“I haven’t forgotten the chocolate drops you gave me.” Brendan grinned. “I didn’t tell my mother. She would have confiscated them until after dinner.”
Wagstaff chuckled. Then his expression saddened. “My lord, I wasn’t able to offer my condolences—”
“No need,” Brendan hastened to say. “A long time ago now.” He turned to Laura. “Thank you for your delightful company, Miss Peyton. Most especially the night we played billiards, and your skillful game was my undoing.”
She knew only too well what he really referred to, and for a moment, their gazes lingered. Then she shook her head with a smile. “Not so. You were gallant, Lord Debnam. And an excellent host. I have enjoyed our stay here in your beautiful home.”
Her eyes told him what she could not say. She remembered as he did the night they’d come so close to becoming lovers. It would have been the act of a scoundrel, but he couldn’t help wishing there could have been more between them. More to remember of her.
The footman stood ready to assist Laura up the steps. She turned back to Brendan, her eyes suddenly wide with concern. “Might you have altered your plans about Honey? Is she still to be sent to auction?”
He came forward and gestured to the footman to step aside. “I have other plans for Honey. I believe you would approve.”
Laura raised her eyebrows in evident query, then rewarded him with her sweet smile as he assisted her into the carriage.
Netterfield, then Wagstaff, joined Laura inside. The door closed, and the coach rattled away along the drive.
Brendan saw her face at the window, her hand raised in farewell. He watched until the coach had disappeared. Strangely empty, as if his future had gone with Laura, and fearing all that was left was a dry husk of a life, he went back inside. He whistled for Hunter. “I’ll go for a ride before breakfast, Redfern,” he said to the butler as the dog skated around the corner of the hall, his big feet sliding on the marble tiles.
Some hours later, he rode out of the woods, the dog panting behind him, having exhausted himself in his determination to keep Bruno in sight. Brendan had ridden far and fast while he’d come to terms with his life. Whatever that might hold for him.
Chapter Fourteen
Fortunately, Robert sleptfor most of the journey to Longworth. It allowed Laura and Wagstaff to have a long chat. Laura thirsted for anything that concerned Debnam, and Wagstaff seemed happy to talk. He told her about his work as butler to the previous viscount at Camelia Grove, at the time when Debnam’s mother, Constance, and his father had married. “It was an excellent position while the old Viscount Gaylord lived. The staff were treated well in those days.” Wagstaff stroked his chin, appearing to gaze back into the past.
“How did the older brother, Simon Mather, die?”
“They found him dead of knife wounds in the lane behind the tavern in Chichester. No one knows why he went there. Some at the inquest suggested his lordship might have been involved in smuggling bolts of silk, brandy, and tea across the Channel from France. But I never believed it and no evidence of his association with smugglers was ever found.”
“Was his brother with him at the time?”
“No. The brothers were very different and not close. When Master Ralph inherited the title, the mood of the house changed. He treated his servants shabbily and some left. And after the viscountess passed, and Miss Constance became Lady Debnam, she seldom came to Camelia Grove.” He sighed. “Such a sweet lady. The servants missed her visits. She always brought a treat for the staff, some who had been in service since she’d been a girl.”
They talked on as the miles passed, breaking the journey once to water the horses and take luncheon at a coaching inn. Robert stirred himself and joined them for the meal, but his mood had not improved. He was clearly irritated with her for engaging Wagstaff, but despite his objection, she was pleased with the arrangement. She liked the old butler and the small window he’d opened into Debnam’s life fascinated her.
“The current Lord Debnam was a lively lad. I used to watch him on my days off when he played cricket on the village green with the other children, while his mother shopped. There was nothing uppity about the countess or the earl. And neither is his lordship prideful, I’m pleased to see.
“But that all changed with the tragic death of the earl and the countess,” Wagstaff recalled as the coach continued the journey. Robert appeared to be listening but made no attempt to interrupt. “I heard his lordship found them dead of gunshot wounds. Ten years old, and known to be fond of both parents—the shock would have crushed the poor lad. Then, soon afterward, to be sent away to boarding school. So very hard on Lord Debnam. The tragedy must have had a profound and lasting effect on his life, for I’m told he failed to come back to live at Beechley Park for years, having spent a lengthy time on the Continent. I’d left by then and a new butler had taken my place, so I hadn’t set eyes on him until today. A housemaid I met in the village told me they seldom see the earl there, nor does he attend church.” He paused. “Lord Debnam appears a strong man, and I wish him well.”
Robert, finally becoming bored, interrupted to question Wagstaff about his experience. While her brother was still wary and critical, it pleased Laura nevertheless to see him taking an interest. The discussion soon turned to the needs of the library and the changes Robert wished to bring about.
“The books are to be catalogued,” Robert said, eyeing Wagstaff.
“I am sure I can manage that to my lord’s satisfaction,” Wagstaff said with confidence.
Robert raised a skeptical eyebrow, but said nothing.
Dusk had fallen as they approached Longworth’s gates. Coach lanterns sent swaying halos of warm light over the graveled drive as they traveled through the park. When the coachman pulled the horses up before the house, Peter, one of their two remaining footmen, rushed to open the door and helped with the luggage, while Ellen, the upstairs maid, hovered in the great hall to attend to coats and hats.
When they entered the house, Robert disappeared into the library, after ordering the footman to take hot water to their chambers.
Laura took Wagstaff down to the servants’ hall, where the staff ate supper.
The delicious aroma of beef pie and potatoes wafted out from the room. When she entered, the servants put down their knives and forks and moved to rise. Laura gestured for them to remain seated. “I shan’t keep you from your tasty meal. This is Mr. Wagstaff, a new member of the household. His duties will be varied.” She addressed their senior footman. “Please help him settle in, William. And once supper is over, show the gentleman to his chamber.”
A rumble of welcome passed around the table, and Betty, the kitchen maid, gestured to the vacant chair beside hers with a friendly grin.
Laura nodded to Cook. “Mrs. Amery, would you prepare a meal for Mr. Wagstaff? Lord Netterfield and I will take a light supper in our bedchambers.”
