An Affair Downstairs (21 page)

Alice turned to him, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Thank you, Logan. For everything.”

He wanted nothing more than to kiss away the sadness in her eyes, but he knew it would take a lot more than just a kiss to improve her situation. She had to let Lord Ralston down gently, or forcibly. Logan suspected it would take more than a gentle refusal.

“Please, Alice. Do keep in touch. Lady Averford, thank you for coming.”

“You're welcome, Mr. Winthrop. You have a lovely place here with your family. I'm glad to see you back where you belong.” With that, she hustled Alice out the door to the waiting car without even allowing Alice a glance back until she was seated. Logan's last glimpse of Alice was one of her sweet face, drawn with worry, as she waved out the rear window of the car.

***

“I'm so sorry, Sophia,” Alice said, as soon as they were out of sight of Logan and the house. What if it was the last she ever saw him? She worried for a moment before pushing such concerns from her mind. “I know you must have been fearful about what had become of me.”

“Fearful is an understatement. In your condition? I'm so glad I found you.” Sophia reached for her sister's hand. “Lord Ralston was out of his mind, too.”

Good, Alice thought. He should know what it feels like. “I simply didn't believe that I could trust you to let me go once I found the letter in your writing desk. Why did you hide it from me?”

“Why would I have allowed you to read it, in your condition? You weren't equal to it. I was waiting for the right time, when you were well again.”

Alice wasn't ready to forgive so easily. “I'm well again. I finally regained my mind, no thanks to your coddling.”

“My coddling? Nursing you back to health was a twenty-four-hour-a-day mission. A mission of love, because you're my sister and I love you, which you seem to forget.”

“I seem to forget? I wonder why that is… Oh yes. Because my lovely fiancé was drugging me.”

“What? Ralston drugging you? That's ridiculous. I was with you all the time. If he was drugging you, I would know about it. You can't think I would let a man hurt you. Where do you come up with these ideas? Did Winthrop suggest such a thing?”

“Winthrop did not. I came to the conclusion on my own.” Alice tapped her chin as if to think. “I seem to recall your back turned in many instances when he could have slipped something into my tea. Or perhaps you were in on it.”

“In on it? Why would I drug you? I thought I would lose my patience having to take such care with you all of the time. I wanted you to be better, not worse.”

“All I know is that I woke up in good condition, not great condition, mind you, but I was in possession of my mental faculties. And then gradually they began to slip away. I don't think it's supposed to be like that, Sophia.”

“Dr. Pederson said it would be a gradual recovery.”

“But I had recovered. And only after that did I begin to slip into the fog and get worse. Something is very wrong there, Sophia. And I think it has to do with Lord Ralston. Don't you think it a little odd that he refuses to leave my side, except for sleep and the obvious reasons?”

Sophia tipped her head, considering. “He cares about you. He's very much in love.”

“If he's so in love with me, why is he always looking at you?”

“At me? I'm married. He knows I'm married. His only interest in me is a sisterly one. He looks to me for advice on how best to look after you.”

“Hmm.” Alice had no words.

“What purpose would it serve for him to drug you? He doesn't need to marry for a title or for money. There are a number of eligible young heiresses interested in him. Younger than you, so long on the shelf.”

“Sophia.” Alice shook her head. “And you call me incorrigible.”

“It's true. You're not getting any younger. And you finally have a wonderful man overcome with love for you…”

“And you made me leave him behind…” She looked over her shoulder again, though Stratton Place had been long out of sight.

“I don't mean Mr. Winthrop. For Jove's sake, Alice, you're engaged.”

“Engagements can be broken.” She flashed a challenge in her grin. “I don't love Ralston, Sophia. I don't know what I want, but I need some time on my own to figure things out.”

“You have some time. You'll be home for Christmas and then we'll have our big party after the New Year, and we'll tell everyone. I can't wait to see Matilda Furbish's face. She thought she bagged the catch of the season.”

“Bagged? We're not hunters. And she can have him. I'm telling you, Sophia, there's something off about Ralston. You're blind to his faults. It makes me wonder.”

“Wonder? About what?” Sophia arched a brow, suspicious.

“Gabriel hasn't been around much lately. Is everything going well between you?”

“Gabriel and I are perfectly well. We've been busy. He has been occupied with getting Winthrop's replacement settled, and I've been looking after you. We'll have more time to ourselves after Christmas. Sooner, perhaps, now that you're better.” Sophia patted Alice's leg, softening. “I was honestly worried about you when you went to nap and then were not there. You can only imagine what I went through, Alice. You're my sister. I love you. I only want you to be happy. There was no need for running away.”

“And if I'd asked you about the letter, you would have told me?”

“Reluctantly, once I realized you were well enough to be reasonable. But yes, I would have told you. I didn't burn it or toss it away. Honestly, I was saving it until I deemed you well enough to hear from Mr. Winthrop.”

“I was always well enough to hear from a…friend. A good friend like Logan. There was no need to hide correspondence. And if you truly want me to be happy, you will help me be free of this engagement.”

“Alice, no.” Sophia turned to her. “Please, give him a chance. He'll be a good husband to you. You'll be a countess, like me.”

“I don't care to be countess. And I've given him a chance. I don't love him, Sophia. I'm not even sure that I like him. I know Mother has taxed you with the gargantuan task of finding me a husband, and you've made an admirable effort, but perhaps it's just not in me to be a wife.”

Sophia shook her head. “Like Agatha with her lovers. She really has been a bad influence on you. What kind of life is that?”

“Agatha seems perfectly happy.”

“And at our mercy. Without our providing a home for her, where would she go?”

“Grandmother left us money. Perhaps she left Agatha a share, too. Agatha couldn't bear to live all alone, though. She thrives on interaction. She needs people to spook.”

“I suppose.” Sophia seemed unconvinced.

“And you seem to forget that I do have money.”

“Not yet.”

“In three more years. I can lead an independent life if I choose. I have no need for this husband you seem to want to push on me. None at all.”

“You don't even mean to marry Winthrop?” Sophia asked, incredulous.

“He would have me if I wanted him. I'm fairly certain of that. But I'm not sure what I want. I meant what I said. I need some time to think.”

“You'll have your time,” Sophia said with a sigh. “I got you into this mess, so I will help get you out of it.”

“The engagement? You'll help me speak to Lord Ralston?” Alice took back every horrible thought she'd had about her sister in the past hour. Except for one in which she wished for an enormous pimple to appear on Sophia's chin. It really wasn't fair for a woman to be so beautiful, with an enviable figure, lustrous black hair, and perfect ivory skin. It wouldn't hurt Sophia to have to deal with the occasional imperfection, just like everybody else.

“I will help you. The poor man. It's going to break his heart. I don't know why, but he really seems head over heels for you, Alice.”

Alice started rattling off her attributes. “My eye-catching red hair. My scintillating conversational skills. My adorable sense of humor. My natural grace. What else…”

“Humility.” Sophia shook her head. “Your strong sense of humility, to be certain.”

“Yes.” Alice nodded along. “Poor Lord Ralston, indeed.”

“Stop pacing and go after her,” John said. “You know you want to go.”

Logan gnawed his lip. “It's not that easy. She's engaged.”

“Engaged?” John sounded incredulous. He hadn't been in the room when Sophia pointedly mentioned Alice's fiancé. “How could it be? It's obvious that she loves you. The two of you belong together.”

Ellen didn't say a word, but she nodded her agreement.

“I tend to agree.” Logan sighed. “But the fact is that she accepted Lord Ralston when he asked her. Of course, she was under the influence of a head injury at the time.”

“She can't be held accountable,” John said matter-of-factly. “It's unconscionable that he would even ask her at such a time.”

“I thought so, too. A wonder her sister didn't stop him. Unless…she wanted Alice to say yes, too, and she knew it was her only chance. I can't blame her entirely. Sophia has wanted Alice to marry and stay close to Thornbrook Park for quite some time, and marrying her sister to an earl would be ideal.”

“An earl, bah. To marry for love would be ideal,” Ellen said. “Without love, what is there?”

“We can't expect everyone to see the world as we do, my love,” John told his wife. “Though I quite agree.”

“I'm not sure Sophia married her husband for love. They've had some trying times. But I know Lord Averford loves his wife beyond measure, and I know that love is strong enough for the both of them. But it is possible that Sophia doesn't understand the power of love, the necessity for it, any more than she truly understands her sister. She would never do anything to hurt Alice, not on purpose.”

“But would she have encouraged the Earl of Ralston to propose at a time when she suspected her sister was more or less powerless to object to him?” Ellen wondered.

“I won't let her marry him out of duty or obligation. If she loves me, she should be with me.”

“Hear, hear!” John raised a fist. “So get on your white horse and charge! Or have Evans drive you.”

“Perhaps I'll pay a social call on Lord Averford's brother and his wife. Eve Thorne was quick to warn me off when she thought I had an interest in Alice, but I think she would be equally quick to help me once she realizes that Alice really loves me in a way she could never love Lord Ralston. Yes, I'll visit the Thornes. One can never have too many allies in such a situation. If all goes well, Alice will have broken her engagement before my return to Thornbrook Park.”

“And if not?” John looked concerned.

“I'll just have to convince her to make haste. I'm the only one for her.”

***

When they arrived home, Gabriel informed them that Lord Ralston had left.

“He said that there was no sense in him pacing the floor with worry when he could be at Holcomb House placating his aunt. Lady Holcomb keeps asking after him. Now she has him back. But he means to return to celebrate Christmas with us.”

“So much for his broken heart. Clearly, he wasn't all that concerned with my welfare after all.” Alice turned to her sister, hands on her hips.

“Nonsense. The poor man probably needed a distraction to keep him sane until he could hear what became of you. It's good that he's catching up with his aunt. He will be back for Christmas, after all. We'll have to send word that you're back where you belong and feeling better.”

“Must we? Perhaps we could simply tell him I died.”

“Alice!” Sophia gasped. “What a terrible thing to say. We were all so worried about you.”

“I'm sorry for causing a panic.”

Lord Averford shrugged. “Aunt Agatha said that you were safe and well. I wasn't worried at all. If anyone would know, she would.”

Sophia narrowed her eyes at her husband. “I thought you doubted Agatha's abilities.”

“The woman is uncanny sometimes. But mostly, I believed that Alice wouldn't run off without giving Agatha word of her intentions.” He kissed Sophia on the cheek. “Now that you're all safely home, I've got to ride with Kenner out to the McGinty place. We're meeting a prospective new tenant.”

“A new tenant? Logan's plan worked? What I mean to say is, what you planned with Mr. Winthrop, to attract a new tenant to the old farm. That's wonderful news.” Heat flooded her, rushing to her cheeks and elsewhere, at the very thought of the McGinty house.

“It seems that it has. Mr. Higgins is a promising candidate. He had a farm over in Teckford but the estate was broken up and the land sold. He's looking for a new situation, and we're happy to welcome him.”

“It's a shame that Mr. Winthrop isn't here to see it. I believe he would be very pleased.”

“He would.” Gabriel nodded. “He worked very hard to restore the house to habitable condition, and I'm grateful to him. Some repair and maintenance remains, but it's nearly ready. I'll be back in time for dinner.”

“The long ride has made me so sleepy.” Sophia yawned and stretched. “I'm going to have a nap. Alice, you should try to sleep, too. You must be exhausted.”

“I'm strangely enervated. I think I'll go for a walk.”

Alice needed time to reflect. She didn't even mind that the temperature had dropped. Being on her own in the cool air boosted her spirits. No Lord Ralston waiting for her. She was free! She spun in a circle on the grass and laughed.

And what would she do with her freedom? She felt obligated to put it to good use. Hadn't Logan told her that she reminded him of all the life he had yet to live? What of her own plans, her own life? She had a whole list of things she meant to accomplish, but she'd given up on her first chance to learn to shoot. No time like the present. There was no reason to put anything off.

She headed right for the storage shed and asked Patrick, the first groundskeeper she came across, to help continue teaching her to learn to shoot. She meant to do things properly, the way Logan would have taught her. If she was to consider herself a modern woman, she could hardly be reliant on servants for all things. Times were changing, as Logan had rightly observed. She would learn to do for herself.

They stayed out until dusk. First, she learned to name all the parts of the rifle and their functions. Next, Patrick showed her how to clean and load her weapon. It would take a little more practice, but she was surprised at how quickly she'd learned. By the end of the day, before the sun began to set, she'd actually had a chance to shoot at targets. And she'd hit one dead center.

“Thank you, Patrick, for taking the time with me. You're a wonderful teacher.”

“It helps to have an attentive student.” He bowed to her. “Good evening, Lady Alice.”

She felt an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment as she returned to the Dower House to prepare for dinner. She could put a check next to another of the goals on her list. Strangely, though, it didn't seem quite as satisfying without someone there to share her triumph. Patrick had been a good teacher, but learning from Logan would have been so much better. He had his special way of laughing with her, teasing her, and encouraging her at once.

Would she find herself in an exotic locale, ready to turn to a partner and share an observation, only to realize that she was alone with no one to care? If she saw all the wonders of the world but had no one to discuss them with, would it be as if she'd never seen them at all?

She sighed. She didn't want just anyone along on her adventures. She wanted Logan. She missed him. There was no doubt that he loved her, and she him. Making love with him had been her most amazing adventure so far, and she didn't think it would be that way with just anyone. She didn't want to make love with anyone else. Her body longed for Logan's touch, and her heart was in full agreement. It meant having to admit that she'd been wrong all along. She
wanted
to marry. In fact, she'd felt more freedom in Logan's arms than she had ever felt on her own. Needing Logan didn't make her any less of a woman. He was part of what made her the woman she was, a part of her. How could she ever have thought that she could live without him?

She wished she'd never left him, but she had to rid herself of any obligation to Lord Ralston. Then she could return to Logan and tell him how much she needed him. Her happiness had been in her own hands all along. Perhaps Logan's as well. Now more than ever, she was convinced that Ralston had been drugging her. But with what powerful stuff to have had such an effect on her? She would find out for certain, and she would have her revenge.

“I'm sorry they found you so quickly, my dear.” Agatha embraced her upon her return. “I tried to throw Sophia off your trail, but she would not be deterred. I think she had you all figured out from the start.”

“You did your best, Aunt Agatha. Admittedly, Sophia would have been an idiot to believe I'd gone anywhere else. It's good to see that she has some sense to be relied upon.”

“Did you have time to talk, at least? Did you do what you set out to do?”

“I did. I wish we'd had more time, but perhaps another day.”

“He'll come back for you. Romance is in the air. I can feel it.” Agatha held her hands up in the air as if commanding the winds to blow romance into the room.

“Are you sure it's not simply that Miss Puss has got into your perfume again?” Alice teased her aunt.

“You'll see,” Agatha waved a finger. “Fate has a grand surprise in store for you. You can always count on fate.”

“The only thing I can count on is that we're going to be late for dinner if I don't get in the bath.”

***

Later that night at Thornbrook Park, Alice discovered that fate's grand surprise was perhaps only a cruel trick on her, the early reappearance of Lord Ralston.

“Darling.” He took her hands in his as soon as she entered the drawing room. “My love. You're looking well. How do you feel?”

“I feel much like myself.” She pulled her hands back. “Completely restored.”

“I had to rush back. I've been too long without you. You gave us quite a scare. Didn't she, Sophia?”

“Yes.” Sophia stopped gazing at her own portrait long enough to respond. “We were overcome with worry. For a time, it seemed that you would never be yourself again, Alice. And here you are back to us.”

Sophia had commissioned a portrait for over the central fireplace, one to replace the painting of Gabriel's mother, the Dowager Countess, that Sophia had never liked. It was Sophia posed as the goddess Aphrodite, a suggestion of Gabriel's brother one night after dinner. Eve and Marcus had shared a laugh at the idea, as if there were a private joke, but Sophia had embraced the notion. She'd been posing for it all summer, and just over a month ago, it was finally finished and hung up. The Dowager Countess had been put into storage.

“If only it could have been the real one packaged up and put away,” Sophia had commented on the occasion.

“She's in Italy, far enough away that she shouldn't bother you.” Alice didn't see that Sophia had any cause for concern. Rumor had it that the previous Lady Averford was involved in a tempestuous affair with an Italian count, which meant that she wasn't rushing home any time soon. “You're the mistress of your own house.”

“About time.” Sophia had folded her arms over her chest, only looking away from her own portrait once Gabriel walked into the room. She'd waited all day for him to notice. He'd had the nerve to not even realize there had been a substitution until long after dinner, when Eve Thorne had begun to admire it. Ah, Alice remembered now. That was what had occasioned the gift of the diamond cuff, Gabriel's ignorance of his wife's new portrait.

“Yes, I really am quite well,” Alice said, about to add that she would like to speak to Lord Ralston privately, no time like the present. Except that before she could speak, she was interrupted.

“This calls for champagne!” Ralston cheered. “Finch! Finch, my good man, pop open a few bottles from the case I brought.”

“You know which to open, Finch. Stick with ours. You brought a case?” Gabriel responded immediately, surprising Alice. Perhaps he, too, had finally begun to realize they'd let a fox into the henhouse. “No need for that, Ralston. We've plenty of champagne.”

“Consider it a gift. I'm very particular in my tastes.”

“If by particular you mean wanting, I completely understand.” Gabriel adjusted his cuffs, giving the appearance of remaining calm. But Alice noticed the golden licks of flame dancing in his dark brown eyes. “You can't get better champagne than I have in my cellar. I bought the last of it before even Bertie himself could snap it all up.”

“Champagne fit for the king? I suppose I'm not that particular. We'll go with yours. I'll make a present of mine to my aunt and uncle. They'll be delighted with it. My apologies, Averford.”

Gabriel nodded coolly. Alice hadn't seen him look so dangerous since his brother's reappearance at Thornbrook Park during the previous year. There was definitely some unspoken war being waged between the men. Alice's evening suddenly became more interesting. She wondered if it had something to do with Ralston's departure for Holcomb House during Sophia's absence.

As if sensing the very wrong thing to do to placate his host, Ralston took a sudden interest in Sophia's portrait.

“It's an uncanny likeness.” Ralston framed Sophia with his fingers and turned back to the portrait. “Down to the last detail, from the perfectly shaped bow of your lip to the mysterious gleam in your cornflower-blue eyes. I confess it draws my gaze even from my lovely Alice.”

“Even from me? What a thing to say, my dear Ralston.” Alice hated to even speak to the man, suspecting him more strongly of foul play by the minute, but she felt it her duty to keep the peace between him and her brother-in-law. Sophia seemed unaware of any tension between them. “Nothing should command your attention from the woman you're to marry. Am I right, Lord Averford?”