Page 13 of A Lady's Heart Deceived
“Just tonight. I am leaving London tomorrow morning,” she replied.
Following Lady Caroline into the room was Maggie’s cousin Alex and his wife Millie. The Marquis of Brooke held his spouse by the arm, guiding her as she waddled over to a nearby chair and slowly lowered herself onto it.
“Oh, thank you, my love,” Millie said.
A pang of jealousy pierced Maggie’s heart. The couple had married earlier in the year and were clearly besotted with one another. Her cousin, the ultimate reformed rake, fussed over his pregnant wife.
They make such a lovely pair. So happy.
Lady Caroline gave Maggie a hug, this one gentler than the one which her husband had foisted on his niece. “Where are you off to tomorrow?”
“I am travelling north with a Captain Denford from the Horse Guards. He has been helping me research Robert’s military record. We are going to Coventry to see if we can find out some more information regarding the Taylor family and Robert’s birth records.”
More lies to my family. I hope this is all worth it.
Maggie could have wept at the sad expression on her aunt’s face. It was the same one that each and every member of the Radley clan gave her whenever she mentioned her late fiancé. She was beginning to resent the pity.
And what will they do if it transpires that Robert was a fraud? I couldn’t bear it.
Just before she left home, she had spoken to her parents and suggested that if things didn’t go well in Coventry, she might travel on to Scotland. If she could seek refuge in their ancestral home of Strathmore Castle and find some solace before the rest of the family arrived for Christmas, it would help set her mind at ease. She would then be well rested and ready to face the wild Hogmanay festivities of the Radley clan.
“I do so hope you find what you are looking for in your travels. You deserve some good news,” replied Caroline.
They joined Alex and Millie at the dining table. To Maggie’s relief, the conversation soon turned from her to other family members.
“Did you hear that David and Avery are looking into buying more breeding stock for both David’s estate at Sharnbrook and Lord Langham’s property in Norfolk?” Alex asked.
Ewan set his wine glass on the table. “Yes, I will be most interested to see how it all goes. For someone who was a soldier most of his life, Avery has picked up a great deal of knowledge about animal husbandry in a very short time. Lord Langham says he has a real affinity for the countryside.”
David Radley had married Lady Clarice Langham not long after Alex and Millie had been wed. Then their sister, Lucy Radley, had found her husband in Avery Fox, Lord Langham’s new heir, a few months later.
Millie turned to Maggie. “Speaking of the countryside, how are James and Leah getting on in Cornwall? Have you heard from them since they made the big move away from London?”
“We received a letter a few weeks ago from Leah. James, of course, is hopeless when it comes to correspondence. Too busy designing his next piece of artwork. Leah says James is painting up a storm at their new home. They seem to be settling in well, and of course, Leah’s grandfather is happy to have them living with him at Mopus Manor,” Maggie replied.
Cornwall was many miles from town. Maggie was secretly hoping that her brother and his new wife would undertake the long journey north to Scotland for Christmas this year. But after the year they had endured and the scandal which still surrounded their recent marriage, she could understand if they chose to remain at home.
As her generation of the family grew older, and started having families of their own, the opportunities for them all to gather together at the castle each year would no doubt dwindle. The Radley family was slowly being scattered all over the southern parts of England.
Even this year, not everyone would make it Scotland. Clarice was further along in her pregnancy than Millie, and she and David had announced that they would be spending the festive season at their estate in Sharnbrook.
“Uncle Ewan?”
“Yes, favorite niece?”
“I know David and Clarice won’t be coming to Scotland this Christmas. And some other family members won’t either, so would you consider the possibility of hosting a Radley clan gathering here at Strathmore House in the new year? I mean, once you and Aunt Caroline return to town. It would be nice to see everyone.”
Ewan and Caroline exchanged a look, and Caroline winked at her husband. “We could hold a grand dinner and party in the winter ballroom. And if we wait until after Clarice and David’s new baby has arrived, we could make it a christening celebration.”
The duke clapped his hands together, a decision clearly made. “What an excellent idea. We should consider doing something every year. With the family growing, it would be good to hold a gathering here in London, especially for those unable to make the trip to Scotland,” Ewan added.
Happy to have her suggestion so warmly accepted, Maggie picked up her wine glass and took a sip. For the first time in months, she was actually relaxed. Spending time with her relatives took her mind off the worry of the trip ahead. It also helped to put things into perspective.
If disappointment did lie ahead for her in Coventry, she had the family gathering to look forward to, along with the impending births of several Radley babies.
These people will be here for me.
Sometimes she forgot she had such a remarkable family. She had kept her distance from them, huddled in her own world of pain. And that had been a mistake. The warmth and comfort Maggie felt just sitting amongst these people was wonderful.
