Laura Matthews (18 page)

“They have put spring flowers here for me.” She gestured to the daffodils and polyanthuses. Then, without looking at him, she continued, “Noah, I have never seen your rooms, and I wonder if you would be interested in showing them to me.”

Noah tucked the letter he had brought with him into a pocket and took hold of her hand. “Of course I would, my poppet. My dressing room leads directly into your room, but my
bedroom
is just beyond.” He explained the origin of several items of furniture, including the graciously carved half-tester bed with its burgundy velvet curtains and white counterpane, before showing her into the sitting room with its shelves of books and comfortable leather chairs. She was surprised when he asked her to sit down.

He remained standing, rather nervously fingering the letter which he had withdrawn from his pocket. “You may remember that I spoke of an urgent letter I received the day we arrived at Frobess Grange, Olivia.” When she nodded, he arranged his face in solemn lines to indicate the seriousness of the matter to her and to hide his own misgivings. “I am in receipt of another letter today indicating that the business is most pressing, and that I should post to London directly.”

Olivia could not easily mask the distress she felt at the shattering of her plans. With a supreme effort, she said calmly, “I see.
Do you expect to be gone long, Noah?”

“It’s hard to say, my dear; but yes, I cannot think it will be a short stay away from home.” The expression in her eyes was not anger, and it was more than disappointment. Noah knew that his wife was hurt by his abrupt announcement and he hastily strode to her side to place a protective hand on her shoulder. “I truly do not wish to leave you, Olivia, and I would not if it could be avoided. If only Mother and Julianna were not in London. Could you write to your former companion and ask her to stay with you until they return?”

“Yes, I’ll try that,” she replied with forced cheerfulness. “You must not give a thought to me, Noah, for I shall be quite comfortable here. I have a great deal to learn and I’ll spend the time acquainting myself with my duties here.”

“I don’t want you spending all your time working. There are several neighbors you can visit—though many will have gone to town, of course. The weather’s likely to hold good, and you’ll enjoy your rides, I know. And the library should provide you with whatever reading material you may require.”

“I’m perfectly accustomed to entertaining myself.”

Although she had not meant it as a rebuke, Noah felt sensitive enough about his desertion that he took it as one. “You need not remind me that you were left alone at Stolenhurst frequently, Olivia. I am well aware of it and regret that I should be forced to go away so soon.”

“I accept that your mission is important; you need not apologize. I cannot remember uttering a word of censure.”

“I would take you to London, but I think there is not enough time passed as yet to make you feel comfortable there.”

“I don’t wish to go to London in any case, Noah.”

“Mother and Julianna would provide companionship for you.”

“I’m sure that’s true but I have indicated that I do not wish to go, and you have said that you do not think I should, so what is the point in discussing it?” Olivia shifted in her seat, aware that she had not exerted the proper control over her tone, which had sounded distressingly edgy.

Noah eyed her warily and spoke thoughtlessly out of his own agitation. “I hope you’re not going to give a display of temper, Olivia.”

Cheeks bright with anger, she rose from her chair and said coldly, “Certainly not, my dear sir. If you will excuse me, I should like to dress for dinner.” She did not wait for his reply but glided out of the sitting room, through the bedroom and dressing room, where she closed the door with a decided snap.

Noah watched her departure with a mixture of self-righteous anger and self-pitying chagrin. He made no attempt to follow her but threw himself into the chair Olivia had just vacated and silently cursed the circumstances which made it necessary for him to leave. That they had had their first quarrel since they were wed, and only once they returned to their home, filled him with foreboding.

A conspicuously silent meal followed their disagreement, and Noah allowed Olivia to withdraw while he sat on in the dining room. When he joined her later, she was seated at the harpsichord, fingering a haunting country tune. “I plan to leave early in the morning.”

She nodded and continued to play.

“I should retire now if I am to be on the road in good time.”

Again she nodded, though her fingers hesitated on the keys.

“There is no need for you to do likewise, of course,” he announced with some asperity. “I am sure you would rather continue your playing.”

Olivia lifted afflicted eyes to his and dropped her hands into her lap. “Would you like for me to come to bed now, Noah?”

“There is no need.”
He walked over to the bench where she sat and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. “I doubt you will be up when I leave, so I will bid you good-night and farewell.”

 With bowed head Olivia whispered, “God-speed, Noah.”

He turned on his heel and strode from the room, leaving her to stare vacantly into space. For some time she argued that the disagreement was his fault and he should apologize. After a while, however, she considered the possibility that she had not been entirely blameless. Still later it did not seem to matter which of them was at fault, for she could not bear the thought of his leaving her when they had spoken hasty words to one another. It could well be a long time before she saw him again, and she didn’t wish him to harbor a grudge against her which might turn him sour on their marriage.

Olivia rose and went to the desk where she drew forth paper, ink and pen. The wording of the note must be careful so as not to indicate that she felt him in error, and yet not so abject an apology on her part as to make him believe that he could twist her about his thumb.

She crumpled two sheets before the message struck her as having the proper wording, and at the last she jotted a request that he awaken her in the morning so that she might have breakfast with him.

Unwilling to entrust the note to a servant, she bore it to his room herself with every intent of hastily slipping it under the door. She could hear no sound within and a sudden panic seized her that he would miss the note and never know that she had tried to make amends. Cautiously she turned the knob and stepped into the darkened room. He would leave his purse on the nightstand as he had at Frobess Grange, and if she put the note there he could not fail to see it.

Her eyes grew accustomed to the dark after a minute and she walked purposefully to the nightstand and quickly propped the note against the silver candlestick. As she turned to go her wrist was caught in a firm grip and she gasped in surprise.

“What have you put there, Olivia?” he asked softly.

“I... I wished to apologize, Noah, and to ask that you wake me in the morning so that I might take breakfast with you.”

He pulled her down to sit on the edge of the bed. “It is I who should beg your pardon, my dear. I have been lying awake listening for you to come to your room that I might do so.”

Olivia spoke over the lump in her throat. “I could not bear for you to leave when we were at outs, Noah. If I offended you, I did not mean to.”

“Hush, dearest. Let us forget the matter.” His fingers traced the line of her jaw and neck, touched the breasts under the satin gown. “Would you stay here with me tonight?”

“Of course, Noah. Let me send Marie to bed.”

She returned shortly in the negligee and dressing gown which he had purchased for her in Gloucester. Her need of him had never been greater, and she clung to him when they were spent and whispered, “I’ll miss you, Noah.”

“And I you. Rest assured I’ll be away no longer than necessary. If any problems should arise that you cannot handle with the help of the staff, you have only to contact Mother.”

Puzzled, she asked, “Will you not be in London then?”

“Only for a short while, I imagine. My business will carry me out of town for the most part.”

“I see. Yes, I’ll contact your mother should any emergency arise. Will you write to me, Noah?”

“When I can, my dear, but it will not always be possible,” he said, trying not to sound evasive.

“Of course.”

In the morning she attempted to present a cheerful front to him, but in his abstraction she was not sure if he really noticed. Noah had determined the previous evening, when he knew by her regular breathing that she was asleep, that he must put aside his doubts and concentrate on quickly and efficiently performing the task before him. There was no changing his mind now, and Olivia would be perfectly content at Welling Towers. Had she not told him that she was fond of the place? He thrust from him the disheartening knowledge that she would have no companion, and urged once again that she invite Miss Stewart to visit.

Olivia forced herself to regard his attitude as solicitous and not callous. She watched with a sinking heart from the drawing room window while the carriage pulled away. Assuredly there was much which could be done to occupy her time at Welling Towers, but that was all she would be doing—occupying her time—until he returned. There would not even be his letters to look forward to, she feared, for he had sounded discouragingly vague about any correspondence. With a sigh, she picked up the tambour frame and set a stitch.

* * * *

Mr. Thomas welcomed Noah to a quiet corner of the Star and Garter the evening of his arrival in town. “I appreciate your coming so soon, Sir Noah. We have a serious and urgent problem. The dispatches I mentioned have undoubtedly fallen into the wrong hands, though quite by accident. We would not consider sending you, a recently married man, except for your friendship with the Comte de Mauppard. I wrote to him as you suggested, and he instigated some enquiries which were more effective than those we had launched ourselves. As propaganda against the English, the dispatches would be useful; but as blackmail, they’re most lucrative.”

Mr. Thomas frowned thoughtfully. “If I’m not mistaken, they intend to use them for both. We’ve already paid a price for them in a cloak-and-dagger exchange which yielded us only copies of the documents. The originals are still in the same hands as before.”

“What sort of information did they contain?” Noah asked curiously.

“Several damaging matters. The emigration of various noble families is discussed, with offers of assistance from highly placed Englishmen. Our own government’s views on the state of affairs in France might,” the bland-faced man suggested, “be misconstrued as an active proposal for English interference in their domestic matters. And there was some reference to English sympathizers.”

“Do you think I have some means of ferreting out the dispatches?”

“Frankly, I don’t know. The Comte de Mauppard has been of great assistance to us in this matter, but he cannot align himself with English interests. Because of your friendship, you may be able to pursue the matter further. At any time the dispatches could be made public. It wouldn’t take much to cause an irreparable breach between the two countries.”

He gave a helpless shrug. “There may be nothing you can do, Sir Noah, but we hate to make no effort at all. War between England and France is too common, and it may be inevitable if the progress of this revolution is drastic. We ask only, if you find yourself in a position to assist, that you visit your friend and learn what you can.”

“I feel sure I can be spared for a while.”

“Excellent. There’s some need for secrecy. It’s not generally known that the dispatches have gone astray, and we would prefer to keep the matter as close as possible. You may not be able to avoid meeting acquaintances in France; perhaps you could hint at some business negotiations there.”

“If I have to. In London it will be assumed that I am at Welling Towers with my wife.”

When Noah left the Star and Garter he headed for his lodgings with a certain buoyancy of spirits. Five years previously he had undertaken a discreet mission for the government which had led him to Italy, and he remembered with amusement the tangle of adventures, both political and amorous, which had beset him.

By the time he reached his destination, however, his responsibility to his young bride weighed on him. The inability to explain his journey to France to either Olivia or his mother was exasperating. Certainly his mother would not be convinced by tales of business interests there, so it was better that she should not know of his plans. Optimistically, Noah allowed that the whole venture need only occupy a matter of weeks.

Chapter Seventeen

“Dear Miss Stewart, I’m so glad you could come to stay with me. And you are wearing your hair differently. You look enchanting.” Olivia hugged her former companion to her as she stepped off the Cromer-bound coach in Thetford. “James Coachman will see to your luggage. It is but half an hour’s drive to the Towers, and there’s not the least hurry if you would care to stop for some refreshment here.”

“Thank you, no, I would rather have the journey completed. I am not the best of travelers, I fear.” Miss Stewart allowed herself to be led to the carriage by her eager young hostess, who studied her inconspicuously. The silver-blonde hair was no longer drawn back severely, but worn most flatteringly about her delicately-featured face; and there was an openness about her countenance which Olivia did not remember in her shy companion.

When they were seated on the comfortable squabs away from the noise of the inn yard, Olivia sighed. “I could not believe my good fortune when I received your letter saying you were free. I had visions of you in some ducal seat instructing pretty-behaved young ladies in their maps and French. Did Peter neglect to send you a letter of reference? You must think me the shabbiest shatterbrain for leaving you without. So much has happened since you left Stolenhurst. You must let me make it up to you.”

“I had no intention of seeking another post as governess or companion,” Miss Stewart replied quietly. “My father had gone to great expense for my education, and when he suffered some reverses years ago, he thought it would be fitting for me to be a governess if I must need earn a living. It was not a wise choice, and I fear I did not do well by you, Lady Olivia.”