Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
T he garden was eerily quiet as the three figures stood staring at each other. Louisa's heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears. She had never spoken to a soul in that manner before, and she couldn't quite believe she had done so now. It was as though some wild spirit had taken control of her faculties, determined to protect sweet Kenneth. Now however, that spirit had all but deserted her, and she floundered. What on earth was she to say now?
Mrs. Brooks folded her hands in front of her, regarding Louisa warily. Eventually, she tilted her head down and responded through slightly gritted teeth. "I do apologize, my lady. I did not mean to overrule you. I forgot my place, and have no excuse for it."
Louisa swallowed. The housekeeper certainly looked contrite. She supposed that the woman was not used to having a lady in the house, or to taking care of children. She was doing what she knew, Louisa was sure of that. Unfortunately for you, Mrs. Brooks, these children need a damn sight more than what you know.
"It's all right, Mrs. Brooks. But I am afraid I must disagree with you. Kenneth will not be going to the nursery. I rather think I would like to finish my tour of the gardens with him, if he is not opposed." She could feel his little body relax behind her.
Mrs. Brooks sniffed (disapprovingly, Louisa was sure), but acquiesced under the gaze of her superior. "Very well, my lady. Master Kenneth may join us as you wish. The topiary gardens are this way."
As Mrs. Brooks turned to lead the way, Louisa turned to look at Kenneth. His sorrowful little eyes stared up at her, and his lip was trembling again. This would not do at all. Louisa winked conspiratorially at him, before calling to the housekeeper.
"If it's all the same to you, Mrs. Brooks, I believe Kenneth and I shall do some exploring on our own."
Mrs. Brooks blinked, opened her mouth, and closed it again. She looked from Louisa to Kenneth for a few moments. "Well, I- I'm not sure that's wise, my lady."
"Whyever not? Do you suppose there is a monster in the topiary maze, waiting for us to venture forth unaccompanied? We might never emerge again!" Louisa exaggerated her horror at the prospect, and was rewarded with a wet giggle from the small boy still hiding behind her.
Mrs. Brooks sighed deeply, and once again Louisa got the distinct impression that she was truly trying the woman's patience at every interaction. "Lady St Vincent. His Lordship has made it very clear that I must aid you until you are settled. Moreover, I am not at all sure that he would appreciate the dismissal of his instructions with regards to the children and the building of their relationship with my lady. I do not believe he would consider this notion to be a suitable one."
"I appreciate your concern for Lord St Vincent, Mrs. Brooks. And if you feel that he would be unduly harmed by such knowledge, please feel free not to inform him of such. But I am quite sure that you have your own duties to attend to today, and as, dare I say, the most important of my duties is to 'his lordship's wards, I am sure Kenneth and I will get on tremendously well."
Louisa held her hand out to the boy, and he instantly took it. He tucked himself close to her side and she smiled kindly down to him. "Would you like to explore the topiary maze with your Aunt Louisa, Kenneth?"
Kenneth nodded firmly, and started off towards the tall hedges, towing Louisa behind him. She laughed, turning to glance at Mrs. Brooks once more. "I promise you, Mrs. Brooks, we shall be absolutely fine! And I shall ensure we are back inside with plenty of time to change for dinner!"
Cedric massaged his temples in a vain attempt to stave off a headache. The words on the papers in front of him had started swimming half an hour ago, and yet he had no choice but to plough on. He had to read over the contracts in time for his business meeting in a few days, but the thick piles never seemed to get any smaller despite how many he shifted onto the "completed" side. He sighed heavily and stood, crossing his study to stare out of the window.
On fine days such as these, Cedric always resented being cooped up indoors. He wished he could stroll the grounds or perhaps even take the coach out somewhere, do anything except sit in this dark room writing and reading and worrying. Was he doing enough? Was he handling the estate in the way his father wanted? These thoughts had plagued him almost since he had inherited, but they had very recently been joined by a new, somehow even more urgent and terrifying question. Was he going to raise the children the way his brother would have wanted?
Gazing down into the topiary maze which had always been one of his favorite parts of the vast grounds, he lost himself in his thoughts. The children were still so quiet and guarded. He had tried to make them feel at home, had bought them fine clothes and toys to replace those that had burned alongside their parents. And yet they still stood silently whenever he went into the nursery. They watched him carefully, but every question he posed to them was met with short, flat responses from Abigail and sad silence from Kenneth.
Am I doing the right thing by them? How would I know? I've never had to take care of children before, I've barely interacted with any. Surely they would tell me if they were so unhappy?
Cedric was pulled from his morose musings by a peal of laughter echoing up to his open window. He peered down towards the sound and, finally spotting the source, his hands tightened on the windowpane involuntarily. What on earth were the Balfour girl and his boy doing running around in the maze?
Frustration simmering in his veins, Cedric turned and rang the bell to summon his housekeeper. He could hardly believe that his mousey wife had defied his direct orders not to interact with the children until he decided she should. Had he made a mistake in marrying her after all? Was she going to prove more trouble than she was worth?
A tap at the door shook him. "Enter," he called roughly. Mrs. Brooks hurried in and stood before him. Was it his imagination or did she look thoroughly resigned, as though she already knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth?
"My lord." She dipped a respectful curtsey and awaited his instructions.
"Mrs. Brooks, I wonder if you may indulge me. I have a query that needs answering right away."
"Of course, my lord. You just let me know how I can be of service."
"You have spent a lot of time with Lady St Vincent since she arrived at St Vincent, have you not?"
Mrs. Brooks blinked, taken aback by the question. "Well, yes my lord. You asked me to. You instructed me to aid Lady St Vincent as she learned her new household duties and found her feet here."
Cedric nodded. "And would you say that Lady St Vincent was of average intelligence?"
Now, Mrs. Brooks looked thoroughly confused. "Yes? My lord," she added hurriedly. "Lady St Vincent is very dedicated to learning her duties. And in my opinion, I suppose she is a quick study. Forgive me, my lord, but I am not quite sure what you are asking."
"Something strikes me as funny, Mrs. Brooks. You see, I also got the impression that Lady St Vincent is an intelligent, well-read sort. So tell me if you can, why would such an intelligent woman have so much trouble with such simple instructions as "do not interact with the children until I am satisfied that you should and tell you as such"?"
"Ah." Mrs. Brooks' shoulders dropped as she finally realized what was troubling her employer. "She is in the garden with Master Kenneth."
Cedric worked to suppress his irritation. After all, it wasn't his housekeeper's fault that his new wife seemed immune to instructions. "Yes Mrs. Brooks, I can see that. I can see and hear them running around in that damn maze. I believe I told you to take Lady St Vincent on a tour of the grounds? I did not realize you were going via the nursery."
Mrs. Brooks hung her head, wringing her hands in front of her. "I am sorry, my lord, truly. We didn't go to the nursery, I would never disobey your wishes. my lady and I were by the pavilion when young Master Kenneth came running to us, crying about insects. I attempted to explain to him that crying just is not done, and to take him back to his nursery, but my lady saw that he was upset and was adamant that she would cheer him up. She sent me away to attend to my own duties. I can fetch her though? If you wish to see her, my lord?"
Cedric mused, then shook his head. "No. It's all right, Mrs. Brooks. You can leave." As she turned to go, he called her back. "Oh - go and find Abigail, will you? And bring her to me."
"And then- And then, the princess saw the boy and the golden goose and then she saw everyone following them and she thought it was funny and she laughed and she never laughed and then the boy got to marry the princess. Because she laughed, you see."
Louisa couldn't help but laugh either, seeing how utterly serious and earnest the small boy is. When she had asked him about his favorite fairy tale, remembering when he told her he liked stories, she hadn't quite expected a full retelling of it. But her heart swelled with every word. She had never seen the quiet, serious little boy look so animated and happy before. She realized she was getting a glimpse of what he must have been like before tragedy struck his happy little family, when he felt loved and safe and had no inkling of cruelty in the world.
"That sounds like a lovely story, Kenneth. I can see why it's your favorite."
Kenneth nodded vigorously. "Yes, Abigail, like the one with the red cloak and the wolf but I don't like that one, it's scary and I don't like scary. My mama always says she doesn't like scary either, so she reads The Golden Goose with me and Papa reads the scary wolf book with Abigail and-" He cut off abruptly, stopping in his tracks.
Louisa turned and dropped down before him. "Kenneth? Darling?"
His lower lip trembled. "Mama did read The Golden Goose to me. But she can't anymore, can she?"
Louisa's breath caught in her throat. She could feel her heart cracking beneath her ribs, full of sorrow for the tiny child. "No Kenneth, I'm afraid she cannot," she said gently, pulling him into her arms, grateful that he came to her so willingly. "But how would you like me to read it to you instead? I know it couldn't possibly be as good as when you read with your mama, but I would love to read the book also."
Kenneth sniffed hard. "You can't. I don't have the book. It was at home and we're not at home anymore, are we?"
Louisa was saved from answering this hardest of questions by the patter of small feet running across the hard ground towards them. Kenneth's eyes cleared and he beamed over her shoulder. "Hello Abigail! We're playing maze, do you want to join in?"
Abigail regarded Louisa with that serious stare of hers. Clearly, Louisa thought, she had a long way to go to win over the little girl even if her brother seemed to be enjoying Louisa's company.
"Abigail, darling, you're most welcome to join us. We were about to try and find the center, we could really use your help you know."
Abigail skirted around Louisa and took her brother's hand. "You can't play anymore, Lady St Vincent."
"Abigail!" Kenneth sounded outraged on Louisa's part, which truth be told she found very touching.
"Well she can't! Uncle said so. Uncle said to tell Lady St Vincent that she has to stop playing and go to his study because he wants to talk to her." She stared at Louisa expectantly.
Louisa groaned inwardly. She knew this happy, carefree feeling was too good to last. Still, she put on a cheerful expression and rose to her feet. "Well then, I should go and talk to your uncle, shouldn't I?"
She turned to leave, but a moment later turned back to Kenneth. "If you would like, I can find a new copy of The Golden Goose and we can read it together. Or, how about this? We shall look for a new fairy tale to read. Then The Golden Goose will always be yours and your mama's, and we will have a new story to enjoy together?"
Kenneth blinked up at her. "Does it have to be scary?"
Louisa laughed. "Absolutely not. On my honor, it will not be scary at all."
He thought for a moment while Abigail stood impatiently beside him, then finally nodded. "All right then." He waved as his sister pulled him back into the maze, and Louisa waved back happily. One down, one to go.
Then, she turned back to the house and looked up at the window she knew to be Cedric's study. Well, two to go I suppose. I can't help but think that Abigail will surely be easier to win over than he will.
Cedric was surprised when Louisa knocked on his study door, half expecting her to burst in as she had done days before. He called for her to enter and she did so, standing before his desk with her head high and hands clasped loosely in front of her. He waited a moment, but she seemed determined for him to speak first.
"My lady. I wanted to ask you a question if I may."
"You may do as you wish, Lord St Vincent."
Her response surprised him slightly. It was bolder than he was used to from the meek girl, and he half wondered where this boldness had been hiding in her. "I saw you in the garden, with Kenneth."
She smiled at him, eyes lighting up. "That's not exactly a question. But yes, we were exploring together. We were getting to know each other, and our new home."
"I see. And tell me Louisa, was it purely to spite me that you decided to disregard my instructions regarding the welfare of my wards today?"
The smile fell instantly from her face, and to his surprise he regretted the words that had caused this change. Her face was shuttered now, guarded against him.
"My lord, I can assure you that you were the last thing on my mind when I saw a young, frightened, upset child, a child I was brought to this estate to care for, and I decided to do just that. You can be upset with me should you choose to be, but if you are waiting for an apology, I'm afraid it simply will not be forthcoming. Kenneth needed comforting. I comforted him. He is now happier than he was earlier today. I believe that deserves praise rather than scolding."
Cedric sat silently for several moments, shocked at the change that had come across his bride. Much as he wanted to feel otherwise however, he had to admit to himself that he was drawn to this new, bold Louisa. Her eyes were full of fire as she stared him down, waiting for him to make his next move.
He rose slowly from his desk, eyes never leaving hers, and crossed the room to stand in front of her. She stiffened slightly as he approached but held her ground, chin tipped up defiantly. He stopped just short of her, resisting the sudden urge to stroke her cheek with one finger.
"Well, well. It looks as though my lamb has turned into something of a lion, doesn't it?"
Louisa opened her mouth but no sound came out. She blushed furiously across her cheekbones and all the way up to her hairline. Cedric smirked triumphantly.
"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what to do with you, my sweet wife. My charms don't seem to work on you at all."
"Perhaps that is a good experience for you, sir," she said pertly, the blush still staining her delicate skin. "It will teach you that you cannot sweep every woman you see off her feet."
"I would be content if I could sweep you into listening to my instructions," he said drolly, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "Truly it seems I have never fully appreciated my powers of persuasion except in this instance where they simply do not work."
Her hand flew up to her cheek where he had grazed it with his touch and their eyes met for a long moment.
The moment passed, and then another. Cedric stayed quiet as Louisa swallowed hard. Finally, she mustered up a quiet, "Indeed. If you'll excuse me, my lord, I must change for dinner."
He watched her walk away. Was it just his mind playing tricks on him, or did she look less steady than she had when she arrived?