A Sense of Fate (Perceptions Book 7)

by Wendy Soliman

  Both men chuckled.

  ‘Assuming no one has died,’ Rochester said in a considering tone, ‘then I would put the feelings of the person I cared about first. If he or she is under threat from the miscreant, then I would attempt to find evidence of the crime that is being perpetuated. There’s usually something if one looks hard enough in the right places. Then your duty would be clear, you will have acted with honour and the person you care about should have no cause for complaint.’ Rochester smiled. ‘I hope that helps.’

  ‘It confirms what I have been thinking myself,’ Archie replied, wondering why he supposed that Rochester would come up with something more definitive. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘My pleasure. Send word to the Yard if you wish to discuss specifics.’

  ‘I will, and I’m very grateful to you.’

  ‘Always a pleasure.’

  The gentlemen shook hands and went their separate ways.

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘Are you going to tell Flora what Conrad’s brother had to say for himself?’ Pawson asked as he and Archie sat inside his carriage. They were on their way to Fox Hollow to collect the sisters and take them to Beranger Court.

  Archie scowled, much as he had been doing ever since Marcus Conrad made a revelation so astounding that Archie was still reeling from the shock. Even he, who had a very low opinion of Elroy Conrad’s morals, hadn’t assumed he would stoop quite that low. ‘I don’t see how I can, and trust me, I’ve been contemplating little else since learning the particulars.’

  Pawson was grim-faced too. ‘I believe the father was a coward for not exposing the son’s behaviour.’

  ‘I think that he intended to, despite the damage it would have done to his family’s name. Elroy was given a warning to reform or face the consequences. Elroy didn’t believe the father would denounce him, simply because he’d always indulged him in the past. Besides, it would reflect badly upon them all and spell the end of Marcus’s political career. Then the father died and Elroy probably assumed he was free to carry on with his disreputable ways.’

  Pawson sighed. ‘So it would appear.’

  ‘Even being thrown out of Coutts and disowned by the family hasn’t stopped him. In fact, any restraint he’d once managed for his father’s sake and in order to keep his place at Coutts is no longer necessary. The only person’s opinion he cared about was his father’s. He needed to stay on his good side if he also wanted to remain solvent, but he’s been cut off from the family coffers by a brother who sees him for the scoundrel that he is—and as we know, Elroy is the type who enjoys exacting revenge.’

  ‘Right.’ Pawson nodded his understanding. ‘He won’t want his exploits coming to light, but he probably enjoys knowing that if it happens, it will destroy Marcus.’ Pawson snarled. ‘What a charming character he is.’

  Archie winced as the carriage wheels jolted through a rut. ‘We have no actual proof of the extent of his depravity, and it’s the devil of an accusation to make about Flora’s father, even though she has precious little time for him. It will reflect badly on her entire family too if there’s any validity in the rumour. Knowing Elroy Conrad as well as I do, I have little trouble believing it of him, but Latimer is supposed to be a man of God.’

  Pawson made a disgruntled sound at the back of his throat. ‘Ain’t they sometimes the worst?’

  Archie rubbed his chin and flashed a wry smile by way of acknowledgement. ‘There was always something about Conrad that I found objectionable. I wondered if I was being a little above myself at the time, disliking him for no reason other than he was from the middle classes.’

  ‘That don’t sound like you, guv’nor. After all, you speak to me.’

  Archie gave an amused grunt. ‘I reached the same conclusion as you about Conrad. I forged and maintained friendships with other men of his ilk.’ Archie paused. ‘We need evidence.’

  ‘I’ve set people to watch for Conrad in this neck of the woods. If he intends to try anything hereabouts, I shall get to hear about it. If you ask me, he will do exactly that, simply because it will be right under your nose and he resents the fact that you didn’t die. He won’t rest until he has the final word, guv’nor.’

  ‘I am aware of that.’ Archie threw his head back and sighed. ‘But will Flora and her sister be safe with him on the rampage?’

  ‘As long as they don’t know the truth, I can’t see why they wouldn’t be. You worry too much. Flora stood up to her father and he won’t be back until he’s licked his wounds and dreamt up a fresh strategy. Conrad won’t try anything with either of them without his prior knowledge and approval since Latimer pulls the strings in that relationship.’

  ‘And yet I still don’t like it. Melanie overheard a heated conversation between Latimer and Conrad. If what Marcus Conrad told us about his brother’s connection with Latimer is true, then it stands to reason that she overheard them laying their plans, even if she doesn’t realise the significance of what she actually heard.’

  ‘Let’s hope she doesn’t, the poor lass,’ Pawson said with feeling.

  ‘Indeed.’ Archie firmed his jaw. ‘Latimer thinks that both of his daughters are in possession of sensitive information regarding his activities. Only imagine the consequences for a man of Latimer’s standing if unfounded rumours of said activities were to emerge. He isn’t popular within the ranks of the clergy and the slightest excuse to bring him down would be pounced upon.’

  ‘We could always start a whispering campaign,’ Pawson suggested with a whimsical smile.

  ‘Tempting, but best not. I despise the man for what he’s done to his daughters, and what we suspect him of doing elsewhere, but I won’t destroy him without actual proof. That would make me no better than him.’

  ‘I wasn’t serious. Well, only a little.’

  Archie nodded. ‘Latimer will be increasingly desperate to regain control of both of his daughters. He knows that Flora has financial independence and won’t return to the family fold, no matter what he says or what threats he makes. Which leaves only one avenue left open to him.’ He fixed Pawson with a look that conveyed his fear for her life.

  ‘Have his own daughter killed? He wouldn’t go that far, surely?’

  ‘I wouldn’t put anything past the rogue, and I certainly don’t intend to allow him that much rope. But still, let’s hope you’re right and we still have a little time on our side. At least Conrad and Latimer don’t know that we suspect them, which gives us an advantage of sorts.’

  ‘Very likely, but I’m thinking that Flora will know that you’re holding out on her and demand to know what you found out.’ Pawson chuckled. ‘She’ll manage it too. You know she has your measure and that you can’t ever deny her anything.’

  Archie scowled across at his man. ‘She will be preoccupied with Melanie and swept up in the plans for Violet’s wedding. Here in the carriage, her sister will be with her, so there will be no opportunity for private discourse.’

  ‘And for once you won’t be looking to create one.’ Pawson offered up an innocent expression, apparently undeterred by Archie’s responding glower.

  The carriage arrived at Fox Hollow, saving Archie from dealing Pawson a reprimand that would have bounced harmlessly off his man’s thick hide anyway. Besides, what he said was true. Archie did invent reasons to spend time with Flora. Whether she would still tolerate his clumsy attempts to involve himself in her affairs now that she knew she enjoyed his covert protection remained to be seen.

  She resented the implications she assumed others had drawn from its bestowal and struggled to believe that it had been done with no expectation of a reward. Archie felt a chill trickle down his spine at the thought of her insisting upon fighting her father without his help. She had absolutely no idea what forces were ranged against her, and she had no hope of winning without Archie’s support.

  ‘Good morning.’

  Archie’s mouth turned dry when Flora, attired in very fetching autumnal colours, emerged from Fox Hollow. He hadn’
t seen that particular outfit before and wondered if she had worn it in an attempt to impress Luke. He chased the unworthy thought away. Flora approved of Violet and harboured no aspirations regarding her former employer. Of that he was sure.

  Wasn’t he?

  She looked vibrant yet preoccupied, causing Archie to worry about the depth of her antagonism regarding his protection of her interests.

  I am being noble and trying to help you, ungrateful child!

  Melanie appeared oblivious to her sister’s introspection. Dressed fetchingly in green, with long russet curls tumbling freely down her back, held away from her face by a velvet hat, she looked enchanting. Much as Flora must have done at her age; or would have, had she been permitted to wear anything half as flattering.

  ‘Ladies.’

  ‘Don’t get out, Archie,’ Flora said. ‘It will cause you unnecessary pain. Good morning, Mr Pawson.’ She smiled at Archie’s man as he alighted to help them into the carriage. Archie tried not to resent the fact that she had yet to smile at him.

  ‘Good morning, Lord Felsham.’ Melanie settled beside Flora on the forward-facing seat that Archie had left unoccupied for the ladies.

  ‘Good morning, Melanie.’ He smiled at her, glad for her infectious good humour. ‘You look very grown up.’

  ‘Don’t I? Flora insisted upon purchasing a new gown for this occasion. I’m sure I don’t deserve it.’

  ‘Most likely not, yet you are enjoying wearing it nonetheless.’

  ‘Oh yes. I expect Flora worried that I would let the side down but is far too kind to admit it.’

  Archie glanced at Flora, whose lips turned upwards as she briefly returned his gaze. ‘New gowns must always be taken seriously,’ she said. ‘The countess taught me that much, and I learned early on in my service that for all her quixotic ways, she was a very wise lady.’

  An awkward silence followed. Flora seemed determined to look out the window and ignore Archie. Archie so desperately wanted to get her to talk to him that he felt tongue-tied and maladroit, unsure what topic of conversation to instigate.

  It was Pawson and Melanie who kept up a stream of idle chatter as the carriage made smooth progress towards Swindon. Pawson teased the child and had her giggling for the entire journey. Giggling, Archie suspected, had been disallowed in the Latimer household and he was grateful to Pawson for drawing Melanie’s true character out so easily.

  Flora looked across at Archie several times while Pawson kept Melanie occupied. He sensed there was something she wanted to tell him. There again, perhaps she was anxious for news of his enquiries in London, but he would have to indulge in an untruth in that regard when the time came. Until he could be sure that there was some foundation to Marcus Conrad’s suspicions, he couldn’t possibly put such an idea into Flora’s head.

  ‘Here we are,’ he said, when the carriage turned through the gates to Beranger Court and was waved past the porter’s lodge.

  ‘Gosh, it’s very grand.’ Melanie pressed her nose against the window glass and Archie saw Flora give her hand a reassuring squeeze. Flora herself had barely spoken a word during the journey, and Archie ached to get her alone. He wanted to make her tell him what thoughts preoccupied her, his fears about her feelings for Luke reignited by her silence. He had sensed the connection between them the first time he’d met her. Perhaps watching him commit himself to another would be harder for her than she was prepared to admit.

  Damn it, being in love was more complex than he’d supposed.

  He jolted upright, cursing beneath his breath when his leg protested at the sudden movement, as the nature of his thoughts struck home. Love? Was he really, finally, in love? He glanced across at Flora, who was sending him quizzical looks, and he knew without a shadow of doubt that he was, and had been for far longer than he’d been prepared to accept. He would die for this disobedient, argumentative, compassionate, brave and loyal female without a second thought, and consider himself fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to do so.

  He ached for her with every fibre of his being, and if that wasn’t love then he didn’t know what was.

  He smiled at her while Pawson pointed something out to an enraptured Melanie and recklessly blew Flora a kiss. Her cheeks bloomed and he thought at first that she would take him to task, regardless of their not being alone. In the end, she simply shook her head and looked away from him, although a slight smile flirted with her lips.

  The carriage rattled to a halt at the entrance portico. Violet was there, clinging to Luke’s arm in what looked like a gesture of ownership. Then again, perhaps Archie’s imagination was getting the better of him. Mary came from the house too, with her husband Paul at her side. She was blooming. Pregnancy clearly suited her.

  The moment Flora was handed down from the carriage, Luke’s dog Romulus saw her and bounded up to her, almost knocking her from her feet. She laughed and made a fuss of him. Melanie, clearly suffering from nerves as she glanced up at the mansion and the array of people waiting to greet them, seemed for forget her surroundings the moment she saw the dog, and crouched down to enjoy having her face licked.

  ‘Sorry.’ Flora straightened up and embraced Mary, then Violet. ‘Where are my manners? Rom, behave yourself. Let my sister get up so that I can introduce her.’

  Romulus wagged his tail and went obediently to Luke’s heels when he snapped his fingers.

  Flora introduced Melanie, who curtsied and generally behaved impeccably. Archie watched Luke watching Flora, and noticed the momentary regret that flashed through his expression. It was gone almost immediately and Archie wouldn’t have seen it if he hadn’t been specifically looking for it. Violet saw it too, he thought, and her own expression briefly closed down.

  Luke greeted Flora with affectionate informality and kissed her cheek.

  ‘We are glad you are here,’ he said. ‘Rom especially.’

  ‘He’s a treasure, Lord Swindon,’ Melanie said, tugging the big dog’s ears and sending the silly mutt into a state of near delirium.

  ‘Well, that’s one way of describing the useless cur, but it isn’t voiced too often,’ Luke replied, sharing a smile with Flora over Melanie’s head.

  After taking luncheon, the ladies excused themselves in a flurry of excitement when told that the modiste had arrived.

  ‘Let’s take ourselves somewhere more comfortable.’ Luke led the way into his library, trailed by Archie, Paul and Alvin, who was married to Luke’s other sister Emma. ‘It’s almost like old times,’ Luke added. ‘The four of us together again.’

  ‘Twelve years older and wiser, I hope, than we were in our Oxford days,’ Alvin remarked, nodding his thanks when Luke handed him a glass of single malt.

  ‘Bit early, isn’t it?’ Paul remarked.

  Luke waved the suggestion aside. ‘The ladies will be taken up with fabrics and fittings for hours. We need to find a way to occupy ourselves.’

  Archie raised his own glass in acknowledgement. ‘The groom should be allowed to do as he pleases in his final days of freedom,’ he said.

  ‘You’re moving better, Archie,’ Alvin said. ‘Flora’s doing, one supposes.’

  ‘Actually, yes. That and the fact that I’ve had a steam bath built in the grounds. It helps no end.’

  ‘There’s no keeping a bad man down,’ Luke quipped.

  ‘So, Luke,’ Archie said, settling himself in a comfortable chair and straightening his troublesome leg. ‘How does it feel to be on the verge of respectability at last?’

  Luke laughed. ‘It had to be done sooner or later. We’ve always known it, all of us.’

  Hardly a ringing endorsement of his feelings for Violet, Archie thought. ‘True, I suppose.’

  ‘You’ll be feeling lonely, Archie. The last man standing, so to speak,’ Paul joked.

  ‘I’m trying not to feel smug about retaining my freedom,’ Archie replied blandly.

  ‘You’ll know when you meet the right woman,’ Alvin assured him. ‘Isn’t that right, Luke?’r />
  ‘Perhaps he has and doesn’t want us to know it.’ Luke fixed Archie with a sapient smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  He knows.

  It didn’t escape Archie’s notice either that Luke had made no enthusiastic noises about having met his heart’s desire. He liked Violet, perhaps even loved her a little. She was beautiful, compliant and suitable countess material. But she was not Flora, who in Luke’s stubborn eyes was none of those things. Archie felt a moment’s sympathy for his oldest friend but knew better than to let it show and was relieved when Paul raised the subject that was on Archie’s mind.

  ‘What’s the story behind Flora’s sister’s sudden appearance?’ he asked. ‘Flora sent Mary a note asking if she could come along today. Naturally, Mary said yes, but we’re all curious. I’m sure Latimer doesn’t approve of the prodigal daughter taking his youngest under her wing.’

  ‘Absolutely not.’ Archie held out his glass for a refill. Paul did the honours. ‘What do you recall about Elroy Conrad?’ Archie changed the subject abruptly.

  Archie’s friends shared a bemused look. ‘That callow braggart,’ Alvin said for them all, scowling. ‘What’s he to do with anything?’

  Romulus panting in front of the fire was the only sound in the library, other than the deep timbre of Archie’s voice as he explained about Conrad’s unlikely friendship with Latimer.

  ‘What in Heaven’s name…?’ Luke scratched his head, lost for words.

  ‘He bore you a massive grudge, Archie,’ Paul said in a reflective tone. ‘You too, Luke, although to a lesser degree. And he desperately wanted to be accepted by our set. But he tried too hard. Flashed his money in a vulgar fashion that belied his status as a gentleman.’

  ‘And there was something dark about him,’ Alvin added. ‘Never could put my finger on it, but he was a bad ’un.’

  All of Archie’s friends nodded their agreement.

  ‘It gets better,’ Archie warned.

  He told them about Conrad’s visit to Flora, undertaken in the expectation that his advances would be welcomed.