Midsummer at Eyre Hall: Book Three Eyre Hall Trilogy (2 page)

“Why?” I whispered.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ll look after you
while you’re here and, in compensation, you’ll be my mistress.”

I held my breath. “Why?” I repeated,
trying to make sense of this bizarre situation.

“Because I want you, and I am in a
position to have you.”

“I’d like to return to my room, please.”
I tried to sound assertive, but my voice was unsteady.

“There is no going back, I’m afraid. You
will stay here and oblige me. You’ll find I’m easy to please.” He took my limp
hand and pressed it to his mouth. The room swirled like a tornado, sucking me
into its twisting eye.

When I woke up I was in my new bed and the
doctor was taking my pulse. “You must eat, Mrs. Mason, or you will make
yourself ill. Do you want to be force fed?”

He showed me a long tube and motioned it
towards my mouth. I shook my head energetically.

“Then you must eat everything on the
tray before Mr. Poole returns. There is nothing else physically wrong with
you.”

The food on the tray, cheese, cold meat,
and fruit, would have looked appealing in any other place, but my lips felt as
if they were glued together. I managed to pull them apart to speak to the
doctor.

“Could I see my son, or Archbishop
Templar, please?”

“No visitors are allowed for the
moment.”

“When can I have visitors?”

“Perhaps in the spring, when you’re
feeling better.”

I asked for a Bible and read the Gospel
according to St. Mathew, which I had read so often with Helen, in the hope that
it would give me the strength to endure Poole’s designs on me as our Lord had suffered
on the cross. Why had I been forsaken?    

The Bible gave me little comfort. I
cried for the injustice in my life and wished for a quick death, instead of the
slow poisoning awaiting me. I remembered Michael’s words. “No one will keep us
apart,” he had promised. I closed my eyes and recalled the joyful moments we had
experienced a few months earlier.

****

Michael had almost recovered from the wounds
inflicted during his kidnapping, when we arrived back at Eyre Hall after our
voyage from Jamaica in June, and he soon grew even stronger than he had been
before. He ate voraciously and spent much of the day working on the estate, which
had been much neglected during the previous months I had been away.

We called Mr. Smythe, who had been
managing matters during my absence. Michael and Smythe got on splendidly, especially
after Smythe told him about the pirate’s visit. He said he had the greatest
admiration for a lady who was able to negotiate and threaten a pirate, and
travel to Jamaica, in order to recover her betrothed. Michael laughed and told
him that, to his knowledge, I had used a stoker to great effect with several
scoundrels.

Smythe informed us that there was much
to be improved on the Rochester Estate after my long absence. He was too far
away in London to pay close attention to matters. John was in Boston, and in
any case, he had never taken any interest in the running of the estate. Annette
was doing an excellent job running Eyre Hall with Leah’s help, but she had no
idea how to deal with the rest of the holdings.

Smythe informed us the rents were too
low and that the homes and farms needed repairs. He suggested we should invest
in renovating the houses on the estate and make sure the farms were well-equipped,
before increasing the rent. There were roofs to fix, fences to repair, and livestock
and tenant farmers to deal with.

Michael and I visited all the tenants,
making sure their houses were safe, and we gave them all a month’s free rent as
our engagement present. Smythe thought we were too generous, but I wanted to
make sure everyone accepted Michael, and I knew their pockets were close to
their hearts. We aimed to balance the accounts by negotiating an agreement to sell
some more land, which was unproductive for the estate, to Mr. Jackson, who
found it useful for his business interests.

We visited Adele and Mr. Greenwood in
London, after the harvest. They were getting along as well as could be
expected. I think Adele would have liked to become more acquainted with London’s
social life, but Mr. Greenwood was set in his ways. He had been a widower for some
years before marrying Adele, and he was more interested in spending time at his
clubs, than taking his wife to the theatre or soirées. Adele was thrilled to
see us, and our visit gave her a perfect excuse to socialise. She accompanied
us when we visited Mr. Dickens, and Mr. Wilkie Collins, who were kind enough to
take us on inspiring riverside walks. We also saw the great Ellen Terry play ‘Diana’
in
The Antipodes
at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and we visited our magnificent
British Museum.  

Susan was occupied with her baby boy,
whom she called William after her father-in-law, while Dante was busy with his
classes at the Royal Academy and preparing exhibitions. He seemed to be away
from home too frequently, and I wondered if Susan was lonely. We took her and
Dante out to lunch, and it saddened me that they were not as happy as I had
expected. I hadn’t realised Susan’s character was bitter, and her temper so
short. She seemed to spend more energy nagging than breathing. Dante was
patient but aloof, and I wondered if they were as well suited as they had
seemed last Christmas at Eyre Hall.

We returned to Eyre Hall before All
Hallows. The renovations were complete and we had already occupied our marital
bedroom. I wanted our wedding to be much sooner, but the archbishop kept
insisting we should wait for John. Then John wrote to tell me he wouldn’t
return until the spring, so I finally insisted on Christmas Eve, against the archbishop’s
opinion. He had been a friend of the family for many years, since Edward had
been a young man, and he had been a great help to John since his days at Rugby,
where he had been first his tutor, and later his headmaster, but I thought he
was becoming too opinionated about our lives. I had told him, in no uncertain
terms, that my marriage to Michael would no longer be postponed, and he reluctantly
accepted the date I proposed.

I considered myself fortunate, because
Michael was a gentle and considerate lover. His hands and eyes were always
searching for mine, when we were in company, and when we were alone, his lips
caressed my skin so gently and fervently, that it was easy to melt under his
touch. Being out of his sight for more than a few hours was like a torture.
Sometimes I wondered if anyone should be allowed to be as happy as we were, while
there was so much misery in the world.

The memory of our last minutes together,
before my unjust confinement, filled my heart with warmth, which turned to devastation
at the thought I might not see him again.

Michael woke early, dressed and sat down
on the bed. He took my face in his hands and brushed my lips with his. “You
look beautiful this morning, Jane.’

I threw my arms around his neck. “Don’t
leave so soon. Come back to bed.”

“Tonight, my love. I must leave now if
I’m to return home before dinner.”

“Stay. I’ll miss you.”

“Don’t you want me to get our wedding
licence?”

I sat up. “I don’t understand why
Archbishop Templar wants you to go personally. He could bring the licence
himself. He spends so much time here; he’s even filled the wardrobe in the
Green Room with all his clothes.”

“You know why, Jane. He sent a message
saying he was too busy to travel this week.”

“He could send a messenger with the
licence.”

“He probably wants to make sure it
arrives safely.”

“Michael, it will be the first day we’re
not together since I found you in that awful dungeon in Jamaica.”

He pulled me closer, crushing me against
his chest, and kissing my hair. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“I’m worried, Michael.”

“Worried about what, my love?”

“I’m worried about not seeing you
again.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Jane,
we’ll be married in twenty days, and nothing will come between us ever again.
On the twenty-fourth of December, you’ll be Mrs. Kirkpatrick.” He kissed me so
passionately I thought I’d be able to persuade him to stay, but he broke the
kiss and pulled away. “I must go.”

“Don’t go today. Let’s both go tomorrow.
I’ll go with you.”

“The archbishop specifically asked me to
go today, on my own.”

“Why on your own? What’s he scheming?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps he has a
surprise present for you?”

“He said he was against the marriage,
when we asked him for a special licence just a few weeks ago.”

“He didn’t say he was against the
marriage. He asked us if we were sure and suggested we wait until the spring.”

“I could tell he wasn’t pleased with our
decision.”

Michael sighed. “He’s obviously changed
his mind.”

“Don’t you remember how he wouldn’t even
speak to you when we first arrived? He ignored you until I told him he would
not be welcome at Eyre Hall if he couldn’t find it in his heart to treat you as
my betrothed, and suddenly he behaves as if you’re his best friend.”

Michael opened the closet, brought my
shawl, and wrapped it around my shoulders. “You’ll catch cold, my love.” Then
he moved back to the fireplace, kindling the fire and placing more logs. “That
should keep you warm for a few hours. Stay in bed and read; you have Mr.
Dickens’ Christmas edition of
All The Year Round
to look forward to.
I’ll tell Beth to bring up your breakfast. Stay in bed until lunchtime.” 

He was standing by the door ready to
leave, and I could tell he was just trying to distract me from my dark
thoughts, but it wasn’t working. I was still uneasy.

“Why is the archbishop so keen to see
you on your own?”

Michael threw his arms in the air. “He’s
a clever man. He’s realised our marriage is inevitable and I suppose he’s
decided he doesn’t want me as an enemy once we’re married.”

“I don’t trust him, Michael.”

“You worry too much. He’s probably
decided it’s in his interest to be on our side.”

“Let me go with you.”

He smiled and came back to my side, and
I was awarded another lingering kiss. When he tried to move away again, I held
his hand. “I’m not sure I even deserve to be so happy, Michael. I cannot
believe we’ve come this far. I’m afraid something will happen and spoil
everything.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t
trust the archbishop either, but do you think he’ll behave like a pirate and kidnap
me?”  

“Don’t you dare mock me, Michael.” I
dropped his hand and pushed him away. “Go. Do whatever you want. I don’t care
what you do.”

He stood up and sighed. “I never
imagined our first disagreement would be about my trip to procure our wedding
licence.”

“I’ll be alone all day…”

“You’ll be with Helen.”

“Helen’s been invited to spend Sunday
with Mr. Jackson’s granddaughters.”

“Really? You didn’t tell me.”

“I forgot.”

“Tell her to stay. I’m sure she won’t
mind.”

“No, she doesn’t often get the chance to
play with children her age. I don’t want to spoil her Sunday.”

“And Annette?”

“Annette is spending the weekend at Ferndean
with Mrs. Carter.”

“How is Harry’s mother?”

 “She’s worse, I’m afraid. Annette offered
to look after her while Harry’s at the hospital.”

“That’s a pity. Well, the servants will
look after you if you need anything.”

“Leah is in bed with flu, and I gave the
rest of the staff Sunday afternoon off. There’s a carol singing contest in Hay,
and Joseph’s taking them all in the large carriage.”

“Well, Cook, Daisy and Christy will be
downstairs for sure if you need anything. They never go out.”

“They’ll be a great help if anything
happens. Cook is as deaf as a post, Christy never leaves the servant’s
quarters, and Daisy refuses to open the door or even come upstairs unless it’s
after dark.”

He laughed. “You’re right. It will be
quiet at Eyre Hall today. You’ll have time to write to Mary, Diana, and Adele.
You’ve been complaining of lack of time to do so for weeks.”

“I had a nightmare last night, Michael.”

“The dungeon again?”

Michael returned to my side, swiped the
tears sliding down my cheeks and kissed me softly. “Jane, it was just a dream.
Harry said you might be having nightmares for months. Your nightmares aren’t
real, Jane. They’re due to the shock of finding me in the dungeon.”

“Yes, but this time it wasn’t only you;
it was me who was chained and dying in a cell.”

He wrapped his arms around me. “You know
I’m going to make you the happiest woman in England for the rest of my life.”

“So you keep telling me, but today you’re
ignoring my wishes and leaving me all alone.”

He kissed the top of my head and inhaled.
“Your hair smells like lavender. I like it, and it’s softer than before, when
you used the rose cream.”  

He pushed his fingers through my plaits
and pulled my face up to his, piercing me with his darkened eyes. Then he
brushed his lips across my cheeks and along my neck. “Delicious,” he whispered.
“Will you be wearing your butterfly choker necklace when I come back?”

“Yes.”

He teased my earlobes. “And the matching
silver earrings and hairpins?”

“Yes.”

“And the grey silk day dress?”

“If you like.”

“I’ll enjoy taking it all off as soon as
I return. Would you like that?”

I nodded, too mesmerised to utter a
single syllable.

He smiled, sliding his fingers along my
neck. “Good. I’ll make your wait worthwhile. I promise.”

His lips were on mine again, and I was sure
I didn’t want to spend a single minute away from him. “Michael, please don’t
leave me.”

He sighed. “Very well, if it means so
much to you, I’ll stay.” His lips continued to trace my shoulders and my arms with
soft kisses. “We’ll both go tomorrow,” he said as he kissed my breasts. “I hope
it doesn’t upset the grumpy archbishop and delay our wedding.”

 Michael made me feel treasured every
minute I was by his side. I felt myself glow as he looked at me and trembled
when he touched me. I was possessed by a euphoria I hadn’t felt for a long
time.

I wanted him to stay. I should never have
agreed to let him go, but I pushed my uneasiness away. “Very well. You had
better go. I’d like to have the licence as soon as possible.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I’ll be all right. I just
had a feeling…”

“Jane, we’re safe in England, at Eyre
Hall. No one can hurt us, and no one will keep us apart.”

Those were the last words he said before
closing the door. I’d had a premonition that something was going to happen, but
I never imagined that I might not see him again.