Chapter 31
Thea slipped her arms around Martha’s waist and rested her chin on the familiar shoulder. ‘You look regal, as always, my love,’ she whispered, breathing in the scent of the woman so familiar to her.
Martha grasped Thea’s hands with her own and inclined her head towards Thea’s. ‘You are exquisite and will be the most incredible hostess.’
Thea knew she meant it, but Martha had been quiet recently. More so since Annie’s death and it wasn’t difficult to see why. ‘I’m sorry it’s hard,’ she muttered.
Martha turned around in her arms so they faced one another. ‘It was always going to be hard,’ she said in the pragmatic way Thea had come to expect. ‘You astonish me every day with your strength, you know that.’
Days like today – having to host fifteen guests for a weekend, at breakfast, tea and dinner – seemed harder with every week.
The Royals had left without incident and the last four days had been spent preparing for this party and welcoming guests to stay.
Now they were all in her house, her governess was dead, and Frankie was still in London organising a future for the baby that would be better than the start she had.
To top it off, she had to be civil to a husband who was the cause of it all and more.
‘I don’t feel strong,’ said Thea, meaning it with every bit of her.
‘I can’t stand up to him, and I know it is becoming harder for you to be here.
’ They both knew she meant as a mistress.
George tolerated Martha for the weeks that she stayed, but Thea knew that Martha always felt on edge.
Delighted to be with Thea, but never settled, and never feeling at home.
‘Your strength defines you,’ said Martha. ‘What you do every day, and how you live like this astonishes me. I simply hate to see it happen.’
‘There is little choice,’ said Thea.
‘You haven’t shot him yet,’ said Martha, attempting to lighten the mood.
‘That’s astonishing.’ It made Thea smile, and even more so when Martha tucked an errant hair behind her ear.
‘And you are different since the royal visit. You have that look back – the one which says you know what you want. And I love it.’
Thea smiled despite herself. ‘Perhaps a little,’ she said. ‘I hate that I must hear it from others to believe it, but knowing that Knatchbull is threatened, that Crumpacker recommended us and that the royals were impressed. It is very welcome.’
‘It is well-deserved,’ said Martha. ‘And it is completely natural to feel as you do. When others tell us that we are worth nothing, through words or actions, we start to believe it.’
‘I want more of it,’ said Thea, walking over to look out of the window.
‘You know I have always wanted to build the collection and hearing the recognition spurred me on. If I can be quiet and stay on the right side of George, I will continue to pursue it. And when Frankie gets back…’ she paused as a wave of nausea washed over her as she thought about Annie.
She was getting used to feeling utter devastation and then battling through.
‘…when she gets back, we will try again for the protea. I would so love to be the one to beat Knatchbull’s radishes. ’
‘And I will help as much as I can, while I am here,’ said Martha.
Thea’s heart sank at her words. ‘You have given up so much for me.’ She felt guilty, always, that Martha had given up her systematic study of plants. There just wasn’t the chance when she lived between properties and was never settled.
‘Nothing of importance,’ reassured Martha.
‘I know how important it is to you,’ said Thea. ‘I am sorry I can’t make you happy here. That would be my greatest dream.’
‘I am happy wherever you are,’ said Martha, moving to join Thea at the window and taking a hand in hers.
Thea closed her eyes at the contact. Their relationship had suffered with the stress of it all, and whilst they still held one another at night, she knew they both struggled to rouse the passion they once had.
Thea planted a kiss on her lips and was delighted when Martha deepened it. ‘Thank you,’ she said as they parted. And she meant it.
Half an hour later the final coach drew up on the driveway.
The remainder of the guests were already gathering for the welcome tea, but Thea had anticipated that these guests would be late.
The door flew open, almost knocking the footman off his feet, and the full force of Harriet Henry burst out, immediately enveloping Thea in a bear hug full of hair and silk and ample bosoms. Thea held her for a long time, delighted to see her enthusiastic friend.
A little wave of joy that had been long lacking warmed her inside.
After a long embrace Harriet held Thea at arm’s length, grasping her puffed sleeves.
‘Everyone here?’ she asked.
‘You’re the last,’ confirmed Thea.
‘Thought so,’ said Harriet. ‘So, who’s here? Cecily and the weasel?’
‘In the parlour,’ confirmed Thea.
‘That haughty but delicious lover of yours?’
‘Thankfully.’ Thea smiled.
‘The grumpy botanist?’
‘Crumpacker,’ Thea nodded.
‘Your sister-in-law?’
‘Critiquing my curtains as we speak.’
‘That sour faced guy who comes with the weasel?’
‘Doctor Herbert, yes,’ said Thea. ‘And his friend, Stanhope Grimston, who has a little history with Martha.’ That had been a surprise when he had turned up. George had failed to mention it.
‘I shall look forward to Lady Foxmore’s ire.’ Harriet looked almost gleeful at the thought. ‘What about the person I am in love with most in the world and her husband?’ Harriet pursed her lips, and a little of her exuberance ebbed.
‘Still?’ asked Thea gently, knowing how much hurt Harriet’s bluster hid.
‘Can’t seem to help it,’ she said with a crooked smile. ‘Another winter in London pretending to be interested in her art clubs, I fear.’
‘Part of the soft furnishing assessment party with Helena,’ confirmed Thea.
Harriet dropped her hands from Thea’s shoulders and seemed to gather herself. ‘Good lord,’ she said. ‘We are in for it, aren’t we. I had thought I’d brought the most sensible with me but wait until you hear what he’s done.’ She gestured over her shoulder at the open door of the carriage.
‘Kit!’ exclaimed Thea, having almost forgotten he was travelling with Harriet.
She headed to the open door of the carriage and peered in.
The form of Doctor Speckle hunched over a notebook set on his knee, pen scratching frantically across it.
He held up one index finger, imploring her not to interrupt just yet.
Thea retreated from the carriage and turned back to Harriet, questioning.
‘He’s been like that the whole way,’ said her friend.
‘What has he done?’ asked Thea, searching Harriet’s face.
‘Well, you know he inherited that plantation in St Kitts?’
‘Yes,’ remembered Thea.
‘And he went out there to see how it was all going?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, he only got back a couple of weeks ago and I didn’t know until now.’
‘What has he done?’ asked Thea, worried that she was going to have to deal with more awkward conversations about conditions in the West Indies over dinner.
‘He’s only let them all go.’
‘Let what go?’ asked Thea, none the wiser.
‘The slaves,’ said Harriet. ‘On his plantation. Freed them all. Allowed any who wanted to to stay and be paid a wage, brought a couple over here who fancied it, and let the rest go. Now he’s writing a pamphlet about it.’
Thea stared at her. ‘Does anyone else here know?’
‘Just Herbert,’ said Harriet, ‘which I suppose means that the rest of them will do, before long. Should be interesting, as that rails against everything Nev has built his livelihood on, eh?’
‘Good lord,’ said Thea, staring towards the scratching sounds that still came from the open carriage door. Could this party become any more stressful?
Martha and Grimston glowered at one another across a swathe of Nerines.
‘An excellent plant for later in the season,’ Thea said, eyeing the two of them warily, as well as keeping an eye on the proximity of Knatchbull and Speckle.
The latter was still scribbling notes intermittently and she had been concerned that Knatchbull would see, but he had disappeared five minutes into her garden tour.
Presumably to poke around for more secrets, she imagined.
Without Frankie there to plant decoy dragon’s bile, or whatever she would think of next, he might even find some.
If the whole weekend went off without incident, it would be a miracle, she thought.
The only thing she could do was to keep the peace between Martha and Grimston, Knatchbull and Speckle, and Emma and Harriet as much as possible.
Not to mention the complications of her own family.
Polite society was anything but polite, on the inside.
George had wanted to start with a tour of the outdoors, and so they did.
‘Just stunning, I do not know how you do it, Your Grace.’ Thea gave Cecily a thankful smile and she was about to go on before she was interrupted.
‘I just don’t see how you think it is better than mine?’ Knatchbull’s voice cut through the air from the greenhouse.
Oh. And there was the new tension between Knatchbull and Crumpacker, she thought. Steering the party towards the tender plants she sought to head off the confrontation.
‘And this is where we keep all of the specimens which require protection from the cold.’ She said it loudly, announcing their presence. Both Knatchbull and Crumpacker straightened.
‘I see your Sissyrinchium are struggling,’ said Knatchbull without any more of a hello.
‘The foliage is always blackened at this time of year,’ said Crumpacker without pause. ‘The duchess’s plants are healthy.’ It was an obvious jibe, and Knatchbull set his jaw.
‘I am sure you mean the duke’s plants,’ he said, referencing George who had taken the Faircloughs and his wider family on a tour of the estate.