12. Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

I t wasn't until they'd returned to Millcastle and shared a joyful reunion with Nora that Ruby had time to think more deeply about Charles's family. She'd asked him to be honest but still had a sense that he wasn't telling her everything. He'd been visibly agitated talking about his mother, and she hadn't wanted to force him into sharing things that might be deeply hurtful for him.

But even from her limited acquaintance with the countess, Ruby knew she wasn't just suffering from physical ill health. Her emotions ran close to the surface, and she plummeted from highs to lows with the agility of a kite buffeted by an uncertain wind. Ruby had felt similarly after Nora's birth, but the feelings had gradually diminished as time went on. The countess reminded her far more of Ivy and her fragile state of mind.

The earl's distaste for emotion was plain to see. Ruby couldn't imagine him tolerating a wife who couldn't be relied upon to perform her duties as his countess. He hadn't bothered to hide his polite contempt for her even from his dinner guests. If he treated her like that in public, how much worse might he be in private?

Ruby had met plenty of abusive husbands living in the slums of Leeds. Those men tended to settle arguments with their fists; whereas, the earl used subtler methods to undermine those he should love and support. And that included Charles…

Ruby set the kettle to boil on the range and set out the teacups and pot. Bridget had shown her an ingenious way to grill bread and cheese on a metal plate warmed over the range, and she intended to try out her new accomplishment when Charles came in at midday.

The back door opened, and Charles came in, his expression thunderous.

Ruby paused to stare at him. "Whatever is the matter?"

"That girl? The one who came here and stole the plate?" He took off his coat and hat and set his bag on the floor with a decided thump. "She's dead."

"Did you visit her at the brothel?"

"Of course not. She told me I wasn't worth her time or her money."

"I remember now." Ruby poured the boiling water into the pot and stirred the tea leaves before putting the lid back on. "I assume she found someone else to assist her."

"She bled to death and was left outside the brothel in the dead of night like refuse." He sat down and shoved his hands through his hair. "I warned her not to go to some back-alley practitioner."

"Then you did everything in your power to offer your assistance, and you should not blame yourself," Ruby said firmly as she poured the tea. "How did you find out she was dead?"

"I just had a police constable turn up in my consulting room."

"What?" Tea slopped onto the table as Ruby stared at him. "Why on earth were they talking to you?" She rushed to mop up the spill.

"Because several people saw her in my yard waiting to be seen by the doctor and then heard her claim I was a charlatan as she left." He grimaced. "They asked me several very pointed questions as to my whereabouts over the past few days. For the first time in my life, I was glad to be able to tell them I'd been out of town visiting my father, the Earl of Nash. That sent them scurrying off in a hurry."

"That poor girl," Ruby said as she set the milk out on the table. "How desperately alone she must have felt."

"One thing I've learned in this business is that sometimes you can't force people to do the best thing for their health. It's incredibly frustrating." He drank some tea. "If I ever find out who did it, I'll have a few choice words for them and no compunction in informing the police."

Ruby couldn't help remembering the fierceness of the young girl who'd brazenly helped herself to not only the plate, but Charles's tea cakes and Ruby's handkerchief, too.

"I hope the police won't return," Ruby said.

"I doubt they'll want to question my alibi, my dear," Charles said dryly. He set a pile of letters on the table. "I brought in the post."

"Thank you."

Ruby sorted the mail while Charles drank two cups of tea and ate the grilled bread and cheese she prepared for him. Most of the letters concerned his medical practice but there was one from her mother and one from Miss Evans addressed to her. She set Charles's correspondence at his elbow and opened the letter from her mother. She had time to read while Nora was napping upstairs.

"Oh."

Charles looked over at her. "What now?"

"My mother is complaining that I don't visit her enough."

"You saw her two weeks ago."

"Indeed, and I have explained to her on several occasions that I don't have my own carriage, and I can't just visit her when the fancy takes me." Ruby kept reading. "She could always ask Ivy if her coachman could come and collect me, but I suspect she prefers to complain and do nothing." She stopped talking and reread the last paragraph. "Ivy is expecting again."

Charles had been sorting through his letters at a rapid pace and discarding most of them onto the floor. "I'm somewhat surprised at that," He said cautiously.

"It's too soon." Ruby held his gaze. "Perhaps I should visit her after all."

Charles nodded. "I'm sure the nurse can care for Nora if you wish to go today."

"I'll hire a gig at the coaching inn," Ruby said. "It's too far to walk."

He frowned. "I'll hire a suitable carriage. I'm coming with you."

"Do you have time?" she asked as he rose to his feet. "I don't wish to inconvenience you."

He kissed the top of her head and gathered up his post. "I always have time for you, my sweet."

She raised her eyebrows at that, and he smiled. "My dear girl, don't look so skeptical. You accompanied me to Nash Hall. The least I can do is visit with your sister."

As he turned to leave, a small square of paper floated down to the floor. He bent to pick it up and held it out to Ruby. "I think this might be yours. It must have been caught up in my medical bills."

"Thank you." Ruby took the letter, went still for a moment, and then shoved it hastily into her apron's pocket.

"I'll be ready to leave at two," Charles said before he left, apparently unaware of her panicked state. "Bridget should be back from her morning off by then."

Ruby concentrated on her breathing and carefully folded her mother's note, her fingers shaking. She should read Miss Evans's letter first, but she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate until she'd dealt with the other missive. She took out the much folded and grubby square of paper. The original direction to Grafton Hall had been crossed out and her new address written on the other side of the note.

She unfolded it to reveal more of Sidney's distinctive handwriting.

Ruby, I went to Leeds. They told me you'd left and returned to your sister. I hope you are enjoying the luxury provided off the backs of the working class. I would like to see my daughter. Please reply to the above address and your letter will get to me eventually.

Sidney.

"No…" Ruby whispered. "You said you'd set us free. Do you want to destroy all the comfort I've gained for myself and Nora?" She reread the note, her indignation rising with every word. "And how dare you sneer at the people who took us in when you left us with nothing!"

She crumpled the paper in her fist, went over to the fire, and dropped the letter on top of the burning coals. She prodded it vigorously with the poker until it became nothing more than ash.

"That's what I think of you, Sidney Fellows!" she addressed the fire. "Leave us in peace."

She returned to the table and poured herself another cup of tea, shuddering at the bitterness of the brew. It was unlikely that Sidney would ever have the opportunity or the funds to present himself at Grafton Hall, but she would warn Caroline just in case. He had no right to interfere with the life she'd painstakingly built from the ruins of their relationship.

It struck her then that she'd stopped loving him well before Nora's birth and that she might have been the one to leave if he hadn't left first. She swallowed hard and reached for her handkerchief, her composure close to breaking. Perhaps she should read Miss Evans's letter and distract herself.

Dear Mrs. Nash,

I apologize for the familiarity in writing to you when we are barely acquainted, but I thought you should know that the earl has hired a private investigator to discover details of your past. I happened to be in the entrance hall when this man and his lordship were passing through and I overheard their discussion. As the earl is always very thorough in the pursuit of his goals, I urge you to be on your guard.

Yours sincerely,

Martha Evans.

Ruby stared out of the kitchen window at the brick wall beyond. Had Charles mentioned anything to his mother about Nora—or the less-than-honorable circumstances of their first meeting—that the countess might have then revealed to the earl? Would she have given him such information without realizing the danger? From what Ruby had seen she did have a tendency to blurt out her truth.

Surely Charles wouldn't have willingly handed his father ammunition against his own wife… But he was very fond of his mother and might have thought the notion that she already had a step-granddaughter would cheer her up.

Ruby took a sheet of paper and her inkwell from the drawer in the dresser and considered what to say to Miss Evans in reply. She couldn't be too obvious. It was possible the earl insisted on reading all his staffs' correspondence.

Dear Miss Evans,

She tried to frame her first sentence and had no idea how to continue. With a sigh, she set the paper and pen back on the dresser and went outside to take in the washing. Charles didn't like her doing the maid's job, but it was starting to rain, and she didn't want damp sheets spread out to dry all over the house. The rain in Millcastle wasn't clean, being full of soot and debris from the factories, and it made washing white items particularly hard.

She gathered in the sheets, enjoying the faint hint of warmth and sunshine still concealed in their depths, and hurried back inside just as the rain worsened. With both Eliza the maid and Bridget being out, it took her a while to fold everything to her satisfaction. Eliza would use the flat irons when she returned and copious amounts of starch to make the sheets crisp and ready for use again.

The back door opened, and Bridget came in, the fake bird on her best bonnet as bedraggled as its owner.

"Got caught by the rain right at the top of the street, ma'am." Bridget took off her bonnet and shook it vigorously. "I'll go upstairs and change and bring Nora down for her midday meal."

"Thank you, Bridget."

Bridget paused at the inner door. "Are you all right, ma'am? You look a bit upset."

"I'm quite well." Ruby gestured at the letters on the table. "I'm just ruminating on the news I received."

"I wish I had someone to write letters to who could read them proper," Bridget said. "With me mam gone, my brothers aren't bothering to keep up with their book learning."

"That's a shame," Ruby said.

"It is, indeed, ma'am." Bridget went into the hallway, and moments later, Ruby heard her booted feet stomping up the first staircase.

Ruby got up and started preparing Nora's food. If she could keep herself busy for the next few hours, perhaps the shock of the correspondence she'd received would lessen, and Charles would see nothing but her usual competent self.