Averill: Historical Romance (The Brocade Collection, Book 3) (34 page)

Hortense’s voice faded with her departure
. Averill smiled down at her baby.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Averill stared in amazement as the coach turned down the drive to Tennison Hall. She’d listened to Hortense’s descriptions and looked so skeptical that Hortense had finally said, “Wait and see.”

Well
. She’d expected the hall to be large and imposing. She would’ve been disappointed if it hadn’t been. But as it came into view, Averill realized she’d been seeing it for years. She’d painted it. She just hadn’t known that Tennison Hall was the name of a castle, exactly like she’d been dreaming.

The
y had to travel a drive first, one as long as many streets in Cairo. Shrubs lined both sides of the entire length. There seemed to be acres of lush green landscape behind the shrubbery, reaching to a massive stone wall that encircled the property. The castle had appeared to be gray stone, but as they neared, she saw it wasn’t gray at all, but a buff color. It looked like knights would be pouring out at any time, onto the flattened grounds to one side of it. She knew right away those were the parade grounds where jousting would’ve taken place. The entire estate took her breath away. She longed to speak of it with someone, if it wouldn’t have been Hortense.

Hortense was busy straightening her hair and
putting more pins into her obnoxious hat. That hat took all the headroom around her. Averill sat straighter in her seat, holding Andrew close, so Hortense’s hat couldn’t hit him. Hortense didn’t notice. The shadow as they went beneath an old gateway stopped Hortense’s preening, finally.

“Oh, this is so exciting!”

Averill looked out the window again, watching as their driver circled a fountain at the front of the house. “Instruct the driver to take us to the side door, Mother.”

“I’ll do no such thing
! I am not the painter. You are! I insist on entering Tennison Hall through the front door, as is my right as a titled gentlewoman.”

Averill
sighed. Hortense would never change. She would never acknowledge Averill voluntarily. It shouldn’t matter. And she did owe Lady Limley for making this part of her plan come true.

She was at Tennison Hal
l!

T
he Hall symbolized wealth and power. It was overwhelming to one who had so little. She wondered why Tenny had left this place. He was the heir to all of this? How could that be boring? It would never be boring to her.

“We’re here
! Finally!”  Hortense said in a theatrical tone. “And it took forever. Come along. Don’t tarry, Averill! Come along, now!”

She was bou
ncing on the seat as she spoke, each move scooting her closer to the door. Averill cocked an eyebrow at the other woman’s impatience. It was clear how Hortense managed her charade of youth so easily. She acted like a schoolgirl.

Averill
longed to hold back, but had no choice when Hortense was let from the carriage, and turned to wait for her.

“Come along, Averill
. I won’t stand out here like a tradesman, and I can’t gain entrance without you. Yes...yes, bring the babe if you must, but do hurry!”

Bring the b
abe if I must?
What would she have done with him otherwise? That was a solid reminder. Hortense may be entertaining to a point, but she wasn’t a likable woman. She was vacuous. Inconsiderate. Self-centered. Vain.

Averill stopped the litany of words before following her mother
. She’d already heard as much from Avery’s Islamic wife. None of them were a surprise.

There was a retinue of servants lining the four wide steps
that led to an enormous portal. They all curtsied, one after the other, like a linked chain set in motion at one end. Averill followed Lady Hortense inside. The flagstone entry floor was so highly polished it reflected light off what looked like shields mounted high on the walls. Averill held Andrew closer, as her eyes followed a wall to the ceiling, some three stories above them. There were flags between each shield, in all sorts of colors and symbols. It was awe-inspiring. Jaw-dropping. Frightening.

“We weren’t expecting guests, Madame.”

A thin, tall gentleman approached them. Averill wondered if this was the earl.

“
Truly? I am Lady Limley. I’ve brought my artist. Surely your secretary from London spoke about it?”

“Lady...Li
nton, did you say?”

“
Limley,” Hortense said between thin lips.

Averill was too overwhelmed to say anything
. This wasn’t how she’d dreamed of arriving. Andrew was fussing, too, for the final stage of the carriage ride hadn’t been conducive to napping, and he was barely three months old. Averill cooed to him as Hortense continued.

“Just take my card, and offer it to His Lordship
. Go ahead. Give it to him, and cease this nonsense. I insist. Go on. Do what you’re paid to do, and stop harassing visiting ladies who have an invite from His Lordship’s London secretary.”

That wasn’t the earl, but a paid servant?

Averill’s eyes widened at the realization. She watched the man walk down to the end of the hallway and heard a door open from what sounded a long way away. How right Harvey had been. The owner of this castle would never be allowed to step outside protocol and do the unexpected, s
uch as marry me
, she told herself.

“The uppity way with servants
! I tell you, I have never put up with such rudeness before.” 

Hortense sounded upset
. And if her mother felt that way, then it must mean something. Averill put her chin up. She was acceptable now. She had to be!

The sound of the door opening and closing again came to them
. Averill watched the same manservant walk toward them with a sinking feeling. She knew they were being turned away. And she didn’t know what to do then. She didn’t know how she was going to find Tenny on her own.   

“My Lady Limwood?”

“Limley,” Hortense replied with the sharp tone she usually kept hidden.

“His Lordship will receive you now
. You may follow me, please. Leave your bags beside the door.”

Averill
held Andrew close and followed, growing more and more worried. There were several archways leading from either side of the hall. Each one seemed to lead to another hall that resembled the one they were in. Her eyes couldn’t absorb the size of it. Her heart was pounding. Her entire body was shaking. The servant turned and went beneath one of the arches. He opened the first door and announced Hortense loudly.

“Lady Limley, my lord.”

Hortense breezed past the man as if she deserved to be there. Averill took a bit longer. The manservant caught her hesitation and smiled slightly. She would’ve returned it if she didn’t think she might burst into tears.

There was a huge table set with toy-sized soldiers in the middle of the room,
green-hued tapestries lining the walls, and two gentlemen sitting at the far end of it. Both looked old, immaculately attired, and bored.

Averill looked down after the first
glance. She followed Hortense around the table, considering how incongruous her best pair of button-up shoes looked on the
Aubusson
carpet. She was careful not to touch or disturb anything. It helped that Andrew had settled into slumber.

“Thank you for receiving me,
my lord.” 

Hortense sank into a deep curtsey
. Holding the baby, Averill couldn’t do the same, so she dipped at the knees in a bobbed motion.

“So
. You are Lady Linton.”

“Limley.”

“You know, Lady Limley, I am of the opinion that invitations to my home are written on estate stationary that carries the Tennison crest, before being sealed with wax that holds our hereditary seal.”

“Oh
! They sound divine.”

Averill had stiffened at the
rebuke and kept her eyes on the floor beneath her feet. Her mother must be immune as she’d clapped her hands after her reply.

“That isn’t the point, my dear lady
. I am not in the habit of entertaining without an invitation.”

“And rightly so, my lord
. Just look at what might happen.”

Averill’s mouth tipped slightly
. Her mother was either oblivious or a fantastic actress. No wonder Avery had been intrigued.

“
My point, exactly. If you would be so kind as to explain now?”

“Explain what, my lord?”

“Your arrival on my doorstep. As well as your lack of invitation.”

Averill’s heart dropped
. She actually felt it.

“The drive down was long, my lord
. I’m quite parched,” Hortense replied. “You’d think a lady would be offered a repast of some sort after such a journey.”

A heavy sigh
came next.

“It’s perfectly obvious, my lord
,” Hortense prattled on. “I am here on the invitation of your lordship’s London secretary. I have brought the painter I sponsor.”

“
Ah. The painter. I see. But whatever possessed you to come personally Lady…Linton?”

Averill
looked up. She knew which man was Tenny’s uncle immediately. He was old, but had perfect posture. His hair was white but parted exactly as his nephew wore it. He looked near the same size. He appeared to have the same nose. Upper lip. Cheekbone structure. Maybe even the same eye color. She watched him take an eyeglass from his pocket and set it in front of one eye. Tenny had told her he was staid and pompous. Those descriptors didn’t seem quite enough at the moment.

“
Limley, my lord.
Limley.
I believe my husband, Lord Charles, spoke to you of Averill Ben-Masiz? At your club? In London?”

“Charles Limley
? Oh. Yes. I do recollect something of the conversation. The man was insistent that I look at what this Ben-Masiz painter offers. I still fail to comprehend what that has to do with your arrival. At my step. Without notice.”

“My artist is the best painter in
the British empire, Lord Tennison. The best. I am not about to let such talent travel unaccompanied through the countryside. Why, there could be brigands about. Highwaymen. I shudder to think of the possibilities. I accompanied her for that reason. I should think it obvious.”

Averill’s eyebrows rose at hearing such praise, even if it was being used to manipulate a situation
. Hortense even managed to sound slightly offended.

“
Yes. That does bring up another serious issue, doesn’t it, Lady Limley?”

“
Oh. Please. Call me Hortense. And just what issue would be worrying you now, my lord?”

“Your artist
. It appears it is a young woman. Moreover, a young woman with an infant in tow. I take it you are the artist, young woman?” 

He turned
his head and stared at her through his quizzing glass. The glass made his eye look four times larger than it should. He looked ridiculous. Almost funny. Averill looked quickly away before she did something socially unacceptable…like snicker. She wished she had an ornate hat like Hortense to hide behind.

“Of course this is the artist,” Hortense answered for her.

“I don’t believe anyone mentioned that your artist was not a…male.”

The door opened behind them
next. The sound seemed to echo through the room. Averill didn’t move. She didn’t dare. She was waiting for the order to toss them all out. And be quick about it.

“Ah
. There you are, Stanley. Excellent. Have the arrangements been seen to?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Stanley was the manservant’s name. He possessed a deferential tone in his voice that he’d failed to use earlier. It didn’t seem possible that Tenny had come from such an environment. He’d seemed so alive. So warm. So loving. So…

She blinked rapidly
. She must be more tired than she suspected.

“
Well. I’ve made arrangements for your stay. All of you. And I look forward to seeing your work, young woman.”

It was a dismissal
. Averill backed from him, his quizzing glass, and the way he managed to look down his nose at her, even from a seated position. The tone of his voice was dull. Derogatory. He didn’t have to put it in words. He was already predisposed to dismiss her work. He wouldn’t be interested in anything she painted.

And he was terrible
. He’d just put Hortense through that interview when he’d already made arrangements for a stay? The man was worse than Tenny had described. It hadn’t seemed possible, but there it was. She told herself it didn’t matter. She was here. At Tennison Hall. Somebody here would know how to contact Tenny. She’d just have to find them.

She
meekly followed Hortense back out to the hall exactly as the manservant was gesturing. He ignored her.

“Since your visit is a
bit of a surprise, Lady Limley, I’ll turn you over to the housekeeper, Missus Greene. Your luggage will be shown to your room shortly. We serve tea at...”