Page 42 of Needs Must
Chapter Twelve
Cal returned to his drawing room and found only Jules in occupation of it. His mother and sister had clearly made a hasty exit, presumably anxious to avoid Cal’s ire.
‘She’s a delight, your Mrs Harte,’ Jules said. ‘And I hear from the servants that she gave as good as she got when the ladies were alone.’
‘She should not have had to.’ Cal scowled as he poured measures of brandy for them both from the decanter on the sideboard. ‘We are supposed to be society’s elite and not sit in judgement upon those of our number who have fallen on hard times.’ He threw back his head and growled. ‘Celia was a disgrace, and I’ve had more than enough of her theatrics. She seems to forget that she is no longer the daughter of this house. I shall tell Daventry tomorrow that it’s beyond time that he returned to his own estate.’
Jules chuckled. ‘That will go down well.’
‘I should have done it months ago. I just didn’t have the energy for a fight.’ Cal threw himself into a chair and took a healthy sip of his drink. ‘Anyway, we have another, more pressing problem.’ He told Jules about Aykroyd and the threat he posed. ‘Have someone keep a weather eye on him at all times. I want to know where he goes, who he speaks to – and where he’s staying for that matter, since he obviously hasn’t taken a room at the Ship.Oh, and if he even attempts to accost Mrs Harte then he is to be stopped, forcibly if necessary. I will not have her threatened by the oaf.’
Jules sent Cal an amused look. ‘Will do.’
‘What do you find so diverting?’
‘Oh nothing.’ Jules waved the suggestion aside, still grinning broadly. ‘Nothing whatsoever.’
‘I can’t decide why Aykroyd spoke to Graves about the rumours.’
‘To make you drop her, you fool. Word of your interest in her will have spread through the village, and he can’t nab her and look for those letters with you protecting her.’
Cal nodded, having reached the same conclusion himself. ‘Has Bagshott responded to my note?’
‘Yes, he’s agreed to meet us tomorrow. Have you told him that Mrs Harte will be joining us?’
‘No. I will let her tell him that he is being threatened by a ghost. Or to be exact, a ghost’s brother. She needs to be there for that reason, and anyway I want Bagshott to hear about her husband directly from her, so that he can make up his own mind about her account. He strikes me as the type who wouldn’t countenance having a lady involved if I warned him in advance, and I don’t want to pull rank.’ Cal chuckled as he rubbed his chin. ‘Besides, there is no way on God’s green earth that Mrs Harte will agree to leave things to us. And if I impose my will, she will simply take matters into her own hands and do something rash.’ He shook his head. ‘Irresponsible female!’
Jules finished his drink, put his empty glass aside and stood up, laughing. ‘I do believe you’ve met your match at last, Cal.’
‘And don’t I know it,’ Cal replied. ‘Anyway, I’m glad in one respect that this Aykroyd character has shown himself. If necessary, he will lead us to Ian Harte.’
‘For what purpose?’
‘That, my friend, is what we will discuss tomorrow.’ Cal stood too and slapped Jules’s shoulder. ‘There has to be a way to get Harte to admit to his crimes.’
‘Which won’t do anything to improve Mrs Harte’s situation.’
‘True, but if we can prove that Harte was murdered by his own brother, at least it will remove any stain from Mrs Harte’s character when rumours about his death hit this shore, which they inevitably will. I have sworn Graves and my family to secrecy, but I don’t hold out much hope of them keeping these things to themselves indefinitely.’
‘True.’ Jules looked uncertain. ‘But even if there are whispers, your entertaining Mrs Harte will be sufficient to prevent the rumour mill gearing up.’
‘Ha! After the way she was treated in this house tonight, I doubt she will ever agree to step over its threshold again, and I can’t blame her for that.’
‘I am sure you will think of a way to persuade her. Anyway, I’m done in, so I’ll bid you good night.’
‘Good night, Jules.’
Cal made his way to his chamber, still mulling over the events of the evening. The brandy had done nothing to diminish the anger he felt towards his mother and sister. The former he could do little about; this was her home, and she was too set in her ways to see anything amiss with the way in which she had conducted herself. She had her heart set on Cal marrying Melanie Seymour and would not countenance any interference with her plans.
Cal accepted that he was partly to blame for letting her get carried away and not quelling her expectations. Mothers had a duty to see their children through to matrimony – especially if one of said children was a man in Cal’s position. He understood that much and had wanted to avoid a confrontation. Be that as it may, the time had now come to spell out a few home truths, he decided, as he slipped between the sheets and extinguished his candle. As for his sister, he would speak to Daventry and have them out of his house by the end of the month.
‘What in God’s name do you mean?’ Daventry looked totally dumbfounded when Cal confronted him in his library the following morning, having summoned the man, pulling him out of his bed for that precise reason. ‘Leave? But we are perfectly comfortable here and we are in no one’s way.’
‘It’s beyond time that you shouldered your responsibilities, Daventry, rather than leaving that task to me.’
Daventry scratched his head. ‘But where would we go? My estate is still let, as well you know.’
‘Celia is your wife and your responsibility. You have abused my hospitality for quite long enough. I will not have my sister being impolite to my guests. It’s time you curbed her impulses.’
