Page 7 of A Sense of Turmoil
‘Oh, it does. I am exceedingly well, which is more than can be said for Grandmamma.’ Mary took Luke’s hand, tugged him into the drawing room and rang the bell for tea. ‘We are all so worried about her, so I am especially glad that you are here.’
‘Is there nothing more that can be done for her?’ Luke asked, falling into a chair and stretching his legs out in front of him.
Romulus, his large ungainly dog, heard his voice and bounded into the drawing room, wagging up a storm as he launched himself at Luke. Luke laughed as he patted the hound’s shaggy head.
‘Yes, Romulus, I’m pleased to see you too.’
‘He attached himself to Flora during your absence,’ Mary said, smiling. ‘I believe he even slept in her room. The only place he didn’t follow her was into Grandmamma’s room—but only because he’s terrified of Zeus.’
Luke smiled. ‘Such bravery,’ he said.
Luke drank his tea, listening to Mary’s chatter about everyday life in Swindon. She was interrupted by the arrival of his other sister Emma, with her husband Alvin Watson, a mutual friend of Luke and Paul’s, and their baby son Sebastian.
‘Sam decided to stay in Boston, I gather,’ Emma said, handing the baby to Mary to fuss over. ‘Can he handle it? It seems like a lot of responsibility for one so young. Are you sure he’s up to it?’
‘I would not have left him there if I doubted his abilities.’
‘He doesn’t know anything about growing tobacco and probably doesn’t even know what a cranberry looks like,’ Mary remarked.
‘He does now; as do I. A great deal more than I ever wanted to,’ Luke replied, rolling his eyes. ‘Don’t worry about Sam. He will find his feet and there are good people in place there to help him. George Fleming agrees that he will do very well at it, and I trust George’s opinion implicitly.’
‘I shall miss him,’ Emma said.
‘Nothing to stop you paying him a visit,’ Luke replied. ‘The crossing doesn’t take that long, not now that steam ships are so fast.’
‘Perhaps we shall,’ Alvin said. ‘Have you heard anything from Archie while you’ve been away?’
‘Not a word. I assumed that one of you would have been keeping up with his antics. You know as well as I do that he’s not safe to be left to his own devices.’
‘Oh, he’s a reformed character since he became the marquess,’ Alvin said. ‘I spent a day with him a couple of weeks ago. Taking his responsibilities seriously, so he is, and getting to grips with running the estate.’
‘That can’t be easy for him if he’s unable to ride around it for himself,’ Mary said.
‘He has reliable stewards, knows what yield he can expect from his crops and what price his livestock ought to fetch at market. He keeps on top of that side of things,’ Alvin replied. ‘No one will get away with treating Archie as a Johnny-raw.’
‘That won’t stop the females forming a queue at his gates,’ Luke said, yawning.
‘He’s still in mourning, so he has a legitimate excuse not to receive anyone he’d prefer not to see,’ Paul said, sharing a significant look with Luke and Alvin.
Luke knew he was referring to Magda Simpson, the lady from whose bedroom window Archie had fallen, resulting in his disability. She had tried to interfere with Luke’s affairs not long after Flora came to work at the Court, and it had been Flora who’d spiked her guns. Magda had gone quiet since then, but they all suspected that she was biding her time, waiting for the old marquess to die, so that she could get her attractive hooks into Archie again. Luke knew that Archie wouldn’t be taken in by her, not after his determination to bed her had resulted in such devastating consequences, but he also knew that Magda could be tenacious and devious. She was also desperate. No longer in the first flush of youth, she must be aware that her looks wouldn’t last indefinitely and she needed to nab a rich second husband before they faded all together.
Archie would be well advised to think along the same lines as Luke, get himself leg-shackled to someone suitable and settle down to a life of domestic order. Only then would he be safe from the machinations of the Magda Simpsons of this world.
‘Sounds as though he needs a break from all that drudgery,’ Luke said. ‘I’ve invited George Fleming and his sister to come and stay for a week or two. George plans to look for a property in the area. I hope you don’t mind, Mary.’
‘Not in the least. Why should I?’
‘I will enjoy seeing Ottilie again. We were still children the last time we met,’ Emma said. ‘What’s she like now?’
‘Very grown up, obviously. And good company.’
The speculative look that his sisters shared was not lost on Luke. ‘It didn’t occur to me that it might be awkward, having guests in the house whilst Grandmamma’s in decline. Sorry, Mary, but I can’t rescind the invitation now.’
‘It might perk her up a bit,’ Mary replied. ‘She’s not done for quite yet, as she herself keeps reminding us. On her good days, she still retains her flamboyant flair for the dramatic and keeps Flora on her toes.’
‘Yes, now I think,’ he said, putting his empty cup aside. ‘You’d best stay here,’ he added, when Romulus got up to follow him, ‘seeing that you’re so afraid of a harmless cat.’
‘There’s nothing harmless about Zeus,’ Emma said, smiling. ‘But we will all stay here for now, Luke. It’s best not to crowd her rooms. Tell her that I will be up in a little while.’
