Cavendon Hall (20 page)

Diedre merely raised an eyebrow eloquently, murmured off-handedly, “As if anybody cares.”

Dulcie was instantly offended, and flounced away on her plump little legs, making for Daphne, whom she adored. “
You
are the most beautiful of the big sisters,” she exclaimed in a very loud voice.

Daphne reached for Dulcie, her face soft with love for her little sister, and she embraced her. “And you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” Against her hair, she whispered, “I’m going to give you one of my jewelled tortoiseshell hair slides later, and a new lace hankie.”

“Ooooo, thank you, Daphne.” Lowering her voice, Dulcie confided, “Diedre’s angry because I met Hugo first.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, darling. Just because he chose to meet you first is not your fault.”

Dulcie frowned for a second, and then laughed. “Oh! I must tell Mama that, and—”

The earl reclaimed Dulcie, and said, “You’d better come with me to say hello to Great-Aunt Gwendolyn. You know she enjoys talking to you.”

“Oh yes, let’s do that. I have a present for her, Papa.”

The earl glanced down at Dulcie, frowning. “Where is it?”

“In my pocket.” She patted the side of her flounced organdy frock, and walked sedately across the room with her father.

“Ah, here you are, Dulcie, and in such a nice party frock,
blue,
of course,” Lady Gwendolyn said, smiling at her, thinking how lucky Charles and Felicity were … the four Dees were all lovely, and the two boys were handsome. “I can understand why everyone says you’re like a Botticelli angel,” she added.

“With a will of steel,” Diedre murmured, and got up, went to talk to her mother, who was standing with Charlotte and Cecily near the bay window overlooking the lawns.

The earl, surprised by this comment, raised a brow and glanced at his aunt. He shrugged, shook his head. “She just can’t resist making that kind of nasty remark,” Charles murmured, sounding slightly put out.

“I know what you mean,” his aunt responded, and wondered if Diedre had inherited that trait from her.

Dulcie said, “She doesn’t like me. I’m a nuisance, the little madam, that’s what she says.”

Both Charles and Lady Gwendolyn were taken aback by these comments from the child, and simply stared at each other.

Drawing closer to her great-aunt, Dulcie now gave her a huge smile, and announced, “I have a present for you.”

“Oh how nice, you’re such a darling child. I like presents, you know. I suppose everyone does.”

Reaching into her pocket, Dulcie took out a barley-sugar hard sweet, and handed it to her great-aunt.

Lady Gwendolyn took it gingerly, gazing at it curiously for a moment, detecting bits of fluff and lint stuck to it. The candy looked to her as if it had been around for days without its paper wrapper. And who knew where, since it was decidedly grubby. “How kind of you, Dulcie,” Lady Gwendolyn said at last, and smiled at her. She put the candy in her handbag. “I’ll save it for later,” she explained. “I don’t want it to spoil my afternoon tea.”

“But don’t forget the sweetie, will you? I saved it specially for you, Great-Aunt Gwendolyn.”

“I won’t. And thank you again. You’re very generous.”

Amused, Charles grinned at his aunt, then escorted his youngest child over to her mother, now sitting on the sofa in the bay. He wondered where Hugo was, when he suddenly appeared in the doorway of the yellow sitting room.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Hugo exclaimed, glancing around the room, taking in everyone. Some he knew, others he didn’t. He went on, “Well, here I am at last! Hello, everyone!”

They answered, “Hello,” in unison, and laughed, and a few clapped as he strolled forward, greeting those he knew with a kiss, or a shake of the hand, and introducing himself to those he didn’t know with ease and charm.

He was pleased when he saw Alice Swann, and stopped to speak to her for a few moments. He smiled at Daphne, who was seated next to her, and murmured, “You look exceptionally beautiful, Daphne.”

She smiled back. “Thank you, Hugo.”

Hugo felt himself growing hot all over, and he quickly stepped away, headed across the floor to join his aunt. He took charge of himself at once, knowing he must not display any emotions in front of his family, especially if Daphne was present. He had to be calm and collected; the absolute gentleman. Nothing must appear to be improper.

Lady Gwendolyn had a loving smile on her face when he bent down to kiss her cheek, and she squeezed his arm. He sat down on the sofa next to her, and took her hand in his.

There was a tremor of emotion in her voice when she murmured, “Thank God you’ve come home at last. I’ve worried about you for years, Hugo.”

“Well, here I am, Aunt Gwen, and glad to be back. I’ve missed
you
 … missed everybody really. But
you
most of all, you know.”

She was unable to speak for a moment, and he noticed the glint of tears in her blue eyes.

He said quietly, “Before we start catching up, I just want you to know I haven’t come here to claim Little Skell Manor. I don’t want it; you can live there as long as you want, for the rest of your life, Aunt Gwen.”

“I never thought you were going to turf me out, Hugo. You were the kindest of boys, and I didn’t think you’d changed. I loved you, and I still love you. You’re rather like the son I never had, and I was devastated when you were sent away. It was unconscionable of your mother. She really was mentally unhinged after Peter drowned. Still, there was no reason to blame you.”

She sighed. “I grieved for you, but your father told me he often saw you … I knew Ian would never abandon you. He loved you.” She smiled and squeezed his hand. “Here you are now, and thank you, by the way, for Little Skell Manor. But I never thought you’d want it.”

Hugo was silent for a moment, touched by her words. At last, he said, “So, tell me everything that’s happened since I’ve been gone.”

Lady Gwendolyn chuckled. “Not much, darling. I just carry on, potter around, go up to town occasionally, to see friends, have quiet dinners and, of course, I can’t do without the theater. So I’m quite sure you have more to tell me. Oh and Hugo, I must offer you my deepest condolences. Charles told me you were widowed a year ago. I am so very, very sorry, my dear.”

“Thank you, Aunt Gwen. I must admit, it has been hard. Unfortunately, Loretta was ill with consumption, which is why we moved to Zurich, for the mountain air, and the good sanatoriums.” He let out a sigh. “She was too far gone, too ill to get better.”

He shifted slightly on the sofa, and looked off into the distance. “I realized how lonely I was in Zurich, and one day I just knew I had to live in England again. It was such a strong desire I finally made up my mind to come home … you see, I yearned for my own people, for all of you, and for this Yorkshire land I know so well.”

*   *   *

Later, once the afternoon tea was over, Charlotte, Alice, and Cecily walked back to Little Skell village together, taking the path through the park.

At one moment, Alice said, “Hugo wants to buy a property here, as close to Cavendon as possible. But there isn’t anything around, at least not for sale.”

“He told me the same thing,” Charlotte remarked. “I mentioned a couple of estates near Middleham, but he wasn’t interested.”

“I know he wants to settle in Yorkshire, he told me so. Now that he’s widowed, he’s lonely. He wishes to be with his own people,” Alice said. “In the last year he’s yearned for Yorkshire, at least so he confided.”

Charlotte nodded. “Maybe he wants to get married again. After all, he’s only thirty-two. He’s good-looking, very eligible, and extremely successful in business.” She suddenly began to laugh. “He’s not only looking for a house, but a wife most probably.”

Cecily pricked up her ears, and looking at her mother, she said, “I think he’s found her already.”

Alice was taken aback. She came to a standstill, stared at Cecily. “What do you mean?”

“I think Hugo has found someone to be his wife.”

“Don’t be so silly! He’s only been here for a day!” Alice exclaimed.

“Yes, I know that, Mam, but I watched him, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. You were all talking to each other, eating, and mingling. I was sitting alone on the seat in the other bay window. I just sat and watched everyone, all of you. But it was Hugo who I watched most, because whenever he thought no one would notice, he was staring at her … sort of … longingly.”

“But
who
was he staring at?” Charlotte asked, sounding a little impatient.

“Daphne.”

Charlotte was flabbergasted, and she exchanged a glance with Alice, who was also shocked.

There was a small silence.

Cecily broke the silence when she cried, “Don’t you believe me, Mam? I’m not inventing it. I’m not. I’m not!”

“Yes, yes, I do believe you,” Alice was quick to answer, giving Charlotte a sideways glance, raising a brow. “I just don’t know how I could have missed his interest in her, that’s all.”

“I do. He was very … clever about it, throwing her a glance, staring, eyeing her, sort of …
secretly,
” Cecily explained.

“Do you mean surreptitiously?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes, that’s the word, Aunt Charlotte.”

“Did Daphne notice, do you think?” Alice wondered out loud.

Cecily shrugged. “I’m not sure … maybe. No, I don’t think so. She’s used to people staring at her, because she’s so beautiful. She probably didn’t think anything about it, even if she did notice, and just took it for granted, that’s all.”

“And why do
you
think differently, Cecily? What made you say Hugo might have found a wife already?” Charlotte asked softly.

Cecily stared at her great-aunt, who she knew was very clever. After all, she’d worked for the fifth earl for twenty years, and was considered very intelligent.

Better be careful, Cecily warned herself, and thought very hard. She cast her mind back to the tea; in her mind’s eye, she pictured the yellow sitting room, Daphne in the blue dress, sitting with Alice. And Hugo. Handsome. Charming. Moving around the room. She focused on him intently, and closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she said, “It was written all over his face.”

“What was?” Charlotte asked. Although she thought she knew what Cecily meant, she needed to probe deeper, to be sure.

“What he
felt,
” Cecily murmured. “It was … like a
longing
…” Cecily shook her head. “I don’t know how to describe it, not really.”

“I do,” Charlotte said softly, turning her gaze on Alice. “I believe it’s called love at first sight.”

Alice nodded. “Perhaps,” she said noncommittally, but her mind was racing.

Charlotte was silent. She began walking again, and Alice and Cecily kept up with her until they arrived in the village. Once her house came into view, Charlotte said, “I’d like you to come inside for a moment, Alice, and you too, Cecily.”

They did as she asked.

Charlotte led them into her sitting room overlooking the garden, and after turning on a couple of table lamps, she said, “Please sit down for a moment. I won’t keep you very long.”

Alice said, “It’s all right, Charlotte, we have plenty of time.”

Once Alice and Cecily were settled on the sofa, Charlotte took the chair opposite. Leaning forward intently, she looked from Alice to Cecily, and said quietly, “I believe you, Cecily, because I know you are extremely observant. What you saw on Hugo’s face was emotion … he probably is unusually attracted to Daphne.”

Cecily nodded. “I know he is,” she asserted confidently.

“You cannot tell anyone what you’ve just told me and your mother. This must remain a secret. It must be our secret.”

“Oh,” Cecily said, sounding puzzled, then asked, “Why?”

“At this moment, Daphne Ingham has to be protected. By the Swanns. Don’t ask me why, because I cannot tell you. Eventually you will know, because your mother and I may well need your help. Do you understand?”

“You mean I can’t tell Miles or DeLacy that I saw Hugo ogling Daphne all the time?”

“That is correct.”

“But they’re Inghams.”

“That does not come into play here,” Charlotte responded adamantly. “And if they noticed anything, and mention it to you, dismiss the idea as silly. What you told us about Hugo is our secret. No one else must know. Tell no one. Trust no one. Trust only the Swanns. You do understand this, don’t you, Cecily?”

Cecily realized that her aunt was in deadly earnest, and extremely serious. She said, “I understand that I cannot tell anyone anything. And I know what I saw must be a secret.”

“Correct. You know the motto? The oath?”

“Yes.”

“You will take it now, for the first time. And you will honor it all of your life.”

“Yes, I will.” Cecily stretched out her arm and made a fist. “Loyalty binds me,” she said.

Charlotte stiffened her arm, clenched her fist, and put her hand on top of Cecily’s. “Loyalty binds me,” she repeated. Alice followed suit, and did exactly the same thing.

“It is done,” Charlotte said. “You are sworn to protect the Inghams. You must never fail. No Swann ever has.”

*   *   *

It was twilight when Charlotte walked across the street to speak to Alice. She was opening the white garden gate when Alice appeared on the doorstep of her house, and walked down the path to meet her.

Charlotte said, “I’ve been thinking … I believe it would be better for the Swanns to stay on the sidelines for the moment.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Alice said, leaning against the gate.

“Ceci said that Hugo was ogling Daphne; that was the word she used. It doesn’t really mean anything, does it? Men ogle women all the time.”

“That’s true … you said you thought it was love at first sight, though,” Alice remarked, giving her a very direct look.

“Yes, because Ceci said Hugo had a look of
longing
on his face. Maybe I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

Alice bit her lip. “I understand, but you know she can’t get involved with him on any level, Charlotte, not in her condition. My God, what if he somehow found out … discovered our secret? That would be disastrous!”