CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Anna’s first week as Viscountess Reculver was an extremely busy one. By the end of it, the household had two more housemaids and a second footman, work had begun on the rotting window-frames in the east wing and the refurbishment of the drawing-room was already well under way. The dowager hovered between bemusement and delight; Rebecca roamed the house carrying orders and lists; and Daniel spent as much time as possible elsewhere.

Fortunately, he had plenty to occupy him, a good deal of it away from the house. He checked regularly on the cottage repairs. He arranged for hire of the equipment necessary to drain the field at Old Fallow, purchased a new plough for the home farm and visited a couple of livestock sales, returning with a dozen ewes and a ram that Rebecca insisted had a squint.

The result of all this activity was that, aside from the afternoon they had driven around the estate together, the only time Lord and Lady Reculver spent more than five minutes in each other’s company was at dinner. At first, Daniel didn’t notice this. Anna did … but she chose not to remark upon it in the hope that neither the dowager nor Rebecca would do so either.

The other thing Daniel failed to notice was that, although Anna received letters nearly every day, he never saw her answering them. However, this changed on a night when, having retired later than usual and then sat up reading for an hour before climbing into bed and snuffing the candle, he saw a ribbon of light glowing beneath the door to the parlour.

It was almost one in the morning so someone – presumably Anna’s maid – had forgotten to douse the lamps in there. Sighing, he sat up and swung his legs out of bed. He was three steps from the door when it occurred to him that, in the unlikely event that either Anna or her maid was still up, he’d better put on his banyan rather than risk one of them screaming the house down at the sight of a naked man. Then, semi-respectably covered, he stalked into the parlour and stopped dead at the sight of his wife, wrapped in a simple chamber-robe, busy with a stack of paperwork at the table by the window.

For the too-brief instant before she turned to face him, her hair was a straight, glossy waterfall tumbling over one shoulder while, etched against it, her profile was cameo-pure. Then she was looking at him out of seemingly fathomless eyes and he had the peculiar sensation of never having seen her before.

The pen falling from suddenly nerveless fingers, Anna stared at him – or more specifically, she stared at the deep vee of bare chest that the dark robe left exposed. Her brain ceased functioning properly. All she could think was, Why is he here? He never uses the parlour. And, Is he wearing anything underneath that?

‘My apologies,’ said Daniel. ‘I saw the light and thought lamps had been left burning by mistake. It didn’t occur to me that you might still be up at this hour.’ And when she didn’t say anything, ‘Is something wrong?’

‘No.’ She gestured to the papers. ‘Just a few outstanding matters at Hawthorne’s requiring my attention.’

A few? he thought. She’d retired some two hours before him. Had she been working all that time? Here , only yards away from where he’d been reading? Here , her warm, smooth skin gilded by the lamplight? Alarmed by the direction his mind was taking, he cleared his throat to say, ‘And you’re doing this now because …?’

‘Because I was too busy earlier.’ The word ‘obviously’ hung ghost-like in the air. ‘And even if I’d had the time, I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate with Ruth bobbing in and out, tidying things and talking.’

And that was when Daniel identified the real issue. Like him, she needed a place in which to work. He had the library. All she had was this room, sandwiched between their bedchambers. He said, ‘I’m sorry. I should have realised that you’d need an office of your own. I wish you had told me. And if there are other such things, I hope you will tell me. But we’ll address this one first thing tomorrow. There is a room leading off the library – not large but pleasant and unused since my grandmother’s time. Presumably you’ve seen it?’ And when she nodded, ‘Will it do?’

She smiled at him, turning a little pink. ‘Very well indeed.’

‘In that case, give whatever orders are needed and make it your own. And for God’s sake, do not thank me. This is your home , Anna. Treat it as such. Goodness knows you’re pouring enough money and effort into it. Time, as well – if the fact you’re working at one in the morning is anything to go by. Is it?’

‘Partly. With regard to the house, I want to get as much done as is feasible in as short a time as possible and with a minimum of discomfort for everybody – so organising and scheduling is crucial and time-consuming. But it’s only temporary. In a few weeks, everything will settle down.’

‘And meanwhile you’re burning the midnight oil?’

‘No. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying myself.’

‘Away from Hawthorne’s? ’ he asked, half teasing, half not. ‘Really?’

‘Surprising as it may sound, yes. I want – I would like you to be proud of your home. Proud enough to invite your friends to stay.’

Not for the first time, Daniel was made faintly uncomfortable by her thoughtfulness. Also not for the first time, he wondered just how much money she had at her disposal and quite how much of it marrying him had, and still was, costing her. But these weren’t questions he could ask; and, even if they had been, the middle of the night, with both of them dressed for bed and the air around them swirling with inappropriate suggestions, wasn’t the best time for that or any other conversation.

He said, ‘I’m sure I shall be. But sufficient unto the day, Anna. Leave what you were doing and get some sleep. You won’t enjoy anything if you’re dead on your feet tomorrow. Don’t forget the lamps. Good night.’

And with a nod and a smile, he left her.

She watched the door close behind him and click shut. Still staring after him, she realised something odd. This was the first time that she’d actually felt married.

Back in his own chamber, Daniel shed the robe and slid back between the sheets. He was uneasily aware that something indefinable had shifted in the last half hour … but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was. So he waited until the ribbon of light beneath the parlour door went dark and then settled down to sleep.

***

Ten days later, Anna declared the refurbishment of both drawing-room and entrance hall almost complete and Daniel found himself summarily evicted from the library and installed in the little-used winter parlour. To Anna’s surprise, he objected to this less than she had anticipated … and instead informed her that, following her advice, he’d opened an account for his mother at her former dressmaker in Gloucester.

‘Like Rebecca, Mama will receive a quarterly allowance but she prefers that larger bills be sent to me.’ He grinned wryly. ‘And since both she and Becky know this, I doubt they’ll waste any time taking advantage of it.’

‘They won’t,’ admitted Anna. ‘But that’s understandable. When did either of them last have a new gown?’

‘I dread to think. Two years, at least – probably more.’

‘Then you can expect their first visit to be an expensive one.’

‘I’d guessed as much.’ Daniel hesitated and then said, ‘But after it, perhaps we can begin repairing our fractured relationship with the neighbouring families?’

‘Yes. For a long time, from your mother’s point of view, everything has been about her inability to keep up appearances. It’s why I felt superficial improvements in the main reception rooms should be accomplished without delay.’

‘ Superficial improvements?’ he queried gently.

‘Yes. New curtains here, a coat of paint there and plenty of polish,’ replied Anna. ‘We can do better than that later. But for now, the house looks less … tired. So when there are also new clothes, perhaps your mother and Rebecca might begin paying calls and receiving visitors.’

He nodded. ‘You and I could prepare the way for that. As soon as is feasible, I want to go to Hazelmere. But before that I’d like to introduce you to at least some of the local families.’

‘Bride visits in reverse, you mean?’ she said doubtfully. Then, ‘Well, it sends the right message, I suppose. The one that says Lord Reculver and his family are ready to rejoin the world.’

‘Exactly. So, with that in mind, will you wish to join Mama and Rebecca at the modiste’s after all?’

‘No. I don’t need new clothes. And I’ve other plans for the coming days – the most pressing being to ensure that your exile from the library is as brief as possible.’

‘For which you’ll have my undying gratitude. But don’t deny yourself a day out on account of it.’

‘I’m not. And when I said I had other plans, I meant it.’

Daniel eyed her thoughtfully. ‘Your choice, of course. But may I ask what you consider preferable to shopping?’

‘Visiting some of the tenants in order to get to know them better. And if you have no objection, I’ll also call in at the school. I helped with the one at home so I won’t just be meddling for the sake of —’

‘Anna, stop. I know you won’t be meddling indiscriminately. And you don’t need my permission for things of this sort. If you continue seeking it, I’ll feel obliged to retaliate in kind by asking yours for every penny I spend before I spend it.’

‘No. I don’t want that.’

‘So you’ve said. As I have repeatedly reminded you that you are my wife and this is your home now. So regarding the school and any other similar matter, do what you feel is necessary. I – and the tenants and villagers – can only be grateful. And I imagine the school always has need of something.’

‘Reading books, usually,’ she nodded. ‘Ones for each level of age and ability. Being shared by numerous children means they wear out quickly, so there’s a constant need for replacements. Depending on what I find and how well the schoolmistress and I get on, I’ll probably offer a quarterly contribution for books as I did at – in Upper Wick. Later … well, we’ll see.’

Daniel nodded and, deciding to turn the subject slightly, said, ‘If you’re going to any of the outlying farms, take the gig. Most of the lanes are too narrow for your phaeton.’

‘I’d take the gig even if they weren’t,’ she replied. ‘I don’t want to arrive like visiting royalty. It wouldn’t be a good start.’

***

On the following morning, a letter arrived from Harold Grimshaw.

Daniel stared at it for a long time before walking through to his wife’s office, saying, ‘Do you have a moment?’

Anna laid down her pen. ‘Of course. What is it?’

He held up the letter. ‘Grimshaw. If he doesn’t hear from me very soon, he’s threatening to come here – which is the very last thing I want.’

She waved at the chair on the other side of the desk and, when he sat, said, ‘So?’

‘I’ll go to him. But I’m also thinking of involving the lawyers. There may be questions they can ask that haven’t occurred to me – not just of Grimshaw, but of his bank. The officials there won’t talk to me but they may talk to Longhope. What do you think?’

‘It’s worth a try.’ She pondered for a moment and then added, ‘We could even add Mr Landry, if you like. I could instruct him to write to Grimshaw querying the debt. Receiving letters from my man-of-law as well as yours may make him wonder if the game is worth the candle.’

Quite slowly, Daniel grinned at her. ‘And if none of that works?’

‘I suppose we either pay him or think again. But for now, you’d better stop him turning up on the doorstep. Go and see him. Tell him he’ll be hearing from your lawyers and coming here won’t aid his cause – oh, and tell Flynn not to admit him if he does.’

Laughter lit his eyes. ‘Anything else, ma’am?’

‘Not that I can think of.’ She pulled a couple of sheets of paper towards her then glanced up as if wondering why he was still there. ‘Was there something else?’

‘No. Yes. I’ve been very self-absorbed, haven’t I? Involving you in my problems but never sparing a thought for any you might have.’

‘I have none of any consequence.’

‘So that fellow Harvill has stopped plaguing you?’

‘It seems so.’ She picked up her pen, preparing to get back to work. Then, just as Daniel turned to go, she muttered, ‘Since he held up my carriage, at all events.’

Spinning on his heel, Daniel snapped, ‘He what? ’

Anna sighed and laid the pen down again.

‘He’d stopped pestering Nathaniel for an appointment and took to trying to see me at home instead. That failed as well because I’d given orders he wasn’t to be admitted. But he persisted so I had Sedley tell him that if he came to my door again, I’d report him to the local magistrate for harassment. And that seemed to end it.’

‘Seemed to – but didn’t?’

‘No. I was on my way home from the manufactory. He and his man blocked the road so my coachman was forced to pull up. Harvill made yet another – and frankly ridiculous – offer for Hawthorne’s. Yet again I refused and repeated my threat about the magistrate. He let me pass then and – ’

‘ Did you report it?’ cut in Daniel, sitting down again.

‘No. Because he stopped bothering me so there wasn’t any need.’

‘Thus far. And mostly because you’re no longer there for him to bother.’

‘All right, I take the point,’ she conceded with a note of faint irritation. ‘But all I wanted was for him to accept that no means no and he finally appears to have done so.’

‘You thought that before and he accosted you on the road,’ he pointed out. And then, said, ‘I’m guessing that, if he wants a porcelain manufactory, there are others he could buy.’

‘There are.’

‘So why not settle for one of them? Why has he fixed on Hawthorne’s?’

‘I have no idea.’

‘You haven’t ever wondered?’

‘Well, of course I’ve wondered. But – ’

‘You don’t think there’s something peculiar about this level of persistence?’

This time she didn’t reply but merely sent him a look that suggested it was his level of persistence she found most annoying. Ignoring this, Daniel said mildly, ‘You’ve never considered having him investigated?’

Anna blinked. ‘Not that exactly – though I did ask Mr Lowe to see what he could find out. But since Harvill hasn’t actually done anything illegal, it’s hardly a case for Bow Street, is it?’

‘No. But there are other avenues.’ He stood up. ‘I know a gentleman who I believe is accustomed to handling that kind of thing. If Harvill surfaces again, we can discuss that option.’ He sent her a fleeting grin, then glanced at the clock. ‘And now I’m leaving for Cirencester . I can be there before dark, call on Grimshaw first thing tomorrow and be home in time for dinner.’

***

This time Grimshaw’s door was opened by an attractive, middle-aged woman who – since she was wearing her hat – was presumably about to go out.

Bowing politely and offering a slight smile, Daniel said, ‘Good morning, ma’am. I was hoping to see Mr Grimshaw. Is he at home?’

‘Why, yes – both of them are,’ she replied, stepping aside so that he could enter and seemingly both flustered and confused. ‘Were you looking for my brother-in-law or my son, sir?’

‘The former. I haven’t the pleasure of your son’s acquaintance, ma’am. Perhaps you would be good enough to tell Mr Grimshaw senior that Viscount Reculver is here and would appreciate a few minutes of his time?’

If she had looked flustered before, her reaction to his name was one of something akin to fright.

‘Reculver?’ she breathed. ‘ Oh . Oh … of course. You are … you must be …’

‘Still here, Alice?’ Grimshaw appeared from a door further down the hall. ‘Were not you and William going to the charitable event at All Saints?’

‘Yes. But Will forgot the letter he was to take to the rector so he – ’

‘Is doubtless trying to recall where he put it.’ Opening the door to the same room in which he’d received Daniel last time, Grimshaw said, ‘Please take a seat, my lord – I will be with you in just a moment.’

Finding himself inside with the door shut behind him just as hurried footsteps sounded on the stairs, Daniel wondered why Grimshaw was so determined to separate him from his relatives. Because they didn’t know what he was up to? Or because they did?

He listened to the sounds of feet on the stairs, of brief, low-voiced conversation and finally of the door to the street opening, then closing again. As soon as it had done so, Grimshaw joined Daniel in the small parlour and said, ‘This is unexpected, my lord. Dare I hope you’ve seen the wisdom of paying what you owe?’

‘Not exactly,’ replied Daniel calmly. ‘I’ve seen the wisdom of placing your persistent demands in the hands of both my own lawyers and those of my wife. Henceforth, they will be handling the matter on my behalf and consequently, turning up at my home will do you no good at all.’

‘Keen to keep me away from your mother and your new bride, my lord?’

‘As keen, let us say, as you appear to be to keep me away from your family.’ Daniel sighed. ‘The situation is very simple, Mr Grimshaw. I’m loth to settle a debt I’m not convinced ever existed. Unless you can give my lawyers adequate proof that it did you won’t see a penny from me. And that, I am afraid, is my last word.’

‘You might regret that – as might your lady wife. And yes, I do know who you’ve married. You did well there if what I’ve heard about her is true.’

‘Let’s stick to the point, shall we?’ snapped Daniel.

‘I am sticking to it. I’m pointing out that there’s worse things than being a few thousand out of pocket.’ Grimshaw smiled, but not pleasantly. ‘If you’re wise, you won’t risk finding that out the hard way.’

‘And if you’re wise, you won’t resort to threats. I can assure you that I don’t respond well to them.’

‘That wasn’t a threat, my lord. That was a piece of good advice. A threat would be me asking whether, now your father’s gone, you won’t mind the truth coming out.’

Daniel frowned. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

‘Something you’d be much happier not knowing.’

If that’s the case, why mention it? thought Daniel. But he said, ‘What, exactly?’

‘Something your father kept quiet for twenty-five years – and not just from the world. Mostly, he wanted it kept from your mother and you and your little sister. That was my deal with him, you see. Maybe you should think on that before you start talking about lawyers and the like … because once things come into the light, it can be hard to put them back in the dark.’

Understanding arrived like a punch to Daniel’s stomach. He said incredulously, ‘ Blackmail? ’

‘That’s an ugly word. I prefer to call it … keeping your father’s secret. And, in return, he’s helped me look after my sister-in-law and her son when my own finances were over-stretched.’

‘Blackmail,’ said Daniel again. And then, ‘For twenty-five years? ’

‘Keeping his secret. And I’ll go on keeping it for one final payment of four thousand pounds.’

He won’t , said a voice in Daniel’s head. If I pay once, there will never be an end to it. He’ll come back, over and over again – as it seems he did to Father . And then, hard on its heels, Is that what those loans were for? To pay off this little weasel? And for what, for God’s sake? What could Father have done that was so terrible he’d pay to keep it hidden for two-and-a-half decades?

‘No,’ he said coldly. ‘I’ll be damned before I pay you another penny.’

‘Not even,’ murmured Grimshaw slyly, ‘to know what it was your father thought worth protecting you from all these years?’

That was so tempting that Daniel hesitated briefly. But his previous thought still held. Blackmailers never stopped unless their bluff was called.

‘Wouldn’t that be breaking your ‘deal’ with my father?’ he taunted. ‘And no. Not even for that. Do your worst, Grimshaw – and be prepared for me doing the same. There will be no more money. Instead, I’ll be doing my damnedest to bring a charge of extortion against you. Good day.’

And turning on his heel, he walked out.

Once in the fresh air of the street, he took a moment to think about the woman who had answered the door. She must be Grimshaw’s widowed sister-in-law, with whom he’d said he lived from time to time. Yes. And she had a son – who, given her current age, wouldn’t be a child. Daniel wondered whether there was anything to be gained by talking to them. Judging by the widow’s reaction, his name had meant something to her. It might be interesting to find out what. Where had Grimshaw said she and her son were going? A charity event at All Saints Church? Yes, that was it.

Daniel strode back to the main road and asked the first person he met for directions.

***

The centre of the church was busy. There were little stalls selling home-made cakes, jams and handicrafts in every available space and what looked like half the ladies in the town either buying or selling. Daniel dropped two guineas on to a collection plate just inside the door, then paused and took a long look around, hoping to spot Grimshaw’s sister-in-law. What had she been wearing? He tried to see her in his mind’s eye. Dark hair with a few strands of grey and a trim figure. A black straw hat tied with blue ribbons and … and a short grey cloak over a blue-and-grey striped gown? Yes. Fairly confident that was right, he sauntered onwards.

There were a lot of black hats; hats with feathers, with flowers and with ribbons, none of them the one he was looking for. And then he saw it – saw her , near the altar end of the nave, deep in conversation with a fellow in a cassock who was presumably the rector and a tall fellow in a dark coat. Her son?

Preferring, if possible, to remain unseen, Daniel moved closer through the shadows of the north aisle and halted, half concealed by a pillar. The vicar clapped the young man on the shoulder, said something that made both him and his mother laugh and walked away. Mother and son exchanged a couple of sentences, then turned to go, thus giving Daniel his first proper look at them … or more specifically, at him .

One look was all it took to paralyse his brain and suck the air from his lungs.

Oh my God , he thought. So that’s it .

~**~**~