“I’m happy to abide by your wishes,” said the duke. “Perhaps you could also give some thought to the order of service, and suggest who you think should be invited to the reception afterward?”
“I’ve already begun working on a list. I’ll let you have it later today.”
“Thank you, Virginia. I knew I could rely on you. I have some meetings to attend this afternoon, so I hope you’ll be around when Alice arrives.”
“Of course. And when are you expecting Camilla and her family?”
“Later this evening, but as I’ll be in Father’s study—”
“Your study,” said Virginia quietly.
“It may take me a little time to get used to that. Would you be kind enough to let me know when Alice arrives?”
* * *
Virginia was working on the list of guests she wanted to attend the private reception following the funeral, as well as those she didn’t, when a taxi drew up outside the castle and Alice stepped out. Once again, she took her place at the top of the steps.
“Poor Virginia,” were Alice’s first words as she greeted her. “How are you bearing up?”
“Not well. But everyone’s been so kind and understanding, which has been a great comfort.”
“Of course they have,” said Alice. “After all, you were his rock and soulmate.”
“It’s so kind of you to say so,” said Virginia, as she led Alice up the staircase to the guest bedroom she had chosen for her. “I’ll let Clarence know you’re here.”
She strolled downstairs and went into the duke’s study without knocking, to find Clarence deep in conversation with Mr. Moxton, the estate manager. Both men immediately stood as she entered.
“You asked me to let you know when Alice arrived. I’ve put her in the Carlyle Room. I hope you’ll be able to join us for tea in about half an hour.”
“That may not be possible,” said the duke, giving her a curt nod, clearly not pleased to have been interrupted, which Virginia found somewhat disconcerting. She left without another word and retreated to the drawing room, where Montgomery, Perry’s old Labrador, sat up and began wagging his tail. She took a seat near the open door, which allowed her to keep an eye on the comings and goings in the corridor outside. She intended to have a word with Clarence about replacing Moxton in the not-too-distant future.
The next person to enter the duke’s study was the butler, who didn’t come out for another forty minutes. He then disappeared below stairs, only to return a few moments later accompanied by the cook, who Virginia couldn’t recall ever seeing on the ground floor.
Another twenty minutes passed before Cook reappeared and scurried back downstairs. Virginia could only wonder what had taken them so long, unless they’d been discussing the menu for the reception, a responsibility she had rather assumed the duke would leave to her.
Virginia was distracted by a loud knock on the front door, but before she could answer it, Lomax appeared and opened the door.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Ainsley,” he said. “His grace is expecting you.”
As they crossed the hall, Moxton came out of the study, shook hands with Dr. Ainsley, and quickly left the house. Although he couldn’t have missed Virginia standing in the doorway of the drawing room, he made no attempt to acknowledge her. She would get rid of him as soon as the duke returned to his regiment.
Virginia was pleased to see Alice coming down the stairs and hurried out of the drawing room to join her. “Shall we go and see your brother?” she said, without waiting for a reply. “I know he’s been looking forward to seeing you,” she added as she opened the study door and entered without knocking. Once again both men rose.
“Alice has just come down and I remembered you wanted to see her immediately.”
“Of course,” said Clarence, giving his sister a hug. “It’s wonderful to see you, my dear.”
“I thought we might all have tea together in the drawing room.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Virginia,” said Clarence, “but I’d like a few moments alone with my sister, if you don’t mind.”
Alice looked surprised by her brother’s waspish tone of voice, and Virginia hesitated for a moment before she said, “Yes, of course,” and retreated to the drawing room. This time Montgomery didn’t even raise his head.
Dr. Ainsley came out of the study twenty minutes later, and also departed without making any effort to pay his respects to the grieving widow. Virginia waited patiently for the duke to summon her to the study, but no such call came, and when a maid, whose name she could never remember, began to turn on the lights all over the house, she decided it was time to change for dinner. She had just stepped out of the bath when she heard a car coming down the drive. She went over to the window and peered out to see Camilla and her family being greeted by Clarence. She dressed quickly, and when she opened her bedroom door a few minutes later she saw the butler and the two children heading toward the corner suite, which she hadn’t allocated to them.
“Where is your mother?” asked Virginia.
The children swung around, but it was Lomax who responded. “His grace asked Lady Camilla and her husband to join him in the study and requested that they should not be disturbed.”
Virginia closed the door behind her. She had never known Lomax to address her in that offhand manner. She tried to concentrate on her makeup, but couldn’t help wondering what they were discussing in the duke’s old study. She assumed all would be revealed over dinner.
Half an hour later, Virginia walked slowly down the wide staircase, across the hall, and into the drawing room, only to find nobody else was there. She sat and waited, but no one joined her. When the gong was struck at eight o’clock, she made her way through to the dining room, to find the table had been laid for one.
“Where are the rest of the family?” she demanded when Lomax appeared carrying a small tureen of soup.
“His grace, Lady Camilla, and Lady Alice are having a light supper in the library,” he said without further explanation.
Virginia shivered, although the fire was crackling in the hearth. “And the children?”
“They have already eaten, and as they were tired following their long journey they went straight to bed.”
A feeling of foreboding gripped her and she tried to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about, but without a great deal of conviction. She waited until the clock in the hall struck nine before leaving the dining room and making her way slowly upstairs to her room. She undressed and went to bed, but she didn’t sleep. She had never felt more alone.
* * *
Virginia was relieved when Clarence and Alice joined her for breakfast the following morning, only to find that the conversation was stilted and formal as if she were a stranger in her own home.
“I’ve almost completed the order of service,” volunteered Virginia, “and I thought perhaps—”
“No need to waste any more of your time on that,” interrupted Clarence. “I have an appointment with the bishop at ten this morning, and he told me he agreed all the details of the ceremony with my father some time ago.”
“And does he agree with me that Thursday—”
“No,” said Clarence equally firmly. “He recommends Friday, which will be more convenient for my father’s friends who will be traveling up from London.”
Virginia hesitated before saying, “And the guest list, would you like to see my recommendations?”
“We settled on the final list last night,” said Alice. “But if there are one or two names you’d like to be added, do let me know.”
“Isn’t there anything I can do to help?” asked Virginia, trying not to sound desperate.
“No, thank you,” said Clarence. “You’ve done quite enough already.” He folded his napkin and rose from his place. “Please excuse me. I don’t want to be late for the bishop.” He left without another word.
“And I ought to be getting on,” said Alice. “I’ve rather a lot to do if everything is to be in pla
ce by Friday.”
After breakfast, Virginia took a stroll around the grounds as she tried to fathom what had caused such a sudden change of attitude. She derived some comfort from the fact that she still had the Dower House, five thousand pounds a month, and two Ming vases that Li Wong had confirmed were worth at least a million. Her smile disappeared when she saw Camilla and her husband coming out of the estate manager’s office.
Virginia had lunch on her own, and decided to go into town and buy some new clothes, as she intended to shed her widow’s weeds the moment they had all departed. When she got back to the castle that evening, there was light coming from under the study door, and she thought she could hear Camilla’s strident voice.
Virginia had supper alone in her room, one thought continually returning to her mind. She was beginning to wish Perry was still alive.
* * *
St. Albans Abbey was already packed by the time Virginia made her entrance. The senior usher accompanied the dowager duchess down the aisle to a place in the second row. She didn’t feel able to protest while a thousand eyes were on her.
As the first chimes of eleven sounded on the cathedral clock, the organ struck up and the congregation rose as one. The coffin, draped in decorations and honors, processed slowly down the aisle, borne on the shoulders of six Coldstream Guards, followed by the immediate family. Once it had been placed on the bier in the chancery, the duke, his two sisters, and the grandchildren took their places in the front row. They didn’t look back.
The service was a blur to Virginia, who was still trying to work out why they were sending her to Coventry. During the burial ceremony, held in the grounds of the cathedral, she was only allowed to step forward and cast a spadeful of earth onto the coffin before she got back in line. Once the family and a few close friends had left the graveside, she had to cadge a lift back to the castle with Percy, the duke’s uncle, who accepted her explanation that there must have been an oversight, but then they’ve all been under a great deal of pressure.
During the reception, Virginia mingled with the guests, many of whom were kind and offered words of sympathy, while others turned away the moment she approached them. However, the greatest slight was saved until after the last guest had departed, when Clarence spoke to her for the first time that day.
“While you were at the service,” he said, “all your possessions were packed and moved into the Dower House. A car is waiting to take you there immediately. There will be a family meeting in my study at eleven tomorrow morning, which I hope you will attend. There are some serious matters I wish to discuss with you,” he added, reminding Virginia of her father.
Without another word, the duke walked to the front door, opened it, and waited for Virginia to leave, so she could begin her first day of banishment.
35
VIRGINIA ROSE EARLY the following morning and took her time inspecting the Dower House, which turned out to be quite large enough for someone living on her own. Her staff consisted of an under-butler, a maid, and a cook, no more and no less than Perry had specified in his will.
At ten to eleven a car arrived to take her to the castle, which only a few days ago had been her sole domain.
The front door of the castle opened as the car drew up, and after a perfunctory “Good morning, your grace,” the butler accompanied her to her husband’s old study. Lomax knocked quietly on the door, opened it, and stood aside to allow the dowager duchess to enter.
“Good morning,” said Clarence as he rose from his place behind the desk. He waited until Virginia had taken the only available chair. She smiled at his sisters, but they didn’t return the compliment.
“Thank you for coming,” began Clarence, as if she’d had any choice. “We felt it would be useful to let you know what we have planned for the future.”
Virginia had a feeling he meant “your future.” “That’s considerate of you,” she said.
“I intend to report back to my regiment in a few days’ time, and I won’t be returning before Christmas. Alice will be flying back to New York on Monday.”
“Then who will run the estate?” asked Virginia, hoping they had at last come to their senses.
“I have entrusted that responsibility to Shane and Camilla—with my father’s blessing, I might add, as he accepted that I’d always wanted to be a soldier and was never cut out to be a farmer. Shane, Camilla, and the children will live at the castle, fulfilling another of my father’s wishes.”
“How very sensible,” said Virginia. “I hope you’ll allow me to help out, at least during the transition?”
“That won’t be necessary,” said Camilla, speaking for the first time. “We’ve received a good offer for our farm in New Zealand, and my husband will be flying back to finalize the sale and deal with any other personal matters that need attending to, after which he’ll return to take over the management of the estate. With the help of Mr. Moxton, I will keep things ticking over until he’s back.”
“It’s just that I thought—”
“No need to,” said Camilla. “We’ve thought of everything.”
“And I fear, Virginia, there is another matter I have to raise with you,” said Clarence. Virginia shifted uneasily in her seat. “It has been brought to my attention by Mr. Moxton that my father, without my knowledge, made you a loan of £185,000. Fortunately, Moxton had the good sense to formalize the arrangement,” said Clarence, as he turned to the third page of a document Virginia remembered signing. She suddenly wished she’d spent a little more time reading the first two pages.
“The loan was made for a period of five years, with a compound interest rate of five percent. If my father died before then, the full amount was to be repaid within twenty-eight days. I have consulted my accountant, and he has written to let me know—” he turned his attention to a letter lying on the desk—“that with accumulated interest, the exact amount you currently owe the estate is £209,145. So I have to ask you, Virginia, if you have sufficient funds to cover that amount.”
“But Perry told me that if he died before me—and I remember his exact words—the slate would be wiped clean.”
“Do you have any proof of that?” asked Camilla.
“No. But he gave me his word, which surely should be enough.”
“It’s not his words we’re discussing,” said Camilla, “but yours.”
“And if he did,” said Clarence, “he certainly didn’t let Moxton know of any such arrangement. There’s no mention of it in the original agreement, which my father also signed.” Clarence swiveled it around so Virginia could see a signature she recognized well.
“I will have to consult my lawyers,” she stammered, unable to think of anything else to say.
“We have already consulted ours,” said Alice, “and Mr. Blatchford has confirmed that there is no mention in Father’s will of any such gift, just an allowance of five thousand pounds a month, a briar walking stick, and two porcelain vases.”
Virginia suppressed a smile.
“If you are unable to repay the loan,” continued Clarence, “our accountant has come up with a compromise which I hope you will find acceptable.” He returned to the letter. “If we were to withhold your monthly allowance of five thousand pounds, the full amount would be paid off in approximately four years, at which time your allowance would be restored.”
“However, should you die at some time during the next four years,” interjected Camilla, “let me assure you, the slate would be wiped clean.”
Virginia remained silent for some time before blurting out, “But how can I be expected to survive in the meantime?”
“My father told me, on more than one occasion,” said Clarence, “that your brother gives you a generous monthly allowance which you once said you were never able to spend, so I rather assumed…”
“He stopped those payments the day I married your father.”
“Then we must hope that once he has been acquainted with your present circumstances, he will be willing to restore
your allowance, otherwise you will have to rely on your substantial assets, which you also mentioned to my father. Of course, if you are able to repay the full amount of the loan within twenty-eight days that will solve the whole problem.”
Virginia bowed her head and burst into tears, but when she eventually looked up, it was clear that none of them was moved.
“Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for us to discuss some domestic matters,” said Camilla. “As my brother has explained, my husband will be taking over the management of the estate, and our family will be living here in the castle. Clarence and Alice will be returning from time to time, but in my brother’s absence, I will be mistress of Castle Hertford.” Camilla waited for her words to sink in before she continued. “I wish to make it clear, so there can be no misunderstanding in the future, that you will not be welcome here at any time, and that includes Christmas or any other holidays. You will also make no attempt to contact either of my children, or any members of the castle staff. I have made my wishes clear to Mr. Lomax.”
Virginia looked at Clarence and then at Alice, but it was obvious the family were acting as one.
“Unless you have anything to ask concerning your future arrangements,” said Clarence, “we have nothing more to discuss with you.”
Virginia rose from her place and left the room with as much dignity as she could muster. She walked slowly across the hall to the front door, which the butler was holding open. He didn’t address her as she walked out of the castle for the last time. All she heard was the door closing behind her.
Another door was already open so she could be driven back to the Dower House. Once Virginia had been dropped off, she went straight to her study, picked up the phone, and dialed a London number, to be greeted with the first friendly voice she had heard that day.
“How nice to hear from you, your grace. How can I help?”
“I need to make an appointment to see you as quickly as possible, Mr. Poltimore, because I’ve changed my mind.”
36
“I HAVE NO DOUBT,” said Poltimore, “that you’ve made a wise decision. But can I ask what caused you to change your mind?”