by Jo Ann Brown
“We are accustomed to the sound of the beam engine, and when it stops, we take notice. How are you feeling? Better than yesterday, I would say, by the color in your face.”
“Much better. Thank you.” He would not tell her that his nausea had vanished by the time he returned to Warrick Hall.
Looking at the wooden floor, she asked, “Do you have a blanket, by any chance?”
Jacob was about to say no, then remembered the old woolen blankets he had intended to show the parson. “If you are not averse to a few moth holes, I have the thing.”
“Sounds lovely.”
Collecting two of the blankets he had tossed in a corner, he spread them on the floor. She sat gracefully and set the basket beside her. He could not tear his gaze from her delicate profile with the dark curls tumbling along her cheeks.
“Go ahead,” she said as she looked from him to his assistant. “I don’t want to interrupt your work. I will serve the food while you do what you must to get that device moving again.”
“You?” He exchanged a glance with Pym, who was as shocked by her offer as he was. “My lady, you don’t have to serve us.”
She gave him a scowl he knew was false because her eyes sparkled even more brightly. “Lord Warrick, as you may recall, you have designated me as the judge of proper etiquette. Do you wish to gainsay me on an aspect of it?”
Laughing, Jacob raised his hands in a pose of surrender. “Far be it for me to dispute such a matter with an expert.”
“Now you understand.” She waved her hands at him. “Go and do what you must. I will call you when your meals are ready.”
Jacob did try to concentrate on finding why the beam engine had failed again, but his mind focused on Lady Caroline, who was humming a cheerful tune as she prepared something that smelled delicious. His stomach growled, the sound echoing through the building. When she and Pym laughed, he did, too.
“It will be ready soon,” she called up to him.
“I can be patient,” he said, leaning over the rail, “but I cannot vouch for my stomach.”
When she called them to come and eat, Jacob realized he had spent the whole time staring at a single bolt while he listened to her motions below and her happy tune. Pym was already by the blanket, accepting a plate of steaming food by the time Jacob reached the main floor again.
His assistant thanked her, then turned to walk away.
“You are welcome to join us, Mr. Pym,” Lady Caroline said with a smile. “There is plenty of room.”
“Thank you, my lady, but I need to finish testing a part of the engine. I can watch it while I eat.”
“As you wish.”
Jacob saw the broad grin and wink his assistant aimed at him before Pym dropped beside the lower section of the beam engine again. The man was wasting his time matchmaking. No matter how attractive Jacob found Lady Caroline, there would be no banns read for them. He intended to keep his heart under firm control.
But that did not mean he could not enjoy Lady Caroline’s company. When she handed him a plate topped with hearty portions of meat and bread and vegetables, he sat beside her. He listened to her stories about how Gil had persuaded her to get a kitten from the Cothaire stables. The kitten had a mind of its own, which Gil had learned when he squeezed it too tightly and received a scratch.
“Now he knows he cannot treat it like a toy,” she said. “Would you like more?”
Jacob was startled to see his plate was empty. He had been hungrier than he thought. Even though he would have liked to remain sitting beside her and having a second helping, he needed to return to his work.
When he told her that, she nodded and reached for the basket. He began to help her repack it, but she told him his time would be better spent fixing the beam engine. He contented himself with collecting Pym’s plate and spoon. Handing them to her, he thanked her for her kindness.
She picked up the basket and stood. “I am glad to help. If you need supper—”
“Thank you for your kind offer, but Mrs. Trannock will send food for our evening meal, though I do hope we will be done before then. Besides, it is too dangerous for you to ride along the steep moor roads after dark.”
She laughed, the sound swirling within him like the sweetest melody he had ever heard. “I have been riding these roads since I was first in the saddle. I was determined no boy, especially one younger than me, was going to out-ride me. If our parents had had any idea of the risks we took, we would have been confined within the walls of Cothaire. However, those reckless rides taught me to respect the hills and the moors and the cliffs along the shore.”
“Even so, there is no need to risk yourself tonight.” With the basket between them, he could do no more than look into her gentle eyes. He had heard tales of highwaymen and lights on the moor where there should be none. She must have heard them as well, but he saw no fear in her eyes.
“I hope you discover what is amiss,” she said.
“So do I!”
She took a single step back, but he could not compel himself to turn away. Holding her gaze with his own, he wished he could close the distance between them. He did not, aware Pym was a witness to everything they said and did.
When a smile curved along her expressive mouth, he grinned, too. He was unsure how long they might have stood there if the door had not opened.
A miner named Nance poked his head in and snarled a single word before he saw Lady Caroline standing between him and Jacob. Instantly the man’s face altered from rage to deference.
“Excuse me, m’lady,” he said so fast his words tumbled over one another. “I did not realize you were here. I can return later.”
Lady Caroline motioned for him to enter, then bid them farewell as she went to the door Nance held open for her. She thanked the dirt-crusted miner as prettily as if he were the Prince Regent. The miner put his fingers to his forehead in a sign of respect.
Jacob felt the light fade from the building when Lady Caroline took her leave. He girded himself for Nance’s complaints. When the miner asked only when the pumps would be working again, Jacob had to hide his shock at how the lady’s kindness had dissolved the man’s rage.
He gave Nance his best guess that it would be close to dark before the engine was pumping water from the mine again. The miner accepted the answer, then left.
Jacob had hoped his estimation was correct, but twenty-four hours later, he and Pym were still trying to get the pumps working, with no success. Jacob’s eyes burned with fatigue, and his reflexes were slow. That accounted for the new scrapes he had on his face when he had not ducked quickly enough as Pym checked one arm on the pumps. His fingers had been pinched and rammed and struck while he used various tools to test different parts of the engine.
Everything seemed to be in working order, but the engine refused to keep running. They had gotten it started shortly after midnight and again before dawn, but both times, the engine had sputtered and died.
When he heard the door open, Jacob was startled. He had locked the door after too many miners came to ask questions and distract them from their work. Only one man other than him and Pym had a key.
“Yelland!” he called from the top floor. “Up here.”
The mine captain wore a sore expression as he climbed the stairs.
“If you came here to find out when the pumps would be working again,” said Jacob testily, “the only answer I can give you is: I don’t know.”
“The men aren’t happy.”
“Neither are we!” He took a deep breath, then said in a calmer tone, “We are examining the beam engine as quickly as we can. If we start it when there are problems we have overlooked, then we may do further damage to it.”
Yelland clearly had no interest in being placated with facts because he growled, “The men are saying the beam was stopped on purpose.�
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“Nonsense.”
“They say you would rather have them working at Warrick Hall pulling off old wallpaper and paint.”
“You know that is absurd.”
“Aye, I do, but they don’t. They know if they fail to meet the deadlines set in their bids, you won’t have to pay them a farthing.”
That was true, because, like most mines in Cornwall, the Warrick Hall ones ran on the tutwork system. Groups of miners bid against each other for a section of work. The one with the lowest bid and the most favorable deadline was the one chosen. If the work was not finished as bid, they did not get paid.
Jacob had tried to change that system when he first arrived because he believed it was unfair. The miners refused to change, not wanting to listen to his suggestion of replacing it with a daily wage. They feared they would end up with fewer coins in their pockets and were angry at the idea that those who worked the hardest would be paid the same as those who shirked.
Knowing it was a battle he would never win, Jacob had given up. It would be useless to mention that now. The men felt as thwarted as he did in their work.
He came to his feet and looked over his shoulder through the opening cut for the beam. The sun was past its zenith and heading toward the western horizon.
How could he have let time get away from him? He had been expected at Cothaire this afternoon for his first lesson with Lady Caroline. Looking at the motionless beam, he sighed. That lesson must be postponed.
“Tell the men we are proceeding as quickly as we dare,” Jacob said, wondering if Lady Caroline would have the same effect on Yelland she had on the miner yesterday. Foolish thought. “As well, I need you to have someone take a message to Cothaire. To Lady Caroline.”
“What do you want the messenger to say?” Yelland’s forehead furrowed as his eyes narrowed.
“He should express my apologies for not calling as I promised.” He was not going to say anything about lessons in Yelland’s hearing. The mine captain would spread the word far and wide that the new baron needed etiquette lessons.
“Anything else?”
“No. That covers it. Send someone immediately. If—”
His name was shouted by Pym. Urging Yelland again to have the messenger leave without delay, he ran to where Pym held a broken bolt in one hand and a wrench in the other.
“I found the problem,” his assistant said. “This bolt failed, though I am not sure why.”
With a sigh, he slid down to stand beside Pym. “Now, let’s see if we can devise a solution so this doesn’t break again.”
As they bent to the task, Jacob knew the repairs would take all afternoon and longer. He doubted he would return to Warrick Hall before dawn.
* * *
Other than her footfalls, the upper gallery was silent. Caroline paced from the large window to the top of the front staircase. At first, she had been walking Joy in an effort to get the baby to sleep. She had made the journey back and forth so many times, it was a wonder her shoes had not worn out.
Where was Lord Warrick? He was more than tardy. He was late.
She paused by the window and looked out. She had a clear view of the road to the gate. It was empty. Holding her breath, she listened for the sound of the beam engine. A storm last night had roiled the waves in the cove, and they crashed on the shore. She could not hear over them to determine if the beam engine was running or not.
Lord Warrick had seemed pleased to see her when she brought a midday meal to the engine house yesterday. Only now did she realize how much she had looked forward to spending time with him again. Teaching him gave her a purpose that helping with Warrick Hall did not. She was not sure why, and it might be immaterial if he had decided to forego the lessons.
“Staring out the window is silly,” she said aloud. She wished she had not spoken when her words echoed hollowly along the gallery. The baby stirred but did not wake up.
Suddenly, being with only Joy seemed too much like being alone. Gathering up her skirt, she went to the stairs and descended them.
Baricoat met her at the bottom. He mentioned that her sister, Susanna, and her sister-in-law Elisabeth had arrived for a call, and Maris had returned from the village where she had been delivering a basket to a sick family. She sent up silent thanks to God, who had heard her prayer for company.
Caroline’s steps were lighter when she went to the room they called the solar. Its big windows offered a view of the gray-and-brown landscape. Even the sea was dull beneath dark clouds that hung from one horizon to the other. Inside the room, bright conversation mixed with the children’s cheerful voices. The little ones were playing on the floor. Joy wiggled eagerly in her arms, so she put the baby down.
“Look at her go!” crowed Susanna as Joy scrambled on hands and knees to the other children.
“She wants to walk.” Caroline took a seat next to Maris and smiled at the circle of women. Picking up a cup, she reached for the teapot. “Or rather, I should say she wants to walk desperately. See?”
The littlest girl crawled to Bertie, then up him in an effort to lever herself to her feet. Gibberish burst from her once she was standing like a miniature mountaineer who had reached the peak.
Her victory was short-lived. They laughed when Bertie shook his head, and Joy dropped to sit on the floor with a soft plop. That did not deter her. She made a beeline for a nearby chair and began to pull herself to her feet again.
“Persistent, isn’t she?” Maris asked with a smile.
“You have no idea how stubborn she can be. She refused to nap this afternoon, but I had hoped she would before Lord Warrick arrived for his etiquette lesson.”
The other women stared at her. Elisabeth found her voice first to ask, “Etiquette lesson?”
“Yes, I agreed to tutor him on what a gentleman needs to know to be a part of the ton.” She could not contain a chuckle at her family’s astonishment.
Her sister exchanged a glance with their sisters-in-law before Susanna said, “I know you are advising him on preparing that old mausoleum for his family’s visit, but I had not heard you were giving him etiquette lessons. Why would you do that?”
“In part because it is the season for giving.” She smiled as Joy used her leg to pull herself to a standing position. Stroking the little girl’s silken curls, she raised her eyes and looked at each of the other women, one by one. “I have been given much this year. It is only right I give something in return.”
Elisabeth said quietly, “You are right, Caroline. A gift is a blessing, especially the gift of time and knowledge.”
“I cannot argue with that,” Susanna replied, “but Lord Warrick is more than a bit eccentric.”
“You have said that before.” Caroline laughed. “If he is not willing to learn, I will put an end to the lessons. However, if he is as eager as he says to refine his manners, then I will be more than willing to help.”
Maris stretched to make sure each boy had an equal number of blocks. She looked at Caroline steadily as she asked, “What is the other reason?”
“I am not sure what you mean.”
“You said you were helping him in part because it is Advent. What is the other reason you agreed?” Maris winked at the other women. “Have you set your cap on our neighbor? He is a fine-looking man, especially when he is not covered with oil and dirt. Say the word, and we will play matchmaker for you.”
Caroline shook her head. “No, thank you. If I do set my cap on another man, it will be because he moves my heart as John did. I suspect there is a different sort of being alone if one marries someone they do not love.”
She hoped they would accept that as the truth. Speaking of her infertility was too intimate a subject, even with her sister and sisters-in-law. She had told no one but John and her mother about the midwife’s opinion that Caroline would never conce
ive a child, and she had sworn them to keep the sad truth a secret. Sometimes she thought her mother might have told Father, because unlike her siblings, he never brought up the topic of her remarrying. It could be he had remained a widower for as long as she had been a widow, so he respected her decision not to marry again.
It was a choice she must not ever reconsider. She did not want to disappoint another man as she had John when she could not give him the child they both had wanted.
* * *
The beam engine had been repaired, because Caroline heard it when she awoke after a night where nothing seemed to assuage Joy’s pain. She hoped the baby’s tooth would break through soon. Until then, the baby was ill-natured day and night.
Her own temper was not much better. She was annoyed at Lord Warrick for not coming to Cothaire yesterday. She was equally irritated with herself for caring.
Deciding an outing might cool her head and also keep Joy awake during the afternoon so she would sleep that night, Caroline collected the baby and Gil, as well as the wagon she put Joy in when they went for a walk. Gil asked to go to the village store Elisabeth had inherited from her parents. The children liked to choose a sweet from the ones available there.
Maybe one of the hard candies on a stick would be the way to free Joy’s tooth.
With that thought, she sent for her coat and the children’s wraps. She checked Gil’s feet to make sure his shoes were securely on while she explained his kitten would not be allowed to go with them because it would not walk on a leash.
“Lady Caroline,” called the familiar voice belonging to the Porthlowen doctor.
Mr. Hockbridge had followed in his father’s footsteps as the area’s only doctor when the elder man’s struggling heart had forced him to retire. His hair, that was such a pale blond it looked almost white, thinned at his crown. Fatigue had worn lines into his face, even though he could not be more than a year or two older than she was.
“May I speak with you, Lady Caroline?” he asked.
She looked at Gil, who gave her an anxious glance. She wanted to reassure him they would have their outing this afternoon, and she gave him a quick smile before saying, “Of course, Mr. Hockbridge. I did not realize you had been called to Cothaire.”