Cry of the Baroness: Secrets of Scarlett Hall Book 9 Read online

  He gave her a mock look of shock and clasped his hands together. “Like you in that she is so joyful. A pleasure to be around.”

  Harmony grinned. “You do know the right words to say,” she replied.

  The carriage slowed, and Nathaniel peeked out the window. “We are passing through Rumsbury,” he said. “We will be home shortly.”

  Home. Today they would return to Scarlett Hall as husband and wife, she as the new Lady Lambert, a title she carried with pride. Yet how could she ever walk in the capable steps of Eleanor? Nathaniel’s mother was a beautiful woman with a kind heart, a lady Harmony could only hope to aspire to be like.

  Thinking of Eleanor reminded her that the woman planned to leave Scarlett Hall upon their return to begin a new life with the man she loved. “Will you miss her?” Harmony asked. “Your mother, I mean.”

  He nodded. “I will, but I made her promise to come and visit us at least twice a year. More if she would like.” He turned to face her. “We must hire a new butler, and I will need a valet. We must make Scarlett Hall ours, so if you would like to make any changes such as furniture or décor, you may do so.”

  Harmony smiled. “I cannot think of a single thing I would like to change,” she replied. “But if anything comes to mind, I will surely let you know.”

  He took her hand in his and kissed it. “Scarlett Hall is your home as much as it is mine, a place where we will create the most wonderful memories. To hear you sing to our children. To walk the grounds and explore every space. So do not be afraid to make any request you wish.” He kissed her hand again, and this time when he looked at her, his eyes were filled with that passion she so easily recognized. “I cannot wait to take this journey together.”

  “Nor can I,” Harmony replied. “Everything is perfect as long as I can share it with you.”

  He leaned in and their lips met. She still could not comprehend why every time they kissed she felt as if she were floating, but she was glad for the sensation.

  The carriage made a sharp turn that caused Nathaniel to press against her.

  “It appears we are not the only ones engaged in a kiss,” he whispered, and they laughed again.

  It was with those sounds of laughter that they arrived at Scarlett Hall ready to begin their new life. Together. Forever.

  ***

  Laughter, joy, and love guided Harmony and Nathaniel as they made their way to the portico of Scarlett Hall. As their feet climbed the steps, Harmony’s excitement grew. What would her life be from this day forward? She had so much to learn, but she had no doubts she was capable of handling anything that came her way.

  “Look,” Nathaniel whispered.

  She followed his gaze back to the carriage. David was speaking to Lydia, both feigning interest in the horses.

  “The way he smiles at her? I know it all too well, for it is how I smile at you.”

  “It is a beautiful sight,” she replied. “Now, my husband, let us take our first steps of the next stage of our life as Baron and Baroness Lambert.”

  They turned just as the door opened, and Harmony’s smile faltered. Eleanor had grown paler since they had left for Cornwall and her dress now hung from her frame. There was now a hollowness in her eyes and she appeared far more tired than she had upon their departure. There would be no need to keep secret his mother’s illness, for it was quite evident now that she was unwell.

  Behind her stood Forbes, his stoic and kind features replaced with concern.

  “Mother?” Nathaniel said as he hurried to the woman’s side. “What is wrong? You look as if you have seen a ghost.”

  A flicker of movement caught Harmony’s eye, and a man she did not recognize appeared in the doorway. He was not as tall as Nathaniel but he was wider, although she suspected he had not an ounce of fat on him. Indeed, the muscles of his arms tested the fabric of his coat even as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Something about him seemed familiar to her, but for whatever reason, she could not remember where she had seen him before, if she indeed ever had. Yet, it was his dark eyes and foreboding grin that made her take a step toward her husband.

  “Alas,” the man said, the corners of his mouth twitching, “my brother has returned from his honeymoon.” He took a step forward and placed his arms around Nathaniel in what she imagined was meant to be an embrace, but it lacked the warmth of such a sign of affection.

  Harmony’s mind raced with confusion. Brother? Nathaniel had no brothers.

  “And his beautiful bride,” he continued, giving her a deep bow. “Welcome home.” His eyes raked over her, but before she could consider his boldness, he also put his arms around her and kissed her cheek!

  “Who are you?” Nathaniel demanded. “And why do you call me brother?”

  The man chuckled. “Perhaps I should allow your mother to explain more later. All you need to know at the moment is that my name is Isaac Thorne, but it should be Lambert.” His smile widened, but it never touched his eyes. “I have always wanted a brother, and now I have not only that but a sister-in-law and several sisters, as well.”

  Harmony glanced at Eleanor. Did the woman have a child about whom no one knew?

  “If this is a joke, Mother,” Nathaniel said, “I do not find it humorous in any way. Now, please, tell me what is going on here.”

  The mysterious Mr. Thorne laughed and clasped Nathaniel on the shoulder. “Do you not see? Look at me! Do I not resemble our father in every way? Certainly more than you do.”

  Harmony gasped and then covered her mouth. She had seen the portrait of Charles Lambert at the top of the stairs several times, and this man standing before them now had a keen likeness to the man in the portrait.

  “I am going into Rumsbury to give you and your bride some time to learn of what has transpired since your departure,” Mr. Thorne said. He turned his gaze upon her and smiled. “And what to expect for your future.”

  Chapter Three

  Nathaniel dropped onto the sofa covered in white fabric in the drawing room. Everything in his world had been stripped away, pulled out from under his feet like a rug, leaving him tumbling to the floor in an undistinguished heap.

  A thousand questions rang through his mind as his mother sat in one of the chairs across from him, Harmony taking the place beside him. Her touch was gentle and seemed to remind his lungs to draw in breath once again.

  “I returned home to begin my new life,” he said dejectedly. “Now I find there is another child?” He shook his head. “Why did you not tell me about this other son of yours?”

  “He is not my son,” his mother replied. “He was born to your…father.”

  Nathaniel understood that she spoke of Charles Lambert and not Barnard Forbes, for which he was grateful for he had yet to tell Harmony the truth about his bloodline. It was not that he did not trust her, nor did he believe she would think less of him, but if he could push that truth back into the recesses of his mind, perhaps he would not be forced to face it.

  “For many years I knew your father had made some sort of – shall I call it a mistake? – before we married,” his mother continued. “I was told he had burned down the stable of a wealthy lord and was making reparations to pay for the damage he had caused. Although I suspected he had not been forthright with his explanation, I never considered the truth to be this…dire.”

  As she continued to reveal all she had learned, Nathaniel felt a numbness settle upon him. He was uncertain how much time had passed, but did it matter?

  “How long before the transfer of power takes place?” he asked. “Surely I have time to make my case against this claim.”

  “Six months,” his mother replied. “Six months, nearly five now, and Isaac Thorne will take his place as the proper Baron Lambert.”

  Nathaniel ground his teeth in rage. “No! I am the baron, not this man. I do not care what anyone says, but your marriage to my…” he glanced at Harmony, “my father was completed properly. Neither myself nor my sisters are bastard offsprings. I wil
l not have it!”

  “Will Nathaniel’s control over the Parker Estate remain secure?” Harmony asked.

  “It will,” Eleanor replied. “That has been left to him through my bloodline and has nothing to do with Charles.”

  Nathaniel leaped from the sofa. “This is not about the Parker Estate!” he said. Harmony flinched, and although it pained him to frighten her, he could not help himself. “Are you concerned we will be forced to live as paupers?”

  “Of course not!” she replied. “You know I care nothing for how full one’s coffers are, but if you do lose your title and this home, at least you will retain a goodly amount of wealth.”

  Shaking his head in anger, he said, “It is all about the title and this home! Scarlett Hall is a place of refuge, a place where my sisters and I grew up, and I will not have it taken from me!” He was shouting by the time he finished.

  Harmony placed a hand on his arm. “Please, you must calm yourself.” Although her touch would have been enough, it did little to bring down the burning rage within him

  He shrugged away her hand. The hurt look she gave him tore his heart in two, and he closed his eyes in frustration as she retook her seat.

  “We will hire the best solicitors,” he said finally. “Perhaps there is a way out of this.”

  “I have already sent word,” his mother said. “But I fear it will do no good. There are witnesses, dozens of them, who can corroborate Isaac’s story. I am afraid there is nothing we can do.”

  “I do not accept that,” Nathaniel growled. The door opened and Forbes entered, banking his fury all the more. “We are having a family meeting. Please leave.” When the butler looked past Nathaniel, his ire increased further. “Did you not hear me? I asked you to leave!”

  “Nathaniel,” Harmony said with a gasp, “there is no need to…”

  “Keep silent!” Nathaniel snapped. “I cannot have you interfering.” He hated that he spoke so harshly, but he could not control the rage that burned within him. Why was it that his head spun as if everything around him was out of control? Perhaps because it was.

  At his mother’s touch, however, the spinning came to a blessed stop. “Sit and listen to what Forbes has to say,” she whispered. Then she smiled. “Do this for me. Please”

  Nathaniel nodded and retook his seat. Forbes walked over to stand by his mother, who had returned to her chair.

  “I am sorry, my lord,” Forbes intoned, “that you and your wife have returned under such dire circumstances. However, it is my hope that your home and title can be saved.”

  “I hope so, too,” Nathaniel replied. “My title is what separates me from others. I cannot be seen as common.” He regretted the words as soon as they left his lips, for pain flickered in Forbes’ eyes. Yet, what should it matter to him what a butler thought?

  Because he is your father, Nathaniel said to himself. Despite that fact, if he were to ignore it, perhaps it would remain hidden.

  “Of course, my lord,” Forbes said. “That is why I will leave this very afternoon for Scotland. I will learn more about these rumors and see what truths I can uncover that will aid us in seeing the title where it should be.”

  Nathaniel nodded. “I would appreciate it,” he conceded.

  “However,” the butler continued, “it is my opinion that until such things are proven to be true, you should consider moving to one of your other estates far away from here. It will not bode well for you or Lady Harmony to remain. There will be too much pain if you are forced to endure that man’s company at every turn.”

  Shifting in his seat, Nathaniel said, “May the Lord himself guide you this day and return you safely to Scarlett Hall. However, my wife and I will remain here.” He offered a hand to his wife, who took it without hesitation and stood beside him. “Even if it means the very walls that hold this great home upright collapse around me.”

  ***

  The sun had long since set as Nathaniel stood alone in the drawing room of the home he had always loved. He glanced at the unlit fireplace and recalled memories of Charles Lambert, a man he had always thought of not only as his father but also as a man of integrity. It had been Nathaniel’s greatest wish to make him proud, even if he was already gone.

  Yet, the more he learned of the man he was replacing, the less he thought of him, for the former baron had been a cruel man who used his fists on his wife to keep her in line. No reputable gentleman treated a woman in such a despicable manner!

  To learn that Charles had already been married when he wed Nathaniel’s mother was enough to bring his world crashing down around him. What more did he not know about the man he had always believed to be his father?

  He spread his fingers wide before him and studied his hand. How could a man strike a woman he professed to love? He could not imagine using his fist against Harmony no matter what wrongs she did.

  Sighing, he took another sip of his brandy, his third of the night. He did not have time to contemplate what had already occurred, for he had more important matters with which to concern himself. Such as how to save his title and home. To lose either would strip away everything Nathaniel believed himself to be, for he was a baron, a title that showed how different he was from the majority of people in life.

  It was not that he believed himself better than others, but he feared that without the title, who he truly was would only be reinforced. The bastard son of a butler. A child born out of an affair.

  Why had his mother allowed that man to get so close?

  He shook his head. That was an issue he would have to deal with later. Right now he had to find a way to deal with Isaac Thorne.

  The man had returned to Scarlett Hall after dinner with the strong odor of spirits on his breath. His mother had made the mistake of giving entry to him when she should have sent him packing. To ask him to stay at Scarlett Hall until the final decision was made had been downright ludicrous! Although her reasoning had some merit, it did not stop Nathaniel from believing it a poor choice. Isaac needed to be sent far away, and Nathaniel had to devise a plan to see that happen.

  Walking over to the line of decanters, he poured himself another brandy just as Harmony entered the room. Guilt rushed over him as he thought of the way he had spoken to her earlier, but what they had been forced to endure upon their return had been the ultimate cause of his frustration. He had every right to be angry!

  “My husband,” she said with a small smile as she approached him, “you should come to bed. I promise to be better company than the brandy you are drinking. Or are you avoiding me?”

  Although she was clearly teasing, he lacked the patience to join in her banter. “It is not you I am avoiding,” he replied. “I am merely thinking of what to do about this Isaac fellow.”

  “We only returned today,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “There is plenty of time to consider how you will handle what has happened. Now, come to bed. We can worry about this tomorrow.”

  Nathaniel was uncertain if it was the exhaustion that consumed him or his anger at Isaac, but whatever it was, he found himself raising his voice to his wife again. “There may not be a tomorrow,” he snapped. “Every breath taken in vain brings him closer to taking this home from me.”

  “I understand how much Scarlett Hall means to you. It is a beautiful estate full of wonderful memories. However, it does not define you. Nor does the title you will lose.”

  He glared at her. “So, you believe I will lose my title?” he said as he took a step back. “Do you think I am not man enough to keep it?”

  Harmony’s eyes widened. “Not at all. But I fear the courts will not be able to stop what is coming.” She touched his arm again. “I have told you before that I care nothing for titles. If you are worried about what I will think of you, I can assure you I will not love you any less than I do at this very moment.”

  Nathaniel swallowed the brandy in one gulp. He had hoped it would help with his thinking, but it was not having the effect he had anticipated. “I am not conce
rned about what you think,” he said, “But the title is important to me. No matter what you believe, it does define how others see me.”

  She frowned. “This is not how the Nathaniel I know speaks,” she said. “Why is it so important?”

  How he wished he could tell her the truth about his mother and Forbes, but to admit such a thing to his wife would only cause her to look at him with disdain, no matter her arguments to the contrary. She may smile and assure him all was well, but he knew she would never look at him the same way again. And that was something he could not risk.

  “I am going to bed,” she said in that same calming tone she always used. “Would you care to join me?”

  Nathaniel looked into his empty glass. Although he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms tonight, he had too much to deliberate. “I will join you later,” he replied.

  He kissed her cheek and with a heavy heart watched her leave the room. It was for the best, for only he could resolve the issues he was facing. And he had to do so alone or hazard bringing down the woman he loved with him if he failed.

  Chapter Four

  Harmony vaguely recalled Nathaniel coming to bed the night before. When she woke in the morning with the sunrise, she found the space beside her empty. Although she was happy to be married to him, she could not help but worry about her husband.

  He continued to struggle with guilt over how he had used his power to intimidate her father, for it went against everything he believed to be true. Now with the threats that accompanied this man claiming to be his brother, she worried about the lengths he would take to save what was his.

  After Lydia helped her dress for the day, Harmony made her way downstairs. She listened for any evidence of Nathaniel’s presence, and upon hearing none, she went to the study to see if Eleanor was about. To her pleasure, the door was open and the lady herself sat behind the desk.