CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Alex stood with his family in the driveway at Wallace Downs. Though it was a ridiculous piece of vanity, he was attired in his finery, playing the part of the rich, landed gentleman he was. With his old enemy about to arrive, he was determined to show off.
Abigail stood with him, holding his hand, and she was trembling slightly. He kept squeezing her fingers, a quiet message to calm down. There was no reason to be so overwhelmed.
The twins were in front of them, fidgeting and so excessively excited that they couldn’t be still or be quiet. Before Abigail had had a chance to apprise them about their father, the scamps had already heard the news.
They’d spent hours preparing, trying to plan every aspect down to the tiniest detail, almost as if they were terrified he wouldn’t like them, but they needn’t have fretted. In their white dresses, shined shoes, braided hair, and starched petticoats, they looked beautiful, exactly as the daughters of an earl should look.
Arrayed behind them were Abigail’s sisters, Catherine and Sarah. Sarah’s husband, Nicholas, was positioned between them and tightly clutching their arms as if—should he let go—they might simply collapse.
Nicholas’s mother, Mildred, whom the twins considered their grandmother, was off to the side. Alex’s sister, Faith, had even walked over from her cottage to be present. She was flanked by her guests, Reggie and Susan Miller, who’d come for a visit but who seemed to be staying forever.
The household was in an uproar, with the servants being as astounded as everyone else. The story of Henley’s return from the dead had spread like wildfire, and people would gossip about it for decades. The staff was thrilled to participate in the monumental event, and all of them had put in extra effort to make the property perfect.
Alex was proud and pleased, but exhausted and disconcerted too. He was telling himself that all would be well. He and Henley had met face to face, had conversed like adults. They hadn’t reignited their quarrel. They hadn’t fought.
He’d informed Henley that he would never upset Abigail, and Henley had agreed that he wouldn’t either. Hopefully—with that base as their goal—they would be able to stagger forward.
Alex’s life was in the midst of enormous change. From the day Abigail had strolled in earlier in the summer to work as the twins’ governess, he’d been immersed in a period of great upheaval. He was eager for matters to smooth out and revert to normal, but maybe they never would.
“I’m so nervous,” Abigail said.
“Don’t be nervous. He’s your brother. It’s completely natural for him to call on us.”
“It’s not natural. Not in my world. Not now. Not after all these years have passed.” She peeked up at him. “Was it appropriate for all of us to dress up and wait for him as if he’s a king or a conquering hero? Are we overdoing it?”
“We could hardly have loitered in the house. That would have been rude.”
“I suppose.”
Millie peered up at Abigail. “Where is he, Aunt Abigail? Why isn’t he here?”
“Might he have had an accident?” Mary anxiously asked.
“Nothing happened,” Abigail assured them. “Keep watching. See who can catch a glimpse of him first.”
Abigail had sent footmen out on the road to track Henley and Christopher. At last report, they were a few miles away, just on the other side of the village.
“Will he like us?” Millie inquired for what had to be the hundredth time.
Alex smiled down at her. “Yes, you pretty little thing. He’ll like you very, very much.”
“He already likes you,” Sarah added. “Remember? When Alex talked to him, you girls were the only topic he cared to discuss.”
The twins shared a secret glance. They made him wish he could read minds and decipher what they were saying to each other. Or it might be better that he didn’t know. With how horridly he’d treated them in the past, he probably shouldn’t hear.
Alex had stellar vision, and he saw the two men, but didn’t comment. He wanted the twins to be the ones who sighted them. They were agog and impatient, and their enthusiasm depressed him.
He had no doubt, given a choice, they’d rather live with Henley, but Alex had gotten used to thinking of them as his daughters. He’d gotten used to having them around and underfoot.
Yes, he and Abigail would have many children of their own, but that wouldn’t dim his affection for them. After all he’d endured with them, he felt as if they were war survivors, that they were bonded as no father and daughters could ever be.
“There he is!” Millie pointed, and she grinned up at Alex. “It’s him, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s him,” Alex murmured.
The twins squealed with joy, and there was a collective gasp by the assembled group. Christopher and Henley were trotting up the lane, and suddenly, they rode out of the trees. Christopher had donned his traveling clothes—coat, trousers, and boots—and looked like the British gentleman he was, but Henley looked like a damned pirate.
He hadn’t bothered to clean himself up. His blond hair was unbarbered, and it curled over his shoulders. He hadn’t shaved, so stubble darkened his chin. There was an earring dangling from his ear, which Alex viewed as the oddest thing about him.
He was armed to the teeth, as if he’d expected an attack during the trip. But then, he’d just been shot by Desdemona right in his own garden, so perhaps he was wise to be wary, but all those weapons left Alex uneasy. What must he have suffered to be so cautious and mistrustful?
Though Alex would never admit it, he was extremely curious as to the answer to that question, and he was dying to learn about Henley’s adventures. He couldn’t wait to eavesdrop while Henley’s sisters interrogated him and pried out details.
Christopher was laughing and waving, Henley stoic and taciturn. They approached until they were directly in front of Alex.
“Guess who I brought!” Christopher said to the crowd in general.
Henley didn’t speak a greeting, and his sisters hesitated, not certain of the protocol. His hot gaze swept across the gathering, then froze on the only two he seemed truly intent on seeing.
With the agility of a circus performer, he leapt to the ground and marched over to Mary and Millie. He stared down, then he fell to his knees and reached out to them. They ran over and tackled him, practically knocking him down.
For an eternity, they huddled together, locked in a poignant embrace. Their reunion was so touching that people were sniffling and wiping their eyes. Alex, himself, was getting a tad misty.
Finally, Henley stood, and he picked up the twins, but they weren’t small girls any longer. They were almost ten, but he was strong as an ox and—despite his recent wound—he didn’t notice how heavy they were.
A daughter on each hip, he shifted his focus to his sisters. He nodded at each of them, then he said, “I bet you’re wondering where I’ve been.”
His sisters shrieked with delight and rushed over to hug him as tightly as they could.
* * * *
Robert was riding down the rural road, his son, Will, by his side, the gate to Wallace Downs just ahead.
Robert had forced Will to accompany him. Pastor Barnes had whispered a quiet comment about his antics with Becky, and Robert had instantly gone to Will and pried out the truth. The loose, immoral tart had been dragging him into deserted parlors, and they were lucky no genuine damage had occurred.
How would he keep the boy’s trousers buttoned? He had to lay down the law to Hayden. Becky Barnes needed to depart Middlebury at the earliest opportunity.
He studied the woods, lost in thought and reflecting on the prior time he’d passed through the area. He and Hayden had just arrived in England, and they’d been in a hurry to continue on to Middlebury and not sure what they’d find once they were there.
They’d actually stopped in the village and had eaten at the local tavern. The patrons had been gossiping about Alex Wallace’s pending nuptials. Who could have imagined he was about to marry Hayden’s sister?
He was thinking too about Jasper and Desdemona Henley and what a pathetic pair of human beings they were. He hoped Hayden was done fussing with them, but Robert doubted it.
He’d warned Hayden to be suspicious of them as he’d blustered in and seized control, but in Hayden’s opinion, they were lazy idiots who weren’t worth a minute of fretting. Perhaps the wound on his arm would spur him to be more concerned. If either of them threatened Hayden ever again, it would be their last stupid move.
Robert would guarantee it.
His contemplation was so grim that he wasn’t paying attention as was his usual habit, and Will yanked him out of his reverie.
“While we’re away,” Will asked, “will everyone be safe at Middlebury?”
“Why? Are you worried?”
“Desdemona won’t sneak back to cause trouble, will she?”
“I’m predicting she will. She’s deranged, so we’ll have to always be on guard. But naught will happen while Hayden is away. Desdemona is determined to kill him. She’s not angry at anybody else.”
“When should I give Hayden the letter?” Will inquired. “Pastor Barnes made me promise to deliver it right away.”
“Let me have it.”
Robert extended his hand, and Will scowled. “It’s not yours.”
“Don’t be daft. Give it to me.”
Will dithered, then obeyed. Robert broke the seal, not caring that he was snooping into Hayden’s private correspondence. If Hayden didn’t like it, he could order Robert not to snoop in the future.
Will peeked over. “What does it say?”
“Pastor Barnes has informed Hayden that Miss Barnes left Middlebury.”
“I figured that was it. It’s all anyone is talking about. Did Hayden tell you why she went?”
“If he’d confided in me, I wouldn’t chat about it with you, but no, he didn’t mention it, so I have no idea. I thought she was happy at Middlebury.”
“I thought she was too, but Becky claims Hayden planned to fire her when he returned from Wallace Downs. Apparently, he didn’t like how she was doing her job.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Why would Becky lie about it?”
“Why indeed?” Robert mused.
He was irked over the situation and was terribly sorry for Miss Barnes. She had to be shocked and disconsolate. He wasn’t surprised that Hayden had proceeded—the lonely, fetching woman couldn’t remain—but why act so abruptly?
Hayden hadn’t liked her inviting Alex Wallace to the estate and had felt she’d overstepped her bounds, but he hadn’t been overly enraged. He definitely hadn’t said a word about firing her.
She’d found a new position teaching at a school, which wasn’t the worst ending for her, but what about her father and sister? They were still at Middlebury.
Robert asked Will, “Why didn’t Miss Barnes take her father and her sister with her? She’s always assumed responsibility for them. Why leave them behind?”
Will shrugged. “They might be quarreling.”
Robert stuffed the letter into the bag on his saddle, then he motioned toward the gate that led into Wallace Downs. “I’m ready to meet Hayden’s family.”
Will frowned. “What about the letter?”
“He’ll have it eventually.”
“I swore I’d deliver it immediately.”
“And you delivered it immediately—to me. I’ll hand it over at the correct time.”
“Why shouldn’t he have it now?”
“He’s busy with other matters. He hasn’t seen his sisters in ten years, and he hasn’t ever seen his daughters. We’re not bothering him about a servant back at Middlebury.”
“He viewed her as much more than a servant, and he’ll be upset to discover she’s gone.”
“Perhaps,” Robert allowed, “but I won’t have him racing home to chase after her. He has more important issues to plague him, and a female is never worth all that trouble. It’s a lesson you’ll have to learn the hard way.”
“I suppose.”
“It’s not as if she’s vanished. We know where she is. After he’s wrapped up this visit, if he decides to track her down, he can. I’ll apprise him as soon as he’s finished.”
“I think he’d track her down at once.”
“You might be right or I might be right. It could be that he’s glad to be shed of her, else why was she fired? It appears they had a disagreement, and she’s always been difficult. You have to admit that.”
“I liked her,” Will said.
“I liked her too, but more often than not, she was a pain in the ass. She was too bossy.”
“Hayden didn’t mind. He wouldn’t want you to keep this a secret.”
“Well, I am keeping it a secret, and you are too.”
Will glared mulishly, nearly refused to comply, then muttered, “I won’t tell.”
They rode up the long lane to the manor. They were surrounded by orchards, which provided stark evidence the property was thriving, but then, Hayden had always described Alex Wallace as a rich prick.
The house was magnificent, huge and grand, the lawns swathed, the gardens perfectly manicured. Off in the distance, a hint of the ocean glinted through the trees, the blue of the waves a striking contrast to the green of the grounds. It was like a picture out of a storybook.
They reined in, and servants rushed to assist them. Without argument, they relinquished their horses, figuring everyone was competent so the animals would be suitably tended. They headed for the stairs and began to climb when the front door opened, and a man emerged and started down.
Robert and Will scooted over and nodded a greeting as he passed. Then, for some reason, Robert felt compelled to halt and stare down at him. It was almost as if a rope had been tied around his ankles to delay him so he had to take note of the fellow.
He was thirty or so, tall, fit, dark-haired, and handsome. He was exactly similar to Robert at that same age or how Will would be when he was older. He even had their same blue eyes.
As he reached the driveway, he turned and peered up at Robert, and they were trapped in the strangest space. Clocks stopped ticking. The wind in the trees ceased blowing. Birds didn’t caw or flap their wings. A shiver slithered down his spine.
The man was studying Robert as if wondering whether they were acquainted, and Robert was wondering the same. There was such a perception of connection about him. Then Will shattered the peculiar moment.
“Father, are we going in? The butler is waiting.”
Will’s voice pulled him from his stupor. He whipped away and kept on.
“Who was that?” Will inquired. “Do you know him?”
“No, but he seemed familiar. I was trying to place him.”
“He looked like us.”
“Yes, just like us.”
“Maybe he’s a cousin or something. Don’t you have relatives all over England?”
It had been such an eerie episode that he felt bewitched. The hair on his neck had stood up, the air so electrified he might have been about to be struck by lightning, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
“Hello, sir,” the butler said. “How may I help you?”
“I’m here to meet Lord Middlebury. Hayden Henley? He’s expecting me.”
“Mr. Stone?”
“Yes.”
The butler smiled at Will. “And who is this fine young man?”
“My son, Will.”
“Hello, Master Will,” the man said. “Lord Middlebury is with his sisters and daughters. Will you come with me?”
He sauntered off, and they followed him, Will grinning at being called Master Will. His ego was getting as big as Hayden’s.
The butler glanced at them, and Robert seized the opportunity. “As we arrived, there was a fellow leaving the house.”
“Ah, yes, he’s a Mr. Stone too. Mr. Swift-Stone.”
Robert missed a step, then collected himself. “What’s his Christian name?”
“Nicholas. He’s married to Lady Sarah, Lord Middlebury’s sister. He resembles you and Master Will. Might he be a cousin?”
“I’ve been away from England for many decades,” Robert responded, “so I don’t remember a cousin named Nicholas, but I wouldn’t be surprised to have one.”
Robert peeked around, hoping he’d see Mr. Swift-Stone again, but they had already left the foyer so the front door wasn’t visible.
“He’s staying with us for the wedding,” the butler said. “Once he’s back, I’ll be sure you’re properly introduced.”
They marched on, Will brimming with raised brows and more grins, but with a few more strides, all memories of Mr. Swift-Stone were tucked away. They were ushered into a cozy parlor filled with sofas and chairs, and it was packed with people.
Hayden was in the center of it all, lounged on a sofa like a damned king. Or perhaps like an Arabian sultan visiting his harem. He had two very pretty little girls draped across his lap. They gazed up at him like adoring puppies. Several women sat on the floor at his feet, touching his legs as if to be certain he was real. There were even more women hovering behind him, every female assessing him with enormous approval and amazement.
There were men scattered about too, but they kept their distance, watching Hayden with wary frowns, as if they couldn’t decide what to make of him. Robert could have informed them that they didn’t need to worry. Hayden gave off an aura of menace, and there was no tamping down his frightening qualities, but he didn’t usually behave violently.
He saw Robert and Will the minute they walked in, but he didn’t rise to greet them. Not that Robert minded. Hayden would have had to abandon his gaggle of worshipful admirers. Plus—with his wound being so fresh— he was probably too exhausted to stand.
“Robert!” A genuine smile flashed. “There you are! I thought you’d never show up.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Any trouble on the road?”
“No trouble at all.”
“Come meet my sisters,” Hayden said. “Come meet my daughters.”
Robert smiled too and went over to him. Will was by his side, and the letter from Simon Barnes that had been shoved into the bag on his saddle was good and truly forgotten.
* * * *
Mildred was sitting on a bench in the park behind the manor and enjoying a last bit of warm sun before it dropped in the west.
When Hayden Henley had initially arrived, she’d dawdled in the crowd, but had hung back so as not to impose on the nostalgic reunion. The Henley siblings were sequestered in the small parlor where they liked to gather after supper or on rainy afternoons, and she’d snuck off, being careful not to let Sarah or the twins see her go.
They’d have demanded she tarry, but she hadn’t felt she should be privy to what Hayden Henley talked about with his sisters. Sarah could tell her later—if she wished Mildred to be apprised.
Nicholas had felt the same, and he’d tiptoed out too. He was out in the stables, checking on a wobbly wheel on her coach, and he would join her shortly. They’d loaf and discuss their opinion of his new brother-in-law.
For a man who’d been dead for ten years, Hayden Henley was incredibly hale and fit, but there was a hardness in his eyes that indicated rough experiences, and she hoped he’d be able to adjust to living in boring old England again without too much difficulty.
A tall, thin, and very handsome man exited the house onto the verandah. She didn’t pay him much attention as he lit a cheroot, then strolled down into the grass to smoke it. He was about her own age, and he had intriguing, weathered features signifying decades of adventures that could likely provide many interesting stories.
She hadn’t met him and wondered if he wasn’t another Wallace relative who’d come for the wedding. On further reflection, she figured he had to be with Hayden Henley.
Like Henley, he was dressed in a bandit’s sort of clothes—flowing white shirt, tan trousers, black boots—and he was heavily armed, as Henley had been armed. It was as if both of them were constantly expecting a fight to break out.
Nicholas was approaching, and she waved at him, observing as he hurried down the garden path. The man noticed him too. They smiled a greeting, and Nicholas walked over to him.
Just as he did, a boy who had to be fifteen or sixteen appeared on the verandah. He searched the garden, found the man, and skipped down the steps. The boy was another person she hadn’t met, and he looked so much like the man that she assumed they were father and son.
The man, the boy, and Nicholas stood together in a circle, and suddenly, a loud buzzing started in her ears. Her pulse was racing.
She might have been staring at a painting of the same fellow at three different phases of his life: youth, middle, older. It was as if a painter had taken a male face and gradually matured it through the various stages.
Nicholas was the first to speak, and he was near enough that Mildred could hear.
“We passed each other on the front stairs,” he said to the man, “but we weren’t introduced.”
“Yes, the butler informs me we share the same surname of Stone.” Nicholas peeked over at Mildred, as the man gestured to the boy. “My son, Will, and I were thinking we might be cousins. I haven’t been in England in several decades, and I don’t remember all my kin.”
Nicholas’s mind was whirring, and he almost seemed afraid as he asked, “What’s your Christian name?”
Mildred gasped. She didn’t need to wait for the man’s reply. As if a magnet drew her from her seat, she stumbled up and called, “Robert? Robert Stone—is that you?”
He turned toward her. “Yes, I’m Robert Stone.”
He studied Mildred, scowling, curious as to how she knew him and if he should know her. But then it had been thirty long years. She was so stunned her legs gave out, and she collapsed down onto a knee.
“Mother!” Nicholas shouted, and he rushed over and grabbed her.
Robert and his son rushed over too as Nicholas lifted her to her feet. He eased her onto the bench.
“You’re very familiar to me, ma’am,” Robert said, “but I can’t place you.”
“Oh, oh.” Mildred could hardly breathe. “Yes, Robert, I’m quite familiar to you.”
He scrutinized her, and tentatively, he murmured, “Mildred? Mildred Farnsworth?”
She burst into tears. She didn’t mean to, but she was so overwhelmed.
She’d frittered her life away, watching for him. In the beginning after he’d vanished, she’d absolutely believed he’d come back for her. Eventually, she’d had to accept that he wasn’t coming back.
She’d always prayed that she’d cross paths with him someday, and she’d invented a thousand scenarios as to how and where it might occur. But never for a moment had she envisioned the encounter happening in Alex Wallace’s garden.
Why was he at Wallace Downs?
Recently, she’d given up all that hoping, had decided it was time to move on. As many people had counseled, all that yearning had driven her a bit mad. And now…when she’d surrendered to reality, here he was! Like magic!
Fate was so strange.
“Mildred!” He appeared stricken. “Don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it.” She swiped at her cheeks as Nicholas pulled a kerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
“What are you doing at Wallace Downs?” Robert asked.
“What are you doing?” she countered.
“I’m Hayden Henley’s friend and partner. I’ve been traveling with him for years, and he wanted me to meet his family. How about you?”
“Nicholas is my son, and he’s married to Sarah Henley. I’m…he’s…you are…we…ah…”
She couldn’t explain.
When Robert had abandoned her after their failed elopement, they hadn’t known she was increasing with his child. Though with how they’d carried on, it shouldn’t have been a surprise. They’d gone at it like a pair of rabbits, but then, they’d presumed they were about to wed, that shortly, they’d be husband and wife so any misbehavior would be excused by a recitation of the vows in Gretna Green.
Yet their wedding had never transpired. Her father had caught them and dragged her home.
Robert didn’t know she’d had a baby. He didn’t know that baby had been jerked from her arms minutes after it was born and supposedly put out for adoption. He didn’t know how Mildred had grieved and mourned, how she’d fretted and searched.
His son, Nicholas, was right next to him, but he didn’t know, and she couldn’t confess it. It was beyond her.
Nicholas immediately recognized her dilemma.
“I’ll tell him, Mother. Would you like me to?”
“Yes, please.”
“Mr. Stone,” Nicholas said to him, “I’m betting this will come as a shock to you, but I am Mildred’s son.” He hesitated, and when Robert simply frowned, not understanding, Nicholas added. “I am your son too.”
Robert’s frown deepened. “What?”
“When you left,” Nicholas continued, “were you aware she was pregnant with your child? We’ve assumed you were unaware. We assumed you were too honorable to have deserted her when she was in dire straits.”
Robert was flummoxed. “You’re claiming I’m your father? Is that it?”
“Well, look at me. Look close. We could be twins.”
The four of them froze, an odd quartet, and for a horrified instant, she worried Robert would deny her and Nicholas, that he might declare it impossible, that there had been no affair. The pause extended long enough for it to dawn on her that Nicholas had a brother. That he was with them too.
Had Robert married? Was he still married? How many children had he sired? How many siblings were there? My, my but her family was growing by leaps and bounds.
Robert yanked his attention from Nicholas and focused it on Mildred. “You were increasing?”
“Yes.”
“I had no idea,” he insisted. “I swear.”
He was so bewildered that she could only chuckle. “I believe you, but pardon me if I ask: Where have you been, you unreliable oaf?”
Before Robert could begin his answer, Nicholas gazed at Will Stone and suggested, “Why don’t you and I give them some privacy? We have a few matters of our own to discuss.”
Will studied his father, studied Mildred. “I’m completely confused. What’s happening?”
Nicholas laid a hand on Will’s shoulder. “Let’s walk to the beach. I’ll explain it.”
Mildred said to Nicholas, “Do you realize who he is to you?”
“Yes, Mother, I realize, and I’ll tell him. I can’t wait.”
* * * *
“Mildred. My goodness,” Robert said. “We’ve both lived a lifetime since we were acquainted all those years ago.”
“But it seems as if I still know you, as if not a single day has passed.”
She gestured to the spot beside her on the bench, and he eased himself down, feeling so fragile he might break into a thousand jagged pieces. They stared out at the woods, watching as Nicholas and Will disappeared into the trees.
“Where have you been?” she asked again after they’d vanished from view. “What went on that last afternoon?”
“Your father had me arrested.”
“I figured it was something like that.”
“A week or two later, his lawyer visited me in my jail cell. He had a letter from you.”
She frowned. “What did it say?”
“After reflecting on our ‘rash act’, you had obeyed your father after all and married your fiancé.”
She tsked with disgust. “I never wrote you a letter—and I never wed my fiancé.”
“Oh.”
“I wouldn’t have. My father locked me in my room for months until we learned my condition. Then I was locked in an unwed mother’s home until Nicholas was born.”
“Oh,” he repeated.
“It was hard for me.”
“I can imagine.”
“My father seized Nicholas, and I never saw him again until just recently. It was very hard. I was afraid my father might have killed him, but he didn’t.”
“Killed him!”
“Yes, he was that angry, but he didn’t commit murder. He paid a servant to take Nicholas away and raise him. She was a drunken shrew, and he suffered terribly.” She swallowed down a wave of strident emotion. “I searched for him forever, but he managed to find me.”
“I’m glad.”
“I named him after you.”
Robert smiled. “You named him Robert?”
“Yes, but someone changed it. He’s always been Nicholas, so that’s what I call him.” She scrutinized his weathered, tired face. “I waited for you forever too. Everyone told me I was crazy, but I kept waiting.”
She glanced down at her lap, as if she was embarrassed or as if she’d done something wrong. He reached over and patted her hand.
“When I read that letter,” he said, “I was so furious. I convinced myself that you were fickle and inconstant in your affection.”
“I suppose you would have been irked, but you knew me so well. Didn’t you ever wonder if it might not have been true?”
He chuckled miserably. “No, I never wondered. I was young and stupid, and your father was so powerful and wealthy. I assumed he pressured you unmercifully until you ceased your defiance. I simply packed my bags and fled England. I believed you were wed, so what was the point of tarrying? I signed on with a merchant crew bound for the Orient. I never came back until now—with Hayden. I escorted him home so I could be sure he made it safe and sound.”
“I was so worried about you that I used to consult fortunetellers. They claimed you were all right.”
“I was—mostly—but it’s been a difficult life, a lonely life.”
“You married?”
“Once. She died a year ago.”
“Were you happy with her?”
He scoffed. “We were barely acquainted. I met her when I debarked in the Canary Islands. I was very ill, and I hired her to nurse me. We grew close, but I was a sailing man and traveling was in my blood. I’d stop and see her whenever I was in that part of the world.”
“It must not have been much of a marriage.”
“It wasn’t. How about you? With your surname still being Farnsworth, you must have remained a spinster.”
“Yes—for you.”
“I can’t decide whether to be flattered or aghast. Did you ever consider marrying?”
“Never. I was scared I’d shackle myself to some dunce, then you’d stroll in. I wasn’t willing to risk it.” She sighed. “That’s quite deranged, isn’t it?”
He sighed too. “Yes, quite deranged, and I’m positive I wasn’t worth it.”
“You have a son? Will?”
“I have two. Will and Tom. Will is sixteen and Tom is twelve. He’s at Middlebury, helping out.”
“Will you stay in England? You brought Lord Middlebury home. Will you stay too?”
“It’s my plan. I’m too old to survive many more adventures, and my body is too worn out to work as hard as I’ve worked.”
She nodded, and they were silent for a bit, but it was a companionable silence. Though it was very odd, it seemed as if they’d never been separated, and despite the passage of decades, they could pick up where they’d left off. They were that type of friends.
“What now?” he ultimately asked. “I feel as if there’s magic afoot. It’s bizarre that you and I are both at Wallace Downs and that we’re connected through Hayden. I’m stunned that we have a child together. It’s a marvelous surprise.”
“Well, he’s a marvelous man. You should get to know him.”
“I intend to.”
“Fate has been directing my steps recently,” she said. “I had waited for you my whole life, but once Nicholas found me, I persuaded myself it was time to let you go.”
He snorted. “Which I’m certain was very wise.”
“But here you are anyway, so clearly, Fate is sending us an important message.”
“What might it be?”
“I have no idea, but perhaps we should figure it out.”
He linked his fingers with hers and squeezed tight.
* * * *
Desdemona arrived at her mother’s house. She’d been to the village in her new carriage. Jasper had bought it just as Henley was printing his notice in the newspapers. People had thought Jasper was still the earl, so he’d been able to drive off in it without having to pay up front.
It had been a terrible day, and she was exhausted, offended—and too dazed to climb out.
She’d spent several fruitless hours, trying to convince local shopkeepers to continue delivering supplies, but she’d been ceaselessly insulted and abused. She was in a furious temper, eager to lash out at Jasper whom she viewed as being too incompetent and distracted to stave off catastrophe.
He simply sat like a log at the dining room table, ignoring her and studying various atlases and maps, a hobby she’d never previously understood him to enjoy.
It was shocking how quickly her fortunes had reversed. Since reports of Henley’s return had been publicized, word had spread like wildfire that she and Jasper were broke and had no funds to square their debts.
Vultures were circling, smelling blood. Merchants were bluntly dismissive. Suddenly, they were drowning in legal summonses, from tailors and haberdashers, from dressmakers and jewelers, from wine and ale bottlers, from furniture makers and rug weavers.
Even a few employees were demanding back wages they were owed, and it boggled the mind that such common ingrates would dare to threaten her.
Jasper wasn’t concerned about their plight. He was content to dawdle until his cousin provided a settlement, but he didn’t realize that any money they might eventually receive would be instantly gobbled up by creditors. There would be no way to hide it or protect it. In a matter of months, they’d be beggared. Then what?
Desdemona had had the courage to murder Henley. She’d failed, but at least she’d tried. What had Jasper done to fix their dilemma? Nothing!
She was yanked out of her miserable reverie by someone pounding on the carriage door. Before she could reply, it was whipped open by a man she didn’t recognize.
“Mrs. Henley?”
She couldn’t bear to no longer be referred to as Lady Middlebury, and she almost declined to answer him, but why deny reality?
Churlishly, she said, “Yes, I’m Mrs. Henley.”
He clasped her arm and guided her out. He slapped a rash of papers into her hand.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but this vehicle is being repossessed.”
She blanched. “For what reason?”
He flashed a piteous look. “Must I spell it out?”
“Yes, I’m afraid you must.”
“For defaulting on a loan,” he insolently declared. “Read the documents I gave you. If you want to contest the issue, we’ll see you in court.”
He jumped up to the box, called to the horse, and raced away. She watched him depart, deciding it was the most humiliating episode she’d ever endured.
They were stuck in the country without transportation, without food for the larder and no means to purchase any, and the servants having fled. The indignities were piling up so high they were crushing her.
She whirled away and marched over to the house, and for a minute, she was flummoxed by what she was witnessing.
The windows had been boarded shut, the door too, and there was a legal notice nailed to it. She wrenched it down and scanned it, stunned to discover that the property was being put up for sale, and Henley had started eviction proceedings to have them kicked out.
The bastard! The cur! Where were they to live? Did the inconsiderate fiend expect them to wallow in a ditch?
She began knocking, trying to peer in the windows and shouting to Jasper over and over. She didn’t suppose he was inside, and it didn’t appear he was. Just in case, she checked the outbuildings, but the place was deserted.
She staggered over to the steps and plopped down, wondering where her husband might be and where she herself ought to go. Who—in all the world—would take her in?
She couldn’t think of a single soul.