Page 32 of A Winter’s Romance
M iles had bowed over Louisa’s hand as his mother carried out the introductions. He had been surprised at the vision before him when she had walked through the hallway and was more than a little annoyed by his response to her. He was convinced that somehow his parents had fallen under the spell of a group of tricksters. Foolishly, when he was foxed, he had not identified the young woman as one of his parents’ undesirable visitors. He could have kicked himself, for since that night, he had wanted to ask his mother to introduce him to the nymph-like vision he had been unable to stop thinking about.
He acknowledged that during their earlier conversation, she had reacted like a spirited girl rather than someone acting a part, but he would be speaking to his father about the folly of inviting street urchins into their home. Louisa must be hiding a lot more than he first imagined, as she was as far from a street urchin as she could be.
As the evening progressed, Miles observed her attentions to his mother and decided that a longer stay than he had intended was in order. He had his own lodgings, but it wasn’t unknown for him to remain with his parents. Admittedly, it happened less often since Melissa had left, but that wasn’t something to dwell on now. The protection of his parents was uppermost in his mind.
Miles spoke to his father at the first opportunity, but Lord Hindley laughed at his concerns. “Have you spent any time with them? Do you not see what I see?”
“Obviously not,” Miles replied without the sneer he had aimed at Louisa. “Or I would not be doubting you now. What possessed you to bring them home? I can understand your wish to help. Of course I do. But to bring them here? That is madness.”
“You would understand if you had seen Louisa that first night. She could have been Melissa.”
“She’s nothing like Melissa! Have you found out why she ended up on the streets of London? I agree with your assessment that she is refined, which makes it even more a havey-cavey business,” Miles persisted. He was angry that his father was trying to project his beloved sister onto someone else. Louisa did not deserve such high regard, as much as she attracted him. He could not deny that she was pretty, very pretty, but that did not mean he had to like or trust her. His frustration at being so helplessly drawn to her was fuelling his anger further.
“She was like a frightened animal, ready to bolt. She still is, in many respects, so I am not going to push her too far. She will tell us her story when she is ready, although she has already told me a little about herself.”
“Only a little? She really has got you charmed,” Miles responded .
“That is a comment unworthy of you, my boy,” Lord Hindley gently scolded. “If she were a member of your family, you would wish for the kindness of strangers to be bestowed on her, as you wish that for Melissa.”
“It is different. Melissa is not on the streets.”
“If you think that, why do you receive a report from Bow Street every week?” Lord Hindley asked gently.
Miles looked sharply at his father. “You know about that?”
“Yes. How many dead bodies have you viewed over these last two years, son?”
Miles rubbed a hand over his face. “Too many. And each time, it is horrific. Especially if they have been in the river for a few days,” he admitted.
“I confess to being grateful I have not had to do that, but I would have if you had not taken it on yourself,” Lord Hindley said.
“I keep thinking I should stop. But there is always the niggle that one of them could be her,” Miles said. The fight had gone out of him, and the worry of the last two years was etched on his face.
Lord Hindley sighed. “Whether it is good news or bad, I hope that one day our searches will prove fruitful. None of us has lived a full life since she left.”
“I find drinking oneself into oblivion helps.”
“Be careful. I don’t want to lose both my children. If that were the case, I would soon be one of the bodies dragged from the river,” Lord Hindley said grimly.
Miles was taken aback at his father’s words and tried to steer the conversation back to the three young people. “Is that why you have done what you have with these strays? To distract you? ”
“I suppose so, to some extent. But I could not leave them there. Well, Louisa was the first one I met. The others were there the week after. It was one of the longest weeks since Melissa left, I can tell you. I could do little on the first night I first saw her, but the relief I felt when Louisa was there the following week was almost overwhelming.”
“But surely bringing them here was foolish?”
“They are no threat to us,” Lord Hindley insisted.
“Oh, I can see Billy is no harm, although I do not know what you intend for him long-term, but what about the other two?”
“Billy is a dear boy. I have appointed a special tutor who teaches him more slowly and patiently than normal. I hope he will acquire some skills,” Lord Hindley replied.
“And then, will you send him out into the world?” Miles asked, surprised that his father would consider Billy suitable for work.
“No, I was hoping to speak to you about my plans. I would like, with your agreement, to set him up in a cottage on the Surrey estate. I think he would need only one manservant and a maid to tend to him, and I think with a small provision, he would spend the rest of his days content.”
“You ask for my agreement, but it looks as if you have already decided,” Miles said wryly.
“You will be Lord Hindley one day and able to throw him off the estate if you wish, but I would like to make a legal arrangement in case of accidents and the like.”
“In case of angry husbands challenging me to duels, you mean?” Miles smirked.
“Your words, dear boy, not mine. Do you agree to my proposal?”
“Yes. It will not impact on me either way.” Miles shrugged .
Lord Hindley smiled. “I thought that would be your opinion. Thank you. Rosie will be the trickiest of the three to sort out.”
“Rosie will? Why?” Miles asked. In his opinion, Louisa was the tricky one, but for some reason, he did not like the thought of her being employed.
“Rosie has only ever known life in the slums and then on the streets. She is learning her lessons now and is a highly intelligent girl, but the reality is that she will not ever be able to join the gentry.”
“Marry her off to some clergyman then.”
“She would drive him mad within a sennight. She is being good for now, but I can see the restlessness below the surface. She’s spending her time learning, soaking it up like a sponge, but once she catches up, there will be mischief from that one, believe me,” Lord Hindley said.
“Rather you than me,” Miles muttered. “What about the other one? What position will she be placed in?”
“If we can eventually find out her secrets, she will be able to rejoin society, and I have no worries about a good match for her.”
“Society? You cannot wish to sponsor her, surely?” Miles asked, curious despite himself.
“She has spent most of her life in school, but something happened that separated her from the life she knew. Once she trusts us enough to tell us, we can return her to the position she would have been in,” Lord Hindley explained, but he was clearly troubled about Louisa. “I have not yet found out as much as I would like from her, but she will confide in us once she feels safe enough.”
“Is there no hint of what she is hiding from?” Miles asked .
“She is very reluctant to mix in society or meet new people. I can only think whatever it is must be serious, but there have been no requests for information about a young woman of her description in any of the newspapers, so I am not willing to approach Bow Street about her. I do not wish to stir up a hornet’s nest before finding out what we are dealing with.”
“Perhaps she is trying to fool you into believing she is something she is not,” Miles offered, for some reason wanting to believe the worst of Louisa, as if trying to find a way to dislike her.
“No, she shows fear. She is the same frightened deer that we saw when we first met her, but she hides it better.”
“Frightened deer?” Miles spluttered. “All I have ever seen is a hissing cat!”
“Does it come with an indignant tilt of the chin?” Lord Hindley chuckled.
Miles’s lips twitched, despite himself, at the memory of a fiery Louisa. “Yes, it does.”
Miles failed to notice that he was being assessed by his father. Nor did he guess that Lord Hindley had noticed the stiff way Louisa and Miles interacted. He would have been mortified to learn that Lord Hindley suspected there was some attachment there and had started to hope that Louisa would be in their lives for a long time to come. If Miles had known, he would have taken himself off to the safety of his lodgings as fast as his horse could be saddled, but thankfully he was too wrapped up in his confusing feelings about Louisa to notice.