Authors: Stella White
Victora decided he was deaf, not angry. ''I've come
about
the Landsborough Estate. My late father left some documents
pertaining to
the
estate,
and I would like to know what his connection to it was.''
Mr. Jones looked sternly at
Acheson,
who stood up and offered him his seat. ''The Landsborough Estate. Yes, I remember, it was quite something.'' He stared out of the window as if the view of the Inn opposite would assist his memory. ''Captain Landsborough was a gambler.'' Before he could continue Victoria gasped. In the letter, it had mentioned gambling. ''If I may continue,'' he wasn't used to being interrupted, ''Captain Landsborough was a gambler, and one evening he was playing cards with the Duke of Haslemere and a couple of others. The old Duke was well known for his prowess at three card brag, a game that requires a considerable amount of skill in the art of bluffing.'' Victoria was interested in the
game
, just the outcome. ''Apparently Captain Landsborough got into difficulties early on in the evening and kept upping the stakes
in order to
recoup his losses, in my opinion, a very foolish strategy.''
''What was the outcome of the evening, Mr. Jones?'' Victoria asked, trying to avoid a lengthy account of the game plan Mr. Jones would have used had he been at the table.
''Lost the lot, put up his house and his land in the last hand and lost it to the Duke.''
''But, surely,'' she gasped, ''surely the Duke could see that Captain Landsborough had an affliction. Why did he take the estate and not tell Captain Landsborough not to be so foolish.''
Mr. Jones looked across at the Inn again. It was time for his daily ration of
rum,
and he was eager to cross the road. ''The old Duke was a mean man, quite different to his wife. Why she married
him,
nobody knows.'' His voice got louder, to the point where Acheson went and stood next to the door. ''No, the Duke took the estate and Landsborough disappeared with his wife, who I seem to remember at the time was expecting a baby.'' He stood up and looked at Victoria. His demeanor softened when he noticed how young she was. ''We did the
transfer,
and if Mr. Acheson would care to look, the file will be in the archive room under L for Landsborough. I wish you a pleasant evening.'' He walked past Acheson and tutted.
When Acheson had retrieved the
file,
he put it on his desk and opened the lid slowly as if he was afraid the contents would jump out and frighten him. He pulled out a large document with a red seal on it.
''This is the contract of sale. Here are the signatures of the Duke and Mr. Landsborough.'' He turned the paper to
Victoria,
who stood up and looked at the
signatures
.
''It's the same signature as that on the unsent letter I found in my father's room,'' she said. She sat down with a thud.
''It says here that Captain Landsborough was in the Irish Guards. Did you find any evidence of that among your father's belongings?'' Victoria reached into her travel case and pulled out the medals. Engraved around the edge of each were the words, Irish Guards.''
*****
Roberts was a tall man who over the years had gained a significant stoop. As a young footman, he'd been expected to carry heavy coal scuttles to the fireplaces in the house. The old Duke had enjoyed having guests to stay, and most weekends the house had been full, and each bedroom had had a fire than needed
providing for
.
''My Lord, there is a young lady to see you, she says her name is Lambert.'' Edward put down his newspaper and peered at
Roberts,
who seemed to be getting closer to the ground by the day.
''What does she want, I'm not expecting anybody?''
''She won't tell me, my Lord.''
''Really, what time is it?''
''Gone eight, my Lord.''
Victoria had spent a long time discussing the
estate,
and
its transfer
with Mr. Acheson. Kind Mr. Acheson had offered her a lift in his carriage and she'd gratefully accepted. His motives were not entirely honorable and when she'd stepped down from the carriage he'd put his hand
on
an inappropriate place, in the name of assisting her. Victoria had something of her mother's temper, and it soon became
clear
to him that it hadn't been a good idea.
''Then, show her in,'' Edward said.
Victoria hadn't managed to see much of the house from the
outside;
it was quite dark. If the interior
were
anything to go by, it would have been a magnificent sight. Her cottage could have fitted into a third of the entrance hall. Roberts took her bonnet and coat and hung them on the coat rack behind the potted palm. It wasn't a palm plant, more a palm tree that reached up the side of the grand staircase to the first floor. The drawing room was to the left through an impressive mahogany double door. She followed Roberts.
''Miss Lambert, my Lord.'' Roberts left the room and closed the door.
The Duke stood up and walked towards Victoria, his black hair bouncing. ''I'm Edward, Duke of Haslemere. How may I be of assistance?''
Victoria was instantly taken by his looks
. His father may have
taken
the family estate in a beastly way, but his son was a fresh looking young man with a continental look to him.
''My Lord, please forgive me for intruding into your evening. I come on a matter of great importance to myself, and I fear I will be obliged to throw myself upon your kind nature.''
Edward took pity on her. She appeared
cold,
and she looked tired. ''Please, come and sit by the fire. I will have Roberts bring us some tea.'' She sat down gratefully and held her hands out towards the warmth. ''Tell me what I can do for you.''
''It is a very long and confusing story, my Lord. But I shall try to make it as clear as possible.'' She sat upright and prepared herself for the undertaking. ''My father died recently, and when I was looking through his belongings, I found some documents
regarding
an estate called Landsborough.'' Edward was listening attentively but was slightly distracted by the grace with which she
spoke;
It was not in keeping with the way she was clothed. Her dress was not of the most expensive cloth and at some point it had
been altered
. ''It seems from the documents and the information I was able to gather at Jones, Acheson, and Hopkins, firm of solicitors in Haslemere, that my father's name was Landsborough and that he lost the estate in a card game. The man he lost to was your late father.''
So that's it. That is what the letter
was about
. He'd won the estate in a card game, felt guilty about it and decided to give it back, except, he never sent the letter. ''As you may or may not know,'' he paused when Roberts arrived with the tea. He smiled at Victoria as he poured her drink into a cup and saucer of the finest quality. ''Sorry, as you may know, my father also passed away recently. I have taken over the running of the estates we own, and I too found out that
the estate was won by my father
in a card game. Quite extraordinary.'' He shook his head and smiled. ''You introduced yourself as
Lambert.''
''Yes, I have always thought our family name to be Lambert, but it now appears that it is Landsborough, and we were wealthy landowners until my father's foolish behavior. Mr. Jones, the eldest of the lawyers in town, told me the story. My poor father had a terrible gambling affliction.''
''Where do you live now?''
''In a village, fifty miles away called
Ashworthy
. I work in the mill there.''
''Indeed,'' he said. ''I don't know anyone who works in a
mill
. Alright, we seem to have established that you father lost it, and my
father
won it, what do you want?''
''My Lord, I understand that my
father
was
foolish. Indeed
, it was not only
foolish
but selfish. My poor mother spent the rest of her life in poverty, far from the life she should have enjoyed.'' She looked at the fire as it spat a piece of coal
onto
the hearth. ''However, I must add that your father hardly acted in a gentlemanly fashion. He should have realized that my
father
was not of sound mind and refused to accept the bet.” Victoria looked
the
Duke straight in the eye. “I would like you to return the estate to me.''
He nodded. He'd expected it, as soon as he had become aware who she was. She was a beautiful
woman,
and he had no desire to hurt her in any way, but requiring him to give the estate back, after so many years, was a tall order. ''I understand your position. I hope you will allow me time to consider how best to resolve the situation.''
''Of course, my Lord.''
''Miss Lambert, it is
late,
and I suggest you stay here. I will ask one of our maids to look after you.''
''That is very kind of you. I don't think there is any transport back to my village at this time of the
evening,
and I don't want to stay at an inn alone.''
Edward asked Rosie, a ladies maid who had no lady to look after, to make up a fire and warm the bedsheets in the green room. They continued to drink tea and talk until Victoria was no longer able to keep her eyes open. When she entered her bedroom, she was astounded at the luxury. A giant four poster bed, a large marble fireplace and the very best Turkish rugs on a polished wooden floor. Rosie was waiting for her with a hot bath and clean nightdress. When she helped Victoria undress, she could see Victoria's was used to manual work. It was slender and the muscles well formed. The bath was warm and as the fire crackled Victoria didn't want to get out. When eventually she did, she fell asleep instantly and slept for ten hours.
The next morning Rosie knocked on the door at ten. Victoria usually rose at five when she had to go to the mill. Rosie helped her to dress, and showed her to the breakfast room. Edward was waiting. Victoria liked Rosie. She was in her late twenties and homely.
''Good morning, Miss Lambert. How did you sleep?''
''Very well indeed, much better than I am used to.''
''I have decided to show you around the Landsborough Estate today if of course you are not in a hurry to return to your home.'' Victoria had no desire
to return at
all,
but she knew she must. One more day wouldn't hurt, though. ''Rosie will act as chaperone if you are agreeable.''
Edward looked dashing as he showed Victoria to their pony and trap. The cold weather had
relented,
and it was a warm April day. He was wearing a blue
tailcoat with
a yellow waistcoat and blue trousers. Victoria hadn't thought to bring another
dress,
but she had packed fresh undergarments.
Edward clicked and the black pony set of at a speed that suggested it would much rather spend the morning in a lush field that pull a trap around. The seat wasn't very
wide,
and Victoria found her leg rubbing against Edward's. She liked it. Rosie sat behind them facing backward and tried her best not to listen to their conversation.
''Tell me about your life, Miss Lambert. What is it like to work in a mill?'' Edward was genuinely interested. All his tenants
were employed on
the
land,
and he'd never met anyone working in
industry
.
''It is hard, my Lord. Fifteen hour days for little pay. My colleagues are pleasant
enough,
and there is a camaraderie among us, but it is backbreaking work. On Sundays, I go to church, and the rest of the time I sleep and work.''
''You don't make it sound very attractive at all. I must, one day, go and see these things for myself. I'm stuck here in the countryside all the time.''
''You are lucky, my Lord. If I were
you,
I would be happy to be so.'' What was he going to do with the estate? If he refused to give it back to her, she had no choice but to accept his decision. She was totally at the mercy of his sense of right and wrong.
''Perhaps you are right. I love rural life.'' As he spoke the trap fell into a deep run in the
road,
and they lurched to the right. Victoria gasped and held onto to him until the pony managed to pull them upright again.
''Excuse me, my Lord,'' she pulled her arm from his.
He looked around and saw Rosie was looking in the other direction. ''No, please leave it there. I hope you don't think me forward when I tell you it is a nice feeling.''
''No, my Lord, I do not.''