An English Lord's Love Affair

Chapter 14.1. Illusion Of Night And Bloodlines

   Supper with James's parents proved to be awkward affair. Charlotte kept sensing that they disapproved of their son's interest in her, and their few veiled remarks made it clear that in their view a lady from London might not find country life to her liking at all.

   James tried to apologize by making fun of them, and stole a kiss from Charlotte in the hall when it was time for her to go home. "Are you angry at me, Charlotte?"

   She wasn't angry at him. She didn't feel much for James one way or the other; her mind just kept straying to other matters. How could she explain she had fallen in love with a man he thought was buried in a grave? She could hardly believe it herself.

   "You seem so preoccupied lately," he said as he drew away from her.

   Her aunt overhears this last comment, approaching them after her husband had wrapped her in her heavy woolen cloak. "The girls are afraid of the ghost."

   Uncle Humphrey ushered his harem outside. "Rubbish. Charlotte has her feet firmly planted on the ground. I wish I could say the same of my wife "

   Charlotte did not feel as if her feet were planted on the ground at all. All throughout the ride home she kept searching the moonlit wayside and leafy hedgerows for the least sign that Benedic was still alive and haunting the area. When a lone cloaked horseman appeared at the fork in the road to block their way, she went still, willing the carriage to stop.

   The elderly coachman halted the vehicle in obvious annoyance. For an instant Charlotte convinced herself that the mysterious rider in the road was Benedic. She glimpsed in the stark, shadowy angles of his face the image she had been willing to appear. She leaned toward the door in anticipation. Her heart raced with hope even though she knew it was unlikely he'd reveal himself in such a dramatic fashion.

   The resemblance to Benedic was, unfortunately, only an illusion of night and bloodlines. Her Hope's sank as the rider's features came into sharper focus. The chiseled planes of Benedic's face blurred and became those of the last man on earth she would want to meet at night.

   This could not be a good omen.

   Sir Edward patrolling alone in the dark. What was he up to? What had he been looking for?

   Her uncle voiced his own disapproval from the carriage window. "My God, Sir Edward, I could have shot you for a highwayman."

   Sir Edward nodded in apology, sitting straight-backed on his horse. "You need remember that the villain who murdered my nephew has not been caught."

   On closer inspection Charlotte wondered how she could have mistaken him for Benedic. She couldn't detect the tiniest hint of passion in Edward's eyes, not a speck of warmth.

   "Do you hope to find him single-handedly?" Aunt Penelope asked, her voice a trifle aloof. She had not forgiven him his dislike of dogs.

   "The local authorities have proven rather unhelpful, Lady Crowbridge," he replied in a polite tone. "Their investigations have led them to the conclusion that my nephew was killed by a stranger to the area, quite possibly a deranged soldier. As there have been rumors of suspicious activity in the woods at night, my gamekeeper and I have decided to do our own investigating."

   "How brave of you," Charlotte murmured, her fingers curling tightly inside her gloves. Brave was hardly the word. What was he looking for this late at night? Did he suspect Benedic was not dead? Or had her ghost begun to lay his trap?

   Edward glanced down at her, a smile hovering on his thin lips. "I should wish my land a safe place for young ladies to stroll and take the air."

   "And to exercise their dogs," Aunt Penelope added, politely challenging him.

   He laughed as if to concede defeat. "Of course."

   A minute later the carriage was rumbling down the road, passing under the gentle rise of Strathmere Hall. Charlotte stared out window as if she could see through the dark gray stones into the very heart of the house. She sighed wistfully as her aunt and uncle began to bicker and the great house disappeared from view.

   'Benedic, if I ever see you again, I may kill you myself . . . Where are you?'

   Lord Damon Brumidge was waiting in the parlor for everyone to come home from the supper party. Tall and arresting, he was dressed in black greatcoat, pantaloons, and polished Hessian boots, his thick black hair windblown, his blue eyes brimming with good spirits.

   At first, in the firefight, he so resembled her older brother Henry that Charlotte's heart took a plunge. He's found out about Benedic and me, she thought in panic. Or something awful has happened at home. Why else would he appear to the family without warning?

   Then he turned, and she recognized Damon by his diabolical grin. She backed into the sofa to sink down in relief. Her nerves seemed so on edge these days that she expected the worst every time she turned around. Aunt Penelope and Paulina quickly covered their own pleased surprise with warm hugs and welcoming chatter. Women had fallen in love with Charlotte's brothers from their first days on earth in the Brumidge nursery when their blue eyes had stolen the nursemaids' hearts. Who else but Damon could be forgiven for holding up a carriage as a prank?

   "Have no fear, everyone," he said, looking pointedly at Charlotte over his aunt's shoulder. "I've only come to say a proper good-bye before I return to the bosom of the family. I have paid my penance putting orchids and am ready to be unleashed again upon the world."

   Charlotte studied him fondly. He looked more at ease with himself than he'd seemed in months. "Is everything cleared up in Chelsea?" She was of course referring to his debacle debut as a highwayman.

   He gave her a pained smile. "Yes. I owe Geordo a debt that he shall probably never let me forget. I'll do my best to convince him it's time for you to come home, too. The pair of us have rusticated long enough."

   Time to come home. Charlotte's heart turned cold at the thought. Only a short while ago she'd been desperate to escape Chistlebury. Now she was determined to stay, no matter what she had to do. Nothing could make her abandon Benedic in the middle of his crisis. Who would have imagined how her life would change in the course of a few weeks? How the focus of her world would shift. Harder still to imagine was what the future bring, and whether Benedic's dark quest for revenge would succeed.

*A/N: Please be my patron in Patre*n and read chapters in advance. My other works are also available there. Or if you just want to support me. Please look for creator Zetar086.
Love lots ♥️