“Gateley Park, one of the Lanyon properties. I plan to spend a few days there.”
“Shouldn’t you wait for Nathaniel to accompany you?”
“He hasn’t visited the estate for ages. But he’s happy for me to. Will you come?”
“Well…I don’t have much to wear to mix in exalted circles.”
“The estate is deep in the country. I suspect that society will be scarce and a trifle dull.”
“Then, of course I’ll keep you company. And you must tell me all about your new home. You’ve said little in your letters about Wolfram.”
“Have you been consulting your Tarot?”
Dora looked sheepish. “Well, I had to get information from somewhere…”
Laura smiled. “Anything you want to tell me?”
“No.” She patted Laura’s cheek. “I’m only glad to see you.”
Laura hugged her again. “I’ve missed you.”
Dora frowned and drew away. “Thereissomething wrong. I knew it; I found The Tower and the Death card again this morning.”
Those cards unnerved Laura even though she dismissed the Tarot’s abilities to forecast her future. “Ask Sarah to pack your bag; we’ll talk in the carriage. Hurry, Barnes is walking the horses.”
“Goodness me, you don’t give a body much notice, do you?” Aunt Dora rushed to pull thebell.
The trip into Hertfordshire gave them time to talk, but when the carriage swayed, Laura felt too queasy to discuss her life at Wolfram. Instead, she spoke in glowing terms of its wild beauty and talked aboutCilla.
“I’m glad you’ve made a friend.” Dora studied an ink stain on her glove. “An artist too, so interesting. But you’ve told me nothing about the baron.”
“Nathaniel is an excellent husband. I have no cause for complaint, but he’s distracted by events at Wolfram which he needs to put right.”
“I don’t like buts.” Dora’s eyes narrowed. “He is kind to you?”
A bout of nausea rose in Laura’s stomach as the carriage rocked. She closed her eyes. “Yes, of course.”
“I can see you are not in the mood to talk, so I’ll say no more.” Dora gazed out the window at the empty, rolling hills passing the carriage. “We’ve seen nothing but hills, fields and cows for miles. Where on earth are we?”
“The Chiltern Hills. I find the landscape quite pretty.”
“I can’t argue with that, but we must be near. We’ve been traveling for hours, and I could do with a cup of tea.”
As Dora spoke, the carriage slowed, and they entered a pair of ornate wrought iron gates. Gnarled oaks bordered the lane as they trundled along a gravel driveway where glimpses of the stately mansion appeared through thetrees.
Around a bend in the road, the house appeared. The size and magnificence drew a gasp from Aunt Dora, as she took in the impressive balustrade parapet and elegant Baroqueornamentation.
After the carriage stopped on the circular sweep of driveway, the groom jumped down to open their door. He assisted Aunt Dora and Laura from thecarriage.
A short man with a flushed face hurried down the front steps, followed by a maid. “I’m Mr. Charleton, Lady Lanyon. His lordship wrote to alert me of your arrival. With such short notice, I do hope you will be comfortable,” he said in an anguished tone. “We are not set up for visitors with only a skeleton staff here.”
“We are very easy to please, Mr. Charleton.” Laura shook his hand. “I’m sure we shall be comfortable. This is my aunt, Miss Lawley. We require little beyond a warm bed and our meals.”
“I’m sure we can accomplish that.” He hurried down to offer his arm to Dora who made her way slowly up the steps. “How do you do, Miss Lawley? I expect you’ve had a long and dusty ride from London. I’ll have tea brought to the salon.”
Laura followed them through the entry into an impressive, well-proportioned room furnished with elaborate Louis XIV furniture, their sensuous curves decorated in gold leaf. China-blue embossed paper lined the walls, the intricately carved white marble fireplace an Adam creation.
After a reviving afternoon tea consisting of sandwiches and feather-light scones with strawberry jam, Laura was taken to her room, which had pretty, rose-patterned wallpaper and windows overlooking an overgrown rose arbor. Exhausted, she sank onto the gilded four-poster’s pink satin coverlet to consider the significance of this elegant, neglected house. This was Nathaniel’s grandparents’ estate. His mother, Lady Olivia, had been born here. More than a little curious about the family history, Laura was keen to discovermore.
