The Master of Stonegrave Hall. Helen Dickson

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СКАЧАТЬ shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not, Miss Lewis. I’m sorry.’

      She nodded. ‘Yes—I am, too.’

      ‘It is her wish—and mine—that you stay at the Hall so that you can be close to her.’

      ‘Thank you. That is very kind of you.’

      Laurence gazed at her with a cautious half-smile. Either she had not heard, isolated at that Academy of hers in York, that he was the Devil incarnate, or she was too starved of male company to care. As someone who had little use for the human race, he found himself strangely moved by her shy smile.

      ‘Nonsense,’ he said on a gentler note. ‘Your mother was kind to me when I was a boy. I grew very fond of her. I owe her a debt. So, would you consider my offer and remain here? I believe a room has already been made ready for you close to your mother’s.’

      Victoria felt as if he had just backed her into a corner from whence she could find no escape. Why did she have this feeling of unease, that there was something not quite right about all of this? It was most unusual for an employer to show such concern for someone who had worked for his family so long ago.

      ‘Yes, I would like to stay here. But—my bags. Mr Smith, the carrier, is to deliver them to the cottage in the morning.’

      ‘I’ll instruct Jenkins to have them brought here.’ His eyes passed over her soiled skirts. ‘Meanwhile I am sure Mrs Hughs will provide you with anything you might need.’

      Laurence noted that she seemed to be holding her arm. He frowned. ‘Is there something wrong with your arm? Did you hurt it when you fell?’

      ‘Oh, no—it was before that—when I arrived in Malton. A rather irate gentleman opened a coach door, knocking me back into the side of it. I’m afraid my arm took the brunt.’

      ‘Does it give you much pain?’

      Absurdly flattered by his courtesy and concern and his understanding of her situation, and relieved because he didn’t seem to hold an aversion to her for invading his house, Victoria shook her head. ‘It’s nothing. Truly.’

      ‘All in all you’ve had a rotten day, haven’t you, Miss Lewis?’ he said softly. ‘Doctor Firth is coming to check on your mother in the morning. I’ll get him to take a look at it.’

      ‘Oh, no, there’s no need, really. There are no broken bones, just bruises.’

      ‘Nevertheless it’s best to be sure.’

      Sensing that the interview was over, Victoria moved towards the stairs where she paused and glanced back. He was watching her. He was very attractive, she decided, but it wasn’t just his good looks that drew her eyes to his profile, it was something else, something elusive that she couldn’t pinpoint. Unable to stop herself, she smiled. ‘Thank you. Goodnight.’

      Two things hit Laurence at once. Light-hearted banter with young ladies just out of the schoolroom was completely alien to him and Victoria Lewis had a breathtaking smile. It glowed in her eyes and lit up her entire face, transforming what was already pretty into something captivating. But she was so clearly a mass of pent-up emotion. There was a tension about her, a sense of agitation. He watched her walk to the stairs and was strangely disturbed by the way she moved—like a racehorse, he thought. He had a sudden desire to see her legs. She somehow seemed to glide on them—they propelled her forwards in one smooth, easy movement, rather than in a series of steps.

      He couldn’t remember ever seeing a woman’s face transform the way hers had when she talked about her mother. He’d seen ambitious women light up at the possibility of getting a piece of jewellery from him and give convincing performances of passionate tenderness and caring, but until tonight he’d never, ever, witnessed the real thing.

      Now, at thirty years old, when he was hardened beyond recall, he’d looked at Miss Lewis and succumbed to the temptation to wonder.

      ‘Goodnight, Miss Lewis. Sleep well.’

      And so Victoria sought out her room. Not until she was in bed did she allow her mind to wander and go over the events of the day. It would seem that Stonegrave Hall was to be her home until her mother... She bit her lip to stop it trembling and pushed the thought away. She couldn’t bear to think of that or what would happen to her afterwards. It was too painful and made her feel helpless.

      But it was not only her situation that had rendered her helpless, but this man, the master of Stonegrave Hall, the dark and devastating Laurence Rockford. She admitted to a certain thrill on first meeting him. There was an aloof strength, a powerful charisma about him that had nothing to do with his tall, broad-shouldered frame. There was something else—a feeling Victoria got when she looked at him. This man had done all there was to do and see and all those experiences were permanently locked away—beyond any woman’s reach.

      That was his appeal. Like every other woman he came into contact with, Victoria wondered what it would take to get past that barricade and find the man beneath.

      * * *

      Sunlight streamed in through the open curtains of Victoria’s room. Somewhere below, a horse’s hooves clattered across the cobbled yard, disturbing Victoria’s slumber. Dimly aware that she was not in her bed at the Academy, she opened her eyes, remembering her mother.

      Washed and dressed, she immediately went to check on her. She was asleep, her face almost as white as the pillows on which her head rested. Not wishing to wake her, leaving the nurse Lord Rockford had employed to take care of her sewing by the fire, she found her way to the kitchen to partake of some breakfast. The house was large and comfortable. Taking a peek into some of the rooms she passed, she noted that there were many lovely pieces of furniture: gilded chairs upholstered in rich damask, with elegant sofas and walls to match, carpets into which one’s feet sank and marble fireplaces with shining steel fenders.

      * * *

      After eating her breakfast in the kitchen, she left the house by a back door, taking a short stroll around the gardens. The air was pure, the sun shining from a clear blue sky. Here everything was fresh and clean. The lawns were extensive and two gardeners were busy in the borders. A red squirrel ran across the grass and dashed up the rough trunk of an oak, cheekily flashing its bushy tail before disappearing.

      There were coach houses and stables at the back of the house; the mixture of the grey and pale-honey colour of the stone from which they and the house were built mellowed into a timeless graciousness.

      She did not see the man who propped his shoulder against the window of his study, a closed and brooding expression on his face as he watched her. As if sensing his presence, she turned and looked in his direction. He turned away.

      * * *

      Victoria was enjoying the calm and the pleasant fresh air, yet listening with delight to a trilling blackbird, when a carriage came speeding up the drive and came to a bone-jarring halt in front of the house. A groom ran forwards and the young gentlemen tossed the reins to him and jumped down, striding purposefully up the front steps to the house.

      ‘Good day, Mr Rockford,’ Jenkins intoned as he opened the door and stepped aside.

      ‘Is my brother at home?’ Nathan Rockford asked, handing him his hat and gloves, clearly agitated about something.

      ‘Yes, sir. СКАЧАТЬ