The Ghost Who Loved Me (14 page)

“Why are you here, Anthony?” Elizabeth stared up at him expectantly, wondering why she was strangely annoyed by the sight of him.

He stared down at her in surprise at her lack of emotion at seeing him. “I read of Lord Camden’s death in the newspaper in London, Elizabeth. I came here for you, of course. I know how much you loved your father. I was sad to hear of his passing.”

“I’m sorry, it’s been a trying time for us all,” Elizabeth said apologetically and came forward to accept a light kiss upon her cheek. “I can hardly believe he’s gone.”

Anthony set her away from him, looking her over approvingly. “You look quite well. Westerleigh must agree with you.”

Elizabeth was startled at his knowledge of where she was all this time. “How did you hear of it? Don’t tell me. It was Annie, was it not?” She shook her head in annoyance. “I mean to have a stern talk with my maid on her meddling on the journey back to Westerleigh.”

“Annie did nothing wrong in seeking me out, Elizabeth,” Anthony was quick to say. “Leave the girl to her romantic illusions. She was quite sweet to explain all to me. You might have told me yourself. I know how Edward is. I would have understood.”

“Tell you what exactly? That my husband has all of the power to command me? And I have nothing to say about my life?” Elizabeth grimaced in dismay to actually say such aloud for once. “Nothing changes, Anthony. You must go on with your life. I’m not free to see you. Edward has made threats. My move to Westerleigh could very well be permanent if he learns you are even here.”

“I came on the mail coach,” Anthony admitted and smiled mischievously. “I avoided the train for that very reason.”

“That doesn’t explain why you came at all.”

“Doesn’t it?” Anthony came to her, looking deeply into her eyes. “My feelings for you haven’t changed, Elizabeth. I know you think it impossible for us, but I have learned much in your absence about Edward. You have grounds for more than just a divorce. You have grounds for an annulment! He could be looking at prison time if this ever comes out about Ives. I spoke to a solicitor privately. Edward would cheerfully sign over anything to set you free. And you could name your own price in a settlement. Don’t you realize how much money you could get from him to walk away and say nothing of his activities? You have more power than him in this! Isn’t this what we both want?”

Elizabeth was startled and disturbed Anthony was digging into Edward’s private affairs on her behalf. “I won’t put my family through it, Anthony. My father only just died! We lose the estate after the first of the year. Don’t you see? I refuse to consider it. All of our lives would be ruined. I can’t do it!”

“I wouldn’t have mentioned it, considering your father’s recent death, but Edward lied about everything,” Anthony went on hotly, undeterred. “Your father wasn’t a thief! He was a tradesman Elizabeth! Open your eyes for once and see how low Edward would stoop to get his way in all things.”

“It changes nothing, though I appreciate you telling me the truth.”

Anthony’s handsome face filled with frustrated anger. “You have the means to be free of him and you worry about public scrutiny?” He made a noise of disgust. “I’ll never understand you, Elizabeth! You claimed to love me and you’ll do nothing for us to be together!”

Elizabeth looked away from his angry expression. “I won’t disgrace my family, even for my own happiness, Anthony. I never implied I would ever do such a thing for us to be together. It was you who pushed the matter, and further than I would have by the sound of it. To even suggest I extort my own husband to be free of him is beneath us all.”

“So you intend to stay with Edward? You would live such a lie?”

“I have my own life. He has Mr. Ives or some other after that. And nothing has changed.”

Anthony glared down at her. “But yes, something has changed, hasn’t it, Elizabeth? Your feelings have changed, haven’t they? A few months ago, you claimed to love me! Now you can barely look me in the eye!”

“You’re to marry Miss Fennimore, Anthony. I hardly think it appropriate we dredge this all up now.”

“Who said I’m to marry Jane?” Anthony eyed her in surprise at her cryptic comment. “I only just met Fennimore’s daughter. I can assure you, we haven’t even gotten past polite courtesies. I stupidly thought if I built a case against Edward, you would see we can be together. Now you admit you care too much for what other people think to even consider trying.”

“I saw you both together in London before I arrived here. Taking walks with a lady is hardly a polite courtesy.”

Anthony appeared surprised to know she saw them. “I invested money with her father, Elizabeth. I was waylaid into taking her to see the sights.”

Elizabeth was shocked to learn he wasn’t engaged, her eyes wide with surprise. “But you were meeting with Augustus Fennimore to work out the betrothal? It was your business at Lady Merriman’s that night.”

Anthony was livid, his face taut with anger. “No, I was only there that night to invest every shilling I have to win your freedom! And now I find you have no use for it, or me!”

Elizabeth felt like such a fool to have believed Edward’s lies. Sadly, it changed nothing for them. “I refuse to go through with such a vulgar display, even to be free of Edward. I won’t do it to my family, nor will I allow you to do it to yours. I truly do care for you, Anthony. I always will. I wish you well in your life, but what we had is very much over.”

“And that is your final word on it?” Anthony was staring at her with such infinite sadness she flinched in response.

“That is my only word. It is the way it must be. You must go on with your life. Forget about me.”

“I refuse to believe you really mean this,” Anthony said harshly, his green eyes bright with anger and pain. “I can marry no one else, Elizabeth! It’s you that I love! Don’t you see that?”

Elizabeth sighed deeply and heard people loitering outside the library door, initiating the end of the conversation. “I can’t see you again, Anthony. You must respect my feelings. I won’t ruin the lives of so many, even to be happy. If you thought me so selfish you were wrong. I ask you to leave and stay out of Edward’s affairs. I have no interest in pursuing a divorce.”

Anthony stalked away without another word, leaving the library door ajar as he quit the room. He paid his respects to her family and left without a word. Elizabeth felt sorrowful for inflicting such pain upon him but he wasn’t seeing the true picture as she was.

That gloomy picture in her own mind depicted her very much alone.

~ ~ ~

Elizabeth met with her grandmother weeks later at her private residence before she made ready to return to Westerleigh. The usually spirited Dowager was not herself at all, rattled by her only child’s death.

Lady Eldora Surrey was melancholy and suffering his loss deeply. They were sitting down to tea when Elizabeth recalled her grandmother’s favorite hobby.

“Gran, do you still trace lineages as you once did?”

The old woman sipped her tea thoughtfully, her bespectacled sharp grey eyes lighting up at her granddaughter’s query. “Why yes, I’m working with a man right now by the name of Mr. Daniel Trask. He is with the British Historical Society out of London. He’s helping me with the history of our family at present. Why do you ask, my dear?”

“A friend of mine needs help with his own matter,” Elizabeth began and felt silly for claiming a ghost as her friend. “He is looking for one of his own ancestors.”

“What is the person’s name?”

“She is Lenore Hampton. She was born around 1526. She was orphaned in King Henry VIII’s household for most of her childhood. He can find nothing else about her life after 1546 when she was married. Do you think Mr. Trask might look into it for me?”

“You can ask him yourself. Daniel is staying with me for a time while he does his research. He would positively leap at the chance to write a history on Westerleigh, my dear.”

“I couldn’t possibly engage such a thing without Edward approving of it.”

“You must speak with the man. Stay on for dinner and you can discuss all with him. Mr. Trask is the leading expert in such matters. If the woman existed he will find out what he can.”

Elizabeth stayed on for dinner and found Mr. Trask to be a timid, awkward man. He was so nervous his hands shook during dinner. She was apologetic when he spilled his wine down his shirtfront, his nervous affliction agitated by his own excitement. The more animated he became, the more he fumbled.

“I have written down all of your information, Your Ladyship,” Mr.Trask assured her in an adorable stutter before she left that evening. “I will try to find out what became of the woman. I will send my findings on to Westerleigh. Permit me to approach His Grace in London on the matter of a book of history on Westerleigh? The subject of James Carlisle is quite fascinating to many. I see it as a worthy endeavor, Your Grace.”

Elizabeth was sure Edward would dodge Mr. Trask at every opportunity as he did all other historians but agreed for the sake of being polite.

Elizabeth went to bed that night with a dull ache in her chest, knowing this would be the last night she stayed in her childhood home, slept in her own bed, and walked the halls of Camden Downs.

She deftly avoided a scene with her mother when she arrived home, going directly to her room. Mama was forcing them all to take sides in her war against the Dowager. None were willing to stake such lines in the sand and avoided her studiously.

George left that morning to return to London, and the house felt dreadfully empty.

It was at a time like this, Elizabeth thought of James. She thought of how he was trapped for three centuries at Westerleigh and hardly whined of it. She thought of how lonely he must have been all those years without anyone to talk to until her.

She felt selfish for feeling as she did, knowing she could join her mother below in her salon for company if she wished to be needled over having dinner with her grandmother all night.

Not so James. He was alone and not by choice.

Suddenly his great matter seemed more important than hers. Helping him free himself from Westerleigh became paramount to her, wanting to see him at peace. She felt saddened to think of never talking to him again, of seeing him disappear one day.

  Mr. Trask encouraged her to believe he could trace Lenore Hampton’s lineage based on those few facts she provided for him. If anything, it might ease James’ mind to know the woman he loved long ago had a long and happy life.

Elizabeth fell asleep, her dreams invariably centered on the handsome dark-haired ghost who filled her conscious and subconscious mind of late. In these dreams she saw him coming to her in her room at Westerleigh again, of his making love to her so passionately she displaced her own bedding in the night.

Elizabeth woke the next morning to feel flushed and uncomfortable with such carnal thoughts of James, shamed to know the stories of his legendary prowess with women these last centuries must have initiated the train of her vivid dreams.

She was more than determined to help him to take her mind off her own troubles. The disheartening scene with Anthony after her father’s funeral left her feeling bereft and mildly depressed. The minor argument she had with her mother was also wreaking havoc upon her conscience.

Mama cornered her at breakfast that morning before she left for her grandmother’s home. She demanded she speak to Edward to help save Camden Downs. Elizabeth knew her mother was in denial of her present situation. She refused to accept her way of life would change.

As the Dowager Countess of Camden now, she had only a modest monthly stipend to live on. She had no desire to live with her son and a daughter-in-law who resented her presence. It was all very true. Marian had her own issues with her husband’s mother.

Lady Margot worried more about what people would say about her change in lifestyle than whether saving the estate was in anyone’s best interests. She wouldn’t see reason in that.

They argued over the sense in trying to keep the estate going with such limited financial resources. Her mother twisted all around as she always did and made her daughter feel disloyal. Elizabeth left the estate feeling deflated.

She rose early the next day and made to leave for the train, a heavy feeling in her heart as her mother barely contained her displeasure when they said their farewells. She looked in on Marian. George was out at his club and the two dined alone in her room.

Marian was very pregnant and emotional. She was not pleased her mother-in-law would be taking up residence at Camden House. She tearfully declared there no house big enough for two countesses to live in. Elizabeth wisely stayed out of it, eager to return to Westerleigh now, even if it was her prison.

Marian also was the source of a great deal of gossip. Elizabeth casually mentioned Anthony Wakefield came to the funeral. She then regaled her with the tales that he was indeed seen escorting Jane Fennimore about town these last weeks. They were rumored to be talking of marriage, though Marian had not heard if such was confirmed and talked of other gossip.

Elizabeth felt even more the fool, recalling all Anthony said to her in Yorkshire, knowing now he played her falsely. He was indeed pursuing Jane Fennimore and lying to her of it. The anger she felt at him was short-sighted when she realized she asked him to go on with his life.