by Rebecca King
Unable to resist touching her, he kissed the back of her hand.
She blushed as the memory of those kisses on the doorstep came flooding back, and her eyes fell instinctively to his lips as he lifted his head.
“Do come in,” Pearl gushed.
“Is your father not here?” Sophia asked him.
“No, he and Mr Everson had some business to conduct.”
“Please send him my regards,” she replied.
“I shall do just that, thank you,” he assured her, hating the formality of the occasion.
He despised these affairs where people always watched everyone else like a hawk, and one could be scorned if a word or foot was put out of place. Still, he wasn’t there to represent his father. He was there to catch a thief. If spending a bit more time in the company of those present at his father’s dinner helped him to identify the thief then he was prepared to suffer their company. He had been subjected to far worse throughout his work for the Star Elite.
He glanced about the room. The sitting room they were in was sparsely furnished, to the point that some of the guests were forced to remain standing. Jeb and the Squire were in front of the fireplace. The remainder of the guests either stood, or were seated awkwardly around the room in a way that made conversation difficult. Unfortunately, although Jeb was closest to Sophia, he still couldn’t talk to her the way he wanted to either.
Sighing in frustration, he focused his attention on the real reason he was there; the thief.
It quickly became evident to Jeb that nobody else really wanted to be there either. It wasn’t that the Harvell’s weren’t well liked. It was just that the few pieces of wood in the fire did little to heat the chilled room. The ladies were struggling to make ends meet, which made drinking their tea and eating their cake feel just plain wrong. Everyone appeared to feel the same because they sipped their cups of tepid tea slowly, and ate the rather awful cake sparingly.
Despite the Harvell’s best attempts to keep it rambling on, conversation was stilted.
Sophia was disappointed. However, it had nothing to do with the awful refreshments, or her lack of ability to converse with Jeb. She was disappointed because Delilah had perched next to her on the chaise, and had immediately dropped the bag with the hairbrushes inside directly onto Sophia’s feet. Evidently, she still had no intention of returning the stolen items.
Mentally cursing her, Sophia had no choice but to try to find a way to leave the brushes behind when they left the house or she knew she would be taking them back to Delilah’s again.
“While everybody is here,” Squire Trelawney suddenly announced. “I shall hand out the invitations to the ball at the end of the month.”
“Oh, but everybody is not here, surely?” Miss Mabel declared, all atwitter as she accepted her invitation from the Squire.
“I have already delivered Algernon’s, and that man of business of theirs,” the Squire declared loudly. “Never fear, my dear. Everyone shall be invited.”
He moved around the room and handed everybody a small embossed card with the details on for his ball in a week’s time.
“It is my turn to host one of these occasions,” he declared without any hint of enthusiasm.
Sophia smiled at the reluctance in his voice. She had to wonder why he would want to accommodate such a lavish affair as a ball if he didn’t like any of the guests. Still, it wasn’t for her to question the man, so she accepted her invitation off him with a smile of thanks and placed it in her lap to read later.
“How delightful; a summer ball,” Pearl gushed. “It is a long time since we have been to one of those, isn’t it Mabel?”
“Oh, yes. It’s so exciting.” Mabel nodded enthusiastically and recounted the occasion of the last ball she attended. “We will have to hurry and arrange our outfits won’t we, dear? This date is next week. Oh my, that is not much time, is it?”
“Yes, well,” the Squire coughed uncomfortably.
Sophia smiled when she realised the Squire had probably handed out the invitations so late in the hopes that nobody would be able to go. He was doomed to disappointment though when the assembled guests accepted their invitations right there and then. By the time the acceptances had dwindled, the Squire seemed to be positively morose.
“Next week?” Delilah gasped. “I must purchase a new outfit.”
“Don’t you think you have enough already?” Sophia snapped without thinking. The glare she levelled on her aunt was withering, and enough make Delilah fall silent. “The back room is positively bursting with new outfits as it is.”
Sensing acrimony between Sophia and her aunt, Mabel and Pearl looked at each other. Mabel then leaned forward in her seat and patted Sophia’s hand in a motherly fashion that was just plain awkward. Sophia tried to smile, but failed miserably.
Jeb’s gaze sharpened at the uncharacteristic display of ill-temper from Sophia, and wondered what was going on. Sensing trouble within the family, he turned his attention to Delilah.
“It’s been so long since I had a new outfit. I cannot imagine such a thing,” Pearl gasped.
“I know. Purchasing a new outfit when you already have a room full of them is a wasteful scandal, isn’t it?” Sophia replied, aware that her aunt was glaring at her evilly.
In spite of the fact that they had spent some considerable time changing the outfits Delilah already owned, her aunt clearly had no intention of using them. The prospect of having a new dress was just too much temptation for her aunt to ignore.
Instead of taking her aunt to task over it, Sophia decided to allow the weight of public opinion to make the point for her. The scandalous amount of clothing her aunt already possessed was beyond excessive and was nothing short of greedy.
Picking up on the Harvell’s penchant for gossip, Sophia leaned toward them conspiratorially.
“You should see Delilah’s spare room. It is stuffed to the rafters with all sorts of dresses and paraphernalia that Delilah could never hope to use.” She landed a look on her aunt that was as displeased as she could make it. “I do not consider that yet another trip to the dressmakers is called for. Not even for the Squire’s ball. I am sure the Squire hasn’t seen half of the outfits my aunt possesses.” She didn’t give Delilah the opportunity to protest and turned to Morwenna Banks and Mavis Arbuthnot, who were scandalised at Delilah’s apparent greed and not afraid to say so.
“There are some people’s selfish endeavours in this village that are completely beyond the pale,” Mavis replied. “It is a scandal that some people are working all the God given hours to be able to put bread on the table while others are frittering away money left, right, and centre. It is just not right, I tell you. Why, I cannot remember the last time I had a new outfit. There is nothing wrong with the ones that I have, and I intend to use them.”
“Yes, we can see that,” Delilah sniped as she ran her condemning gaze over the older woman.
Sophia watched Mavis’ cheeks flush beneath the withering glare Delilah landed on her. For the first time in her life, Sophia was horrified to be related to the rather ugly creature her aunt had turned into and threw an apologetic look at the object of her scorn.
“It is safe to say that excess is a sin, do you not think, Mrs Arbuthnot?” She turned to glare at her aunt as she spoke.
Mavis Arbuthnot nodded energetically; an unholy glint of piety in her eye. “It is; excess is a sin.”
“Speaking of taking away,” the Squire declared loudly. “Has anyone caught the thief yet? I want my damned snuff boxes back.”
Sophia shook her head. “No, but it is only a matter of time. After all, it is a question of conscience for the thief to realise the seriousness of what they have done and stop. If they don’t then they deserve to have the magistrate to catch them and lock them away.”
Jeb knew then that she knew something about the thefts.
“Quite,” he said quietly.
He had yet to take his eyes off her mainly because was enthralled by the way the deli
cate curve of her cheek was porcelain smooth, and tinted a perfect shade of pink that emphasised her youthful beauty. His fingers itched to stroke that alabaster expanse of flesh to see if it was as soft as it looked.
“Well, it is a matter of conscience of the person who helps themselves to things that don’t belong to them to stop isn’t it? It is also a matter of conscience for anyone who may know about the thief to do something about it. I don’t know why the magistrate doesn’t just search the homes of everyone who was present at these gatherings to look for the missing items,” she replied.
“Good point,” Jeb murmured, and watched her cheeks stain a darker shade of pink.
To see this kind of agitation in Sophia warned him that the topic was more personal than he would have liked to see. He suspected from the stiff way she held herself that she was coldly furious about something. However, he doubted she was put out at Delilah’s sniping at Mrs Arbuthnot. Delilah had done something to offend her niece. That led him to wonder whether the ill feeling between the two was because of something she had learned since she had been in the village; something Delilah had done.
Having said that, why would Sophia want to remain in Framley Meadow if the relationship with her aunt was so frosty?
He frowned when the thought of Sophia leaving the village left him wanting to force her to stay. He was a member of the Star Elite. A worker; a fighter; whose work involved long hours, plenty of travelling, and not much in the way of a home life. Why, then, was he suddenly considering asking Sophia to stay in a village he didn’t intend to remain in once his investigation into Tabitha’s disappearance, and the thefts, was over? Not only that, but he had instinctively considered the village to be his ‘home,' not the house he owned in Worcestershire.
What on earth had she done to him? He had kissed women before and they had never had this profound effect on him. Yet here he was considering asking her to become a part of his, well, his sort of new life. Had he already made the decision to return to Briggleberry on a permanent basis? He hadn’t even realised he had but wasn’t all that perturbed about the possibility now that he considered it more closely.
Shaking his head in disbelief, he turned his attention back to the room, just in time to watch a scene unfold that would give him plenty to think about later.
Delilah suddenly spilled her tea. “I am so sorry,” she gasped.
Pearl suddenly launched out of her chair and rushed off to fetch something to clear up the mess.
“I am not feeling very well,” Delilah moaned theatrically. “I have the most frightful headache.”
Jeb almost smiled at the sceptical look Sophia threw at her aunt, and suspected from the somewhat calculating look in Delilah’s eyes that there was nothing wrong with her. Why did she want to leave? He glanced around, but could see no reason for Sophia’s aunt to want to go so soon after her arrival.
Not convinced for a second that she was ill, Jeb watched Pearl flutter around their guest, trying to blot the mess. Willing to play along to see what happened, he raised no objection when everybody took the opportunity to offer their excuses and leave.
Sophia stared at the bag in her lap and mentally cursed when she realised that Delilah was already halfway out of the door.
You cunning witch, Sophia thought spitefully and turned her attention to the hairbrushes.
Now more determined than ever that Delilah wouldn’t keep the hairbrushes, or anything else she had stolen, Sophia looked for somewhere to leave them.
In the end, the problem was resolved far easier than she had expected. The usual hustle and bustle of the guests collecting their coats, saying their goodbyes, and making their way out of the front door caused temporary chaos in the narrow hall.
“I have forgotten my shawl,” Sophia declared suddenly to nobody in particular.
Once the Squire had stepped outside, and the Harvells were busy saying their goodbyes to the rest of the guests, Sophia hurried back into the sitting room and quickly dropped the brushes into the empty coal scuttle beside the fire. Heaving a mental sigh of relief that she was finally rid of them, she collected her ‘forgotten’ shawl and left the house without a backward look.
“You will never do that to me again,” she declared coldly once she had caught up with her conniving relative. “You are scandalous, and the most self-centred creature I have ever had the misfortune to meet. Right now, I sincerely wish I was not related to you.”
She saw Delilah look at her and open her mouth to speak, but something on Sophia’s face must have warned her to mind what she said because she remained mute all the way home. Instead, she continued to throw occasional worried looks at her niece and the bag she carried. It was evident she wanted to ask if the brushes had been returned but didn’t.
As soon as they walked in through the front door, Sophia stalked straight upstairs and slammed her way into the room. As far as she was concerned, she was going to return the trinket boxes Delilah had stolen from the Hutchinson residence, mainly because she liked Jeb. The rest of the items in the box were Delilah’s concern. If anything else disappeared at any of the other social engagements Sophia attended, or the items remained in the house unreturned, then her thieving aunt could deal with the situation she had brought upon herself.
As soon as the Squire’s ball was out of the way, Sophia was going back home and was never coming back to Framley Meadow ever again. She had tried everything to become better acquainted with her aunt but it was clear that Delilah was an unknown entity who didn’t want familial connections, and had no respect or consideration for anyone other than her own pursuit of pleasure.
In spite of her heartache, and the sad knowledge that whatever might have blossomed between her and Jeb Hutchinson was now going to go nowhere, Sophia knew deep inside that it was for the best. Losing him was inevitable once it became known that Delilah was a common thief. It was better to let go now before her emotions became any more engaged in him. Wasn’t it?
Later that night, after a rather bountiful dinner with his father, Jeb made his way to the tavern. He was aware that the workers had yet to find any trace of Tabitha, and had called the search off for the night now that it was too dark to see. However, he wanted to find out if anyone new was in the area, and if anyone else had noticed a new arrival loitering around the village.
Maybe it was his Star Elite experience lurching into action, but he felt it was strange that Sophia had seen this stranger at the same time that Tabitha had vanished. It would lie heavily on his conscience if he didn’t look into it and someone else disappeared.
Given the amount of time this seemingly innocuous young lady had been gone, her fate looked increasingly dire. At some point, he suspected her body would be found, and it would be evident she had been murdered. With that in mind, the sooner he could start his investigation into what happened, the better chance he stood of finding whoever was responsible so he could bring the matter to a conclusion.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Everson,” Jeb drawled as he approached the bar where his father’s man of business stood sipping the remains of a pint.
“Evening,” Everson replied. It wasn’t that he was surly, just uncommunicative.
Jeb carefully ignored the slight snub and ordered his ale. He waited until it was served before he turned his attention back to Everson.
“I didn’t realise you frequented the pub.”
“Everyone does it,” Everson replied dully.
“How do you like working for my father?”
Everson looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “It’s a job.”
Jeb nodded.
Everson downed the rest of his ale and slammed his mug back onto the bar and turned away.
“I’m off,” he muttered and, before Jeb could say anything else, left the pub.
“Is he always that chatty?” Jeb asked the barkeep wryly.
The barkeep threw a dark look at the tavern door.
“Damned strange, that one,” he grumbled with a sha
ke of his head. “In all the time he has been working for your father, and has come in here for his ale, I have barely been able to get more than two words out of him. He just comes in, orders ale, and then leaves again once he has drunk it. Various people have tried to talk to him, even workers on your father’s estate, but nobody gets anywhere.”
“There is nothing wrong with him wanting to keep to himself,” Jeb reasoned, although could do not see why he would go for an ale in the tavern if he didn’t intend to talk to anyone.
The tavern was the hub of the village’s social scene. Practically everyone went to it at some point, if not to eat then to meet with friends or simply enjoy a pint of ale or two in good company. Still, Jeb couldn’t criticise. When he was tired and needed time to himself to think he often propped the end of a bar up somewhere, and quietly sipped his ale without speaking a word to anyone.
Although several of his father’s workers were present, they were all deep in conversation, crowded around small tables in large groups. He strained his ears to listen in on their conversation, but they weren’t discussing anything other than Tabitha’s disappearance. Although several theories were put forward as to what had happened to her, it was all purely conjecture. Without a body to prove anything sinister had happened, nobody knew what had happened.
Thankfully, Jeb was left to drink his ale in peace. Although he didn’t do anything to correct it, he ruefully had to acknowledge that he was copying Everson’s rather unsociable behaviour. At the moment, there were more important things on his mind though; like what to do about Sophia.
Should he probe to find out what the discord with her aunt was all about? If it was a family matter he didn’t want to get embroiled in that as well, but it mattered if she was to be a part of his future. However, if the ladies just didn’t get along, did he really want to involve himself?
Wrinkling his nose up in disgust, he turned his attention to the thefts. The thief hadn’t struck again yet, but Jeb knew it was only a matter of time. He suspected they planned to steal something from the Squire’s ball next week. That being the case, Jeb had every intention of being on his toes and catching them in the act.