The Birthright (29 page)

Anne found she received comfort from two sources. The first was her morning Bible studies with Nicole. For as the work occupied more of their time, so too grew the intensity of their study. It was here that Nicole shone, and her hungry delving into the Scriptures proved to be times filled with surprise and pleasure for Anne. Nicole threw herself into whatever work was at hand, giving the task all her energies. In most cases, though, she sought Anne’s guidance. Nicole was not the leader type. This was something that came much more naturally to Anne. Yet Nicole was not resistant, nor did she resent Anne’s guidance. Far from it. Nicole was the most willing worker, the most eager helper.

The second source of support was Thomas Crowley. He too proved to be a tireless advocate, who was constantly aiding and advising Anne. Anne’s only regret was that during his time at Harrow Hall, his initial ardor for Nicole seemed to fade. They still enjoyed each other’s company and worked well together, but the romance never developed. They remained friends, nothing more. Anne took small comfort in the fact that Thomas never declared any intention toward Nicole, which meant her sister had no reason for raised hopes. Besides, Nicole seemed to care little about romance these days. Since Charles’s proclamation in Parliament, there had been no invitations from the landed gentry, nor any suitors come to call, yet neither seemed to bother Nicole at all.

Of Lord Reginald Harwick—the formidably powerful man Nicole had confronted on the balcony—there had been no sign. Occasionally Anne would hear Charles and Thomas speaking together in hushed tones, suggesting they did not wish for word to spread. She was fairly certain Harwick’s name had come up on several such occasions. Always Charles would retreat from these discussions with his forehead creased in worry, his hand massaging his chest.

The final Thursday in September saw Anne with the first free moments in weeks. She escaped to the back garden and the bench among the sheltering shrubs. All about her, the world was cloaked in brilliant autumn hues. The neighboring trees had begun their annual transformation and glinted proudly in the afternoon light. The day remained warm, yet there was a faint hint of northerly breeze that spiced the air with a special scent. Anne knew the fine weather would not last.

“Mrs. Mann?”

She looked up from her bench and smiled at Thomas Crowley’s tentative approach. “I think it is high time you call me by my given name,” she said.

“I hope I am not disturbing you.”

“Not at all.” She slid over to make room for him. “John is off riding with Charles and could be gone for days. The child has taken to the horse like no one I’ve ever seen. All he has to do is hear a horse whinny and he’s beside himself with excitement.”

“He’s truly the bonniest child I have ever known,” Thomas agreed. “And Charles is a devoted uncle.”

A light gust of wind shivered the bush overhead, and the chill drifted down to where Anne sat. Even so, she felt sheltered, as if the world itself were protecting her. “I am so very happy here,” she confessed.

“That is plain to all who know you,” Thomas said. “The place agrees with you.”

“Yes, it does.” A myriad of thoughts came rushing into her mind. The same thoughts she’d had so often lately, as she wondered how long she might stay and whether she might ever feel this way again. She pushed them away and said, “Nicole has ridden out with Will to meet the doctor.” This was yet another of their projects, arranging for a doctor to tend the illnesses among the outlying villages. “She promised to be back in time for tea.”

After a moment of silence, Thomas mused, “It has often struck me that you two ladies share the same spirit, as though one person occupied two bodies.”

“What a remarkable thing to say,” Anne said.

“Miss Nicole loves you intensely, so much so that she does not seem to mind your having assumed her position as leader in the many activities here.”

“I don’t mean to take anything from her.”

“Well do I know it.” Thomas studied her, his dark eyes gleaming with the fervor that had become his trademark. “I hope you do not take offense at my speaking so openly.”

“To be equally frank, you say things I’ve often wondered about myself,” Anne said. “To call her
sister
does not seem a strong enough word for how I feel about Nicole. If only…”

Thomas watched her, then finished quietly for her, “If only she could be happy.”

“Yes.”

“At least she’s at peace. At least she has her God.”

Anne then gave voice to the concerns that had been disturbing her nights. “I wish she could find a group of like-minded folk here, people to support her and pray with her after I am gone. But the church here…”

Thomas nodded. “Any words I speak on this point would paint a fearful picture of this day and age. England, I regret, is a fallen land.”

“So I have noticed,” Anne said, hurting for Nicole.

“The churches here in Sutton parish are typical of our realm—low attendance, lazy vicars, and dull sermons. England has joined with France and others in what they like to call the ‘enlightened age.’” A bitter, angry note entered his voice. “The elite consider it fashionable to treat matters of faith with skepticism. They claim that rational man stands at the center of creation. In response to the call of faith, they cry, ‘I think, therefore I am!’ ”

Anne felt a chord being struck in her heart. This man’s passion thrilled her. She leaned forward and listened more attentively.

“The only trinity that interests these so-called enlightened folk is the monarch, our Parliament, and scientific advancement,” Thomas went on. “They claim that reading the so-called book of nature offers all one needs to know of God. And they reduce Jesus Christ to an ethical figure, a worthy teacher of practical living. What a lonely and deceptive prison!” Thomas slapped the bench between them. “How it cages man’s hopes! How it blinds us to the eternal bridge!”

Again Anne found herself exhilarated by his words. “But in Wales we saw just the opposite. The churches were full, and people were seeking to live a devout life.”

“Yes, and were that only to happen here!” Thomas said. His eyes blazed with the zeal of finding someone who shared his concerns. “It is not merely an issue of which church one attends. What’s needed is the same preparations in England that led to the revival in Wales. Door-to-door evangelism by women and open-air preaching. A recognition of what it means to live a religion of the heart.”

Such an invitation caused Anne’s heart to take flight. “That’s a challenge worthy of dedicating one’s lifetime to its success!”

“That’s my great big lad!” Charles held the reins so that they ran through John’s tiny fingers. The boy continued to bounce up and down long after Charles had reined in the mare. Charles smiled as the nanny hurried over. He greeted her and said, “An hour in the saddle and still the lad’s eager for more.”

“That’s as may be,” the nanny replied, reaching for the child, “but it is past his dinnertime, and the young master needs a rest.”

John put up a pretty fuss as he was handed down, then wailed and reached two grasping hands woefully back toward Charles. Charles chuckled both at the boy’s antics and his own continual pleasure in spending time with John.

Then the pain hit him, harder than it had in weeks. Charles would have gripped his chest with both hands had not Will chosen that moment to come racing around the side of the stables. Charles gritted his teeth against the pain, took a couple of tight breaths, and said with false joviality, “What says the glass, young Will?”

“Falling, sir. Falling fast, it is.” He took hold of the reins. In the past year, Will had shot up such that his head now crested the stirrups. “Nasty weather ahead, sir. You mark my words.”

“That’s what must be troubling my joints, then.” Charles raised and lowered his shoulders, willing the pain to ease.

“Do you need a hand coming down, sir? Shall I run and call for help?”

“Not a bit of it. Just give me half a moment.” Gradually his chest seemed to unbind itself, and Charles was able to lift his leg over the horse and slide to the ground. He landed hard and leaned against the horse’s flank. When he noticed Will’s anxious look, he forced a smile. “A change of weather bothers me more these days, that’s all. Price of growing older, I suppose.”

“Aye, sir, it is the same with Mam. She’s always going on about her back and her knees when the blows are coming on.”

Charles patted the boy on the head and then headed for the manor. He entered through the side door and was pulling off his boots when Gaylord appeared with a steaming mug. “Thought you might use a cup, m’lord.”

“Most thoughtful, Gaylord.” Charles sat down and sipped the hot tea, grateful for the excuse to remain where he was. “Any news?”

“Aye, sir. The post is in. There’s a note saying Mrs. Judith Mann is coming in on tomorrow’s coach. And a court messenger from London, bringing papers under Lord Percy’s instruction, and a message that the man himself will be coming this very afternoon as expected.” Gaylord smiled. “And he’s bringing a pianist, sir!”

“Is he, now? Music and a houseful of guests. Upon my word, that’s good news.” Charles did not play an instrument, nor did he sing, but he loved music all the same and enjoyed sitting and listening. He was kind to amateurs and deeply moved by performances of real talent. Handel was a favorite, as were Bach and Haydn. Hymns and chorales and fugues brought him almost to tears. “Pass the news on to your dear wife.”

“I’ve already done so, sir. Will you be having a bath now?”

“In time.” With his chest expanding comfortably again, Charles handed back the empty mug and rose to his feet. “First there are a few things I must tend to. I shall be in the library if anyone wants me.”

“Very good, sir. The post and Lord Percy’s papers are all on the library desk as usual.”

Charles mounted the stairs and entered the library, closing the door behind him. But he avoided the desk. He knew what lay there, tied with the purple ribbon and bearing the court seal. Under pressure from Percy, he had finally agreed to have the attorney draw up the documents that formally named Nicole as his heir. There was no choice. This was not just because of his growing chest pains but also because of Lord Harwick, who had been relentlessly pressing the Crown for a review of Charles’s right to select his successor. The things Charles heard spoken about Nicole left him panting with rage. No, there was no time to lose. Each day brought fresh word of Harwick’s maneuvers.

All that was required now was his signature and that of a formal witness, which no doubt was why Percy was coming. And bringing the musician along for a celebratory tune was the sort of thoughtful gesture that made Percy such a good friend.

Charles had no interest in inspecting the documents. He was certain Percy had done his customary excellent work. Instead he moved to the library window and stood staring down at the back garden.

“Uncle?”

Charles spun around. “My dear Nicole, please come in.”

“I knocked, but did not hear you respond.” She stepped inside and shut the door. “Am I disturbing you?”

“Not in the slightest.” Charles motioned to her. “Come over here, will you. There’s something I should like you to see.”

Nicole stepped into the window’s light. The afternoon sun revealed that she still wore her riding habit and outer cloak with a trailing of dust. She set her bonnet on a nearby settee, unfastened her cloak, then walked over to stand beside him.

Charles pointed at the couple seated on the bench within the surrounding shrubbery and said, “Now, what do you see there?”

Nicole looked down at where Anne and Thomas Crowley sat in intimate conversation, lost to all the world, caught up together in their shared thoughts. “If one did not know better, you would think they were in love.”

“Indeed so.” For an instant, Charles felt a sharp pain in wishing it were Nicole seated there rather than Anne. The flash of agony came and went so fast, he could not tell if it was physical or an inner longing. “Have a seat, my dear.”

“Thank you, Uncle.” But Nicole did not take the settee opposite his. She retrieved a high-backed chair from the corner and placed herself much nearer to him. Sitting with her back erect and her chin at a proper ladylike angle, she poised herself beautifully and said, “I have something I wish to say.”

Charles surveyed her with deep fondness. “Upon my word, Nicole, I wish you could see yourself.”

“Why?” As Nicole glanced down, her old hesitancy briefly resurfaced. “Forgive me for not changing from the road, Uncle. I’ve been busy in the village and I needed to speak with you before—”

“I did not mean to scrutinize. Quite the contrary. I simply found myself filled with pride over the wonderful woman you have become.” He raised his hands in silent accolade. “My dear, you have become a lady. A viscountess in all but name.”

Nicole settled once more, but now into a different stillness, as she quietly replied, “Thank you. That is precisely what I wished to speak with you about.”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps I have delayed this too long, but I wanted to be absolutely certain. Not certain in the sense that I should stay here and do my duty to you and the Harrow name, but certain that I should be able to find a mission here and live out God’s will in this station.”