The Folly (5 page)

“I
’m
terribly sorry
, Elizabeth
.  I have spoken out of turn.  I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I
’
m not upset by you telling me about it, I
’
m upset by how horrible it all is.  We are so sheltered here, away from the real world. 
It must have been awful.”  Elizabeth
wanted
to reach out and take his hand, but she drew back
,
not wanting to embarrass him. 

“I never knew that such carnage was possible.  Now England and France will sign a new treaty and all will be forgotten.  It will be as if all those people never were.  They have already been swallowed by the tides of history.”

Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to say.  She could feel Jeremy’s pain and bitterness, but how could one take away ten years of death and suffering?  It would take time for him to come to terms with what happened and move on with his own life.  “Surely you
’
re looking forward to seeing your father.”

“Not particularly.  My father never cared for me.  I was sent away as soon as I was old enough.  He
loved
my mother, but I never felt his affection.”

“But you
’
re his only son
.
”
Elizabeth
couldn’t understand why her husband, who wasn
’
t a cruel man
,
would
be so cold to his only child. 

“If my father has his way
,
I won’t be an only son for long.”

Elizabeth felt her cheeks grow flushed with
embarrassment
.  Did Jeremy know Sir Henry was trying to get her with child
,
or did he just assume that she would eventually have a baby?  Why else would Henry take a young bride if not to get her with child? 
Elizabeth
was suddenly mortified at the thought that Jeremy knew exactly what his father did to her when he visited her bedroom.  She turned away to hide her shame
,
and pretended to look for her things.

Elizabeth walked back to her
shoes, waiting for Jeremy to turn around while she put on her stockings and slippers
.  It was time to go back.  The sun was riding high in the sky
,
and it was getting hot and humid, making her feel sticky and irritable. 
Jeremy pulled on his boots and offered her his arm
,
as they climbed back up the
steep
incline.  They were just walking back across the lawn when they saw Sir Henry’s
barouche
in front of the house
, the horses obviously tired from the long trip
. 
Elizabeth
won
dered how long he
’
d been back, but he must have just arrived, since
the carriage was still in the drive
. 

Jeremy stiffened visibly next to her
, making her feel
a rush of affection for him.  His life hadn
’
t been easy
,
and now he had to face a father who obviously wouldn
’
t be happy to see him.
  She saw the tubby figure of her husband emerge from the house and
gaze in irritation
across the lawn.  Graves must have told him that Jeremy was back
since
Henry did not look
at all
pleased.  He rocked back and forth on his heels until they were within talking distance
,
but
remained silent until Jeremy spoke.

“It’s good to see you, Father.  How was your trip to London?”  Elizabeth could hear the strain in Jeremy’s voice and jumped in.

“Henry, Captain Flynn has been back for several days. 
Isn’t it wonderful to have him come and stay with us?”

Sir Henry took in their disheveled appearance
,
his eyes
growing
even colder. “I hear you have resigned your commission,
s
ir.”
The points of his collar were digging into his quivering
jowls
,
the color high in his cheeks.

“I have.  I
’
m done with fighting.”

“I had no idea I raised such a coward.”  Henry was baiting his son
,
and
Elizabeth
felt Jeremy vibrate with tension next to her.

“If choosing to leave the army after ten years of fighting makes me a coward, then so be it, Father.  I
’
m sorry to be a disappointment to you.”

“What are your plans
, sir
?”  Sir Henry looked like a
belligerent
bulldog
, making
Elizabeth wonder what got into him. 

“That largely depends on you, Father.  I was hoping to stay for a while, but I see I
’
m not welcome.”

“This is your home and you may stay if you wish.”  With that he turned
around
and stormed back into the house
,
leaving
Elizabeth
baffled and Jeremy furious.  She would have to talk to Henry about his son.  She always had the power to soothe him
,
and she wanted to make things easier for Jeremy.

**

Elizabeth found Henry in the library before dinner,
sitting in front of the cold hearth and
puffing on his cigar.  She hated the smell, but forced herself to go inside.  She needed to
speak
to her husband
un
disturbed
,
and this was the best place to do that
.  Jeremy was presumably in his room getting ready for dinner
, which made
this a good opportunity to catch Henry alone.  Sir Henry looked up in surprise as Elizabeth entered the room and took a seat opposite him in the studded leather armchair. 

“Henry, I wanted to speak with you regarding
Captain Flynn
.” 
Elizabeth
saw the tightening of the mouth and the narrowing of the eyes, but she would not be deterred.

“Henry, please.  He
’
s your only son.  Why are
you
so cross with him?  I would think you
’
d be happy to have your heir back home safely.”

“Are you suggesting I wanted him dead?”  Henry gave her a quizzical look
,
as he puffed out a cloud of smelly smoke.  “I
’
m happy that he is safe and sound.  I just don’t really know him very well
,
and it’s awkward having him here
after all this time
.”

“Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity to get to know each other?”

“I suppose,” answered Henry gruffly, hoping Elizabeth would be satisfied with his answer and leave him in peace, but she wasn’t finished yet.

“Henry, I
have
a wonderful idea.  Why not have a
b
all to celebrate his safe return?  What do you think?  Oh, please say “
Y
es”, Henry. 
We’ve never had a ball
.”

“Elizabeth, you are relentless.  I suppose we might have a soiree of some sort.  Must it be a full-blown
b
all?”  Henry knew he
’
d lost, but he wasn’t giving up without a fight.

“Yes, it must be a grand ball.”

“All right, Elizabeth.  We will have a ball.  Please show me the guest list before you send out the invitations.
  I would like to have some say in this affair.
”

Elizabeth jumped up and clapped her hands gleefully.  “Oh, thank you, my dear.  It will be
splendid
.  I have so many ideas.  I can’t wait to tell Jeremy, I mean, Captain Flynn.”  Elizabeth planted a kiss on Henry’s cheek and
disappeared
through the door before he could say anything more.

Henry was less than happy with the idea of having a ball in Jeremy's honor, but he didn’t want to disappoint Elizabeth.  
Besides, what legitimate reason could he give her for his refusal?  Any sane man would be happy to welcome his son home.  Henry had to do the right thing in front of Elizabeth and his friends and neighbors
,
and he would bite the bullet and pretend the ball was a
splendid
idea.  His reaction to Jeremy’s return hadn
’
t been one he was proud of
,
and this would help ease the tension between them.  He hoped beyond hope that Jeremy would soon tire of country life and leave on his own, preferably before
Elizabeth
found a way into his bed.

Henry knew that Jeremy had survived the war and would return at some point, but he
’
d been taken by surprise when he saw him walking across the lawn with
Elizabeth
.  He hadn’t seen
him in years
,
and the boy who had left had been replaced by a tall, powerfully built man who exuded an air of self-
possession
and masculinity.  Having him share a house with his nineteen
-
year
-
old wife was a recipe for disaster, leaving Henry fuming with the helplessness of his position.  Maybe it would be a good idea to send Elizabeth to visit his sister, Rosamunde
,
for a while
once she got back from India
.  True, people normally left the city during the summer to escape the heat, but Elizabeth would be only too happy to get away from Flynn Manor for a little while.  She was always complaining about not going into town enough.  He would speak to Rosamunde
once she arrived
,
and
see if she would be willing to take Elizabeth back with her after the ball.

Chapter
7

Jeremy sent the valet away, preferring to undress himself.  He had a man in the army who saw to his needs, but he hated sharing a valet with his father.  Jeremy pulled his shirt over his head, nearly tearing it
,
and threw it on the bed.  He attributed his agitation to seeing his father, but deep down
,
he knew that wasn’t the only reason.  Sir Henry’s reaction to seeing him had not been unexpected, although he did hope for a slightly warmer reception.  He knew the old man was baiting him
,
and he fell right into the trap.  No one could accuse him of being a coward, certainly not his father, who
’
d never seen a battlefield in his life. 
Of course, the fact that he was walking with his father’s young wife, who happened to look adorably
disheveled
after their stroll, didn’t help matters.  Sir Henry was no fool
,
and must have spotted the wet hem of Elizabeth’s dress and the sand on Jeremy’s boots.

Jeremy pulled off his boots and set them neatly by the bed, despite wanting to kick them across the room.  The military had taught him discipline
,
and not even his fury could overcome his need for order.  Being in the Light Dragoons had also taught him to think clearly
,
and he didn’t like what he was thinking one bit.  He
’
d tried to avoid his beautiful stepmother for days, but seeing her standing alone by the lake broke his resolve to stay away.  He meant only to make polite conversation, but her shyness prompted him to compliment her painting and ask her to join him for a walk.  The mere fact that he felt drawn to her was all the reason he needed to stay away, but he couldn’t help himself. 

To make matters worse, he actually confided his thoughts to her, which is something he hadn’t done in years.  Jeremy had schooled himself to keep his
feelings
to himself
,
and blurting things out to her on the beach had shocked him nearly as much as it probably shocked her.  Seeing the sympathy in her amber eyes
prompted him to go on
.  She seemed to genuinely want to hear
what he had to say
,
and he kept talking, despite his instincts screaming at him to be quiet. 

Jeremy walked over to the window and gazed out over the manicured lawn
, still angry
.  He nearly kicked himself when he made that comment about not remaining an only child for long.  He saw her face turn scarlet at the implication and nearly bit his tongue off.  What had he been thinking? 
He
’
d been at Flynn Manor for only a few days and already he felt unsettled and confused.  Maybe it was time to leave.

Jeremy turned away from the window, all anger leaving him.  If he was honest with himself, he had nowhere to go.  He needed a little time to adjust to civilian life and review his options.  America ha
d
been on his mind, but at the present
time,
the Americans and
the
British were engaged in a conflict in the Atlantic
,
and a voyage wouldn
’
t be advisable if he actually wanted to reach the other side.  He would have to bide for a while and see what opportunities presented themselves.  A few more weeks
wouldn’t
change anything.