Nina Coombs Pykare (6 page)

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The room was silent for some time as they all addressed themselves to their plates. Savoring the good food, but careful to eat slowly because of her so-long empty stomach, Edwina found her spirits rising in proportion to the food on her plate vanishing. Of course she knew there were problems at the castle. Perhaps the curse was even a real curse, whatever that meant.

But with faith and good sense there was hope such things could be dealt with. No amount of faith or good sense, on the other hand, could deal with starvation. One must eat—or die.

She finished emptying her plate and heaved a great sigh of contentment. It had been months, nay years, since she’d eaten this well. She felt absolutely replete.

The viscount smiled. “From your expression I collect you’ve no complaint about the kind of table we set here.”

“Indeed not,” Edwina replied. “Good plain food will suit me any day. As it should all Englishmen.”

Lady Leonore wrinkled her aristocratic nose in distaste, as though such vulgarities were painful to her pearly ears. Then she turned to the earl. “I cannot believe that Miss Pierce would wish to remain in this position once she has learned of the curse. Really Charles, I thought you had agreed to bring no more governesses here.”

Beneath the honeyed tones, Edwina could hear the lady’s anger. It looked like Lady Leonore was determined to get rid of her, of all governesses, for that matter. Clearly she wished to have a clear field to go after the earl.

Charles felt himself bristling. Why was Leonore so insistent on this? She didn’t like caring for the children. Even he could see that. “I did not bring Miss Pierce here,” he said sharply, his irritation getting the better of him. “She came here because she heard Miss McGovern had left and she thought she could fill the position. It appears she can.”

Leonore scowled. An unfortunate expression for a somewhat sharp-featured face like hers, turning it hard and unforgiving. “But you agreed there should be no more,” she argued. “No more governesses, that’s what you said.”

Charles gave her a sharp look. She needn’t be so rude to the young woman. Miss Pierce was only trying to keep body and soul together. He tried to keep his irritation out of his voice. “I agreed that it was useless to advertise any more, since clearly anyone apprised of conditions here would be sure to refuse the job. I did not advertise. Miss Pierce knew the facts before she arrived here. And she is still willing to stay.”

Leonore looked nettled, but he didn’t try to make his tone more soothing. He was the earl, the master of this castle. He deserved some respect, even from her. “Really, Leonore, I should think you’d be pleased. I know that caring for the girls has been a big responsibility for you. This will free you of that task. Miss Pierce and I have come to mutually agreeable terms. She knows she’s free to leave the castle whenever she pleases.”

“I shall not leave,” Miss Pierce declared in determined tones, her face set in resolute lines. And though he’d only met her that morning, he was sure she meant it. She was stubborn, that young woman. He’d never seen her match in stubbornness. Not even in Leonore.

Leonore was obviously unconvinced by any of this. She gave him a speaking glance, a glance that would have wilted most members of the ton. “I think,” she said, her voice like a knife, “that you should tell her about the curse that was on this place when you brought Catherine here.”

A spasm of pain twisted through him at the accusation tingeing her words. “Of course,” he said sardonically. Trust Leonore to do her best to thwart him in this. Well, he’d tell Miss Pierce the story. He didn’t think it would frighten her away. He had a good feeling about the girl. He turned. “Holmden Hill, they say, has been cursed since long before my father’s day. The story goes that the first earl, in the days of Queen Elizabeth, was one of Drake’s roving freebooters. He brought home considerable treasure from captured Spanish galleons, gold and silver, jewels by the barrelful. This castle was constructed with a special hidden room, a vault, in which to store the treasure.

“The only men who knew its location, aside from the earl himself, mysteriously disappeared soon after the castle was completed. Some say the earl had them dispatched, as pirates were wont to do in those days, their bodies left in the room, so no one could divulge its location. The villagers spoke then of a curse, but eventually when no one else disappeared, it was forgotten.

“By tradition, only the earl knew the location of the vault. After the birth of the first son, the next earl, he would impart the secret to his wife.”

He paused to take a sip of wine. He’d told this story so many times that it no longer had any effect on him. Now he watched the flow of expressions cross Miss Pierce’s face, fascinated by the brightness of her eyes, the glow on her cheeks. Obviously the story excited her. Apparently the stubborn young miss had a romantic heart.

“All seemed to go well,” he continued. “From time to time the family dipped into the vault, but there was still a great deal of treasure left. Or so we believe. Then, shortly after my birth, my father was killed in a hunting accident and my mother went mad with grief. One day, walking on the tower, on the parapets, she slipped—or leaped—to her death.”

Edwina looked into the earl’s face. It was blank, like he was telling the story of someone else, like none of it had anything to do with him.

“I was raised by my aunts in London. Since I was only a babe in arms at the time, the secret of the vault’s location was lost.”

Edwina concealed a shiver. No wonder Lady Catherine had been affected. This was a tragic tale. But had Catherine actually killed herself, leaped to her death because of it?

Lady Leonore sighed deeply, her features funereal. “Poor Catherine, she was too delicate for this cursed place. Far too delicate, poor dear.”

The viscount sent her a dark look, as though questioning her intention. Then he turned to the earl. “Don’t blame yourself, old boy. Your situation being what it was, you had no other recourse but to bring her here.” Though the viscount obviously meant his words to be cheering, they didn’t seem to have that effect upon his cousin.

The earl sighed heavily. “I was foolish to spend so much time gambling at White’s. Even more foolish to put so much blunt into that ill-fated shipping venture. I should have known better.”

The viscount shrugged. “We all lived in the same fashion. You behaved no differently than the rest of us.”

“But I had responsibilities, a wife and family,” the earl countered. “I should have thought of them.”

“Sometimes we are driven by compulsions greater than ourselves,” Lady Leonore said crisply. “You were not strong enough to resist them. Nor was Catherine. Poor dear Catherine.”

Edwina thought this remark a little beyond the line. It could hardly be helpful to his lordship. But he seemed impervious to its implications about his weakness of character. “Yes, Catherine was such a delicate thing.” His gaze moved to Edwina. “She was about your height, Miss Pierce, but very fragilely built, the most delicate bones. Her eyes were the color of pansies. No more beautiful woman ever walked the face of this earth. And she was as good as she was beautiful.” He smiled sadly. “Every bit as good.”

While the earl lapsed into silence, lost, perhaps, in memories of his dead wife, Edwina considered his words. It sounded like the two sisters had been very different. According to her husband, Catherine had been small, dark, and fragile. Leonore was tall and fair. But the greatest difference appeared to be in their characters. Lady Leonore was about as fragile as a rock. As for goodness of character ...

Lady Leonore sent her a hard look, as though she sensed Edwina’s appraisal of her deficiencies. Then she put a proprietary hand on the earl’s sleeve. “There’s no use in bemoaning the past, my dear Charles. It’s true that you should not have brought Catherine to such a bad place. But the unfortunate thing is done. It can’t be undone.”

The earl scowled and pushed his dinner around on his plate. Such a waste of good food, Edwina couldn’t help thinking.

“It cannot be undone,” Lady Leonore repeated briskly. “But you’re now courting another disaster by allowing this ...” Her ladyship paused as though unable to find a suitable pejorative with which to describe Edwina, though her look was certainly disdainful enough. “This- this young woman should be sent away from here. You know the curse my sister has laid upon this place. You know it well.”

The earl frowned and Edwina held her breath. Pray God, he wouldn’t turn her out. Where could she go? What could she do? But he only said, “Leonore, I have made my decision on this matter. I will not send this young woman away if she wants to stay. After all, the children need care. You know how much trouble we have had keeping governesses.”

Gratitude welled up in Edwina’s heart. The earl was kind. He knew she had no place to go and he meant to give her a home, while still protecting her privacy.

“Certainly I am capable of caring for the children properly,” the lady said with an expression of wounded dignity.

Feeling an elbow in her ribs, Edwina turned startled eyes to the viscount. He gave her a concealed grin and a wink, showing he plainly thought the lady unfit for any child-rearing, and, since this was also Edwina’s opinion, she had hard work to keep from smiling in agreement.

“My dear Leonore,” the earl said, his tone brooking no rebuttal, “that is precisely the point. Their care has fallen on you far too frequently. The Season will be starting before long and you will undoubtedly wish to return to the city, to enjoy its pleasures.”

“
Au contraire
,” Lady Leonore replied, smiling at him with false warmth. “I have no intention of leaving you alone in this miserable place. It was Catherine’s wish that I stay with you. You know I cannot go against that. Poor dear Catherine.”

Again Edwina felt the elbow in her ribs. Evidently the viscount, too, suspected the lady’s motives. Though Edwina knew his dislike was probably caused by Lady Leonore’s excessive coldness toward him, she was forced to concede that she liked him the better because the lady disliked him.

The viscount was a cheerful sort and, though she suspected he was fundamentally selfish, he might well decide to forfeit a Season to give companionship to his cousin. Of course, the fact that he was the earl’s heir probably had figured large in his decision.

It was hard to see exactly what Lady Leonore thought to gain from this stay so far from the city, except perhaps a husband. Edwina knew she hoped to gain something. Though she knew it was wrong of her to regard one of God’s creatures in such a poor light, she could not bring herself to believe that there existed one unselfish bone in that fashionably clad body.

From the looks of the earl and from the tale of his losses he had few material assets to offer a woman. Of course, he did have a title. Could it be the title Lady Leonore wanted?

It couldn’t be love. Edwina doubted that the lady knew the meaning of the word. Certainly any schoolroom miss was aware that one did not gain access to a man’s heart by criticizing him and calling him weak. However, she thought with a wicked sense of glee that surprised her, and shamed her a little, if Lady Leonore didn’t know that, so much the better. Anyway, the girls, and the earl himself, would surely be better off without such a woman.

The earl had relapsed into brooding silence and after a few moments the viscount rose from the table. “Can I interest you in a little walk in the garden?” he asked Edwina. “It should not be too wet now. And your gown is already muddied.” There was that brash smile again. He really was such an attractive man.

Edwina shook her head. “I’m afraid I must refuse your kind invitation tonight, milord.” Seeing the smug smile on Lady Leonore’s face, she took care to add, “On another evening I should enjoy it, but tonight I am quite exhausted. It has been such a busy day. And I have yet to unpack my things.”

The viscount rose gallantly, his smile telling her he appreciated her politeness. “Until another night then, Miss Pierce.”

“Yes.” Edwina pushed back her chair and turned to the earl. “I shall discuss lessons with the children in the morning, milord. Perhaps I shall need some supplies. I haven’t had time to check yet.”

The earl made a gesture of resignation. “Within reason you may have anything you need. I’m sure Crawford will be glad to run your errands.”

The viscount smiled. “I will indeed. With pleasure.”

“Thank you. Then I shall sleep well. Goodnight, milord.”

“Goodnight, Miss Pierce,” the earl said. He was echoed by the viscount, but Lady Leonore merely stared frostily into space.

Edwina ascended the great stairs wearily and made her way to her bedchamber. Every person in the household presented some kind of problem to her. How was she to deal with them all at the same time? She didn’t know, she just didn’t know.

She looked at her valise. She was way too tired to unpack tonight. She dug out her much-mended nightdress, changed into it, and climbed slowly into the old bed hung with dusty green curtains. As she settled under the coverlet, she smiled into the darkness. This night, bone weary as she was, she would forget ghosts, unpacking, and all else. This night she would think only of the satisfaction of a full stomach. She would sleep well.

Chapter Seven

Sometime later Edwina was brought abruptly awake by the sound of repeated screams. The room was dark and for a moment she could not remember where she was. Then she knew that this was Holmden Hill and the screams were coming from the girls’ room.

Before she’d tumbled so wearily into bed, she’d made sure that the door to the schoolroom, the room which connected her room with the others, had been left open. She hadn’t closed it because the girls were already her responsibility and she meant to be available for them.

Another scream resounded through the darkness and she wished fervently for a lighted candle. Slipping from her bed, she groped her way through the schoolroom. Fortunately, there was some moonlight and she could see well enough to make her way between the desks.