Edward gave it up, for it was obvious that Tess Nicholson — or the witch, as he had begun to think of her — had already cast her spell over the gullible Ulric, and her dangerous ideas had wormed their way into his mind and lodged there. It was going to take more than a flying visit to restore the situation to equanimity.
He walked back to Holly Lodge to find the girl herself awaiting him in the hall, already outfitted for travel in neat black. She looked remarkably presentable, in fact, all trace vanished of her dishevelled appearance of a hour ago. She was a slender creature, small and dainty, with elegant hands, he noticed. She had not yet put on her gloves, and her fingers were long and rather beautiful. He liked such hands in a female. So often a woman removed her gloves at the dinner table to reveal ugly, pudgy fingers that quite disgusted him. He was, he supposed, fastidious in such matters and was quite proud of his own well-manicured hands. Now he was surprised to find such an appealing feature in a woman he was determined to dislike.
The carriage appeared, the boxes were loaded on, farewells were made. Mrs Jack stood on the steps wringing her hands, no doubt torn between her desire to repossess Myercroft and be the lady of the manor again, and her need to keep on the right side of the man who controlled her entire income. Not that he would ever interfere with her basic allowance, but she could never keep out of debt, and it suited him for her to live in fear that he would not rescue her from such difficulties. A woman who depended on his generosity was a woman who could be constrained to act as he wished.
Tess Nicholson, on the other hand, was not dependent on him at all. Different methods were necessary for her.
As the carriage bounced down the rutted drive, Edward gazed wordlessly at the cause of all this difficulty, placidly sitting beside her maid with an innocent expression on her face, and pondered his next move. Ulric and his mother he could manage, but this girl was not so easy. He would have to be ruthless.
Not a word was spoken in the carriage until they reached the Priory. Just as the horses slowed to a stop, Edward said, “Do not get settled here, Miss Nicholson, for tomorrow you will be returning to Corland Castle.”
The impudent chit had the temerity to laugh at him. “Lord Tarvin, you may be able to browbeat your own relations, but may I remind you that you have no authority over me. If you throw me out of the Priory, there are plenty of inns and hotels in Durham which would be happy to accommodate me. Frankly, it is all one to me where I stay.”
The girl’s footman had jumped down to open the door, but Edward could not be silent. “You will do as you are bid, my girl!”
“Or what? Are you going to carry me bodily all the way to Corland? I wonder what my uncle would say to that.”
“Pft!” he said, and only years of training kept the curses that rose to his mouth from emerging. He jumped down from thecarriage and strode into the house, the annoying girl’s laughter following him all the way.
Dinner that evening was tense. His mother and aunt were largely silent, only talking in whispers when absolutely necessary. Edward himself felt as if he would explode. Never in his life had he been so abominably treated! To say he had no authority over her! She was his aunt’s sister’s niece, which made her a relation of sorts… a connection, at least, and this was his house, so his wishes must prevail. How dared she defy him!
And yet she sat there calmly, quite unperturbed by the distress she was causing everyone. In some ways, he could only admire such coolness, and in evening dress she was rather appealing, he grudgingly conceded. Black suited her, and with her shining black locks piled on top of her head, only a few stray curls left to frame her face, she was almost pretty. Or she would be if she were not so damnably irritating.
By the next morning, he had calmed a little. Being angry did no good, in fact she seemed to derive strength from it, or at least amusement. It was annoying that she knew the terms of the trust, such that it must be wound up if Ulric married, there was no getting around that. But without trustees to make sensible decisions about the management of Myercroft, who would be able to do it? Not Ulric, that much was certain, and not his feckless and spendthrift mother. But Tess Nicholson was no better fitted to run an estate. How could a slip of a girl know how best to deal with tenant farmers and attorneys and neighbouring landowners? How could any woman? Females were no more suited to business than butterflies flitting from bush to bush, beautiful but with no thought for the morrow.
It was clear that Miss Nicholson could not be ordered about as his female relations were, so a different strategy was needed. He was not sure that she had any better nature to be appealed to, but it was worth a try.
When he found her alone in the breakfast parlour, therefore, he lost no time in saying, “Miss Nicholson, we got off on slightly the wrong foot yesterday, I think you will agree. I am sure that, when we discuss the matter rationally, we will find that we both have Ulric’s interests very much at heart, and can perhaps find common ground there. You would not wish to distress him, I am certain.”
“Not for the world,” she said at once. “But I do not believe that living at Myercroft would cause him distress.”
“Any disruption to his routine is potentially upsetting for him, and having a wife always about him — a relative stranger ordering his life — is bound to disturb his equanimity.”
“I have no intention of always hanging about him, Lord Tarvin. He may live his life much as he does now, except that his surroundings will be more gracious and his horses will be closer to hand.”
“So he is to be kept occupied in the stables while you and his mother bleed the estate dry, is that it?”
“Heavens, what do you take me for, sir?”
“I take you for an avaricious and devious woman, madam.”
She laughed in his face. Lord, how irritating she was! “You really would be best advised not to judge my character without knowing more about me. We met twice as children, if I recall, and once at Izzy’s wedding five years ago. How, after so little acquaintance, do you dare to label me as avaricious? I say nothing about devious, in fact, I take it as a badge of honour that I should be thought so, but avaricious? No.”
“How else would you describe the behaviour of a woman who seeks to seduce a wealthy man into marriage? I hold to my opinion, Miss Nicholson.”
“Only a willing man can be seduced,” she said with deceptive sweetness. “And now, if you will forgive me, I must change intomy riding habit. I have an appointment with Ulric, and I have further to go than usual.”
“You will not take my carriage… or any of the carriages.”
“I assumed that would be the case, so I took the precaution of sending my manservant to the nearest inn to hire a horse for me.”
Edward was left speechless as she swept from the room. However, when she reached the stables, neatly attired in a different riding habit from yesterday’s muddy affair, he was waiting for her, his own horse ready saddled.
“I feel like a ride myself, this morning,” he said blandly.
“Oh, that is better!” she said, smiling up at him. “You look almost human when you stop scowling at me and pretend to be good-humoured. Will you help me mount, or shall I ask Harold to do it?”
Gritting his teeth, he tossed her up into the saddle. She weighed nothing at all — such a dainty creature! And a pretty heart-shaped face… with enticing lips…
