Fall From Grace

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Come along inside. It’s chilly out here in this wind.’ Olivia took Megan’s elbow and guided her towards the rest of the party. ‘This is my special friend, Lady Isaac Arnold.’

  Lady Isaac also smiled over the baby and then transferred that smile to Megan. ‘We are so glad to see you both safe and well.’

  ‘These gentlemen are Lord Torbay and Lord Isaac,’ Mrs Grantley said, waving a hand vaguely in the direction of the gentlemen in question. ‘You see, Jake, we need not have worried. Charles managed everything perfectly well.’

  ‘I was not worried, Olivia,’ Lord Torbay replied in a tone rife with suppressed amusement. ‘I can always rely upon you to do enough worrying for us both.’

  ‘Tosh, Jake. You have barely sat still for two minutes since Charles left on his rescue mission. You would have been better advised to go with him, although it’s obvious that he didn’t require your help. They are still little boys themselves in so many respects,’ Mrs Grantley said, addressing Megan. ‘They love chasing about the city on rescue missions and almost always get their man. Or, in this case, their child.’

  ‘I am very glad that they do,’ Megan replied with feeling.

  Megan crossed a magnificent entrance vestibule with a chequered marble floor and a glass domed ceiling several stories above her head, so grand that it reinforced her feelings of inadequacy. She was ushered into an elegant drawing room of exquisite proportions.

  ‘Some refreshments, if you please, Reed,’ Mrs Grantley said to another footman who stood statue-like awaiting instructions. The man inclined his head and disappeared.

  Megan tried to recall everything that Charles had told her about Mrs Grantley during the carriage ride to Grosvenor Square. She had been so preoccupied with Sebastian’s wellbeing that she hadn’t paid much heed but was fairly sure that he’d mentioned Mrs Grantley was shortly to become Lord Torbay’s countess. Now that she had observed the manner in which Lord Torbay watched her every move with loving affection and the way that the lady teased him at every opportunity, she was sure she’d got that much right.

  ‘Lady Cantrell would appreciate some assistance with Sebastian, I expect,’ Charles said, voicing the concern that Megan had been too embarrassed to raise. ‘The blaggards stripped him of his clothing.’

  ‘Be thankful that was the worst that happened to him,’ Lord Isaac said, scowling.

  ‘Is there anything suitable in this house, Jake?’ Mrs Grantley asked.

  ‘You had best ring for Mrs Farley. She will know.’

  When the housekeeper answered the bell and the difficulty was explained, she nodded.

  ‘Leave it to me, madam.’ Megan was a little overwhelmed when the woman then curtsied to her. ‘If you would care to follow me, my lady,’ she said with the utmost politeness.

  Mrs Grantley accompanied them, for which Megan was grateful. She was already less afraid of her than she was of the housekeeper, well aware how judgemental senior servants could be. Not that this one had shown anything other than concern for Megan’s plight but there was no guarantee that situation would endure once they were out of sight of her master and soon-to-be mistress.

  Megan couldn’t contain a gasp of…well, intimidation when she was shown into a guest room, the opulence of which was beyond anything she had ever imagined.

  ‘Hot water will be here directly, your ladyship.’

  Megan took a moment to realise that the comment had been addressed to her. So few people addressed her by her title and she was unaccustomed to responding to it.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said.

  ‘I have a maid searching the attics for some clothing. Nothing in this household is ever thrown away and so I’m sure they’ll find something suitable. Nappies can easily be made. I shall check on progress and return in a few moments,’ she said, as a girl came in with a steaming ewer of water which she poured into a basin.

  Megan laid Sebastian on the huge bed, careful to spread the carriage blanket beneath him so prevent any accumulated grime from depositing itself on the satin quilt. The baby opened his eyes and, to Megan’s relief, gurgled and gave her a gummy smile.

  ‘Children and very resilient,’ Mrs Grantley said. ‘You will have nightmares about his ordeal but he won’t remember a thing.’

  Sebastian waved his arms and kicked his legs, as though to prove the point. Both ladies smiled as Megan picked her son up and gently washed the grime from his face and limbs. By the time she had finished, a maid appeared with nappies and a selection of clothing.

  ‘I hope this will suffice, my lady. It’s clean and we put it in front of the fire for ten minutes to air it.’

  ‘It will do splendidly. Thank you.’

  ‘We are just now heating up something for the baby to eat. I expect he’s hungry.’

  Sebastian gave a lusty cry.

  ‘I don’t know what to say.’ Megan shook her head at the departing maid and busied herself clothing her son. ‘This is all rather overwhelming.’

  Before Mrs Grantley could respond, the door opened to admit Lady Isaac.

  ‘The gentlemen have gone to the cellars to interrogate your son’s abductors who have just been brought in. Ah, he’s awake,’ she said, smiling at the child. ‘He is a very self-assured and already seems to know that he’s an earl.’

  Megan smiled with maternal pride. ‘All he really cares about is his dinner.’

  ‘That could be said of most men,’ Mrs Grantley said with a wry smile.

  ‘You must be so relieved to have him back.’ Lady Isaac tickled Sebastian’s tummy and was rewarded with a giggle.

  ‘You can have no idea,’ Megan replied, wanting to tell them that Sebastian was now all she had left. He was her life, her love, her everything. But she was afraid that these grand ladies might think she was being over-dramatic or seeking their sympathy, so she remained silent.

  ‘Oh, I think I can,’ Lady Isaac relied with the sweetest of smiles.

  ‘Whatever do you mean?’ Megan asked.

  A dinner of mashed vegetables and milk was delivered for Sebastian at that moment and nothing more was said until Megan had arranged the baby on her lap. She almost dropped the spoon she was using to feed Sebastian when Lady Isaac calmly admitted to having been married to a master criminal. A man who had kept her little girl from her, using her as a bargaining tool to ensure Lady Isaac returned to the marital home.

  ‘I could not go back, of course, even though I was desperately worried about Grace. William would have beaten me within an inch of my life, but I was so anxious to see Gracie that at one point I seriously considered giving in.’

  Megan nodded. ‘Luke and I were not married for long but I can’t imagine him ever being anything other than kind and recklessly spontaneous.’

  Mrs Grantley laughed. ‘I knew your husband before he left these shores, and that description perfectly encapsulates his free spirit.’

  ‘He treated life as one great adventure. I have no idea how I will cope without him. However, if I’d had to choose between my husband and son I imagine my maternal instincts would force me to put Sebastian’s interests first.’ She fought back tears, a little surprised at her willingness to speak so frankly in front of strangers.

  ‘You are being very brave,’ Mrs Grantley said, squeezing her shoulder. ‘The pain will ease with the passage of time and you have Sebastian to remind you of your short time with Luke.’

  ‘You were reunited with your daughter, Lady Isaac?’ Megan asked.

  ‘Isaac, Lord Torbay and Olivia here convinced me that I need not return to William and that I would get Grace back eventually. I put my faith in them and it was rewarded.’

  ‘And now her horrible first husband is dead, Eva and Isaac have fallen in love and married and have a baby son of their own as well as Gracie,’ Mrs Grantley said. ‘All thanks to us, of course,’ she added, making everyone laugh.

  ‘I felt as overwhelmed as you must do,’ Lady Isaac said, smiling at Megan. ‘I thought it too good to be true when Jake and Olivi
a offered to help but Olivia really is as kind and thoughtful as she appears to be upon first acquaintance.’

  ‘For a murderess.’

  Megan swallowed and widened her eyes. ‘I beg your pardon,’ she said politely.

  ‘She is no murderess,’ Lady Isaac said, flapping a hand. ‘But she does rather enjoy the notoriety of having once been accused of murdering her husband.’

  ‘Is it still murder if he really deserved it?’ Mrs Grantley clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘Oh, pray excuse me. That was insensitive. You have lost a husband that you did love and there’s me, running on and making light of losing one that I did not.’

  ‘Tell me why you were accused of murder,’ Megan invited, glad of an opportunity to speak of something other than her own problems. Glad, in truth, to have someone to talk to.

  Megan was momentarily speechless by the time Mrs Grantley ran out of words. ‘There is so much wickedness in the world,’ she said, finally finding her voice. ‘I am so very glad that Lord Torbay helped get to the truth.’

  ‘Not nearly as glad as me.’ Mrs Grantley sat on the edge of the bed, smiling as she watched Megan feed an increasingly sleepy child. ‘But now it’s your turn. Eva and I are bursting with curiosity and insist upon knowing all the particulars. How did you come to marry Luke Cantrell?’

  ‘I did not trick him, or lure him in with my wiles, if that’s what you suppose,’ Megan said, more defensively than had been her intention. ‘In fact, I don’t think I have any wiles.’

  ‘We didn’t think that for a moment,’ Mrs Grantley replied calmly.

  ‘It is already obvious to me that Lord Cantrell showed great good sense in selecting you,’ Lady Isaac added.

  ‘I apologise. I didn’t mean to be such a cross-patch, especially when you have been so very kind to me.’ She sighed. ‘It is just that…well‒’

  ‘Eyebrows were raised, I expect, because everyone connected with Luke in India thought he had married beneath himself.’ Mrs Grantley smiled. ‘I know how that feels. Jake and I are to marry in three weeks’ time and giving the gossipmongers plenty of scope for speculation into the bargain.’

  ‘You are Lord Torbay’s equal in every possible way!’ Megan cried passionately. ‘And it is already apparent to me that he adores you.’

  ‘Thank you. I believe he does.’ Mrs Grantley averted her gaze. ‘Let’s hope that will be enough to sustain us,’ she added, almost to herself.

  ‘You were telling us about your marriage to Lord Cantrell,’ Lady Isaac said into the ensuing silence.

  Megan smiled. ‘I was mesmerised the first time I laid eyes upon him, before I realised who he was. All the ladies associated with the Company were attempting to attract him. They were much better born than me so I didn’t try to draw attention to myself. I was just the daughter of a commodities agent, quite beneath his notice.’

  ‘But he did notice you.’

  ‘Oh yes, and when it became obvious to others that he enjoyed my society, I heard a lot of spiteful things said. Luke was in the habit of associating with actresses and women who were not quite the thing, one lady took delight in informing me. She told me that was why his father had despatched him to India. He wanted to separate him from an actress to whom he had become attached and that I was wasting my time because Luke would never be permitted to marry me.’

  ‘The spiteful witch!’ Mrs Grantley cried. ‘I dare say the lady who helpfully supplied you with that information had aspirations of her own regarding Luke.’

  Megan nodded. ‘I believe so. But Luke and I were both of age and could do as we pleased. We didn’t care what people said about us and were happy in our way, especially when Sebastian came along.’ She stared off into the distance, absently rocking the baby back and forth. ‘News of his father’s death was late in reaching us but I am very glad it happened before he learned of our marriage. I would not like to feel that I was responsible for his father having a heart attack.’

  ‘People with the late Lord Cantrell’s disposition do not suffer heart attacks when they receive news that distresses them,’ Mrs Grantley said with assurance. ‘Indeed, if Luke had a penchant for lower-classed women—which you are not, of course—but if he did then he was following his father’s example, only he was not nearly so dissolute.’

  ‘He told me about his actress but said that the moment he met me he knew he hadn’t been in love with her and was grateful to his father for separating them before he made an error of judgement.’

  ‘Not all actresses deserve their questionable reputations,’ Mrs Grantley said. ‘My late husband was a theatrical agent so I speak from experience. Some, indeed most of them, are very self-absorbed.’ She shrugged. ‘I suppose they need to be in order to stand up in front of critical audiences night after night. A lot of them do use their position to attract wealthy and influential protectors, that’s also undeniable. But some are drawn to the profession for more noble reasons.’

  ‘That is what Luke said. He told me he didn’t pursue any of the ladies his mother considered suitable because they were all so facile. He said they had not lived in the real world, were not the least bit interesting and spoke of nothing but the latest fashions. We had regular social gatherings at the Company headquarters in Bombay which Luke described as open season for predatory females. I think that was why he gravitated towards me at first. I was not attempting to attract him and so he felt safe in my company. Then we began to talk, found we had so many interests in common, Luke made me laugh and before I knew what was happening, I had fallen rather hopelessly in love with him.’

  ‘How romantic,’ Lady Isaac said, sighing.

  ’It’s funny,’ Megan said dreamily. ‘I didn’t want to accompany Papa to India when he decided that he would be spending more time there. Mama died from a fever when I was still quite young and Papa and I had been together since then, when his duties didn’t take him away from me. I was educated at home by a governess, not sent to school, so we were everything to one another. He felt my place was still with him, even though I was twenty at the time and more than capable of taking care of myself.’

  ‘I expect your father worried that you would be taken advantage of,’ Mrs Grantley said. ‘It sounds as though your father did well for himself so that would make you a target for the fortune hunters.’

  ‘That’s what he said, but I know now that he had a specific person in mind for me to marry. He made the suggestion whilst we were still in England but I dismissed it out of hand. I would not agree to marry a man I hadn’t set eyes upon and might not even like.’

  ‘Your father was using you as a bargaining tool.’ Lady Isaac wrinkled her nose as she spoke.

  ‘Eva and I suffered similar fates,’ Mrs Grantley said, ‘and endured brutal and unhappy first marriages. I admire your courage in standing up for yourself, Lady Cantrell‒’

  ‘Please, call me Megan.’

  ‘What a charming suggestion. I am Olivia and I am sure Eva won’t mind if you use her name.’

  ‘I shall be glad of it.’

  ‘There, now we are more comfortable together.’ Olivia beamed at Megan. ‘Anyway, I expect your father soon changed his tune when you eventually married such an influential gentleman.’

  ‘Sadly not. I married Luke against my father’s express wishes.’

  ‘What!’ both ladies said together.

  ‘What possible objection could your father raise to your becoming a countess?’ Olivia asked.

  ‘He said I was not born to that world.’ Megan held Sebastian against her shoulder and patted his back, bringing up wind. ‘He said I would be ridiculed, made to feel inferior and that I would be miserable.’ She shrugged cautiously, careful not to dislodge Sebastian. ‘The dowager countess has proved him right in that regard. But if Luke had still been alive, things would have been easier, I expect.’

  ‘Why did your father did not accompany you back to England?’ Olivia asked. ‘I think you implied that you are his only child. Surely, he could forgive you going against
his wishes, at least after your husband’s death.’

  Megan laid Sebastian in the cot that a footman had carried in and placed in the corner of the room. ‘I have not seen him since I defied him,’ she said, trying not to show how hurt she still felt to have been abandoned. ‘He told me I must choose between him and Luke and couldn’t have both. If I chose Luke, he made it clear that he would disinherit me, seeming to think that Luke only wanted my fortune and that he would lose interest in me if he knew it had been withdrawn. And he did know,’ Megan added bitterly. ‘Papa made it his business to tell him.’

  ‘I can’t see Luke Cantrell being influenced by the prospect of a fortune,’ Olivia said with confidence. ‘Unlike the rest of his family, he didn’t have an avaricious bone in his body.’

  ‘Quite so, but it was reasonable for Papa to assume otherwise, I suppose. The Company community in India is close-knit. Everyone knows everyone else’s business and it was common knowledge that Luke was there with a view to restoring his family’s fortune.’ Megan rocked the cot absently. ‘What was less well known was that he had a natural flair for investment, listened to good advice, avoided fraudsters and was a fair way to achieving his ambitions before we became betrothed.’ Satisfied that her son was now sound asleep, she joined the ladies on the arrangement of chairs in front of the fire. ‘I actually refused Luke the first time he proposed, not because I worried about losing my inheritance but because I worried about disappointing his family. But it didn’t take long for him to wear me down.’ She gave a sad little smile. ‘I loved his capricious nature too well to hold out.’

  ‘You have not explained why your father didn’t return to comfort you,’ Eva reminded her.

  ‘He had left Bombay in pursuit of a particularly lucrative spice contract he was negotiating with traders in Goa. I sent letters to him but if he received them he didn’t reply, nor did he return to Bombay. I don’t even know if he’s still alive, although if he was dead I am sure I would have received word by now.’

  ‘He sounds as though he’s a man who knows how to bear a grudge?’ Eva said disdainfully. ‘How could he not be at your side when you were in such very great need of him? Thank goodness Lord Hadley was there to be of service to you.’