Page 24 of A Sense of Turmoil
Mary simply smiled at Luke and the three of them plus Romulus entered the drawing room together. Luke paused to catch his first sight of Ottilie in his house, hoping that seeing her lovely face would shake off his unsettled mood and make him forget about Flora and Archie being so comfortable in each other’s company. Ottilie sat sedately in a chair beside the fire, her posture erect, her features every bit as arresting as he remembered. She appeared nervous, her fingers laced together in her lap. Unaware that Luke was watching her, she constantly fidgeted with her hands while her brother prowled around the room, examining the pictures and ornaments. Luke cleared his throat and they both turned to look at him.
‘Welcome to Beranger Court,’ he said, striding forward and bowing in response to the curtsey that Ottilie stood and executed. He shook George’s outstretched hand. Romulus trotted up to the newcomers, tail wagging, but Ottilie backed away from him and George didn’t spare him more than a cursory glance. ‘You made good time.’
‘When I go somewhere, I like to start out early,’ George replied easily. ‘Don’t see any profit in marking time.’
‘You remember Paul Dalton and my sister Mary?’
‘I certainly remember Paul,’ George said, shaking his hand. ‘But you were still in the nursery, Lady Mary, when I was last in England. Besides, this is my first visit to this impressive house.’
Ottilie had yet to say a word. Mary, ever sensitive to the comfort of guests and her duty as hostess, invited her to resume her seat and rang the bell for refreshments.
‘How are you enjoying England?’ she asked. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve had much chance to explore as yet.’ Mary glanced down at her fingers and grinned when she noticed that they were not clean. ‘Oh, you must excuse me. I was sketching when you arrived, and in my haste to welcome you I did not remove all the charcoal from my hands.’
‘Don’t give it another thought,’ Ottilie replied. ‘I enjoy sketching myself. It is something we have in common, but I cannot profess to be very proficient.’
‘Nonsense,’ George said affably. ‘My sister has a habit of underestimating her abilities.’
‘Well, we have plenty of vistas here upon which you can perfect your skill during your stay,’ Mary replied. ‘I remember you coming here when we were younger. You were friendly with my sister Emma. She is married now to Alvin Watson, and has a young son. You will meet her soon. She lives locally and she is looking forward to renewing your acquaintance.’
‘I look forward to seeing her as well.’
‘You have met my brother Sam. We miss him, of course, but we’re glad that he decided to remain in Boston. He is the cleverest of all my brothers and a brilliant bookkeeper.’ Luke noticed Ottilie send her brother a startled look, but was unable to understand what Mary could have said to unsettle her. ‘Anyway, the other two, Charlie and Henry, are both married too. They are in and out all the time so I’m sure you’ll run into them soon. We are a very close family.’
‘Paul has made enquiries about properties to let in the area,’ Luke told George. ‘Since you profess to be a man of action, we can arrange for you to view some of them as early as tomorrow, if you like.’
George looked taken aback by Luke’s timescale. ‘Thank you. That’s most civil of you.’
‘My grandmother is not well,’ Luke said quietly, ‘and this is a difficult time for us. You are welcome to remain here until you can make alternative arrangements, but please be aware that she is not expected to remain with us for long. I might be distracted.’
‘I am very sorry to hear it,’ Ottilie said. ‘I recall you speaking of her with great affection when you were in Boston, Lord Swindon.’
‘We are all of us in this household dedicated to Grandmamma, so please excuse us if we appear preoccupied and don’t indulge in many social engagements,’ Luke said.
‘We understand perfectly,’ George replied. ‘It is not our intention to put you out in any way. We are well able to entertain ourselves.’
Woodley materialised with the desired refreshments. Mary poured coffee for them all and handed round a plate of pastries.
‘I can hear Archie,’ Paul said.
All heads swivelled in the direction of the open drawing room doors at the sound of Archie’s silver-handled stick tapping on the wooden floor. Flora was beside him.
‘Come and join us, you two, and meet our guests,’ Mary said.
Luke noticed George’s eyes widen at the sight of Flora. He didn’t blame him, but resented his impertinence. Her habit was tight-fitting and showed off her trim, curvaceous figure to perfection. Her ride had brought colour to her cheeks and set tangles in the hair that escaped its pins when she pulled off her hat and threw it casually onto a vacant chair. She looked delectably dishevelled. Luke thought of his commitment to his father, of her outlandish beliefs in the occult, and died a little inside.
He watched as Flora made a fuss of a delirious Romulus and observed his guests’ reaction as Mary made the introductions. Ottilie was perfectly polite to Flora but appeared to have trouble understanding why a paid companion would be dressed so well and spend her mornings out riding instead of attending to her duties.
‘I remember you,’ Archie said, extending his hand to George. ‘Good to see you again.’
‘And you, Felsham. All the more so since you appear to have risen from the dead.’
Archie chuckled. ‘You know what they say. You can’t keep a good man down.’
‘If that was the case you would have remained six feet under,’ Paul said, making them all smile.
‘Do sit, Flora, and have some coffee,’ Mary said. ‘You look hot after your ride.’
‘I persuaded Lord Felsham to drive the gig with Mabel between the shafts,’ she replied, smiling at Archie who had eased himself into a chair beside Luke. ‘I think it will be a while before his dignity recovers.’
