Clarendon Estate (The Sinclair Society Series, #3)

by Swafford, Bethany

  By the time evening fell and Lady Leith returned to the dressing room, the majority of the guests had arrived. “The Reynolds, the Williamsons, and the Carters are settled in their rooms,” the lady said as she entered. “I expect Colonel Goodwin and his wife, as well as Sir Henry and his wife, to arrive tomorrow afternoon.”

  “And has it been as terrible as you expected?” I asked, a bit cheekier than I ought to have been.

  “That the invited gentlemen are not equal to the unmarried misses has sparked the expected disappointment,” she said instead of answering me. “Poor Mr. Aaron Carter. I’d forgotten he will be the only single gentleman present. The Williamson girls and Miss Reynolds will soon be competing for his attention.”

  “I hardly think he will find it such a trial. In my experience, young men are delighted when they find themselves the centre of attention.”

  “Mmm. Some of them.” Lady Leith turned so that I could undo her dress. “For ones who are more reticent by nature, and those who have no immediate interest in marriage, such attention can be highly embarrassing. Mr. Carter is one such example. I’m afraid he will find his time here somewhat trying.”

  “Perhaps the older gentlemen will take pity on him and assist him in keeping out of the young ladies’ clutches.” I held up the sapphire evening gown for her consideration.

  “One can hope,” Lady Leith said, giving an approving nod. “However, since three of the gentlemen are eager to have their daughters married, I am not holding my breath on this matter.”

  I helped her into the evening gown. She sat down so that I could arrange her hair. “And I will wear my sapphires this evening, Juliet,” she said with a slight smile. “I do have guests in the house, so I must look my best.”

  Handling Lady Leith’s jewellery had been a task that made me nervous. I’d only had a pearl necklace when I had my come out. Eugenia Burnham had similarly possessed simple jewellery: an amethyst pendant and a pearl necklace. Miss Dunbar had yearned for more elegant jewels to adorn her neck, but her father had been wise enough to refuse her constant demands.

  Thus, the precious gems that made up Lady Leith’s collection were the first I’d ever handled.

  “You’re not going to break it just by picking it up and carrying it,” Celia said with a laugh when she caught sight of how gingerly I placed the necklace around her neck. “Gold and gems are not so fragile.”

  “Yes, I am aware,” I said, frowning as I worked the clasp. “I never even touched my mother’s jewellery. They were too pretty and...too expensive for me to touch, if that makes any sense.”

  She laughed softly. “I felt the same way when Sir Horace presented me with the family jewels, along with some special purchases he’d made especially for me. I didn’t realise how accustomed I’d become to being Lady Leith.”

  “You put on a good pretence.”

  Her cheeks flushed a deep hue. Celia stood up and moved away from the dressing table. “Do you know I realized something else today?”

  “What would that be?” I asked, amused by her embarrassment.

  “Sir Henry Johnson knew your brother.”

  My heart skipped a beat as my breath caught in my throat. “He did?” The name was not one I was familiar with, proving my fear that I did not know all of my brother’s friends.

  “Yes. Five years ago, I had only recently become engaged to Sir Horace, and it was while I was visiting my grandmother in Bath that I met your brother. Sir Henry was frequently included in our outings. In fact, if I remember correctly, he was the one who informed me of Mr. Sinclair’s death.”

  Astonished, I grasped the side of the table to steady myself. Another gentleman with a name beginning with ‘H’. Lady Leith stepped forward, reaching out. “Oh, dear. Perhaps I should not have told you.”

  “No, I am glad you did,” I said quickly to reassure her. “It is a surprise, nothing more. I’d assumed my brother had multiple friends with names, either first or last, that began with the same letter. You see now the futile task I have set for myself to examine them all? I did not even know of this man.”

  She put her hand on my shoulder, her expression serious. “Your brother, as anyone, deserves justice for what happened. We will find a way. Somehow. Or, you will know that you did all that you could.”

  “Of course.” I straightened up. “Well. There’s no sense going over it all here. Your guests await you.”

  “True. I may be only a baronet’s wife, but even I must adhere to the rules of polite society.”

  With that, she left me alone with my thoughts. Instead of eliminating a suspect from my list, I had added a new one. Would Sir Henry have new information for me?

  “What a tangle,” I said aloud. “How am I going to unravel it?”

  AS I MADE MY WAY DOWN the servants’ staircase, my mind was in a whirl about the implications of another ‘H’ to investigate. Would it be feasible for Lady Leith and I to put our minds together and create a list of those we knew Jonathan had been acquainted with, with names beginning with that letter I had begun to dislike?

  I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t take notice of someone beside me in the hallway. At least, not until fingers wrapped around my arm and I was pulled to a stop.

  “A moment of your time, Nelson,” Mr. Stone said, his tone low and threatening.

  He tightened his grip as if to keep me from fleeing. By calling me ‘Nelson’ instead of Miss Nelson, he showed he had no respect for my position in the household. I was not about to allow the slight to pass. “As you are squeezing my arm in such a painful manner, Mr. Stone, I take it I have no choice in the matter,” I said, not lowering my voice a bit.

  After all, I had no reason to fear someone hearing and coming to investigate. But if he were seen accosting me, it would not go so well for him. Such was my hope, anyway.

  The man scowled at me, his forehead creased. “Let us go to my office as you seem to enjoy being in there.”

  “Your office?” I repeated with a forced laugh. “How astonishing. I understood Sir Horace made use of the room when he is in residence. Can it really be termed your office if such is the case?”

  “As I use the room more than Sir Horace, yes. It is my office.” He pushed on my arm as though he were trying to hurry me along. “You have a great deal to answer for, Nelson, and I want those answers now.”

  “You may ask your questions here just as easily as in your office,” I said, bracing my feet on the floor. “Only be quick about it. I have important matters to attend to.”

  He actually laughed at that. “I highly doubt that, and you are in no position to make demands. Now, start walking before I make you cooperate. You won’t enjoy it if I have to go that far.”

  “Mr. Stone! What is the meaning of this?” Mrs. Horner’s voice rang out, properly horrified. “Release Miss Nelson at once!”

  A moment passed and I thought he was going to ignore the command. But then, Mr. Stone did just that, even going so far as to take a step back. “Mrs. Horner, I have a matter to discuss with Lady Leith’s maid,” he said in a haughty tone. “I assure you nothing untoward was occurring.”

  “Nothing untoward? You say that when I could clearly see you holding onto her in such an ungentlemanly manner?” Mrs. Horner strode to us, her eyes flashing with emotion. “If that is your idea of untoward, sir, I can see I cannot trust any of my girls to be in your presence.”

  “Mrs. Horner, this is a matter of estate security,” Mr. Stone said, a deep flush creeping up his neck. “This woman has—”

  “What nonsense!” Mrs. Horner interrupted him with growing indignation on my behalf. “What does a lady’s maid have to do with estate security?”

  In the span of a few minutes, I had descended in his opinion from merely ‘Nelson’ to not even deserving to be named. He really had been offended and upset by the intrusion into the office. Why did he take it so personally?

  “I believe she has been disturbing my work,” Mr. Stone said with forced dignity.


  “And you did not care to speak to her ladyship about this? What a shocking breach of protocol! I expected better of you, Mr. Stone!”

  “I did speak to her ladyship, however, Lady Leith has failed to dismiss the woman. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to—”

  “Is that what this is about? Her ladyship has already spoken to me of the matter,” I interrupted, feigning astonishment. “She accepted my explanation of what happened. I believed the matter settled.”

  Two pairs of eyes focused on me. “You lie! If she had spoken to you, you would have been dismissed immediately!” Mr. Stone exclaimed. “We have no use for sneak thieves in this house.”

  “Oh, and now something has been stolen?” Mrs. Horner asked, her tone mocking. “I suggest you make up your mind about your story, Mr. Stone. As it is, it changes with every breath. What is it that has been taken from you?”

  How odd that Mrs. Horner would be so eager to argue with the steward. Had the man been disagreeable to her as well? If he had, why?

  “It is clear to me the entire household is in need of discipline,” Mr. Stone said with obvious scorn. He tugged his jacket straight. “The dowager—”

  “The dowager is no longer the mistress of this house!” Mrs. Horner exclaimed. “What has she to do with this matter? Has something of the dowager’s gone missing? Miss Nelson does not have access to the dowager’s rooms, so she cannot be blamed for this.”

  Mr. Stone’s eyes narrowed and he raised his hand to point at my face. “That is not—” He broke off and shook his head. “This is not over, do you hear me. You have not won.”

  With that cryptic threat, he spun on his heel and strode along the hallway. “Well! The nerve of that man,” Mrs. Horner said with a huff. She faced me, concern taking the place of her indignation. “What was he on about?”

  “I entered his office in search of something and was careless enough to leave the ink uncapped after I made a note,” I explained, keeping to the bare details. After all, it was mostly true. “Lady Leith has heard both sides and has warned me to be more careful in the future. I don’t know what he meant about something gone missing.”

  “Well, he has always behaved as though he were better than us all. It would do him good to be taken down a peg or two.” She shook her head. “Before he makes any more trouble, perhaps you might ask Lady Leith to put him in his place. For now, your dinner is waiting.”

  In response, my stomach gurgled in a most unladylike manner. “I am well ready for it,” I said with a laugh. “Not even Mr. Stone can put me off my meal.”

  WHEN I REPORTED THE incident to Lady Leith later that night, she pursed her lips together. “He is unswerving in his determination to ensure all is as it should be,” I added, since I did understand the man’s anger. After all, I had been sneaking around in his work space. I suspected his anger was more that he’d failed to lock the door when he left.

  Still, I wondered why he locked the door in the first place. Nothing truly of value was kept there from what I had seen. Or was it common for stewards to lock their office doors?

  “Be that as it may, it is his instinct to turn to the dowager that I cannot excuse,” Lady Leith said. She drummed her fingers on the table surface. “He has made it clear he has no respect for my position as mistress here. I told him I would handle the situation. After all, you are my maid.”

  “What do you intend to do?”

  She sighed and shook her head. “I’m not sure. He is employed by my husband, and he is a diligent worker. I may give him a warning that I will not stand for any disrespect and will discuss it with Horace when he returns.”

  “Do you think your husband will not take action?” After all, he hadn’t so far and I was well aware how frustrated Lady Leith had become.

  “Yes.” There was no hesitation in her answer. “Why would he? I have been far too lax in establishing myself as the mistress here, and I only have myself to blame for that. In trying to learn and adapt myself to the traditions here, I have made it harder for the servants to respect me and any decisions I make.”

  “I think you have more support among the servants that you believe,” I said as I brushed her silky hair. “Mrs. Horner would not back down when she came to my rescue earlier. If she’d been a man, I believe she would have challenged him to a duel.”

  My words drew a laugh from Celia. “I’m surprised she allowed her gender to dissuade her.”

  “Can you imagine Mr. Stone and Mrs. Horner meeting at dawn with pistols?”

  “Mr. Stone is too respectable and honourable to allow it to go that far, I’m afraid. He would issue a polite apology for any offense.”

  Which he hadn’t done when he confronted me and he certainly hadn’t apologized to Mrs. Horner. He’d ended the conversation with a warning. Mr. Stone had come across as a man who kept his word, so what was he planning now?

  “Why do you look so worried?” Lady Leith’s question drew me from my thoughts.

  One would have thought six months would have taught me how to keep my emotions from my face. Servants, ones who had been trained from early on, knew how to do so. Why couldn’t I learn how to do it?

  “I just wonder what Mr. Stone will do once you warn him to mind his own business.” I set aside the hairbrush and began to separate her hair into three sections. “He said it wasn’t over.”

  “If he has any of the intelligence my husband gives him credit for, he won’t do anything. That’s the point of me talking to him so that he will leave us both alone.”

  “If he dislikes me as much as I believe he does, for whatever reason, I doubt he will change his opinion just because you speak to him about it.” I finished the braid and tied it off with a ribbon. “In fact, I suspect he will simply become more circumspect in seeking ways to get me sent away from Clarendon.”

  Sighing, the woman stood up. “Why do I feel as though my home has become a battlefield?”

  Guilt flooded through me. I had brought this conflict to her door, though that hadn’t been my intention. “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, it’s not your fault. As I said, I’ve done this to myself. I would have had to confront him sooner or later.” She offered a slight smile. “I have every confidence that you and I shall prevail. After all, we have more to gain and lose in this fight, do we not?”

  Though I gave a nod, I didn’t completely agree with her words. I’d already lost my family; what more was there to lose? My reputation? Few people even remembered me anymore.

  “Do you wish to continue studying the ciphers before you retire?” Lady Leith asked, picking up the book of poetry from the dressing table. “Or are you too tired to even think about numbers?”

  “To be honest, I don’t believe I have the mental capacity to focus on numbers.”

  “Well, your half day is tomorrow, is it not? I shall leave this where you can easily find it.”

  “Thank you.” I forced a smile. “Perhaps I shall find Mr. Leith and irritate Miss Webber some more.”

  Lady Leith made a sound which sounded suspiciously close to a snort. “I wish you would not. We have a great deal on our hands as it is. Miss Webber wailing about your pursuit of my brother-in-law would be too much.”

  She swept from the room. Shaking my head, I set about to put the room to rights.

  A few hours of privacy was just what I needed.

  Chapter Ten

  On Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t find a moment of privacy. Even in my own room, I could hear the chatter of the other maids as they rushed through the hallways to get their work done unseen and unnoticed. I knew the gardens and maze would be off limits with the guests in residence, ruling out a peaceful walk.

  I fled to Mrs. Horner’s private room to escape the footsteps and chattering voices, only to find the housekeeper already there. “Miss Nelson!” she exclaimed with a beaming smile. “Come and sit. I’ll have tea brought in and we can have a comfortable cose.”

  Gossiping with the kindly woman was far from what I’d had in mind
. It didn’t seem likely that I would be able to play the pianoforte, though, so I murmured my thanks. I sat across from where she was already sitting as she pulled the rope to summon a maid.

  Perhaps she would at least have some bit of useful information. Given the luck I’d had of late, I wasn’t going to hold my breath.

  “I am so glad we could both take some time away from our duties at the same time,” Mrs. Horner said when she returned to her chair. “I hope Mr. Stone kept himself to himself.”

  She seemed to be genuinely concerned as she gazed at me. “I’ve hardly seen him at all today,” I said. “Her ladyship has said she will not stand for him to be disrespectful to anyone in the household, so I hope he has a care for how he conducts himself.”

  Mrs. Horner let out a snort. “He has never been inclined to leave well enough alone. One would think he was master of this house from the way he behaves some days.”

  What an odd statement to make. Before I could question her on the point, the door opened and tea was brought in. I waited until Fanny had set the tray down and retreated. “I get the feeling you are not fond of Mr. Stone. Has he always been so...” I struggled to find the right word.

  “Disagreeable? Not at all,” Mrs. Horner said readily. She poured tea into a cup and offered it to me. “When he was a boy, he was a charming scamp. Obedient, but up to all the usual mischief boys get into.”

  “I take it his disposition changed once he became steward?” I accepted my cup and lifted it to my lips for a sip.

  The woman heaved a sigh. “I’m afraid so. He so wants to succeed that I fear he has lost sight of what is truly important for someone in his position. I’m sure he means no harm in being so serious in adhering to what he believes is right and wrong in Clarendon.”

  “I suppose he must be commended for taking his responsibilities so seriously. If only he accepted Lady Leith as mistress of the house. His habit of running to the dowager when a decision is not what he thinks is right makes things more difficult than they need to be.” It was bold for me to make such a statement.