Simon Bingley's Resolve, page 12
Men of strength and vision such as himself absolutely had to be in control.
*
Simon was unsurprised to discover that Nadia was an early riser when he saw her wandering in the grounds the following morning. He planned to approach her from a different path and make it seem as though they had come upon one another by chance. It wouldn’t do for her to suppose he was shadowing her movements—especially since her circumstances were so complicated. He hesitated when he heard her speaking aloud, worried to intrude upon a private conversation with another of the ladies. He discovered his error when he turned the corner and found her entirely alone, speaking to herself. To say that she looked angry and upset would have been a gross understatement, and Simon felt a little concerned for her health.
‘Oh, Mr Bingley.’ She glanced up at him and took a moment to gather herself. ‘I did not see you there.’
‘Am I disturbing you? If so, you can be sure that I shall take another path.’
‘No, not at all.’ But she didn’t sound convincing and still appeared distracted.
‘It’s going to be another lovely day and I am glad to have encountered you. I hope you have not forgotten our engagement. I promised to show you some of the walks.’
‘I hadn’t forgotten,’ she assured him, ‘and hope you have sufficient energy to show me the view from that rise in the ground.’ She pointed in the direction she wanted to take. ‘I can see it from the window of my room, and would enjoy admiring the view from the summit.’
‘With the greatest of pleasure. It will take us about an hour to reach it, but I can assure you that the view is worth the effort. I can arrange for a light picnic, if you are not in a hurry to return to the house,’ he said, suspecting that the angry conversation she’d been conducting with herself had to do with her father’s impending arrival.
‘I am in no hurry at all, if you don’t mind giving up a large part of your day.’
He sent her a puerile smile. ‘I shall meet you back here in half an hour. Will that give you sufficient time?’
‘More than enough.’ She nodded, leaving Simon to suppose that her mother was still in her bed, as most of the ladies would be at this hour, and that she would prefer to escape and explain herself after the event.
‘Excellent.’
Simon watched her leave and then followed her back into the house at a more leisurely pace. He made his way to the kitchens and sweet-talked his aunt’s cook into preparing the promised picnic. Hatless and in shirtsleeves—the day was too warm to allow for formalities—he awaited Nadia with the basket containing their repast resting at his feet. When Nadia joined him, she had changed into a light muslin walking gown and a colourful straw bonnet adorned her head.
‘Punctual,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘I like that. It is a rare quality in either sex, I find.’
‘I agree with you.’ She fell into step beside him as he picked up the basket and they sauntered from the formal gardens onto a chalk path. ‘Tardiness is the height of bad manners and implies that your time is more important than that of the people whom you inconvenience when keeping them waiting. Unfortunately it is an increasingly common failing.’
Simon acknowledged Porter as he crossed their path—deliberately, Simon suspected. He might now be highly respectable, but Tobias had not completely reformed and he was probably keen to know the identity of the attractive young woman whose company Simon fully intended to enjoy.
Simon grinned at Tobias but didn’t pause to make the introduction. He was glad to have learned that Tobias hadn’t shown any outward signs of distress at Spence’s revelations regarding his father’s conduct. Wickham was still a sensitive subject as far as Tobias was concerned, and Simon knew that his uncle Darcy wasn’t entirely confident that Tobias had overcome his obsession with a man he had never known.
‘Who was that?’ Nadia asked as they left Tobias in their wake. ‘I have seen him before about the place. He doesn’t seem to be a guest or a servant.’
‘Very astute of you.’ Simon paused, wondering how forthcoming he ought to be. It was not his secret to tell, but Nadia still looked preoccupied and he felt duty bound to divert her. He settled for a partial truth. ‘Porter is training to take over the stewardship of this estate.’
‘Goodness. He seems very young to assume such an important position.’
‘It is one that his grandfather occupied. I should mention that he is his father’s illegitimate offspring, if that is not an indelicate observation.’
‘Oh, for goodness sake! I appreciate your concern for my sensibilities, but you forget that I have been living amongst what some would describe as savages all these years. I personally wouldn’t describe them as such. They are a remarkably resilient people and I am privileged to have called some of them friends. Not that my family approved of my mixing with them, but still…’
‘I am not surprised to learn of your compassion.’
She acknowledged the compliment with a tilt of her head. ‘Goodness knows, they have had to be strong. Their living conditions are very basic and have not improved much since their liberation. My point is that they live by a different set of standards and I have seen more than my share of base behaviour, no matter how much I was supposed to be shielded from it. Natives rutting at the roadside, taking their pleasures wherever the opportunity arose.’ She shuddered. ‘Given that they had nothing but hard physical labour to look forward to, one cannot blame them for that.’
‘I stand duly chastised,’ Simon said, grinning contritely. ‘Anyway, Porter has something of a chequered past himself, although he assures me he has mended his ways.’ Simon chuckled. ‘With Tobias it’s difficult to be sure. But for my part, I like him very much and hope he makes the most of the opportunity my uncle has so generously offered him.’
They reached a stile, and Simon helped Nadia to negotiate it. She did so nimbly and with elegance, affording him nothing more than a fleeting glimpse of shapely ankles.
‘Now the climb starts,’ he told her. ‘But it is not very steep.’
‘I am not afraid to climb a hill.’
By the time they reached the summit she was breathing heavily, and the exertion had brought a rosy bloom to her cheeks. Simon thought she looked enchanting. She gasped when she paused to observe the view.
‘It’s quite beautiful,’ she said softly. ‘Thank you so very much for bringing me up here and making me forget…well, things. I would never have attempted the climb alone.’
‘Well then, I am glad to have been of use.’ He guided her to a bench that had been hewn from a tree trunk years before. ‘Sit yourself down and I will prepare our feast.’
Chapter Nine
‘Well, well. So that’s the way the wind blows this week.’
Tobias scratched his ear, chuckling as he watched Simon walk off with Miss Dayton. He wondered if Spence was aware that his cousin was in danger of falling in love.
Again.
The Darcy boys had laughed with Tobias about their cousin’s propensity to lose his heart with alarming predictability whenever an attractive female took up residence in the district. His disinclination to introduce her to Tobias had sounded alarm bells, leaving Tobias feeling duty bound to inform Spence about Simon’s preoccupation with the delectable Nadia Dayton. Tobias knew who she was, despite not having been introduced. He considered himself an expert when it came to the fairer sex and could understand why Simon was so enthralled with this particular chit. She wasn’t the prettiest female at the party, but physical beauty had never been the yardstick by which he measured a woman’s desirability. In fact, he found exceedingly beautiful females excessively vain, and they invariably bored him rigid.
Susie Darcy—now Mrs James Tyrell—was a case in point. He’d been attracted to her for reasons he still struggled to comprehend since first taking up his position at Pemberley. Forbidden temptations, he’d subsequently decided. It was human nature to hanker after that which was beyond his reach—although prior to meeting Susie, class consciousness hadn’t held Tobias back from going after whoever took his fancy. He had always struggled when it came to knowing his place. With Susie, it would have been easy, too easy, to tempt her into his arms. In so doing he would have succeeded where his father had failed, and finally wrought revenge upon the Darcy clan in the most devastating fashion imaginable.
Like Susie, Nadia Dayton possessed an indefinable something that held his attention. The word in the servants’ hall had it that she was on the point of becoming engaged to some rich cove whom she actively disliked. Tobias wondered if Simon was aware of the fact. If it was true, it seemed that the commitment didn’t preclude Nadia from taking unchaperoned walks—picnics judging from the basket over Simon’s arm—with a wealthy, unmarried younger man. Was it a last act of rebellion before settling down to a life of dull domesticity with a man old enough to be her father, or was Nadia using Simon to extract herself from the commitment?
Tobias felt uneasy and doubly determined to make sure Spence knew how things stood. Falling temporarily in love was one thing, but Simon didn’t deserve to have his hand forced.
He shrugged off his mild suspicions about the motives of a woman with whom he wasn’t acquainted. He was probably overthinking a perfectly innocent situation.
Tobias turned his mind to the tasks he had to undertake that morning. He rode into Lambton, his thoughts dwelling upon Spence’s revelations regarding Mrs Rochdale’s unexpected arrival. Tobias had formed a closer friendship with Spence than any of Darcy’s other sons or nephews, but he had held back from telling him that he’d already heard one account of his own father’s attempt to discredit Mrs Darcy, aided and abetted by the then Caroline Bingley.
It was she who had instigated the scheme. Not so long ago he would have simply assumed that his father had been manipulated, and that knowledge would have fuelled his determination for revenge. Since his eyes had been opened to the true nature of the man’s character, he’d accepted with calm resignation that his father had been a rogue.
He pushed his horse into a trot on the Lambton road, shuddering as he contemplated the dangerous and vindictive characters of scorned women.
Matters with his mother had come to a head when Tobias had threatened to kill Bella Darcy. He looked back on those days with abhorrence and liked to think that with maturity he had also acquired a degree of worldly wisdom. His relationship with his mother had become difficult, and Tobias, with the benefit of hindsight, blamed her for his desire to avenge a father he had never known.
Instead of allowing Tobias to grow up believing that Porter was his actual father, she had regaled him with tales of Wickham and the wrongs he had suffered at Darcy’s hands before he was old enough to sit astride a horse. At such an impressionable age it was little wonder that he had grown up determined to wreak revenge on behalf of a wronged mother he adored.
It was only after the incident with Bella that Tobias had insisted upon being told the complete truth, having established that his mother and Wickham had never been married—a fact which his ma had singularly failed to mention. Tobias had been angry and upset when he forced her to admit that she had been married to Porter when she fell so desperately in love with Wickham.
His father’s ill-usage, about which Ma spoke constantly, had shaped Tobias’s early years, and instead of using his intelligence to get on legitimately, he’d focused his talents instead upon retaliation. That determination had almost cost him his freedom, to say nothing of preventing him from obtaining legitimate employment and making something of himself.
And yet Darcy, against all odds, had offered him an opportunity that Tobias had no intention of squandering. He thought of Susie and knew a moment’s regret, but no more than that. Tobias wasn’t the settling down type, and even if Susie had tempted him into it she would have had to choose between him and her family and would never have known peace of mind.
Unbeknown to Spence, during his long talks with his mother about Wickham, she had been compelled to tell Tobias about his teaming up with Miss Bingley in an effort to destroy Mrs Darcy. His mother’s account had not mirrored Spence’s and implied that Wickham had been manipulated by a spiteful woman.
He was very curious to know why Mrs Rochdale had chosen to inflict herself on Pemberley after such a long absence, and at precisely the time when Mrs Darcy held her annual house party. The timing seemed highly suspicious, as did the lady herself. Tobias, in his position as a senior servant, had a foot in both camps. He was friendly with the sons of the family and welcome in the servants’ hall. There wasn’t much that went on at Pemberley that the servants didn’t know about. And not being in possession of all the facts was seldom an impediment to their conjectures. He would have to sound out their views on Mrs Rochdale.
His thoughts returned to Miss Dayton. The servants agreed that she was kind and obliging, but her mother and sister were ambitious and inconsiderate. Speculation abounded regarding the father, who was expected that day.
Tobias left his horse at the Lamb and went about his business with the corn merchant. The day was warm and all the talking left him with a dry throat. He popped into the Lamb’s taproom and ordered a tankard of ale from Jessie the barmaid, whose eyes always lit up when she saw Tobias.
‘How’s your mum, then?’ she asked, placing the tankard in front of him and leaning close, her elbows planted on the bar to offer him a good view of her cleavage.
‘She’s well, thanks.’
‘It’s warm. Shouldn’t be surprised if we have a storm though. There’s rain in the air. Shall I see you at Pemberley on the open day?’
‘I’ll be there,’ Tobias replied non-committedly.
As soon as Jessie was required elsewhere, Tobias took the opportunity to slip outside and enjoy the fine weather. He leaned his shoulder against the wall and watched the world go by, contemplating Jessie’s question. His relationship with his mother nowadays was strained. He made a point of calling to see her at least once a week, but it would take a while for his resentments to subside. If she hadn’t shaped his mind, made him feel as though he’d been wronged, his life could have been very different. At least now she had stopped trying to attract wealthy lovers. There was something faintly repulsive about a woman of her age still flaunting herself so blatantly. Tobias threatening to cut all ties with her had had the desired effect—at least so far. He would soon know if she made an exhibition of herself and there would be no second chances.
Tobias was determined to put the bad decisions of the past behind him. He had some money put aside from his previous exploits as an unlicensed banker, and fully intended to purchase a modest house and land of his own within the next ten years. Being Darcy’s steward had renewed his desire for the finer things in life and he had the wits to achieve them, mostly through legitimate means. He chuckled. Some old habits die hard, and he still cut the occasional corner if there was a profit to be made.
He acknowledged a couple of people he knew as they walked past the tavern, going about their business. His tankard was now almost empty. It was time to return to Pemberley and resume his duties. On the point of doing so, conversation reached his ears through the open tavern window. He hadn’t taken much notice of the two gentlemen sitting at a table on the other side of that window, but when he heard Nadia Dayton’s name mentioned, the men were assured of his full and uninvited attention.
They must be her father and the man who wanted to marry the chit, Tobias thought. He chanced a glance through the open window and was hard pressed not to gasp. The would-be bridegroom looked prosperous, judging by the cut of his coat, but he appeared to be the same age as the bride’s father; portly, red of face and white of whiskers. The servants’ gossip was spot on, as always. No wonder Nadia was so reluctant. What the devil had she done in Jamaica that had to be kept secret, he wondered, when the conversation veered in that direction. Tobias scowled, thinking it sounded as though Molineux was aware of the nature of her possible misdeeds and was using that knowledge as a bargaining tool.
Interesting.
Another cove joined the party, and when he was greeted by name Tobias’s curiosity was well and truly piqued. He hadn’t survived on his wits for so many years without learning how to fade into the background when necessary, or to eavesdrop without being found out. Little subterfuge was necessary on this occasion, since the three men didn’t even glance out of the window. He stood to one side of it, just in case one of them happened to do so.
Dayton left the other two and strode from the tavern without looking in Tobias’s direction. It quickly became apparent that Dr Rochdale was unaware of his wife’s presence at Pemberley. It was equally clear that he and his companion were running an illicit trade in cannabis.
He felt a moment’s sympathy for Mrs Rochdale, upon whom he suspected the doctor was testing his drug-based treatments, turning her into an addict in the process. Tobias had dabbled once or twice during his days as a rebel but found that the ingestion of ganja befuddled his thinking, and Tobias disliked being out of control. Besides, it led to stronger addictions such as opium, and Tobias wanted none of it.
Despite Mrs Rochdale’s past indiscretions, Tobias sympathised with her for being landed with such a husband. A husband who had clearly made use of her and now intended to cast her aside like a worn-out shoe. But it was none of his business, and he stored what he now knew about the couple’s behaviour to the back of his mind for later consideration. In the old days he would have used this newfound knowledge for his own advantage, but for now at least, whether or not he told anyone or allowed the Rochdales to resolve their own mess remained to be seen.
He felt mildly surprised that his first and immediate concern was for the Darcys.
Tobias put his empty tankard aside and reclaimed his horse. What he had learned provided him with an opportunity either to line his own pockets or to reinforce his position of trust at Pemberley. He rode back to the estate, thinking about his determination to be his own man and how much he could exploit this situation for that purpose. Rochdale and Molineux were up to their necks in an illicit business that would bring misery to thousands. If their involvement was exposed it would cost them their reputations, their fortunes and their liberties. Surely his silence would be a small price to pay by comparison.
