Page 47 of Lyon’s Obsession (The Lyon’s Den Connected World #91)
I t was the following day before Mr. Rheem permitted anyone other than Lord Duncan and the Ladies Theodora and Annalise to visit with Alexander.
Even so, the dread which had kept Duncan Place and all the households of Lord Duncan’s “sons” holding their collective breaths knew a restorative sigh of thanksgiving.
Servants no longer tiptoed about their respective houses.
More than one of her “brothers” praised Theodora for discovering the infection before it had claimed Alexander’s life.
“My sister tells me you assisted her with securing Caroline Moreau,” Alexander said as Beaufort settled into the chair customarily occupied by Theodora.
Alexander had been supported to a seated position by, at least, a dozen pillows all monogrammed with the Duncan Place symbol.
He thought perhaps Theodora had borrowed all the extra pillows from the surrounding rooms, which made him smile, for he was always happy to have her tend to him personally.
His valet and Duncan’s had executed an admirable job of assisting him with more than a cloth bath and a bowl of water to wash his hair, which had been brushed back away from his face.
His valet had brought over several dressing gowns and nightshirts.
Thanks to their efforts, Alexander was beginning to feel human again.
“From what I observed, Lady Annalise required no assistance from me,” Beaufort said in that lazy drawl Navan used to indicate his boredom, when, in reality, the gesture spoke of the earl’s fears of being considered a failure.
“She had sent Caroline Moreau to a place on the floor on the woman’s arse just as I arrived.
Lady Annalise actually recited your lessons as she executed each move. ”
Alexander smiled easily. “My sister has reported her version of the tale. And all went well in Birmingham? Annalise said you have not called on Duncan Place in the last week.”
“If you wish to know if I purposely avoided either you or your sister, ask the question,” Beaufort stated firmly.
“Are you purposely avoiding me or Annalise?” Alexander asked.
“I am not,” Beaufort declared. “We had a number of loose ends to address after the capture of Yates and Honfleur. I spent several days in Birmingham with Liverpool’s men. I was thinking I might consider joining them.”
“You would leave Duncan?” Alexander asked with a frown.
Navan shrugged. “Orson has married, and soon you will join them.”
“Such does not mean we are no longer Duncan’s sons,” Alexander argued.
“Would you have remained a part of his lordship’s family if Theodora chose another?
” Beaufort retorted and immediately said, “I did not mean to lash out at you.” His friend sighed heavily.
“I have news of my grandparents’ home and it is struggling.
I cannot rescue all of Ireland, though many there expect exactly that to happen. ”
“You could…” Alexander began, but a raised hand from Beaufort had Marksman swallowing his words.
“It is a sinkhole.” Beaufort looked off as if seeing something Alexander did not.
“Do you remember how it was with Marksman Abbey? Every man within a mile or more with his hand extended? In Ireland, one must multiply that one man by a hundred. And then another hundred. And another. They are more stubborn than many in England. And, in many ways more ignorant, for they cling to the old ways of doing things. Resistant always to any idea from the outside.”
“Whatever you choose to do you must do so with a hard hand,” Alexander advised. “Save those who are willing to assist in their own rescue. Even if the person is a favorite cousin, the good of the whole community must come first.”
“Did you act as such?”
“God, no!” Alexander said with a grin. “I was but a youth, but Duncan kept his hand on my father’s shoulder, and I watched and learned.
You must save the land and its legacy, not the person or persons tending it.
Even if it is a brother or an uncle or a cousin, if the man is not willing to toe the line you have drawn upon the earth and follow your orders, you must permit his absence, as well as his anger, to fall to the wayside.
The property is yours to save, but by your rules, not theirs. ”
Beaufort eyed Alexander peculiarly. “When did you become both responsible and intelligent?”
Alexander smiled easily. “I must give credit to a good woman, or, mayhap, I should say two good women. I am confident I will stumble often, but they both will continue to demand my best and offer their support.”
Beaufort chuckled, “I doubt Julia would enjoy the leaning houses of an Irish estate.”
“Your mistress enjoys her luxuries too much to consider taking up a broom to sweep the floors or to bat away a spider’s web,” Alexander observed.
“Very few ladies of the haut ton would be willing to perform as such, even to be the countess of an Irish earl.”
They sat in silence for an elongated minute before Alexander said, “Theodora has agreed to marry me. Naturally, Duncan must give her away so he cannot stand with me, as he did with Richard. I was hoping you might consider standing as my witness.”
“The others…” Beaufort began.
“Did not spend every minute of their days watching over my family,” Alexander corrected.
“My sister might have died in the fire at Amgen House. Honfleur had ordered her not to draw attention to herself or to leave the house for any reason. I would like to think otherwise, but we both know she would have died in that house rather than to disobey the man. Hell! She went without food when Honfleur’s cook did not provide the necessary meals. ”
“To have had so many ill-fated experiences with a variety of life’s characters, Lady Annalise still knows the real ‘goodness’ in life,” Beaufort observed.
“So will you stand with me at the wedding?” Alexander asked.
“As long as the ceremony is soon, I would be honored.” Beaufort said with a nod of respect.
“Dora would like to marry on the same day as did Duncan and Lady Elsbeth. We all know how Duncan considers it a sacred day, and he has approved his daughter’s choice. The day will honor Lady Elsbeth and Theodora together.”
“Duncan will be very emotional on that day,” Navan observed.
“But that fact shan’t keep you from assisting me, will it?” Alexander pressed.
“I will stand with you,” Beaufort agreed.
“Great. Now tell me more of what happened at Honfleur’s house after I was shot,” Alexander begged. “Duncan and the others have been uncharacteristically closed-mouthed.”
“Such is likely because of something I discovered, purely by accident, I might add, though I doubt they wish to keep the information from you. However, you obviously hold the reputation of possessing a certain impulsiveness,” Beaufort confided, “and this concerns the treatment of Lady Annalise under Honfleur’s roof. ”
“Please say Honfleur did not touch her,” Alexander begged.
“Not as you fear, but he was excessively cruel in the way he berated her. You have seen the type before, where the dominant person in the relationship labels the weaker one’s thoughts as imagined or insignificant or questions the other person’s memory.
He would deny making promises to her and trivialize her feelings as being too sensitive, when they were normal.
Lady Annalise confessed much of this on those evenings before Honfleur returned.
What was worse, he encouraged his housekeeper and his daughter to do the same.
Mrs. Sable, with whom Honfleur was obviously having a relationship, treated Lady Annalise as some sort of scullery maid. ”
Alexander said, “I am aware of much of what occurred in that manner. Annalise has confessed much of it.”
“I am assured your sister did not share everything that I have confided to Duncan, for I did not discuss it with her,” Beaufort said in solemn tones, and Alexander motioned his friend to continue.
“I went searching for Mrs. Sable at the woman’s supposed rooms at a boarding house.
The others were arrested, but she and Honfleur’s coachman had not been.
Somehow both had escaped Liverpool’s men.
Imagine my surprise when the landlady said she had no tenant by the name of ‘Sable,’ but she had a ‘Mrs. Slater,’ who might be the same person, though my description of the woman did not quite fit Mrs. Slater. ”
“You said the housekeeper wore a great deal of cream and powders,” Alexander observed.
“True, but there is something about this situation that does not sit well with me. My intuition says there is more to this deception than we first thought. We should learn how long Mrs. Sable has been a part of Honfleur’s life.
I am of the persuasion they had met previously to her being hired on to oversee his house. ”
“Are you prepared?” Beaufort asked. “The rector says it is time you took your place at the front of the church.”
Along with Annalise, Alexander had returned to his London home a sennight earlier. He could simply have stayed at Duncan Place until the wedding, but he knew he and Theodora had come close to anticipating their vows upon two occasions, and he would not have her without the benefit of marriage.
He did not want that for his new wife, so now that he was mobile, he had no reason to remain at Duncan Place.
Moreover, he had reasoned that Annalise required a home of her own, though she had agreed to Theodora’s request that his sister would stay with Duncan as he and Dora required more privacy.
In a few weeks, they would all three travel to Derbyshire together.
“It is quite impressive,” his sister had said in awe as his coach pulled to the curbstone before his London home. “Lady Emma showed me all the houses of her husband’s brothers, including yours. She even introduced me to Lord Orson’s staff.”