A Game of Shadows (3 page)

“In what way?” Valerie could see the difference in financial and social standing, but wondered how it affected their daily life.

“At Rosewood Manor life was more normal somehow.  Here, there are servants to see to my every need.  I don’t have to do anything.  The nursemaid had the vapors every time I so much as walked into the nursery.  Noble women do little more than give birth.  Many of them pack off their children to the country to be raised by a staff of nannies, not seeing them until they are toilet-trained.  The ladies return to Court as soon as they can for fear of losing their place in society and in the affections of the king.  There’s no bond between parents and children.  The children serve their purpose as heirs to estates and titles, and pawns in the marriage market used to further the interests of the family.  I try to do as much as I can with the children, but time weighs heavily on my hands, especially in the country.  I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Yes, I can see how that can be difficult, especially after having such an active life in the twenty-first century.  It must be hard to have nothing to do.” 

Valerie could understand Louisa’s difficulty.  It took her a long time to learn to accept idleness.  Women of quality were expected to do very little, their days filled with endless needlepoint and walks in the garden, weather permitting.  Very few women cared for their children or did anything productive other than sew.  Their lives in Virginia had been more fulfilling with a plantation to run and a family to care for.  Valerie spent her days raising the children, seeing to the well-being of servants and workers, and doing some domestic chores.  With a staff of servants, there wasn’t much for Louisa to do but look pretty and support her husband at Court when needed.

Valerie strongly suspected that there was something else Louisa wasn’t saying that troubled her greatly.  If Kit had been having an affair in the twenty-first century, Louisa would have options.  They could go for marriage
counseling, attempt a trial separation, or get divorced.  Louisa would be provided for and keep her children.  She would be able to move on in time and find someone to love, rebuilding her life step by step. 

In her current position
, options were few.  Divorce was still very rare, and a divorced woman was treated worse than a leper.  Louisa would be shunned and ridiculed by society, her life reduced to that of voluntary exile.  Worst of all, she would have no claim to her children, since by law they would belong to Kit.  Valerie didn’t believe for a second that Kit would ever be so vicious, but until a few moments ago she also believed that Kit would never betray her sister.  Louisa had to tread very carefully if she wanted to keep her family, not making any rash decisions or unfounded accusations.  If Kit denied any wrongdoing, she was better off believing him until she had more concrete proof of his infidelity.  Valerie was about to say so when Louisa interrupted her.

“A
nd to make matters worse, Aunt Maud has descended on us,” Louisa announced, rising to her feet.

“Aunt Maud?  You’ve never mentioned her in your letters,” Valerie observed, wondering about this new relation.

“I couldn’t bring myself to.  There’s simply not enough paper to describe Maud.  She’s not even a blood relation.  She’s Caroline’s mother’s sister, but she’s adopted us since Caroline passed away.  She’s not happy unless she has someone to torture.  Kit avoids her like the plague, but he hasn’t the heart to ask her to leave.  She’s resting now, but you’ll meet her at dinner.”

Louisa brushed away a stray lock of hair and retrieved her hat from the ground.  “We should go inside.  I can’t wait to see Alec and Louisa.  I’ve missed them so much.  How is Finn?”  Louisa obviously couldn’t bear to talk of Kit anymore, so
Valerie linked her arm through hers and walked back to the house, her mind afire.

“We saw Finn and Abbie in
the spring.  The wedding was lovely.  They’re so in love, Lou.  I still can’t believe my baby is a husband.  Where did the time go?”  Valerie sighed, getting to the difficult part.  “They were planning to travel to New York to spy on the British.  Oh, Lou, I’m so worried about them.  They are so young and naïve.  I know Finn has been working for Mr. Mallory, but this is on a whole different scale.  He won’t be just passing messages or meeting other members; he’ll be living among the enemy, and Abbie will be with him, which will make him more vulnerable.  If only we had some way to communicate with them.  Not knowing makes it that much worse.”

“I can certainly understand that.  It’s like a form of death.”  Louisa walked slowly
; every step an effort of will.

“Yes, and little Louisa keeps asking why we haven’t put a marker in the cemetery for Finn, but I just can’t bring myself to make a grave for a child
who’s still living.  I could tell her that it’s because there’s no body, but we made a marker for Bridget, so I can’t use that excuse.” 

Valerie sighed, following Louisa into the cool shadows of the house.  She’
d expected this to be such a happy reunion, but now her stomach was twisting with anxiety due to Louisa’s confession and her own worry for Finn.  Valerie quickly rearranged her face into a mask of pleasure as she saw Kit coming toward her down the hall.  Whatever happened between him and Louisa, she had no right to get involved.  She would talk to Alec and see if he could suggest anything.  Maybe Kit would confide in him as he used to, but then again, if he did, it would be a sign that he had no intention of working things out with his wife, since the information would surely be passed on to Louisa, and he knew it.

Valerie studied her reflection in the mirror as the maid skillfully twisted her hair into an elaborate chignon.  She had to admit that it looked well on her.  When at home, she normally just pinned up her hair and covered it with a mob cap, but here things were different.  The house boasted a huge staff, and a lady’s maid was promptly assigned to Valerie despite her protests.  Alec was in the next room getting dressed with the assistance of a manservant.   

Valerie smiled as her daughter breezed into the room wearing a lovely silk gown in a shade
of dusty rose that highlighted her coloring.  Her hair was piled high on her head, several ringlets left loose to artfully frame her face.

“Oh, Mama, isn’t it lovely?  Aunt Lou lent it to me.  None of my gowns will do here, especially if I’m to be introduced at Court.  I have to speak to Dad about ordering some new clothes.”  She twirled around the room, enjoying the swishing of silk
around her stockinged calves and purposely displaying the low-heeled shoes with stone-encrusted buckles.

“I think you might be right, darling, but let’s not spring this on him just yet.  It’s only our first night here
, and we have plenty of time.”

They both turned as Alec entered the room, dressed and ready to escort them to the dining room.  Valerie never expected dinner to be such a grand affair, but when in Rome…
  Her clothes suddenly felt dated and shabby, and she wished she would have had the foresight to have a new gown made before making the trip. 

The dining room was ablaze with
candles, their light casting a muted glow over the polished furniture and the elegantly set table.  The room was decorated in shades of cream and gold; heavy damask drapes closed against the summer night and keeping the room uncomfortably warm.  Louisa and Kit were already there, looking slightly tense as they greeted their guests.  This was so different from the informal dinners they used to have back home.  Valerie was just about to comment on the beauty of the room when an elderly woman entered the dining room, her head erect above her old-fashioned ruff.  She was short and thin with steel-gray hair and twinkling blue eyes that seemed to miss very little, but the air of superiority emanating from her made her appear six feet tall.  She took her seat, studying Valerie and Alec with undisguised curiosity and clearly finding them lacking.

“Aunt Maud, may I present my sister Valerie, her husband Alexander Whitf
ield and their daughter, Louisa.  They’ve only just arrived this afternoon.”  Louisa announced, looking unusually nervous.

“So, you are the sister I’ve heard so much about,” observed Aunt Maud
with a smirk.  “I certainly hope you will talk some sense into Louisa.  She’s had a face on her like a melancholy bulldog these past few weeks.  Good thing she’s away from Court for the time being, but then, you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”  Aunt Maud looked around the table, gauging the reaction to her comment with a sly smile playing about her lips.

Valerie felt Alec’s tension, but he said nothing, taking a sip of claret instead.  When Louisa said the woman was insufferable, she wasn’t exaggerating.  Aunt Maud
fixated her gaze on Alec, looking at him as if he weren’t fit to sit at the same table with a person of quality.  Louisa gasped at the rudeness, but Valerie tried to hide a smile behind her napkin.  Aunt Maud was clearly trying to provoke them, her eyes dancing with merriment as she enjoyed the discord she caused.  She was probably bored to tears and liked to make her own entertainment wherever she went.  The trick was not to give her the satisfaction.  She seemed a little deflated as no one answered back and looked around for a new victim.

“And how old are you, my dear?” Aunt Maud asked, turni
ng her attention to little Louisa.  “I must say, that shade is a lot more becoming on you than it is on your aunt.  She doesn’t have the coloring for it.”

“I’m sixteen, your ladyship,” Louisa
answered shyly, unsure of whether to accept the compliment or run for her life.

“Sixteen, you say?  You should be married, my girl.  Why
, in my day you would have given your husband an heir or two by this age.  When Queen Bess was on the throne, girls didn’t go about picking and choosing as they do today.  Their fathers arranged a marriage for them, and they obeyed, as a woman should.”  Aunt Maud looked regally over the assembled company, daring someone to contradict her, but no one did, taking the wind out of her sails.  Valerie thought that if Maud had been as pleasant as a girl as she was as an adult, her father likely would have tried to marry her off at twelve to someone much older and hard of hearing.

“Aunt Maud, our guests have had a long journey
, and we’d like to hear about life in Virginia,” Kit interjected smoothly. “Wouldn’t you like to hear about life in the New World?”

“Why would
I want to hear about life in that God-forsaken backwater?  The only life worth talking about is at Court.  Speaking of which, is His Majesty going on Progress this summer?”

“I haven’t heard to the contrary,” mumbled Kit.

“It would be a great honor if His Majesty chose to visit Willowbrook, although I don’t think your wife is up to entertaining such illustrious company.  That’s what happens when you marry beneath your station.”  Aunt Maud smiled at Louisa blandly, obviously revisiting an old argument.  She seemed to perk up as Kit took a deep breath, finally rattled.

“Enough!” Kit roared, slamming his hand on the table.  “Unless you would like to take a tray in your room for the remainder of your stay, you will treat my guests with respect and refrain from making snide comments about my wife.  Is that understood?”

Aunt Maud had the decency to look abashed, her little smile erased from her face before glaring at Kit with something akin to hurt.

“Perfectly.  I see that your relations have been here for less tha
n a day, and already you’re acting like a barbarian.”  With that Aunt Maud swept out of the room, holding her head so high that Valerie wondered how she could see where she was going. 

“Welcome to England,” said Louisa, her eyes swimming with unshed tears.

“Good God, what have we walked into?” asked Valerie as she climbed into the four-poster bed next to Alec.  The housekeeper had assigned them separate bedrooms, but unlike most couples of quality, they’d always slept in the same bed, enjoying the warmth and comfort of each other’s bodies. 

“Things certainly seem tense,” Alec observed, getting more comfortable.  “Louisa looks miserable.  Is everything all right between them?”

Valerie paused for a moment, unsure if she should share Louisa’s concerns with Alec, but she normally told him everything, and he might be able to help.  Kit and Alec shared a very close bond in Virginia, so Alec might be able to talk some sense into him.

“Louisa thinks that Kit’s keeping a mistress.  She found some evidence to support her suspicions.”

“Really?” Alec said, putting his hands behind his head. “What kind of evidence?”

“The damning kind.  There’s a letter and an engraved snuffbox.  Maybe you can have a talk
to him,” Valerie suggested, snuggling closer.  “He’ll listen to you.  He respects you.”

“Valerie, it’s not my place to interfere in their marriage.  I adore Louisa
, and I love and respect Kit, but I have no right to intervene.”

“I would want someone to intervene if you had a mistress,”
Valerie persisted, although she could see that Alec’s mind was made up. 

“Valerie, you are all the woman I’ll ever need, and I have a feeling that if I even so much as glanced at another woman, it would be too late for any kind of intervention.  You would kill me with your bare hands and hide my body somewhere where no one would ever find it,” he said with a laugh, kissing the tip of her nose, “and that’s how I like it.”

Valerie couldn’t say she disagreed with Alec.  Confronting Kit would only cause tension between the men and ruin their stay.  If Kit wanted to confide in Alec, he’d be happy to listen, but to just blunder in wasn’t Alec’s way.  She had to admit that she was surprised by Louisa’s handling of the situation.  It wasn’t like her to quietly sulk and pray for the best, but then this wasn’t the type of life where a woman had much to gain by confronting her husband.  If there really was a mistress and Kit was determined not to give her up, Louisa would have very few options.  She could either insist on living apart, in which case she might lose her children, or put a brave face on it and wait until the affair fizzled out; walking on eggshells and praying that her husband would return to her in time rather than relegate her to the ranks of unwanted wives, kept in the country solely for the purpose of avoiding scandal and producing more children.

Valerie couldn’t imagine Kit ever treating Louisa that way, but then again, she’d only known him in Virginia where he was one of them rather than Lord Sheridan, advisor to the King.  This was the role he’d been born into, not the one he tried to play in Virginia. 

Valerie sighed and snuggled closer to Alec despite the heat.  She had doubted his faithfulness only once, but she had been the one to betray him with her lack of trust.  Alec had never strayed and never would.  His love for her was absolute, which was a rare and beautiful thing in any century.