Chapter 37 - Confrontations Part Two
Richard walked across the room, carrying a tray with a tea pot, milk, porcelain cups and sugar. He set it down on the bureau.
"The servant was too scared to come in, Miss Mathan," He explained as he began pouring the tea.
"Sir, allow me," Sally darted forward, mildly outraged that this Dragoon thought he must play the servant. She poured for Lyra first, though she was a little confused about who would come next in the order of things. She settled on Tavington, as Lyra's consort, then Joseph, Mrs. Bryant, Richard Wilkins. The Simms came last, she handed them their tea with a subtle expression of distaste on her face, before sitting not far from Lyra, with her own cup in her hand. No one said a word, after the events of the day so far, Lyra's slave joining them for tea was the least incredible.
"I take it you have a plan, Lyra?" Cole said finally. He swallowed hard against the pain in his rump, took a sip of tea, then continued in the same deep but polite tone. "You mentioned we were at your mercy."
"Indeed. My first thought was to have the two of you removed from this house, you have a town house in Charles Town - you do not need to live here. However, I have decided that I will leave, with William and my Dragoon guard. William and I will reside in my manor for the remainder of our stay in town. I do not believe we need to air our dirty laundry to the world, therefore you, Rebecca, will continue to make preparations for the ball."
"The ball will go ahead?" Rebecca asked weakly.
"Yes. It will. All of the invitees will need to be informed that the wedding has been cancelled and that will cause enough of a stir. But the ball will take place, to celebrate my return to Charles Town and my coming out to society. My debut is yet another thing you have neglected, another thing you have denied to me." Rebecca withered under Lyra's hard stare, seeming to age before her eyes. "Joseph - you will need to speak to Emily and her family. If they agree to allow the two of you to marry, your engagement will be announced at the ball, I will stand at your side, we will show a united front."
Joseph smiled at her choice of words - they would still be a united force, the two of them, but as cousins, not husband and wife.
"Very good, Lyra," Tavington approved. "Clever, there will be enough whispers of a division in your family as it is."
"And their engagement will give us another reason to celebrate. I do not like to be centre of attention, I'm not looking forward to it at all, to be honest. But it must be done, and you, Rebecca, will organise it all."
"Yes, of course," the older woman said quietly.
"William and I will leave here, this afternoon, as soon as we are packed. Another thing you will organize for me, Rebecca, is for all of the items listed in my mother's Will to be made available to me. I will return tomorrow to inspect them all. I believe there is a porcelain dinner set? I wish to give it to Mrs. Bryant, so please ensure none of it is 'accidentally' broken between now and tomorrow, for I have no wish to become wroth with you."
Rebecca nodded, but Cole snapped, "Christ, do you know how much that set is worth?"
"I don't, though I'm sure its worth quite a bit. I do not care - it is Eleanor's now."
"Lyra, I was joking when I asked you to give it to me!" Eleanor laughed. "I was joking!"
"I'm not," Lyra said firmly. "It is yours."
Mrs. Bryant hesitated, then nodded her head, graciously accepting the extravagant gift. "Thank you, Lyra."
Tavington leaned back in the chair, watching the events unfold with great amusement. That is until -
"As for the mansion," Lyra pronounced. "I wish to cede it to you, Joseph."
"What?" Joseph breathed.
"Joey, I do not want this house. As soon as we made our way back up the lane, and my eyes fell on it, I realised what I must do. I will cede it, to you."
"You can't!" Tavington grabbed her arm, turning her where she sat to face him. "Madness, Lyra! To give away an entire mansion! You will not do this!"
Lyra quirked an eyebrow. This was the exact reason she had no desire to wed, for if she had a husband, she would not be able to make grand decisions such as the one she had just made now. He could halt her at every turn. William was merely her lover and already he was protesting - how much worse would he be as her husband? She would have to obey him with almost everything! And now she had so much...
"I have made up my mind, William," she said firmly. "I feel, in my very bones, that it is the right thing to do."
She held his eyes, saw his quiver of barely controlled rage. He let go her arm, however, and she turned back to Joseph to explain.
"Grandmama Rutledge was as much yours as she was mine. I believe she would be happy with this decision for you had nothing to do with this feud, what ever it was. Besides, what would I do with so much?"
"Build a bloody life for yourself?" Tavington muttered furiously. "For us? For our family, for the children you and I will have together?"
She ignored him.
Dear Lord, he had already decided they would marry, and she had not even said yes!
"I do not want it. It holds only miserable memories," she shot an accusing glance at Cole and the still sniveling Rebecca before turning to Joseph once more. He was hanging on her every word and Lyra sensed he wanted to be convinced, but he did not want to appear greedy. "You go to Mr. Robinson. You beg on bended knee - tell him all that has happened, that you would have been cut off, set adrift, leaving you with no means to provide for Emily. You tell him your father approves of Emily and will keep your inheritance intact -" she shot Cole a stern glance and he nodded curtly, his son was getting the mansion, after all and he was now ready to agree with any of Lyra's demands. "If he is reluctant, you will tell him that as your wife, Emily will be mistress of this Estate. He will not refuse you, cousin."
"Lyra..." He shook his head, astonished. "Are you certain?"
"I am. It was your great grandmother's house too. I do not know what happened all those years ago, I find myself completely uninterested as to what caused the feud between Grandmama Rutledge and Rebecca. I care not. In the normal course of events, Joseph, the mansion would have eventually been yours, I think. Grandmama Rutledge would have left it to Rebecca, who would have left it to Cole and as his heir he would have left it to you. And as I said, I have so much. I have no desire for it. I will see Mr. Sampson about the change of ownership tomorrow. This house is yours, though there are items I wish to take with me, that belonged to my mother."
Joseph barked a laugh - utterly incredulous, then he rose from his chair, pulled Lyra up and lifted her in the air. "I can't believe you'd do this, but I'm not going to gainsay you!"
"A word of warning, though, Joseph," Lyra said seriously as he set her back on her feet. "Emily will never be mistress of this house while Rebecca lives here. She is too manipulative, deceitful and demanding. It is up to you, but if you desire a happy marriage, I'd suggest you boot the both of them out, they can live well enough in your father's townhouse."
"I think you are right, Lyra, though I will let Emily decide."
"Go to her now. She has suffered long enough."
Her cousin nodded and left the room, she could hear him calling for his horse while he was still on the stairwell.
"Sally," Lyra saw her maid had finished drinking her cup of tea. "Would you mind organising for my belongings to be packed? You can tell off a few of the mansions servants to help you."
"Of course."
"I'll help you," Eleanor rose from her seat and the two women left the room. William nodded at Lyra's guard, and the Dragoons withdrew also.
Tavington and Lyra were now alone with the Simms.
Lyra sipped her tea, taking a moment to pull her thoughts together. There was so much she wished to say, so many things she needed to make certain of.
First and foremost, as the 'head of her house', would Cole continue to try and gain possession of Lyra's other Estates - 'Green Haven', the indigo plantation, being the most lucrative? What if he found a way around the conditions stipulated in her mother's Will? She was vulnerable until she married, but she simply was not ready to make that commitment yet, though she loved William dearly.
No. There had to be another way to make certain Cole would not try. An idea came to her and Lyra began to speak quietly, yet firmly.
"I hope the two of you realise, that despite believing you had the right on your side, if the other families learn on your actions you would lose respectability? You might even find yourself shunned from the society you currently preside over."
Rebecca and Cole tensed as one, and Lyra nodded imperceptibly. Yes, she had hit the mark, now to drive her point home.
"Your own granddaughter," she said to Rebecca, then to Cole, "your own niece. A woman of your own blood who needed your protection, you instead left to her fate. Until you had need of her. What if it became common knowledge, that I was forced to pleasure Smith and that you knew of it, all along?"
The two of them shifted uncomfortably, though neither said a word.
"Yes," Lyra mused. "It would be quite devastating to your reputation, I believe. Leaving a family member to the mercies of, and her virtue compromised, by a brute such as Thomas Smith. And then to use me in such a horrid manner - forcing me to marry so that you could cheat me out of my inheritance?" She shook her head with disgust. "Quite a despicable way for a Gentleman and a Lady of your standing to behave. Especially when you already hold so much of your own wealth. You would not only be shunned, but you would be considered greedy fortune hunters! I doubt our peers would welcome you, and you would be constantly spoken of and derided."
"Blackmail?" Cole said harshly. "Where else would you be going with this?"
"Yes, blackmail," Lyra admitted, unashamed. "I do not ask for much, Cole. Fairly simple things really, easily granted."
"What things?" Rebecca asked, and Lyra knew for certain, then, that she had judged correctly. Her family would not wish for their actions to be made common knowledge.
"Green Haven is mine. You will not drag me through the courts in another attempt to take it," Lyra said firmly.
Cole hesitated. The revenues that Green Haven produced were enough to tempt him to try to assert his authority as Lyra's kin, but the threat of blackmail stalled him. Their previous attempts to take control of the Estate had come to nothing, and now with their reputation under direct threat it simply was not worth it to keep trying. "Very well," he agreed finally, casting a glance at his mother. "We have been so far unsuccessful in any case, there is no point in trying further."
Rebecca eventually nodded and it was Lyra's turn to bristle. She had judged correctly, they would not have left her alone, they would have tried some deception to take it!
"What else?" Cole asked, sensing more.
"Nothing more than I would expect from a Gentleman and a Lady!" Lyra snapped furiously. "I should not even have to have this discussion with you! Good behavior! Manners! Do you think the two of you are capable of such?"
Cole quivered, the insult in her words was clear. Lyra continued in that same, furious tone.
"There will be no more talk of my manner being akin to a savage, or a monkey or an elephant! No more demands that I play the pianola, only to disparage my performance all the way through! No snide remarks, you will show me utmost respect, especially in public! Furthermore, if I hear even one whisper about being a bastard or a whore, I will make your despicable behavior and neglect toward me known, I will publish your crimes myself!
She held both their gazes firmly, though neither gave argument.
"The two of you will do your utmost at the ball to show only solidarity between us all."
Another firm look, and though Cole shifted in his seat and his eyes glittered angrily, he still voiced no objection.
"As the head of my house," Lyra sneered at Cole with disgust, "you may have some grounds to encourage me to marry a man of your choosing. You will not allow yourself to be tempted, Sir. You will acknowledge now that I am no longer under your authority. I will live my life the way I choose and I choose to live it at Colonel Tavington's side. I will reside on Tradd St, and then leave with William when he leaves for Fort Carolina."
Cole breathed heavily with frustration and fury. She was demanding he let her, and more importantly her wealth, go completely. How much could have gained if he had married her back into the Rutledge family? The Simms and the Rutledge's had not been bound together since his grandmother had joined the Simms family. A woman of Lyra's wealth could have bought a very prestigious match indeed, for the mutual benefit of both families! He finally nodded acceptance, however, for she was proving herself too headstrong to be used, and she held all the power.
"I agree," he grated coldly, "I will not attempt to exert the authority of kinship over you any further."
Not quite the wording she was hoping for but Lyra had to concede that her Uncle could not actually release her from his authority until she was legally married. Oh well, as long as he kept his words, she must be satisfied.
"Very good, Sir. In addition, there will be no complaints made to Cornwallis. As the head of my guard, William has acted completely within his rights to cane you in retaliation for the caning you gave me. There - will - be - no - complaints, now, will there?"
"None," Cole spat. "There is nothing to make a complaint about, is there? Nothing happened."
"Ah, of course," Lyra smiled maliciously. "How humiliating it would be for you, if everyone knew?" She laughed, then subsided when Tavington took hold of her hand and shook his head, almost imperceptibly.
No boasting. Very well. Boasting was quite unbecoming, after all!
She assumed a more serious expression, and continued in a cool tone. "Are we in agreement?"
"We are," Rebecca said weakly.
"Very good. We shall take our leave of you then, and return tomorrow. Please have my mother's belongings ready before mid morning," she turned to Tavington, who was sitting hard faced and cold beside her. "I am certain Sally and Mrs. Bryant will have most of my belongings packed by now, and are probably already loading them onto the carriage. Shall we go and see?"
He nodded once and they rose.
"The carriage?" Cole asked. "You wish to loan -"
"Loan?" Lyra cut him short and arched an eyebrow. "My mother left me that carriage, Cole. It belongs to me."
"I just had the seats cushioned and reupholstered!" He spluttered. "The lacquer freshened! I put in a lot of time and expense into that carriage -"
"Thank you, Cole," Lyra smirked, it was hers and she would take it.
Tavington chuckled despite his fury. Giving away an entire holding, what was she thinking?
Lyra fell silent and glided gracefully beside her irritated lover.
"You're angry with me?" She asked as they walked through the mansion.
"Furious." He said shortly.
"It was the right thing to do, honey. And I believe my great grandmother would be pleased."
"An - entire - estate!" He hissed down at her, then drew a deep, steadying breath to gain control of his temper. It didn't work, he was still immensely angry. "Christ, Lyra! It is not too late to change your mind - it still belongs to you. Tell Mr. Simms you -"
"I have no use for it," Lyra interrupted him. "I could never bring myself to sell it, William, and it does not generate income. Undoubtably, Rebecca and Cole have been maintaining the property all these years for it has not gone to rack and ruin. But now that it is mine, I only have the income from Green Haven to maintain this property, Green Haven itself and Tradd St! I will sell the farm, that won't be an issue, but I do not want all of my profits from the indigo plantation to go into this mansions upkeep!"
Tavington continued at her side in stony silence.
"Tristan once told me I could get twenty thousand for the farm, at least. You would not believe how I am kicking myself now, for asking you to burn the house," she sighed heavily. "Be that as it may, I should still get a goodly sum for it, adding to the amount Sampson told me I have."
He stopped dead, at the top of a short flight of stairs. "Which is how much?"
"Sixty thousand pounds, or there about."
"Christ above!" Tavington's eyes widened with shock.
"So you see? I do not need this mansion."
"Why do you need me to see your reasoning, Lyra? I have no say! I am not your husband and you will never marry me - not now, not if it means relinquishing your control over these Estates!"
Lyra fell silent.
"Your wording was not lost on me, Lyra," he snapped. "Never once did you refer to me as your fiancé, even after I asked you to marry me now that you are free of Joseph. 'I am Colonel Tavington's lover', you said. You told them you choose to live at my side, but made no allusions to the eventuality of marriage!"
He stomped down the short flight of stairs and she followed him in silence, trying to gather her thoughts. He marched ahead of her, pushed into his bedchamber, then held the door open, closing it only when she had entered. By silent agreement, the couple decided to wait until they were in private to continue their lovers tiff.
:::::::
A/N - again, thanks for the reviews - I appreciate them immensely! Lisette and the smiley guest - thank you!
I know this chapter was a little less charged than the last one, no one screaming and no one caned! :-)