REMEMBRANCE (24 page)

“I can assure you that I can bear the thought of you dancing with my good friend,” he said tartly.

Maria noticed the tension and managed a weak smile. “Of course, Mr Lewis.”

Heavy-hearted, she took his arm, so not to add to the friction that was beginning to build between the two men.

“If you will excuse us,” Mr Lewis added smugly before he led her away and back into the brightness of the ballroom.

Thomas turned back to look out over the shadowed lands of Nedgely. Once again, he had to bear the torment of another man’s advances on her, just as he had done the day of the picnic. Is this nightmare he was having ever going to end? Why were they made to suffer so unjustly?

How would he manage to keep his temper in check if things got out of hand and he ended up finding that she would eventually be married off to one of them? Would it put an end to their relationship, their love?

“Damn this torment!” he swore under his breath. He sighed deeply, sucking in the clean air. The sooner this night was over the better! Then he would make a hasty retreat and finally be alone with Maria, back at Whitmore. He turned back towards the noise and bustle of his mother’s banquet. He needed to keep an eye on Mr Lewis, just to make sure things did not get out of hand, he thought to himself.

* * * * *

Thomas pushed the brown mare on through the darkness. He had wanted to be away before this hour, but Miss Cartland had made a point of staying behind until the last of Lady Bradley’s guests had left. Once she had finally departed, he had wasted no time in leaving. He spurred Cleara on towards the focus of his affections. Jumping from the saddle, as Peter, Maria’s groom, came out from where he slept to relieve him of his ride in the stable yard, he made his way to the back entrance of the house.

“Mr Bradley?” Bella’s tired voice welcomed him.

“I am sorry to take you from your bed, Bella, but I must see Miss Austin,” he said apologetically.

“That is alright, Mr Bradley, you were expected.”

She guided him through the kitchen to the servant’s staircase and he followed her onto the main landing, which led to Maria’s room.

“’Tis the last door opposite the large staircase,” she informed him kindly.

“Thank you, Bella.”

“Mr Bradley?” She called out quietly before he moved away, “You will be needing this.” She placed the small key in his hand and he nodded his thanks.

With that, he opened her door and closed it quietly behind him, leaving Bella smiling in his wake. So this was why her mistress was in such fine mood these past few weeks? she thought as she made her way back to bed.

It was dawn when Thomas finally emerged from her room and hurriedly made his way to the stable to collect Cleara from the waiting groom.

“Thank you, Peter,” he said, as he placed a gold coin in Peter’s grubby palm.

“You are most welcome, Mr Bradley,” he said happily as he looked down at the treasure that had been bestowed on him. It was more than his week’s earnings and certainly made being awoken at night and having to keep a secret he understood this visit had to remain worth it.

Thomas rode his horse hard until Nedgely came into view and he left her in the good hands of the stable boy. Upon his arrival, Lady Bradley was waiting. As he crossed the hall towards his private chambers, she emerged from one of the doors to his left.

“Pray Thomas, where have you been that has kept you out till this hour?” she asked.

He swung round at the sound of her voice; “Why mother, have you been spying on me?” He raised his eyebrow.

“Yes, if it means that I can keep you in check. Pray, tell me, were have you been?” she asked again.

Thomas’s face was unreadable as he replied, “I have been where I should have been a long time past.”

She studied her son’s face, “Thomas have you been with her?”

“Her… Mother?”

“You know very well to whom I am referring?” she said crossly.

“If you mean by ‘her’ as Miss Austin, then, yes, I have been with her.”

“Dear Lord!” she sighed. “Pray Thomas, what are you thinking?”

“What am I thinking mother?” he said sarcastically.

“You have gone quite mad! You are supposed to take a mistress once you are married, not before.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her words, “That’s not what I am led to believe; in fact, it is quite common with some of my close acquaintances to keep a mistress before, and after their marriages.”

She let out an agitated sigh, “You cannot be serious in thinking that you can do the same! You are the Lord of Nedgely I will not sit by and see you ruin our good name by your behaviour.”

“If I am discreet, I see no reason why I should not take a mistress. After all, as you say, I am the Lord.”

“Thomas, I will not stand for this. Sir John is family and my very good friend.”

“And, what is your point mother?”

“Do you honestly think that, after all the time, money and education he invested in Maria, he would see his only niece become your mistress? It would kill him. You are a fool to believe that he would just sit back and let you destroy all he has done to turn her into the most sought after maiden in Shropshire, with excellent marriage proposals ahead of her. It would ruin her completely, scandalise the Austin name!”

“I would never do that.”

“You might not think it at this moment, but I can assure you that, sooner or later, it would happen. No one can keep a secret forever. Think about what you are doing. Think of Miss Cartland.”

He looked at the woman who had raised him; did he even know her at this moment in time? His anger welled up from deep in the pit of his stomach and he could not avoid the hatred in his words.

“You may think that you can manipulate me into marriage with Miss Cartland, Mother, but you know full well that I never made any promises to her, for I have loved no other but Maria my whole life.” The bitterness shone through his words.

She was taken aback at the tone he took. Never, in all her years, had he spoken to her in the way that he did now.

“Oh Thomas, do you think that I have been blind all these years? I have been fully aware of your affections for her. At one time, both Sir John and I had hoped for a union between the two of you. Surely, you must know what society expects of us?”

“I really do not care what society expects. I wish to live my life how I choose, and I do not want to be forced into a loveless marriage.” He made his anger evident, “I love M, and there is nothing you or society can do to change that. What we choose to do is entirely up to us!”

He turned to leave, as his mother placed a hand upon his sleeve, “Thomas, please, I have only your best interests at heart.”

He looked down at her and she cringed at the fury in his eyes. “My best interests? You are Lady Bradley of Nedgely Hall. You have the say amongst the ton. If you wish it, this façade of a marriage would never have been arranged and I would have been free to marry M. But no, you chose to ignore your son’s wishes and bow down to the simple minds of society for no other reason than to keep your life as conveniently trouble-free as possible.”

“Thomas, please?” she called after him as he took the steps of the grand stairs. She watched him turn back to her.

“I will go ahead with this marriage only because you wish it, but I will never agree with it. I shall take my mistress and she shall bear my children. Be assured, mother, that you will never have a grandchild that will bear the Bradley name.”

She watched, as he departed, realising that she had broken the bond with her only son. “What have I done?” she cried.

Garth Lewis had decided that he would make an early call on Miss Austin this day. He was so confident in his welcome in Whitmore Manor that no letter had gone before him to announce that he would be arriving—he was so sure that Sir John would welcome him into his house without it. Thus, he set off on the hefty mare along the country path towards Whitmore.

He was rehearsing his little speech when the black stallion and its rider burst out over the nearby hedgerow at speed and he nearly tumble off his horse with surprise.

“Miss Austin,” he spoke to himself, “I wonder where you could be going in such haste?”

He watched her canter to the top of Upper Bank before disappearing from his view. He was intrigued and set off in pursuit of her. He came to the brow of the hill and, for a second, thought that she had vanished completely, for she was nowhere to be seen in the valley below. Just as he was about to turn his mare around, he spotted her coming out from the group of trees at the hill’s base. However, she was not alone. There, before his very eyes, she walked hand in hand with Mr Thomas Bradley. He jumped from his horse and came to lie on the hard ground as he watched in surprise. He did sense a bond between the two, but would have never imagined that they would behave so recklessly. Several minutes had gone by before he saw firsthand a confirmation that their friendship was more than it seemed. Now, he watched the pair embrace passionately, he was sure that they were lovers. What he chose to do with this piece of information he did not know yet, but he was certain that it would be very useful, indeed, as the plan started to form in his mind.

* * * * *

Alfred Grainger had made up his mind that he was going to approach Sir John for the hand of his niece. He had given it a great deal of thought, and by the way his friend Garth was behaving, he knew that he would have to broach the issue sooner rather than later, for he was almost certain that his friend had designs on Miss Austin for himself.

An invitation had arrived from Whitmore Manor, requesting his company for dinner the following evening. He was planning to use the opportunity to try strengthening his bond with Miss Austin prior to his proposal.

Unbeknownst to him, however, Garth Lewis had also just been in receipt of the invitation and he too was making plans, but whereas Alfred Grainger’s were honourable, the very angry Mr Lewis’ were quite the opposite.

That evening, Maria found herself once more in the company of Garth Lewis; she felt her skin crawl at his very nearness. Although, on the outside, he was a very amiable man, she was in no doubt that he was actually a rather ruthless individual, who only had his interests in mind. He held a look in his eye that she had only ever encountered from one other person before and that was Miss Cartland—it was burning resentment and hatred. She could understand the redhead’s feelings towards her, but she was at a loss to comprehend why this gentleman would reflect this sort of feelings towards her through the evil glint of his eyes.

And still she noticed that he always made a point of taking her hand when she would least expect it and bring it in contact with his wet lips, which made her recoil inside. She was sure that these advances were for the attention of her uncle, for he kept smiling over to them appreciatively.

Why was he making such a point of doing this if he held her in such little esteem? Finally, as she had come to the conclusion that he had very little regard for her, all that was left to consider was what other plans he might have had that involved her.

Sir John seemed oblivious to Garth’s behaviour towards Maria. In fact, he was enjoying the gentleman’s company. Maria, on the other hand, was more perceptive. It was obvious to her that something was very wrong with the man and that he was hiding his true intentions.

Mr Grainger, on the other hand, was his normal chatty self and always found something to say that would make her laugh into his warm brown eyes. He and Garth were like two completely different characters and she wondered how they had ever managed to become friends.

After dinner, she found herself bullied into playing the harp for their entertainment. Still, she was quite happy to do so, for it meant that, at least for a while, she did not have to listen to yet another slime-covered word from Mr Lewis. Instead, she ended up having to suffer his penetrating stare, as she sat alone in front of them, playing her enchanting tunes.

Mr Grainger was sure that Sir John would accept his offer and had decided that tomorrow would be soon enough to make his affections known.

“Miss Austin, you play the harp magnificently. I do hope that you might honour us again very soon with your music?” he asked as soon as she had stood from her stool.

“You are too kind, Mr Grainger, for I fear that I still have a lot to learn where the art of music is concerned.”

“Surely not, for you play with such a passion. It is hard to believe that you are unaware of your talents.”

She blushed at his compliment and went to thank him again for his kind words, as Mr Lewis stepped into their private conversation.

“I too would like to congratulate you on your playing,” he said smoothly. “It is always a pleasure to see a young lady of such accomplishments. I would also like to say how very disappointed I am that we did not have the company of your good friend, Mr Bradley, at dinner. Was he otherwise engaged?”

There was an undertone to his words that baffled her. Why on earth would he mention Mr Bradley?

“I… I am not sure,” she stammered, “I believe that uncle only invited yourself and Mr Grainger.”