It was lovely enough to rival any townhouse in the city, and as she continueddown a single hallway, she glanced intorooms on either side of her. She saw a rather sizeable salonwith hardwood floors andfurniture spread throughout the room for entertaining, and even a table to play a round of cards. There was amodesdining area and, as promised, acomfortablestudy with several shelves of books along one wall. She peeked in theloneclosed door and found a massive chamber that couldonlybe Lord Liverpool’s personal bedchamber.
Isabellahad just closed that sanctuary when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She tensed, prepared to do battle with Mr. Claymooreyet again, butshebreathed a sigh of relief when sheencountered Mrs. Hopper instead.
The older woman spied her and smiledkindly. “I thought I might find you here.I was hoping you might have taken my advice.”
“I did.” Isabella nodded as she walked forward. “And you’re right. It’s quite impressive. I certainly had no idea my godfather was prone to such lavish furnishings.”
This made Ethel’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “The earl is your godfather?”
She shrugged. “That’s what my father tells me. He tends to converse with Lord Liverpoolmore oftenabout matters of Parliament,while I’ve spoken to him a handful of times, and then, just briefly at varioustonevents.”
Her companion chuckled. “That does seem to be the way of itamong men of society.There’s always talk of politics to be had.”Herwizened eyes crinkled at the cornersand her voice turned soft. “You should know that Mr. Claymoore isn’t generally so…harsh.”
Isabella sighed as she hugged herself. “Heclaims he brought me here for my protection, and yet, he treats me as if I’m thespy,the one who is a traitorto my country,when theworstthing I did was make a terrible mistakein marrying the wrong man.”
Asympathetic expressionformedon the older woman’sface. “Itmust be difficult for one so young to endure such ashocking turn of events, and a new bride on top of it all.” Shehesitated, as if choosing her words carefully, and then sheadded, “I realize that Mr. Claymoorehasn’t come across as the best of men, and with your current troubles, no doubt any man could be recommended in your eyes, but he truly has the best intentions, if not a bitguarded and cynical at times.” She glanced down atthe floor, and then returned her gaze to Isabella’s, her eyes a bit more misty than before. “Personally, I’ll be forever indebted to him, for hesavedmyHerb’s life.”
Isabellacertainly hadn’t been expecting that. “What happened?” she asked gently.
Ethel took and deep breath and began,“Shortly after we moved into the castle,Mr. Claymoore and several othermen arrived to discuss certain…political issues with Lord Liverpool.” Isabella had to wonder if sheknewMr. Claymoore was an agent for the Home Office, or if she was beingdeliberatelyvague. “Herb was in the stables tending to the horses when there was an outcryfrom one of the men in attendance. Herbhad suffered an apoplexy and knocked over a lantern, setting one of the stalls ablaze.”
Isabella covered her mouth with her hand, as her heart ached for the couple that she was quickly coming to admire.
“Mr. Claymoore was the first man to reach Herb and he dragged him to safety, away from the fire. Afterward, he helped to put out the flames, and then rode into the village to fetch the local physician.” She shook her head. “I know that if it wasn’t for his immediate action, Herb might not be with me today. As it was, it took nearly six months for him to fully recover. Even now, he still has limited use of his left arm, although he’s too proud to let the weakness show and hides it rather well.”
Reluctantly, Mr. Claymoore’s words from yesterday rang in her ears.‘You’ll find thatweaknessisn’t a word that I have in my vocabulary.’
Could it be that he waslike Mr. Hopper, in that he wasjust too proud to let hisshortcomings become visible, and yetalso too stubborn to let anyone close enough to ease the burden of his vulnerabilities?
Isabella didn’t want to pity him, or allow her sympathies to become engaged, but she had never been immune to the downtrodden, the misunderstood—the misfits. If anyoneunderstoodwhat it meant to feel as though they didn’t fit in anywhere, it washer.
True, she might have been born a gentleman’s daughter, but that didn’t mean her peers accepted her without blemish. And she had plenty of failings—such as eloping with a man who betrayed his country, and not just his wife.
She reached out and embraced Mrs. Hopper. “Thank you for entrusting me with your story.”
Ethel sniffed as they broke apart. “I merely wanted you to see that Mr. Claymoore isn’t all bad. He does have his good points.They’re just more difficult to find.”She patted her arm. “I’ll leave you be for now, but if you decide to take a walk later, I suggest the kitchen gardens. They’re my favorite.”
