Her Longed-For Family Read online

  “Welcome to Porthlowen Cove,” she said with a smile. “I assure you not every day is as gray and dreary as today is. When the sun is shining, this is one of the prettiest places you will ever see.”

  The senior Mrs. Warrick eyed her closely. “You are the earl’s oldest. Is that right?”

  “Yes.”

  “But your husband has been dead... That is, the children are young...” Color rushed up her face.

  Jacob interjected, “These are two of the children I mentioned to you at breakfast. Some of the ones found in the small boat floating in the cove.”

  “Oh, now it makes sense.” Mrs. Warrick’s color returned to normal. “How good of you to take in these waifs, Lady Caroline!”

  “I am the one blessed by having them in my life.”

  Jacob’s family excused themselves, and Carrie guessed Mrs. Warrick was embarrassed. When she said the same to Jacob, who lingered behind as he set Gil on the ground, she urged him to reassure his stepmother that she was not distressed by her comments.

  “Maybe you should give my whole family lessons in deportment,” he said as the wind caught his cape and flapped it behind him like dark wings.

  She laughed. “Don’t judge anyone else by the standards I have been teaching you. I appreciate plain-speaking people. Your stepmother was curious about the children, so she asked.”

  “And she is curious about you. As you know, my family has not had much interaction with the peerage.”

  “Jacob, stop apologizing for them. Nobody said anything I found uncomfortable. A widow of almost six years having two such young children would create questions wherever I went beyond Porthlowen. Here, everyone knows the story.” Her smile broadened. “Did they find the redone rooms comfortable?”

  He visibly relaxed as he nodded. “Quite. Now I only need to convince them not to go into the other parts of the house.”

  “The best way is to keep them busy.”

  “Will you help me find ways to entertain them?”

  “Certainly. I have helped you thus far. Why would I stop now?”

  When he smiled and her heart did a dance, she knew she may have made a big mistake. She must be certain this was the last time she assisted him. She was enjoying it far more than she should.

  Chapter Ten

  Silence held the moor in its thrall when Carrie drew in her horse. She had come out on the cold day in an effort to clear her head. At Cothaire, preparations for the holidays kept the staff busy. The most delicious smells came from the kitchen. Many of the dishes were being put into cold storage to await the feast on Christmas Day or to be given to their neighbors for their own celebrations. The house was being cleaned from top to bottom, the wood polished, the brasses shined, and the windows in unused rooms opened to air any last heat from the summer out.

  She felt as if she were in everybody else’s way. She had never guessed she would experience such a feeling in the house where she had lived her whole life, even during her marriage. Maybe it was because everyone else seemed to be moving forward, and she spun her wheels in the same rut. She did not understand why she felt as she did, so she had no idea how to change.

  Taking a long ride to sweep the cobwebs from her brain had always served her well, but today, not even riding her favorite horse, Marmalade, across the bare expanse of the moor helped.

  Carrie scowled as she cocked her head so the wind did not rush beneath her bonnet. She heard nothing but the crackle of dead growth beneath Marmalade’s hooves and the distant crash of the sea against the shore in the wake of last night’s storm.

  The beam engine had stopped.

  Knowing she was breaking the vow she had made to herself after church not to get further involved in Jacob’s life, she gave Marmalade the order to go in the direction of the engine house. She found a track and urged the horse even faster.

  They climbed a small hill in the heart of the moor. At the top, she drew the horse in. Shading her eyes, she looked across the open landscape to where the beam engine building rose high above everything else around it. She smiled when she saw a distant motion coming from the building. Straining her ears, she could discern a steady thump.

  Not from the direction of the mine but from behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see another rider coming at a neck-or-nothing speed, his cloak rippling wildly behind him. Recognizing the rider, she was astonished the always careful Jacob Warrick was riding at such a pace. She was about to wave to him when he took an abrupt turn toward her. His black horse made the change easily.

  Carrie waited for him to draw even with her. She was about to greet him when she saw his scowl.

  “What are you doing out here by yourself?” Jacob asked sharply.

  “Good morning to you, too,” she replied.

  His frown eased only a smidgen before he asked again, “What are you doing out here alone?”

  “I was riding, and I realized the beam engine had stopped. I thought I would come and see if there was anything I could do to help.” She hurried on when his eyebrows shot skyward beneath his windblown hair. “I know you don’t need me tinkering with the engine, but I thought I could get you and Pym something to eat. I halted when I heard the engine start up again.”

  “Pray this time it will keep working.”

  “Have you discovered what is wrong with it?”

  “Yes. It is a worthless piece of junk.”

  She laughed, then quickly apologized when his frown deepened even more. “I am sorry. I know the situation isn’t funny, but I did not expect you to say that.”

  “Why not?” he asked in the same irked tone. “Just when Pym and I have the beam engine working well, it stalls again. My family is beginning to think I am avoiding them. I have spent more time at the mine than with them at Warrick Hall.”

  “I am sure they understand more than you believe.”

  He edged closer, and Marmalade suddenly seemed as small as a pony beside his magnificent horse. Looking at her, he said, “You never answered my question. You should not be out here alone.”

  “You fret too much, Jacob. I have told you I have been riding across this moor since I was a child.”

  “But you are no longer a child. Any man, including those with evil intentions, would notice that fact immediately.”

  Heat slapped her cheeks, but she did not lower her eyes as she fired back, “You need to stop being overprotective of those around you.”

  “I don’t see why when you do dangerous things like riding alone.”

  “There are no highwaymen lurking about when the sun is high and there are no trees to hide them.” To halt his next comment, she said, “I do appreciate your concern.”

  “Even if you think I am overreacting?”

  “Yes.”

  It was his turn to laugh. “Now that is an answer I did not expect.” He motioned for her to follow as he set his horse to a walk along the track. “I will ride with you to Porthlowen. The parson sent a message yesterday asking if there were any additional blankets in the attic. The need is great with winter cold arriving early. I want to let him know there are several more crates full.”

  “Why did your uncle have all those blankets?”

  “You met the man. I never did. If you cannot answer my question, there is far less chance that I can.”

  “We probably will never know the truth, but it is wonderful the blankets are being put to good use now.” She smiled up at him. “I brought Marmalade out here to let her stretch out at a speed faster than this.” Her horse nodded as if in agreement. “Shall we?”

  “Shall we what?”

  “Give them their heads and see what they can do.”

  His eyes grew wide again. “Are you challenging me to a race? Shadow is a very powerful horse.”

  “So is Marmalade.”

&nb
sp; “I think you are misguided in your assessment, my lady. Your horse is a fine animal, but she cannot compare with Shadow.”

  “No?” She slapped her hand against Marmalade’s flank and shouted.

  Her horse leaped forward in a cloud of dust. Behind her, she heard Jacob command his horse to run. All sound vanished beneath the pounding hooves on the hard earth.

  Leaning forward, she let Marmalade pick the best path through the gorse. Carrie did not want to guide her into a chuckhole. A victorious shout rang in her ears as Jacob sped past on his horse. Beneath her, Marmalade added speed, clearly not ready to cede the race to the larger horse.

  Her bonnet slid off her hair and bounced on her back, held on by the ribbons tied around her neck. Hairpins popped, unable to fight the wind tearing through her hair. She did not release the reins. Shaking her hair aside, she sped onward.

  She could not recall the last time she had felt free. The cold wind scored her face, but she kept going, even though she knew her horse had no chance of catching Jacob’s.

  Marmalade must have realized that, too, because she began to slow. Carrie drew her to a stop and dismounted. She threw the long train of her riding outfit over her arm before she stroked Marmalade’s neck and murmured what a wonderful horse she was. The horse’s ears pricked up each time Carrie spoke her name.

  Jacob must have been watching, because he turned Shadow toward her. When he drew even with her again, he dismounted. “Shall I be a gentleman and call it a tie?”

  “No! I beat you.”

  He gave a mock scowl. “We left you far behind.”

  “Oh, did you think it was a race to a finish line?” She shook her head with a superior smile. “It was a contest to see which horse could start more quickly.” She patted Marmalade’s neck. “We were the clear winners.”

  “Clearly.”

  They burst into laughter together.

  “That was fun!” she declared.

  “It was.” Slanting toward her, he ran his thumb along her cheek and grinned. “You look like Joy when she is working hard at trying to walk, rosy and happy and yet determined.”

  “I have not ridden like this in longer than I can remember.” She was well aware they were in clear view of anyone else on the moor, but as his skin brushed hers, she did not care who saw them close together.

  “Because you are the very responsible Lady Caroline Trelawney Dowling.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, that sounds like the most boring person I can imagine.”

  “I have to disagree. I find the very responsible Lady Caroline Trelawney Dowling extremely intriguing.”

  His gaze invited her closer, but she began walking Marmalade toward Porthlowen. Again he set Shadow to the same pace beside her. He paused once, and she did, too, when she guessed he was listening for the beam engine. She did not hear it at first, then the deep rhythm reached her ears.

  “Good,” he murmured as they continued on. “Pym is keeping it going this time. I had promised Beverly I would take them to Penzance this morning. Maybe I will be able to fulfill that promise this afternoon, though why she wants to go eight miles each way simply to look at the sea when she could visit Porthlowen is beyond me.”

  “She probably wants to see as much of Cornwall as she can on her visit. I know I would want to explore as much as possible if I went to another part of England.”

  His voice became grim. “She will have plenty of time to see whatever she wants to see.”

  “Are they staying past the holidays?” She tried to halt her stomach from cramping at the thought that one good reason for them to remain at Warrick Hall longer was because Jacob had given into his stepmother’s plan to have him marry Miss Bolton.

  “Long past the holidays.”

  She scanned his face. “Does that please you?”

  “That they will be here, yes, but not the reason why.” His gaze caught hers, and she saw uncertainty in his eyes. “May I confide in you? I told Emery I would say nothing to the family or Miss Bolton, so you must be as reticent with them.”

  “I have spoken to Mrs. Warrick and your brother’s wife only that one time at church, though I know Maris plans to invite them to Cothaire.” She slowed her horse even further. “But I can keep a secret, Jacob.” I have been keeping my inability to conceive a secret for almost ten years.

  When he related what his brother had told him, she listened without comment. She sensed Jacob needed to share with someone beyond his family, someone who would listen and confirm he was doing the right thing.

  She was touched she was the one he had chosen, that he respected her insight and opinion. If their situations were reversed, she easily could imagine herself seeking him out to get his point of view on an important matter.

  “I wish,” he said after outlining his brother’s situation, “Emery had come to seek my advice before he was imprudent.”

  “He may not have wished to give you an additional burden, especially if he knows about the troubles you have had with the mine.”

  He looked at her directly for the first time since he had begun speaking of his brother. “He knows. I have poured out every bothersome detail in my letters to him. Maybe I should not have.”

  “Don’t be absurd. He is your brother, and he would want to know how you fared. Aren’t you upset with him because he did not confide his problems to you before now?”

  “Carrie, you keep astonishing me with your insight. How do you do that?”

  She gave him a supportive smile. “It is simple. I think how I would feel if I had to deal with the quandary. Like now, I know I would be distressed if one of my siblings faced such circumstances and I hadn’t known about it. Maybe I could not have done anything to change what happened, but I could have been there to stand by their sides and to hold them up in prayer.” She shook her head. “But I don’t understand one matter. You said the horses he bought were as fine as your Shadow. If so, I don’t know how he lost his money so quickly.”

  “Nor do I, but dealing in horses is a complex and tricky business. There are, as I have heard, very unscrupulous men who will take advantage of a man as unfamiliar with horse breeding as Emery is. None of that matters now. However he managed to let the money slip through his fingers, it is gone. I am grateful he could not use the entailed property as a stake to start over and try again to succeed.”

  “What will he do at Warrick Hall? He sounds like a man who wants to be useful.”

  “I have asked him to learn how to work with Pym and me to oversee the engine house. I want to replace the ancient machinery at smaller mines with new steam ones, and I will need more eyes and hands to keep them running.”

  “Amazing!”

  “What is amazing?”

  “That you plan to replace the old engines with new ones after you have had such trouble with the steam engine you already installed.”

  He gave her a crooked smile. “Maybe my brother and I are not different after all. He risked everything on a line of racing horses while I invest in modern equipment to make the mines more productive and safer.”

  “No one is trying to assign blame, Jacob.”

  “I see now, even though I have assured him and my family—and you—I sympathize with his situation, I have been blaming him for being careless. I need to rethink this.” He gave her a smile and reached out to take her hand and squeeze it. “Carrie, thank you for opening my eyes.”

  “I am glad for any help I could give you at this difficult time.” The words were trite, but the emotion behind them was not. Nor was her delight as they continued to hold hands while they followed the road to Porthlowen.

  * * *

  Gil and Joy were playing with Irene on the day nursery floor. Carrie was not surprised to find them alone in the nursery, because Maris had taken Bertie with her on a call to the parsonage. Raymond
had been pleased to hear Jacob’s tidings about the extra blankets and arranged to send someone to Warrick Hall to collect them.

  Jacob had asked to see the children, and she knew he missed spending time with them as much as they missed him. That was confirmed when Gil dropped his toys and clambered to his feet. He ran past the sleeping kitten and threw his arms around Jacob’s legs. He began firing questions at Jacob about where he had been and when he was going to take Gil to see the mine and how his cats at Warrick Hall fared.

  Jacob swung the little boy high in the air. Gil crowed with excitement and begged him to do it again. Tossing him up, Jacob caught him and settled him gently on the floor.

  “Do again!” Gil cried in excitement.

  Irene interjected softly, “He ate not too long ago.”

  “Later,” Jacob said with a conspiratorial wink.

  When Gil started to pout, Carrie put an arm around his shoulders. “Have you been having fun with Irene today?”

  The question diverted him, and he began talking about every toy he had played with since Carrie left him and the baby in the nursery so she could ride on the moor.

  “Ac-oob!” Joy chirped as she held up her arms and bounced on her bottom in her excitement.

  All of them, even Gil, turned to look at the baby.

  “Did she say what I thought she said?” Jacob asked.

  “Ac-oob!” Joy’s tone was more insistent as she waved her tiny hands.

  Carrie chuckled. “If you thought she said your name along with a request for you to pick her up, then I would say you are right. You should be honored, Jacob. Your name is her first word.”

  Wonder lit his face as he bent to scoop the baby up in his arms. Joy patted his coat before grabbing a lapel. She began to chew on it, leaving a line of drool along the dark green wool.

  When Carrie reached to take his lapel gently out of the baby’s mouth, he said, “She cannot hurt it.”

  “You are spoiling these children with fresh toys and fresh teething surfaces.”