Page 61 of The Lost Lord
“Reasonable. I suppose that is one way to describe it.” Edward clapped him on the shoulder. “We shall ride out tomorrow to see it.”
Yet, what kind of man purchased a house for his mistress and then turned it into a country seat for his wife? An unfaithful one, that’s who. The sort of man who seduced young women for their fortunes. Richard did not want to be that man.
“Miriam will be very pleased,” Richard said woodenly. It was a lie. She had never cared about titles the way Lizzie did.
It was an unexpected gesture of love from beyond the grave, one his brother could have easily let lapse in retribution for the way Richard had treated him. Instead, Edward had pursued it knowing how deeply Richard cared about titles…and now Richard felt ungrateful to say that he might not want one after all.
He didn’t deserve it. He had not earned his brother’s love, nor Miriam’s forgiveness, much less his father’s efforts to see him situated in the position Richard had always yearned for. Yet, Richard felt hollow and empty at the prospect of a loveless marriage and a lonely title. What an empty victory. What a disaster he had made of his life.
Chapter 27
“At least you’ve gotten your castle,” Miriam observed wryly on the morning Richard and the earl rode out to see the cottage. Had she felt more up to a trip she might have gone with them. Instead, she resolved to regain her strength and return to London.
“Briarcliff is hardly a castle,” Mrs. Kent sniffed. “Not like Windsor.”
“I doubt any castle is like Windsor. I promise you shall have your excursion before we leave.”
“I won’t now,” Mrs. Kent observed glumly. “Not with you staying in the countryside until we book passage home.”
Miriam closed her book and tossed it aside. “I am not going to rusticate here in the country. I’m going back to London.”
“No. Miriam. You can’t. You’ll kill yourself,” her nurse wailed.
“I’d rather die living my life in the city than die of boredom here in the country. Besides, there’s the shipping venture to secure.” Miriam made her way through a massive ballroom. “I would stay if I could attend a party here, but it looks as though there hasn’t been a ball at Briarcliff in years.” There was no dust, but the room smelled faintly of disuse.
“Richard found a buyer for your tobacco.” Mrs. Kent reminded her. “Your plan to approach the Gliddons directly was inspired.”
“Thank you. Despite everything, Richard and I make good business partners.” She twirled across the room. “What’s through here?”
“It is none of our concern.” Mrs. Kent reminded her, but she didn’t stop Miriam as she pushed open a large double door. The mansion—since Briarcliff apparently did not qualify for castlehood—had multiple wings. Only the main one was used regularly. Light glowed toward the end of the hall.
“What on earth?” Miriam wondered. Curious, her guardian followed close at Miriam’s heels. Her breath caught in her lungs. Not from fear, but from excitement. A thick glass door opened easily beneath her touch. Inside the room were…plants. The air was lush and warm and soothing to breathe. “A conservatory. I have heard of them.”
“What is a conservatory?” asked her companion. She brushed the wide frond of a fern.
“A glass house in which to grow plants year-round. The glass lets in the sun while protecting the plants from cold weather.” Miriam stared around her in wonder. “This is what I want to create with my money from the Exchange.” She inhaled.
“You can’t mean to spend your fortune on a glass house for plants,” Mrs. Kent replied reasonably, though Miriam could see she was charmed.
“I do, in fact. My health fares best around greenery and plants. Don’t you see? This could be a way to have a year-round garden that could let me remain in the city,” Miriam clapped her hands. This was what she needed. She knew it in her bones. “You know I can’t stand being shipped off to the country.”
“You cannot handle the city air. Not in London, nor in New York,” Mrs. Kent reminded her.
“Yes, but what if I had this refuge to return to each day? I could escape the bad air that taxes my lungs. Miriam burned with excitement. “I cannot wait to tell Richard.”
“Aren’t you leaving him and returning home with me once the venture is established?”
“Yes. Yes, of course,” Miriam replied. But she no longer felt so keen to escape his presence. In fact, she had quite enjoyed working with him to find buyers. There was still the matter of the warehouse, but it had felt as if she was seizing her moment to traipse around London with him. Perhaps it was time she reconsidered whether to use the key to their adjoining door. Night after night, Miriam dreamt of his touch. In the daylight, she savored every glancing contact. Even now, she missed him, despite everything he had done.
She closed the doors to the conservatory. There was no way she would allow him to shut her away in the countryside like her father had done. Miriam had made her choice. She would venture into the world with all its challenges and ambiguities. Because Richard had been right about her all along. She was strong enough to meet the world on its own terms.
“Mrs. Kent. As soon as the men arrive, I wish to return to London,” Miriam said briskly.
“No, Miriam, I cannot permit that.”
“You won’t find Windsor Castle out here,” Miriam replied. She threw open the ballroom door and marched across the inlaid floor with purpose.
“I’d rather have you alive than get to see my castle,” Mrs. Kent reassured her.
