Jane could barely believe her eyes when Edward Fairfax walked through the door to join Christina and herself for lunch. His presence filled the kitchen almost before she knew it was there. Something about the smell of him.
Strong, a deep musk.
She felt an instinctive and darkly physical reaction, quite beyond her control. It forced a catch in her breath as he walked round the back of her chair to stand in front of them. She raised her chin to catch more of his scent before looking solidly down at her bowl of soup, reddening at the inappropriacy. Only then did she ponder on how the hell he’d been able to clamber out of that massive bed of his, let alone make it downstairs. She’d seen the extent of his injury as she’d leaned into him at Christina’s urging, holding him down as the housekeeper tended to his wound. Her cheeks grew even hotter at the memory.
For God’s sake, what was wrong with her!?
The unexpected shock of seeing him was clearly reciprocated.
Ignoring her completely, Fairfax rounded on the Vallencourt. “What the hell is she still doing here, Christina? Did I not give explicit instructions that she was to be gone?”
The housekeeper returned his gaze, coolly. “You did. But I think you were making a mistake. I needed help last night, you know I did. And you need help with the business. Things have been left for far too long. Soon there won’t be a business unless you get a grip.”
“It’s too dangerous!” he fisted his hands by his side, refusing to look at Jane. “I won’t … can’t be held responsible for what might happen to her.”
“Can I be the judge of that?” Jane offered. “I have no idea what happened to you but I do know that without me Christina wouldn’t have been able to help you. You were in agony.” Her words caused him hesitation, his purpose seemed more unsure. “I can assure you that I do not possess a faint heart. If I can be of any help to you and Christina, I really would like to stay if you would give me a chance.”
“Impossible,” Fairfax replied, though he seemed not as determined in his demeanour, taking from Christina a proffered bowl before sitting down. “You’ve seen too much already.”
Jane gave a little smile. “Yes. I did.”
There was a sudden hiatus. Jane could almost taste the tension as she felt the man stiffen. Then Christina let out a strangled sound half way between a laugh and a choke and even Fairfax couldn’t help a smile, rolling his eyes as he did so.
Jane pressed her advantage “I have to admit to some surprise, however, to see you so … improved.”
Edward exchanged a glance with the Vallencourt, who in return raised an impeccable eyebrow as if curious at how he’d reply.
“I am improved, thank you. The salve Christina gave me works wonders and I’ve always healed quickly.”
Well, there was quick and there was impossible. No one could have recovered from an injury that severe and certainly not so well they’d be able to get up and break bread so cheerfully the next day. And how the hell had he got it in the first place? What happened to him?
Before she had time to consider it further, he interrupted her thoughts. “So… I presume Christina has shown you around?”
Was he changing his mind? Was he about to say she could stay? She knew this was an important moment. She couldn’t help but think Kezia would have told her to head for the hills, insisting that this was no place for someone as naïve and vulnerable as she. But a kind of excitement coursed through her at the thought of staying. Though she’d never felt anything like it before, she absolutely knew it wasn’t just born of a desire to get down to work.
Nevertheless, she decided to frame her reply in just those terms. “Er … yes. I’m looking forward to starting my duties, though I’m still unsure about what they actually entail.”
Fairfax nodded. After taking a few mouthfuls of soup, he put down his spoon and sighed. “Very well, then, Jane. Thornfield is a very large estate and its business calls me to travel extensively. Caster, who I expect you’ve met, is my agent. He’s very skilled with dealing with the tenants and the farm, of course, but not so much with the office side of things.” He heaved a sigh. “Christina, regrettably, is correct. I am away a great deal and am nowhere near as organised as I should be when I’m at home. My diary needs co-ordinating, preferably by a person who might also manage a reasonably pleasant telephone manner and is familiar with how a country estate works.” He sat back. “I’ve no doubt you’d be fairly skilled at the former, but as to the latter…”
“I’ve worked in estate management before. I don’t think you’d be disappointed in my skills in that respect either.”
Fairfax looked at her full-on at that, surprise in his gaze. “Have you, now?” She bristled at his sardonic tone. “You surely can’t have that much experience, surely? How old are you?”
“Twenty-one.” She lifted her chin. “Next month.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “So, twenty then. Tell me, how did you become so experienced? You surely can’t be that long out of school.”
“My education was … unusual. My parents died when I was very young. I was placed in Lowood, a young person’s facility in Edinburgh. It became both my home and school. I could have stayed until I turned eighteen but I was itching to leave. With such a background you might appreciate how hard it is to be one’s own person or even to discover who that person is. My mentor—the principal—thought education was the way forward. She knew I wanted something … more, and thought that immersing myself in study would somehow settle me. But college followed by uni just didn’t appeal. I felt I’d be swapping one institution for another. When she realised I was determined to leave and get a job, she persuaded one of my teachers to offer me lodging. She also knew the owner of a reputable employment agency in town who found me a few jobs at junior level, and I gradually improved my skillset. Estate work appealed—I love the outdoors—and it’s plentiful in Scotland.” Jane regarded him coolly. “It led me here. I am quite sure I can manage any challenges you will throw my way.”
“And you were hoping this situation would become permanent?”
She nodded. “I do enjoy agency work. I like the freedom it gives me. But I can’t deny I also have an urge to build a career and possibly find a place to settle.”
“You really think a young girl like you would thrive in a place like this? No pubs—well, one, an hour’s walk from here in Haye—no clubs. No social life whatsoever?
“I don’t believe Jane is dispositioned that way,” Christina interjected, looking kindly at her. “You don’t strike me as someone whose interest takes them into shallow pursuits. You are … serious-minded. I can tell that from the way you talk about yourself. Am I right?”
Jane didn’t know whether to feel indignant or angry. Her personal life or predilections were none of their concern. She hated it that her cheeks grew hotter as she found herself more deeply under Fairfax’s scrutiny.
“Is that so?” he said, his stare deepening. “Do you really believe you’ve got what it takes to stay under my roof? We are very isolated here.” He turned to the Vallencourt and gave her a meaningful, almost desperate look. “I hope to hell we’re not making a terrible mistake, Christina. You know what issues we’re facing. Can we risk it?”
“I had what it took last night,” Jane said, hoping for further revelations. She also admitted of a sudden fear of the job disappearing. She could not account for why she wanted so much to stay. The place obviously had its challenges—dangers too…
Fairfax held her gaze for the duration of a few more uncomfortable heartbeats then returned to his bowl of soup, scraping the bottom with his spoon.
“Thank you, Christina. Excellent as usual.” Clearly determined on making no further disclosures, he pushed his chair back. “I haven’t made up my mind about you, Miss Reid, or about whether Thornfield is the right place for you. Especially after last night.” He darted another quick look at the Vallencourt.
“Let me repeat, Edward. Whatever our situation, you cannot deny you need help,” she said. “Your office is a mess. You can’t go on like this. The Hall needs to be run more efficiently. It’s haemorrhaging money.”
Fairfax stood a moment, chewing his lip. “I can’t promise I can protect her.”
Without one iota of doubt, Jane spoke with a conviction that surprised even her. “I don’t know what danger befell you last night, but I do know you got through it. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced there’s a reason why I’m here. I do not know why I’d need to be protected, or what from what, but I do know there is some safety afforded by numbers.
Fairfax let out a strangled laugh. “You think your presence can make us—me—safer? You are deluded, child.”
“I am not a child!” Jane, not used to raising her voice, surprised herself by the vehemence of her tone. “Whether you like it or not, last night you needed my help. I don’t know what dangers you face, but if my presence can help tip the balance in your favour, then I want to offer it.”
Whether her last remark made the difference, Jane could not say. Fairfax merely rose from the table and made for the door. Halfway through it, he paused, his shoulders slumping.
“Alright,” he said, turning round. “I grant you, you were of some use to Christina last night, and you have already witnessed a situation only a few individuals have ever been privy to.” He nodded, seemingly to answer a question known only to himself. “Come with me.”
***
They made their way through the large square hall, Fairfax striding ahead as he led Jane to a large booklined room at the front of the Hall. It was possessed of the same mullioned windows as the rest of the house but this time heavy damask curtains were replaced by modern vertical blinds. A huge oak desk rested in front, facing the door, sporting a piled mess of files and paperwork. In the corner— and the very last thing she expected to see—a coffee machine rested on top of an antique corner table, together with an assortment of cups and beverage packets. For some reason it made her smile. Fairfax hadn’t struck her as someone who was into gadgets—or coffee, for that matter!
He stood in front of his desk, arms folded, his dark brow furrowed in an expression of mock despair.
“This is your first challenge,” he said. “Filing. The keys to the cabinets are … somewhere. A top drawer possibly. By the time you’ve got to the bottom of this lot, you’ll have a sense of what we’re about. Tomorrow, I’ll go over my diary with you. Christina tells me it all needs to be put online and … synched, though God knows why.”
“So that a number of people can get access to it. Caster, for example, as well as myself.” Though she hardly thought the agent any more au fait with technology than his employer. “They can add comments or make amendments if you get the settings right. Same goes for your goods in and out. There’s dedicated software for businesses to upload their invoices, payments and so on that feed into your tax returns. I’m sure there’ll be specific software for other aspects of estate management that’s more appropriate for your business. I could look into it if you want.”
He turned and looked down at her. “You might prove useful after all, young Miss Reid.”
She rolled her eyes. “Call me Jane, please, and without the young preface if you don’t mind. Can I make a start or are you going to carry on trying to intimidate me with that glare of yours. Because it doesn’t, you know. Not one bit!”
It was only a very small lie.
Fairfax’s lips twitched. “Very well. I’ll leave you to it. I’m going out. Any problems, Christina might be able to help, but don’t bank on it.”
So, Jane spent the rest of the afternoon attempting to clear the desk. It didn’t take very long to locate the keys to the cabinets. They were in a jar on the mantle, with other bits and bobs deemed insignificant. By four o’clock she’d made significant progress and had even found a few unposted envelopes.
After a ten-minute search for the housekeeper, she eventually discovered her in a small sitting room. She was kneeling in front of one of the armchairs, needle and thread in hand, attending to a split seam in the upholstery.
“Hang on.” The Vallencourt hoiked herself up, threading the needle into the chair-back while she took the proffered envelopes. “Ah! There was some mail Edward meant to post last week. Asked if I’d seen it.” She rolled her eyes. “Thank goodness you’re here. I wonder what else you’ll find he hasn’t sorted.”
“Lots I should think. It’s taken me the best part of three hours to sort out the mess on the desk and I haven’t even begun to tackle the piles of stuff on the floor.” She chuckled. “Has he always been like this?”
“Pretty much. Want to take a break? Tea? Cake?”
“No. Actually, I think I’ll head on up to Haye. I’ll be just in time to catch the post office.”
“Suit yourself. Dinner’s at seven.”
Leaving Christina to return to her repair, Jane climbed the stairs to her apartment and found a coat suitable enough to withstand the driving rain outside. Did the weather ever change here?
***
Ten minutes later, she was outside and through the gates very much looking forward to the upward climb to the village. So engrossed was she in her thoughts she did not see the man: tall, lithe, light of hair, sequestered within a stand of trees a few yards away from the drive. Nor, therefore, did she see a sudden glint of alarm in his eyes at the unexpected sight of a young woman he had not seen before, exiting the Hall. Plain of features, yet there was something compelling about her. Something almost sexual. He could smell it, and in response, felt an arousal in his own senses. Did she belong to Fairfax?
If so, that was going to be a problem.
Another great entry. So much intrigue! I'm consistently left hanging, wanting the next chapter! Always a pleasure, reading your work. :)