Love at the Tower Read online

  “Yes, I did, thank you. I was so tired that nothing could have awakened me.”

  “I am glad, but I do sense that you are still a little nervous. You must not concern yourself – Ellis will not be having breakfast as he is very busy sleeping off those three bottles of claret he drank last night!”

  Robina managed to laugh.

  “I cannot apologise to you enough for my brother. It appears it is not sufficient for him that he has already compromised the virtue of one girl, but he must then assault another!”

  “It did seem to me as if I was in the midst of some long and terrifying nightmare,” she confessed. “First Lord Drury and then Ellis!”

  “I expect, as we speak, that Lord Drury is hopping up and down in his carriage, furious you are not at home.”

  Robina smiled, but her broad smile belied the fear that every time she heard a noise in the hall, she expected it to be her stepmother, waiting to drag her off back home.

  “Do you think you will be feeling well enough to work this morning?” asked the Earl.

  “Of course. We may be a little late in starting our tasks ahead, but I am looking forward to immersing myself in them. I wish only to erase the memory of last night.”

  “That might be impossible as Ellis is staying at the Castle. However, I shall endeavour to see that he does not trouble you any further. Although, as you are such a pretty girl, I cannot fault his taste on this occasion!”

  Blushing deeply, Robina cast down her eyes.

  “Thank you,” she replied, feeling embarrassed yet pleased that the Earl thought her attractive.

  They finished their breakfast and then proceeded to the study. There was still so much to do and Robina’s first task was to finish answering the Earl’s letters.

  They both worked in silence until the clock in the hall struck half-past-twelve.

  The Earl looked up from his plans and stretched.

  “Do you think it might be an idea if you opened up the Tower to the public?” asked Robina, as she stacked up the pile of replies she had tackled that morning.

  “Do you believe that people might find it amusing to climb so many stairs?”

  “No, but the views from the top are so spectacular. I have often thought they are among the finest in the whole of England. I believe that if you made it the highlight of the tour, people would come from far and wide.”

  “With large cups of tea after they have made their assent, I assume?”

  Robina chuckled.

  “Now you are teasing me. Of course we must give them something after their exertions. I would suggest tea with homemade scones, jam and clotted cream, cucumber sandwiches and assorted cakes. You could serve it in the garden if the weather is fine.”

  “And if it rains?”

  “Then we should retire to the Summer House.”

  “I am afraid that the Summer House is in dire need of repair. To be honest I was thinking of demolishing it and building an Orangery.”

  “Even better!” cried Robina, jumping up from her chair. “I have often thought that one would look wonderful set amongst the gardens that back onto the East wing.”

  “Then, that is what I shall do. Really, Robina, you have the most wonderfully inventive ideas. I do not know what I would do without you. I just adore the Continental flavour that you bring to everything.”

  “The Lamonts found me a most willing pupil when it came to instructing me in the French way of life. Tell me, my Lord, have you thought of installing a large piece of modern sculpture in the grounds? Monsieur Rodin has many such pieces in his workshop that are for sale.”

  “And should I travel over to Paris to view them?” asked the Earl with a mock serious air.

  “I would be happy to undertake such a journey on your behalf,” answered Robina, thrilled that she might at last be able to view the artist’s studio.

  Next Marriott came in to ask when they would care for luncheon.

  “Goodness, is it time to eat again already?” laughed Robina, who had lost all track of the hours since she had entered the study.

  “Luncheon will be a little late today, miss.”

  “And it would appear that your dreaded stepmother has not yet come crashing into Hampton Castle as you had feared,” added the Earl.

  “Yes, but I am wondering if Papa is concerned by my absence. We have grown so apart since my return from France. He seems preoccupied with my Stepmama. For instance, it’s the anniversary of Mama’s death this Saturday and when I visited the local florist, she said that he had yet to put in his order for flowers.”

  “I am certain it is the case that your father is simply overwhelmed by the building works that are happening at your home.”

  “I do hope so, as he has not said a word to me about the arrangements for visiting her grave and there is so little time now.”

  As they continued their work, Robina had an awful feeling that he had forgotten all about it.

  ‘Much as I don’t wish to return home this evening, I must,’ she decided with her heart sinking at the thought.

  *

  The afternoon sped past as quickly as the morning had done.

  Neither the Earl nor Robina stopped to take the tea brought in by Marriott at four o’clock, which stood on the side table growing cold.

  As it grew ever later, Robina kept one eye upon the clock, knowing she would have to take her leave before it got too late.

  “Will you be staying for dinner tonight?” asked the Earl hopefully, as the clock struck half-past-five.

  “No, I am afraid I must return home and face up to whatever is thrown at me. But thank you for the offer.”

  “You must think of this as your second home,” said the Earl, rising to ring for Marriott to request that Firefly be made ready for Robina.

  “I am grateful for your kind offer, but really, I shall be quite all right. If I don’t return in the morning, though, then promise me that you will send a carriage for me.”

  “Do you really think that your stepmother will try to keep you at the house against your will?”

  “With her stubbornness there is no knowing what she might do. Stepmama is accustomed to getting her own way and considering the feelings of others appears to mean little to her. She will want to put her foot down firmly with me over the matter of Lord Drury.”

  “But she cannot force you to marry him!”

  “She will do her best. It is in her interests that I am removed from home as soon as possible. I also cannot rule out the possibility that she will send me packing back to France.”

  “Surely your father will not allow that?”

  “Papa seems to bend to the will of Stepmama these days,” answered Robina with a sigh. “He cares not for my feelings or desires.”

  “I just cannot believe it,” remarked the Earl, putting away his papers and plans.

  “I would not have believed it had it not happened to me,” answered Robina sadly.

  She was thinking of the impending anniversary.

  There was a silence as she tidied her desk.

  As she did so, she could feel the Earl’s eyes on her and something made her wary of looking up.

  His stare unnerved yet excited her at the same time.

  She could tell that he was appreciating her beauty rather than her efficiency.

  ‘It is very flattering that he thinks I am attractive, but I must remind myself that he is my employer and thus it is impossible for there to be anything at all between us. Besides I am resolute in my desire to remain unmarried for as long as possible.’

  Outside the Earl lingered as she mounted Firefly, who had been well rested and was champing at the bit to gallop over the fields.

  “See how he longs to stretch his legs,” said Robina, laughing at her feisty mount.

  “He is a truly free-spirited animal,” agreed the Earl. “It is a pity that I must stay at the Castle, otherwise I would accompany you back home on Jet. You will not have met him – he is as black as night and would give
your Firefly some stiff competition.”

  “One of these days I shall challenge you to a race!” exclaimed Robina. “But for today I must return home.”

  “Are you certain that you cannot stay tonight?” he enquired once more.

  Robina sighed deeply as she would have loved to have stayed and not face the wrath of her stepmother, but she knew that it would only make matters much worse.

  “No, thank you so much. I must return home and see that my Papa has ordered his flowers, but I will see you tomorrow morning as usual, my Lord. I am leaving my bags here just in case I should need to flee at any time in the future!”

  “Thank you so much for such a good day’s work, Robina.”

  “The pleasure has been all mine.”

  The Earl had such a sad look on his face that she almost relented.

  There was something in his eyes that told her that his interest in her was more than that of someone who was just a friend.

  She waved one last time and set off down the drive.

  ‘I must be as calm as I can to face Stepmama,’ she told herself, as Firefly raced home across the fields.

  *

  By the time she arrived home, Robina was tired.

  She was greeted by Newman who informed her that dinner was about to be served.

  ‘Oh dear! I am still in my riding habit. No matter – I won’t run the risk of another telling-off for being late.’

  Handing Newman her hat and gloves, she walked to the mirror on the wall and adjusted her hair.

  She was flushed from her riding and her eyes shone – Robina was never happier than when she was on a horse.

  Taking a deep breath she entered the dining room.

  As usual her stepmother was dressed rather richly and the diamonds around her throat sparkled brilliantly.

  ‘Those look as if they are Mama’s,’ she thought, as she silently took her seat. ‘Surely Papa has not given them to her?’

  “I am sorry for being a little late,” she murmured, as she sank down into the velvet-upholstered chair.

  “We shall speak about your absence after we have finished dinner,” her father began sternly. “I don’t wish to ruin my appetite for the time being.”

  Her stepmother glared at her.

  “It is a fine thing to have a daughter who cares so little about her father’s feelings that she embarrasses him without any hesitation,” she fumed.

  “Laura, we will speak of this after we have eaten,” he repeated firmly.

  “Herbert, if you are willing to indulge the girl when she has been so abominably rude and selfish, then I am not. I didn’t know what to say to Lord Drury when he arrived this morning to find that she was not at home.”

  “But Stepmama, I told you that I was expected at the Castle. If Lord Drury had been so interested to see me, then he could have driven over there to collect me!”

  “Don’t be impertinent, Robina. Laura is absolutely right. You have embarrassed all of us with your behaviour. Now, enough of this – Newman, please serve the soup.”

  Robina felt stung by her father’s words.

  Surely he understood why she had run off, but she was glad he did not know she had taken off in the middle of the night.

  ‘And at least I know I can trust the stable boys,’ she thought, as she dipped her spoon into the crayfish soup.

  The meal passed in silence with Robina anxious at what her stepmother was going to say to her next.

  The moment that the dessert had been taken away, Laura rounded on her.

  “You are the rudest and most ungrateful girl I have ever met!” she spat. “Lord Drury is so highly eligible and now you have more than likely ruined your chances with him. Do you think that gentlemen such as he drop out of the trees every day? You are stupid and unruly.”

  “Your behaviour is just reprehensible,” added her father. “A Melville’s word is their bond and you agreed to ride out with Lord Drury, so why were you not here this morning?”

  Robina felt crushed.

  Hot tears sprang into her eyes and it was all she could do to control herself.

  “But, Papa, I had told you that I was expected at the Castle.”

  “Laura went to a great deal of trouble to introduce you to him and he was sufficiently interested in you to ask if I would have any objection to him paying court to you with a view to marriage.”

  “Papa, I don’t wish to marry anyone at present – be it Lord Drury or the Prince of Wales himself! I am happy as I am. Besides I have only recently returned home and I wish to spend time with you.”

  “What you wish for yourself is immaterial,” chimed in Laura, “we are not here to dance attendance on you! If your father and I wish you to marry, then marry you will! Is that understood?

  “And as for this foolish notion about employment – your new husband, whoever he is, will not want a wife who works. It seems to me there is no alternative. We should send you back to France on the very next boat.”

  Robina felt like responding to this barrage, but her father interrupted.

  “Laura, have you forgotten the reason I asked her to return from France in the first place? Has it slipped your mind, perhaps, that it is now the anniversary of Robina’s mother’s death this very weekend?”

  “Oh, I am sorry,” she replied awkwardly, realising that she had just committed a dreadful error of judgement in pushing the matter too far.

  “No, Robina must remain at least until the weekend and then I will make a decision. I am her father, Laura, and the only one to decide her fate – not you! Robina, we shall not speak of this again until after the weekend.”

  She was stunned at his apparent change in attitude.

  “Yes, Papa,” Robina answered meekly, yet secretly she was thrilled that he had, in her eyes, stood up for her.

  ‘Maybe he has changed his mind on marrying me off,’ she thought, as they rose to retire to the drawing room for coffee. ‘Perhaps he has decided that my place is with him after all.’

  Robina did not stay up very long.

  She felt in need of a long hot bath after her ride and now, pleasantly full, she took her leave and retired.

  Just as she was leaving, her father spoke to her,

  “Robina, I have ordered flowers for the grave and I trust that the Earl will not be requiring you on Saturday?”

  “No, Papa.”

  “Very well, we shall leave for the churchyard after breakfast.”

  Robina was ecstatic.

  ‘I was wrong to believe Papa would forget all about Saturday,’ she thought, as she climbed upstairs.

  After a delicious bath she was about to settle herself down for the night when there was a loud knocking at her bedroom door.

  ‘How strange,’ she thought, as she hurriedly put on her dressing-gown.

  She expected it to be Molly, grumbling that she had forgotten something, so she was surprised to see Newman standing there holding a salver in his hand.

  “I am so sorry to disturb you, miss, but this has just been delivered by hand.”

  “Really? Who brought it?”

  “It was a messenger on horseback, miss. I believe it is from the Castle. Look – that is the Hampton crest.”

  Robina turned the letter over and looked at the red wax seal.

  It was, as Newman had guessed, the Earl’s crest.

  Eagerly tearing open the letter, she began to read,

  “My dear Robina,” it said.

  “I do hope that your evening has passed off without event. I am writing to request that you do not come to the Castle tomorrow as planned, or indeed, next week either.

  I cannot say why, but I would ask you to await my further instructions.

  I will write to you again in due course when I have need of your services.

  Yours, Robert Hampton.”

  “Oh!” she cried out loud.

  She climbed into bed feeling heavy of heart.

  ‘What has occurred to make him change his mind?’ she wondered, as she
stared up at the ceiling. ‘Is Ellis in trouble again and the Earl has been forced to sort out the matter?’

  The more she ruminated about it, the more worried she became.

  ‘Has he been taken ill or perhaps a relative has died and he has only just received the news?’

  Even though she was feeling exhausted all manner of thoughts persisted in crowding into her mind.

  And the last picture she could see before she drifted off to a deep sleep was of the Earl’s handsome face – his bright blue eyes burning with simmering emotion.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  But the Earl did not send for Robina the next day or the day after that.

  If it had not have been for her growing sense of uneasiness, she might well not have worried quite so much that she had somehow either caused him offence or he had decided that he no longer required her services.

  Laura did not make life any easier for her either by following Robina wherever she went.

  ‘Must she keep such a close eye on me?’ thought Robina angrily, as she spied her standing on the terrace, looking down the garden, while she sat by the fountain.

  It had become one of her favourite places to sit and think and now her stepmother was making it very difficult for her to relax.

  ‘I hope that she is not about to come and give me yet another lecture about Lord Drury,’ she muttered, as her stepmother came walking towards her.

  “Robina!”

  “Yes, Stepmama.”

  “I have had a letter from Lord Drury. You are most fortunate as he is prepared to forgive your bad manners and has expressed an interest in visiting us for dinner again. As it is your mother’s anniversary this weekend, I shall leave it until next week before I invite him again.”

  “Very well, Stepmama.”

  “And have I your promise that this time you will be cooperative?”

  Robina hung her head – she had no wish to see the man ever again, but she also did not wish to tell a lie.

  “I will be present at dinner,” she responded after a long pause. “I promise you.”

  Laura appeared satisfied with her assurance and left without another word.

  ‘Am I to be hounded by her for desiring a choice in this matter?’ mused Robina, as she dropped her hand into the cool water. ‘Oh, Mama! I wish you had not died! You would not have forced me to marry against my will.’