Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate it.
Standard disclaimer.
For the first time since Liam's accident, Gwen had slept without nightmares.
After emerging from a deep rest, she sat up in bed, as her lady's maid, Cora, brought her breakfast tray.
"Good morning, milady," the maid greeted.
She placed the tray on Gwen's lap, while a housemaid opened the curtains, to admit a spill of weak gray light, from the cloud-hazed sky.
"Lord Pendragon gave me a note to set by your plate," she finished.
Frowning curiously, Gwen unfolded the small rectangular parchment. Arthur's penmanship was angular and decisive, the words written in black ink.
Madam,
As I will soon depart for London, I would like to discuss a matter of some consequence. Please come to the library at your earliest convenience.
Arthur.
All her nerves jumped at the notion of facing Arthur. She knew why he wanted to speak to her...he was going to ask her to leave the estate as soon as possible.
He would not want to be burdened by the presence of Liam's widow, or his sisters, and certainly no one would expect it of him.
Today, she would send out inquiries to find a house.
With strict economizing, she, Cassandra, and the twins, could live on the income from her jointure.
Perhaps, it was for the best, to make a new beginning somewhere else.
Very little good had come to her, in the three months she had lived at Hampshire Priory. And although Cassandra and the twins, loved the only home they have ever known, they would benefit from a change.
They had been secluded from the world for too long. They needed new people, a new scenery and new experiences.
Yes...the four of them, together, would manage.
But Gwen was worried about what would become of the servants and tenants.
It was a pity too, that with her husband's death, the Pendragon family and its proud legacy, had essentially come to an end.
Filled with melancholy, she dressed with Cora's assistance, in multiple layers of petticoats, a corset, and a petite padded bustle.
Next, came a black crepe dress, fitted close to the body, with pleated tiers, that draped down the back and ended in a slight train.
The dress was fastened down the front with jet buttons, and the long sleeves fitted closely to her wrists, were finished with detachable cuffs made of white linen.
She considered and rejected the idea of a veil, deciding wryly, that she and Arthur were beyond such formalities.
While Cora arranged Gwen's hair in plaits, that had been twisted and pinned tightly to the back of her head, she asked cautiously,
"Milady, has his lordship said anything, about what he plans to do with the staff? Many are worried about their positions."
"So far he has said nothing to me of his plans," Gwen said, inwardly chafing at her own helplessness. "But your position with me is safe."
"Thank you, milady."
Cora looked marginally relieved, but Gwen understood her conflicting emotions.
After being an upper servant at a grand estate, it would be a comedown to work at a cottage, or a set of rented rooms.
"I'll do what I can to influence Lord Pendragon on behalf of the servants," she told her, "But I'm afraid, I have no sway over him."
They exchanged bleak smiles, and Gwen left the room.
As she approached the library, she felt her heartbeat quicken uncomfortably. Squaring her shoulders, she crossed the threshold.
Arthur appeared to be browsing over a row of books, reaching up to straighten a trio of volumes, that had fallen sideways.
"My lord," Gwen said quietly.
He turned, his gaze finding hers at once.
He was stunningly handsome, dressed in a dark suit of clothes, that had been tailored, in the new looser-fitting fashion...the coat, waistcoat, and trousers, all made of matching fabric.
The informal cut of the suit, did nothing to soften the hard lines of his body and for a moment, Gwen couldn't help remembering the feel of his arms around her, and his solid chest beneath her cheek.
Heat swept over her face, as she watched Arthur bowed, his face inscrutable.
While he appeared relaxed at first glance, a closer look, revealed faint shadows beneath his eyes, and finespun tension, beneath his calm veneer.
"I hope you're well this morning," he said quietly.
Her blush deepened uncomfortably.
"Yes, thank you." She curtsied and wove her fingers together in a stiff knot. "You wished to discuss something before you depart?"
"Yes, regarding the estate, I've come to some conclusions..."
"I do hope..." she began, and broke off. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to..."
"Go on."
Gwen dropped her gaze to her clenched hands as she spoke.
"My lord, if you decide to dismiss any of the servants...or indeed all of them...I hope you take into account, that some have served the Pendragons for their entire lives. Perhaps, you might consider giving small parting sums to the oldest ones, who have little hope of securing other employment."
"I'll bear it in mind."
She could feel him looking at her, his gaze as tangible, as the heat of sunlight, while the mahogany bracket clock on the mantel, measured out the silence with delicate ticks.
Arthur's voice was soft when he spoke.
"You're nervous with me."
"After yesterday..." Gwen started, but broke off, swallowed hard, and nodded.
"No one but the two of us will ever know about that."
Even if she chose to believe him, it didn't set her at ease.
The memory was an unwanted bond with him.
He had seen her at her weakest, her lowest, and she would have preferred him to be mocking, rather than treat her with gentleness.
She forced herself to meet his gaze, as she admitted with vexed honesty,
"It's easier to think of you as an adversary."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"That puts us in an awkward situation, then, as I've decided against selling the estate."
Gwen's jaw dropped and suddenly, she was too astonished to reply.
She couldn't believe it.
Had she heard him correctly?
"Hampshire Priory's situation is so desperate," Arthur continued, "That few men could conceivably make it worse. Of course, I'm probably one of them."
He gestured to a pair of chairs, positioned near the writing desk.
"Will you sit with me?"
She nodded, her thoughts racing, as she settled into the chair.
Yesterday, he had seemed so resolved...there had been no doubt, that he would dispense with the estate and all its problems, as expediently as possible.
Now...wow! This complex man has thrown her for a loop.
After she had arranged her skirts and folded her hands in her lap, Gwen sent Arthur a wondering gaze.
"May I ask what caused you to change your mind, my lord?"
Arthur was slow to reply, his expression troubled.
"I've tried to think of every reason, why I should wash my hands of this place. But I keep returning to the conclusion, that I owe it to every man, woman, and child on this estate, to try and save it. Hampshire Priory has been the work of generations. I can't destroy it."
"I think that's a very admirable decision," she said, with a hesitant smile.
His mouth twitched.
"My brother calls it vanity. He predicts failure, of course."
"Then, I'll be the counterbalance," she said impulsively, "And predict success."
Arthur gave her an alert glance, then dazzled her with a quick grin.
"Don't put money on it," he advised. The smile faded, except for a lingering quirk at one corner of his mouth. "I kept waking during the night," he said, "Arguing with myself. But then it occurred to me, to wonder what my father would have done, had he lived long enough, to find himself in my position."
"He would have saved the estate?" she asked.
"No, he wouldn't have considered it for a second." He chuckled softly. "It's safe to say, that doing the opposite of what my father would have done, is always the right choice."
Gwen regarded him with sympathy.
"Did he drink?" she dared to ask.
"He did everything. And if he liked it, he did it in excess...a Pendragon through and through."
She nodded, thinking of Liam.
"It has occurred to me," she ventured, "That the family temperament, isn't well suited to stewardship."
Amusement glinted in Arthur's eyes.
"Speaking as a man, who has the family temperament in full measure, I agree. I wish I could claim to have a mother from steady, pragmatic stock, to balance out the Pendragon wildness...unfortunately, she was worse."
"Worse?" Gwen asked, her eyes widening. "She had a temper?"
"No, but she was unstable. Flighty. It's no exaggeration to say, there were days at a time, when she forgot she even had children."
"My parents were very attentive and involved," Gwen volunteered after a moment. "As long as you were a horse."
Arthur smiled.
He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his legs, dropping his head for a moment.
The posture was far too casual to affect, in the presence of a lady, but it revealed how very tired and overwhelmed he was.
And for the first time, Gwen felt a stirring of genuine sympathy for him.
It wasn't fair, that he should have to contend, with so many dire problems all at once, without warning or preparation.
"There's another matter I need to discuss," Arthur said, eventually, sitting up again. "I can't, in good conscience, turn Liam's sisters out of the only home they've ever known." One of his brows arched, when he saw Gwen's expression. "Yes, I have a conscience. It's been abused and neglected for years, but even so, it occasionally manages to be a nuisance."
"If you're considering allowing the girls to remain here..."
"I am. But the scenario presents obvious difficulties. They'll require a chaperone. Not to mention, rigorous instruction, if they're to eventually come out in society."
"Society?" Gwen echoed in bemusement. "All three?"
"Why not? They're of an age, aren't they?"
"Yes, but...the expense..."
"That's for me to worry about." He paused. "You would need to manage the most difficult part of this whole business...taking the twins in hand. Civilizing them, to whatever extent you can manage."
"Me?" Her eyes widened. "You...you propose that I remain at Hampshire Priory with them?"
Arthur nodded.
"Obviously, you're scarcely older than Cassandra and the twins, but I believe you could manage them quite well. Certainly better than a stranger could."
He paused.
"They deserve the same opportunities, that other young ladies of their rank enjoy. I'd like to make that possible, but I can't do it without you staying here, to bring them along." He smiled slightly. "Of course, you would be free to train Ahmad as well. I suspect he'll learn table manners, before Bia does."
Gwen's heart was fluttering madly.
To stay here with Cassandra and the twins...and Ahmad...it was more than she could have dared to dream.
"I suppose, you would live here as well?" Gwen asked warily.
"I'll visit infrequently," Arthur said. "But most of the work, in setting the estate's financial affairs to rights, will have to be done in London. In my absence, the entire household will be under your supervision. Would that be inducement enough for you to stay?"
Gwen began to nod, before he'd even finished the sentence.
"Yes, my lord," she said, almost breathless with relief. "I'll stay. And I'll help you any way I can.
Stay safe!