A Promise of Pure Gardenias

by Jackie Williams

  Sophia caught sight of horse and rider as they trotted just behind the carriage.

  “He is a beautiful animal and I am glad you can rely on James to look after him. It must be a worry off your mind.” She leaned out of the window and gave the man a wave. James nodded in her direction and then moved Atlas forward at a slightly quicker pace. He overtook the carriage and rode ahead.

  Brendon followed his groom with his eyes, noticing the man’s surprisingly elegant seat. In his well fitting jacket and highly polished boots, no one would be able to tell that James wasn’t a gentleman. Brendon snapped his eyes back to Sophia.

  “Yes, it is something less to concern myself with. And that’s another reason I wanted him to make this trip with us today. I want him to renew his acquaintance with Algernon, and Felicity too. Fallows is actually not that far if either of them ever needs assistance.” He didn’t want to explain his other reasons; that he really wanted his friend’s opinion on the balcony incident, on Mr. Johnson, and for James to consider it all with them.

  But without a doubt, his preliminary investigations so far had made it clear. The deliberately loosened balustrade had been an obvious murder attempt and Brendon’s builder had been caught up in it. Mr. Dodds would never have leaned against the balcony under normal circumstances, but Brendon knew that his father did practically every night when he resided there.

  Brendon’s frown suddenly became deeper. Who would know of his father’s nightly ritual of taking a cigar and a glass of brandy onto the balcony? He began listing names in his head. Felicity would know, but suspecting his sister was utterly ridiculous. Algernon probably knew, if someone jogged his memory, but Algernon wouldn’t kill Lord Spencer. Lady Spencer knew, but she often spent the evenings out there with Lord Spencer and she was unlikely to kill the man she loved or put herself in any danger. There was himself, of course, but he knew that he hadn’t done it. And finally there were Mrs. Lawson, James and the two other permanent staff. But again, even if they knew his father’s habits, it was unlikely that they would do anything to harm him. They had nothing to gain, and with no guarantee that Brendon, as heir, would keep them on, possibly their positions to lose. Work in pleasant households was hard to come by. Killing the hand that fed them would be a stupid thing to do.

  There had to be someone he had missed. Some distant cousin perhaps? But then Brendon’s own life would be in danger for them to inherit. And nothing untoward had happened to him. He let the puzzling thoughts go. Perhaps Lucas would shed some light on the matter. But it would be several days before he heard anything from the man about the mysterious Mr. Johnson. He settled back into his seat as Sophia spoke again.

  “I wonder if Algernon and Felicity will remember James? I cannot believe he has remained there all this time. And he looks no different, his mannerisms and his bearing seeming so comfortable. Almost as though I have known him all my life.”

  Brendon nodded as he glanced out of the window at the man riding Atlas. The familiarity rocked him anew.

  “I thought exactly the same. I can barely remember him as a child except for his following us all about and pinching all the biscuits before I could get anywhere near them, and yet I knew him instantly. He must be devoted to his mother if he has stayed there all this time.”

  Sophia glanced over at Anna.

  “And to your father,” she added. “He’s a handsome man. So tall, and broad at the shoulder. It is no wonder he handles the horses so well. He certainly has the build for it.”

  She had noticed the man’s attributes? Brendon couldn’t stop the fingers of jealousy that crawled into his stomach. He coughed into his hand.

  “For one so youthful it is quite remarkable how he has come along.” Perhaps reminding her of James’ age would deter her train of thought about the man’s quite splendid physique.

  Sophia tilted her head as if confused.

  “James can only be a year or two younger than I, and he has obviously learned so much even while remaining secluded at Fallows. I confess that I am quite impressed by his multitude of skills. He loves his mother, he is loyal, is an excellent groom, has compassion for animals, and he can keep the books straight when you need him too. I imagine that he must have many women who would find him excellent husband material.” A small sound from the corner of the carriage made her wish she hadn’t spoken. Anna’s eyes glistened in the gloomy interior.

  Brendon obviously noticed the sound too. Anna was clearly besotted and it wouldn’t do to break the young girl’s heart.

  “But he doesn’t seem to have taken an interest in anyone. He has certainly not mentioned an attachment of any kind in the few days that I have been here, and he hasn’t left the house to go to the village at all.” He almost chuckled as he noticed the young woman’s eyes drop to her lap and her shoulders slump in apparent relief.

  Sophia turned to the window once again and breathed in the summer air. Butterflies dipped and fluttered over the passing fields, red headed poppies nodded on the verge, a lark rose high in the sky, its exuberant song not quite drowned out by the sound of the carriage and horses.

  “Perhaps he doesn’t need anything more than the peace and tranquillity of Fallows. It is a far cry from the constant bustle of London or even Sommersford. I had forgotten that, even though I live in a busy city, my lifestyle is quiet and calm. Felicity and Algernon never seem to have a moment’s peace from when the sun rises until it sets. These last two days away at Fallows have felt like a holiday.”

  Brendon looked at her quizzically.

  “You do not like the balls and routs? From what you said before we came down here, I thought you revelled in the idea of them. You complained quite vociferously about not going if I remember rightly.” His ears burned as he recalled her tirade the morning his father had been shot. He still felt guilty about his apparent neglect of her and the fact that he had let Lucas take over what should have been his own responsibility, being her brother in law. If only he hadn’t felt so hurt, so embarrassed at her open refusal of his suit, things might have been different.

  Sophia looked down into her lap and shook her head.

  “You have it all wrong, Brendon. It was nothing to do with going out and partaking of those events. I never really liked them all that much. But it stung my pride to hear about such events and to not be invited unless your parents or Lucas’ asked my mother and me.” Her cheeks flushed at the apparent slight of so many people. “It was about being asked to go, and to have a choice of whether to accept or not. Being restricted is only restricting if one doesn’t have choices.”

  “And you had no choice.” He sighed as he suddenly understood some of her complaints and how lonely she must have been. With Algernon and Felicity far away in Sommersford, she’d had no one. Least of all himself. He had truly abandoned her for the sake of his own damnable pride. He cleared his throat. “Sophia, I am sorry. I treated you abominably. Please forgive me.” His voice had dipped to a mere whisper.

  Had she heard him correctly? Had Brendon Spencer just apologized to her for something? She looked up at him, truly shocked at the notion. He sat forwards in his seat and placed his elbows on his knees.

  He stared right back at her as she answered him.

  “There is nothing to forgive, Brendon. You were unaware of my feelings.” Was the temperature inside the carriage rising? Heat suffused her and she drew out her fan.

  Brendon immediately sat back and prayed that she wouldn’t begin wafting her scent about, but he was saved from the torture as a voice called from outside. James neared the window.

  “Sommersford is just ahead, my Lord.”

  And indeed, a few minutes later they drew up in front of the massive house. Algernon and Felicity stood waving delightedly from the front door, surrounded by several children and one or two household staff.

  A smiling Felicity hurried down the steps as quickly as she could, skirts clinging to her clearly expectant form, but she came to a sudden halt as James rode up on Atlas. She shielded her e
yes from the sunlight and stared up curiously. James swept off his hat as he dismounted and went to open the carriage door, but he didn’t reach it. There was a soft cry from behind him, a frantic male shout followed by whispers from some of the staff as running steps crunched on gravel. He turned back towards the house and stopped dead as a tall, dark haired man shouted in alarm, and scooped up the woman from the ground. She had fainted dead away.

  Brendon leapt from the carriage and hurried to his brother in law’s side.

  “What happened? Someone call the doctor!” He was silenced by a gentle hand on his arm.

  Sophia took a deep breath and glanced back at James before speaking.

  “No, I think she has just had a shock. I am sure everything will be well if we go inside. Look, she is coming around already.” Indeed, Felicity’s eyes fluttered open.

  “Algernon?” Felicity’s voice trembled before she looked back at their visitors. Algernon’s eyes followed her gaze.

  Disbelief registered before he spoke firmly over his wife’s wilting form.

  “Bilton, take the carriage around to the stables. Everyone else please carry on with your duties. Betty, Colin, please bear with me.” He spoke to the children. “We can continue our game of shuttlecocks later. Please take your siblings and find somewhere to play for an hour.” The staff left immediately, gossiping behind their hands while the children scuttled off. “The rest of us should come inside now. Felicity needs calm and quiet and I would rather not discuss this matter while in public.” He eyed the man accompanying his friends.

  Brendon glanced from one person to another, not understanding a thing, until he saw the incredulous look on James’ face as he stared at someone who was clearly a close family member. A smile lit Brendon’s lips as understanding swept through him. How had he ever missed the similarity before? No wonder the man had the bearing of a gentleman. For James stared directly at the near mirror image of himself. Algernon.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Revelations

  “Heavens! Well, I didn’t expect that. No wonder his mother didn’t want him to come here! It makes sense now. I bet she has been having kittens all the time we have been gone. Lord only knows what Algernon and Sophia are thinking. Must be a bit of a shock. Can’t think why I didn’t notice the resemblance straight away, but then Sophia didn’t either.” Brendon whispered to his sister as he watched his two friends talk to his stableman.

  Felicity tapped her brother on the arm. After coming round in Algernon’s arms they had all quickly made their way to the drawing room. Algernon, Sophia, and James now sat huddled by the window, talking quietly together while Felicity and Brendon sat holding cups of tea and considered the unusual situation.

  “He is their brother, he looks so similar to Algernon that he has to be. And that makes him our brother in law. Their father must have seduced James’ mother when on a visit. There cannot be another explanation.”

  Brendon raised a surprised eyebrow but kept his voice low as he spoke.

  “I doubt that he is Mrs. Lawson’s son by birth. Her husband was still about at what would have been the crucial time and as far as I recall they were very happy together. Given the old Lord Barclay’s predilections, I have another, more reasonable theory.”

  Felicity gave her brother her full attention.

  “Predilections? What can you mean?”

  Brendon wasn’t about to discuss his personal experience of witnessing the old Lord Barclay forcing his attentions on one of their household maids, but she needed to know the facts.

  “Old Barclay was a womanizer. I will not go into detail, but suffice it to say that I know exactly the sort of man he was.” He glanced at his friends once again. They still had their heads bowed and Sophia clutched Algernon’s hand. Brendon took another sip of his tea before continuing with his thoughts. “Mrs. Lawson has no other children. Don’t you think that odd when she was married to Mr. Lawson for over twenty years? I suspect that either she or he was barren. Barclay must have seduced one of the chambermaids during one of the many house-parties our parents threw and the woman fell pregnant.” Brendon hid the shudder of revulsion that rippled through him at his memories of the man’s sordid affairs. “But Mrs. Lawson is a goodly sort. She’s kind and giving, and not having a child of her own, she might well have helped hide the evidence of the man’s affair and offered to take the babe rather than let the girl suffer the humiliation of having a bastard child.”

  Felicity sighed as her hand drifted over her own swollen stomach.

  “It must be very hard to give up one’s baby, even if it is to a woman as kind-hearted as Mrs. Lawson. The girl, whoever she was, must have been distraught as well as terrified.” She might have added more but Algernon suddenly stood and turned towards them as he beckoned both Sophia and James to join him.

  “Come, there will be no more secrets. Brendon, Felicity, obviously I will have to speak to Mrs. Lawson for confirmation, but having already gone over birth dates and from what I can recall of spending entire summers at Fallows, it appears quite possible and almost obvious that we need to welcome a new addition to our family.” He smiled warmly at James, who simply stared down at the carpeted floor.

  Sophia linked her arm through James’ and smiled up at him when he appeared startled by her attention.

  “I for one am delighted and only wish we had known sooner. We might have enjoyed each other’s company for many years before now.”

  Brendon stood and held his hand out to the man. James eyed the proffered palm nervously before taking it. Felicity stood and then suddenly reached out to hug him over the top of her stomach.

  “Welcome to Sommersford, James. We are delighted to include you in our family.”

  James took a few deep breaths before raising his eyes and his voice.

  “I don’t know what to say. You have to believe me, but I had no idea. Mother never said a word. She and my father always treated me as their own. I didn’t know... I never suspected...” His voice faded as he shifted his feet uncomfortably.

  Brendon slapped the man on his back.

  “Buck up, man. It’s not your fault who your parents are and no one here will blame you for it. Obviously there will be questions, and this raises some difficulties with your employment...”

  James lifted his chin, interrupting sharply.

  “You would throw me out?”

  Brendon laughed.

  “No! Quite the opposite. Naturally, I want you to stay, but I can hardly have my brother in law in my employ. Or living over my stables. It is simply not done. We’ll sort out some sort of proper allowance, and you will move into the main house as soon as we can ready a room for you.”

  James shook his head miserably.

  “I like living over the stables.” His voice almost echoed it was so hollow and he twisted his hat in his hands.

  Sophia came to his rescue as she looked up at Brendon.

  “All that can be sorted out at another time. For now, Algernon wants to ride back to Fallows with you tomorrow to speak with Mrs. Lawson. Although we are almost certain of James’ father, we must have this matter of his parentage settled once and for all. Speculation will be rife amongst the servants here already. We do not want gossip spreading without being able to assuage any damage with the truth. Meanwhile Algernon and I would like to take James on a tour of Sommersford while he is here. It would give me the opportunity to get to know him a little better seeing that you will be heading back to Fallows so soon.”

  Brendon nodded quickly.

  “That suits me. I have things I wish to discuss with Algernon. I would be far better talking about them while travelling rather than wasting what little time I can spend with my sister talking business and matters of the estate.” He took Felicity’s arm and wheeled her around to sit back on the settee while the others left the room.

  Felicity sat down wearily and stretched her feet out in front of her.

  “I am glad we have time to talk. I haven’t seen you in so long. B
ut first I want to know if you have heard news from father. We have had nothing here about his health.”

  Brendon sat down beside her.

  “I had the briefest note from mother but yesterday. Father is improving rapidly and ordering her about from his bed. The doctor has recommended a special diet. Apparently the blood loss was more worrying than the actual wound, but father would have none of it. He is eating like a horse and likely to be up within days.”

  Felicity breathed a sigh of relief.

  “But you have received nothing from Lucas about his enquiries into the duel?”

  A look of annoyance crossed Brendon’s features.

  “No. I had thought Lucas would know all by now, but I have not heard a word. I am not happy about it, but there is little I can do from Fallows except follow father’s orders. At least he can rest knowing that I am rectifying the wrongs done to the place from months of neglect.”

  Felicity tapped her fingertip to her lips while she thought.

  “I wonder why he abandoned Fallows for so long. We used to have such fun there. He and mother used to go quite often, but it was a few years ago that they stopped holding house-parties there.”

  Brendon rolled his eyes.

  “There is school of thought about pregnancy making sensible women become daft, and now I can see that the rumour is true.” He smiled at Felicity’s confused demeanour before tilting his head towards the door that Algernon, Sophia, and James had walked through. “What was our father going to do with his stableman when we had guests? Hide him in the attics until all the gentry had gone home again. Talk would have been rife as soon as James grew and the similarities between him and Algernon became obvious to all. He even has the same build as Algernon, albeit he is a couple of inches shorter. Father must have realized the scandal it would cause. Sophia and her mother would have been embarrassed and been cut by the ton.”