Fortune hunters abounded and Archie had made it his business to ensure that she wasn’t troubled by their attentions. A word or two locally had made it clear to those in positions of authority that she was Archie’s ward. He winced, imagining her reaction if she ever discovered his deliberate perpetuation of that myth. Many would assume she was his mistress, which lamentably was not the case, but Archie couldn’t think of a better way to save her from the unwanted attentions of the unscrupulous. Few who didn’t harbour death wishes would deliberately defy the powerful Marquess of Felsham.
There had to be some advantages to his position.
She had visited his home twice now and taken luncheon alone with him. She joked that her father would have apoplexy if he knew, causing Archie to wonder if she had defied convention simply for that reason. He invented excuses to call at her cottage, and she always seemed pleased to see him. She never spoke of an interest in any other man and seemed content with her hard-won independence. Archie harboured lingering concerns about her return to Salisbury for her sister’s wedding, wishing he could have persuaded her not to go. In the end he hadn’t attempted to talk her out of attending, aware that she had a point to prove to her dictatorial father.
Even so, he was glad that she had decided against staying overnight. His visit to Luke had lasted for a week but just happened to come to an end today, this afternoon.
‘I suppose I had better…’ Archie put his empty glass aside and leaned on his stick in order to pull himself unsteadily to his feet.
‘You’ve left it late,’ Luke remarked. ‘It will be dark soon and it’s raining again. You might as well stay for another night.’
‘I intend to collect Flora from the railway station.’ Luke flexed a brow at the mention of her name. They had both avoided any discussion of her for the majority of the week. ‘She has been to Salisbury to attend her sister’s wedding. I don’t want her to have to change trains alone at this time of day.’
‘I see.’ Luke’s expression was unreadable as he stood and shook Archie’s hand. ‘In that case, send her my best wishes.’ A cloud briefly passed through Luke’s eyes and Archie sensed his regret. ‘Violet and Mary are thinking of calling upon her to discuss plans for the wedding. Mary looks upon her as a member of the family, as do we all.’
‘I shall tell her to expect them.’
‘Safe journey, my friend,’ Luke said, slowing his pace as Archie caned his way into the entrance vestibule.
Pawson, Archie’s man upon whom he depended absolutely and whose discretion was equally assured, helped him into his outdoor garments while Luke’s butler opened the door and offered a stately half-bow. Archie followed Pawson down the steps and hauled himself slowly into his waiting conveyance. Getting into and out of carriages played merry hell with his injured leg, despite the fact that the pain had decreased considerably since Flora had forced her herbal remedies upon him and bullied him into swimming regularly to rebuild the strength in his withered muscles. He’d also had his own steam bath built in the grounds of Felsham Hall, and regular use of that facility was proving to be beneficial.
No one other than Flora could have persuaded him to try her alternative methods. He had been prodded and poked and had heads shaken over him during his ten-year sojourn in France by the best doctors his father’s money could buy, all of whom had told him to be content with being alive.
Alive perhaps, but not living.
There was nothing more that could be done to ease his pain or increase his mobility, or so he had repeatedly been told. But Flora was having none of it. She had, she told him, inherited her grandmother’s gift with the use of herbs and set about proving it. He had agreed, initially at least, in order to placate her. No one else dared to insist, or even talk openly about his disability, for fear of invoking his famous temper. Archie had admired her courage in facing him down and telling him to stop feeling so sorry about a situation he had brought upon himself.
It was at that point, Archie realised looking back, that he had first fallen a little in love with her. She was a determined romp with copper curls and vibrant violet eyes, who had got the better of the curmudgeonly countess and then transferred her forceful determination to Archie’s problems simply because she couldn’t stand to see him suffering when she insisted that she could do something to lessen his pain.
Now, all thanks to her, Archie had improved flexibility and sometimes, very occasionally, went an hour or two with almost no pain at all.
It was remarkable.
Pawson closed the door once Archie had settled himself and climbed onto the box seat beside Archie’s driver. The conveyance made its way to Swindon railway station, where Archie remained in the carriage and had Pawson wait on the platform for Flora’s arrival. He hoped that he hadn’t missed her or that she had decided to stay overnight, and continued to fret about the reunion with her family. He didn’t doubt for a moment that her father would have made a fresh attempt to heal the breach between them. Coercion hadn’t worked but a gentler touch could well stir Flora’s conscience. Archie closed his eyes for an expressive moment, trying to imagine how he would go on if Flora turned her back on him.
She had given a life that had seemed futile, meaning and purpose. But he also knew it would be selfish to prevent her from following her own course. Religion had been an intrinsic part of her entire life. She had turned her back on it because her psychic abilities threw its tenets into question, but even so…
Archie’s fears were laid to rest when ten minutes later, Pawson reappeared with Flora at his side, looking vibrant in a smart walking gown he had not seen her wear before.
‘Archie,’ she said, as Pawson opened the door and helped her into the conveyance. ‘What a lovely surprise. No, don’t get up. What are you doing in Swindon? I am very glad that you are here, mind you, whatever the reason. It’s freezing outside and starting to sleet and I was not looking forward to a long wait for my connecting train.’
Archie smiled at her lively chatter, conscious of her light floral fragrance filling the interior of the carriage. ‘You look very elegant.’
‘Thank you. I don’t think my outfit was demure enough to secure parental approval, but then very few things are, unless they are the plainest of the plain.’ She rolled her eyes expressively and flashed the impudent smile that Archie loved so much. ‘Perhaps that’s why I chose to wear peacock blue. Besides, dull colours have no place at weddings, which are supposed to be joyful occasions.’ The conveyance moved off once Flora had settled herself next to Archie on the forward-facing seat. ‘What are you doing here anyway?’
‘I spent a few days with Luke, learning what duties I am expected to perform as his best man. Then I happened to recall you were due to return this afternoon. As I was leaving Swindon myself, I decided to make myself useful.’
‘For which I am grateful. As to the situation with Luke, a witty speech that will embarrass him is de rigueur, one supposes, as is ensuring that he remains relatively sober on the eve of the big day. But then if you are with him, as well as Paul and Alvin, there is little possibility of your achieving that ambition, so Luke will just have to make his vows to the accompaniment of a thumping headache and little recollection of the previous night.’
‘What a poor opinion you have of the four of us, little one.’
‘You don’t deceive me with your pretence at wounded pride, Archie Felsham. You four have been joined at the hip since your university days…well, apart from when you were dead, which I don’t suppose you could help, given the circumstances. Anyway, just make sure you get Luke to the church on time.’
Archie chuckled. ‘I will do my humble best,’ he replied, observing that she seemed perfectly content to speak of Luke’s forthcoming marriage in her customary irreverent manner. If she felt any regrets, they remained well hidden. ‘Anyway, how was your day?’
‘Pretentious. Papa forced the bishop to officiate.’
Archie winced. ‘That was unkind and unnecessary.’
&n
bsp; ‘That is what I thought. I exchanged a few words with him; the bishop, that is. He put on a good face but I could tell that he disliked being manipulated and would much prefer to have been somewhere else.’
‘Without knowing the nature of the hold that your father has over him, it is difficult for me to express an opinion.’ The bishop had confided in Flora after his nephew tried to force himself upon her, but Flora had maintained his confidence and Archie wouldn’t ask her to break it.
‘Well yes, but I think Papa will find that there is only so much pressure the bishop is prepared to withstand. Sooner or later, Papa will push him too far, the bishop will throw caution to the wind and exert his authority, and I suspect Papa will come off worse. The bishop is popular amongst his fellow clergy, but my father is not.’
‘You are none the wiser as to your father’s desire to pull you back into the family fold, I suppose.’
‘You are in the right of it.’ Flora scowled. ‘Mr Bolton was there, and my conversation with him reinforced my opinion that Papa has something he desperately wants to hide. I think Mr Bolton has some idea what that might be but it was neither the time nor the place for him to share his thoughts with me. I don’t suppose he would do so anyway, if Papa’s difficulty results from an ecclesiastical difference of opinion.’
‘If it does, it fails to explain his desire to bring you to heel.’
‘Ha! You make me sound like a dog!’ Flora grinned up at him from beneath the wide brim of her rather fetching hat. ‘Papa met me at the station himself.’
Archie flexed a brow. ‘Did he indeed?’
‘My thoughts precisely. I know how to handle him when he is being cross and throwing his weight about. But when he smiles and pretends to care about me, I am at a loss to know how to react.’
‘I dare say you stood your ground.’
‘I did.’ She chuckled. ‘I thought about the countess and wondered what she would have done, then knew precisely how to behave—which was not very well, I’m afraid. Anyway, it wasn’t a complete waste of time since I was very pleased with Melanie, my youngest sister. She is maturing quickly, has a sharp mind and thinks things out for herself, never accepting anything at face value. She is only just thirteen and reminds me of myself at that age, especially since she is showing signs of rebelling against the family line.’
‘I am sure you didn’t encourage her,’ Archie said, fighting against a smile.
‘Certainly I did not, but nor will I attempt to quell her spirit. She expressed a desire to come and stay with me and I am going to try and persuade Papa to allow it. Not that I hold out much hope of success.’ She grinned mischievously. ‘But still, if Melanie is as much like me as I am starting to think she could be, she will take matters into her own hands.’
‘Careful, minx! Your father might allow her to visit, but only if you offer up some sort of compromise in return.’
‘I know.’ Flora blew air through her lips. ‘I just cannot abide the thought of Melanie’s natural curiosity, her questioning of the religious tenets she has grown up having thrust upon her, being suppressed.’ She settled herself into a more comfortable position. ‘Anyway, the real reason why Papa was so keen to have me there seemed to be to introduce me to a friend of his.’
‘An eligible male friend, one assumes,’ Archie replied casually, ruthlessly suppressing a bolt of jealousy. ‘Did this paragon of ecclesial virtue find favour?’
‘Actually, he isn’t in holy orders.’ Flora wrinkled her brow. ‘I’m not sure what he does for a living, and nor do I much care. We didn’t talk for long and then I left as soon as the wedding breakfast came to an end, despite Mama’s best efforts to persuade me to stay for the night.’
‘Does this person have a name?’
‘He does, and he claims to be an acquaintance of yours.’
‘Really?’
Archie felt mildly alarmed. Could the devious Latimer have sought out one of Archie’s enemies in order to drive a wedge between him and Flora? It occurred to him that her father might well have heard rumours about Flora being his ward and misinterpreted the nature of their friendship. Having a daughter living beneath a marquess’s protection would, he conceded, cause problems for the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral.
Paint Archie in a bad light in Flora’s eyes and she might become disenchanted with her independent lifestyle. And God alone knew, there were plenty of skeletons that had been put into cupboards during Archie’s youthful escapades, although that was a common claim amongst his set. Young men in privileged positions were rather expected to sow their wild oats. But, he reasoned, that had all came to a spectacular end when he fell from Magda Simpson’s bedroom window twelve years previously. He had lived like a monk—well, relatively speaking—since that time.
‘Yes, he is a Mr Elroy Conrad. He says you were at Oxford together.’ She paused, looking at Archie askance. ‘What is it? You look very dark and dangerous all of a sudden, and I am naturally terrified.’
‘You. Terrified of me?’ He shook his head and smiled. ‘Hardly. Nothing frightens you.’
‘Spiders do.’
‘Apart from spiders.’ He paused to stare out the window, drumming the fingers of one hand restlessly against the squabs. ‘Elroy Conrad is a name I never expected to hear again, and I would strongly advise against furthering your acquaintance with the man. He is not to be trusted.’
‘Now you really are scaring me. I have absolutely no interest in knowing him better. He was far too self-assured for my taste, but now you have invoked my curiosity. Besides, if Papa wants me to like him, then contrary creature that I am, I will immediately push in the opposite direction.’
‘Which would be very sensible in Conrad’s case.’
‘Papa will be thinking of his own interests, not mine. Anyway, what did Mr Conrad do that so offended you?’
‘He cheated at his exams.’
Flora tutted. ‘Such a thing is Not Done, I take it.’
‘Absolutely not. No gentleman would resort to such tactics.’ Archie paused to rub his chin, briefly wondering how much more to tell her before deciding upon transparency. If her father did push Conrad at her then Archie must do everything in his power to set her on her guard. ‘Conrad’s family come from Yorkshire. They are well-to-do middle class people who made their money in steel, as I recall. Nothing wrong with that. Times are changing and it’s the merchant classes who rule these days, at least insofar as monetary wealth is concerned.’
‘But such men will never be true gentlemen in the eyes of the impoverished aristocracy,’ Flora said with an impish smile. ‘You and the countess are in accord in that regard.’
‘I hope I am more modern in my views than your former charge, but yes, class will out and Conrad has none. How he got into Oxford in the first place was a mystery to us all. He was, to put it charitably, intellectually challenged, and Oxford has exacting entry standards.’
‘If his family is so wealthy…’
‘Precisely. We assumed they had bestowed some sort of legacy…anyway, Conrad struggled and resorted to cheating but was never thrown out, which rather supports our theory.’ Archie paused, absently plucking at the fabric of his trousers. ‘He was also a very close friend of Magda’s.’
‘Ah.’ Flora nodded her understanding. ‘Before you took to warming her bed, one assumes.’
‘Really, Miss Latimer,’ Archie said, pretending to be shocked. ‘I cannot think where you learned such language.’
Flora grinned. ‘I probably picked it up from you or Luke. But go on, I am enthralled.’ She leaned towards him, her shoulder pressing against the top of his arm, her eyes sparkling with mischief. ‘You presumably displaced the unfortunate Mr Conrad in Magda’s affections.’
Archie shrugged. ‘It’s every man for himself in such circumstances. All’s fair, as they say, but when a gentleman is, as you so charmingly put it, displaced, he should withdraw gracefully. Conrad, however, didn’t take rejection well and swore to get his revenge. I have never been able t
o prove it, but I have obviously had a great deal of time to reflect upon the circumstances surrounding my fall from Magda’s window and…’
Flora gasped. ‘You think Conrad tipped her husband off to your affair?’
‘The possibility has occasionally crossed my mind. I have always blamed Magda herself for encouraging me into a compromising situation when she knew her husband was coming home, but if she was acting when she ordered me out of her window, she was very convincing. Perhaps another party was involved, and perhaps that party was Conrad.’ Archie shifted his weight and winced when the carriage lurched through a pothole, accidentally making contact with Flora’s thigh.
‘Here.’ She bent and lifted his injured left leg gently onto the seat opposite them. ‘Don’t you dare stand on ceremony with me, Archie Felsham! That will be much more comfortable, since you won’t feel the jolting so much.’
‘Thank you.’ Archie smiled, hating the fact that he’d shown any weakness in front of the lively young woman who was in danger of becoming the focal point of his life. It made him feel less than a man. ‘Conrad is in banking, I believe. I heard it mentioned somewhere that he holds down a position in Coutts Bank in the Strand, managing investments. One imagines that his family pulled strings to make that possible also.’
‘Which makes his friendship with my father that much harder to explain.’ Flora paused, her expression pensive. ‘But then if Mr Conrad is of a religious persuasion—’
‘Ha! That I very much doubt.’
She exchanged a perplexed look with Archie. ‘Then how did they come to be acquainted? Mr Conrad’s family comes from Yorkshire and his work is in London. Papa is based in Salisbury.’
‘Something to do with whatever it is that you think your father is anxious to keep out of the public domain, one assumes. You have said more than once that you think he has a secret that he will go to any lengths to keep…well, secret.’
Flora nodded. ‘Something that he thinks I know about, which probably explains his desire to regain control of me. But I have thought and thought, and there is absolutely nothing that I have overheard or seen written down that is the slightest bit contentious.’
A Sense of Fate (Perceptions Book 7) Page 3