Snowflakes and Scandals

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Three hours later it was long past midnight, and despite all the men of the village taking part in the search, they still hadn’t found Nell. Rupert stormed to the drawing room, where the three so-called ladies were drinking tea and waiting for Sir Nathaniel to convey them home.

“No luck?” Mrs. Walmsley asked sweetly. “What did you expect, Sir Rupert? She’s a thief!”

Pauletta batted her eyelashes at Rupert. “Forget about Nell. Be thankful she’s gone, for now that you have seen her true colors, you can find yourself a real lady to wed.”

“It’s Nell or no one,” Rupert growled.

“Pauletta, will you never learn tact?” Clorinda rolled her eyes. “Stupid question. Even if he were inclined to wed one of us—which he’s not—he needs a little time to adjust to the fact that Nell is gone.”

“Quite right,” Mrs. Walmsley said. “Poor Sir Rupert; think of his chagrin at being cozened and betrayed by a slip of a girl.”

Rupert clenched and unclenched his fists. He would never hit a female, even a vile woman like this one, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t mete out punishment.

Pauletta pouted. “Where is Sir Nathaniel? I’m frightfully tired and want to go home.”

“He’s still searching. You’re not going home tonight,” Sir Rupert said.

Mrs. Walmsley assumed the smug expression of a cat at the cream pot.

“We’re in no fit shape for overnight guests,” Rupert said, “but my housekeeper has done what she can to prepare a bedchamber. Come with me.”

“Are you sure, Sir Rupert?” Mrs. O whispered, hastening alongside him ahead of the Walmsley ladies.

Pauletta whined that he was walking too fast, Mrs. Walmsley muttered that scolding and complaining were for after winning a husband, not before, and Clorinda snorted rudely.

“I haven’t had a chance to dust,” Mrs. O said, “and the chimney’s not been swept, and as for the bed?—"

“Oh, yes,” Rupert said. “I’m completely sure.” He took the stairs two at a time, grabbed a lantern from the landing, and led them down a dusty hall that was rarely used. At the very end, he opened a door. “In you go. There’s no fire, but there may be a candle someplace, so you won’t be completely in the dark.”

“But—but—this is ghastly!” Mrs. Walmsley moaned, taking in the tattered bed curtains. Rupert found a candelabra with a couple of stubs and lit them from the lantern, sending ghostly shadows across the room. They would soon burn out, and the women would be left in the cold and dark for what remained of the night.

“Oh, dear ,” Mrs. O murmured. “Not that I don’t agree with you in principle, sir, but the dreadful condition of this room reflects badly on me.”

“Nonsense. It was closed off because of my uncle’s neglect, nothing to do with you.”

“There are cobwebs!” Pauletta shrieked suddenly. “That means spiders. They’ll bite!”

“It’s too cold for spiders, stupid,” Clorinda said, “and in any case they rarely bite.”

“This room is dirty and freezing cold, completely unbefitting guests of quality. I refuse to stay here!” Mrs. Walmsley headed for the door.

Sir Rupert got in her way. “It’s better than what you deserve, and if my Nell comes to harm, I shall see that your names are blackened from London to Scotland and back. Come, Mrs. O.”

He slammed the door and turned the key in the lock. Pauletta shrieked and wailed, and Mrs. Walmsley banged on the door, shouting with fury.

“Oh, dear,” Mrs. O said again. “I don’t think Miss Nell would approve.”

Sir Rupert was already hastening downstairs. Mrs. Overton sent up a prayer for his success, as he strode away to search once more.

Nell woke to the sound of wailing—familiar wailing, as Pauletta was wont to make a fuss about anything that upset her in the slightest.

Next came Stepmother’s voice, crying, “Let us out, you heathen!” followed by the sound of fists pounding on a door. “You vicious brute! I wouldn’t let my daughters wed you if you were the last man on earth.”

Good heavens! Nell thought. They must be in the room next to this . Had Sir Rupert locked them in?

How very unlike him. He must be thoroughly enraged—and at them, not at her!

“Yes, you would,” Clorinda snapped. “He’s rich, so what do you care if he’s horrid? Your schemes have come to nothing—and it’s plain to see that you’ve lost your chance with Sir Nathaniel, too, if you ever had one, which I doubt.”

“What are we going to do ?” Pauletta said.

“Nothing,” Stepmother said. “Sir Rupert is a lunatic, but he’ll let us out in the morning.”

“How do you know? Maybe we’ll die in here!” Pauletta shrieked.

“Don’t be absurd. He doesn’t want to kill us,” said Clorinda, but she didn’t sound too sure.

“Sir Nathaniel won’t leave without us,” Stepmother said, but she didn’t sound sure, either.

Next came a fit of sneezing, and Pauletta moaned. “It’s so cold in here, and frightfully dusty. Oh, no, the candle went out! And the other one is guttering! It will be so dark!”

“Get into the bed, both of you, and close your eyes,” Stepmother said. “Then it won’t matter how dark it is.”

“Get into that tattered, horrid thing?” Clorinda retorted. “It’s probably full of rat droppings!”

“And rats!” Pauletta burst into noisy sobs.

Oh, drat , thought Nell, and stood up. She felt bleary and wretched, but so what? She was used to that, and it wasn’t so bad. One simply did what one could and carried on.

She fished in her sleeve for a handkerchief and blew her nose gently so they wouldn’t hear her. She must look a fright. She was covered in dust, but apart from the damage to her poor, lovely dress, she didn’t much care. She was used to dust, thanks to years of cleaning the ashes from hearth and stove. Punishment, Stepmother had said, for being so unladylike as to enjoy kitchen work.

Far worse, Nell had cried herself to sleep, something she hadn’t done in years, for what was the use? It didn’t help. It resulted in red, swollen eyes and horrid taunts.

Would Sir Rupert taunt her? No, he was too polite and kind, but he would be angry with her for not trusting him. She’d kept her promise, though, by staying at Wonderly Manor rather than fleeing into the night. She’d at least believed that he might save her.

He might also be angry at what she proposed to do now, but she couldn’t let that stop her.

She hitched her skirts up properly this time, tied the shawl around her neck once again, and prepared to do what she believed was right.

“I suppose you know where she is,” Rupert snarled at Fairy. The little dog had planted her furry little bum on the garden path and was nonchalantly scratching her ear. “After all, you were the one who found her for me in the first place.”

Fairy ignored him and scratched her belly.

“Is she hiding from me? Is that why you’re no help? You know I love her.”

Unsurprisingly, Fairy said nothing. Rupert snatched up the lantern and made his way carefully through the garden and out the other side to the rotten corner of the house. Perhaps she’d believed him. Perhaps she hadn’t gone far, but if so, why hadn’t anyone found her? And if she wasn’t here, where the devil was she? He imagined her shivering and frightened, hiding in the wood, terrified of the shadows and sounds of night.

The lantern caught a glint of something over by the bottom of the scaffolding. Her slipper! He picked it up, wondering, and looked up—and there she was, putting one slippered foot out the window.

“Don’t, Nell! It’s not safe. I’ll go through the house to get you.”

“Nonsense,” Nell said, and tossed a shawl down to him. “I’m good at climbing, and It’s not far.” The bare foot followed the slippered one. She came nimbly down and threw herself into his waiting arms.

When he had finished kissing her thoroughly—not that he would ever be finished with kissing Nell—she took his hand and said, “Come, let’s go prepare a proper bedchamber for Stepmother and the girls.”

“Why?” he asked as they made their way through the garden. “They deserve a little punishment.”

“Perhaps, but it would be unkind to leave them in a cold, dirty, rat-infested room all night.”

“Are there rats? I had no idea. You heard them through the wall, I suppose. I wouldn’t have put them in that room if I had known you and your tender heart were right next to them.”

“Pauletta woke me with her wailing. Poor thing, she is terrified of vermin, and she’ll have nightmares—if she manages to fall asleep.”

“Evidently, you fell asleep,” he said. “Rats or no rats.”

“I’m not afraid of vermin,” she scoffed. “I’m afraid of unkindness. Of cruelty and—and hatred.” She clung to his hand. “I’ve had enough of it to last my lifetime and more, and I shall never be unkind in return.”

What a love she was. “Why did you run and hide, sweetheart? Surely you weren’t afraid of me.”

“Not of you ,” she said, “or not exactly. I’m sorry if I caused you alarm, dear Rupert, but what with Sir Nathaniel being your friend, and Stepmother doing her best to cozen him into marrying her, I was terrified you would believe anything they said. I cried myself to sleep, which is childish, I know, but I was frightfully overset.”

“My poor darling.” He put an arm around her and pulled her close. “Sir Nathaniel can’t abide the woman and refused to listen to her accusations. She said you stole a locket, by the way.”

“A locket? I didn’t steal anything, but I overheard her plotting to accuse me of doing so. That’s why I ran away. All I brought with me was a ring that belonged to my mother. Papa gave it to me on his deathbed, and Mr. Dilson knew it was mine. I hoped he would sell it for me so I could use the proceeds to support myself whilst finding work.” She paused. “Did she—did she also accuse me of poisoning the soup?

“She and Pauletta tried to, but Clorinda rolled her eyes.”

“Clorinda’s no fool, but she doesn’t realize that although she’s quite pretty, her disagreeable attitude makes her unattractive. Pauletta is silly, but she can’t help that.”

“How like you to see the good in your stepsisters,” he grumbled. “Reluctantly, I shall have a room prepared. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Mrs. O is already seeing to it. She told me you would disapprove.”

“I’ve yet to see any good in my stepmother, alas,” Nell said. “But it must be there someplace.”

“I refuse to waste any time looking for it,” Rupert said. “Let’s go call off the search.”

Satisfied, the Green Lady watched them into the house. Her task was complete. The role of fairy godmother (or fairy dog-mother in this case; she took whatever form seemed most appropriate) to Sir Rupert had been entertaining, but she was more than ready to return to the inn where she belonged.

Although perhaps… Hmm. What if Clorinda Walmsley were to visit Wonderly Manor? Kindhearted Nell would surely invite her, and besotted Rupert would agree to whatever Nell asked.

Clorinda wasn’t a hopeless case—and the Green Lady had the perfect gentleman in mind.