An Inconvenient Trilogy (12 page)

“You’ve done what?” Elizabeth exploded. “He has been with the family since my father was a young boy. He was promised one of the estate cottages when he retired. You knew that Herbert, and you agreed to it when I handed everything over.”

“Unfortunately your family loyalty clouded your judgement,” Miranda said with a condescending smile. “He was not performing and had to go. We cannot be responsible for poorly performing staff as well as an ailing estate. Why give him a cottage when we can charge rent for it?”

“Where is he?” Elizabeth ground out.

“I believe he has gone to his brother in Manchester,” Herbert said.

“He would hate to live in the city, he loved the countryside and has known nothing else,” Elizabeth said, distraught at the thought of her loyal member of staff being so misused.

Michael thought it appropriate to intervene. He had been watching the exchange with interest, but Elizabeth was becoming very distressed and his natural reaction was to protect her. “If I could make a suggestion?” he offered quietly, but firmly.

“Please do.” Elizabeth said, looking close to tears.

“My dear, you could stand the cost of a man of business. Normally I would not have advised you to employ someone as your estate is smaller than would be usual for such a post. In this instance though as Mr Lawson appears to be of the age that he would want to spend less time working, perhaps you could offer him a position here? He then would not need to work for the full week and spend his time enjoying a partial retirement.”

“That is a wonderful idea!”Elizabeth exclaimed. “Can I afford it?”

“It will not alter your overall financial position. I will instruct Charles to contact Mr Lawson and arrange the details.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth smiled with relief. Both Michael and Elizabeth noticed the look that passed between Herbert and Miranda at their exchange.

“That’s all very well my Lord, but I do feel that Elizabeth should be helping her family rather than old staff. Do you not think family loyalty is important in matters such as these?” Miranda interjected.

Michael decided that he had humoured the woman enough. “Madam, Elizabeth may or may not wish to invest in your property, I have not yet asked my ward her opinion on the matter. Any financial dealings she wishes to undertake have to receive my approval. To invest in an estate that has gone from profit to loss in a matter of months would not be a venture I would allow my ward to invest in. So, in reality it is irrelevant what Elizabeth wishes, her money will not be invested in your estate.”

“Well I never! May I remind you that your guardianship only lasts for a few months more and then Elizabeth can do as she wishes?” The smile had gone from Miranda’s face. Any pretence at civility was removed. “It’s not as if her money is doing her any good, it hasn’t even been able to attract a husband.”

“It has been more than enough to attract a husband. I have refused at least six applications for Elizabeth’s hand, all of them eligible. Let me assure you that any man who would advise investment in such a scheme would not be the man to marry Elizabeth.” Michael growled at Miranda. His smooth address had gone now, and the danger that Elizabeth had suspected to be lurking under the surface was very much to the fore now.

“I see how things lie here and there is no longer any point in discussing this matter further,” Miranda said mulishly. “I had hoped that we could spend some time with you while we were in this part of the country. We had arranged to meet my brother later today; I know he was keen to become acquainted with you.”

Elizabeth sighed, she wanted Herbert and Miranda as far away from her new home as possible, but she could not turn them away. She did feel some family obligation, but as always she was honest with her cousin. “You have never wanted to spend any time with me before, Miranda.”

“You are family,” Miranda replied sourly. “I had hoped that we could form some sort of relationship, but I see that all my attempts are going to be rejected.”

Elizabeth groaned inwardly. She may not like Miranda, but Herbert was her only surviving relative. She did inwardly agree that he deserved some family loyalty and sighed; she would try and be accommodating, even if it pained her to be near Miranda. “Of course you are welcome to stay here Miranda and I include your brother in the invitation.”

“Excellent. We shall take our leave, and collect our belongings and meet with George. Should we return at six?”

Elizabeth agreed, but had to bite her tongue in order to prevent herself from making a comment which would express what she was truly feeling. Herbert and Miranda said their goodbyes and were led out by Smithson.

Elizabeth sank into a chair. “Thank you for your support.” she smiled weakly at Michael.

“You appeared to be doing very well before I entered, but I am happy to be of assistance. Your previous description of your family was too kind, I feel.”

Elizabeth laughed, “I knew you would see them as I do! Now I need to live with them for a few days at least. I can’t understand how they can be in debt so soon.”

“I can and it is confirmed by their desire to rid themselves of Mr Lawson. Don’t be surprised when he arrives if he tells you that your cousin brought debts with him. He looks to be the kind of man to be easily separated from his money. His wife would not see it as being taken advantage of if flattery was given at the time. There are many who will take advantage of the weak characters in society.”

“The fools! They had such a good estate. It will break my heart if they eventually lose it.” Elizabeth said quietly.

“I feel that is what they were hoping to hear from you. It would have made their task of separating you from your money far easier. You must be prepared for further bombardment. I suspect that Miranda at least won’t give up as easily as she appears to have done today.”

“That’s fine; I have the perfect excuse now. My dragon of a guardian won’t let me!” Elizabeth smiled impishly.

Michael smiled in return, “Ah you finally see the advantages of having a guardian; I never thought to see the day.”

*

A much less congenial conversation was being held by Miranda and Herbert in the carriage leaving Elizabeth’s house. Miranda was not one to accept a refusal easily and Herbert came in for the brunt of her criticism. He was accused of being weak-willed and spineless. Herbert accepted the abuse and promised to try and intimidate Elizabeth, underestimating her strength of character. He did sum up Michael’s character quickly and accurately though.

“There was no point in arguing with him, he would not release the funds. He made that perfectly clear.” he almost pleaded. Miranda in a bad mood was more than most men could bear; let alone such a cowardly one as Herbert.

“Hah, his intentions are obvious!” She snarled back at him. “He wants her money for himself.”

“Why would he? He has enough wealth that Elizabeth’s two thousand a year would almost be pin money.” Herbert wanted his cousin’s fortune, he felt aggrieved that he should be deprived of a further two thousand a year. With a wife like Miranda such an amount could come in very useful. He refused to acknowledge that Elizabeth’s fortune came from her mother and would never have gone to him if there had been no children. He was a man who needed more income because of his own poor management, and he felt that Elizabeth was the only one who could provide it.

“A man who has money wants even more. Look around you at all the marriages where that happens. They are always money to money. Well if he wants to marry that woman, if that is what you can consider her, he has not taken me into consideration.”

“What are you planning?” Herbert asked with a sinking feeling. Approaching Elizabeth as they had was bad enough, but he did not like the glint in his wife’s eyes.

“George needs a wife. Elizabeth will do fine in that role and when they are married, we will take over the money. We can put her to use on the estate too. It’s a simple, perfect solution.”

“She will never agree to marry George.” Herbert responded.

“Who said anything about agreeing? She will find herself forced into marriage, one way or another,” came the menacing response. Silence descended on the carriage as Miranda sat plotting exactly how she could bring down her high and mighty cousin, while Herbert cowered at the thoughts of what he was being dragged into.

Chapter 13

Unaware of what feelings she had stirred up, Elizabeth dressed with care for the evening’s gathering. She did not like to admit it, but Miranda’s condemnation did hurt her. It was not that she wanted to appear feminine, she was more than comfortable in breeches, but it was the way Miranda openly sneered at her, and had done even the first time they had met. Elizabeth’s open acknowledgement of her lack of finesse had been seized on, and was used against her at every opportunity even when Miranda wanted Elizabeth’s help.

The dress she picked to wear was one she had chosen with Violet. She knew it was more than suitable for the occasion. If she was honest with herself, a far less fashionable dress would have been suitable for a meal with family deep in the Yorkshire countryside, but she was determined to silence Miranda. The pale blue taffeta whispered against her body as she walked, emphasising her slender shape. The cross-over bodice drew attention to the curve of her breasts and slender waistline. The material was edged with fine cream lace, standing out against the contrast of the material and her skin.

She wore a single set of pearls around her neck and had her hair piled high, with clips edged with pearls, on the crown of her head, with thick curls falling to naturally frame her face. The overall effect gave her more height. Her dress gave her confidence. She was not vain, but she could see that her appearance did her credit. She would be grateful for that during the evening.

Elizabeth entered her drawing room after the others in the party had gathered. Michael and Charles were stood near the fire, a little away from the others in attendance. Martha was seated near the gentlemen. Herbert and Miranda’s brother hovered protectively near to Miranda who sat in regal splendour on one of the wing backed chairs. Conversation halted as Elizabeth walked into the room.

“Good evening,” she smiled at the group.

Michael smiled, his eyes showing his approval of her apparel. Elizabeth smiled slightly in return, she knew that Michael would see immediately what she was trying to do and hoped he would not tease her for it. Her insecurities were irrational with regards to Miranda, but it did not make them any less real.

The look on Miranda’s face would have been comical if the implications were not so hurtful. She looked with disdain at Elizabeth, openly letting her eyes rake up and down the outfit and turning away with a look of contempt. Herbert looked in surprise at his cousin before collecting himself and moving to introduce Miranda’s brother.

“Elizabeth, allow me to introduce George Watson to you. He has heard us speak often about you, and is eager to make your acquaintance.”

Elizabeth raised her eyes at her cousin in a question at his words, but he did not meet her gaze. When she did not receive anything further from Herbert, she turned to George and placed a smile on her face which would be in danger of becoming a grimace if she looked at Michael. George stood before her bowing low over her hand. She resisted the urge to pull her hand away, but thankfully he did not kiss it. He was a stout man of around twenty-five. His hair was fair like Miranda’s, but was plastered to his head in a most unfashionable way. He looked hot, even though the room was not overly warm, and pressed a handkerchief to his top lip regularly. His eyes were small and Elizabeth had the uncomfortable impression that she was being assessed as if she was a piece of meat.

“Miss Rufford, a delight to meet you at long last. My sister has often spoken of you,” George smiled at her.

“Really? I would be less surprised if she had never mentioned me at all,” Elizabeth muttered at which Michael suffered from a coughing fit. It gave the opportunity for Elizabeth to move across to Michael after offering her apologies to George. “Do you have a problem my Lord?” She asked innocently.

Michael waved her concern away, but quietly whispered “My problem goes by the name of Elizabeth.” His words received a mischievous smile that was interrupted by dinner being announced. Michael offered Elizabeth his arm and they led the way into the dining room.

Elizabeth sat at the head of the table with Michael at the opposite end. Charles sat on one side of Michael with Miranda on Michael’s other side. Herbert sat next to Charles and Miss Fairfield and George completed the party on Elizabeth’s other side. Elizabeth had hoped to spend as much of the evening as possible talking to Martha, rather than George, but it was obvious that Herbert had set out to dominate her companion leaving Elizabeth no option but to speak to George.

After only five minutes, she knew it was going to be a long evening. At every opportunity he tried to compliment her, but they were shallow compliments meant to pander to the vanity of which she had little. She tried to give him a hint that compliments were not necessary or welcome, but he did not seem to hear anything she said. He had opinions about everything, especially the food they were eating, and took great effort to explain every detail of how her cook was preparing the food wrong.

“The soup is far too thick,” he said as he was given a ladleful. “The consistency needs to be thinner to be a truly fine dish.”

Then, when he piled his plate high with the other dishes on the table. “I feel the pheasant should have been cooked longer, the sauce on the goose did not contain enough wine,” he said, as one piece of food after another was devoured. 

“I shall introduce you to cook after the meal if you wish,” Elizabeth offered, desperate to stem the flow of nonsense. “I am sure she shall appreciate your advice. You will understand that your instructions to me are wasted really, my time is spent outside on the estate.”

George paused for a moment, making Elizabeth hope that she had managed to stop such a tiring conversation, but it was not to be. “I shall of course speak to her,” George said with authority. “I do wonder at you working outdoors though, Miss Rufford. Is that advisable?”

“Why would it not be?” Elizabeth responded trying to be polite, but becoming slightly defensive.

“Surely you would want to spend your time making a home?” George asked, leaning closer. “A home for a family? I could see you being surrounded by a brood of children.”

Elizabeth’s skin crawled, but she forced herself to smile. “A home would be useless without the means to support it wouldn’t it Mr. Watson? We are planning the work on the house during the spare moments we have.”

“We?” Nigel asked.

Elizabeth hated that she was forced to be honest, but she could not lie, even if it would have discouraged the way George seemed to be getting closer than was appropriate. “Miss Fairfield and myself.”

“Ah, I see,” George responded. He contrived that their hands touched, but Elizabeth pulled her hand away. “I believe that you have been breaking hearts in London? I thought that you may be planning with a beau.”

“I don’t know about breaking hearts. It would be very immodest of me to confirm such a statement, but I have spent some time enjoying the entertainments in London,” Elizabeth said coolly.

“But no one could tempt you into marriage?” George smoothed inappropriately.

“I am considering an offer,” Elizabeth said, finally speaking out loud something that she hoped would shut him up or at least force him to behave more appropriately.

George’s expression changed, but he managed to school it into an attempt at pleasantness. “Who is the lucky gentleman?”

Elizabeth did not look across at Michael. She was not sure if he had heard, but she could not believe that she had been foolish enough to betray such personal information. George may have begun asking questions that should never have been asked in such a polite gathering, but Elizabeth had overstepped the mark. Instead of telling him to stop asking impertinent questions, she had offered information that should have remained private.

She had to take control of the situation. “As I am still considering the offer, I do not think it would be appropriate for me to mention the gentleman’s name,” she responded coolly.

“Quite so,” George responded, although he looked unhappy at her answer.

He continued to speak through the remainder of the meal without pausing. His contrived method of conversation made her shoulders sag by the end of the food. She felt a wave of relief when it was time for her to stand and lead the ladies out of the room.

There was only a brief respite in the drawing room before the gentleman joined the group, far too short a time in Elizabeth’s opinion, especially when she saw George heading directly for her. She groaned inwardly, but fixed a small smile to her face. “Would you like to sit near the fire Mr. Watson?” she asked politely standing and indicating her chair for him.

“Not at all Miss Rufford. I was merely approaching to see if you required anything,” he replied with a deep bow.

An escape from you, Elizabeth thought to herself, but she smiled and assured him of her comfort. He continued to fuss over her until in answer to a silent plea from her eyes; the pair were joined by Michael.  “Ah, your Lordship,” she welcomed with a warm smile. “We shall have to have a long day of work tomorrow to make up for our delays today.”

“As you wish. Charles and I can be available whenever you are ready.” came the smooth reply.

“If I could make a request,” George interrupted. “I would like very much to see the estate if you would be so kind to show me around.” He spoke to Elizabeth, completely ignoring Michael, which Michael seemed to find highly amusing.

“There isn’t much to see at the moment,” Elizabeth explained, refusing to be backed into a corner over spending time during the day with such a man.

“Even so, I would be interested to hear your plans for the place. I find it admirable that you are willing to take on such a challenge. It quite makes me stand in awe of you Miss Rufford.”

Michael groaned inwardly at such fawning. He knew that Elizabeth would not be at all interested in a man like George Watson. Such openly excessive behaviour by another made him ashamed to be a man. He decided it was time to intervene, as he felt that Elizabeth had suffered enough. She had to be polite as the hostess, but he felt no such compunction.

“Charles can show you around Mr. Watson. Elizabeth will be busy all day.” he said, fixing George with a cold look.

“Do you make a habit of monopolising your ward, my Lord?” Miranda asked with some asperity, joining the group.

“Only when I think it is necessary, and for her own good. I flatter myself that I can usually offer good advice. My ward and I did not agree when we first met, but she has come to appreciate my counsel,” came the droll response.

Elizabeth felt the corners of her mouth twitch, but managed to suppress her smile. “I shall make myself available for you, my Lord.”