nodded, raising his hand towards Sebastian’s shoulder as though to offer comfort but, perhaps seeing Sebastian’s expression, allowed his palm to drop with a soft thwack against his leg.
Then, nodding a quick farewell, he left.
Alone again, Sebastian scanned the darkening landscape; the garden was tranquil except for the muted clatter of pans from the kitchen and, overhead, the rhythmic, feathered movement of a bird’s wings.
‘No record of his execution or evidence of his death.’ He repeated Kit’s words, giving them rhythmic cadence. ‘No record of his execution or evidence of his death.’
There was hope.
And while it hurt to hope, the alternative was unthinkable.
* * *
When Sebastian entered the drawing room, he saw that Lady Eavensham sat alone beside the fire with her ankle propped on a stool.
‘Lovely to have your company, dear.’ She smiled her welcome. ‘Lord Eavensham is showing the others a painting of his new horse, but I chose to remain seated. Getting around is still not easy. Anyway, we’re not missing much as it is not a good likeness. Animals are so difficult to paint, don’t you know, and can look dreadfully stiff. Make yourself comfy and pour yourself a brandy.’
She spoke in a trumpet of a voice, her husband being many years her senior and going deaf. Sebastian complied, sitting close to the fire’s crackling warmth. His parents had been friends with Lord and Lady Eavensham until his mother had slept with Lord Eavensham, cooling the friendship. Of course, his father’s friendships had been largely cooled with everyone—except the bottle.
She was dead now—his mother, that was.
Sebastian had remained friends with Lady Eavensham, but had seen her most frequently in London. He hadn’t been to the country estate for years, but felt an instant familiarity with the place. It typified all that was good in a country house: the huge fireplaces, shabby comfortable chairs, worn rugs, thick curtains and the mingled smells of food and smoke and dog hair.
A mirror hung over a massive stone mantelpiece and ubiquitous cupids decorated the ceiling, all pink-skinned legs and plump bellies.
‘The leg is improving?’ he asked, belatedly remembering his manners. ‘And you are not finding the country too dull?’
She shook her head. ‘I do not miss London. The conversation at the salons is not nearly as lively as in my young days. In fact, I have determined to spend more time here. There are more horses and really I find them much better company than most people.’
‘Doubtless.’
She glanced at him, her blue eyes sharp. ‘Do I detect a smile? Lud, I remember when you always had a joke and ready wit.’
‘Those days are past,’ he said.
Her rosy face puckered at his tone. ‘Sorry, that was thoughtless. You have little to smile about. By the by, how is Elizabeth?’
He stiffened at this abrupt mention of his silent child. ‘Physically well.’
‘And the governesses?’
‘Resigned or dismissed.’
‘Oh, dear, was that wise?’
‘Yes, when they think disciplining a frightened child will make her speak.’ He spoke grimly and felt a tic flicker across his cheek.
‘Maybe I should look for someone suitable? It’s so hard for a man.’
‘Thank you, but, no.’ He spoke too curtly, he knew.
Lady Eavensham did not take umbrage. She reached forward, patting the arm of his chair with a plump hand, her rings flickering in the firelight. ‘Be patient, dear. Heaven knows what the poor child endured in that dreadful prison or wherever he kept her.’
He flinched. The pain was physical, so sharp it winded him. He shifted, needing to distance himself, to guard his emotions even from this kind well-meaning woman.
With relief, he saw the door swing open as Kit and several ladies entered.
Three ladies, in fact, although one slipped unobtrusively towards the back of the room. Indeed, her obvious desire to remain unnoticed caught his attention. Her appearance was so jarringly drab juxtaposed to the other ladies’ finery, her hair mousy and her face kindly, but certainly not in the first flush of youth.
He felt a start of recognition. The rabbit girl, without the rabbit.
The light made the plainness of her face and gown all the more evident. Her hair was scraped into an unforgiving bun. She had high cheekbones, straight, dark eyebrows and a mouth too wide for fashion.
Lady Eavensham smiled in her direction. ‘Ah, Miss Martin, let me present you to our guests. Miss Martin is the Crawfords’ ward and lives nearby.’
The ladies turned, nodding and smiling, their movement so uniform as to appear choreographed.
‘Mr Crawford’s ward? Mr Leon Crawford, I presume. I never met him. Will he be here tonight?’ the elder lady questioned.
‘That would be difficult. He is deceased. I live with his widow, Mrs Crawford, now,’ Miss Martin replied.
Her dress, a grey muslin, looked years out of date and hung loose as though it were second-hand and poorly altered.
Yet she had something, he thought. Poise—that was it—and a certain irrepressible quality as though, despite its hardship, she found life a humorous affair. There had been a time when he might have shared the philosophy.
‘Delighted to make your acquaintance.’ Sebastian bowed.
She looked up. Her gaze met his and he saw her blink in startled recognition. Her eyes were a grey-blue, not a flat shade, but deep and intense, framed with long dark lashes.
‘Good evening, Lord Langford. I trust you have had a chance to enjoy the country air?’ Her voice, pleasantly low, rippled with mirth.
Unaccountably, he smiled.
‘Gracious, his lordship has only arrived. He is not likely to go out,’ Lady Eavensham bellowed.
‘I thought he might have been enticed for a stroll.’
‘A pleasure postponed for another day,’ Sebastian said.
‘Watch out for burglars.’ Merriment sparkled in her eyes. Her lips curved, a lopsided dimple denting her left cheek.
‘Burglars? Good gracious, we are not so ill-bred as to have burglars. Oh, I do hope the weather will improve. Miss Martin, look outside and see if the sky looks promising.’ Lady Eavensham waved her hands in the direction of the curtains. Her jewellery jangled.
Miss Martin complied, her head bent so demurely that Sebastian wondered if he’d imagined that look of devilment moments earlier.
‘Windy, but I can see the moon.’
Sebastian could see it also, peeking through fast-moving clouds. The white orb silhouetted her profile, touching her pale skin with moonlight and giving it a luminescent quality.
He wondered now if he had been entirely accurate with his initial assessment of her looks. No beauty and yet—
‘Good, we run with the hounds, you know,’ Lady Eavensham said. ‘Well, I don’t with this foot, but Lord Eavensham loves a good hunt.’
The curtains swished into place as Miss Martin turned towards the room, the movement abrupt. A flicker of distaste flashed across her countenance and her shoulders tensed under the drab gown. Sebastian wondered if she now intended to denounce fox hunting. Given the rabbit incident, he presumed it possible.
Before he could comment, the younger of the two ladies claimed his attention, leaning towards him with a breathy gasp. ‘Tell me about London. I long for it, you know, and have been so looking forward to the Season.’
Sebastian