Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“ S o, what shall you do today?” Margaret asked as she finished her breakfast.

Beside her, Theodore folded up the newspaper. Once more, they had talked through the stories of the day, much to her amusement.

She found the more she knew Theodore, he actually had a keen interest in politics and the way it affected both business and his tenants. He also had great wit and insight, though he only offered the occasional comment to her that made her wonder for how long he had sat in this house without sharing such thoughts with others.

“Today, I shall make a visit to some business acquaintances. I have some overseas trade and investments in produce I wish to begin. I’m hoping the extra income will mean I can assist the tenants more.”

“That is good.” She smiled. He talked much about the tenants at breakfast, which was a hint to how much he cared about them and how seriously he took his responsibilities towards those who depended on him for their livelihoods.

“And you? What shall you do today?”

“I shall go to call on my sisters.” She sat tall with determination. “With a little luck, my father will not be in the house, and I can talk to them alone. Louisa will be preparing for her debut soon, so I wish to talk to her without Father present.”

“I hope they are well.” Theodore drummed his fingers on the table in thought. “I imagine Gabriel and Evelina have offered to be the ones to hold Louisa’s debut ball already, but we can offer, too.”

“You would do that?” Margaret stiffened in surprise. She hadn’t heard Theodore mention anything about a ball or a soiree before. From her conversation with Mrs. Lancaster, she understood that Theodore had little liking for hosting such events.

The one hint as to why she had offered left Margaret very curious indeed.

“The master does not like many people to be in this house. Something about too many memories being here already.”

What did she mean by that?

“Of course.” Theodore nodded. “See what your sister says. She may already have plans.”

“If I know Louisa, then she is making plans to get out of it. You’re much more likely to find her hiding in a library than a ballroom.” Margaret sighed. “She has little liking for dancing, singing, playing the piano, any of those sorts of performative skills. She prefers her scholarly books and her quiet.”

“Then I feel sorry for her. No debut will please her.”

“I fear you are right.” Margaret nodded. Yet determined to make Louisa’s debut at least something good, she would offer all the same to host the debut party.

She stood from the breakfast table and turned to face Theodore who had opened the paper once again to finish reading.

“Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?” He didn’t look up from the paper.

“For last night,” she whispered.

He halted, his chin now jerking upward.

“There is no need to thank me.”

“There is.” She laid a hand briefly on her shoulder as she passed him. “It meant a lot to me.” She let her hand drop away, the residual heat from touching him still filling up as she parted from the room.

“They’re in the music room, Your Grace.”

“Thank you.” Margaret smiled at the housekeeper and pulled off her fine warm gloves as she bustled quickly through the house.

She heard her sisters long before she reached the music room. They were talking loudly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, no music seemed to be emanating from the room.

Margaret opened the door to see the room as she expected to find it. Louisa sat in a nook in a corner, reading a very large tome indeed. Alexandra was on the piano stool, though her lap seemed to be full of what could have been an accounts book rather than a book of music. In a far armchair by the fire, Penelope was drawing in a sketchbook.

“Margaret!” Penelope gushed, putting aside her sketchbook and standing up.

Margaret walked toward her sister, embracing her tightly. Over Penelope’s shoulder, she caught a glimpse of the sketch that she had been working on. With worry, Margaret realized it was a picture of their father, but perhaps not as he was. He was presented in a more idealistic way, the picture of health and happiness.

“Twice in one week? We are honored!” Alexandra declared, discarding the accounts book she had been reading on top of the piano. “It’s lovely to see you.”

“And you.” Margaret sat down as the housekeeper brough them tea. They caught up, talked about their father’s latest escapades, before Margaret dared to turn the conversation to anything more serious.

“Louisa.” She leaned toward her sister who had moved to her side, though it was not difficult to see how much Louisa wished to be back with her back. She repeatedly glanced toward its position left in the nook in the corner of the room. “Have you made any more preparations for your debut?”

“Oh, goodness!” Louisa flung her hands in the air in dismay.

“Ah, she said the forbidden word,” Alexandra whispered mischievously to Penelope.

“Shall we run and hide for cover now, do you think?” Penelope leaned toward her.

“Agreed. I’ll dive under the piano, you go for behind the settee. Then Margaret is the only one she can strike with that massive tome.”

“She is not going to hit me with a book,” Margaret insisted. Though when Louisa looked sorely tempted, Margaret shifted a little to the side on her seat. “I’m sorry to bring up a subject that doesn’t exactly entice you –”

“Entice?” Louisa spluttered. “The thought disgusts me! Yes, let us go prancing around a ballroom. Let me pretend to be airheaded and think of nothing but my bows and how fine my hair is, meanwhile, I could be at home reading a good book.”

“And do you think that is what Evelina and I did on our debuts?” Margaret asked pointedly, much to Penelope and Alexandra’s amusement, who were now sniggering.

“No, of course, not, but you know there are some ladies out there who think in such ways.”

“You are not one of them. You can be whatever kind of lady you wish to be, dear sister,” Margaret assured her. “Now, Theo has offered kindly to host your debut party, but have Evelina and Gabriel already offered?”

“They have.” Louisa huffed and folded her arms, looking much younger than she was. “I despair! Honestly! Evelina is already saying I shall need a new dress. You and I both know Father cannot afford a new gown.”

“Leave that to me,” Margaret whispered. She was sure that she could ask Theo for a little money toward one new dress for Louisa.

“I cannot ask you to do that.” Louisa had reached for her teacup on the tray between them and nearly dropped it in alarm.

“Nonsense. I wish to help you, so it shall be done. The real question is, what more can we do?” she asked, looking between all three sisters.

“What do you mean?” Alexandra asked with interest.

“I mean, that spending every day in this house is hardly bringing any happiness, is it? Theo has said I can have use of the carriage whenever I want, so here is what I suggest.” She stood and moved to the side of the music room, retrieving paper, ink and a quill pen from a drawer. “Let us write down all things you’d like to do. Perhaps a bookshop,” she suggested to Louisa, who promptly nodded in delight.

“Or maybe a museum or an art gallery,” she added in Penelope’s direction, who beamed at the idea. “Let us write down everything you want to do, and we shall work our way through the list.”

Maybe then they’ll spend less time in this house, forced to watch our father as he returns from his drunken haunts of the gambling halls.

“I love this idea!” Louisa took up the quill pen with great eagerness and began writing down everyone’s ideas.

Various escapades were suggested, with Alexandra speaking repeatedly, worrying about how much these trips would cost, even though Margaret urged her not to worry about costs more than once.

“What do you think?” Margaret asked once they were done.

“I think it a wonderful thing.” Penelope nodded, looking over Louisa’s shoulder at the list. “Yet one thing is missing.” She took the quill off Louisa and added at the bottom, Louisa’s debut.

“I might just cross that one out.” Louisa tried to take the quill back, prompting a mad tussle over the feather with Penelope.

The door abruptly opened, and they all sat stock still.

In the doorway was their father. His eyes zeroed in on Margaret, just as Alexandra subtly took the list and folded it up, hiding it out of sight underneath her in the chair.

“You.” He raised a finger and pointed it at her, only the rest of his hand was gripping to the neck of a carafe, making the image rather ridiculous.

“Good morning, Father. I believe it is not yet eleven o’clock.” She gestured to the nearest clock on the mantelpiece. “Is that wine already in your grasp?”

“Enough of your insolence.” He strode toward her hurriedly, bearing down over her.

She was reminded of her dream from the night before. It was the same strength in the walk, the same purpose, the same sense of domination, even if she could see his face now.

“You. You.” He thrust the carafe toward her. Penelope jumped up and somehow managed to pull it from his grasp, expertly slipping it away and placing it down on top of the piano nearby. “You have been marred to the Duke of Thornfield for nearly a month now and yet not a shilling of his wealth has come our way.”

“It is still my husband’s money, Father. Not mine to do with as I wish.”

Alexandra pointedly shifted her weight over the paper, being careful to hide any hint of it from view.

“Let us not have a confrontation, Father,” Margaret pleaded fast, moving to stand when she saw Penelope’s tearful gaze nearby. “I will help when I can, but my husband has not given me unlimited access to his funds.”

“Your sisters need it. Do you have any idea what it is like to face marrying off three daughters who don’t have a dowry?”

Whose fault is that?

Margaret kept this thought to herself.

“Hasn’t Evelina sent you any money?”

“No. This is what I get, is it? For being a father to you all. Two ungrateful daughters who marry into wealth and send nothing back in return.” He flounced away across the room, pacing impatiently.

Margaret took the opportunity to send a questioning look Alexandra’s way. Though she was young, Alexandra had always been the best when it came to numbers. Her recent interest in sneaking their father’s account books out of his study meant she had a better insight into money matters than a lot of them did.

Alexandra’s hasty shake of her head showed Margaret she was right. Evelina was sending them money after all.

I know Evelina. She is too much a mother to us all not to send anything back.

“She comes often to see you all, too, doesn’t she?” Margaret pushed, trying to get her father to acknowledge the kindness that Evelina was always showing them all.

“Yes, yes, she comes all the time, though she brings nothing with her.” Once more as his back was turned, Alexandra shook her head. “You.” James turned and thrust his finger back in Margaret’s direction. “You must bring money next time.”

“Father, please.” Once more Margaret caught Penelope’s tearful look. Louisa hastily placed a handkerchief into Penelope’s hands as Margaret stepped forward, trying to keep the peace. “I will bring what I can to help. You know I will but let us not fall out over this matter today.”

Her father released a shuddery breath, clearly pent up with rage he still wanted to unleash on someone.

“Fine.” With this final word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room. He was gone in seconds, the door slamming shut behind him.

“Good day to you too, Father,” Margaret muttered under her breath. She sat down again, just as Penelope returned to her seat, mopping her cheeks with Louisa’s handkerchief.

“Evelina is sending money,” Alexandra assured Margaret now that James was gone. “The problem is, guess who spends most of it.” She motioned toward the door.

“We shall have to find a way to make sure some money is saved from the gambling halls,” Louisa muttered to herself.

“If Evelina had figured out a way to do that, we would have done it a long time ago. We’ll think of something. We have to.” Margaret nodded firmly.

An uncomfortable silence settled on them all as Penelope sniffled and dried the last of her tears. It was a minute or two of sipping tea and staring into the distance before Alexandra pulled out that slip of paper again. She unfurled it and laid it down on the tea tray.

“Perhaps it is too much to hope,” she whispered.

“What is?” Margaret asked, her body tight with concern.

“That we could have freedom to do all these wonderful things. You know if we did them, our father would be there every step of the way, wondering how we could have the freedom or money to do it all.”

“I am still determined to make it happen.” Margaret had seen just how much all her sisters had smiled excitedly over the last hour making this list. She was not about to lose hope for all that happiness just because their father was making their lives miserable.

“You are ambitious,” Louisa mused. “Perhaps a little na?ve.”

Margaret smiled rather sadly. There was a time when she would have called herself na?ve.

The want to marry for love was certainly a sign of my naivety.

At the thought, Theodore’s face cut across her mind. She saw the look in his eyes as he raised her hand to his lips, as he had done the night before outside her chamber and kissed her wrist.

“Maybe some hopes are not quite as na?ve as we think,” she whispered, a smile growing across her lips.

“What do you mean by that?” Louisa asked curiously.

“It does not matter.” Margaret shook her head. “Now, let’s talk about your debut instead, Louisa.”

“Oh, must we?”

“Yes, we must.”