An Affair Downstairs Read online

  “Alice, please.” He dropped to his knees. “Please reconsider. You don’t know how much I love you. I was willing to have you even when we had no idea you would be yourself again, when other men had run off.”

  There was only one man to whom he referred, and Alice knew Logan’s reasons why. She would not be swayed. “I think you liked me that way. Docile. Obedient. That’s not who I really am. I’m not sure you even really know me, Ralston.”

  He rose, came forward, and took her hands. “And you don’t know me. We rushed into things perhaps, but I see no reason to punish me for my haste brought on by my earnest desire to be with you always. Alice, please, give me a chance. Get to know me.”

  “I don’t think we should waste any more of each other’s time. I’ve already told you that I love another man.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t accept it. You might still be more damaged than you think. The doctor said healing would take time. I’m not going to allow you to cast me off when your judgment is likely compromised.”

  “A laughable suggestion.” But she wasn’t in the mood to laugh. “You had no trouble accepting me when my judgment was compromised.”

  “Because of the great love I bear you. Alice, trust me. I know what’s best. I’m an invited guest for the holidays, and I plan to stay. You needn’t say another word of our engagement. I’ll consider it off for now. Hold this for safekeeping.” He placed the ring in her hand. “And when I think you are ready, I will ask you again.”

  “Please, Lord Ralston. I would rather that you leave.”

  “You don’t know what’s good for you, darling. I can’t disappoint my aunt and uncle who have gone to great pains to arrange to spend the holiday here. And by the end of the week, you’ll be glad I stayed. Now then.” He took her hand. “Let’s go rejoin the others.”

  She followed him down the hall. Her head was quite right, she was certain, but she began to wonder about his. What madness had overtaken him? Jilted lovers weren’t supposed to stay for Christmas. How desperately she wanted him gone! And she sensed that Gabriel was in full agreement. But with the Holcombs invited as well as Lord Ralston, the chances were that they were stuck with the lot of them and would have to make the best of it.

  ***

  Alice and Agatha had planned to abandon the Dower House in favor of Thornbrook Park for the festive week ahead, but Alice wished to rethink that plan. The thought of meeting Ralston’s gaze across the breakfast table made her nervous. And what if he tried to slip something into her food? Unfortunately, their plans had been made and Mary had moved their things over to Thornbrook Park with Agatha. It would be too much trouble to expect Mary to pack it all up and head back.

  By the next morning, Alice was disappointed to find Lord Ralston hadn’t left in the night. He remained lingering over his coffee, watching Sturridge direct the footmen in erecting the tree in the corner of the drawing room. Mr. Kenner, the new estate manager, tried to help. At home, her parents had never bothered with a tree, but Sophia loved the grand Victorian tradition. Alice was surprised that her sister was willing to settle for one large tree and didn’t insist on one in every room.

  “It’s leaning too far to the left,” Kenner said, as the men attempted to straighten the tree.

  Even Alice could see that the cross of wood nailed to the bottom of the trunk was too small to support all the weight of it, and how was the tree to get water? If Sophia wanted candles to light the branches, and Alice was certain she would, they couldn’t risk the tree drying out in the night. For now, she watched the men and said nothing. Logan would have valued her opinion, but she didn’t feel the need to make her voice heard with Logan so far away. She had little interest in the new Kenner fellow.

  “Too far right, you mean,” Ralston interjected. The adjustment nearly sent the tree toppling. Of course, Ralston had an opinion on the matter.

  “No, no,” Sturridge said. “Just line it up with the ceiling and—”

  “Tie it up?” Ralston suggested. “Secure it to the wall and it should stay put.”

  “Tie it?” Alice was about to question, and then stopped. Let Mr. Sturridge handle Ralston and his silly suggestions. The room smelled of pine and the idea of Christmas put Alice in a brighter frame of mind. In light of the holiday, she supposed she could be more charitable to Ralston, or simply pretend he wasn’t there.

  “Merry Christmas,” he said quietly, turning his attention from the tree. “I’ve been looking for the mistletoe, but it seems they haven’t gotten to hanging it yet.”

  “Merry Christmas, Lord Ralston,” she answered, making an attempt to add some warmth to her tone. “I hope you don’t find the holiday too disappointing. It’s not too late to return to Holcomb House.”

  He laughed. “I’m sure it isn’t. Lord Averford hinted at it a little more strongly than you, until Sophia reminded him of his manners. I’m here as a guest, Alice. Invited. I’m not out to hurt you.”

  She softened a bit. “We can be friends, Lord Ralston. I see no harm in it.” Though why anyone would want to stay on when it was clear he wasn’t wanted, Alice couldn’t begin to fathom.

  As she reached out to shake his offered hand, the tree teetered and began to fall directly at them. She shrieked and Ralston tossed his cup in time to take her in his arms and leap aside.

  “Thank you,” she said, breathless, still in his arms when she heard the voice behind her.

  “Ah, I see the problem. The stand is too small, and you’ll need to place the tree in a tub to help support it, with some water in the bottom to keep it from drying out. Wilson, run out to the hothouse and fetch the small tub. We have just the right one. You know where it is.” A voice of reason at last!

  “Yes, Mr. Winthrop. At once, sir.”

  She shrugged out of Ralston’s hold. “Logan. I didn’t expect you.”

  “I can see that.” The tension had returned to his face, his mouth in the grim line. She couldn’t decide if it was being back at Thornbrook Park or the sight of her in Ralston’s arms that had effected the change in him.

  “The tree was falling. It almost landed on me.”

  “But it didn’t, because I was here to catch you,” Ralston said. “Mr. Winthrop, returning to your duties?”

  He shook his head. “Old habits are hard to break. Like you, I’m here as an invited guest.” He raised a brow, his reference to being invited like Ralston indicating to Alice that he had been on the sidelines watching them for a moment before letting his presence be known.

  “Lord Averford invited you?” Alice did a poor job of hiding her disbelief. Gabriel was a genius. If one couldn’t get rid of the unwanted fiancé, invite the competition. “For Christmas?”

  “Lady Averford did, actually. I happened to drop in on the Thornes when they were getting ready to journey here, and she extended the invitation to include me. Lovely of her, don’t you think?”

  “Very.” It was the least Sophia could do, she supposed, after allowing Ralston to worm his way into their intimate circle. “I hope your family won’t miss you too much. The girls must have been looking forward to the holiday with you.”

  “They’re looking forward to holiday treats. They will hardly notice I’m gone.”

  “I doubt that. But I’m very happy that you could join us.” Now that she was over her shock, she wanted to throw herself into Logan’s arms. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, though, or if he felt the same. He seemed distant. Finding her in Ralston’s arms couldn’t have helped matters. She longed to reassure him, privately, that she had spoken to Ralston and ended their engagement.

  “Are the Thornes here as well? With Mina?”

  He nodded. “They’re getting her settled with the nurse upstairs. The car ride seems to have upset her. If you’ll excuse me, I would like to make myself helpful to Mr. Kenner in getting this tree up. Lady Averford can’t have Christmas without a tree.”

  “You can’t have Christmas without your loved ones close.” Ralston stepped forward and b
oldly took Alice by the hand. She opened her mouth to protest, but what could she say without making a scene? She went along with it, for now. “I’m glad I’m here. Alice, shall we go for a walk to get out of the way while the men get to work?”

  He dismissed Logan as if he were a lowly servant and swept her out of the room. She went without protest, if only to get Ralston out of the way and avoid a scene between the men. But she tugged away from Ralston as soon as they left the room. “Logan Winthrop is also an invited guest. It would serve you well to try to get along with the man, in the spirit of Christmas.”

  “I’ll try, darling.” He placated her. “But it’s hard to be nice to the man who holds your heart in his hands. Deep down, you must know that I’m the better choice.”

  “I know nothing of the sort,” she said. “I’m going to look for Eve. I haven’t seen her in so long.”

  “I’ll be here waiting for your return.”

  ***

  Perhaps coming back to Thornbrook Park had been a mistake. He hardly knew what to do with himself as a guest. As a manager, he could cope perfectly well. Work took his mind off almost everything, and there was plenty of work to be done with Christmas coming and the Kenner fellow not quite up to the task. When he entered the room to see Alice in Ralston’s arms, though, he nearly lost his sense of purpose, and his mind along with it. He had come to secure her affections. But had she changed her mind about breaking her engagement to Ralston?

  The Thornes could not have been more welcoming when he appeared at their door. Eve had been instrumental in eliciting the invitation from Sophia for Logan to join the family for Christmas. Suddenly, Eve Thorne had gone from warning him off getting too close to Alice to becoming his greatest champion in winning Alice over. What had changed her mind? She didn’t have a bad word to say about Ralston, but he suspected she didn’t much like the man. Or, in his bravest dreams, he hoped perhaps Alice had confided something to Eve about her own feelings for him, meaning that he still had the right to believe in the best possible outcome.

  “Mr. Kenner.” He clapped his successor on the back. “Let’s show you how things are done around here, shall we?”

  “I welcome your advice, Mr. Winthrop. Everyone speaks so highly of you. You’ve been missed.” His brown eyes were wide as a doe caught in the crosshairs.

  “But you might be just the breath of fresh air an old estate needs to meet the demands of changing times.” Besides his youth, part of the man’s problem might be that he looked generally nervous and not up to the task. Averford was a good sort, but Logan knew him to be exacting and impatient, which probably hadn’t helped the new man to catch on. All he needed was a little confidence, and Logan hoped to inspire him. “Let’s start in the kitchen. Mrs. Mallows should be preparing baskets for our tenants. We’ll check to see how she’s progressing.”

  Once they were in the kitchen, Mr. Kenner had been temporarily swept aside by some of the staff eager to greet Logan and welcome him back. It was good to know that he had been missed. He’d had no idea he was so beloved a figure while he worked at Thornbrook Park, but perhaps his absence had made them all fonder.

  “Here we have the baskets, all prepared.” Mrs. Mallows looked proud of her work, two large baskets stuffed full and trimmed in ribbon. “Mr. Finch will bring them up to Lord Averford shortly.”

  “We do this every Christmas? Bring baskets to the tenants?”

  “The day of Christmas Eve. What do we have this year, Mrs. Mallows?”

  “Venison haunches, a fat goose, a pudding, and some candies and cakes for the children.”

  “There’s a new family at Tilly Meadow Farm,” Logan explained. “It used to be just Mrs. Dennehy left after her husband passed on, but Captain Thorne…”

  “Lord Averford’s brother?” Kenner asked.

  “Yes. Captain Thorne introduced Mrs. Dennehy to his friends from London, the Coopers, and now they live and work at the farm with Mrs. Dennehy. I understand they have some new lambs. With the addition of extra hands, Mrs. Dennehy has expanded her cheese trade and her revenues.”

  “She’s reaping sound profits, which is good for us all.” Kenner nodded.

  “As long as we keep up our end of the bargain and don’t let her buildings fall into disrepair. We helped with some construction and repairs last year, and she bought a new cider press. But there are two baskets. Have we a new tenant at the McGinty place?”

  “We do.” Mr. Kenner nodded enthusiastically. “I welcomed him just last week, but I won’t say more. Lord Averford was eager to share the news with you.”

  “Excellent.” Logan was pleased to know that their work on the old McGinty place had paid off. But he couldn’t think of the McGinty house without feeling a flush spread over him.

  He could still see Alice leaning over him, the beauty of her pale skin glowing in the firelight, her red hair spilling down her shoulders…The need to see her again overwhelmed him. He had to finish his business with Kenner so he could rejoin the family back upstairs, where he now belonged.

  “Mr. Winthrop.” Mrs. Hoyle clapped her hands together at the sight of him, probably the most excited he had seen her in all his years at Thornbrook Park. “How lovely of you to come back to help Cornelius adjust. I hope he’s doing a good job of it. I know it has been trying to learn so many new things at once.”

  “Cousin”—Cornelius Kenner rolled his eyes—“you must stop treating me like a child.”

  Logan had forgotten that Kenner was Hoyle’s cousin, and he had more respect for the man for taking the job with his ever-present relative. Logan saw no need to correct her notion as to why he’d actually returned.

  “He seems to be fitting right in,” Logan said, to be encouraging. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Hoyle. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas. I’ll let you go back to your work.” Mrs. Hoyle left them, and Logan escorted Kenner back upstairs before any other maids or footmen could accost them. Lord Averford met them at the top of the stairs with Mr. Finch.

  “There you are,” Averford said. “We’re just about to visit the farms. Would you like to come along, Winthrop?”

  It depended on Alice. If she was going, he would go as well. But usually, just Lord and Lady Averford went with the estate manager. “I’ll let Kenner have the honors this year. You’re doing a great job, Mr. Kenner. Keep up the good work.”

  “Are you sure? I wanted you to meet the new tenant, Higgins. A good man. He’s just about all settled with his wife and new babies, twins. Some people have all the luck.” Averford smiled, clearly good-natured and excited at the prospect of new tenants.

  “Perhaps I’ll ride on out later. It’s Mr. Kenner’s turn to enjoy this special part of the holiday season. But I’m glad to hear there will be a new farmer in the area, a welcome addition to our little Thornbrook community. Or your community, as it is. I can’t quite get used to the fact that I no longer call it my home.”

  “Ah, but you are back where you belong. Enjoying life with your own family at last?”

  “Truly, I am. I worried about bringing unnecessary drama to Stratton Place, but enough time has passed that people have forgotten or, at least, no longer bring it up as a regular topic of conversation. I am very glad to be of use to my brother. He’s still recuperating from his illness.”

  “Well, old man, don’t be a stranger. It’s not all that far from here, and I hope you’ll come back and visit us through the years.”

  “I’ll try to do that.” He would especially make a point to do it if things went as he hoped with Alice.

  “I have a feeling he might be back sooner than expected.” Captain Thorne joined them. Logan had already told Thorne and his wife of his love for Alice and his hope to convince her to marry him. “Eve and I are heading over to visit with the Coopers at Tilly Meadow. Lady Alice is currently cooing over Mina in her pram out in the gardens, if you would like to come have a look. I’ve created the most beautiful daughter known to mankind, and I’m always at my most delighted
when people pay her the proper attention.”

  “Admittedly, I’m not much of an authority on babies, but I could probably summon the appropriate compliments on sight.” Logan smiled.

  “You too, Brother. And Mr. Kenner. Everyone should be admiring my baby. Finch is sending footmen out with the tenants’ baskets. We can meet him out by the cars.”

  Logan breathed a sigh of relief to see no sign of Lord Ralston out with Alice, Sophia, Eve, and the baby. Marcus Thorne leaned in to kiss his wife.

  “I let the nurse have a rest,” Eve informed her husband. “She might be up late with Mina while we’re at Christmas Eve Mass tonight. Alice said she would keep an eye on the baby until we return.”

  “Isn’t that kind of her? Thank you, dear Alice.” Marcus bowed to her, and Logan felt a ridiculous twinge of jealousy.

  He could not forget that Sophia had intended Marcus and Alice to fall in love when she’d first invited her husband’s brother to return to Thornbrook Park. But of course, Logan had no need for concern. Alice had professed no interest in Marcus, and it quickly became all too obvious that the man only had eyes for Eve. Now they were married, with a child. Why would Logan be jealous?

  “It’s my pleasure. Mina and I have so much fun together, don’t we?” Alice bounced the baby on her hip, looking so natural that Logan felt another twinge that was far from jealousy. It was more a biological reaction to Alice’s proximity. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her madly. Without the baby present.

  At the very least, he had to get closer to her. Being so near and not able to touch her was driving him out of his mind. He crossed the walkway to stand with her, waving as the others got into cars and drove off.

  “Will she be going to sleep soon?” he asked. “Perhaps if you put her in the pram? I’m dying to get you alone.”