Page 39 of A Sense of Fate
‘What is it, Will?’ Archie asked.
‘Excuse the intrusion, my lord, but I thought you would want to know that Miss Latimer’s youngest sister Melanie turned up unexpectedly at Fox Hollow last night.’
Archie and Pawson exchanged another bewildered look as Will, at Archie’s urging, sank into a chair and told the entire story.
‘Miss Latimer, Polly tells me, is furious at the nature of her sister’s injuries which were inflicted by their father, and determined that she will not return to the family home to endure further torture.’
‘Her father has beaten her? Good God.’ Archie’s mind whirled with increasingly unpalatable possibilities as he extracted as much information from Will as there was to be had. Once he knew everything, he thanked the man and sent him on his way.
‘What’s going on, guv’nor?’ Pawson asked, scratching his head.
‘I’m not sure.’ Archie allowed himself a moment’s reflection. ‘If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say it was a clumsy attempt on Latimer’s part to get Flora to return to the family fold. He’s tried forcing her hand, and he’s tried gentle coercion. Neither has worked. Nor has Conrad’s attempts at romancing her.’ Archie scowled at that particular prospect. ‘Flora is of age, so Latimer can’t force her to do anything against her will, but…’
‘But he’s aware of her affection for her youngest sibling.’ Pawson scratched his chin. ‘Would he really abuse the child, hold her hand over a naked flame no less, to get his way?’
‘Will only knew that the father had inflicted her injuries, not why. Flora spoke to her about that in private. But if I were asked to wager, I’d place a fortune on Latimer knowing that the child’s character closely matches Flora’s and that she would run to her big sister in her hour of need.’
‘Ah, I get what you mean.’ Pawson scowled at the booklined walls. ‘He can’t force Flora to return home but he can insist upon Melanie going back with him. He holds parental power over her.’
‘Right. And Flora won’t know a moment’s peace if that situation occurs. I shall have to intervene.’
‘I would strongly advise against it,’ Pawson replied. ‘If she needs your help, she will ask for it.’
‘But if Latimer comes with the ultimatum that I envisage…’
‘Flora won’t give in just like that and will probably tell him to go to the Devil. Besides, if you go charging in on some pretext so soon after spending the afternoon with her, she will know at once that someone’s told you about her sister. That will undermine her relationship with Polly and her other servants.’
‘True, I suppose.’ Archie straightened his troublesome leg, too preoccupied to feel the protest it put up. ‘Still, at least it shows that Conrad isn’t watching her the entire time, since he made no mention of the sister’s visit. But it does make me suppose that Latimer didn’t send him here if he has another plan to get Flora back. So he must have come of his own volition. I wonder why.’
‘Sizing up the opposition. He won’t have seen you since your return to the land of the living, and he probably wanted to observe for himself how incapacitated you actually are.’
‘Ha!’
‘Give it a day or two, guv’nor, for Flora to fight her own battle. If she hasn’t asked for your help by then, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for you to invent a reason to call upon her. Nor would it be unreasonable to assume that news of the sister’s arrival had reached you through the village gossip, thus giving you a justifiable reason for your call.’
‘Aye, you’re right as usual, Pawson, I suppose.’ Archie stretched his arms above his head and sighed.
Pawson grinned. ‘I usually am, precious little thanks I get for it.’
‘Even so, I don’t like it.’ Archie, a man of action and authority, felt impotent. ‘I don’t like it one little bit. Flora will now have to fight off her fatherandConrad’s attentions.’
‘Conrad clearly has a massive chip on his shoulder. I’d really like to know why he was dismissed from Coutts.’
Archie picked up a letter from that day’s correspondence and brandished it in the air. ‘You will soon get your wish. I wrote to one of the directors of Coutts a couple of days ago, suggesting that I might be looking for investment opportunities.’ Archie managed the suggestion of a smile. ‘He is calling tomorrow to discuss the matter with me.’
Pawson grinned. ‘I like your style, guv’nor.’
Chapter Nine
Flora woke early, feeling the warmth of a body spooned against her and hearing the sound of someone else’s rhythmic breathing. Ye gods, surely she hadn’t acted out her growing fantasy with Archie and finished up in hisbed? Her eyes flew open and her gaze focused on the familiar surroundings of her own bedchamber before coming to rest upon the face of her sister, who was sleeping peacefully. The drama of the previous day came flooding back and Flora was ashamed of the momentary disappointment she experienced at not finding herself in Archie’s arms.
Shaking her head to dispel that disappointment, fresh anger coursed through her at the sight of Melanie’s bandaged hand. She mumbled in her sleep but her eyes didn’t open, and Flora brushed a strand of hair away from the smooth, creamy skin of Melanie’s face. Like Flora, she had a dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose, but unlike Flora she showed early signs of developing into a rare beauty. At that moment she looked impossibly young and defenceless, but she had found the strength of mind from somewhere to flee from their father’s abuse. Flora would now conduct a battle of wills with him on behalf of both of them, and somehow prevent Melanie from being forced to return.
She eased herself quietly from the bed, careful not to wake her sister. Tying a robe over her night attire, she lifted the doorlatch and slipped onto the landing, where she encountered Polly loading clean sheets into the linen press.
‘My sister is still asleep,’ she said softly. ‘Has the snow stopped?’
‘Yes, miss, and the sun’s come out. The roads are clear.’
