Mr Hart nodded soberly. ‘Indeed. But I have since removed Father and Maurice to my lodgings in London, where they will be safe from Dorian and his friend. My footman is under strict instructions not to permit them entry. You may think my actionextreme, but owing to my past history with my brother, I have deemed it wise to do so.’
‘I think you had better tell us the whole story,’ said Jane, her eyes shining with interest. ‘Shall I ring for tea?’
Ooh, be careful, Mr Harrington Hart, I thought.If you do not watch out, you may find yourself in a novel!
Between sips from his cup of tea, Mr Hart relayed how he had journeyed from London to Hartmoor as soon as he had received Maurice’s letter about his father.
‘It was a shock to me as I have not had contact with Dorian for a couple of years, not since the business with my fiancée when I resolved to cut ties with him.’
A flash of pain crossed his features, and he stared into his teacup, lost in thought.
‘Your fiancée, Mr Hart?’ prompted Jane.
I frowned at her. ‘You do not have to tell us if you do not want to,’ I told him.
‘But you will find us sympathetic listeners if you do, and sometimes it can help to unburden yourself,’ countered Jane, raising her eyebrows at me. ‘Please, do help yourself to another biscuit.’
‘Thank you.’ Mr Hart took a biscuit from the plate and dunked it into his teacup. ‘These are rather good.’
Suitablygroomed by Jane to tell his story, he proceeded stiltedly, as if reciting a list of facts to a courtroom. Apparently, he had met a certain young lady called Rose Bishop at a ball in London. He had begun courting her. Soon, their relationship progressed to the point where he proposed, and Rose accepted.
‘I loved her,’ he said, and he spoke the words so emphatically that I had no doubt that he was sincere. ‘I suppose we were opposites as I tend towards seriousness, and Rose was vivacious. But she said that she liked that about me—that we complemented each other, if that makes sense?’
‘It is the same with my husband and me, Mr Hart,’ I said reassuringly. ‘So yes, it does make perfect sense.’ Indeed, Max had become much less serious since marrying me and had a silly side that at times surpassed my own!
‘But please, continue with your story,’ I said, noticing that his jaw had clenched.
‘Ah, this part is difficult, so forgive me if I stumble upon my words.’
We nodded encouragingly.
‘I saw my future clearly with Rose. She was pretty, kind, easy to talk to. And she made me laugh. We discussed many things, including having children—she wanted four. I invited her to visit the castle and meet my father, whichshe immediately agreed to. She had a chaperone, of course—her governess, Miss Price, who was a young widow and her dear companion.
‘At first, everything was very pleasant, and we were all having a lovely time.’ Mr Hart took a deep breath, and I sensed a large ‘but’ coming. ‘But’, he continued, ‘my brother, Dorian, arrived unexpectedly from Bath.’
Uh-oh, I thought.
‘He had been evicted from his accommodation for not paying the rent and had no money. At that point, my father had been giving him an allowance, so he had come home to try to get it increased. I do not know if he was successful, but they had several meetings during that time. I was not paying full attention as I was solely focused on Rose, making sure she was looked after and suitably entertained. Of course, with Dorian there, it was impossible to spend much time alone with her. He likes to be the centre of attention, you see.’
‘Yes, we know,’ remarked Jane. Lucinda did not respond, but I sensed she was listening to every word.
‘A week after he arrived, Rose began to act differently. S-she and Dorian would walk off together and talk and laugh, leaving me to converse with Miss Price. I did not mind at first as I wanted Rose and Dorian to get along, but it soon became obvious from her manner and her remarks that s-she ...’ He took a breath. ‘Forgive me, that she liked him very much indeed.’
His voice was tinged with pain, and it was evident that it was not a pleasant memory for him to recall. It was difficult enough to hear!
Mr Hart cleared his throat. ‘The day before we were due to return to London, she came to me and said that she no longer wished to be engaged. When I asked her why, she said that she loved Dorian and wanted to marry him instead,’ he said flatly.
‘Oh no! You must have been devastated!’ exclaimed Jane.
‘I was,’ he replied sorrowfully. ‘But I could not claim to be deluded because I had seen their relationship developing before my very eyes. So there was nothing to do but release her from our engagement and give her my blessing. I know it must seem strange that I did not fight for her ...’
‘Not at all. You loved her and wanted her to be happy even if it was not with you. Was that the case?’ I asked.
He nodded. ‘Yes. And my brother too as he had been unable to settle at any particular profession after Eton. I had thought he might go into law, but he seemed more interested in spending money and going to parties ... and I thought marrying would be good for him, that he would settle down ...
‘The last I saw of Rose was her being handed into a carriage, with her governess, bound for London to make arrangements for the wedding. My father gave my brother a generous stipend to set them up in Marylebone, but ...’
‘Let me guess,’ I said wryly. ‘The marriage did not take place?’
