A Sense of Injustice (Perceptions Book 4) Read online

  ‘And why should you not have done? You were not to know that he was a scoundrel. He is a very handsome man; I could see that with my own eyes, even though I was predisposed to dislike him. I dare say he can also be very charming when he puts his mind to it. Your aunt should have noticed what his intentions were and warned you against him, rather than encouraging him for her own selfish reasons.’

  ‘He comprehensively fooled me. I still think it very fortunate that I happened to overhear him in that summerhouse with Mrs Brigstock, arguing about me.’ Louise swallowed, looking angry and upset. ‘If I had not, the chances are that I would have accepted his proposal and—’

  ‘And your life would then not have been worth living. You have had a very narrow escape.’

  ‘At least it allowed me to finally see my aunt for what I always suspected her to be, which is self-serving and vindictive.’

  ‘And it gave you the courage to reunite with your sister and grandmother.’

  ‘Yes, that too. But now I could easily destroy the reputation of one and severely disappoint the other.’

  ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.’

  Their conversation saw them safely returned to the stables at Beranger Court. Grooms ran forward to take their mounts. Flora suggested tea and the ladies made their way to the house, Romulus panting at their heels. Flora dropped a hand to give his ears a good rub, rewarding him for his protective behaviour. She thought it unlikely that Cleethorp would have attempted to approach them after Flora had made it crystal clear his company wasn’t wanted. Bullies seldom knew how to respond when their victims stood up to them. Even so, Romulus had made Flora feel secure enough to tell the despicable man precisely what she thought of him.

  They talked about nothing in particular as they took tea in the morning room. Flora felt awkward entertaining her friend as though the house belonged to her, but Woodley seemed perfectly willing to serve them with his normal stately aplomb. Flora knew very well that if her behaviour had transcended the butler’s strict code of conduct, he would have made his displeasure apparent.

  ‘Thank you so very much, Flora,’ Louise said, putting her empty cup aside and standing up. ‘I feel so much better now that the first confrontation with Cleethorp is behind me. Knowing he is here is better in some respects than wondering when or if he will put in an appearance. But even if he threatens to spread rumours about me, I shall not give in to his bullying. On that score I am now quite determined.’

  ‘Then I am glad. I shall call and see you tomorrow afternoon and you can tell me how things went with your grandmother. I am perfectly sure that she will take your side.’

  Louise shuddered. ‘Let’s hope so.’

  Flora waved Louise away in her carriage and returned to the house. Woodley informed her that the earl was asking for her and so she immediately went to his library, keen to tell him about the interlude with Cleethorp.

  You are in trouble.

  ‘Thank you for stating the obvious,’ Flora muttered in response to Remus. ‘Why didn’t you warn me earlier, before the horrible man reached us?

  I did warn you.

  ‘Only when it was too late for us to get away from him.’

  I’ve told you before. I can’t always be dancing to your tune. Anyway, you had that dog to keep you safe.

  Flora grinned. ‘You can say his name, you know,’ she chided, having deliberately named the dog after the brother with whom Remus was always at odds.

  You did well, but you’ve set the cat amongst the pigeons. Take the greatest possible care. That man has a temper and tends to act without thinking when roused.

  ‘As Louise can attest. Can’t you manifest yourself in front of him and scare him into turning tail and running or…well, something? Make yourself useful.’

  Remus chuckled. That’s against the rules.

  ‘Who makes these wretched rules that you are so worried about breaking?’

  Flora had reached the door to Luke’s library by the time she posed that question and sensed Remus drifting away again. Typical! The more she saw of him, the more confused she became about his purpose in her life. How she wished now that her grandmother had told her more about her own abilities, or that she had paid more attention on the few occasions when she had referred to them. But still, it would be prudent to take Remus’s warning about Cleethorp’s temper seriously. She had made an enemy out of him by standing up to him and preventing him from approaching Louise. For now. His being in the district made it obvious that he had no intention of giving up on her.

  ‘Cleethorp is here,’ she said as she tapped at the door and walked into the library. Romulus pushed through it ahead of her and trotted up to Luke, his tailing spiralling. Luke looked up at her from behind his desk, and the slow, intimate smile that he sent her way made her feel weak at the knees. It faded as he absorbed the enormity of her news.

  ‘You’ve seen him?’ Luke stood up, looking angry and very concerned.

  ‘Yes, he followed us to the reservoir but Romulus frightened him off.’

  ‘Sit down and tell me about it,’ Luke said, scowling as he bent to pat Romulus’s head. The dog, tired after his run, merely flapped his tail and closed his eyes. ‘Are you all right? Did he try to molest either of you?’

  ‘We were certainly taken aback.’ She told Luke about Miss Gregory’s unexpected visit to Louise. ‘We assume that’s how he knew where to find us.’

  ‘He didn’t approach you?’

  ‘He wanted a private word with Louise but I robustly dissuaded him.’

  Luke shook his head, admiration forming the bedrock of his expression as he fought against a smile. ‘Reckless female!’ he chided softly.

  ‘I’m afraid that I told him Louise enjoyed your support. I hope you don’t mind.’

  ‘Not in the least. Hopefully it will make him think twice.’ He settled himself into a more comfortable position, stretching his long legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankle. ‘And I have news for you.’

  She listened as he told her what Paul’s man had discovered. She gasped when she learned that someone had spooked Brigstock’s horse.

  ‘On purpose?’

  ‘None of the keepers were in that part of the grounds at the time, but it wasn’t the hunting season so it’s safe to assume that an intruder deliberately tried to cause what would pass for an accident.’

  ‘You think it was Cleethorp? That he would really go that far?’

  ‘It seems a reasonable conclusion, but Paul is going to Warminster himself tomorrow to question the landlord of that tavern. Then we shall know more.’

  ‘I have persuaded Louise to confide in her grandmother.’ Flora plucked absently at the fabric of her riding habit as she spoke. ‘Having followed her here, I can’t convince myself that Cleethorp will give up on her as easily as we hope, so it’s better if Mrs Pearson is properly prepared. She knows something is seriously amiss with Louise and is, I think, waiting for her to speak out rather than insisting upon an explanation. It will be a very uncomfortable admission for Louise to make since she is still convinced that she was in the wrong. I have tried to persuade her that her aunt should have warned her away from Cleethorp at the very least, but instead she worked in tandem with him in the expectation of financial gain.’ Flora wrinkled her nose. ‘She sounds despicable.’

  ‘I think you have done the right thing. Secrets have a way of coming out in the end, so it’s better for Mrs Pearson to hear the truth from her granddaughter’s own lips.’ He chuckled. ‘It’s not as if she can endanger her own life by calling Cleethorp out.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that. She has a lot in common with your own grandmother. If, God forbid, someone had played fast and loose with Emma or Mary’s affections, I’m sure the countess would have been the first to reach for her blunderbuss.’

  Luke smiled that glamorous smile of his; a gesture that lit up his rugged features and made him appear so disarmingly sophisticated that she was obliged to look away in case
her expression revealed the true nature of her thoughts. Flora reminded herself that she was a servant in his house and that she would gain a permanent crick in her neck if she constantly looked up at him from her lowly position on the social ladder.

  ‘You’re probably right about that,’ he said softly, but Flora’s thoughts had taken a sensory detour and she was no longer sure what she was supposed to be right about. Thankfully, Paul interrupted their conversation at that point by putting his head round the door.

  ‘Sorry if I’m disturbing you,’ he said.

  ‘Cleethorp’s already here,’ Luke replied, waving Paul into the room. ‘He tried to accost Flora and Miss Pearson up at the reservoir.’

  ‘Ah, in that case you will be pleased to know that I’ve found out who looked after Brigstock’s legal affairs. A firm of solicitors in the heart of Swindon as it happens, Heath and Sons.’

  ‘Well done.’ Luke nodded his approval. ‘I am vaguely acquainted with Heath. I’ll pay him a call tomorrow and see if he will tell me the terms of Brigstock’s will. I am very curious to know how he ran through his fortune so fast.’

  Flora stood. ‘I have promised to call on Louise tomorrow afternoon. Anything you gentlemen discover before then to set her mind at rest would be appreciated. But now, if you will excuse me.’

  She left the room at a trot, aware that she had neglected her charge for too long. It was time to put her friend’s problems to the back of her mind for a while and concentrate upon the duties she was paid to discharge.

  Chapter Twelve

  Louise returned home feeling nervous yet resolute. Marianne was out for the afternoon visiting a friend in a neighbouring village, leaving Louise with no excuse to postpone doing what she should have done the moment she arrived in Swindon.

  She must tell her grandmother the complete and shameful truth about her spectacular fall from grace.

  It was cowardly to hide herself away in Grandmamma’s house under false pretences. It left the old lady exposed to the potentially embarrassing possibility of a visit from Cleethorp, who would distribute charm and veiled threats with an even hand, attempting to shame Louise into accepting his proposal. She was equally determined that he would not succeed, even if it meant losing her grandmother’s respect.

  Louise knew that she must prepare herself to be ordered from the house. If Grandmamma didn’t want someone of her loose morals corrupting Marianne, Louise would find somewhere else to hide away until the unpleasantness abated. Distancing herself from her sister and being disowned by her grandmother was possibly the only way to protect her sibling’s reputation.

  Louise closed her eyes, desperately hoping that the earl would find a way to keep her disgrace under wraps. But in her heart of hearts she accepted that she couldn’t depend upon anyone else to help her. She had created this farrago through her own irresponsible behaviour and must somehow find a way out of it again.

  She washed the smell of horses from her hands, stepped into a modest day gown and tidied her hair, her movements impeded by unsteady fingers. With no further excuses to procrastinate she stood, straightened her spine and went in search of her grandmother. She found her in the small parlour at the back of the house that caught the afternoon sun and afforded her an unimpeded view over the garden.

  ‘Ah, there you are my dear. I was just thinking that those perennials need to be pruned. I must remember to tell the gardener.’ Grandmamma folded her hands in her lap and turned to face Louise. ‘Did you enjoy your ride?’

  ‘Yes, very much indeed.’ Louise kissed her grandmother’s cheek and perched on the opposite end of the couch that the old lady occupied. ‘Have there been any visitors?’

  ‘No. Were you expecting someone?’ Grandmamma’s eyes sparkled. ‘Henry Beranger, perhaps.’

  Louise smiled and shook a finger at her grandmother. Then she burst into tears.

  ‘Oh, my dear, I have upset you.’ Grandmamma moved closer and squeezed Louise’s hand. ‘Believe me, that was not my intention. I was teasing. Well, almost. I saw how much Henry enjoyed your company the other night, and it’s only natural that I should want a good match for you. There’s absolutely no need to cry. If you don’t like him, we won’t speak of him again.’

  ‘It’s no good my liking anyone. No decent man will want anything to do with me now. Not after what I have done.’

  ‘Ah, the mysterious difficulty that brought you scampering to the country. I wondered when you would get around to confiding in me.’

  Louise lifted a tear-stained face to her grandmother. ‘I so don’t want you to be disappointed in me.’

  Her grandmother repeatedly shook her head. ‘Nothing you do could ever make me less proud of you than I already am.’ She patted Louise’s knee. ‘Just tell me. It will make you feel better.’

  Louise took a deep breath and did just that. Slowly, in disjointed bursts at first, and then in one long rush of words that tumbled over one another in their haste to be spoken, it all came pouring out. She only paused when she got to the part where Cleethorp forced himself upon her.

  ‘I couldn’t stop him, Grandmamma. He was too strong for me.’ She sobbed into her handkerchief. ‘And now he’s there’s a very real danger that he will spitefully ruin Marianne’s reputation if I don’t agree to marry him.’ She threw her head back and let out a sob of anguish. ‘What am I to do?’

  ‘Well, to start with, you will not marry the rogue. You can put that thought right out of your head.’

  ‘But Marianne…’

  ‘Blow your nose and compose yourself, my love.’

  ‘You are not about to throw me out. I should not blame you if you did. I…’

  ‘Hush, child. Of course I shall do no such thing.’

  Louise fell against her grandmother’s shoulder, feeling as if the huge weight that had been dragging her down for so long had suddenly dissipated.

  ‘I don’t deserve your compassion. Most people would wash their hands of such a troublesome relative.’

  ‘I am not most people.’

  Grandmamma was clearly disturbed by what had occurred, but had yet to issue a single word of censure. Louise threw her arms around her, wondering how she had managed all these years without the old lady’s sound common sense and unconditional love. Those were qualities sadly lacking, she belatedly realised, in her aunt.

  ‘No, I shall not marry him,’ Louise confirmed in answer to her grandmother’s earlier statement. ‘I have confided in Miss Latimer and she advised me to tell you the truth. After Cleethorp confronted us today it became evident that he doesn’t have the slightest intention of giving up on me.’ Louise managed a watery smile. ‘Flora was magnificent. She told him in no uncertain terms that his presence here wasn’t welcome. I’m sure he didn’t know what to make of her.’

  ‘My friend the countess speaks very highly of Miss Latimer’s forthright nature. She has made herself indispensable to the family.’

  ‘I had practised endlessly in my mind what I would say to Cleethorp the next time I saw him, but when he appeared I became totally tongue-tied.’ Louise gave her head a disgusted little shake. ‘Thankfully, Flora did not. But it won’t be enough to dissuade him. He wants my money and won’t give up on me, especially with Miss Gregory’s ambitious sister orchestrating matters.’

  ‘Well, he cannot have your fortune, and there’s an end to it.’ Grandmamma paused. ‘You say that Miss Latimer has asked for the earl’s help?’

  ‘Yes. He doesn’t know it all but I expect he’s guessed.’

  ‘You are not with child, are you?’

  Louise shook her head, fresh tears threatening as she glanced down at her belly. ‘It’s too soon to know.’

  ‘How very worrying for you, my love. But don’t fret, even if you are increasing, we shall overcome that hurdle in good time. The question is how to protect Marianne.’

  ‘That is my only concern. I now have financial independence and have no intention of returning to London, but Marianne deserves to have her share of fun
. I promised that she could come back to London with me if she wanted to. That was foolish. I wasn’t thinking straight at the time, but a promise made…’

  ‘Marianne isn’t you. She is more accustomed to country ways. Frankly, I think she is delighted to be reunited with you and will happily live wherever you decide to go. There is plenty of entertainment to be enjoyed here in the country, and far less formality. She will not be deprived. Anyway, I don’t believe this horrible man will make good on his threats. He’s just using your sister to try and sway you. If he speaks out it won’t show him in a very gentlemanly light.’

  ‘He will probably say that I lured him in.’

  Grandmamma waved the suggestion aside. ‘No one will believe that a well-bred girl did any such thing. And even if you did mistakenly encourage his expectations, he is supposed to be a gentleman, and gentlemen do not compromise innocent girls without at least having entered into a binding commitment. You did not agree to any such thing. Besides, from what you tell me he is already considered a scoundrel in many quarters. If necessary, I dare say the earl will ensure that Cleethorp’s brother, the marquess, is fully appraised of what his youngest sibling attempted to achieve by such underhand tactics. It would do to Cleethorp family’s reputation precisely what he is attempting to do to ours, and the marquess will have something to say about that, I am absolutely sure.’

  ‘Oh, Grandmamma, you are so wise! I have worried away at this problem for days and the possibility of turning the tables on him never once occurred to me.’ Louise rested her head on the old lady’s shoulder. ‘I wish you had always been there. I wish I had insisted—’

  ‘That was never an option, my love.’

  ‘Why?’ Louise sat up straight again and fixed her grandmother with a curious look, still overwhelmed by the calm manner in which she had absorbed the full extent of Louise’s shame. ‘I have never understood why Papa and my aunt discouraged me from regularly seeing you and Marianne. Was there some sort of dispute? I know Papa disliked looking at Marianne because he blamed her from Mama’s death, whereas I blame myself for not seeing my aunt for what she was and—’