Page 26 of A Sense of Injustice
‘I am sure of it. He is both desperate and vindictive. And he badly wants to marry Felicity Brigstock.’
‘After treating you so appallingly, he can no longer hope to charm you into accepting his proposal.’ Flora tapped the fingers of one hand against her knee. ‘Does he imagine that shame will make you give in to him? If so, he isn’t nearly as well acquainted with your character as he supposes. I have only known you for one day, but I can already attest to the fact that you have considerable strength of will. Besides, this is the earl’s territory. If a man of that ilk comes to the district attempting to stir up problems for a friend of his grandmother, you can be sure that he will take swift and decisive action to put a stop to his wickedness.’
‘You cannot tell the earl!’ Louise cried, looking appalled.
‘Of course I will not tell him the full story, but if you want to be sure that Cleethorp doesn’t sully your name then Luke needs to be forewarned.’ Flora turned towards her new friend. ‘Will you allow me to tell his lordship a sanitised version of the truth? That Cleethorp proposed and you declined, but that he is desperate to get his hands on your fortune and is pursuing you, threatening to spread scurrilous gossip and ruin your reputation? It’s the only way I can think of to stop him,’ Flora added, when Louise hesitated. ‘The decision is yours. If you would prefer for me to say nothing at all, then you can depend upon my discretion. Perhaps you would like to wait to see if…’ She waved a hand in the direction of Louise’s stomach and allowed her words to trail off.
‘No.’ Louise folded her hands in her lap, took a moment to reflect and then fixed Flora with a look of stark resolution. ‘I think I decided to tell you the shocking truth because I knew you would think of a way to fight back against the odious man. I can see how much influence you wield over the earl, and he in turn is head of the leading family in the district.’
‘Hardly.’ Flora deflected the suggestion with an airy wave of one hand. ‘My influencing the earl, I mean.’
‘Flora, he threw a party in your honour,’ Louise pointed out. ‘He certainly looks upon you as more than a servant. That much was immediately apparent to me.’
‘He’s just grateful that I am able to keep his grandmother’s more outrageous behaviour in check.’ Flora smiled. ‘Most of the time. Her conduct was rather erratic before I took up my position. However, we digress. If Cleethorp comes to the district and Luke cuts him while showing support for you, that in itself will be enough to keep your reputation intact.’
‘Thank you,’ Louise said with heartfelt sincerity. ‘Please tell the earl as much as you think he should know. Keep the intimate particulars to yourself if you possibly can.’
‘Luke is a man of the world. I won’t have to spell it out, I’m sure, but I also know that he won’t think badly of you.’
‘Luke?’ Louise grinned. ‘Are you absolutely sure you’re just a servant?’
Flora laughed as she pushed herself to her feet. ‘It is not what you’re thinking. One day, when all this is over, I will explain why my relationship with my employer is…well, unorthodox. Come along, we should get back to the house. The countess will be awake soon and will be asking for me. Oh, here’s Henry.’
Flora was amused to see Louise’s cheeks bloom when she looked up and saw Luke’s brother approaching along the narrow pathway that skirted the lake. She suspected that he had seen them together, or noticed Mrs Pearson’s carriage and guessed who must be here. She thought it an excellent sign that Louise blushed at the sight of him, implying that she wasn’t nearly so impervious to his attentions as she had earlier pretended to be.
‘Miss Pearson.’ Henry smiled at her as he offered her his hand. ‘You did not tell me you were expecting a visit from our new neighbour, Flora,’ he added with an easy smile.
‘That’s because it was none of your business, Henry Beranger,’ Flora said, smiling. ‘But since you are here you can make yourself useful. Louise and I have been talking one another’s ears off. I quite lost track of time and your grandmother will wonder what has become of me. Besides, this path is only wide enough to accommodate two people walking side by side. Be so good as to escort Louise back to her carriage for me.’
‘Flora!’
‘Pray excuse me, Louise.’ Flora gave her hand a squeeze. ‘I shall not forget what we discussed. Call again tomorrow if you like and I will tell you what I have been able to arrange.’
‘Thank you so very much.’ Louise kissed Flora’s cheek. ‘You cannot begin to know how relieved I am that we had this conversation.’
Leaving a somewhat flummoxed Louise in Henry’s care, Flora scampered off ahead of them. She glanced over her shoulder as she reached a turn in the path, satisfied to see Henry and Louise strolling along together at a leisurely pace. She had her hand on his arm and they were in animated conversation.
She returned to the house but didn’t go immediately to the countess’s rooms. She would not, as Flora had implied, have need of her services quite yet. Instead, she made her way to Luke’s library and tapped at the door.
?????
Luke stood at his library window, looking out over the lake. He had seen Flora and Miss Pearson take a turn around it a good half-hour previously, and they had not yet returned. He wondered what they found to talk about, given that they were barely acquainted. None of his business really, and yet knowing she was out there chatting to another young woman filled Luke with a curiosity that made it hard for him to concentrate on the reports his steward had left for him to read. He wished suddenly that he had the freedom to wander about the estate whenever the fancy took him.
He turned away from the window, at a loss to know why he felt so disgruntled. Could it be something that Archie had said or done? Proposing to Flora over the dinner table indeed! He’d pretended to be joking and she had taken it as such, but there was something in the intense way he had looked at her that had stuck in Luke’s memory. He was accustomed to the spectrum of expressions that Archie employed when a female attracted his interest but there was nothing familiar about the manner in which he had looked at Flora.
His contemplation was interrupted by a tap at the door.
‘Come in,’ he said absently, wishing whoever it was would go away. He was in no mood to deal with domestic dramas, or to turn his mind to his brothers’ latest exploits. He changed his mind about the intrusion when Flora put her head round the door.
‘Am I disturbing you?’ she asked.
Yes, he wanted to tell her, but not for the reasons she supposed. ‘Not in the least. I was busy daydreaming instead of concentrating on Parkins’ plans for the lower acres next spring.’
‘Ah!’
He smiled as Romulus bounded across the room with an ungainly gait, almost knocking her from her feet.
‘Come in and sit down.’ As soon as Romulus could be persuaded to stop licking her face, Luke led her to a chair at the fireside and took its twin immediately across from her. ‘Is there a problem with Grandmamma that requires my arbitration?’
