Victorian Phantoms

Ella Heaton - Chapter 5

It was a foolish thing to do. Jonathan knew he was risking his mission and Ella's reputation by standing at the edge of the Heaton property, but it had been days since he had seen her that he wanted to assure himself that she was okay. He was worried that she had been confined to her rooms because she had been out without a maid or groom. He was worried that she was being punished for something he did.

He stared up at the windows, wondering which was Ella's bedroom. When he saw a curtain twitch, he ducked under the cover of a tree, hoping it was Ella who had spotted him and not her father!

Crouching silently, he waited beneath the tree to see whom – if anyone – would come out. After almost ten minutes of waiting, when Jonathan was about to return to his lodgings, convinced that only a servant had seen him, he heard someone approaching.

"Jon? Jon, are you still here?" Ella whispered as she tucked the folds of her scarf beneath her cloak. It was so cold outside that she would not have been surprised if Jon had returned to the comfort of his lodgings. It had taken her longer than she would have liked to get out of the house; the butler had asked too many questions when he saw Ella leaving the house.

"Here," he said softly, standing up. "I wasn't sure if I saw you or a servant at that window. You really shouldn't be out here."

Ella just shrugged a shoulder and stepped up to Jonathan, so close her body was almost pressed against his. With a sparkle in her pale blue eyes, she tipped her head back, her lips pursed and her eyes shut.

Jonathan took a step close and rested his hands on her hips, and lowered his lips to hers. Just before his lips would have touched hers, he pulled away. "Where is your father?" Jonathan glanced around, hoping no one would see them.

Ella's eyes flew open. "He's teaching Tilly to ride." She pouted and wrapped her arms tightly around Jonathan's waist so he could not step any further away from her. "Along with Roderick and Dominic. I'm now alone in that house with only the servants for company." She tilted her head back again, waiting.

"What do you mean 'now alone'?" Jonathan demanded, suddenly jealous. He was convinced that her family had been entertaining a suitor. Why else would she not seek him out for such a long period of time? "Where have you been the last week?"

Ella threw herself onto the ground, resting against the trunk of the tree, realising she was not going to get her kiss. "Our godparents came to visit. I've been busy fighting for their attention."

Relieved, Jonathan sank down beside Ella and tugged her firmly to his side. He looked at her, wondering at her choice of words.

Ella laughed and rested her head on Jonathan's shoulder. Her fingers played with the buttons of his coat. "My siblings and I all have Daphne and Ashlyn as godparents. So, whenever they visit us, we all struggle for their time and attention."

Sensing her good mood fading, Jonathan kissed the top of Ella's head and shifted her so that she was sitting on his lap. "If you're not careful, lass, your parents will ship you away to your godparents' home so that I will stop exerting my bad influence on you," he finished, his tone light and teasing as he played with the curls that hung around her shoulders.

Laughing brightly at his teasing words, Ella swatted Jonathan on the shoulder. "As if you could be a bad influence! I am the one who sneaks out of the house at all hours, deliberately loses her groom and spends time alone with a smuggler."

Kissing Ella lightly on the chin, Jonathan found himself agreeing with her. "When you say it like that, I don't think there is anything I could teach you that you don't already know. No matter what I did, I was never able to lead my younger sister astray."

"You don't talk much about your family, Jon. Will you tell me about them?"

Jonathan sighed as he considered his answer. He had to be very careful with what he told her. He was tired of lying to her, but the truth could hurt. "My father owns some land in Dorset. My sister and I grew up in the country. I spent my days climbing trees while my sister spent the time painting them." He shook his head as he recalled thinking as a young boy that his younger sister was the most boring person alive. "I don't know how she did it."

"You really are fond of her," Ella observed, noting the way his tone changed when he spoke of his sister. She wanted to know more about Jon's younger sister who he clearly cared for greatly. "How old is she?"

"Eighteen. She's basically engaged to one of our neighbours."

"You don't sound pleased about that." Ella shifted so she could see Jonathan's expression. His green-grey eyes were distant.

"I know Luce loves him but I think she can do better than James."

Ella looked at Jonathan, amazed at the similarity between his sister's story and her own. She was beginning to fall in love with Jonathan, but knew her parents would never approve of him. The daughter of a Marquess, Ella would never be allowed to marry Jonathan.

"Is there something in particular you don't like about him?"

Jonathan was silent for a moment as he considered Ella's question. "No," he admitted with a sigh. "Luce is the sweetest person. I just want her to have the best husband possible. But my parents approve, so that's the end of it."

"Love works in mysterious ways, Jon," Ella said softly, unwittingly repeating his father's words. "I think it's wonderful that your sister loves him – and even more wonderful that your parents would let her marry him."

For the first time, Jonathan found himself in agreement with everyone's approval of James. As long as Luce was in love with James, and he loved her, what did his opinion matter?

"What of your female neighbours, Jon? Did any of them take your fancy?" She tried to keep her tone light and teasing, struggling to hide her jealousy.

Jonathan shook his head. "I don't really find Dorset women attractive." He gave her a mischievous grin and kissed the tip of her nose. "I prefer the women in Cornwall."

Ella's cheeks blushed bright pink at Jonathan's flirtatious comment. She ducked her face into his chest as she waited for her face to cool. "Really? What about your friends?"

"I only have one close friend," Jonathan said, growing tired with the questioning.

"What's his name? How did you meet him?"

"I hate being interrogated, Ella," he grumbled softly.

"I'm not interrogating you, Jon; I'm just asking you questions. Will you tell me about your friend?"

"Shush," Jonathan instructed as he silenced Ella with a kiss and effectively putting an end to the questioning.

With a pleased sigh, Ella wrapped her arms around Jonathan's neck and returned the kiss.

Once again left to her devices and consumed with loneliness, Ella sat on the fence, her bonnet dangling down her back as she watched her brothers and father teaching Tilly how to ride. She had not seen her sister's earlier lessons but had to admit that Tilly seemed quite competent.

She did not know why Godmama Daphne had to leave after such a short visit. But Ella found that the few short days of company made her crave it more than she ever had. She did not want to watch her brothers concern for Tilly rather than herself, but she ignored it so she would not be alone.

She found herself smiling when she saw Dominic showing off, making his horse do a tap dance as Erik and Roderick trotted on either side of Tilly. Laughing in delight, Tilly turned in her saddle to watch Dom, taking the horse with her.

"Concentrate, Matilda," Erik chided her softly. He turned to his youngest son with a dark look. "Dominic, help or go inside."

With an exaggerated sigh, that set Tilly and Ella laughing, Dominic and his horse fell into step beside Roderick's.

"Can you teach me to do that, Dom?" Tilly asked as she leant forward to look past Roderick's chest.

"Soon, brat," he promised with a grin, tugging on her scarf.

Ella watched the riding lesson with a smile, recalling when her father had tried to teach her to ride. She had been only four. He had placed her on her pony, both waved at her mother who was sitting in a chair that one of the servants had brought out for her and before Erik could finish his silent conversation with Christine, Ella had kicked her pony into motion and was trotting slowly around the yard. Erik quickly swung up into his saddle and trotted beside Ella's horse, his hand poised over the reins in case she needed his help. But she didn't.

At the end of the lesson, Ella had impatiently waited for Erik to help her dismount before she raced over to her mother and jumped on her lap. Erik followed behind her a grin lighting his face.

"Did you see, Mama? I didn't fall off once!" She pulled off her bonnet and dropped it to the floor and tossed out her curls.

"I did see, angel. You were so good at riding that I was not at all worried," Christine responded not entirely truthfully as she kissed Ella's forehead.

"She's a natural," Erik said as he slid into the chair beside Christine and ruffled Ella's curls. "We'll be teaching you how to jump in no time at all."

"When will I learn to jump?" Tilly asked sweetly as she looked again at Dominic.

Ella had the delight of watching her father's face pale at the thought of Tilly falling off her horse while trying to make a jump.

"When you can beat me in a race to the cliffs, I'll teach you," Dom promised with another grin, knowing that would be a long time coming.

Erik pulled Tilly's pony up and fixed her with a serious look. "If you want to learn how to jump, you will learn how to fall safely, Matilda. I'm not going to allow you to put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation and not know how to get out of it."

Aware that that was the best she was ever going to get, Tilly nodded and listened to and repeated everything her father said until he was convinced that she knew what to do should she ever fell from her horse.

At the end of her lesson Tilly turned slightly in the saddle and held her arms out to her father, waiting for him to help her down.

"You need to learn how to dismount, Tilly," Erik said gently as he shook his head.

Ella could see that, now that her father was convinced that Tilly could ride without falling off and injuring herself, he was starting to assert himself and become that taskmaster than she knew him to be. She could not help but laugh at Tilly's outraged expression.

"Why?" she asked, her face confused. "You always help Mama down. And Nick helps Ives. Why do I need to know how to do it?"

Dominic's lips twitched as he struggled to hold back laughter.

"One day, you may find yourself without a gentleman or groom to help you down. You need to know what to do." Erik hoped that Tilly would never have a gentleman of her own to assist her. It was hard enough to let Ives marry Nick. He was not sure if he would ever be able to hand Tilly's safety over to another man.

Once he had Tilly safely on the ground, he left her in Roderick and Dominic's care and wandered over to Ella.

"Why don't you get changed into your habit, Ella? We will all ride out to the cliffs."

Ella looked at her father, tempted by his offer. "Will Tilly be able to manage it?" She did not want to have to walk the entire way to the cliffs and back when all she really wanted to do was race Dom.

As if sensing her indecision, Erik squeezed her shoulder. "Come with us, Ellie. You may ride ahead with Dominic and Roderick. I will be able to handle Tilly on my own."

"I won't be a nuisance?" she asked, delighted to be invited, but still concerned.

Erik gave a short laugh. "As you can see from our lesson, Dominic is being more of a nuisance than you ever will, Ellie." He gave her a smile, wondering if Daphne was right and Ella was lonely. He drew breath to say something, but stopped at the last minute. This he did several times. "I'm not taking no for an answer. Go and get changed. We will wait for you."

With a beatific smile, Ella slid off the fence, into Erik's outstretched arms and raced inside to get changed.

Jonathan finished yet another letter to the War Office. In the past two months that he had been in Cornwall, he had achieved more than he could have hoped for. His biggest feat he had to admit was that he had so easily become a member of the Cornwall smugglers. None of the farmers seemed to question his presence. The leader, Bob Jones took a little convincing, but quickly accepted Jonathan's presence.

He hoped now that he had enough evidence for the Office to move in on the ring and arrest Jones. He had carefully been documenting the events and comments of the men. He knew that five of the men were nothing but poor farmers struggling to make a living. The other six men were serious about their job and took pleasure in slipping the contraband under the nose of Customs.

Smuggling for the thrill was a crime; the men would pay for what they did. But was it right for the men who honestly needed the extra money to be punished? Or to go unpunished? If someone had asked him that a few months ago, he would have said that anyone who broke the law should be punished. But now he was not certain. His mind whirling with his confused thoughts, Jonathan walked the short distance to post his letter.

Since that second night, Jonathan and Ella had been meeting secretly in the cave. During those short stolen moments, they would talk which, more often than not, would end in a heated debate. It had not taken Jonathan long to realise that the best way to silence Ella was to kiss her. He wondered if she deliberately bated him just so that he would kiss her. That thought brought a smile to his face.

A few weeks ago, Ella had demanded to know everything there was to know about him. She had questioned him endlessly and no matter how hard he tried – and how many kisses he planted on her lips – she would not be deterred. In the end, Jonathan had pulled her onto his lap and answered her questions as truthfully as possible. It would be impossible to recall the lies he told her if his answers did not have an element of truth in them.

Having posted his letter, Jonathan automatically turned towards the beach. The day was unseasonably warm and Jonathan was not surprised to see Ella walking in the shallows of the water. She never ceased to amaze him. She was the daughter of a powerful lord, and yet she acted as if was totally unaware of her station and what was expected of her. He found Ella's personality so different from the London misses he was used to. It was refreshing.

He had tried to deny that he was falling in love with her, tried to convince himself that he should cut her from his life and focus on his career. But he could not. Everyday he did not see Ella felt like a month. All he wanted was to hold her and kiss her.

"Hello, Ella." Jonathan offered her a smile as he paused on the wet sand, out of reach.

Ella turned away from the horizon and smiled at Jonathan. He stopped breathing for a moment as he admired her smile. After all this time, she still had the power to rob him of his breath. She held out her hands to him, beckoning him into the sea, but he shook his head.

"You will not greet me properly?" she asked with a pretty pout, her pale eyes sparkling.

Jonathan laughed but remained planted on the sand, watching as she played in the water, unmindful of her appearance.

"I cannot stay for long; I am taking tea with my sister," Ella informed Jonathan from the sea. If she hoped that would cause him to rush into her arms, she was to be disappointed.

"You miss her, don't you?"

Tears puddled in Ella's eyes for a brief moment before she quickly blinked them away. "I do. For so long, Ives and I were the only girls. When we were children, we would band together against Roderick and Dominic. She is my best friend. Ivy always knew what I should do."

Jonathan closed the distance between them and soon found himself ankle deep in water. It was ridiculous to be carrying a conversation with one participant standing in the water and the other one out of the water several yards away.

"She has never left you," he said softly as he pulled her into his arms and showered her face with tender kisses. "She may have a new home and a new family, but she will always be your sister."

With a smile, Ella wrapped her arms around Jonathan's neck, letting her hem trail in the water. "You are the wisest, kind-hearted smuggler I know." She rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

Jonathan stiffened for a moment. Deep down, she still did not believe him to be smuggler. That was dangerous, both for Ella and him. "Not all smugglers are cutthroats, Ella. Several of my friends tend to their farms during the day and move goods by night. I am one such man, trying to make a few extra pounds to support my family."

Seeming to accept this, Ella tightened her grip on Jonathan's shoulders. "I never thought you were like Jones. Papa tries to be understanding of his tenants who resort to smuggling when they are struggling."

Jonathan held her tighter, reassured by her words.

"I should be returning home," she said as she reluctantly stepped out of his embrace and walked to the shore where she had left her shoes and bonnet.

They walked in silence to the path. There, Jonathan paused and looked over Ella's person. He frowned when he noticed her damp hemline and her messy hair.

"Does your family never notice the state of your dress?"

Ella shook her head. "I have had a great deal of practice sneaking into the house unnoticed. Besides," she added with an impish smile, "They are accustomed to my dresses covered in mud and sand."

Her father was paying little attention to the goings on of the household. With her mother away in London, her father was beside himself. For the first time in twenty-four years of marriage, Erik and Christine were separated. The anxiety of being without Christine for more than two months and instructing Tilly how to ride made her father almost unbearable.

The visit from Daphne and Ashlyn had not helped the situation at all. In fact, it seemed to have made things worse. Erik always watched her as if he was struggling to find something to say, to encourage her to talk to him.

She smiled up at Jonathan in such a way that he could not resist giving her a kiss. "I will have plenty of time to change before tea time. No one needs to know that I have been down here."

An hour later, Ella and Ives were in the parlour sipping cups of hot chocolate. It had been a while since Ella was able to spend time with her sister without anyone else also being present. Ives had even left Nicole in the care of her nanny so that the sisters could have an uninterrupted chat.

In fact it had been over a month since Ives had last seen her sister. When she received a note from her father a few days ago telling her that something was wrong with Ella and Godmama Daphne had not been able to help, Ives and Nick immediately made the short journey back to Cornwall. Her poor father was at his wits' end.

"What has happened to you these past months, Ellie?" Ives asked gently.

She had seen the change in her sister. In fact, Ives was certain she was the only one who noticed that her sister was more prone to daydreaming than she had ever been in all of her eighteen years. No longer was Ella overtly defiant. She was just a shell of her former self. She had lost weight and her face was drawn with fatigue.

Ella shrugged. "Nothing has happened, Ivy. Maybe I am just enjoying being the lady of the house while Mama is away." Even to her own ears, Ella's attempted bright tone sounded brittle.

Ives did not look convinced. "Are you sure there is not a certain gentleman in your life? The right man can make drastic changes to your life. I should know," she finished with a contented smile. Perhaps the man that Ella loved did not care for her. A girl in love certainly could not look as unhappy as Ella.

"There is no gentleman." That was the truth. Jon was not a gentleman; he was a smuggler who thought he was a gentleman.

"No gentleman where?" Christine asked as she pushed open the door with a bright smile for her two oldest daughters. Behind her was the rest of the Heatons, delighted to have their mother home again. "What are you two talking about?"

"Ives is convinced that because she is in love everyone else is as well," Ella explained with a roll of her eyes.

Ella was in love? Christine smiled and shot a questioning look at Erik who just shrugged. He had already briefly told her of the Walters' visit. Christine was eager to learn more about the visit and if Daphne had been able to help Ella. But first she wanted to spend some time with her family.

Nick, who had entered the room in time to hear Ella's dry announcement smiled at his wife. That sounded like Ives. Since Sin and Suzette had married, Ives had occasionally tried her hand at matchmaking with varying results. He sat down on the other side of her and pulled her into his side before pressing a kiss on her cheek.

"Come and sit. You can tell me what has happened while I have been in London," Christine said with a smile as she made her way across the room.

Erik settled Christine in the settee and then pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, desperate to make up for two months' absence. Tilly climbed on Mama's lap and wrapped a curl of dark hair around her finger. The little girl smiled contentedly when her mother wrapped her free arm around her waist and gave her a hug.

"Is Grandmamma well?" Roderick finally asked when the tea tray had been placed in front of his mother.

With a nod, Christine put Tilly on Erik's lap and began to serve the tea. "Your Grandmamma is now in perfect health. She was merely suffering from a very bad flu. Grandmamma is getting old and is not used to living alone."

Erik glared at Christine. If his wife suggested that his mother-in-law move to Cornwall with him, he would strangle her! He would have to warn her not to offer their home to Maria. Even the dower house was far too close for his liking.

"She just needed some companionship," Christine continued. "She was very excited to hear how you are all growing and progressing in your studies."

She paused and surveyed everyone's faces. Things had changed in the short time she had been away. Ella was distant, Erik looked distracted and her two boys appeared exhausted. The only people who seemed unchanged were Ives and Nick, who were still glowing with happiness. Tilly looked more tanned than she had ever seen her youngest child. She shot Erik a worried glance. She would have to remember to ask him if he had taken Tilly riding.

"That is enough about my trip to the city. What has happened while I was away?"