Lucy laughed. ‘I would like that. Thank you.’
Christopher accompanied her to the door, opening it for her. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like a nightcap before you retire? Can I not tempt you?’
Meeting his gaze, his heavy lids half veiling those gleaming silver-grey eyes, she felt her flesh grow warm from his nearness and the look in his eyes, which had grown darker and was far too bold to allow even a small measure of comfort. The impact of his closeness and potent masculine virility was making her feel altogether too vulnerable.
‘No—thank you. Perhaps another night.’
‘As you wish.’ Seeing the uncertainties of innocence in her gaze, telling Christopher that the sudden panic he saw there was not in the least feigned, he smiled. ‘I hope you sleep well. I must warn you that I have been told that the old timbers creak and groan, so don’t be alarmed if you hear anything untoward during the night.’
Lucy felt a sudden quiver run through her as she slipped away from him, a sudden quickening within as if something came to life, something that had been asleep before. She went up the stairs in awed bewilderment, feeling his eyes burning holes into her back as she went.
* * *
Lucy had been eager to be taken by the Duke on a grand tour of the Rockwood estate. When she had suggested that Amelia accompanied them, she’d been pleased when she appeared to welcome the outing. Lucy often sat with Amelia. Sometimes they would walk in the garden. There was a camaraderie between them, probably because of their similar backgrounds. They talked of things in general—about America mainly. Often Amelia would laugh, which was something Lucy thought she didn’t do very often. They never mentioned what had befallen them at Mr Barrington’s hands. It was like an unspoken rule between them. Lucy was moved by the care the Duke showed his granddaughter and that he was all attentive concern.
He reigned supreme over the surrounding villages. The Wildings were the most important family in the neighbourhood, the benefactors on whom so many depended. People stood respectfully at the side of the road while the carriage, emblazoned with the majestic Rockwood arms, drove past, the men touching their forelocks and the women bobbing their deferential curtsies. The land around the house was extensive and stretched as far as the eye could see, with fields and forests and a lake stocked with fish.
But it was the times she was with Christopher that she enjoyed the most when he drove her in the carriage. It was clear to her that he loved his ancestral home. Today was a lovely summer’s day and she felt at ease. He was relaxed and fell into reminiscing about his early life and the sadness that the rift between his father and grandfather had caused both himself and Amelia.
‘They never became reconciled which I deeply regret,’ he said, unable to hide the aching wound he could not entirely disguise, though his face remained in stoic lines. His defences had been honed to grim perfection over the years. ‘It’s a consolation knowing that my father had a good life and that my grandfather produced a son to be proud of despite their differences.’
‘That is very sad,’ Lucy said sympathetically. ‘I imagine something died in your grandfather at his separation from his son.’
‘Where my father was concerned, I believe what he did was for the best—for myself there were times when it was difficult, torn between the two, which was the case when I came to England for my education. Grandfather knew he had made a grievous mistake and tried to make amends, to sow the seeds of forgiveness, but it was too late. I know that if he could undo what he did all those years ago he would do it. He’s spent many sleepless nights worrying about Rockwood Park—even more so recently as he’s got older and his health continues to fail. His hope was that where I was concerned and knowing I was torn between my loyalty to my parents and my grandfather, in time he would gain my respect, if not my forgiveness.’
‘Correct me if I’m wrong, Christopher, but I suspect he has your respect—and I have observed when the two of you are together how fond you are of him.’
He nodded. ‘Yes—he has both.’ He laughed softy. ‘I was born with the same proud arrogance and indomitable will as all the Wilding men who have gone before—so it took some time, I admit. I always knew what he expected of me, but like my father I fought against it—for different reasons. I felt that to accept my inheritance I would in some way be betraying my father—and my mother, who was the gentlest of women. When I returned to Charleston I didn’t see my grandfather again until after my father died. He knows how losing my parents so close together and what happened to Amelia affected me. He could not have been more supportive.’
‘And Amelia? How did he take what happened to her?’
He fell silent for a moment, deep in thought, and then he said, ‘He was upset—and angry. He insisted that I brought her here to heal her wounds. He has become fond of Amelia—spends time with her. He could not have been more understanding.’
Lucy’s heart squeezed with sympathy. ‘Yes. They seem close.’
‘He knows that to some extent I blame myself for what happened. He has told me that it was not my fault that Amelia attempted to take her own life, but I know she would never have become involved with Barrington had I not been at sea.’
‘What happened to your sister was a tragedy, but it was not your fault, Christopher. That is too heavy a burden for you to bear. You should not punish yourself.’
‘That’s easy to say. I still hold myself responsible.’ He smiled across at her. ‘I’m a complicated person, Lucy, and it takes an exceptional woman to understand me.’
Lucy felt a lump of constricting sorrow in her chest, deeply moved by what he had revealed to her, which went a long way to helping her understand Christopher and the demons inside his mind. She saw the pain in his eyes and her whole heart went out to him. He needed someone to love—and someone to love him unconditionally in return. Whoever that woman turned out to be, she hoped he would learn to love because only then would he be released from the past.
* * *
Determined that Christopher, who had spent many years at sea, would be well prepared to step into his shoes when he was gone and knowing that running an estate the size of Rockwood Park was all so new to him, the Duke was teaching him all there was to know about the estate and the many business ventures he was involved with. Fortunately Christopher had a good head for figures and finance and he developed a passion for the land and Rockwood Park.
Determined to know all there was to know, he poured over the ledgers and accounts most nights into the early hours. It took a large staff to run Rockwood Park and they were all devoted to the Duke, who was well loved. He felt a huge responsibility to them all.
* * *
Having been ensconced in the study with his grandfather and his lawyer, going over family business, legalities, documents to be drawn up, signing papers and having explained to him what would be expected of him in the future, with the business of the day concluded to everyone’s satisfaction, he glanced through the window, saw Lucy strolling alone in the gardens and excused himself.
As Christopher stepped out on to the terrace she seemed to sense his presence and looked towards him. He smiled as he feasted his eyes on her and, stepping down from the terrace, strode towards where she stood. The gardens were a summer paradise, the flowers and shrubs alive with colour. Christopher sensed as he watched her breathe the potpourri of wonderful scents all about her that she was deeply affected by the beauty of the garden and the feelings that the house were unfolding within her.
Attired in a plain charcoal-grey mourning dress, the starkness of it emphasised the perfect oval of her lovely face. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. The morning sunlight shimmered on her glorious wealth of hair and warmed the delicate creaminess of her features.
He had appeared too suddenly for her to prepare herself, so the heady surge of pleasure she experienced on seeing him was clearly evident, stamped like an unbidden confession on
her lovely face. For the time it took him to reach her they held each other with their eyes, savouring the moment, aware of the powerful current that fizzed between them.
‘Christopher! I did not expect you.’
‘The meeting ended sooner than I expected. I saw you from the window so I thought I’d join you.’
‘The gardens are so beautiful I couldn’t resist coming outside to explore,’ she said as they strolled along a winding path that ended at a stone summer house on a rise, built there so anyone inside could take in the wonderful vista. There was a light summer breeze and her skirts billowed about her leg. There was also the scent of mown grass and somewhere not far away a cow lowed. Lucy was content to walk beside Christopher and feel his warmth and strength, his body lean and long, moving slowly in long, lazy strides. ‘This place is beautiful, magical. You must be proud of your ancestors.’
He grinned. ‘I am, but we did have our share of sinners along the way—it might be better not to enquire. Although in a family such as ours, we know something of those who went before. People are all different. Those who appear so virtuous often have their secrets.’
‘And I suppose villains might possess a little goodness.’
‘Exactly.’
‘It’s so peaceful here.’
‘It wasn’t always so. My father used to talk of all kinds of entertaining, of brilliant balls and elegant banquets and hunting parties.’
‘It must have been exciting. Will you be able to put your adventuring behind you to spend your days running an estate and lead a placid life?’
‘I hope so. I do not take my position for granted, I assure you. I had to do a lot of soul searching before I came here. I cannot escape the fact that I have my roots firmly fixed in the past and it is obligatory in the family to carry on. I fully understand and appreciate how the fortune of birth has given me all the opportunities and physical comforts of life, enabling me to choose which path to take, but I find I have to shoulder responsibilities I never thought to have. I’m not comfortable with them. I wasn’t raised to the task. But I mean to make the best of it.’
‘I can see how fortunate you have been. And now you have a place in the world. You know what it is and where you belong. That is a very comforting thing. I can comprehend how it feels to have roots that tie you to a place and give you purpose. That is how I feel about Aspendale. Whether I go back or remain in England, it will always be my home.’
Her sudden intensity startled Christopher. She was clearly a person of deep feeling. ‘That was how my father felt. He grew up here and it was a terrible wrench to him when he left mainly because it had always been his home. But he always felt stifled by it all. From an early age he was made aware of family obligations. He had been brought up to regard them as all important.’
‘He must have been deeply troubled by the rift between him and his father. Why did you go to sea? Why didn’t you go into business with your father?’
‘He never encouraged me to do that—although I became involved in transporting his cargoes to their destination. My father was of the opinion that a man should choose his own way in life the way he had done, that it should not be dictated by the past. He realised he didn’t want to go on doing things in the same old way they had been done for generations. He wanted his freedom. He had a carefree attitude to life—unfortunately, he didn’t have much of a head for business. When he died I realised I’d inherited a mountain of debts and unfortunately the creditors weren’t going to let me off the hook. I managed to pay them off when I sold the business.’
‘Is that when you decided to come here—to Rockwood Park?’
He nodded. ‘Amelia, who is the most important thing in my life, needed taking care of. I couldn’t do that unless I sold up and came to Rockwood Park. It has turned out to be her salvation.’
‘Your grandfather told me how happy he is to have you both here.’
‘He is. Growing up in Charleston, I was always interested in the sea and ships. I learned first-hand about all things nautical and about the lands that could be reached. The letters from my grandfather kept on coming and I found I could no longer ignore them or what was mine by right. Where Amelia was concerned, I had to get her away from Charleston, to make sure her position was secure. She had lost everything—our parents, the man she thought she loved and her child. She believed she had nothing else to live for and I was afraid she would try ending her life again. Eventually I brought her here and left her in the care of my grandfather. Afterwards I returned to Charleston. There was a great deal I had to do there that could not be done overnight. Afterwards I set sail for England for good.’
‘And I have been a distraction you could have done without.’
‘A beautiful distraction, Lucy. Thankfully, with patience and loving care, Amelia is slowly coming back to life and becoming more like her old self. But there are times when she thinks of Barrington. I can see it in her eyes.’
‘Such experiences are bound to have left their mark. What you did was a huge undertaking on your part, I can see that.’ Lucy felt a wave of pity for Christopher, but she also felt admiration for him. None of the situation he had faced had been his doing and everything he had done afterwards had been for his sister’s good. She could imagine the carefree young man who, with his father’s blessing, had gone to sea. After all that had happened to him, these days he was anything but carefree.
She found herself wondering what kind of woman his mother had been to have made his father love her so much he had forfeited his inheritance. She had to have been a very special woman for him to have done that. ‘Is this what your father would have wanted for you?’
‘He always told me that it would be my decision and mine alone. He might have turned his back on his inheritance but by the laws of English entailment he still held the title until he died, when it was passed on to me.’
‘And did you not choose to use it?’
‘No. It was of little use to me in Charleston. My business associates were more interested in the amount of their merchandise I could ship than what title I hold in England. I am not impressed by titles and the pretences of society.’
Having reached the summer house, they went inside and sat looking out over the parkland, watching a herd of deer grazing among the trees.
‘I suppose now you’ve decided to accept your inheritance you’ll spend most of your time here at Rockwood Park,’ Lucy commented, letting her eyes wander over the rich rural landscape. ‘Although you’ll have to go London sometimes.’
‘I will? And why is that?’
‘To enter Parliament. Isn’t that what peers of the realm do—enter Parliament as they do university and gentlemen’s clubs? It all seems very grand to me.’ She turned her head and smiled up at him. ‘We learned all about it at the academy.’
‘Did you? And what else did they teach you at the academy?’
‘That King George III has lapsed into incurable madness and his son, the Prince of Wales, the Regent, leads a profligate life. Miss Brody explained that George III and his Queen set a standard of decorum and domestic virtue, but that their court was a very dull place to be—much different to that of their son’s.’
Christopher smiled broadly. ‘Miss Brody was right—although I’m amazed such things were discussed so openly. As soon as the old King was struck down with madness and fastened into his strait waistcoat, the Prince of Wales took to wearing corsets and the ladies to shedding their petticoats. There are those who say the country is falling into a decline in moral standards—if not the onset of national decadence.’
‘I was of the opinion that the English aristocracy has always been a profligate lot, who has indulged in loose living and has never ceased to do what it likes and cares only for its own whims. Why—after listening to the loose comments bandied about at the Skeffington ball, and the occasional comment uttered by the servants when I stayed at your house, it w
ould appear you enjoy a certain reputation yourself,’ she said teasingly, glancing up at him obliquely.
Christopher’s mouth curved in a smile, his eyes warm as he gazed down at her from beneath hooded lids. ‘If, during the occasions I have been in London, I have acquired a certain reputation, I did not look for it and certainly did not enjoy it.’
Lucy shrugged, swallowing down a giggle. ‘Whatever the case, I am sure at some time that you have kept a mistress. All men seem to do that as it it’s the fashionable thing to do.’
Christopher’s gaze narrowed and slid to her seemingly innocent face. ‘You are well informed, Lucy, about gentlemen’s behaviour. Did Miss Brody tell you that, too?’
Her eyes opened wide, mischief dancing in their dark depths. ‘Of course not. Miss Brody is too much of a lady to indulge in tittle-tattle. But I do have ears and when a lot of girls are thrown together, then they talk about such things. But it is no secret that gentlemen have mistresses. Do you like children, Christopher?’
He hesitated a fraction of a second, perplexed by her question. ‘In all honesty I’ve given them little thought. Why do you ask?’
‘Because since you are the last in line, don’t you think you should? I mean, should anything happen to you and there’s no one to come after you, this place that has belonged to the Wildings for generations would have to be sold off, wouldn’t it? It would be a great shame if that happened.’
Standing up, Christopher leaned his arm against the wall and looked out at his domain. ‘That’s what would happen.’
Lucy went to stand beside him. ‘Look at it, Christopher. This is yours. You can’t let that happen. Your ancestors would rise up and condemn you for it—or turn in their graves, whatever it is they do.’
A Viscount to Save Her Reputation Page 12