Wentworth Hall (17 page)

“Oh, how can you?” Lila scolded.

“Well, maybe not. But anyway, now that it’s out in the open that the Darlington fortune isn’t what it once was, there’s no more reason to pretend. If the need to keep up appearances is gone, then Father might seriously entertain my ideas about modernizing the estate business, selling off what we can.”

“Business?” Lila cried, shocked. “This is our home. You’re the one who will inherit the place; why would you want it sold?”

“Because we need the money now, Lila,” Wesley explained. “The farmers are abandoning our lands to procure
jobs in the city. No one wants to do that sort of labor for little more than room and board on our lands when they could make their own salary. And Wentworth Hall depends in large part on the money made from those farms.”

“I can’t believe it.” Lila echoed in disbelief.

“The estate is enormous. Do we honestly need all of this land? And the stables! Do we need all these horses? Mother says Maggie doesn’t ride anymore. Motorcars are becoming more and more common these days, and the few who haven’t already will soon be switching over, so there’s no need for carriage horses anymore.”

“You can’t let Michael go!” Lila objected.

“Michael’s a fine worker. He’ll find a position elsewhere. We’ll help get him placed if he wants. I could even look into city jobs for him.”

Lila shook her head. “Oh, Wes, I don’t know.”

Wesley put his arm around Lila and handed her his white linen handkerchief. “Wipe your eyes and blow your nose,” he suggested.
“We’re going into the modern world and it’s time the Darlingtons caught up with it.”

“But what are we going to do about these satires?” Lila asked.

“We’re going to ignore them,” Wesley replied. “No one else has caught on that they might be about us. Or at least we haven’t heard about it.”

“They’re just silly, really,” Ian agreed.

“Easy for you to say. You two aren’t in them,” Lila pointed out.

“True, but you mustn’t let them bother you so much,” Wesley insisted. “I’m almost sorry I brought them to everyone’s attention.”

“You had to,” Lila said.

“I suppose I did,” Wesley agreed, “but still… stiff upper lip and all that.”

“It’s hard to do,” Lila complained.

“This will blow over,” Ian said encouragingly.

Lila really looked at him for the first time since he’d arrived. His brown eyes were flecked with specks of green and gold, which was rather striking. He might be shorter than Wes and Teddy, but he had nice broad shoulders. “Do you really think so?” she asked, unconvinced.

“Yes, I do,” Ian stated. “And if you don’t mind my saying, the satires have it all wrong anyway. Particularly when it comes to you.”

“So do you think I seem like the kind of girl who fades into the background?” Lila dared to ask.

“Absolutely not,” Ian insisted adamantly. “It’s very clear that whoever wrote these ridiculous pieces doesn’t know you very well, or even at all.”

For the first time in hours Lila smiled gently.

“If you were in America you wouldn’t even be bothering about any of this,” Ian went on. “In Newport, Rhode Island, where I come from, there are lots of wealthy families with lovely homes who don’t have titles and are proud that they made their fortunes on their own. The first of the Astor family, one of the wealthiest in the country, came from Holland and set up shop in New York City as a butcher. The family is proud of it.”

“He’s right,” Wesley agreed.

“But the things they said about me,” Lila reminded them.

“If you laugh about it, everyone else will too,” Ian insisted. “Besides, no one will recognize the beautiful girl I see from those descriptions.”

Lila’s teary eyes brightened. “That’s nice of you to say.”

“It’s true!” Ian maintained.

Therese appeared at the doorway, holding the baby.
“Who is this?” Wesley asked under his breath, clearly impressed with Therese’s beauty.

“Are you ready for your French lesson, Mademoiselle Lila?” Therese inquired. “I’m about to take James for his nap.”

“Right. I forgot all about that. Yes, I’ll be there in a few minutes. But first some introductions,” Lila said. “Therese, this is my brother Wes, and his friend Ian Martin,” Lila made the introduction.

“Bonjour,”
Therese greeted them, paying special attention to Wesley.

Wesley and Ian stood politely. “Nice to meet you, Therese,” Wesley said as he went to her side. “And this must be my baby brother.” He looked at James in Therese’s arms as she bounced him gently, causing the baby to giggle with delight.

“Look at those green eyes and dark hair. He doesn’t look much like the rest of us, does he?” Wesley observed.

“He must take after his father, then,” Therese said.

“Father does have dark hair,” Lila pointed out. “What’s left of it, anyway. Funny how the rest of us went on Mother. All blond hair and brown eyes.”

“Yes,” Therese demurred. “Funny.”

Chapter Sixteen

T
HERESE BENT OVER JAMES’S CRIB TO LAY
him down for his late afternoon nap. He cooed at her, his little arms and legs windmilling. She rubbed his belly to settle him and sang a French lullaby that named all the French cathedrals in a lilting melody. Finally his green eyes drifted shut and she laid his crocheted blanket over him. Maybe people would expect her to resent little Lord James for being born into a life of privilege. But she felt a kinship with this tiny baby. He, too, had been manipulated like a chess piece. The only difference between them was that he ended up on the right side.

Settling on the mahogany rocking chair beside the crib, she waited to make sure he was truly asleep before
leaving the nursery. He was such a beautiful baby, but it was true that he didn’t look like the others in his family. How they could not realize whom he did look like was beyond her. The Darlingtons were so wrapped up in themselves it was as if the servants didn’t exist.

One glance at Michael had told her the truth, and from then on it had been blazingly obvious to her. His striking, large green eyes were the same eyes baby James had, lucky boy.

Lady Darlington wasn’t his mother either. Therese was sure of that. A woman her age having a baby! It strained credibility. It was clear enough that Maggie was the one who loved Michael.

Maggie was James’s mother.

Any fool could see it!

And yet… No one seemed to be aware of it—not even Michael! During their walk this morning, she kept thinking he would make the connection. It was the reason she had invited him to stroll with her again! She kept waiting and waiting, but it never happened.

Therese had to admit, it was admirable of Lady Darlington to keep the baby. The usual thing would have
been for Maggie and her mother to go abroad, have the baby in some convent or home for unwed mothers, and then give the baby up for adoption.

How Maggie must have fought to keep James. It was the only explanation. Yet she was so disinterested in him now. It was probably the only way she could be sure no one would guess. If it came out that she’d had a baby out of wedlock—and the father was the stable groom—she would be ruined. There would be no marrying her off to a duke or anyone else, in that case.

Therese was an illegitimate child herself, so the thought that Maggie had fought for her baby made her warm toward the girl. How different Therese’s life would have been if her father had fought to keep her instead of letting her mother raise her alone.

Steps in the hall broke into Therese’s thoughts. Nora came to the door, leaning against the doorjamb. “You and I have to have a chat,” Nora insisted, and her expression was not friendly.

“Of course,” Therese agreed. “You seem upset.”

“I’ll get right to the point,” Nora said. “I believe you are the one writing these awful satires about the Darlingtons.”

“Why do you think that?” Therese asked. “I thought you suspected Miss Fitzhugh?”

“I still don’t like that snooty Miss Fitzhugh, but it just doesn’t make sense that she would go through the trouble. And your trying to pin it on me and my tearoom makes me suspicious of you. I think you came all the way from France hoping that the Darlingtons would offer you a lavish life with hardly any work involved. That hasn’t turned out to be the case, and now you’re trying to get some fast cash to return to France.”

“What about you?” Therese countered. “You told me you have hopes to leave service.”

“But I’ll earn the money by sewing. You have no other skills to offer.”

“I could teach French,” Therese argued.

“How would you manage it in your spare time?” Nora insisted. “No, your only chance was to write these wicked satires. You admitted to me that you don’t like the Darlingtons.”

“Maybe it wasn’t nice to say what I said about them, but they haven’t been so nice to me, either.”

“Why? What have you got against them?” Nora challenged.

“For one thing, Lord Darlington unjustly despises me,” Therese spit out. “He wants me sent back to France.”

Nora looked suddenly pale. “How do you know that?”

“How do
you
know it?” Therese shot back. It was clear that this news had come as no surprise to Nora.

“I heard them talking.”

“So did I,” Therese told her. “When Lord Darlington gets agitated, he forgets to keep his voice down. The entire staff probably knows how he feels by now.”

“That still doesn’t give you the right to destroy good people,” Nora said, but her voice was calmer. “I knew from the start you weren’t to be trusted,” Nora added.

Nora’s dart hit its spot in Therese’s heart. She liked Nora and didn’t want her to think ill of her. “I’m sorry you feel that way,” she said sincerely, feeling very misunderstood and more alone than ever. “Just because I don’t like the Darlingtons doesn’t mean I wrote those satires.”

From his crib, James fussed. Getting up, Therese went to the crib and stroked his belly, trying to soothe him back
to sleep, but his eyes opened. “Once his eyes open, he’s done sleeping,” Therese told Nora. “I need to feed him now.”

“I should get back to work too,” Nora said, ducking out of the room.

“
Oui
,” Therese said, unbuttoning James’s romper to check his diaper.

Once she had changed the baby, Therese brought him to his high chair in the empty dining room. She found a dish of warmed peas set on the chair’s tray along with James’s tiny silver spoon.

Therese sat beside James, feeding him, her mind replaying the events of the day, especially her concerns about whether or not to tell Michael of what she was certain was the truth. She was so lost in thought that when Mrs. Howard spoke to her, she startled, dropping the spoon.

“You were a thousand miles away, weren’t you, Therese?” the head housekeeper observed. “I’d advise you to keep your mind on your work, especially when tending to a baby.”

“Yes, madame,” Therese answered, stooping to retrieve the spoon and cleaning it on a linen napkin. She had to stifle the urge to defend herself, to say that she did her job
very well and she was entitled to think her own thoughts while doing so. But what would be the sense in arguing? It would only make Mrs. Howard dislike her even more than she apparently already did.

“I realized the other day while I was addressing the staff why you look so familiar to me,” Mrs. Howard said, and her voice was mildly accusing. “I knew your mother.”

“You did?” Therese asked. “She worked for Lord Darlington’s sister a long time ago.”

“Nineteen years ago,” Mrs. Howard supplied the exact time frame, her eyes boring into Therese as if searching for something. “That’s how old you are, isn’t it?”

“
Oui
, Madame,” Therese agreed, getting up to wipe mashed peas from James’s cheeks. She was glad for the reason to turn away from Mrs. Howard’s piercing inspection.

“Why have you come here?” Mrs. Howard demanded sternly.

Therese’s heart banged in her chest. All along, she had been afraid this would happen—that someone might make the connection between her and her mother. Just when she’d begun to relax and trust that her secret was safe, it had happened. What was she to do now?