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Nancy went upstairs, confident that at least one member of the Trevenor household would be looked after and made welcome.
She met Rosalind on the landing outside the nursery. ‘Am I too late to say good night to the children?’
Rosalind wrapped her in a warm embrace. ‘They’re fast asleep. I was reading to them for ages until they finally dropped off. But this is a lovely surprise. We weren’t expecting you. Did you bring Alex and Leo home?’
‘I’m sorry, Rosie. They weren’t at Trevenor. It’s a long story.’
Chapter Sixteen
The warm aroma of steaming Christmas pudding and the scent of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg wafted from below stairs in the castle. The sharp tang of oranges spiked with cloves that Dolly and Rory had hung on the boughs of the tree in the entrance hall added to the festive atmosphere. But Nancy knew that the adults were putting on a display of harmony and goodwill for the sake of the children. It was Sunday, just three days before Christmas, and there was still no word from Alex or Leo. It was obvious that Rosie and Patsy were desperate for news, even though they took care not to voice their fears.
Lady Pentelow and Hester had declared a truce for the festive season, but it seemed as though there were times when both of them were biting their tongues. Silence was not one of Hester’s attributes, and speaking her mind was as necessary to her as breathing. Lady Pentelow was much the same, although she would not admit such a failing. Nancy sensed that trouble was bubbling beneath the tense surface, but there was nothing she could do to prevent the inevitable outpouring of emotions due to the absence of Alex and Leo.
Bertie had greeted Lady Pentelow and Aurelia with his usual good humour, and Tommy was polite but kept his distance. Wolfe stuck by Bertie’s side, glowering at anyone who dared to say a word out of place in his master’s presence. However, Walter and Louise brought their young daughter, Charlotte, to visit, which seemed to please Aurelia. She was more at home with Dolly, Rory and Phoebe than she appeared to be with the adults. Barely four years old, Charlotte was still small in stature, having survived a difficult premature birth. According to Dr Bulmer, Louise was unable to bear another child without risking her life, and that made Charlotte even more precious to her doting parents, and to Cora Fletcher, who was now Charlotte’s devoted slave. The only person tougher than Cora was Wolfe, and no one argued with either one of them.
Christmas was just two days away now and the snow had melted in all but the most sheltered north-facing spots on the estate. Nancy was kept busy helping Mrs Jackson in the kitchen, which was her own choice. Rosalind had said it was quite unnecessary and no one expected Nancy to do menial work, but to tell the truth Nancy enjoyed cooking, especially when it came to making fancies. She spent hours in the pantry making marzipan fruits and figures to decorate the Christmas cake and treats for the children.
She had just enjoyed a pleasant two hours in the relative peace and quiet, and had gone outside to the pump to wash the sticky sweet sugar and almond mixture from her hands, when she heard the sound of horses’ hoofs and the rumble of carriage wheels in the bailey. She hurried through the archway that led to the front of the castle, and her heart missed a beat when she recognised the coat of arms on the carriage door. She hesitated, waiting to see who stepped out of the vehicle, but she could not contain her excitement when she realised it was Freddie, and he was on his own. He had spotted her almost before she saw him and he came striding across the cobblestones to lift her off her feet and spin her round.
‘Put me down, Freddie.’ Torn between laughter and tears of joy, Nancy struggled to free herself from his grasp. The familiar scent of him made her even dizzier than the relief and pleasure of seeing him again, but reality was never far away and she faced him uncertainly. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘That’s a nice greeting. I thought you were pleased to see me.’ Freddie’s blue eyes twinkled mischievously. ‘I’ve come all this way to find you, Nancy.’
She shivered as a cold wind whipped her hair from the mobcap she wore and tugged at her apron. ‘How did you know where to come?’
‘It was obvious that you would return to your old home eventually. Anyway, I think we’d better go inside. You’ll catch your death of cold out here.’ He eyed her curiously. ‘You’re dressed like a servant. Surely Rosalind hasn’t sent you below stairs, has she?’
Nancy smiled and tucked her sticky hand into the crook of his arm. ‘No, of course not. As a matter of fact, I like cooking, especially baking and making fancy cakes. I was making marzipan.’
‘I need to talk to you, Nancy. I couldn’t believe it when Mama said you had left of your own free will.’
She extricated herself from his grasp. ‘It’s true, Freddie. I wanted to do the right thing.’
‘Didn’t I have a choice in the matter? Let’s go indoors, Nancy. It’s freezing out here.’
‘I can’t allow Viscount Ashton to walk into the castle through the servants’ entrance.’ Nancy started walking towards the main entrance where Jarvis was standing stiffly to attention.
Freddie laughed. ‘I suppose it would look a bit furtive, and that’s not what I want. I care deeply about you, Nancy.’
‘Do you, Freddie? That’s not what your mama said. In fact, she pointed out, quite rightly, that there is no future for us together.’
He came to a halt, twisting her round so that they faced each other. ‘I won’t allow that, Nancy. I am of age and free to choose the people I want close to me.’
Nancy walked on, stopping only when she reached the doorway. ‘Will you see that Lord Ashton’s coachman is taken care of, please, Jarvis?’
She entered the great hall and waited until Jarvis was out of earshot. ‘I don’t know what my family will make of this, Freddie. How do we explain your visit?’
‘A courtesy call, of course. I’ve come to wish you all the compliments of the season.’
‘They won’t believe that. You must have driven for hours to get here so early.’
‘What does it matter? I’m here now and I want to make things right between us, Nancy.’
‘You can’t achieve the impossible. Some things are not meant to be, Freddie.’ Nancy led the way to the morning room and opened the door. She peeked inside to make sure that there was no one present. ‘Come in, Freddie. We can have a few words in private before anyone interrupts us.’
Freddie strode into the room and stood with his back to the fire. ‘I would have been here sooner, but I was sent on a wild-goose chase.’
Nancy realised that her legs were trembling and she sank down on a chair, making an effort to look unconcerned, which was difficult when her pulse was racing. ‘How was that?’
