Cry of the Baroness: Secrets of Scarlett Hall Book 9 Page 4

  Although light streamed through one of the windows, Isaac had requested that the dining table be set with two large candelabras, which gave the atmosphere a feeling of intimacy. Harmony thought it was a thoughtful, albeit unnecessary, gesture.

  “I worried you would change your mind about dining with me,” Isaac said as he approached Harmony and Nathaniel. “It gives me great relief you have come.” He offered Harmony a smile, which she returned. He truly was a kind man.

  “Forgive us our tardiness,” Nathaniel replied stiffly. “I only just returned home. I did not mean to dally while dressing.”

  Harmony smiled up at her husband with pride. He had promised to make every attempt at civility. It would not be an easy feat, so the fact he was cordial said much.

  “That is fine,” Isaac said. “Come, let us sit. We would not want the food to grow cold.”

  As Harmony went to her usual seat at the foot of the table, Nathaniel made his way to his at the head.

  “Brother, wait,” Isaac called out as he hurried to the chair to the left of the head. “Please, sit here.”

  Harmony held her breath as she waited for Nathaniel to erupt in a violent bout of anger, and she would not have blamed him if he did. His place as baron and head of the family was at the head of the table, not one of the side places. Not wanting an argument, she placed a gentle hand on his arm and gave him a beseeching look. Do not cause rifts in this sandy foundation, it said.

  With a reluctant nod, her husband stood behind the chair Isaac indicated.

  Then Isaac pulled out the chair opposite his, indicating he wanted her to sit at the foot.

  She gave Nathaniel a questioning glance. Did she sit at what would have been her usual place when her husband did not?

  “I realize this may seem strange,” Isaac said with a reassuring smile, “but tonight we celebrate the bride, do we not?” When she nodded, he added, “Then this is where she should sit.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured. His reasoning was sound enough, but why should he only consider celebrating her? She sympathized with what Nathaniel had to be feeling at the moment. Well, she would take the first step to keep the peace.

  She took her seat, and Isaac made his way to the head of the table.

  A footman hurried over and poured their wine. Isaac took his glass in hand and lifted it in a toast. “I came to Scarlett Hall as a guest,” he intoned. “And perhaps I remain as such. But to think that I have come home to find the brother for whom I have always longed is astounding.”

  Harmony smiled. What a lovely sentiment! Her smile dropped, however, when she looked at Nathaniel. His face was red and he was clearly doing all he could to maintain calmness.

  “And not only did I find a brother,” Isaac continued, apparently not noticing Nathaniel’s distress, “but his beautiful wife, who has been gracious and kind to me. Tonight we celebrate their new marriage and the happiness they share.” He looked at Harmony and added, “May the gentle smile of Harmony bless us all.”

  What complimentary words! she thought as her cheeks heated. As they took a sip of the wine, her face grew hotter. He had yet to take his eyes off her! For a moment, she wondered if that gaze was impure, yet no, that was silly. She was the only person using a civil tongue with him and he likely felt the most comfortable with her. Perhaps by the end of the night Isaac would convince Nathaniel that he had no need to worry. How wonderful it would be if they became friends!

  To her surprise, Nathaniel did respond. “It is very kind of you to honor us,” her husband said. “You are much older than I. May I ask why you have not yet married?”

  Harmony stifled a groan. Bluntness was not the best mode of communication at the moment. What they should do was choose their words with care, not blurt out intimate questions on the onset!

  Isaac sighed and retook his seat. “I was once meant to be married,” he replied as he looked down at his glass. “We spoke of a future together, one in which we would travel to a faraway land.” Then he chuckled and shook his head. “Of course, such talk is foolish. Her name was Mary and…sadly she had an accident that took her life.”

  “My condolences,” Harmony said. “I cannot imagine the heartbreak you must feel.”

  “How did she die?” Nathaniel asked. “Was it a carriage accident?”

  Harmony could not stop her eyes from widening in shock. Why was her husband being so heartless? There was no need to prey on the other man’s suffering!

  “Your perception is very clear, my brother,” Isaac replied. “The carriage in which she was riding made a sudden turn in the road, and she fell from the vehicle when the door flew open.”

  Harmony’s heart went out to the man. He was lost and without his love. She was certain now more than ever that kindness would prevail, for he had suffered a great loss.

  A footman entered the room, followed by several others carrying trays ladened with tender lamb in wine sauce, roasted potatoes, and stewed spinach.

  As they ate, conversation halted, and Harmony considered ways of breaking the silence that prevailed.

  Finally, when no one else seemed interested in a cordial exchange of words, she set down her utensils and smiled at Isaac. “It is clear you received a very good education,” she said. “May I ask which schools you attended?”

  Isaac blushed. “It is kind of you to say so,” he replied. “But I did not attend school. In fact…would you care to listen to a story?”

  “Yes, please,” she replied, glad they would not endure the entire meal in silence. She gave Nathaniel a quick smile, but his face was impassive.

  “My life was very different from that of other servants,” Isaac said. “My mother and I worked at a large estate, not as massive as this home, of course, but imposing, nonetheless. She was the housekeeper for the house and I worked as a stableboy. Later, I apprenticed with a blacksmith. In the evening when we returned home after a long day’s work, a tutor would come to our house and give me lessons.”

  Harmony raised her eyebrows. “Your income was that great?” she asked before she could curb her tongue.

  Isaac chuckled, but it possessed no mirth. “No. However, Mother was paid for her silence. She promised to never tell a soul who my father was. After all the years of living with the taint of being a bastard, I decided that I had to learn the truth. I began looking for whatever information I could find and came to learn that it was not I who was the bastard but rather my brother.”

  Nathaniel slammed his fist on the table. “Enough! I will not sit here and be insulted any longer.”

  The chairs scraped the floor as both men stood, Nathaniel’s nearly toppling behind him in his haste.

  Guilt coursed through Harmony. She should not have asked her question, for it clearly was a subject that offended Isaac.

  Fearing the men would come to blows, she said, “Please, gentlemen, there is no need for anger. We are learning about one another’s lives and should not allow what occurred in the past, things over which none of us had control, to rile us.”

  “I will not have myself or my sisters referred to in such a disrespectful manner!” Nathaniel growled. “You are here as a guest until matters are settled, but I will have you removed if the need arises.”

  “So, it is true,” Isaac replied sadly. “You do not see me as your brother.”

  Harmony looked from one man to the other, uncertain as to what to do. The evening was unraveling at a breakneck pace, and she wrung her hands. There had to be a way to calm these two!

  “Isaac,” she said in a firm tone, “we understand the burden you must have carried growing up without a father. However, you cannot call another man, and most certainly not your brother, a bastard.” Then she turned to her husband. “And you, whether he is our guest or not, anger will solve nothing.”

  Nathaniel threw his napkin on the table as if it had been the cause of his anger. “This is futile! I have nothing in common with this man.”

  “What your wife says is true,” Isaac replied. “My choic
e of words was hurtful and uncalled for. I beg your forgiveness.”

  For a moment, Nathaniel seemed to study the other man, but then he pulled the chair beneath him. “Let us finish our meal,” he said. “The food grows as cold as the conversation.”

  ***

  Harmony paced the bedroom floor as she waited for Nathaniel to come to bed. After dinner finished, she had excused herself in order to give the brothers the opportunity to talk alone. Granted, it was a risky endeavor, but she had to trust that Nathaniel would make the right decision and not pummel Isaac. She prayed their discussion would pave the road to building an amicable relationship. After what had occurred at dinner, she could not help but be skeptical, however.

  The sound of footsteps made her turn, and Nathaniel entered the room.

  “Did you two behave after I left?” she teased, although her teasing was minor. She truly wished to know.

  “We have agreed to remain civil,” he replied as he pulled off his coat. “I do not trust him, but I believe Mother made the right decision by asking him to stay here.”

  Harmony hurried over to her husband and threw her arms around him. “I am so glad,” she said into his chest, loving the feeling of him pulling her close. “I understand your hesitancy; it is only natural, but we can always be civil to those who go against us.”

  “My temper this evening…I am sorry for my actions.”

  She snuggled in closer. “There is no need to be sorry. We have discussed this before. You carry a heavy burden at the moment but at least the two of you have made some semblance of peace.” She glanced up at him and crinkled her brow. “Are you smiling?”

  “How can I not? I am married to the most beautiful and wisest woman in all of England, or I dare say the world.”

  “Our life, our marriage, and our love,” Harmony replied, “are our world, and it’s a beautiful place to be.”

  They kissed, a warm, sensational meeting of the lips. Then he took her by the hand and led her to the window. When he pulled her into his arms once more, she snuggled against him.

  “I worry about Mother,” he said with a sigh. “Her cough has worsened and she has become much too thin. Do you think she is unwell?”

  Harmony tugged at her lip. She had promised Eleanor she would not reveal the truth about her current state, and although she did not relish the idea of lying to her husband, she had no other choice. It would have to be up to Eleanor to tell Nathaniel the truth.

  “I believe she will regain her strength soon enough,” Harmony replied. “It is why she has been resting and staying at her ease. Remember, she is no longer a young woman.” She poked him in the side. “Now, you must get your sleep, too, so you are able to maintain your strength.”

  “Of course you are right,” he said. “There is nothing about which to worry.”

  Although she wished nothing more than to agree, she could not bring herself to lie to him again.

  Then he gazed down at her, his eyes clouded with desire. “You do realize that I have other ways to gain my strength, do you not?” he asked, a huskiness to his voice.

  Pushing away the guilt for her lie, she smiled. “Is that so, Husband? Well, we shall see about that.”

  Chapter Seven

  Harmony glanced down at the journal in her hands. It had belonged to Lady Katherine Lambert, the 3rd Baroness Lambert. The woman’s life had been as interesting as her predecessors, but Harmony struggled to keep her mind on what she was reading.

  It had been two weeks since she and Nathaniel had returned to Scarlett Hall, and her worry had not diminished despite her husband’s assurance that he and Isaac, although not amicable, were tolerating one another. It was not the friendship she had hoped for, but at least their association had not worsened.

  Eleanor spent the majority of her day in bed, and with each passing day, she became paler and weaker. She had taken to adding blush to her cheeks as a means to convince Nathaniel she was not as ill as she truly was.

  Not that Nathaniel would have noticed, in all honesty, for he spent the majority of his time in the study pouring over business ledgers and planning for the future. He never confided in Harmony about his plans, but she had to trust he would do what was best for his family. She did not doubt, however, that he was doing all he could to ready himself for a court battle.

  Evening meals together were often spent in silence, although Harmony did what she could to strike up conversation. Nathaniel tended to give one-word responses to her questions when Isaac was with them and did nothing to create any sort of conversation with his brother. Perhaps he was doing what he could to keep his promise, but by doing so, it left her with the burden of entertaining their guest.

  Well, perhaps guest was a poor choice of words, but until he won his case in court, that was what he was. No one was ready to consider him family, so it was the best she could do in the circumstances.

  She adjusted her posture and returned to the journal. Her reading was interrupted, however, when Isaac entered the library. Devoid of his dark coat, he wore only his waistcoat and shirt. It was the first time she had ever seen him in such a state of undress.

  “Good morning,” he said with a clearly forced smile. “Forgive me for interrupting, but may I ask your advice about a particular issue?”

  She closed the journal once more and placed it on a nearby table. “Of course. What is the problem?” She hoped he and Nathaniel had not quarreled again. Although they had maintained relative civility, they had come to words several times over trivial matters, and she was growing weary of calming them.

  “It is I,” he replied as he took the seat opposite her. “I am the problem.”

  “How so?” she asked.

  He sighed. “I was in the stables selecting a horse so I could go riding when I overheard several of the servants discussing a ball.”

  Harmony stifled a frown. Why would this cause him such distress?

  “It then occurred to me that I am unlike you or my brother.”

  This time she did frown. “Why do you say that?”

  He leaned forward. “Do you not see? I will one day be invited to parties, but I have yet to attend one. Despite my lessons in academics and speech, my tutor taught me little about what is expected of a man of the aristocracy. I do not even know how to dance!”

  “Oh, I see,” Harmony said. “I would have thought that any tutor worth his salt would have included such instruction. However, you can learn.”

  Isaac stood and walked over to her. He picked up the journal and turned it in his hands, and Harmony’s heart skipped a beat. Would he attempt to read it? If she grabbed it from him, it would only increase his curiosity, but if she did not, he might open it.

  To her relief, he returned it to the table and then took the place beside her on the sofa. He glanced toward the door and leaned in closer. “I do not want the servants listening in on our conversation,” he whispered conspiratorially to her.

  Harmony giggled. In the short time she had been at Scarlett Hall, not once had she caught even one servant with his or her ear to a door. “So, explain your concerns,” she said.

  “Well, what if I am dancing with a woman and I crush her somehow? I have a strong grip, unlike men who have done little physical labor. I would never forgive myself if I harmed my dance partner in some way.”

  Harmony shook her head. Although he did have very large arms due to his time at the forge, she could not imagine where he would have gotten such an idea. “I believe your imagination has gotten the best of you,” she replied. “I do not think you could crush a woman simply by dancing with her.”

  “You do not seem to understand,” he replied. “Here, allow me to demonstrate.” He grasped her hand and pulled her from her seat without asking. Her hand disappeared in his, and he frowned. “There, you see? Does that not hurt you?”

  She smiled. “You do have a firm hold, but not overly so, I assure you. However, it may be some time before you will hold a woman’s hand.” When he returned her smile, she wen
t to pull away, but his grip remained firm.

  “Then I would ask a favor of you,” he said. “There is no one else I can trust.”

  “What do you wish?”

  “Teach me how to be a gentleman,” he replied. “So that when the day arrives and I am accepted into society I do not embarrass myself. Nor you or my brother.”

  Harmony’s heart went out to the man. “There are tutors who can do much more than I,” she said. “I am sure we can hire the very best for you.”

  He looked down at the floor. “I understand. Forgive me for asking. I thought you would want to help me.” He turned to walk away, yet he continued to hold her hand.

  “Wait,” she said. “I will do what I can to help you in this matter. After all, we are family, and that is what family members do.”

  “Indeed they do,” he said. “They do whatever is necessary.”

  Something about his grin made her uneasy, but she did not have time to wonder, for the door opened and Nathaniel walked into the room.

  Harmony pulled her hand away, but her husband’s frown did not escape her.

  “I would speak to you,” Nathaniel said to Harmony. Then he shot a glare at Isaac. “Alone.”

  Isaac gave a gracious bow. “Allow me to give you your privacy, Brother,” he said before hurrying from the room and closing the door behind him.

  “What were you doing?” Nathaniel demanded. “Was he holding your hand?”

  Harmony nodded. “He was expressing his concern for attending societal functions,” she explained. “I believe he worries all too much, but…”

  Nathaniel waved a hand at her. “It does not matter. What does is the letter that arrived earlier from the solicitors in London.”

  “What did they say?” she asked. “Can this matter be resolved so you both are happy with the results?”

  “I do not know yet,” he replied. “They wish for me to journey there and speak to them in person. I must also make a call to Chatterly Estate to settle some matters there.” He heaved a sigh.

  Harmony felt a heavy sadness for him. “You stay up late into the night. Now you will be off to London and then the estate. I fear you will make yourself ill.”