The Pursuit (22 page)

“Are you going to keep me in suspense?” Tate tried again.

“No, I just thought we could walk to the bench over here and sit down.”

“All right.”

Cassandra could wait no longer. The moment they sat down, she turned to Tate and confessed, “I think we’re going to have a baby.”

Tate looked surprised by this sudden announcement, but that didn’t stop his smile.

“You said ‘think,’ ” he mentioned, his face thoughtful. “What did you mean by that?”

“Well, I’ve looked at the dates, and I think it might have happened.”

“How do you feel?”

“Fine, but my stomach has had a hollow feeling lately, and just today I thought that might be the reason.”

Not caring if he smelled like a horse or not, Tate put his arms around his wife. Cassandra sighed when he hugged her but looked up in surprise when she felt him stiffen. She suddenly found herself being held by the shoulders, Tate’s serious face watching her.

“I chased you around the music room this week.” Tate’s tone said he was not happy.

“That’s true; you did.”

“What if you had tripped?”

“I probably would have skinned my knee.”

Tate did not look relieved.

“We will be very careful from now on.”

Cassandra had to think about this. She didn’t recall anyone else being careful. Indeed, unless problems arose, the expectant women she knew carried on as usual. One look at Tate’s determined face, however, and Cassandra knew that now was not the time to mention this.

“Do you suppose that this was what Henry saw in you?” Tate suddenly asked.

“I don’t know, but it might explain why I looked pale and tired to him.”

“Shall we tell Henry first?” Tate suggested.

“Yes, but let’s wait just a bit. I’d like it to be our little secret.”

Tate had no argument for that. Neither wanted to move for the next hour. They sat quietly and talked about the changes a baby would bring, as well as the joy and excitement their family would share.

“I just have one question for you,” Tate finally put in. “When the baby gets a birthday gift by post, will he be required to open it right away?”

Cassandra’s laughter sounded all through the yard, and Tate, unable to stop himself, could only kiss her.

Chapter Twelve

Blackburn Manor

The coach carrying Henry and Edward arrived midmorning and found Walker outside, the twins nearby.

“Good morning,” Walker greeted as the men emerged, not missing the way the boys ran to Edward when they spotted him.

“Good morning,” Henry greeted in return, but Edward had already hunkered down to talk with Niki’s sons. In a matter of moments, they were speaking to him with rapt attention, and Walker smiled at the sight.

“Have you come to join us, Edward?” Walker asked when Edward pushed to a standing position.

“Unless a better offer comes along, and I think it has. The boys want to show me the horses.”

“A sight not to be missed,” Walker said graciously, although his eyes gleamed with amusement.

Henry met the twins, taking in their rapt little faces and feeling his heart melt a little. Watching as they looked to Edward as soon as it was polite, he knew that Edward had worked his charm once again.

“We’ll see you later,” Henry told his brother, smiling a bit. He stood quietly while Edward, Christopher, and Richard began to walk in the direction of the stables.

“How are they doing?” Henry asked out of genuine care.

“Remarkably well. It’s as though they’ve been here for weeks. I’m weary from hours of play, but I wouldn’t miss any of it.”

“Edward will wear them out.”

Henry might have laughed at his own words if he could have heard the twins just then. They were once again on the subject of Hessian boots, and Edward was just barely keeping up.

“I thought we were going to talk about horses,” he finally put in, and with that, the boys were off on a new subject.

Edward listened in amazement. One of the things that struck Edward was how silent Niki could be. That begged the question as to where these boys learned to rattle away as though it were their last day on earth.

“This is our favorite,” Christopher informed Edward once they were in the barn. “His name is King. Uncle Walker rides him.”

“He’s a fine horse,” Edward agreed, taking in the proud head and neck on the black-and-white stallion. “What horse do you ride?”

“We don’t ride yet.” Richard was the one to volunteer this information. “But we go in the pony cart sometimes. Mama drives.”

“Does she? Well, that must be fun.”

Edward sat down on a bench outside the building, a bit of sunlight coming through the clouds. It hadn’t rained yet, but the sky was mostly overcast.

The boys sat on either side of Edward, falling quiet for a moment. When he glanced at them, however, he noticed that they kept stealing glances at his boots.

“Shall we go for a walk,” Edward suggested, “or do you want to sit awhile?”

The boys were off the bench so fast that Edward laughed. Rather loath to move from his sitting position, he rose slowly from the bench and began to follow the small blond boys, who seemed to know where they were going.

They weren’t even a stone’s throw from the barn when Edward spotted Niki heading their way. Edward removed his hat as she approached, greeting her loudly enough that the boys turned and saw her.

“We’re going on a walk!” they told her, rushing over to be close.

“With Edward!”

“Sounds fun. May I come along?”

The boys were all for this, and in very short order Edward and Niki were walking side by side, the boys skipping and dawdling ahead of them in turn. They were oblivious to the adults at their heels, and when Edward sensed this, he began to question Niki.

“Where do the boys stay while you’re traveling?”

“With friends.”

“Clearly friends you trust,” Edward commented.

“Most assuredly.”

“But you’re in Collingbourne right now. Did something happen?”

“No. I just felt it was time for a change.”

The answers were noncommital. Edward somehow thought she would volunteer more. He was quiet for a moment. As he was asking himself if his questions should be more specific or if he should drop the idea of learning more, Niki volunteered a question of her own.

“Is that all? I assumed you’d want to know a good deal more.”

Edward chuckled. “And I was wondering if I should be more specific or give up pressing you.”

“Ask anything you wish. When we were in Portugal, my only fear was that Pomeroy’s men had hired you to gain my confidence.”

“Who is Pomeroy?”

“A French agent, hired by my mother-in-law.”

Edward came to a stop so he could look at her. Niki looked back, her face open as she watched him. From the corner of his eye Edward caught that the boys had stopped and were looking at them. He made himself move on, Niki falling into place beside him.

“Why would she do such a thing?” Edward asked, his voice telling of his confusion.

“She wanted the boys. She still wants them. She desires to raise them for her own.”

“I think now is the time I’ll ask you to tell me the whole story.” Edward glanced toward her. “Will you, Niki?”

“Yes, as long as the boys aren’t nearby.”

Both Edward and Niki watched as they stopped to look in a hole, but when they moved again, she began to talk.

“My husband, Louis Bettencourt, died suddenly. The boys were very young—just babies. The doctors said it was his heart. I was crushed and shaken, but my mother-in-law was devastated. She wouldn’t eat for days. I felt sure she would die as well, but some weeks after the funeral, she rallied and became more herself. What I didn’t realize was that she had lain there in her bed and made plans to take my sons from me.

“That first year we nearly lived with her at her estate outside of Paris. We had our own home, but it seemed to give her comfort to have us near, and she was usually very kind. But after a year had passed—the boys were just past their first birthday, and I had stopped wearing black—she encouraged me to go and do some things, telling me to leave the boys in her care.

“I didn’t see it then, but she wanted me absent from them as much as possible. I did travel some, but I missed them so much that I was often back before planned. Then she asked me to visit a friend who had written that she was unwell. I did as she asked, and through one pretext or another, I was gone for more than two months. The boys barely knew me when I returned, and I hadn’t been back in her home a week when she asked me to travel again. I was ready to say no, but she cried and told me how unwell she was, and as Louis’ wife I must visit this elderly aunt.”

Niki had to stop. The pain of that time came back to her with surprising force. She had been so naive and trusting.

“You don’t have to go on,” Edward said quietly, thinking that it must have been awful.

“I want to,” Niki said, finding it true even as memories flooded back. “I returned as swiftly as I could, but it was too late. Mrs Bettencourt had taken the boys and moved to an undisclosed place. Only servants were left at the estate, and it looked as if she’d disappeared from the face of the earth and taken my sons with her.

“At first I was immobile with my grief. I didn’t know what to do or where to turn. My father wasn’t well and died shortly after this time, never knowing that his grandsons had been taken. When that happened, I realized I was fully alone. I knew I would have to find the boys on my own. And that’s what I did.”

“Mama!”

“Yes, Chris.”

“The creek is ahead.”

“All right, go on but do not get wet. Stay well back until we get there.”

The boys shot off with energy to spare, and Niki picked up the pace a bit to keep an eye on them.

Edward could see that the rest of Niki’s story would have to wait. His mind scrambled with the facts she’d offered. As they joined the boys alongside the slow-moving, still very cold stream that ran through the Blackburn property, he asked what he thought to be a safe question.

“How are you old enough to have five-year-olds?”

Niki smiled. “I was married when I was 16 and had the boys a year later.”

“How old was your husband?”

“Significantly older, more than 12 years.”

Edward looked thoughtful, and Niki couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.

“Edward,” Christopher suddenly called. “Come and see the water.”

Edward moved ahead without seeing the surprise on Niki’s face. She followed a little more slowly, and by the time she reached the banks of the creek, the three “men” had hunkered down to look for fish, careful to keep their knees out of the mud.

“Let’s cross the bridge!” was Christopher’s next suggestion. “Come on, Edward,” Richard begged, and this time Niki spoke up.

“Tell me they are not calling you Edward,” she demanded.

Edward only smiled at her and went after the boys, who had already reached the small footbridge.

“Come with us, Mama,” was the next call, and Niki lengthened her stride to keep up. She wanted to talk about this discourtesy immediately but could see that she was the only one distressed by it. She crossed the bridge behind the threesome, and for a time just listened.

“Look at that fish! Did you see it?”

“I did see it,” Edward told Richard. “It was big.”

“We don’t like to eat fish,” Christopher informed him, “but Gar does.”

“Does he?” Edward asked, his voice giving nothing away.

“Do you know Gar?” Christopher asked.

“I don’t believe I do,” Edward had to tell him.

“He takes care of us when Mama travels.” Richard supplied this.

“With Juliana,” Christopher added, pulling at a weed with his small fist.

“They keep us safe so no one can take us from Mama.”

Edward had all he could do not to look at Niki. He didn’t think the boys knew of this and wondered if she’d overhead.

“Look at this rock!” Richard suddenly said, his hand going out to grasp the stone that filled his fist.

“Let me see,” Christopher demanded, but Richard held it away from him. “Let me, Rich,” Christopher tried again.

“No.”

Niki stepped in, holding her hand out. “Please, give me the rock.”

Richard did so, but not before glaring at his brother. Niki didn’t miss this, and, without even glancing at the rock, addressed her angry son.

“What’s the problem, Richard? Why wouldn’t you allow Christopher to see your rock?”

“I found it.”

“What does that matter?”

The little boy’s lip protruded a bit, and he looked on the verge of tears. Niki waited patiently for an answer, but none was forthcoming.

“Did you think Chris would lose it?”

“No.”

“Then why can’t he see it?”

“It’s mine. I found it.”

“It would still be yours,” Niki said logically. “It’s in my hand right now, but it’s still yours.”

Richard began to calm. He looked at his brother and then back to his mother’s hand. “I’m sorry, Mama. I’m sorry, Chris,” he stated repentantly.

Niki gave him the rock. As soon as it was in his hand, his twin crowded close for a look. Richard let him look before glancing up at his mother.