Chapter Ten
After Louisa had left Thomas, Percy found him and they drank together as he explained how his talk with Lord Skeffington had gone.
Percy was not terribly surprised by the result, nor his sister’s response to it.
Louisa could hardly be blamed for her pessimism, Thomas reflected.
She had lost the guidance of their parents at a formative age and everything about her life had changed dramatically.
When one’s spirit was broken early, it was hard to escape the grip of a tyrant, especially if one was ordered to respect one’s elders and yield to the head of the family in all things.
Thomas had been raised to obey his parents, as well. But his father had known he would need to think independently in order to take the coronet when it was time. He needed to share a bit of that strength with Louisa now.
Or rather, Tom Smith did. He might not be a duke.
But any man worthy of the fair Louisa would not be put off by the blustering of an old man who might hold the purse strings but could not be bothered to leave his room.
He would stay and fight for his sweetheart.
He was not leaving until he could take Louisa and her money with him.
And then, he would die tragically, as planned.
It was a shame that the fellow could not stay alive to enjoy the spoils due to a victor.
But this little escapade could not last for ever.
Bonham had responsibilities that Smith did not.
He needed to return to his real life as soon as this matter was settled.
After finishing his brandy, he went to his room to dress for dinner and plan his second skirmish in the battle to free Louisa. Old Skeffington was sorely misinformed if he thought Tom Smith could be vanquished with a few harsh words and a wave of the hand.
An hour and a half later, he had rested and changed and was on his way down to dinner when he met a maid on the stairs. She was carrying a tray upwards, towards the master suite. He gave her his most winning smile.
She paused to smile back.
He glanced at the covered plate and said, ‘I take it Lord Skeffington will not be dining with us.’
She nodded. ‘He takes most meals in his room. Too much company upsets his digestion.’
‘Of course.’ He lifted the cloche to see a perfectly ordinary meal and not the bowl of gruel and milk toast he’d expected for an invalid. He lowered the cover again and said, ‘It looks delicious.’ Then he continued down the stairs.
When he arrived in the dining room, the table was set for three.
The Skeffington siblings were seated on either side, facing each other.
The head had been left empty, probably out of respect, even though the host was not there to notice the fact.
Thomas took the remaining place beside Percy and smiled across at Louisa, who responded with a polite nod.
She had changed into a dinner gown that he could not remember seeing before. The blush-coloured silk was cut low, revealing an expanse of delicate pink skin that was a close match to the bodice.
If he let his mind wander, he could imagine the silk was sheer, tinted by the body beneath it, a drape that was inadequate to hide her charms. It might be pulled away with a gentle tug, leaving her naked in his arms…
And that was not something he should be doing with a woman who was practically a sister. Such thoughts were becoming worryingly frequent, but he could hardly be blamed for them. In London, he’d seen her only occasionally and even when he had, his mind had often been occupied by other matters.
But he’d been with her now for days without relief. Even a saint would be tempted under such conditions. He sipped his wine and looked away, hoping that his thoughts were not to be plainly read on his face. This would be easier if she weren’t so damned pretty.
He wondered if she’d ever thought of him as attractive.
When they were in London, he’d wondered why she often joined them when he and Percy dined together.
She should have been out with other ladies of her age.
Flirting, giggling and surrounded by a pack of eager, young, gentlemen. Instead, she’d stayed with him.
And her real brother, of course.
It had all been so simple. She’d been good company if a trifle quiet. There had been no pressure to become anything more than friends.
Spending the last week playacting as her lover was warping his mind in strange directions. Delightfully dangerous, forbidden, directions. The brief flashes of temper she’d been showing lately intrigued him. He liked the woman who snapped and stormed at him. He wanted to see her again.
But now that the brandy had worn off, she was as he’d always known her, quiet and unassuming. The tempestuous beauty was hiding once again, like the pink skin he imagined under her gown.
‘The soup is made from peas picked from the garden this morning,’ she said as the tureen was passed.
‘The mint is fresh as well. The recipe is not complicated, but the result is as good as anything you will have in London.’ Her smile was serene and her voice was pitched low so as not to carry further than the room.
‘It is delicious,’ he assured her.
She nodded in response and said nothing more. In London, she’d rarely spoken to him unless he questioned her directly. It was as if she did not want to take up space in the conversation that might better be used by someone else.
What about that modest behavior would turn her grandfather into a cane-thumping despot?
He tried, and failed, to imagine her, even as a child, making the sort of ruckus that would bother an old man at his dinner and force him to take to his bed.
Percy also had excellent manners, even when in his cups. He could not be the problem either.
He glanced at the ceiling, considering. ‘Your grandfather must be of a particularly delicate constitution, if he chooses to take all his meals in bed,’ he said, waiting for an explanation.
‘The stairs are sometimes difficult for him,’ Louisa said, her soft voice even softer, as if she feared she might be overheard.
‘He walks with a stick,’ Percy supplied.
‘He is easily winded,’ Louisa added.
‘How unfortunate,’ Thomas said blandly.
Skeffington had not seemed particularly fatigued when he was harassing them, earlier. Thomas had suspected he could go on complaining all day if he wished to.
‘Poor wind and a limp might be signs of a serious illness. What do the doctors say is wrong with him?’
‘Gout,’ Louisa said.
But at the same time, her brother replied, ‘Dyspepsia.’
They looked at each other, surprised.
‘There are also issues with his heart,’ Louisa allowed.
Percy frowned and said, ‘Lungs. I was told it was consumption.’
‘Or, perhaps pleurisy?’ Louisa did not sound at all sure.
They fell silent and looked at him, embarrassed.
‘My…’ Thomas replied sardonically ‘…that does seem to be an interesting collection of illnesses.’
‘There have been many doctors, over the years,’ Percy said. ‘He is never satisfied with their answers and gets rid of them the minute they suggest something he does not want to do.’
‘I am no physician,’ Thomas said. ‘But his wind seems fine to me. I have seldom heard an invalid shout and bang about so.’
‘He has always been bad-tempered,’ Louisa admitted reluctantly.
‘But surprisingly robust,’ he said. ‘When my father was failing, he did not look at all well. But your grandfather looks better than many of the older peers gracing parliament. And those men still manage to make it to London each year for their session.’
‘From a sense of duty, most likely,’ Percy said, staring at the closed door with a glum expression. ‘The old man has none. I doubt he’ll leave the house when summoned by Death, himself. Ignoring the King is nothing compared to that.’
‘He has told me often that we are more of a burden than any man should bear,’ Louisa said in a small voice. ‘The expense of my Season. Maintaining the townhouse. He says we are leeches and we exhaust him.’
‘It is not as if you take actual blood,’ Thomas said with a grim smile. ‘Bills might be taxing, but I see no signs of bankruptcy here. How much money did he have when your parents died?’
Percy looked annoyed. ‘I am not sure. The lawyers did not include me in the conversations since I was not of age. I suspect they were bribed to let Grandfather handle everything. We did not come to him until after the estate was settled. He sent me to school as soon as was proper and I was seldom here, after that.’
Louisa cleared her throat.
They both looked at her expectantly.
‘Until I was old enough for a come out, I was here while you were both at school,’ she said. ‘He allowed me to educate myself, thus saving the expense of a governess.’
‘How economical,’ Thomas said, hating the man just a little bit more.
‘When he was not receiving visits from doctors, he was often contacted by dealers and brokers from London. I saw letters in the outgoing post and made note of their directions,’ she said.
‘After an exchange of messages, an item would appear. Artwork. Antiquities. Decorative ornaments.’ She glanced at Percy.
‘The house was quite plain that first year after Mother and Father died.’
‘But it is not anymore,’ Thomas said, measuring the weight of the fork beside his plate. It felt heavier than cheap plate and was undoubtedly solid silver. He set it down and looked at Louisa. ‘I don’t suppose you have any idea how much he has bought?’
‘I began keeping a record after I had been here about six months,’ she said.
‘I was quite young, though, and did not know the prices of the things that he bought. Many of the lines in my notebook are nothing more than guesses. But I made a note when I was able to find a receipt. And, of course, some of the things will have appreciated in value…’
‘Capital!’ Percy said with a surprised whistle. He grinned at Thomas. ‘Didn’t I tell you she was the cleverest one in the family?’