enough—’
‘Oh, no, it might be your last word but it is not mine,’ Charlotte shrieked and in the kitchen the servants stood rigidly to attention as though it were one of them who was receiving the lashing of the master’s tongue, even Watson. She was incensed and the boys, especially the older two, longed to take hold of her and restrain her, for surely she knew it would do no good. When had Father ever changed his mind, about anything, relented, given in, allowed any one of them to voice their point of view? They had always been afraid of him even when their mother had been alive and had done her best to interpose herself between his cold anger and the cowering children. But Charlie would not have it and Arthur Drummond found himself wishing just one of his sons had her spirit.
‘Go to your room, Charlotte. We will discuss this when you are—’
‘No! I will discuss this now. I will not marry Mr Drummond and the boys will not go to school and you can tell your fiancée—’
With a swift movement her father stood up, stepped round the desk and before he had time to think, so great was his fury, he struck her across her cheek with the back of his hand. She fell across the small table on which the drinks tray stood and the whole lot crashed to the floor, including Charlotte. Robert and James were crying noisily and in the kitchen Kizzie had to be forcibly restrained by Mrs Banks and Mrs Welsh from bursting through the green baize door and down the hallway to the master’s study.
‘It will do no good, girl,’ Mrs Banks hissed in her ear. ‘Leave it be.’
‘Help your sister to her feet, Henry,’ his father told him coldly, ‘and then you will all go to your rooms and stay there until I send for you. As for you, Charlotte, you might as well know that at this moment Brooke Armstrong is at the rectory talking to the minister and Miss Hunter is in the process of making your wedding dress and garments for your wedding journey. You will believe me when I say you are to marry Brooke Armstrong or there will be dire consequences for you and your brothers. It is a good marriage, a suitable marriage for my daughter and I’m sure you will come to recognise it.’
And it will do me no harm, either. A liaison with a man of his consequence could be very useful to me. My marriage to the only child of a powerful man, a titled gentleman, and this girl, who is inclined to be defiant, wedded to one of the richest, landed men in the county, what could be more advantageous?
‘You will come to see I am right, my dear,’ he said silkily. ‘Now, go to your room and rest and you boys, go to your rooms. I will inform you of all the arrangements later.’
If Brooke had known what was happening at the Mount he would have been horrified. His intention had been to befriend Charlotte, to move slowly, to gain her trust, if not her love, not yet at any rate, and he had said so to Drummond, though not in so many words. And to do that he must see her, meet with her in the summer countryside, just the two of them, or with her brothers if she preferred, take the dogs, wander through the woods, talk, laugh, share opinions, get to know her and have her get to know him. Move at her pace, even if it meant postponing their wedding for months. He would not have her bullied, he had told Arthur Drummond. He did not add that he loved her and Drummond had not mentioned love, since it seemed to Brooke he would not even know the meaning of the word. He was not speaking to the minister as her father had told Charlotte. It was too soon for that. Charlotte would pick her own wedding date but in the meantime he began to make plans to invite her, with her maid, of course, since everything must be correct, above board, to visit what would be her new home. King’s Meadow. She must be allowed to choose and design her own bedroom – the bedroom he would share with her – smiling inwardly and with a shiver of anticipation, like any schoolboy in love for
‘Oh, no, it might be your last word but it is not mine,’ Charlotte shrieked and in the kitchen the servants stood rigidly to attention as though it were one of them who was receiving the lashing of the master’s tongue, even Watson. She was incensed and the boys, especially the older two, longed to take hold of her and restrain her, for surely she knew it would do no good. When had Father ever changed his mind, about anything, relented, given in, allowed any one of them to voice their point of view? They had always been afraid of him even when their mother had been alive and had done her best to interpose herself between his cold anger and the cowering children. But Charlie would not have it and Arthur Drummond found himself wishing just one of his sons had her spirit.
‘Go to your room, Charlotte. We will discuss this when you are—’
‘No! I will discuss this now. I will not marry Mr Drummond and the boys will not go to school and you can tell your fiancée—’
With a swift movement her father stood up, stepped round the desk and before he had time to think, so great was his fury, he struck her across her cheek with the back of his hand. She fell across the small table on which the drinks tray stood and the whole lot crashed to the floor, including Charlotte. Robert and James were crying noisily and in the kitchen Kizzie had to be forcibly restrained by Mrs Banks and Mrs Welsh from bursting through the green baize door and down the hallway to the master’s study.
‘It will do no good, girl,’ Mrs Banks hissed in her ear. ‘Leave it be.’
‘Help your sister to her feet, Henry,’ his father told him coldly, ‘and then you will all go to your rooms and stay there until I send for you. As for you, Charlotte, you might as well know that at this moment Brooke Armstrong is at the rectory talking to the minister and Miss Hunter is in the process of making your wedding dress and garments for your wedding journey. You will believe me when I say you are to marry Brooke Armstrong or there will be dire consequences for you and your brothers. It is a good marriage, a suitable marriage for my daughter and I’m sure you will come to recognise it.’
And it will do me no harm, either. A liaison with a man of his consequence could be very useful to me. My marriage to the only child of a powerful man, a titled gentleman, and this girl, who is inclined to be defiant, wedded to one of the richest, landed men in the county, what could be more advantageous?
‘You will come to see I am right, my dear,’ he said silkily. ‘Now, go to your room and rest and you boys, go to your rooms. I will inform you of all the arrangements later.’
If Brooke had known what was happening at the Mount he would have been horrified. His intention had been to befriend Charlotte, to move slowly, to gain her trust, if not her love, not yet at any rate, and he had said so to Drummond, though not in so many words. And to do that he must see her, meet with her in the summer countryside, just the two of them, or with her brothers if she preferred, take the dogs, wander through the woods, talk, laugh, share opinions, get to know her and have her get to know him. Move at her pace, even if it meant postponing their wedding for months. He would not have her bullied, he had told Arthur Drummond. He did not add that he loved her and Drummond had not mentioned love, since it seemed to Brooke he would not even know the meaning of the word. He was not speaking to the minister as her father had told Charlotte. It was too soon for that. Charlotte would pick her own wedding date but in the meantime he began to make plans to invite her, with her maid, of course, since everything must be correct, above board, to visit what would be her new home. King’s Meadow. She must be allowed to choose and design her own bedroom – the bedroom he would share with her – smiling inwardly and with a shiver of anticipation, like any schoolboy in love for
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