by Julia Donner
Allison glanced at Emily, who nodded. The boys were admitted, paused to execute dignified bows, then dashed like the boys they were to the bedside. They stared in awe and fascination at the baby.
Howie, fidgeting with excitement, cried, “Crikey, she’s smaller than a piglet. Look, Waldo, she’s got lots of hair. It sticks out everywhere. How pretty. May I touch it, Mama?”
Unable to stifle a smile while she did it, Emily made a scowling, questioning face. “When did you wash your hands last?”
That confounded Howie. He scratched his head. “P’raps yesterday?”
Emily exchanged a droll look with Allison. “Then I think not.”
“But I thought you’d let us play with her,” Howie pleaded.
Emily lowered her voice and delivered a stern reprimand with the smile she hadn’t been able to quell. “Howard Exton-Lloyd, did you really think I would allow this fragile babe to be taken into your grubby hands? I love you, child, but I know you very well. Lud, the first thing you’d do would be to use her as a shuttlecock.”
Howie considered the idea. “I would never, Mama. In any event, she looks a bit too heavy for that. Would smash up my racket. No, I thought she would be perfect for hide and seek, as long as she didn’t start crying.” He looked up at his brother. “Infants like to do that, you know.”
Waldo, at seven, looked as self-contained and dignified as his father. “That will do, Howie. We mustn’t tire Mama and sister. Thank you for allowing us to visit.”
Waldo took his brother’s arm to herd him from the room. The door closed on Howie’s excited chatter, Waldo’s answering murmurs.
Allison stared at the closed door. “They are an adorable pair, but a bit frightening.”
“Don’t ever let them see your fear.” As relentless as she was endearing, Emily slyly asked, “So when will you meet his family?”
Chapter 14
A tap on his bedchamber door shifted Cameron’s attention from the letter he was writing. He realized that daily correspondence to Allison would only serve to make him a pest. He’d forced himself to write twice a week. His prize monies would soon be in hand. If not for Perry being so agreeable about franking his letters, there would be no luxury of writing so often.
He held the recently dipped quill away from the letter and called, “Come in.”
One of the horde of servants Elizabeth Asterly employed came through. The house required a large number of servants to maintain it, but Lady Asterly hired so many they were underfoot. She couldn’t resist helping a veteran and had a battalion of them ready to prepare the house he planned to rent and ready for his mother and sister.
The footman who entered had the left sleeve of his livery pinned back, showing that he’d lost most of his arm.
The footman extended a card on a silver plate. “There is a visitor to see you. Are you receiving?”
Cameron slid the card from the salver, astonished to discover the name of the caller. “I’ll be down to see him immediately. Where is he waiting?”
“The vestibule receiving room until we heard your decision.”
“Thank you. Bailey, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir, second floor footman.”
“Peninsular?” Cameron asked, using the quill tip to gesture at his empty sleeve.
“Yes, sir. Shall I order a tray?”
“Not necessary, and I know the way. No need to wait.”
Cameron quickly placed the quill where it wouldn’t stain the tabletop and slid the unfinished letter into a drawer. His heart began to hammer as he went down the flights of steps to the ground floor. If all went well with this interview, he might be able to install his mother and sister at their home in Kent before spring arrived.
Crimm waited in the vestibule. “Sir Edmond Hammond has called to see you, sir. We’ve had a man on the lookout at his residence. Since it was imperative that you speak with him without delay, I had him summoned as soon as he returned to town. Will there be anything else? Another room, perhaps? We place unexpected callers here initially, until their relevance can be established.”
Cameron tugged his cuffs into place and ran a hand down his coat to confirm all buttons were fastened. “This room will do. I’m a bit surprised that Sir Edmond would condescend to visit me. I should think he would expect me to go to him.”
A fleeting smile quirked up Crimm’s lips. “Any request from Asterly House is responded to with alacrity. To clarify, I should tell you that I did not say that the request to attend us here came specifically from you.”
“How deliciously sly you are, Mr. Crimm.”
“Thank you, sir, but do recall that you had not given me leave to reveal your identity. Will Sir Edmond remember you?”
“Not entirely sure. I was a lad when I left.”
Crimm nodded and crossed the vestibule to the receiving room near the front entry. Opening it without knocking, he announced, “Mr. Bradford will see you now.”
Cameron studied the man standing in front of the fireplace. Weak sunlight filtered through the tall windows. Lean and with a military straight posture, Sir Edmond looked back. His sleek, black hair and obsidian gaze gave him an appearance of precision and an aura of confidence that gave nothing away, except the chill of condescension.
In the silence, during which they assessed each other, distant sounds of carriages and street vendors seeped in from the square. Cameron’s gut tightened, an instinctive response to the calculation inherent in Sir Edmond’s assessment.
Cameron bowed and went to him, hand extended. “How good it is to see you again, Sir Edmond. It has been a few years.”
His hand was shaken and summarily dropped. “Twelve, if I remember correctly. Where is Lord and Lady Asterly? The message came from them.”
“Sorry for the misunderstanding. The message was sent in my behalf. Would you like to sit down?”
“No. I shouldn’t think this will take very long, especially since Lord and Lady Asterly are not involved. I expect that you have questions and perhaps some pretensions in regards to the Loverton title.”
Cameron clasped his hands behind his back. “No. The connection to Loverton is through my mother’s family. I initially contacted with the hope that you could tell me where they’d gone.”
Sir Edmond looked away. “I’m not sure why you should think I would have any information in that regard. They vacated the residence nearly five years ago. They do not answer to me, nor I to them.”
“Sir, as agent and trustee of the Loverton estate, you must be aware that the house on the Grange property was set aside for my mother’s use.”
“I found no such evidence for that claim.”
Anger coiled in Cameron’s belly. His early aversion to this man flared into outright dislike. He tamped down the urge to shake some of the arrogance from Sir Edmund’s manner. That wouldn’t help with learning the rationale for evicting his mother and sister from their home. The particulars of Loverton’s official will and documents should contain and provide other directions for their well-being. If nothing else, his father kept meticulous records. There had to be a mention or clause somewhere that explained why things had come to this pass.
Cameron altered his tack. “Would you care for something to drink?”
“As I said, I’m not staying for long.”
When Sir Edmond moved to leave, Cameron stepped sideways to block his path, placing him not uncomfortably close, but obvious about obstructing the attempt to end the interview. The move was meant to make it clear to Sir Edmond that Cameron had not given permission to leave.
Sir Edmond’s arrogant expression hardened, sharpening his features. He lifted his chin to look down his nose. “Sir, I believe I have satisfied your curiosity and impertinent questions. I will remind you that I am under no obligation to do so, especially to a person with no connection to the late Lord Loverton.”
“But you must agree that I have a valid connection when it comes to my mother and sister. I can see no reason why you refused to share
the information of their whereabouts. My mother would have left directions, a forwarding address at the house. Since you are occasionally in residence there, you must have come across the information.”
“You assume too much, sir. It is not my responsibility to keep track of former servants.”
Best to let that insult pass. Sir Edmond’s defensive posture shouted that the agent concealed something. Cameron shifted again to subtly maintain his aggressive position. “I fail to comprehend why my family was evicted. Their presence there could not have posed an inconvenience, since your caretaker told me you were rarely in residence.”
“My personal itinerary is none of your concern. I wish you luck in the search for your family and bid you good day.”
“Oh, I know where they are.”
That revelation made a crack in Sir Edmond’s aloof veneer. When he again tried to leave, Cameron didn’t budge, forcing Sir Edmond to retreat and take a path around a couch to make it to the doorway, where he halted on the threshold. Crimm waited on the other side of the door, blocking the exit, with a footman holding Sir Edmond’s hat and cane.
Quivering with fury, Sir Edmond was forced to wait for Cameron’s nod to collect his things. At Cameron’s signal, Crimm stepped back. The footman offered the visitor’s hat and cane. Sir Edmond snatched them from the footman’s gloved hands. Another footman opened the door for Sir Edmond’s swift exit.
Crimm contemplated the closing door and murmured, “Didn’t give you a bit of satisfaction, I’ll wager.” When Cameron suggestively glanced at the footmen, Crimm added, “Say what you will. Not a whisper nor a hint of anything leaves this house.”
Cameron braced his back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. He squinted at the entry doors. “His defensiveness tells us he’s hiding something.”
“I don’t think it’s regarding your family, sir. That would pose no threat to him, since it is not his responsibility. I am coming to the rapid conclusion that you form a considerable threat to Sir Edmond in some way as yet undiscovered.”
“Me? Why? I have no connection with the estate. Loverton was very kind to me and mine, but other than a distant connection and the reliance he had on Father as steward, that was it.”
“But you haven’t read his will and personal documents,” Crimm pointed out.
“And Hammond has no intention of allowing me access to Loverton’s testament documents and according to him, there is nothing to indicate Loverton’s wish to pension Mother and the use of the house during her lifetime.”
“But you have yet to read the documents.” Crimm gestured for Cameron to follow. “We shan’t be needing Sir Edmond’s permission for that. Her ladyship asks that you join her in the book-room.”
Chapter 15
Cameron shoved away from the wall and joined Crimm on the staircase. “No one ever said I was specifically mentioned. Since my family isn’t named in the will, it stands to reason that I wouldn’t be notified or allowed view of the bequests. I should ask how you know the particulars.”
“Because I had someone copy them and deliver to them to Lady Asterly this morning. Would you like to see them?”
He had no understanding of legal documents but held fast to the hope that this avenue might provide information to restore his mother and sister to their home. If his own name featured somewhere in the papers, then so might his mother and sister. He’d despaired of ever finding them until the task was taken in hand by Crimm and the Asterlys. In Kent, no one in the neighborhood knew where they had gone, very odd indeed. Before coming to London, he’d had no plan or thought of where to start the search, other than applying to the estate’s trustee. Sir Edmond had not replied to any of his letters and his initial notion of seeking his help now seemed foolish.
Lady Asterly closed a ledger and removed spectacles when they entered. She gestured to a chair in front of an impressively large, carved desk. After he’d sat and Crimm had taken a position by the desk, Cameron asked, “Have you found anything of interest in Loverton’s papers, ma’am?”
“I haven’t read them and wouldn’t think of doing so without your consent. Crimm, the portfolio, if you please.”
Crimm extended a leather satchel, but she gestured that it be handed to Cameron. He untied and opened the flap. “How did you get all of this transcribed?”
Lady Asterly and Crimm exchanged one of their speaking glances before she said with a knowing smile, “We’ve retrieved the necessary documents for you. Must we reveal our methods also?”
Cameron softly laughed. “No, my lady. I know my place and bow to intellects more clever than my own.”
Asterly came through as Cameron scanned each document to find the one he wanted. “Ah, Lizzie, I see you and Crimm located the materials. Is that what you need, Squid?”
“And a bit more. I’m more than impressed. Floored me, I can tell you. It’s going to take some time to read through all of this. I fear much of it won’t make sense to me.”
Asterly propped his backside on a desk corner and crossed one shiny Hessian over the other. “Let Lizzie have a look at it. Did I ever tell you that she speaks a dozen languages and thinks in Latin? It wouldn’t surprise me if she’d been taught to read using legal documents instead of Scripture. Did you learn anything from Sir Edmond?”
“Only that he’s hiding something.” He handed the folio across the desk. Lady Asterly replaced her glasses and withdrew a sheaf of papers. Before she started, she shot an admonishing glance at her husband that confused Cameron.
Asterly smirked, leaned forward and whispered to Cameron, “I’ll explain later.”
Lady Asterly made her warning glare more severe, which only made her husband’s grin widen. She returned her attention to the will copies.” Now, Cameron, did you regard these lines here at the onset? Quite illuminating.”
“Latin was never my particular favorite. I do fine with Portuguese and Arabic. Ask me something about the sea, ma’am. I’ve had very little contact with anything legal, other than maritime laws.”
She tapped on the sheaves of documents. “Did you notice that Loverton requested that you be named his principal trustee? Hammond’s name comes later, after two others. One must assume that those appointees have died or declined the office for some reason.”
After thinking back, Cameron answered, “Loverton trusted my father completely. They were friends from childhood as well as connected through mother’s side. Other than a small bequest, I had no expectation that he would name me in any connection with his estate.”
She sorted through the papers, swiftly scanning the contents that had been too complex and intimidating for him to comprehend so swiftly. “It is not that surprising that you would know the particulars. Loverton wrote it while you were at sea. He most likely died before your capture. He would have assumed that you would be summoned back to Kent and relinquish your commission. The contents of this pretty much confirms what Crimm and I suspected. Had I looked at these prior to bringing Sir Edmond here, I would have suggested not to bother.”
Asterly reached across the desk and flicked the tip of his wife’s nose. “Should have let her interview the fellow, Squid. She would’ve made confetti of him. Strewn bits of Sir Edmond all over the room. Nothing gets by my Lizzie.”
Cameron interrupted the speaking eye contact they shared. “Excuse me, are you suggesting that Sir Edmond wanted Mother and Agnes gone for reasons other than having use of the house?”
Lady Asterly removed the spectacles and swatted away her husband’s hand when he made a second attempt at her nose. “Stop that.” Although stern with her spouse, her smile held a hint of slyness when she addressed Cameron. “Sir Edmond may not have been aware of where your family had gone, but he did want them out of the district. And these documents confirm my belief that he hired those men to accost you.”
“He tried to do me in over the management of the estate? Seems rather extreme. It’s only the position of agent.”
She placed her hand on the d
ocuments. “More than that is apparent in these. Loverton was particularly interested that you were provided for. He was giving you the opportunity for a living, an income for life should you wish to have a choice between the Navy or staying in Kent to care for your family.”
Cameron gazed at the window, thinking back. “Yes, that does make sense, but I’m not content that there is no provision in there for Mother to stay on in her house.”
Asterly said, “He may have assumed you would come home. That you would make a decision and that would be the end of it, but you had to be stupid and let yourself be captured. Really, Squid. Very bad ton.”
“You’ll pay for that, Perry,” but Cameron said it with a smile.
“Did you hear that, Lizzie? The man threatens his host. Ungrateful lout. He needs to be taught a lesson.”
She dryly replied, “Perhaps you should keep in mind what he did to his attackers before issuing any challenges.”
That made Asterly chuckle. “The magistrate reported heads and bones broken. They may have left you unconscious on the road but they had to crawl to get away. Lucky with those fives, are you, Squid?”
“Luck has little to do with it. Fighting for one’s life on a daily basis has the effect of sharpening one’s skills. I wasn’t trying to kill them, merely escape. And I was a bit confused by the attack. Nothing to steal, since I looked every bit the beggar I was. And I’m still grateful and astonished by the care given at Rolands to a vagrant.”
Lady Asterly’s stern aspect melted. “That’s our Harry. So kind hearted. He’s perfection, isn’t he, Peregrine?”
Her husband answered that with a noncommittal grunt and straightened up from the desk. “Come along, Squid. I have some time between appointments and fancy a game of billiards while Lizzie dissects those papers.”
In the hallway, Cameron said, “Not sure I recall the rudiments of billiards.”
“No need. We won’t be playing. Lizzie knows I’d rather directly hack away with swords than execute complicated bank shots. Harry and I practice in the Pavilion. It’s a longish receiving room on the ground floor connected to the conservatory. Not much time these days to keep up my skills. Never know when some encroacher may think he can have his way with my wife.”