes, tablecloths, pillowcases, and blankets.”
“Mother’s right,” Reuben suddenly spoke up. “She’s always making something.”
Corin was surprised that Reuben had been following the conversation. He had assumed Reuben was thinking of other things, like fishing or riding horses. He hadn’t expected the lad to follow what the ladies were talking about. Maybe this was one of the reasons why Reuben was able to learn things about Candace that Corin had missed. Reuben paid more attention to what was going on around him than anyone realized. It was a trait that was mature for an eight-year-old. Corin supposed that what Reuben lacked in good health, he made up for in wisdom.
Candace smiled at Reuben. “In that case, I should help keep your mother occupied.” She glanced over at Corin’s mother. “I’d be happy to make the tablecloth with you. I’ve tried my hand at embroidery, and though I’m not as good as you are, I handle a needle and thread pretty well.”
Corin’s mother’s eyes lit up. “That would be wonderful! The tablecloth would have a special meaning if we did it together. We’ll start on it this evening about an hour after dinner. That will give me enough time to finish your gown.”
Candace nodded then turned her attention to the food on her plate.
From what Corin had noticed over the past week, Candace got along very well with his mother, just as she did with Reuben. The three, it seemed, had found a perfect sort of harmony together. It made the place a lot more cheerful.
The only missing piece, he realized, was him, and to be honest, he didn’t know what to do about it.
Chapter Fourteen
Two mornings later, Candace and Reuben finished practicing the musical piece that Reuben wanted to play for Corin before he returned to London.
Since they had plenty of time left before his lessons, she asked, “Do you still want to show me the wing in this manor no one goes to anymore?”
Reuben’s eyes lit up. “Are you interested in seeing it?”
“Yes, I am.”
Not hiding his excitement, he jumped up from the bench and hurried over to the doorway. Chuckling, she rose to her feet and walked around the piano so she could join him. Together, they headed for the other wing in the manor.
She was enjoying his company. He was a very talkative lad, and he had a sense of wonder and enthusiasm about him that reminded her of how she used to be. While her mother was alive, she was a hopeful child. Her mother had sheltered her from her father. Her father used to stay in London most of the year while her mother sought the solitude of the country. Her older brother had joined her father when he came of age.
&
nbsp; It wasn’t until her mother died when she was fifteen that she had to live with her father and her brother in London. She quickly learned why her mother spent all of her time in the country. Her father wasn’t a pleasant person. Sadly, the older brother she had once loved turned out to be just like him. And Ian was even worse than her father and her brother, something she hadn’t thought possible.
By the time she married Ian, her father had already been dead, but her brother was still alive. Her brother had arranged the marriage between her and Ian because her reputation suffered after she upset Lady Cadwalader. Once Ian died, it felt as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders.
Her brother no longer talked to her, which was fine with her. He was still going from one gambling hell to another. Last she heard, he was nearly bankrupt, and he was even more miserable to be around than her father had been.
What she’d wanted most was a clean start in life, and Ian’s death had provided that for her. She had thought the social engagements she went to would do that, but being away from London these past couple of weeks made her realize that she hadn’t gotten the clean start she had desired. She’d only been busy. When she was busy going from one social engagement to another, she didn’t have time to think about the past. And by not thinking about it, she hadn’t been able to heal from it.
Out here, in the quiet of the country, she realized the darkness hovering over her life was lifting. Her time with Daphne and Reuben helped immensely. Daphne reminded her so much of her mother, and Reuben was such a sweet lad. Both of them were helping her regain the peace that she had lost long ago. Finally, after all this time, her spirit no longer seemed so restless.
So she was eager to spend more time with Reuben. At the moment, Daphne was taking a nap, though it was only eleven in the morning. Daphne, bless her soul, had stayed up much too late working on the new tablecloth with Candace. Tired, Candace had given up around ten-thirty and had gone to bed. As Candace got dressed for the day, her lady’s maid informed her that Daphne had stayed up until four o’clock in the morning.
Candace was surprised when Daphne came down to have the morning meal with everybody, but she suspected Daphne did it for Candace’s sake. Daphne was a peacemaker, and she wanted to do everything possible to help ease the tension that, even now, existed between her and Corin.
Personally, Candace was glad for it. When Daphne was in the room, the meals were a lot easier to get through. Usually, after the first meal of the day, Corin and Reuben would go off somewhere. On this particular morning, Corin had said he needed to do something in the den. And Daphne had excused herself so she could take a nap.
That had left Candace with Reuben. So they had played on the piano for a good hour until she decided she’d like to see the rest of the manor.
Now, as Reuben led her down the hall of the abandoned wing, she noted how dark the long corridor was. The long, thick drapes covered every single window. It was a bit spooky, especially since life-size bronze statues of gentlemen were standing at attention along the walls.
“Who made those?” she asked Reuben.
“My great-grandfather and his brother,” he replied.
Noting that the statues looked different, she asked, “Who are they supposed to be?”
“They’re my ancestors. We have paintings of them, too, in one of the rooms.”
“Well, your great-grandfather and his brother did an impressive job on these,” she said as they passed another statue. Had they not been made of bronze, she would’ve sworn they were real.
“Most of the family doesn’t have our talent,” Reuben said.
Noting the way he said our talent, she glanced at the lad. “Are you an artist?”
“I love to draw and paint, but I’ve never made a statue. I’m not sure if I would be any good at that.”
“But you do well with drawing and painting?”
“I think so. Mother says I’m just as good as my great-grandfather and his brother. I rarely do any of it, though. My instructor wants me to focus on history, science, and math.”
“Do those things interest you?”
“Not really. I do them because they’re important. The instructor says the subjects will do me well when I’m an adult. During the winter when it’s too cold outside to play, I do get to paint and draw. I want to be out when it’s nice outside. I especially love to fish. I can spend hours out there.”
“Will you show me some of your artwork sometime?”
He stopped at an open doorway and looked at her. “You really want to see the things I’ve done?”
She nodded. “I do.”
“I’ll show you later today when my lessons are done.” He opened the door and entered the bedchamber. “This is where my great,” he paused, “great-grandfather stayed. Back then, this side of the manor was used all the time.” He waved her into the room. “It’s safe in here. There are no rats.”
He couldn’t guarantee that there were no rats in this part of the manor. Rats loved abandoned places, and these rooms had not seen anyone for a long time. There were cobwebs in the corners of the room, and a layer of dust covered the furniture. But rats didn’t bother her. There were worse things in this world to be afraid of—her father, her brother, and her first husband, to mention a few.
She stepped into the room and saw a large canopy bed. Though it hadn’t been used in a long time, it was neatly made. There was a desk and chair nearby.
“There are still clothes in here,” Reuben said as he went over to the armoire and opened it.
Candace looked over at the armoire, and sure enough, there was an assortment of clothes that were once fashionable.
“No one wears these,” Reuben said. Then he went over to the desk and waved her forward. “This is a missive my great-great-grandfather was working on before he died. We keep it here so we have something to remember him by.”
She closed the distance between them and leaned forward to read the last words the gentleman had written, but before she got two words into the missive, she heard something from outside the room. Curious, she straightened up.
“Did you hear that?” she asked.
“Hear what?” Reuben replied.
“There was something out there. Just now. It sounded like something was shuffling along the hallway.”
She left the desk and went to the doorway. She peered out of it but didn’t see anything suspicious. She knew she’d heard something. She hadn’t imagined it.
With a sigh, she turned and went back over to Reuben. “Whatever it was, I can’t find it.”
“Maybe there is a rat somewhere.”
“Maybe.” She couldn’t imagine a rat being so loud, but it was possible, she supposed.
After she read the missive, he went to the door that separated this bedchamber from the other one. “This was my great-great-grandmother’s room.”
She joined him and checked out that room as well.
After that, they proceeded down the hallway to other rooms. From time to time, she was sure she heard something behind them. Even more eerie was the fact that she could feel someone watching them.
Though she kept looking behind her, she didn’t see evidence of anything unusual until they were about to enter one of the rooms she hadn’t seen yet. She had just stepped into the room when she heard something behind them. She spun around just in time to see someone, or something, duck behind one of the statues.
Focusing on the statue, she left Reuben and hurried toward it before the person, or thing, could disappear on her again. She wasn’t inclined to believe in things like ghosts, but having heard so many strange noises and not seeing anything in this wing of the manor, the thought did cross her mind that she might be dealing with a phantom. But when she reached the statue, there was no phantom at all. Huddled behind the statue was Corin.
She gasped. “Are you spying on me?”
“No,” he replied, though there was a flicker of guilt that crossed his face as he straightened up.
/> “You’re lying. You were spying on me. Why?”
He didn’t seem to know what to say. He just stood there like a fox who’d been caught by a hound, eyes wide and glancing around as if he thought he could run off and hide.
“Corin?” Reuben called out in surprise.
A horrible thought occurred to her. “Are you following me because you think I’ll do something to hurt your brother?” she asked Corin.
“No,” Corin hurried to say. “No! Of course, not. I know you’re not going to do anything to harm Reuben. He’s safe with you.”
“Then why are you spying on me?”
“I know why,” Reuben said. “He wants to come with us.”
“Yes.” Corin cleared his throat. “That’s it. I wanted to join you.”
Candace studied him, knowing for sure he’d had an ulterior motive. “Then why didn’t you just ask to join us?”
He swallowed and adjusted his cravat. “Well, that’s not easy to explain. I… I…”
“He was afraid we would say no,” Reuben spoke for him. “It’s all right if he comes with us, isn’t it, Candace?”
Since Candace couldn’t bring herself to say no to the boy, she nodded her consent. She liked Reuben. The last thing she wanted to do was make things awkward for him by trying to make him decide between her and his brother.
The three proceeded down the hallway, and Reuben explained to Candace that the room they were about to go to was his personal favorite. “This one has the paintings my great-grandfather and his brother did. We have some in the other wing of the manor, but they did so many while they were alive that there wasn’t a place to put them all.”
Though it was hard to maintain a conversation with Reuben while Corin was right there, she forced out, “Did they do any other statues?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Reuben replied.
“They didn’t make more life-size statues,” Corin spoke up, “but they did do a few busts early on before they did the full-size statues you see in the hall. I believe they were in their early twenties when they worked on the busts.” He paused. “Actually, I think our great-grandfather did his first one when he was seventeen. It was before he courted our great-grandmother, and it’s a bust of her.”
If It Takes A Scandal (Marriage by Bargain Book 4) Page 12