My stomach soured thinking of relenting. I ripped up Felton’s note. Being last on anyone’s list was not something to consider. It was something to reject. No matter what this overture was, I refused to be a part of his new mission.
CHAPTER26
FELTON—THEDEVIL’SSUMMONS
It took a week and a half to travel from London through the countryside to Warwick Manor. Agatha and Amelia were much better company than he remembered.
Except for the occasional you-not-you spat, they were pleasant. If there had been more time, he would have taken them to visit some of the local sites like Stonehenge. The friend of the duke and duchess of Repington had proved to be a good counsel and knowledgeable on little girl likes.
Sitting back on his seat, he studied the girls. The matching capes of red velvet looked wonderful. Lady Ashbrook’s gift for the two was lovely.
He folded his arms and offered a smile. The fear of being inadequate in his household, with just him and the girls, lessened. By Jove, his present circle of friends had helped, and perhaps righted any wrongs that he or Jane or even Tramel had done to his little family.
He wondered if his sister would see this as a good thing. She’d been with Aunt Nelly since he sent her away. According to what his cousin told him at the King’s Theatre, her mood had improved but she didn’t seem to have any new suitors.
Fluttering her lacy handkerchief, Amelia rocked on the seat. “Will Aunt Jane come? We must tell her of our adventures.”
“Yes, sweetheart, but don’t tell her of the cannons. It may cause her to fret.”
Jane should be at Warwick by now. He intended to tell her that he forgave her. Maybe making a habit of such would prepare him for all the groveling he was set to do with Cecilia once he’d seen to Tramel’s affairs.
“Papa,” Agatha said as she set down her sketchbook. “Is Grandfather very ill?”
He hesitated for a moment. Not saying what he felt when he felt it had been a hallmark for Felton. It cost him Cecilia. “It sounds as if he is. I’ll need you two to be on your best behavior for the duke.”
“Will Mrs. Cecilia come? She’s good friends with Grandfather.” Amelia’s little face looked so sad. “I miss her. She’s away much longer than you.”
“I’m sure that if Lady Gantry could, she would attend him.”
“That’s wrong, Papa.” Agatha’s tone was loud and harsh. “She was good friends with you, and she left.”
Everyone sat silently as the carriage rounded the final stretch of road to Warwick. The meadows to his right, the cliffs on the left would soon fill the windows like one of Cecilia’s canvases. Now that he wasn’t rushing, he saw the beauty. It made more sense why a place like this would inspire Cecilia.
Felton reached out and grasped each girl’s hand. “I wasn’t a very good friend. I’m trying to convince her to cut short her business and visit with us. If she did, do you think we could all be nice to each other?”
Shrugging, Agatha picked up her stick of charcoal and began to sketch again.
Amelia jumped onto his seat and put her lanky arms about his neck. “I will, Papa. I’ll be extra good. I’ll be good for both you and Aunt Jane too.”
He hugged his youngest and then also drew Agatha into an embrace. “We have each other, you know. We are enough, together. No matter what.”
“We are, Papa,” Agatha said. “But I do hope you can convince Lady Gantry to come back. Her going off on a mission is just as bad as when you do it.”
That was the rub of things. He now understood how his leaving hurt his household. Hopefully his new understanding would show when he saw Cecilia. Felton knew he’d only have one chance to show her he’d changed.
* * *
The carriage stopped on the gravel drive of Warwick Manor. Red bricks to rival the color of the girls’ capes stood before him. It was impressive. Cecilia had nearly screamed with pleasure when she saw it. Nothing like this was in Demerara.
She called it an adventure to walk in Warwick’s halls and in its woods.
The guilt in his gut poked then lodged like a stone. Taking Cecilia from here and installing her in London must have seemed like a punishment.
Shrugging off his disappointments, he tossed opened the door and helped the girls down. Together they went up the massive marble stairs and into the grand house.
With the exception of the gilded pattern low on the walls, the sea of gray was a sea of nothingness. It wrapped about him.
His heart rattled against his ribs. Memories from his horrid childhood returned. He could hardly breathe.
