Realm 04 - A Touch of Grace

by Regina Jeffers

  Grace had stared in awe as the man’s sense of self. He knew his place in the room. Lord Godown was the highest-ranking aristocrat in attendance. He knew it, and so did everyone else in the hall. Yet, even with his handsome countenance and well-respected consequence, she observed how he searched for something that always appeared out of reach. At first, Grace had thought Lord Godown had sought his Miss Haverty, but when the lady was near, His Lordship’s eyes spoke of loneliness, and her heart clenched in response. “He will learn to love the lady,” Grace had told herself as she escorted the girls to their chambers.

  When her charges were finally asleep, Grace had thought to seek her own bed, but knowing Lord Godown would be leaving soon, she had returned to the gallery to look upon his beloved countenance a bit longer. That is when she had noted his escorting Miss Haverty from the hall. Of course, if she had known she would have witnessed His Lordship’s affectionate gesture, Grace would have exited the gallery through the far door.

  After the kiss, Lord Godown had returned to the party, and Miss Haverty had withdrawn to her chambers. Now, she watched him make small talk with the lady’s parents and then join several other men in the card room. Thinking him occupied for the evening, she gathered her shawl and the unlit candle to return to her room, but then another of Lord Brant’s guests appeared in the gallery. Grace involuntarily dropped further into the shadows, actually hiding behind a suit of armor. Although she was certain Lord Brant would not approve of her clandestine spying, Grace had been wary of this particular guest for several days. She had noted how he watched her when she brought the children to visit with their mother in Lady Brant’s sitting room. He was one of which to be wary.

  Lord Abbott confidently crossed the dark gallery and exited through the door leading to the guest rooms. Normally, his actions would not have piqued Grace’s curiosity, but the Brants had specifically separated the unmarried males and females in their guest quarters. Lord Abbott had entered the hallway for the unmarried ladies. “Perhaps, His Lordship has arranged a tryst,” Grace said as she stepped from behind the armor.

  On silent feet, Grace made her way to the door and eased it open an inch. She watched as Lord Abbott made his way along the silent passage. He looked over his shoulder several times to ensure his privacy before he entered Miss Haverty’s room with a light knock.

  Grace eased the door closed. “Oh, my!” she gasped. “Now what do I do? Should I inform Lord Godown? A man expects his wife to know only him,” she reasoned. “His Lordship reportedly requires an heir to save his father’s lands, but it would be unfair if Miss Haverty foisted Lord Abbott’s child upon the marquis,” she argued.

  Her decision made Grace crept down the servants’ stairs to the ballroom. She watched from a place behind a potted plant until Lord and Lady Brant took to the dance floor before she motioned one of the footmen to her. “Lord Godown’s man has taken ill. Would you ask His Lordship to meet me here so I might escort him to Mr. Sanders?” she brazenly executed a plan she prayed would work.

  “Yes, Miss,” the footman, said as he rushed away to do her bidding.

  Within a matter of minutes, Lord Godown found her by the servants’ entrance. “What is amiss, Grace? Sanders is never ill,” he said suspiciously.

  Grace retreated further into the shadows. “It was a ruse as well you know, my Lord,” she said softly. “But you must come with me. There is something you must discover for yourself.”

  “Perhaps, you should tell me what has set you off,” he said testily.

  Grace met his eyes. “Please, my Lord. I have never asked anything of you, but I am pleading for you to follow me.”

  He held her gaze for several elongated seconds, and then His Lordship nodded his agreement. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, but Grace offered a silent prayer she had made the correct decision in disclosing Miss Haverty’s betrayal.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Grace, slow down,” Gabriel called as his boots made it more difficult for him to maneuver the narrow, steep servant stairs. She was at the top and halfway across the gallery before he reached the servant opening. “Grace!” he called in warning, but she did not stop. Instead, she was through the door leading to the female guest quarters. He had left Miss Haverty in the same hall less than an hour prior. As he reached for the door’s latch he wondered if Grace had observed his kissing his betrothed, and this was some sort of revenge. He came to an abrupt halt when he discovered Grace with her ear plastered to Miss Haverty’s door.

  He paused behind her. Leaning close, he whispered, “What means this?”

  She shushed him with a simple gesture before going on her tiptoes to whisper close to his ear, “Listen.”

  Gabriel concentrated on the sounds to which she referred. Obviously, someone was in the throes of passion. He caught Grace’s arm and dragged her from earshot. “I require an explanation,” he hissed, while tightening his grip.

  Grace glanced about the open passageway. “I was in the gallery where I might watch the festivities,” she confessed. “Lord Abbott entered, and I hid, but my curiosity piqued when the gentleman entered the north wing.” Gabriel saw by her expression Grace spoke the truth. “I thought you should know, my Lord.”

  Gabriel swallowed hard. It had happened again. Betrayal. Would he ever know a woman’s true regard? “You observed Lord Abbott entering Miss Haverty’s quarters?” he clarified.

  “Yes, my Lord,” she said matter-of-factly.

  He wondered whether she gloried in his fall, but Grace’s countenance displayed neither pity nor satisfaction. It was as if she was outraged on his behalf. Gabriel must extricate himself from his engagement: He refused to raise another man’s bastard as a Crowden. “Do you know where you might find Mr. Sanders?” he inquired as he glanced toward his betrothed’s door.

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  “Then find him and tell him I require his assistance immediately,” Gabriel instructed.

  Grace bit her bottom lip in doubt. “You will not seek revenge, my Lord? Not knock down the door?”

  Gabriel actually smiled at her. Grace Nelson worried over his probable actions. “No, my Dear,” he said intimately. “I plan to have a seat outside the lady’s quarters to ensure no one leaves before I send for her father.”

  Grace’s eyes widened, but she nodded and scurried away to find his valet. He took out a small medal tool from a pocket case and worked the door’s lock before he moved a small bench close to the lady’s room and sat heavily. He had wasted weeks on securing Miss Haverty’s hand only to have his aspirations dashed to smithereens. Now, he must begin again, and his heart no longer cared to venture forth. At a run, Grace and Sanders appeared. “You sent for me, my Lord?’ Sanders asked in a husky whisper.

  “Yes, Sanders.” Gabriel stood and directed his man away from Miss Haverty’s door. “I want you to go below and find Mr. Haverty. Tell the gentleman I must speak to him immediately on a matter of personal importance.”

  His valet’s eyebrow shot up in curiosity, but he said, “Yes, my Lord.”

  Gabriel pulled Grace into the shadows. “You should report to your quarters before the scandal brings down the household. I would not have you risk your career for me.”

  Grace shook her head in denial. “It is too late to separate myself from this dilemma. I sent one of Lord Brant’s footmen to find you, and I sought Mr. Sanders in Mrs. Williams’ sitting room. The Brants will be well aware of my involvement.”

  “I will attempt to minimize the damage to your credibility,” Gabriel assured.

  Sanders returned ahead of Mr. Haverty. Gabriel motioned him to the servant exit of the lady’s chamber. “No one comes out this door unless I say so,” he whispered.

  His valet’s shoulders shifted in that familiar way of men accustomed to taking orders on the battlefield. “Yes, Sir,” he said under his breath.

  Huffing and puffing from climbing the stairs, Haverty arrived. “What means this, Lord Godown?” The man mopped the perspiration from his forehea
d with his handkerchief.

  Gabriel assumed a concerned countenance. “Less than an hour prior, after her begging off the remainderof the festivities, I escorted Miss Haverty to her room. Yet, as I returned below, a nagging doubt followed me. I feared I had not done enough to secure your daughter’s well being so I returned to see if Miss Haverty required more from her future husband. And I am pleased I did so. Miss Haverty sounds as if she is in pain.”

  Lady Brant and Mrs. Haverty joined them. “What is this of Alice’s feeling poorly?” Mrs. Haverty declared as she reached her husband’s side.

  “His Lordship claims to have heard Alice in some pain, and he has sent for us in concern,” Haverty summarized the situation.

  Lady Brant accused, “And Miss Melsont’s role?”

  “After I escorted Miss Haverty to her room, I recruited your governess to remain in the area in case my future bride required assistance,” Gabriel said with a straight face.

  Haverty cocked his ear toward his daughter’s room. “I hear nothing unusual,” he declared.

  “Perhaps, Mrs. Haverty might relieve my qualms by seeing to your daughter,” Gabriel encouraged innocently.

  Mrs. Haverty threw up her hands in frustration. “Let us assure His Lordship of Alice’s health so we might return below.” She reached for the latch and turned it clockwise. A loud thud and a shriek of surprise followed before Mrs. Haverty collapsed in a puddle of silk and lace in the open doorway. Over Mr. Haverty’s stiffened shoulders, Gabriel could observe Miss Haverty jerking a sheet about her obviously naked body.

  “Alice!” Haverty thundered as he stepped over his wife’s limp body. “What goes on here? Abbott!” he ordered. “You have some explaining to do!”

  Gabriel could not see what Lord Abbott wore, or did not wear, but he assumed the man was unclothed. At least with Miss Haverty, he had discovered her deceit early on. With the Templeton affair, the lady had been with child before either he or her parents became aware of her perfidy. Over where Lady Brant and Grace assisted Mrs. Haverty to the bench he had vacated, he said, “I think it best if I withdraw my proposal.”

  Haverty stammered, “Alice…how could you? Everything…everything…depended on you.”

  “But I love Lord Abbott, Papa,” Miss Haverty protested.

  Lady Brant stood. “I suggest Haverty, you and Marian settle this behind closed doors.” She assisted her friend to her feet before nudging Mrs. Haverty into the room, and then pointedly closing the door behind her.

  Gabriel offered a stiff bow. “I would prefer not to travel on the Sabbath, but, nonetheless, I will take my leave of your household early on the morrow. It is best.”

  The lady’s hands trembled, but, surprisingly, her voice remained calm. “I am grieved, my Lord. It would have been a brilliant match.”

  “Come, Sanders,” Gabriel said as he turned to go, but the lady’s next words froze his steps.

  “Miss Melsont,” Lady Brant said coldly. “I expect you to tender your resignation and be prepared to leave on Monday.”

  “And what offense, pray tell, has Miss Melsont offered?” he demanded as he towered over his hostess.

  The lady’s chin rose in defiance. “This is none of your concern, Lord Godown.”

  Gabriel shot a glance to where Grace stood with her gaze averted. “Yet, I feel responsible for your governess’s well being. She has done me a service.”

  “At the neglect of her duties,” Lady Brant insisted. Her voice rose in shrill accents.

  “I assure you, Ma’am, I saw Victoria and Mary to bed nearly an hour prior,” Grace said softly.

  “But you returned to the gallery afterwards,” Lady Brant accused indignantly. “I gave permission for my daughters to partake of a few moments of the splendor, but I did not mean for you to disregard your duties.”

  Gabriel interjected, “I have explained how I sought Miss Melsont’s assistance.”

  Lady Brant shook her head in denial. “The Havertys may have believed your ploy, my Lord, but I am well aware, first hand, of how a man’s lust is often centered on a household’s servants. Her association with this scandal will taint Miss Melsont’s reputation. Mrs. Haverty is my dearest friend, and I shall do what is necessary to protect her family. That includes eliminating those who might spread the tale throughout the neighborhood.”

  Grace sighed heavily, “A letter of reference?” she said hopefully.

  Lady Brant turned on her heel to leave. “Lord Brant would never tolerate it.”

  Gabriel stepped before her to impede the woman’s progress. “You would punish an innocent?” He glanced at Grace’s defeated countenance. “Then, perhaps, I should storm into Miss Haverty’s room and demand satisfaction. How shall that hamper your plans to hush this madness?” he said tersely.

  He started toward Miss Haverty’s closed door. Raised voices rang clear on the other side, but Grace stepped between him and his goal. “I will not have it, my Lord,” she said boldly. “You will not lose your title and your name simply to protect my position in Lord Brant’s household. I shall secure another position.”

  Gabriel noted the tears pooling in her eyes’ corners. He observed how her lip trembled with uncertainty. Yet, she would face Society’s worst to protect him. “Then permit me to offer you a safe passage to London. I would be less than a gentleman if I subjected you to the horrors of public travel.” He glanced to his valet. “Mr. Sanders, would you escort Miss Melsont to her room and see her belongings are transferred to my coach?”

  “Aye, Sir.”

  “Thank you, my Lord.” She curtsied. “That would resolve having my trunk shipped separately.”

  Gabriel turned on Lady Brant. “I am assuming you will have an accounting of Miss Melsont’s wages for her early departure.” He did not wait for an answer. The night had turned his world upon itself. Not only had he lost his betrothed, but he would also travel to London with Grace Nelson. Once again, he owed the lady a debt of gratitude. It seemed Fate had determined they would play out their dangerous dance.

  *

  “Are the lady’s belongings secured?” Gabriel asked his coachman.

  “Yes, my Lord.” His driver checked the reins of the team. “We should be in London by late tomorrow.”

  Gabriel leaned closer so neither Miss Nelson nor Mr. Sanders would hear. “I do not want to return to London, nor do I seek Gossling Hill. It is likely this fiasco will follow me to whichever I choose. Set a course for Linton Park.”

  His coachman nodded his understanding. “We will arrive in early afternoon.”

  Gabriel gestured Sanders into the carriage before bracing Grace’s ascent. He had not slept, but he had come to terms with his decision. Lord Brant had slipped an envelope addressed to Grace under Gabriel’s door. He assumed it was her pay, and Gabriel had dutifully delivered it to her over their totally silent breakfast. Before dawn, Mr. Haverty had awaited Gabriel in the breakfast room. The man offered his apologies and returned the signed settlements Gabriel had made as part of his plight for Miss Haverty. Surprisingly, Gabriel felt nothing but relief as he crawled into his coach. No one else deigned to see them off. How the Brants and the Havertys would explain away his absence, Gabriel did not care as long as he was not portrayed as cuckolded by the woman. Mr. Haverty had assured him Gabriel’s reputation would not suffer from the incident.

  Settling into the soft squabs of his traveling coach, Gabriel stretched out his legs, folded his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes. He would not discuss what he planned with either Miss Nelson or Sanders. During the night, a clear-cut solution to his problems had arrived in the form of his valet reporting he had had to suggest to Lord Brant his employer would look upon it poorly if Brant carried out his threat “to teach Miss Melsont a lesson in humility.” Gabriel had thought to seek out his host and offer up his own lessons. The thought of someone taking out his frustrations on Grace had brought pure rage. Even though she would turn him down, he realized he must offer the woman his protection. And he would have
his way in the matter. His only concern, at the moment, was what James Kerrington would say when Gabriel appeared on his friend’s doorstep with Grace Nelson in tow.

  They had stopped for a mid-morning meal at an inn some thirty miles from their destination. “You really should have something more substantial, my Dear,” Gabriel had said as he watched Miss Nelson dip her dry toast into her tea before taking a bite. “Or at a minimum permit me to request some of the innkeeper’s finest preserves for your toast.”

  Grace said in a stiff voice, “Of late, my appetite has been less than stellar.” She glanced about the near empty room to assure privacy. “I believe it started with the renewal of our acquaintance,” she added blandly.

  Gabriel smiled at her attempt to make him aware of how much she did not require his assistance. When, in reality, she knew he was well aware all she owned in the world was strapped to the back of his coach. Miss Nelson may feign indifference, but she was frightened beyond comprehension. She had neither family to speak of nor a position to earn her way. The Brants would likely slander her. The only positive was they would be spreading rumors regarding a Miss Melsont. “So much for Christian charity,” he thought.

  “It is odd,” he said taking a gigantic bite of the bread he had wrapped around some cheese and bacon. “My appetite has increased dramatically since discovering you under Lord Brant’s roof.”

  She understood his double entendre perfectly. Her eyes grew larger, and a rosy flush colored her skin. “I object to your poorly veiled insinuation, my Lord. I am certain if I were a woman of the ton you would never make such a statement.”