Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Claire was still reeling from everything Lord Bannerdown had told her and accused her of, but all those thoughts flew from her mind the moment they spotted Lady Florence, hooded and cloaked, staring at the lantern attached to a horse as her rider got closer and closer.

"Lady Florence!" Ernest shouted, and the rider immediately stopped. Florence whirled around to face them, her feet sinking into the snow. The moonlight lit her up, and Claire saw the devastation on her face at being caught. Her mouth parted. She looked back at her lover, cloaked by darkness, and then at them before bursting into tears.

"Go!" she shouted. "Leave me!"

But Claire and Ernest only sped up their approach.

As they reached her, the rider dismounted, his face a picture of shock. He had not seen them approach. He said nothing, and with Ernest holding the candle, Claire could barely see his face. But this was Victor, surely. Lady Florence's lover, through letters, coming to meet her at midnight beneath the cover of night.

It was a coward's move.

"Who are you?" Ernest demanded, moving the candle closer, but the rider was clever, dodging the light. All Claire could see was a scar across his lip. She filed the knowledge away, trying to see beyond the shadows to find more of his face. "Who are you, and what are you doing with Lady Florence?"

"Cousin, please!" Lady Florence cried, going to him. "Please do not shout at him."

But Ernest paid her no mind and strode towards the rider. The young man shied away, clambering back onto his horse.

"You will not say anything to her?" Claire called out. "You shall leave her out here in the snow rather than admit your identity and be honourable?"

"Miss Gundry, please do not start such a thing," Lady Florence sobbed. "He means no harm. I only wished—"

"If you are on my estate, you will show your face," Lord Bannerdown warned. But the young man was already back on his horse.

"Lady Florence, I am sorry," he said, his voice low and cracking as if nervous from being caught.

"Do not leave me!" she cried. "Please—you promised."

But her pleas fell on unhearing ears as Victor urged his horse on. He vanished into the darkness, sparing no backward glance for the young woman he left behind, crying for him. Lady Florence let out a hard sob before she sank to her knees in the snow, her nightgown billowing around her.

Ernest glanced down at her, visibly alarmed. "Are you ill, Lady Florence? If not, I suggest you get to your feet, and you shall come back with me before my mother hears any of this commotion."

At the threat of Lady Katherine, Lady Florence allowed Claire to help her to her feet. She shivered, but when Claire tried to hold onto her, to wrap some warmth into her, she pulled away, ignoring her. Only the sounds of Lady Florence's sobs filled the air as they began the slow, hard walk back to the manor.

At least this time, they had light to guide them.

The snow sank deeply into Claire's bones, and she ached, that stinging bite from the winter snow. She wished for fire. She wished for her bed, and she yearned for a long, deep sleep. But there was a heaviness in the air, words unspoken, anger-fuelled, and she knew the night was far from over despite the late hour.

Still, the anger made Ernest's face passionate, and she could not stop glancing in his direction, no matter how much she disliked his accusations.

***

"You shall wait for me in here," Ernest instructed Lady Florence, opening the door to the drawing room. "I will send for tea."

"Allow me to, Lord Bannerdown," Claire said.

He shook his head firmly. "No, Miss Gundry. You have made it clear enough that I have not done enough to take care of my ward. So, I shall do this."

Guilt pierced her as she lifted her chin, nodding.

"Find a blanket for Lady Florence," he told her. Then he paused. "And yourself. I do not want either of you catching a chill because of my cousin's foolish actions."

"It was not foolish," Lady Florence sniffed. Her eyes were hard with her own anger, but it was her upset that won over. "I am in love, Lord Bannerdown."

He gave her a scathing look. "Wait here, and do not speak to me of more nonsense."

As he disappeared, Claire hunted for some blankets, which were kept in a chest beneath the window during the winter.

Lady Florence's whisper came moments after she draped a blanket around her shoulders. "Do you think he is truly very angry with me?"

Claire hesitated before nodding. "Yes, but it is only from his concern for you."

"If he denies my love, then how am I to explain my actions?"

"We shall wait for him to return." It was all Claire felt able to say. Lady Florence pulled away from her when Claire tried to put a comforting hand over hers. The young girl's eyes went to the window as if still looking for her lover. As if she truly did not want to accept that he may have given up and left for good.

Claire thought that after tonight, she would be surprised if Victor did not return or write to Lady Florence again. She could only hope the young man was stronger than that and proved his affections more honourably.

Lord Bannerdown returned, a maid trailing behind him with tea. She set it down on the table before them. Silence shrouded the three of them.

"Firstly," Lord Bannerdown said, "if it can be helped, Lady Katherine shall not know of this." His eyes angrily went to Claire herself and then Lady Florence. They both nodded. Ernest tried to sit down but shook his head, then remained on his feet.

"I am—I am simply disappointed with you, Lady Florence! It has been a long, hard, and tiring day, and I did not need to handle something like this as well. Do you have any idea what you almost did?"

"Lord Bannerdown," Claire tried to speak, but he held up a hand to her.

"Do not try to vouch for her, Miss Gundry. I am quite capable of handling this situation alone." He turned back to Lady Florence. "You have shown so much recklessness with your behaviour, cousin. So much carelessness for your future prospects and my reputation. What do you think people would say if they knew I had young men sneaking onto my grounds to meet you deep in the night?" He paced angrily, his rage falling off him in waves.

"Lord Bannerdown, I know Lady Florence's actions were indefensible—"

"Exactly," he shouted. "It was foolish and irresponsible. Who is he, Florence? I demand to know who he is. This is my estate, and I will know who enters it."

"It is only your estate when you wish it!" Lady Florence burst out. "You only care when it benefits you! Otherwise, you are so busy all the time with the hospital, but you do not care for Bannerdown or your title. Not the way my papa or grandfather did. You did not want me, Lord Bannerdown! I know you see me only as someone to be stuck with."

"Lady Florence, do not attempt to know my thoughts."

"He wants me," she insisted. "My family left, fallen to consumption. Miss Gundry is cross with me. You do not want me. Lady Katherine is cruel and calls me awful things. But he … my rider … he wants me. He values me. My words, my thoughts."

Lord Bannerdown's glare set onto her. "You are still young and do not know a man's true actions, Lady Florence. There is one thing a young man is after with a vulnerable young woman such as yourself."

"Cousin!" Florence cried, her cheeks flushing pink as a new wave of tears slipped down her face. "Do not sully what we have!"

"Tell me who he is, cousin."

"No," she sniffed.

"Lady Florence," Claire began. "It is beneficial for everyone to know who your rider was tonight. Perhaps Lord Bannerdown can even arrange to meet with him officially and ask him of his intentions."

Ernest cut a scowl at her, but she knew she needed to get Lady Florence back on their side if she was to divulge anything to them. Miserable, she watched the young girl shrink further and further into herself.

"I will tell you nothing," she mumbled. "You do not need to know as it is none of your business. Nothing is. You have made that clear, cousin."

"Lady Florence, returning from war and coming into this inheritance has been a great problem for me," he seethed. "I am sorry I could not always find a way to speak properly with you, but I am doing—and have done—my best for you. I cannot be your father, nor your grandfather—"

"And I am not asking you to be, but you are still my family!" she cried.

He ignored that. Claire knew that he already felt so much guilt over his lacking ability to converse with her in such ways. His face hard, he rounded on Lady Florence.

"I am doing my duty now," he told her sternly.

"Now? When it means you deprive me of any happiness I might even hope to have. I shall not tell you his name, Lord Bannerdown."

"Regardless, I will find out," he warned her. "You can either tell me it yourself, or I shall enquire alone, and who knows what other stories I may hear? If your rider attempts to meet with you beneath the cover of night, it is quite clear to tell his character. What else might I discover, Lady Florence?"

Her face was tense with tears she held back. She only shook her head.

"Then retire to your room," Lord Bannerdown dismissed. "If you shall not tell me anything of use, then I will not stand and listen to your proclamations of love. Love does not sneak through the night. Love is honourable and wishes to be known."

Claire watched as he spoke, and something eased in her chest, dissipating some of her earlier frustration. Love wishes to be known.

Her own hope rose, only to be quickly ignored when Lady Florence fled the room in a fit of tears.

"I hate you!" she cried. "And I wish my father was alive so I did not have to endure one more ignorant day with you!"

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving Claire alone with Ernest, who sighed and collapsed into an armchair. The tea on the table grew cold, untouched, yet Claire poured them both a cup.

"You must be frozen," he said, glancing at her.

"I have found the cold has been good to cool down the heat of my anger," she answered, smiling weakly.

"I wish it did for me. Was I too harsh on her?"

Claire hesitated. "There were things you said that were good for her to hear. I tried to talk to her several times myself, but she is very stubbornly independent and thinks she can do this alone."

"She is resolute, just like her father," he muttered. Ernest rubbed his fingers over his forehead and groaned. The mixture of anger and exhaustion on his face as he tipped his head back had Claire blushing and averting her gaze.

"I could not help noticing a feature on the young man's face," she commented lightly. "He had a scar marking his lip. As if he had taken a knife wound."

"Oh, truly?"

"Indeed," she answered. "It could be helpful to identify him."

"I will ask around," he said. "I must know who my cousin is risking herself for. I cannot let it continue unless I know his intentions."

"If it helps, I do not think he is the type of man to elope with her. From what Florence told me, he is very … singularly minded. I believe he asked to meet her for a kiss and nothing more."

At that, some tension released in Ernest's shoulders, and after some quiet moments, he nodded. "I see." He sighed deeply, sipping his tea before wincing and putting it down. It must have grown cold like hers. "Miss Gundry, I am truly sorry for my argument with you in the garden. I was tired, worried, and fired up and wrongfully took it out on you. Instead, I should have thanked you for your help. You guessed she would go left, and she did. I would have had us out there all night and who knows what Lady Florence would have got up to?"

Claire only smiled at him, nodding. Together, they stood to leave, ready to retire for the night. "I know a young woman's mind, Lord Bannerdown. I know how she acts when she is in love."

"How is that?" He paused at the door, holding it open for her.

"Reckless," Claire said, meeting his gaze. "Risky and not always proper."

Their gazes filled with something unspoken, and Claire blushed at the seriousness on his face. He truly was charming and handsome, and she found her breath catching in her throat. She struggled to admit how attractive his anger had been, even if the harsh words had been aimed at her. He had been passionate in his determination to secure Lady Florence's safety.

"We worked well together tonight, Miss Gundry," he said quietly. "Perhaps next time we shall do it again in rather different circumstances." He glanced behind her. "And warmer tea."

"I would like that." Her voice was whispery as they left the drawing room.

"Good night, Miss Gundry."

"Good night, Lord Bannerdown."