Page 14

“Jane?”

“Yes.”

“And as is far too typical in these situations the blameless young woman is in fact blamed. You have sisters?”

Another nod.

“I am the second of five.”

She sighed.

“I should say I was the second.”

“Disowned to appease the local gossips and all the hypocrites who were happy to see you fall?”

“I must have been very descriptive.”

“Banished to London to the house of an uncle but that changed recently. The so-called disgrace followed you here and was starting to negatively affect his business and family?”

“It appears I have no secrets.”

Elizabeth suddenly flushed scarlet.

“Please tell me that I did not….”

She could not finish the sentence. The Baron said nothing merely nodded sadly. Elizabeth had her head in her hands.

“We are done with you for the moment, although we will revisit some of this in the coming days. Let me tell you about myself. I am Peter Napier, 7th Baron Napier. I am a widower of nearly 30 years standing and the only child that lived to adulthood, my daughter, died in childbirth. The baby died a day later and her husband was killed in the Revolutionary War.

“I am not a well man. That I have made old bones, I am 77 years of age, is something of a miracle but a hard lived life is catching up with me. Again, hitting the pavement was all but a certain death sentence.

“I have no known heir. My lawyer is attempting to trace descendants from decades ago. I do not know if you are aware of the ties of consanguinity but a third cousin is descended from mutual great-great-grandparents. There are none of them left to me. We believe that there are no fourth cousins either which means we are onto the descendants of my, let me get this right, four greats grandparents. Assuming 30 years per generation and we are now back to the times of James the Sixth and First and Charles the First. There is no certainty that this latest search will be any more successful.

“The reason for telling you about the family history is that I have no pressure upon me. No heirs, no large extended family. While I would have loved to have grandchildren, even great grandchildren, it was not to be. I have been at a loose end for some time. And recently have attended far too many funerals of contemporaries. There is nothing like watching a coffin descend into the earth to make you aware of your own mortality.”

He ruefully smiled.

“My gut instinct was that you were an honest woman, that there was no artifice to you, and that your tale was not shot with lies. But then you helped an old man back into his chair and I was sure.

“Miss Elizabeth, I will not be tapping my foot waiting for your last bruise to fade so that I can make you leave. Instead I have decided that you are welcome to stay here while you piece your life back together. We will find a medium term replacement for Miss Smith, or her successor. But the important thing is for you to realise that you are safe. Not just from me, but from the big bad world out there. You will not be forced to have to endure that what you most feared. That worry is gone. Forever.”

Peter Napier might have been a widower for a long time but he still understood the difference between happy tears and sad tears.

He watched Elizabeth cry for at least the third time that day. But the difference was there for all to see.

Chapter 6

Even without the offer to stay, it would have been close to three weeks before Elizabeth could have left. Several of the bruises were deep and extensive.

It started on the first morning Elizabeth awoke in the townhouse. She had to call for help just to get upright in the bed. Miss Smith was professional and distant while at the same time assisting Elizabeth, first of all by explaining what was happening.

“It is a common phenomenon, Miss Elizabeth. The body copes for the rest of the day after the injury but when it finally relaxes during the night, well you are seeing what occurs. The muscles tighten up, the ache seems to burrow into your body, and even the slightest movement is a torture. You will be pleased to know that this is all normal. Perhaps not pleased that you are suffering, but at least you know your symptoms are common.”

“I am not sure I can manage the stairs, in my current condition.”

“I will pass a message to the Baron. Your meals will be served up here. All that I ask is that you force yourself to walk the corridor several times during the day. The movement will be good for you, although you may argue that point in the moment. And here in the privacy of your room I would like you to lift and flex your arms, as well as gently try and turn your torso. Again this is nothing but loosening up your muscles. It will be painful in the moment but will definitely aid your recovery.”

“You sound like you know this from experience?”