A Simple Case of Seduction

Chapter 26

Two days had passed since Daphne had run away from Daniel on the bridge in Hyde Park, but the pain in her chest could not be tempered. Love, it seemed, could render a person helpless.

Seduction proved simple.

Love was a baffling conundrum of emotions, something far too complicated to define. To save the man she loved, she’d let him go. It seemed the only logical course of action. So why did she want to curl up into a ball and die?

A sudden rap on the door brought Betsy, who rushed into the parlour in an excited frenzy.

“Quick, where’s your pelisse?” Betsy rummaged through the garments on the coat stand. “That pretty green one that enhances the colour of your eyes.”

“It’s in the bedchamber.” Daphne didn’t have the heart to ask why. “Borrow it if you wish, but it will be far too long on you.”

“I’m not the one in need of it.” Betsy raced over to the window. “Mr Thorpe’s carriage is waiting outside, and it will be too cold to travel without one.”

“Mr Thorpe!” Daphne jumped off the chair as though the pad had caught fire. She hurried to the window and noted the black conveyance parked across the road. “What does he want?” Her heart lurched at the prospect of seeing Daniel again.

“Mr Thorpe isn’t here. The carriage is for you.”

“Betsy, you’re not making any sense.”

Mr Bostock appeared at the parlour door and cleared his throat. “Mr Thorpe would like to know if you’d be interested in taking a tour of Rainham Hall?”

“Rainham Hall?” Daphne’s stomach performed a flip. She’d love nothing more than to see the house where his parents had celebrated their love. “Will Mr Thorpe be joining me?”

“Mr Thorpe is already there. Murphy will drive you to meet him.”

“How far is it?” Oh, it was foolish to even think of meeting Daniel when the wound to her heart was still fresh, so raw. But her inquisitive mind insisted she go. Nothing could be worse than the pain she felt already.

Bostock frowned.

“Will I be returning this evening?” Daphne clarified.

“That I can’t say.”

“Best take a change of clothes,” Betsy said. “Just in case.”

Before Daphne’s mind could catch up with her movements, she was sitting in Thorpe’s carriage and rattling along the road on her way to Rainham Hall. Murphy had informed her the journey would take a little over two hours, and they would be heading west out of London towards High Wycombe.

She spent the journey wondering about Daniel’s motives for bringing her to a place he’d always avoided. How had he fared in the two days since their last meeting? Did he in any way feel the same overwhelming sense of despair?

Rainham Hall sat nestled at the foot of a hill, amid a vibrant canopy of green fields. A small wood to the north offered protection from the wind sweeping down into the valley. The drive up to the house took her through a tunnel of trees. The sun shone. The birds sang. Love filled her heart as she recalled what the place had meant to Daniel’s parents.

Murphy drew the carriage to a halt outside the large oak front door. Daphne held her breath while she waited for Daniel to appear and was surprised when a woman in a plain grey dress exited the house.

Murphy climbed down from his box seat and helped Daphne alight.

“I’m Mrs Barton, the housekeeper.” The middle-aged woman stood before Daphne and curtsied. “We’ve been expecting you. You’ll find the master down by the fountain.” She pointed to a gravel path on the left. “Follow the path across the lawn and past the pagoda. It will be clear where you need to go.”

“Thank you, Mrs Barton.”

“I told the master you’d be hungry after your journey, but he insists on speaking to you before you sit down to eat.”

Food was the last thing on her mind. Daphne put her hand to her stomach. “I can wait a little longer.”

Mrs Barton smiled. “There’s no rush. As it’s such a nice day, I can make a basket if you’d prefer. Come and find me once you’ve made a decision.” The woman inclined her head and went inside.

Nerves held Daphne immobile for a moment. Then the urge to see Daniel took hold, and she hurried along the path.