Authors: Suzette Stone
A Fateful Wind (11 page)
Lady Emmeline nodded, lost in thought. “Yes, the countess managed to eat us out of house and home once again.”
“It’s a shame Jack felt too unwell to join us. I hope he will be well enough for the coach tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m sure he will." She surmised Jack would be more than eager to escape the confines of Penrose House and the daily image of Jenna. She thought over her personal servant’s appearance earlier that evening. How her hands shook as she served the countess at dinner. How the dark circles under her eyes made her cheekbones more pronounced than usual. It seemed apparent to Emmeline the girl was suffering.
Tomorrow
, she thought resolutely. Tomorrow I will enquire about Trystan and the wedding and offer my help. She will need me now more than ever.
“Well, I’m off to bed,” Edwin announced.
Emmeline eyed him sadly. For the first time in many years, she didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t want to sleep alone in that large, cold bedroom where her thoughts would keep her awake all night. “Stay with me, Edwin. I don’t want to be alone this evening.”
Edwin nodded, confusion apparent on his face. “Are you ill?”
“No, just sad. I have been thinking of William this evening.”
Edwin walked over to where she sat, perching himself awkwardly on the arm of chair. Hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close to him. She quietly sobbed at the compassionate gesture from her estranged husband.
“Shush,” he whispered. “Come, Emmeline. Come to bed. All will be right with the world in the morning.”
* * * *
Jack awoke early the next morning, the conversations of the previous day lost in his world of dreams until the throbbing in his head indicated they were, in fact, reality. Why had Jenna not even the heart to tell him herself? To send her sister? She spoke with a maddening smirk on her face, as though she enjoyed the hurt this would cause him, as though the story were nothing but a lie. A feeling of foolishness swept over him as he gazed at the gold locket Tamzin had nonchalantly thrust into his hand. He had so many thoughts of Jenna running though his mind. It occurred to him she felt nothing for him. He needed to leave, get away from everything. There was no possibility of him staying here now anyway. He had made his mind up to travel to London and embroil himself in the whore houses of Soho. Hopefully there he could drink away the memory of the sultry servant girl who had so stolen his heart.
He reached for the gold necklace and walking over to the desk, earnestly began to scribble with his ink pen. He placed the locket in the middle of the paper, folding the edges over to envelope the necklace, before sealing it with wax. Hurriedly, he threw on his clothes, rushing out of the house and across the moors, hastening his way toward the quarry. Once outside the small shed, he stopped. If he knew anything of Jenna and of the love he felt they shared, she would return here to immerse herself in the memory of their time together and she would find the letter. He entered the building and, placing the small package on top of the bench, secured it under a piece of granite stone. “Goodbye, my love,” he whispered sorrowfully as he turned leave. “Goodbye.”
Lord Edwin grasped Jack’s hand as he outstretched it from the coach. “Not to worry, Cousin. I will attend to business here, whilst you attend to whatever it is draws you to the decadent lain streets of London.”
If only you knew
, Jack thought, relieved Edwin put his last minute trip down to an invitation from some harlot. “Thank you, cousin. And you, Emmeline. I shall try and visit Penrose house before I return to America.”
Karenza Collins and her husband Billy giggled like two schoolchildren as they huddled together in the small bedroom above the Caradon Inn.
“Your belly takes up half this bed alone!” Billy exclaimed, moving the rough blanket up around his neck in an effort to keep warm. “Tell me why we can’t stay at your sister’s again?”
“Because I don’t want her brood of children putting me off motherhood before I’ve even given birth!” Karenza patted her bulging belly. “I can’t believe I’m this big and I’ve still another two months to go.” She pulled the small blanket back from her husband. “I don’t know how on earth I’m supposed to fit into a bridesmaid dress. Bloody father ruining Jenna as always! I tell you Billy, both Tamzin and I never had a bridesmaid. But Jenna, being the youngest and the most spoiled, has to have the most lavish wedding poor father can afford. No wonder he’s laid up in bed with a bad spell.”
Billy laughed good naturedly. He knew his wife meant nothing against Jenna. She was his wife’s favorite sister and knew Karenza missed her since they moved to Bodmin.
“I didn’t think Jenna looked quite well either,” Karenza said, a worried tone afflicting her voice. “She looked a bit too skinny for my liking.”
“Oh, you know you women! You starve yourself for your wedding, then no sooner is the ring on your finger then you go eating like horses and getting fat!” He flinched as Karenza hit him softly on across the head.
“That’s enough of that!” she scolded. “Anyway, I’m allowed to eat and eat and eat. Don’t forget, from the size of me, I could be having twins!”
“Or triplets.” Billy countered.
“Don’t frighten me, Billy! Get some sleep, we’ve a busy day tomorrow.”
* * * *
Jenna watched from her bedroom window, looking out into the dark sky, the moonlight casting shadows across the eerily drawn moorland. In the other room, she heard the feverish coughing of her father, stifled somewhat under the heavy blanket she covered him with for warmth. She shuddered, more out of fear than cold. The cloak of dread, which had been lifted for the brief time spent with Sir Jack, now returned. Try as she might, she could not shake the feeling of doom. She reached for the tear-stained letter and, taking the locket from inside the makeshift envelope, placed it around her neck once more. So, Jack thought her a fraud…nothing more than a tease, a temptress. She read again the harsh words scribbled across the page with obvious hurt and anger. He left no return address of where he would be, nor any indication he would ever return to Cornwall. There seemed little hope of her ever explaining the fate that led her to break his heart so.
She wiped the tears flowing in a myriad of heavy sobs shaking her whole body.
Oh mother
, she thought dissolutely. What will become of me?
Her father’s coughing became more fervent. Wearily wrapping her shawl over her frail shoulders, she poured him a hot toddy, willing the water and whiskey mixture to soothe his trembling chest.
If only the cold would break
, she thought anxiously. It would at least indicate he was getting better.
With her wedding but three days away, Jenna felt little excitement, only worry.
She arose the next morning to a sky filled with grey, swirling clouds - a promise of a storm rolling in from the Atlantic. She lay in bed, the voices from the downstairs of the small cottage indicating she slept in much later than she thought.
“How much have you been eating?” she heard Tamzin chastise.
“Not enough, believe you me. Honestly, Tamzin, I am with child in case you failed to notice.”
“How could I not notice? You’re as big as a house!”
Jenna smiled and laughed to herself at the sound of her sisters bickering as usual. She found it comforting in a strange sort of way. If nothing else, she still had her sisters, her family. They would never leave her. They would never misunderstand her intentions. She read once more the letter from Jack. This time a sense of anger began to pervade her. Clearly, he didn't know her well at all, to believe she had just been toying with his emotions, that her desires for him were just a passing phase.
She bristled as she read the sentence pertaining to her father, illness an excuse…love should conquer any hurdles…I fear my intentions for you were obviously misguided…do not try to contact me for your advances will not be welcome.
She stifled a sob, ripping the thick paper into tiny shreds, the paper scattering like confetti over the bed. How wrong she had been about him. Jack did not know her character and apparently she knew little of his. To think she would have left everything, her family, Trystan, Penrose House, all for a man she had known for little more than a few weeks. Silently she chastised herself, the mixture of sorrow, grief and fear now being replaced by a stalwart sense of relief. Things would get better. Her father would recover. She would marry Trystan and have a family of her own, a family who would love her unconditionally, without fail.
She walked over to her small wooden chest and splashed the icy cold water on her face. Dressing, she walked downstairs, pleased to see her father wrapped in a blanket seated by the fire.
“Father, you’re up!”
He nodded, his face pale and wan. All of a sudden it occurred to her how old he had grown to look. She never realized before, but now she saw it. Her father looked like an old man. Too old to be laboring in the mines six days a week from dawn till dusk working a young man’s job. The selfishness of her actions over the past few weeks once again came back to haunt her. She vowed from now on she would take care of him, fully and completely and, as soon as she possibly could, she would make sure he never worked another day.
She heard her sister yelp as Tamzin prodded her with a pin. Turning, she saw her middle sister, her pregnant bump barely visible beneath the sheath of rose colored silk, the empire waist cleverly concealing the unborn baby beneath.
“Tamzin!” Jenna exclaimed. “You’ve worked miracles! It’s the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.”
Tamzin smiled with pride. “It’s a beauty, isn’t it? I think I may have inherited mother’s skill as a seamstress.”
“And more besides.” Jenna reveled in the warmth of having her whole family around her.
“You’re looking happy today, Jenna.” Tamzin’s eyes were full of concern.
“Yes, I feel much better.”
“Why, were you sick as well, Jenna?” Karenza never missed out on what was going on. “I thought you looked a little pale when we arrived.”
“She was worried about father.” Tamzin ushered Karenza into the back kitchen to get changed. “Now, don’t go trailing that dress over the ground.”
Jenna poured her father another cup of strong sweet tea and one for herself and sat down listening to the friendly banter of her sisters. It was good to see the house filled with laughter and gentle bickering, exactly how a family should be. She thought of Penrose House, the atmosphere of which held none of the warmth of her family’s small, poor cottage. How foolish to want to give up all of this.
“Billy and I want to take a walk to Sharptor tomorrow evening, Jenna. Why don’t you and Trystan come?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“And me and the children,” Tamzin butted in. “Don’t forget me! A good walk will be good for the boys, hopefully tire the little buggers out.”
Karenza grimaced. “I suppose.”
“You’ll have to get used to children, Karenza,” Tamzin chided. “From the size of you I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t have triplets.”
Karenza groaned, throwing a cushion at her sister, which culminated in a pillow fight. The house filled with raucous giggles, feathers and screams.
Lord Edwin tapped the side of his pipe in an effort to settle the tobacco, lit it and took a long puff. He followed the mine captain to the entrance of the mine and listened, nodding slowly, as his chief employee expressed his concerns.
“True we could be in for some rain, Mr. Collins, but I think your fears are slightly exaggerated. Heavy downpours are rare in summer. You know that. No, I think you are wise in having new timbers installed at the entrance here.” Lord Edwin tapped a piece of the decaying lumber indicating the place “But as for the shaft, that can and will have to wait until autumn. We are behind on our quota as it is. If we have to close for a week or so during this prime time of the year when we have climate on our side we shall never make up the lost time before winter sets in.”
The mine captain shrugged, eyeing the developing storm clouds cautiously. “As you say, my lord.”
“Jolly good.” Lord Edwin bent down to brush off the mud from his leather boots. “As I said, we are behind on our quota, what with Sir Jack’s interruptions. However, with everything now being sorted as to the American workers, we can get back to concentrating on what we do best here in Cornwall – mining tin and lots of it! I want all men working an extra two hours every day for the next month until we are caught up. Do you understand?”
Edwin didn’t wait for a reply. Mounting his pony and tipping his hat farewell, he galloped off across the moors.
Back at Penrose House, it shocked Edwin to find Lady Emmeline still in bed. She reclined back against the vast array of French pillows scattering the bed, her hair fixed in a neat braid.
“My dear, it’s not like you to sleep so long,” he noted, pleased that at least for a day she may be silent in her nagging of him.
She rubbed her temple wearily. “I have an awful headache.”
Edwin sniffed and rolled his eyes. “I hope you haven’t been afflicted with the same migraine as Jack.”
Emmeline sighed. “Maybe.”
Edwin stood in front of his wife feeling very ill at ease, not knowing how to handle the weak creature she turned into over the past couple of days. “Shall I send for your maid? Perhaps a strong sweet tea may help?” He hoped to give Jenna some friendly orders.
His wife gave him a knowing smile. “Thank you, but no. Jenna will be in to check on me in a moment. And Edwin….” Her voice trailed off as he shifted uncomfortably. “Need I remind you to stay far away from her?”
“No.” He hated the way she patronized him like a small schoolboy.
“Very well.” She waved her hand in the air dismissing him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, my head is pounding.”
* * * *
Lady Emmeline lay in bed and gazed up at the ceiling. It was not like her to feel so unsettled, so weary with worry. All of the commotion of the past few days affected her in the most troublesome way. Although a large part of her wanted to tell Jenna everything she knew of the love she and Sir Jack shared, of her true birthright and of her mother, Emmeline knew her secrets needed to remain locked inside her heart. However, that would not stop her from making sure Jenna was kept well and looked after. She was pleased at the appearance of her servant when she entered the bedroom carrying a tray filled with hot tea, toast and a small vase of fresh flowers.
“Can I get you anything else, my lady?” Jenna asked as she placed the tray on the bed.
“No, thank you, Jenna. I am sure this will help with my awful head.” She gazed at the girl, noticing the rosy color that returning to her cheeks, the dark eyes now sparkling more than the previous day. “You must be feeling nervous.” she ventured, hoping the girl may reveal something to her.
“I was, my lady, but my sisters have helped calm my nerves.”
Emmeline nodded. “I find it always a comfort to have a strong family around. They must be happy for you, especially your father.” She listened as Jenna relayed the story of her father’s illness, the consequences of which becoming very obvious to her. “But he is beginning to feel better, I hope?” She worried about the effect a critical illness could have on her niece.
“Yes, my lady. He is intent on being well enough to walk me down the aisle in a few days time.”
“Well, there is nothing like spirit to make one better,” Emmeline said optimistically. “Jenna, I have been meaning to give you a small gift to wear on the day of your wedding.”
Jenna blushed. “That is not necessary, my lady.”
Emmeline reached over into the drawer of her nightstand, unwrapping a small, blue brooch in the shape of a butterfly from a lace handkerchief. It was inlaid with pearls and several small diamonds. “This is for the something blue portion of that wedding rhyme.” She smiled, handing the brooch to Jenna.
“It’s beautiful! But I couldn’t possibly accept this.”
“You must my dear. This belonged to my mother, who gave it to me on my wedding day. As I have no children of my own and I have known you since you were a small girl, it seems fitting you should have it and wear it with pride. It brought me much happiness and I hope it will do the same for you.” She trailed off sadly, the thought of her barren loins causing an unexpected feeling of loneliness. She watched as her servants eyes welled with tears, realizing they weren’t stemming from receiving such an expensive gift. They were the tears of heartache brought about by duty.
“I shall cherish it,” Jenna said at last. “Thank you, my Lady. I promise I will look after it well.”
* * * *
“It looks like the rain is holding off,” Trystan noted as they stood at the base of Sharptor, ready to climb the granite littered ascent. “Hopefully it will blow over before the wedding.”
Billy looked up to the sky, nodding. “I think you may be right. From the way the wind is blowing, it should miss us altogether.”
They began to work their way up the small craggy pathway leading to the top of the tor. Tamzin’s children ran ahead, chasing each other as they hopped over ferns and boulders, followed closely by Billy and Trystan, engrossed in conversation over the amount of men leaving Cornwall and looking for work overseas. The three sisters dragged along behind, busy talking and making last minute preparations for the wedding.
Jenna looked up to where Trystan and Billy walked in happy companionship, comforting herself with the knowledge that Sir Jack would never have enjoyed such an amenable relationship with her brother in law, yet alone her family. She thought of Jack, wondering where he was and what he was doing. Was he still angry at her? Did he still think her father’s illness just an excuse to rid herself of him? She swallowed hard, the memory of him causing her heart to feel hollow. Quickly, she thought of something different, willing herself to banish any remembrances of him and the short time they spent together. It hurt to think of him.
Cries filled the air as two of Tamzin’s rambunctious children began to tousle each other. Tamzin lifted her skirt and stormed off in the direction of the fighting boys, smacking them both firmly on the backside and waving her finger in their faces. Karenza laughed, patting her stomach as she caught her breath.
“Are you sure you want to carry on?” Jenna asked.
Karenza shook her head. “You go on ahead. I’ll stay here. I forget this large stomach forbids me from doing the things I normally do!”
Jenna shook her head and, seating herself on a large granite boulder next to her sister, shouted up to the others they would wait for them there. “Anyway, this gives us chance to catch up on everything.” It pleased her to be alone with her sister to unburden everything that happened over the past few weeks. She had been itching to get Karenza alone and pour out her troubles. In Karenza, she would get good advice and much support, more than she received with Tamzin, who she feared did not plead her case to Jack as well as she could have.
Karenza, always a good listener, sat nodding and shaking her head as Jenna poured out her feelings for Sir Jack and those she didn’t have for Trystan. She felt a huge cloak of relief lift her shoulders as she spoke in great detail about the romance that blossomed between her and the wealthy aristocratic adventurer. Eventually, she finished, pulling out the locket from underneath her blouse and showing it to her sister. “See, he didn’t want any remembrance of me.”
“No, Jenna. He didn’t want any remembrance of his feelings for you,” Karenza said sensibly. “It’s obvious from what you have told me that the feelings between you were very fast and fiery.”
Jenna nodded. “It was like a whirlwind.”
“Whirlwinds rarely last. They can’t. They fizzle out over time.”
“You mean you and Billy didn’t have a whirlwind romance.” Jenna saw her sister and Billy as having the perfect relationship.
Karenza laughed. “Jenna, I’ll let you in on a little secret, but you mustn’t tell anyone, especially that bossy older sister of ours. I always liked Billy, saw he would make a good husband and we would have lots in common, but I didn’t love him. I wasn’t crazy for him, but good sense prevailed. You see, in matters of love it is always best to have someone who is crazy for you, who would go to the ends of the earth to make you happy, to keep you safe and secure. I knew Billy would be like that for me. Your Sir Jack, well, to be honest, if he really loved you and saw your father sick and suffering, well, he wouldn’t run away to London. He would stay and make sure you and those who were important to you were taken care of. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
Jenna nodded. “It isn’t what I want to hear, but I do understand. Unless of course Tamzin didn’t really make it clear to him the extent of father’s illness.” She didn’t want to see Jack in the shallow light Karenza painted him in.
“Well, knowing our bossy sister and the impatience she has for members of the aristocracy, there’s no doubt she reveled a little in giving him the bad news. But, he should have taken the time to find out for himself, not jump to the conclusion you were a tempestuous, heartbreaking harlot. If he really loved and cared for you he never would have left. He couldn’t have left.”
Jenna wiped a small tear that escaped. “You’re right.” Her sister’s interpretation of Sir Jack’s actions made a lot of sense. “You’re absolutely right. How could I have been so foolish?”
“Don’t be cross with yourself, sister. You are just naïve, that’s all. These are things we learn over time. You must remember I was a lot older than you were before I got married. You are fortunate in that you have found such a kind, handsome man as Trystan to marry, a man who loves you and your family unconditionally. Look how well he looked after you when mama died.”
Both girls fell silent as they remembered their mother and the tragedy and scandal her untimely death brought to the family.
“Do you really think she killed herself?” Jenna asked apprehensively.
“No, she never would have left us and father. Never, regardless of the gossip circulating the village.” They both fell silent as they remembered the mystery shrouding their mother’s death.
“Tell me, my pretty younger sister, how is that repulsive perverted boss of yours these days. Is Lord Edwin still as lecherous with the servants as I remember him to be?”
Jenna, happy to change the subject, shuddered as she recounted her latest incidence with him in the drawing room. Karenza nodded in sympathy “He doesn’t change does he?” She laughed. “Best to humor him and not take it too seriously. I doubt he would ever do anything. You know Lady Emmeline forbids it implicitly.”
“I’m not so sure. His desires have been quite fervent toward me and rather frightening.”
“Next time he gets too close, threaten to tell Lady Emmeline. That will sort him out. You know you can’t feel so beholden to him just because he pays your wages. Anyway, soon you will be with child and then won’t be able to work.”
“That I am hoping for, believe me!” Jenna stood up and wrapped her arms around her sister. “Thank you, Karenza. I knew I could confide everything in you. Tamzin, well, she has no patience with me, but I knew you would tell me the good and honest truth.”
Karenza smiled. “In a few days you will be Mrs. Trystan Trezies. All grown-up! Father will be better and all will be well with the world. Over time, the memory of the dashing Sir. Jack Bartholomew will all but fade into the distance.”
I hope so
, Jenna thought forlornly. I certainly hope so.