Wicked Earl Seeks Proper Heiress (The Husband Hunters Club 5)

“Lady Averil?” she said in a quavering voice. “Oh, my lady, please, please, you must help me!” And then she burst into tears.

After they’d soothed the poor woman—whose name was Nora Hastings—and sat her down at the table while Violet made her a cup of tea, they discovered why she was at the end of her tether.

“When Mr. James asked me to do the cooking, he didn’t tell me the whole truth. He said there were only one or two people at the castle and no fuss, just good plain fare, but now he’s telling me I have to make all this Frenchified stuff and really, I can’t do it. I’ve never eaten a French meal in my life! Even my seed cake, something that has never failed me before, has gone terribly wrong. And the oven!” She turned to glare at it with hatred. “I just can’t get to grips with it at all.”

While Nora had been pouring her troubles into Averil’s and Beth’s sympathetic ears, Violet had been peering into the basins and sniffing the bits and pieces on the table. Now she took a deep breath and announced, “I’ll help you, Nora. Don’t worry. I’m used to cooking for hordes, and I’m rather good at it, too, even if that’s what Doctor Simmons would call immodest.”

Averil blinked. This was a Violet she had never seen before. Confident, in her element, she’d really blossomed. Not the sullen girl she had known at the Home, or the frightened girl she had been before they left. Bringing Violet with her had been the best thing she could have done, and despite her disappointment that Violet hadn’t leapt at her earlier offer, she was not sorry.

“Do you have a big family to cook for then, Violet?” Beth asked, also surprised.

“No, but I did all the cooking at—” She stopped herself, hurrying to move the spitting pot from on top of the range. It was something that had been worrying Averil, too, but she thought that Violet did it to avoid the question.

The girl still didn’t trust them.

Luncheon was soon underway, and Violet made them a delicious-looking chicken and vegetable pie with a crispy browned crust, as well as a fruit crumble for dessert. When the food was delivered to the dining room, everyone was so full of praise that Violet was scarlet with pleasure. Even Lady Melrose declared it the best food she’d ever tasted at Southbrook Castle.

“You should be a cook in a fine house somewhere,” James declared. “Surely there is someone in London who would take you on?”

Violet smiled, but didn’t really answer. Averil was getting used to her way of shrugging off awkward questions, but she was determined that soon she would have it out with the girl and finally get to the truth.

Beth looked out at the wet weather with unease. It had started raining after luncheon and it was much heavier now; the clouds were looking ominously thunderous. Lord Southbrook had taken Averil back to the dower house, where they were supposed to be meeting Mr. McInnes. Averil was keen to make some sketches of the rooms and various other details, so that she could show Gareth, as well as map out her future plans for the building once she was home in London.

“I shouldn’t have let her go alone,” she said now.

“Nonsense,” James said, peering over her head out of the window. “And besides, she isn’t alone, she’s with Rufus and Douglas. Quite safe.”

“Rufus. Exactly.” Beth gave him a meaningful look. “Averil has a spotless reputation despite her mother’s behavior, and she needs to keep it that way.”

James looked so shifty for a moment that all her senses were immediately on alert, but then he reached to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You mustn’t worry, Beth. Rufus knows how to be a perfect gentleman, despite anything you might have heard to the contrary. In fact, it’s being a perfect gentleman that has worked against him.”

“What do you mean?”

“He could have told the world the truth about his wife, but he was too honorable to do that. He refused to hurt Eustace, so he has been treated as the villain of the piece ever since.”

“So he wasn’t? The villain, I mean? James, what did his wife do that was so terrible?”

James hesitated, and then sat down on the window seat beside her. “I’m talking out of school, I suppose, and for God’s sake don’t repeat any of this in front of Eustace. I don’t know why I’m telling you, really, but when Rufus met Meredith he was young and foolish, and she was very beautiful. One of those dark, sultry beauties with come-hither eyes. Totally unsuitable, of course. A rope maker’s daughter! She had him in the palm of her hand, and before he knew it they were running off to get married. But once the ring was on her finger she wasn’t all that interested in him anymore. She said he was too young, just a boy, and she wanted a man.”

“Oh dear.” Beth was shocked. Of course, she reminded herself, James was telling her his nephew’s side of the story. Meredith’s might have been quite different.

“For a while there we weren’t even sure that Eustace was his, but you can see the boy is a Southbrook through and through. There were other men, and it was one of them whom she was living with when Eustace was born. She needed a doctor but the fellow was too scared to call one, so he ran off and left her in some lodging house. By the time Rufus got there it was almost too late, and the doctor he found couldn’t do much, apart from save Eustace. As for Meredith . . .” He shrugged his shoulders. “She died. He was blamed for failing her. It was her family who put the rumor about. I suppose it suited them to make Rufus the villain, rather than their daughter, and he was too honorable to demur.”

It was scandalous, but Beth could not help but feel sorry for Rufus, despite his senseless behavior in running off with such a woman. Well, if what James had said was true, he had certainly paid for it. Beth didn’t know if she should mention any of this to Averil. Was allowing her charge to wander about the countryside in the company of such a man a good idea? And he being penniless to boot!

She reached to take James’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you for telling me, James.”

James turned his hand over, looking down at their clasped fingers.

“Beth,” he began, “there is something I . . .”

She was expecting him to finally tell her that the castle was about to be sold, or the family was bankrupt.

“Dash it, I’m just going to say it,” James blurted out, making her jump.

“James?”

“No, don’t interrupt me or I’ll probably run for the door.” He took a steadying breath. “I know I’m not much of a catch, and I’m well past my prime, but ever since I met you I feel as if I’m a different man. A better man. My dear girl, do you think you could find it in your heart to marry me?”