Page 55 of A Sense of Turmoil
‘You have been acquainted with him, distantly. You can’t claim to actually know him. He’s been in America for years, dammit. And gentleman is a very broad definition, especially if you mean it to include the likes of George Fleming. Flora has lived beneath your roof for eighteen months so I would suggest that you know her rather better. Have you ever known her to be dishonest?’
‘Not dishonest, no but…’
Archie’s raised hand stemmed Luke’s flow of excuses. ‘I was sitting across from Flora and George on the night in question. You were at the other end of the table and didn’t have a clear view. I did. George was trying very hard to flirt with Flora.’ He ground his jaw at the memory. ‘He seemed to think she was a glorified servant and would welcome his attentions. When she didn’t give him the response he hoped for, he became more blatant.’ Archie paused and drilled Luke with a look. ‘He deliberately brushed his thigh against hers. I saw him move closer. Personally, given the manner in which he insulted her, I thought her reaction was very restrained and a good deal less than he deserved.’
‘Damn!’ Luke had accused her of encouraging George and then preventing Ottilie access to his grandmother. Now he knew that she had not done the former and had good reason to prevent the latter, since Ottilie had a head cold.
‘It’s this second sight thing of hers that gets to me.’ Luke drained his glass, threw up his hands and then stood to pour refills for them both. ‘How someone so sensible could believe in it is beyond me.’
‘What do you mean?’
Luke explained about her insistence that the accounts in Boston had been falsified. Archie simply shrugged.
‘Then have Sam look into it.’
‘I’ve asked him, but I’m sure she’s wrong.’
‘You think she invented the possibility in a desperate attempt to prevent you from proposing to Ottilie?’
‘Well…’ Luke rubbed his chin. ‘Put like that it makes me sound a little arrogant.’
‘I understand your conflict between the duty you owe to your father and your own feelings, but don’t lay the blame at Flora’s door. We both know she is incapable of such base behaviour.’ Archie flashed a roguish smile. ‘Besides, has it occurred to you that she finds your particular form of toxic charm easy to resist?’
‘Don’t be such an ass, Archie.’
Archie’s grin abruptly faded. ‘I wouldn’t be too quick to jump to conclusions about Flora’s powers. She was right to behave in the way that she did towards George, and I shouldn’t be surprised if she proves to be right about the Boston accounts too. I never did really take to George. Caught him cheating at cards once when we were up at Oxford. He claimed it was a misunderstanding and we gave him the benefit of the doubt, but I knew he was cheating. That tells you a lot about a man’s morals, if he’s prepared to cheat in order to win.’
‘Well, I shall reserve judgement.’ The dinner gong sounded and both men stood. ‘Anyway, what does it matter?’
‘A great deal, I should have thought,’ Archie replied, leaning heavily on his stick as he got to his feet. ‘A very great deal indeed.’
*
Archie thought Luke was behaving like an immature fool. Anyone with eyes in their head could see that he was besotted with Flora, and she with him. But Luke had always maintained that he would marry and make his late father proud of his choice. Archie had severe reservations about the choice he had made in achieving that ambition but kept his thoughts to himself. Luke had proposed and was committed to the marriage, even if he didn’t seem exactly thrilled by the prospect.
They made their way to the drawing room, where the rest of the family was assembled, all garbed in deepest black and talking in low voices. Archie greeted them all and they went through to dinner.
‘You’re walking more easily,’ Flora remarked, falling into step with him.
‘I am now the proud owner of a humble gig and a most obliging cob by the name of Merlin. He’s a sturdy chap, not given to fits of independence, and I take him out every day, exploring deeper and deeper into the estate.’
‘The ruts don’t cause you discomfort?’
He held her chair for her and waited for her to settle in it before taking his own. ‘It’s tolerable. I have men smoothing some of the more frequently used paths out and gravelling them, but my excursions will be curtailed by the onset of winter. Even so, it is a vast improvement and I feel more in control, thanks to you.’
‘No thanks are necessary. It was an obvious enough suggestion.’
‘I have been trying out the Turkish baths in Swindon as well, Luke,’ Archie added. ‘Thanks for recommending them. They are a Godsend, and probably account for the improvement in my mobility.’
‘Then I am glad,’ Luke replied, settling his gaze on Flora as he spoke.
‘I shall not permit any melancholy,’ Archie said, when the conversation failed. ‘The countess would be mortified. She gave strict instructions, I seem to recall, that no one was to mourn her passing. Am I right?’ He glanced at Flora for confirmation.
‘Yes,’ she said softly. ‘She knew that her time had come and was ready to move on.’
‘Don’t you feel alone and exposed, Archie, now that your father has gone?’ Luke asked. ‘Grandmamma no longer made any of the decisions within this family. I have been doing that ever since…well, you know…but she was always there, the matriarch, and that was reassuring.’ He shook his head. ‘I didn’t realise how much comfort I took from her quirky presence.’
Archie smiled. ‘I understand better than you could ever know.’ He gave a wistful sigh as he played with the stem of his wine glass. ‘I will never stop feeling guilty for the pressure that my selfish behaviour put on the pater. But, you know, he never once took me to task for being so irresponsible. Oh yes, I understand your feelings all too well. Felsham Hall is even bigger than this place and I have no siblings to help me fill the rooms. Of course I feel exposed, and worry all the time that I’ll make a complete mull of it. But we have to carry on. We have a duty, so what else can we do?’
