The Dark Earl (26 page)

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Authors: Virginia Henley

Tags: #Romance, #Historical, #Fiction, #General

BOOK: The Dark Earl
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Thomas Anson spent the day making the rounds of Shugborough’s tenant farms. He had supped with the head steward, Ramsey, last night. The man had seemed anxious about the Earl of Lichfield’s demise, and Thomas realized that keeping his position as steward was uppermost in his mind. Ramsey seemed like an honest, decent fellow, but Thomas had decided to question the tenant farmers about him. Today, he was relieved that he’d heard no complaints about the steward. If the farmers had been unhappy with the steward, Thomas would have sent him packing.
Tonight, I’ll tell Ramsey that his job will be secure when I inherit Shugborough.
After dinner, Thomas planned to go over the books. The spring sheep shearing had produced more wool than last year, and he hoped the profits would cover any repairs needed to the farmhouses and pay for the maintenance of Shugborough. The hall had eighty chimneys, and every year at least a few needed new bricks and mortar.
Tomorrow he intended to visit with some of his constituents and tell them that he had procured funding from Parliament to build another new school in the county, and also erect some additional wool-storage sheds along the Staffordshire canal.
As he rode toward the hall in the late afternoon, his thoughts returned to the dilemma his father had created. The old swine had demanded that he wed an heiress, but the only woman Thomas desired was Lady Harriet Hamilton. Now that she was beyond his reach, he would have to look elsewhere, no matter how unpalatable. He was well aware that many wealthy families were eager to exchange a large dowry for a title, but such a solution made his gorge rise.
As Shugborough came into view, he set aside his worries. He was determined to take pleasure in his beloved hall, while he had the chance. All too soon he would be back in London, trying to solve his problems. He thought of Fowler and cursed.
The first thing I shall do when I return to London is hire a personal attorney of my own.
Thomas noticed a lady’s saddle horse tied to a tree, cropping the grass on the lawn.
Then he saw a female standing before the house, looking up at it. As he rode closer, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He dismounted and strode toward her.
“Harry! What the devil are you doing here?”
“Thomas!” Her gasp told him that she had not expected to see him. “I . . . We . . . are on our way to Ireland.”
He could not control his emotions. Anger flared in him. He closed the distance between them and towered above her. “Why the hellfire did you marry D’Arcy Lambton? You know damn well you don’t love him!”
He saw her pale green eyes widen. “I didn’t marry D’Arcy. My sister Beatrix is his blushing bride.”
For a moment he thought she was taunting him with a cruel jest. Then slowly the miraculous news that she was not married penetrated his brain.
She’s not going to Ireland on her honeymoon; she’s going with her family!
His spirits soared.
This lovely creature before me is the answer to all my problems. The gods are giving me a second chance. All I have to do is woo her and win her.
“We are staying at the Stafford inn, and I couldn’t resist a visit to Shugborough when the opportunity presented itself. Early tomorrow we leave for Liverpool.”
This is kismet.
“Harry, it’s a delightful coincidence that we are here at the same time. Let me give you the grand tour.” He reached out to take her hand, but rather than respond, she pulled away slightly. It was a protective gesture, as if she was fearful that he might hurt her. He was wildly curious about what had happened between her and D’Arcy.
If Lambton has caused her pain, I will take a horsewhip to the son of a bitch and thrash him within an inch of his life.
His instinct told him now was not the time to question her.
“May I visit the walled garden first, while it’s bathed in sunlight?”
Her request sounds like a timid plea, as if she is apprehensive I won’t grant her wish.
“That’s a perfect place to start.”
Where the devil is the audacious baggage that issued her imperious orders with the confidence of an empress?
Thomas led the way around to the rear of Shugborough. As they crossed the velvet lawn, Harry stopped in her tracks. “It looks different without the lovely marble statues.”
“Indeed it does.”
“I remember Venus, and I particularly remember admiring Adonis. Though at the time I had no idea he was the
Grecian god of desire.”
“Harry, you’re blushing.”
Judas, I never saw you blush before.
Harriet’s dark lashes swept down to her cheeks, and Thomas had an overwhelming urge to protect her. However, he knew that if he tried to put his arm about her, she would reject it. “I am determined to find out who owns the statues, and I have every intention of buying them back in the future.”
“I hope you get them back, Thomas. This is where they rightfully belong.”
When they arrived at the arched wooden door in the high wall, he turned the iron key and they stepped into the garden.
As he watched her, she suddenly became transformed. Her face suffused with joy and her self-consciousness vanished as if the sun had melted it.
 
 
“Oh, it’s magic!” The brilliant sunlight shining through the cascading water of the fountain produced a dazzling rainbow. Harry ran forward and tried to capture the colorful mirage in her hands. She laughed with delight when the rainbow appeared on her arms.
She spun about to face Thomas. “I can smell jasmine and honeysuckle. But the garden is such a blaze of flowers, I can’t see the honeysuckle.”
“It’s over there, climbing the wall. It usually blooms in the spring. It must be another fragrant flower you can smell. There are dozens of herbaceous plants that attract bees and butterflies.”
“You are wrong. I know honeysuckle when I smell it.” Harry ran to the wall, and to her amazement, the vines had no flowers because they had turned to berries. She ran back to Thomas. “When I was a child, this place enchanted me. All I have to do is picture this walled garden in my imagination and I can smell jasmine and honeysuckle.”
“You can smell it now because it lingers in your memory.”
Suddenly Harry felt mischievous. She pulled up her sleeve to display her tattoo, which had ignited his temper when he had discovered it. “The last time I was in this garden, a hawk swooped down and captured a little green snake. I screamed, and the raptor dropped it and flew off. The snake slithered away, and I was infused with happiness that I had saved its life.” She waved her arm beneath his nose, much as she had done the day they had quarreled. “My little green snake is a memento of this lovely walled garden, one that I will carry with me forever.”
“Then I offer you my sincere apology. I was wrong to object so furiously when it obviously brings you pleasure, Harry.”
“I’ve kept it covered up all this time. But from now on, the world can go to the devil. I shall display it with pride.”
“You are an incorrigible baggage, Harry Hamilton.”
She laughed up at him. “Flattery, begod! Take me to the Tower of Winds.”
The moment they entered the tower, with its diamond-shaped openings cut high into its walls, Harry stared in horror. “Where are the centaurs?”
“Sold, like every other Shugborough treasure.”
“Oh, Thomas. That is desecration. You
must
get them back.”
“I will. All it takes is money.” He looked down at her ruefully. “If I had my way, I would have chosen to be born filthy rich, instead of devastatingly handsome.”
Harry threw back her head and laughed. “You are always so staid and serious, and then out of nowhere you reveal that wicked sense of humor.”
He threw her a speculative glance. “So, what made you decide against marrying Lambton?”
“Oh, it wasn’t just D’Arcy. I’ve decided against marrying anyone. At least until I fall in love. I won’t settle for anything less than a love match. My father loves my mother to distraction, and that’s exactly what I want.” She smiled with delight as she heard the music of the wind. “Rachel has waited until she is twenty-eight before finding a man who loves and adores her. And I’ll wait that long too, if I have to.”
Thomas felt his hopes floating out of his grasp on the summer breeze.
Harry may not be in love with me, but she feels passionate about Shugborough.
“Come, let me take you into the hall.”
He led her to the front of the mansion, instinctively realizing that Harry would wish to make her entrance through the impressive grand portico. They went up the steps, and Harriet reached out her hand to reverently caress one of the massive Doric columns.
“The house is encased in slate. It has been sanded to look like stone.”
“How unusual. I always sensed that Shugborough was unique.”
He opened the heavy oak front door and they walked slowly through the vaulted reception hall. “Many of the rooms were designed by architect Thomas Wright. Both the dining room and the library boast his elaborate rococo plasterwork. But fifty years later, architect Sam Wyatt redesigned Shugborough in the elegant neoclassical style.”
Harry’s eyes shone with admiration. “I am familiar with Sam Wyatt’s work. I have many books filled with drawings of houses that he designed.”
“Some of which came from Shugborough’s library,” he teased.
“Yes. Now that you remind me, I believe they were yours before they were mine.” She searched his face. “I’m sorry, Thomas. I know how you cherished Shugborough’s treasures.”
“It’s less painful knowing they belong to someone who appreciates them. Here is the library. Though it has many empty bookshelves, it is a room where a few prized artifacts that were not sold at the auction are displayed.”
Harry gazed at a huge glass cabinet. “Oh, it’s the figurehead of a ship!” The carved wooden female had luscious breasts and long swirling hair. “She’s magnificent.”
“It’s from the
Centurion
, Admiral George Anson’s ship.” He pointed to a weapon sheathed in an ornate scabbard. “That is the sword that the captain surrendered to my famous ancestor when he captured the Spanish treasure ship.”
“How fascinating.” She pointed to a gold coin that lay beside the sword. “Is that a Spanish doubloon?”
“Yes. It’s the only one that’s left. The largest amount of gold ever seized for the Crown of England came from the Spanish galleon Admiral Anson captured. Records say that it took thirty-two large wagons to transport all the treasure.”
Harry heard a loud, plaintive
meow.
She looked down and saw a gray Persian cat rubbing itself against his ankles. Thomas bent down and scooped it up in his arms, and it immediately began to purr. “This is Kouli-Khan, thought to be bred from the admiral’s cat that sailed around the world with him. There is a Cat’s Monument dedicated to the first Kouli-Khan, on a small island beyond the Chinese pagoda.”
“She’s a beauty.” She stroked the Persian cat’s head and she purred even louder. “That’s a charming story. Everything about Shugborough is warm and inviting.”
Thomas led the way to an elegantly furnished drawing room. “I have managed to restore all the furnishings in this room that were sold at the auction a decade ago. I just hung those two paintings last night. They are landscapes by Claude. I had to twist the owner’s arm a little, but he eventually succumbed to my persuasion.”
Harry glanced at her companion. Though his words were spoken softly, his dark eyes and sharp cheekbones hinted that his methods of persuasion could be ruthless if he wanted something. In that moment she knew that if Thomas Anson set his mind to attain something, nothing would stop him. She had no doubt that he would restore Shugborough’s treasures, no matter the cost.
She noticed a painting by the doorway that stood against the wall. “You forgot to hang this one.”
“No, I just took it down. I don’t want it staring at me. It’s a portrait of my father.”
Harry studied the portrait in disbelief. It showed a portly man who was fair, with a florid face. “Your father? You look nothing like him. . . . There is no resemblance whatsoever.”
“I warrant that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Harry.” He changed the subject. “This house has three stories. It would take a week to show you through every chamber. But since you like warm and inviting, why don’t I take you to the kitchens?”
“Lead on, Macduff.”
The kitchens were vast and spotlessly clean.
“This is my cook, Mrs. Stearn. This is a special friend, Lady Harriet Hamilton.”
The cook bobbed Harry a curtsy. “Welcome to Shugborough Hall, my lady.”
“You must be baking bread, Mrs. Stearn. It smells delicious.”
“I’ve just taken it from the oven. It’s on a cooling rack by the window.”
Thomas saw the yearning look on Harry’s face. “Are you hungry?
That’s a silly question—you are always hungry. Sit down, and we will break bread together.” First he poured two mugs of ale from a stone jug. “We brew our own. You’ll love it.”

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