Snowflakes and Scandals

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Minerva had so much to do that it had been easy to avoid Frederick Stonebeck over the past few days. To be sure their paths would not cross, she changed her morning routine entirely, taking breakfast very early, since he perpetually slept late. Even so, she still managed to know everything that went on in the manor from dawn till dusk concerning him.

To her disgust, it became clear that a great many wagers were being placed on the outcome of Frederick and Humphrey’s quest to win a place in the fair widow’s bed. The woman herself appeared to revel in the competition for her favor, revealing a side of herself that was far from admirable as she flirted with them both heartlessly.

So far, neither one had spent a night with the widow—not that she cared who her brother made love to, of course. But—and this bothered her more than she cared to admit—where Frederick Stonebeck lay his head at night concerned her a great deal.

She had foolishly admired him, but that admiration had burned away the moment she realized he really wanted to win that wager he’d made with her brother. What sort of man was he to toy with the affections of a woman for money alone?

Did he have no heart? No honor?

It was lowering to discover he was the same sort of man her brother must be beyond the estate’s borders. Only now that distant, sordid world of scandalous conquests was right under her nose.

She couldn’t like Frederick anymore…even though she couldn’t seem to stop thinking of him, or dread stumbling upon him and the widow alone together.

But wasn’t it better to have learned of his real character now, rather than later when she’d been made an even greater fool of over him? How had she ever imagined such a man sneaking away to kiss her as having honorable intentions?

Well, she’d been a drunken fool that night, and she had no one to blame but herself. She ought to have recognized that the flavor of her punch had changed behind her back. It was a great relief that no one besides herself and Frederick knew about their kiss. And thankfully, that sister rule Frederick spoke about would likely prevent him from revealing her lapse of decorum for fear of having to marry her.

She laughed bitterly.

All her adult life, she’d wanted a man to sweep her off her feet and fall madly in love with her. That was not going to happen anytime soon. Frederick was like all the other gentlemen she’d ever known. Fickle. Self-absorbed. Heartless. He had no interest in any woman without an incentive.

He just wanted to use them like her brother did. It was hardly the behavior of a gentleman to wager on winning a lady’s affections.

She was well rid of her infatuation with Frederick Stonebeck and must continue her search for a good man elsewhere.

Minerva headed toward her brother’s study, moving swiftly and silently through the halls. Striving to remain beneath anyone’s notice, especially the guests. She was sick of them all.

She tapped on her brother’s door and let herself inside, praying he was alone. Thankfully, he was. Sitting behind their late father’s great mahogany desk. “You wanted to see me, brother?”

“Yes, come in and sit down.” He looked up from his desk briefly, then frowned as he shuffled papers on the desk. “It’s not escaped my notice you’ve missed the last two dinners.”

“I wasn’t feeling well,” she told him, placing a hand on her belly. It wasn’t exactly a lie. Watching Frederick fawn over Mrs. Franks and knowing what he intended would only turn her stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was draw his attention to her as she cast up her accounts after such a scene.

Humphrey’s frown deepened. “Are you better now?”

“I’m much improved, thank you.” When she was busy, she didn’t think about that disgusting wager so much, or Frederick’s chances of winning. Because he would win. Any blind woman could see that Mrs. Franks favored his company.

“I want to talk to you about tonight’s dinner,” Humphrey said, observing her now through narrowed eyes.

His question and scrutiny made her nervous. “What about tonight?”

“You are excused from attending,” Humphrey said with a decisive nod of his head.

She was startled by his words, but utterly relieved. She would not have to make another excuse. She struggled not to show her glee and made herself look disappointed. “Oh.”

He nodded again, adjusting a single piece of paper on his desk. “I know the house party has been difficult for you, but after this one, you won’t have to do it again, I promise.”

She could not hide her relief at the news. A house party was all well and good, but it was exhausting for everyone at the estate. “It will be nice to have the house to ourselves again.”

He stood, pulled down his waistcoat, then stepped out from behind the desk. “Do you remember the summers you spent at the Cornwall estate, Minnie?”

Minerva had spent every summer at Cornwall for a few years with Mama and Humphrey. Climbing trees, running through long grass, watching storms roll in from the sea without Papa to disapprove of the state of her hair. They had been some of the best and most carefree days of her entire life. She’d thought they would last forever. But then Mama died, and all the happy summer days had ended. “Those were good times.”

“How would you like to go there?”

“I should love that,” she promised, full of excitement at his plans. Humphrey could use some wholesome scenery and fresh sea air in his lungs. It would do his demeanor the world of good. He might even remember to have fun. “When do we go?”

“After the house party, when the weather clears. But I won’t be going with you. I’ll be in London for the season, of course. Perhaps I’ll join you for a few weeks in the summer if my schedule permits.”

“But I hoped to come to London with you this year, too. Have another season,” she protested. “We could go there together in the summer instead.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Humphrey said slowly. “You in London, I mean.”

“Why?”

He reached for her hand and drew her to her feet. “Minnie, London and a husband… Neither one is for you, I’m afraid. I remember how badly your first and only season went.”

She stared at him in confusion. “My first season did not go badly at all, but Papa died, and it had to end abruptly because you declared two years of mourning.”

He scoffed. “Still, you did not receive one single offer of marriage in your first season, or even come close to it.”

“Because you scared my suitors away,” she said through clenched teeth, refusing to accept the blame. “If you had stayed out of it, I might be married with a home of my own and children by now.”

He shook his head. “I hardly said anything to anyone about you. But a determined suitor will stop at nothing to win the woman he wants. Take Stonebeck, for example. Now there is a man who gets any woman he wants. He can always find a way to stake his claim, and everyone knows it. Since not one gentleman has expressed an interest in you for even a casual discussion in years, I consider the effort of another season to relaunch you an uphill battle,” he said gently, patting her hand. “It’s not your fault you’ve aged. Time marches on for all of us. But some women are just not meant for a great marriage. I know it’s hard to hear, but let’s face facts—you were never what a gentleman looked for in a wife. A man wants excitement, youth, and beauty on his arm these days. And you are… Well. Another season will only prove my point.”

He might as well have slapped her across the face for the hurt he caused with those careless, callous words. He was saying she wasn’t pretty enough or exciting enough to catch any man’s interest, while he wagered on and chased after a woman two years her senior.

The injustice of that rocked her to her core.

Humphrey was stubborn once he’d made his mind up, like a dog with a bone. If he said he would never take her to London for a second season because he was embarrassed by her shortcomings, he never would. “What do you expect me to do? Hide myself away here for the rest of my life.”

“Heavens, no.” He laughed. “The Cornwall estate currently lacks a housekeeper. She died. Very inconvenient.”

She gaped at him. “You’re going to employ me as a housekeeper now?”

“Of course not. You’re m’sister. But you’ve done sufficiently well with this larger household, and I think you are capable of overseeing the handful of servants there without me, or until a new housekeeper can be employed to take over.”

“But—”

“I’ve already appointed an estate manager, and he will report directly to me. The house and immediate grounds will be sufficient for your needs. You won’t have the inconvenience of having to make conversation with my friends. It’s clear you’re trying to avoid everyone. Even Stonebeck asked where you’d gone.”

She was surprised Stonebeck had missed her, but the bitterness of her brother’s words and decisions were all she could focus on. He was sending her away because she was boring.

Her legs were shaking, but she was unable to find the right words to express her outrage and hurt and give him a piece of her mind. A tear trickled down her cheek. She deserved better from a brother she’d always done her best for. She had managed this large household for two years without any help from him, while he’d been carousing in London with his friends. And she had planned his party in meticulous detail, learning the habits and needs of his friends so nothing was forgotten to please them.

And he termed that effort as “sufficiently well”?

Humphrey had already turned his back and didn’t see how he’d upset her. “Good, then it is settled,” he said. “I’ll make all the arrangements, and you’ll be on your way by the first thaw.”

He sat down at his desk again and spread his papers across the polished mahogany, bowing his head to read them.

And just like that, she was dismissed.

From him, the party, from the home she loved. But it was not her home at all now, never had been, according to Humphrey. Not if she could be sent away without any consideration for her feelings.

Minerva stumbled out of Humphrey’s study and the door fell shut behind her with a heavy thud. She was being set aside so he and his friends could continue their scandalous ways without a plain, embarrassing, unfashionable spinster spoiling their fun.

Minnie charged outside into the snow-covered grounds, snatching up her coat and scarf from the closet near the door on her way out. She had to get away from everyone before she screamed out loud and drew unwanted attention to herself. She had to go where no one would find her, especially not Humphrey.

Because all the resentment, the hurt, the disappointment of her last years could not be explained to anyone at this party. None of them were her friends. She’d been denied the privilege of inviting anyone she was close to.

Everyone here probably thought her plain and unwanted too, but Humphrey and grief were the reasons why she’d remained unmarried and buried in the country these last years. She should have gone back to London last year, when their mourning ended, but Humphrey had said no then, too.

A blast of cold wind hit her hard as she stepped out of the walled kitchen garden. She strode out in a straight line, blindly, heading into the wilds of the estate. Due to the falling snow, there should be no one to see her go or even miss her.

Finally, she spied a ramshackle woodshed, somewhere no one should be at this hour, and sped toward it for protection from the wind and cold.

The woodshed would provide shelter and hide her from the sight of anybody foolish enough to venture out onto the estate grounds on such an unpleasant day.

The woodshed had a layer of snow over it, but there was room enough for one to sit and squeeze into a narrow gap between the piles. She pulled her garments tight around her and put her head in her hands.

Then, because she was sure no one would hear her, she covered her mouth and vented her frustration out loud. The sound did not make her feel better, so she screamed out loud again.

Humphrey was wrong. She wasn’t hideous. She was pretty enough to captivate any man she wanted if she had the opportunity to try. She was smart, well-read and eager to prove herself…not that she’d ever get a chance now.

She’d just never met anyone she really wanted to win over yet. Now she never would…unless she got away from Humphrey.

That gave her a thought. Perhaps going to the Cornwall estate wouldn’t be so bad. She would have the place to herself, could do as she pleased, and there had been several family homes not far away if she remembered correctly. She could make some new friends, and perhaps she might even meet a potential beau there. Someone Humphrey couldn’t scare off. Her birthday was not far away, and at five and twenty, she could make a marriage without his permission.

She brightened a little. Perhaps Cornwall could be good for her future. Yes, it could, if she thought of it as an adventure and not a punishment.

Snow crunched somewhere above her head, and she looked up and around quickly, wondering about the sound. But there was nothing at first…until a feline face peered at her from under the stack of logs beside her legs, its tiny nose feathered by snow and twitching.

All the rage inside Minnie evaporated at the sight of the poor, cold little kitten. “Oh, you poor darling. You must be freezing! Come here, sweetheart,” she urged, stretching out her hand toward it.

The kitten hissed and spat at her.

“Now, now. Don’t be rude. I’d never hurt someone as pretty as you,” she said, keeping as still as possible. “I can help you get warm, too, if you come and curl up in my lap.”

It took ten minutes, but eventually she and the kitten were well on the way to becoming better acquainted. The animal was fully out in the open on the ground and appeared to be considering whether to make the leap into her lap or not.

At least until he found her, that was. Then the animal took cover in the most unexpected place.