No Greater Love (8 page)

“Binkley,” Nicholas said, entering the kitchen early the next morning, “there has been a slight change of plan.”

“A change of plan, sir?” Binkley asked, drying a dish and putting it away. “And what change would that be?”

“It’s Georgia. She’s under the impression that I’m impoverished. Penniless, Binkley. All my pockets to let, except for perhaps one very, very small one, which holds just enough to keep bread in our mouths,”

Binkley absorbed this. “Do you not plan to disabuse Mrs. Daventry of this peculiar notion?” he asked after a moment.

“No, I do not. I have thought about it most of the night. I have a long, hard job ahead of me, and being penniless might help.”

“Excuse me, sir, but the long, hard job you refer to surely cannot be restoring this edifice? Being penniless will hinder you considerably in that endeavor.”

“Yes, I know.” Nicholas sliced himself a piece of bread. “I was actually referring to my wife.”

“Ah,” said Binkley wisely.

“‘Ah,’ Binkley? Just what do you mean by ‘ah’?”

“It had occurred to me, sir, that a courtship might be necessary.”

“You are, as usual, quite correct. I fear the ‘happy haze’ you alluded to has not yet manifested.”

“That is unfortunate, sir. I know how deeply you desire a family.”

“Exactly. And this will be no easy conquest. You see, Binkley, I believe Georgia is still in love with her late husband.”

“Oh, dear me. Yes, I can see that might create a problem.”

“Yes. Furthermore, it transpires that said late husband was a farmer.”

“Ah,” Binkley said again, putting a chipped cup filled with tea in front of his master. “And so you will become a farmer also?’’

“Well, not exactly a farmer, no, but I certainly cannot be a man of thriving business. You see, for some reason Georgia has decided that a state of reduced circumstances is attractive in a man, and so reduced circumstances she will have. I believe I shall be struggling.” He waved the piece of bread. “Is there honey, Binkley?”

“Certainly.” Binkley pulled ajar from the cupboard, taking care not to knock the door off the one remaining hinge. “We are not accustomed to struggling, sir.”

“It will do us good. We are flexible, are we not? In any case, I always did plan to be directly involved in the rebuilding of the house. It will just take longer than I had anticipated. I’ve written to London to cancel the workmen.”

Binkley looked eloquently around the dilapidated kitchen. “Very good, sir. And will we always be struggling?”

“Good heavens, no. I will make a fortune on the ’Change, or perhaps have an extraordinarily prosperous shipment come in. I’m not sure. But whatever I decide on, our creature comforts will have to wait until the courtship is complete.”

“Then I hope that your usual skill is in place, sir.”

“It is going to take more than ordinary skill, Binkley. Georgia is not quite an … ordinary woman. Oh, and by the by, if you are asked about the state of my health, I am much improved.”

Binkley inclined his head. “Have you developed a weak constitution along with poverty, sir?’’

Nicholas laughed. “No. But I made a damn fool of myself last night with the blasted nightmare, and Georgia came running. Fortunately, she decided I was fevered. Which I was by the time she’d finished administering to me. This courting business is going to be hell, Binkley.”

“Most probably,” Binkley said equitably. “You will have to rely on fortitude.”

“Unfortunately, my fortitude is already slightly frayed around the edges. Oh, and, Binkley, there is something else, and I’ll be damned if I know how to deal with it. I’ve never been married to a farmer’s wife before.”

“And what might that be, sir?”

“Georgia is under the impression that she is not highborn enough for me. Therefore, she has taken it into her head to make up for her lack of birth by single-handedly rebuilding my house. I do not think it would be wise to attempt to dissuade her from any labors she decides to undertake. Do you think you can adjust?”

“If the courtship requires a lowering of standards, I believe I can manage, sir.” Binkley sniffed. “I can manage anything.”

“Yes, of course you can,” Nicholas said soothingly. “And you needn’t consider it a lowering of standards, merely a relaxing of protocol.”

“A relaxing of protocol is not a problem, sir. However, I do believe it would be in Mrs. Daventry’s best interests to be gently instructed to the more intricate ways of the gentry. After all, once we are no longer struggling…”

“As you wish, Binkley,” Nicholas said, trying not to laugh. “You may instruct my wife, as long as you do it subtly. I do not wish her to feel in any way inadequate.”

“I am always subtle, sir.”

“Indeed you are, Binkley. Indeed you are. Now, onward and upward. I believe the man Martin has just arrived. Shall we go out to meet him? It seems that with the new plan, we might be relying on him a great deal more than we had originally anticipated. I doubt very much you’re going to see any of the inhabitants of Polegate lining up for employment.”

Nicholas gulped down his tea, and shoving the bread between his teeth, shrugged himself into his coat and went out through the kitchen door to deal with his new employee. Impoverishment was going to be interesting, he decided.

Christmas morning dawned bright and clear. Georgia woke to the sound of Lily coming into her room with a tray, a luxury Nicholas had insisted on the night before.

“You’ve been working day and night,” he’d said, “and I think one morning in bed will not hurt. Consider it a Christmas present to yourself.”

She sat up and stretched as Lily put the tray down and opened the makeshift draperies, and then she grinned as she heard the hammer start to pound. “Is Nicholas up on the roof again, Lily?”

“Yes, missus. But he waited till I came to wake you.”

“Did he? He is considerate. I do wish he’d take a break, though. It is Christmas morning, after all.”

“Christmas or no, missus, the snow and rain still come down. The master asked me to remind you that services are at eleven, miss.”

Georgia sighed. “Yes, I know. I’ve never missed a Christmas service in my life, but I must say, this is one I wouldn’t mind avoiding.”

“Don’t you worry about nothing. There might be gossip in the village, but it’s best to face it straight on and hold your head high. You don’t have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I know that, Lily, but the villagers don’t.”

“Well, like I said, nothing so exciting’s happened for years. Everyone knew about the quarrel between his lordship and Mr. Daventry, and now that Mr. Daventry is back, the village is abuzz about it. And since word is out that Lady Raven isn’t speaking to Mr. Daventry, and his lordship can’t speak at all, and then Mr. Daventry married you in the blink of an eye straight out from under Lady Raven’s nose, and now the two of you are living here, well … you can imagine.”

“That’s just the problem, Lily. I’m not sure I can imagine. I was wondering … I can’t really ask Nicholas, you see. Will you tell me what they are really saying?”

Lily went the color of a beetroot. “I don’t think you’d be wanting to know, missus.”

“It would be better to be prepared, especially if I have to face them all today.’’

“Well … it’s nothing against you, miss. They can understand why you’d want to be getting away from Ravenswalk and Lady Raven, and they all know how kind you was to me in my time of trouble. It’s Mr. Daventry.”

“What about him?”

“It’s all because he’s part of that family. They think there’s a curse on them, with the earl’s brother and his wife dying like they did, and then the first Lady Raven, and then the earl himself struck down speechless. And Lady Raven, she’s brought nothing but misery to the village since the earl took ill, not looking after the people like Ravenswalk has always done. And look at the strange young lord. He can’t speak right, not that he’d speak to the likes of us if he could. They say that the devil’s got his tongue, and his heart too, for he’s cold as ice, inside and out. It gives me the shivers just looking at him, like looking at a dead man, he’s that pale.”

“Perhaps, Lily, although I suspect it’s only because he doesn’t eat properly or get enough exercise. But never mind that, what does all this other gossip have to do with Nicholas?”

“Well, missus. I can’t really say, as it’s not fit for my ears, my auntie said. But there’s rumors, you know, about his past, and why he left so sudden-like, and why it was ordered that his name was never to be mentioned again, and his house allowed to fall to ruin. They say he’s the worst of the lot. And they worry for you, missus, for they say he only married you to spite Lady Raven, and sooner or later you’ll come to grief at his hand. I don’t believe it for a minute, for he’s been nothing but kind to me.”

“I don’t believe it either, Lily, and rumors are usually just that. So we’ll ignore them. Nicholas is the kindest man I’ve ever known, and I think it’s horrible that people would say such nasty things. Now, are you sure you don’t want to come to church?”

“Oh, no, missus, I went to midnight services. It was kind of you to give me the night off, and we had our Christmas dinner then, so there was a tableful of people, and everyone anxious-like to know how things were over here. I told them you was doing just fine, happy as two peas in a pod.”

Georgia smiled. “Thank you, Lily.”

“And I told them how good you and the master was to me, and Mr. Binkley too, and how grateful I was for the wages, and that all the talk was stupid. They’ll see for themselves soon enough.”

“I hope so.”

“So never you mind. I collected the master’s present just as you asked, and it’s safely put away in the stables. Now, you’ll be wanting your nice dress for today, and I’ll have hot water up in just a tick. The master has sent up a present for you.”

“A present, Lily? What sort of present?”

“A hip bath, missus, as shiny as you’ve ever laid eyes on, and every bit as big as Lady Raven’s! It’s standing just outside, and Mr. Binkley’s heating the water, and I’ll soon have a fire blazing.”

“An actual bath?” Georgia said with delight. “Oh, that is luxury indeed, Lily! Oh, thank you!”

“You’re not to be thanking me. It’s all the master’s doing. You finish up your tray and enjoy your rest. You’ve been working your fingers to the bone.”

Twenty minutes later Georgia was sitting in the hip bath, reveling in the feel of immersion in hot water. She wet her hair and washed it with a tiny slip of scented soap she’d bought in London before she’d been sent away to Ravenswalk. It had been her one indulgence, and she had hoarded it, bringing it out every now and then just to sniff the fragrance of roses.

The suds felt wonderful, and she slipped as deeply into the water as she could, closing her eyes and letting her body relax. She hadn’t felt so wonderful in … Thinking about it, she couldn’t remember when.

Reluctantly she pulled herself from the bath and dried her hair before the fire until it sprang into soft curls under her fingers. She dressed quickly, then inspected herself in the broken mirror. She looked rested, the circles gone from under her eyes, and her skin was rosy. It was Christmas morning, and it was the happiest Christmas morning she could remember in years. She heard Nicholas moving about next door and then the faint splashing of water.

She picked up her bonnet, and with a light heart went downstairs, carefully picking her way around the rotten floorboards.

“Good morning, Georgia,” Nicholas said, entering the sitting room, looking splendid in his buff-colored pantaloons and black morning coat.

“Oh, Nicholas,” she said, rising. “Thank you for the hip bath! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I am sure it cost far too much, but I don’t care in the least.”

“That’s a relief. I was prepared for a lecture. Happy Christmas, Georgia.”

“Happy Christmas, Nicholas. What a beautiful day it is.”

“It is indeed, and you look splendid, every inch a lady.”

“I don’t know about that, but I am certainly very clean.”

He smiled. “Are you ready to face the village?”

“The way I feel right now, I could face anything.”

“That’s good. I have an idea of what might be in store, and you’ll need some fortitude. The villagers are the least of our worries. Shall we?” He offered her his arm and she took it, and they went out to the carriage together, where Binkley was waiting.

She could sense the interest and saw the averted glances as they arrived at the church, but she followed Nicholas’ lead and nodded her head right and left as they entered. He led her to a pew toward the front, and she gave a quick exhale of relief as they sat down.

But the worst was yet to come.

A sudden whispering and rustling began, and it grew louder. She felt Nicholas suddenly stiffen beside her, and she quickly looked to her right. Her heart began to pound and her mouth went dry.

Lady Raven was parading past them, Cyril at her side. Neither of them looked over, but it was clear that they both had seen Nicholas and Georgia and were deliberately ignoring them. She suspected that Lady Raven had a great deal to do with the fact that Cyril had not answered Nicholas’ recent note to him, but she had not thought that Cyril would actually go so far as to give his cousin the cut direct. And it had cut Nicholas, not just directly, but deeply. His face was stony, and he had not betrayed any emotion with even so much as a blink of his eye, but she knew he was upset. It wasn’t the first time she had seen him so.

She slipped her cold hand into his and was glad that he let it stay. She needed to feel his strength. Inside she was shaking.

A number of other people, guests at Ravenswalk by their appearance, filed up the aisle after Jacqueline and Cyril and entered the Raven box. Their sly sidelong glances betrayed the malicious gossip that must have been flying among their company.

Georgia looked over at Nicholas again. His eyes were resting on the altar, and he appeared oblivious of the insults that had just been silently but powerfully slammed in their direction.

Again she took her cue from him and rested her eyes on the altar cross, trying very hard to remember why they were there.