It took three days to reach William's sister's home, and most of the time was spent with Nan nervously staring out the coach window, her hands apprehensively kneading at her fingertips as all manner of thoughts and scenarios played through her mind. None of which ended particularly well as she tried to speculate how her first meeting with a woman she knew nothing of would go.
Nan had known William had a sister, Mrs. Baringer had informed her so, but She had never thought she would meet the woman. Nor did she know what kind of woman Clara De'Mont was. Mrs. Baringer had never met her, so she could offer no insight into what Nan could expect from her. And Hoss was keeping his mouth decidedly shut, largely due to William's smiling orders, though she felt had William said nothing, Hoss still would have remained silent.
Nan wondered, once again, about the intelligence of agreeing to come with William. Though she would have greatly preferred he not have asked her the day before he was due to leave. And while she had half a mind to resend her agreement to come, she could not bring herself to squash the happy light that had entered William's eyes when she had said she would. His entire being had seemed to glow and lift when she had agreed to come with him. His joyful smile rivaled Jamie's when the boy showed her the puppy William had given him.
Still, William's pleasure aside, she had no idea how she would or should act towards his sister. Nan was a beggar who, until a few weeks ago, had been living under William's roof as his Mistress. Though she was fairly certain, the only people who did not consider her to be his Mistress were William and Jamie; much to Nan's surprise, Jamie had not been at all cross with her for sharing William's bed, even if only to sleep.
He had been quite happy with the knowledge that she had taken up with the dreaded Black Knight, as he had told her cheerfully and repeatedly. Though again, she was fairly certain his glee at her being with William had far more to do with the furry friend Jamie had recently acquired than it had to do with Nan's own happiness. But Nan could hardly begrudge her boy for wanting a more comfortable life after how they had been living for so many years, and she was far from tempted to return to it or make Jamie do so, for that matter.
No, if her boy was happy, she'd let him believe she had taken up with William despite her having repeatedly informed him that she had not. Still, the darling little brat had set to teasing and tormenting her with kissy faces and ridiculous lover's endearments that Jamie assumed she and William might share in more private surroundings. At least until she would throw a pillow or some other harmless item at him, and he would either run from the room with a gleeful smile on his face and his furry companion hot on his heels or stand stunned a moment before the two of them burst out laughing.
---------------
William observed Nan's quiet fretting as she toyed with her fingertips. She had been acting like this since William had told her his sister was the hostess of the ball they were to attend. He had never seen her so flustered, and neither had Jamie, as the boy had sniffed out William in his stables to tell him how peculiar she was acting. Something William had not entirely believed until he followed Jamie back into the house and found her in her room, with Mrs. Baringer packing a case and Nan pacing back and forth, firing off question after question. Few of which his housekeeper had an answer to. It all revolved around Clara, what she was like, how she looked, her hobbies, and the foods she might enjoy.
When Mrs. Baringer looked up and saw William standing at the door, he barely suppressed his laughter. His housekeeper sent him a pleading look, begging him to get his panicking love from the room so she could finish packing for their trip. Pushing the door open all the way, William had stepped in and led Nan from the room without a word, allowing her to assail him with the same questions she had been firing at Mrs. Baringer, and while he had fully intended to answer her, a thought had occurred to him.
He wanted to know about her, who her family was, her siblings, childhood friends. He wanted so much to know about her past. But here in Ashfern, he had no leverage to pry the information from her. He knew she'd had a lover named James, whom she had loved and did not blame for her ruination and who was now dead, by means William knew naught of. He knew Nan was educated, though whether that knowledge was gained through the rank of blood or the occupation of her father, he did not know. And while he did not care who she had been, he did not like the idea that someday her past might find her, and he would not be prepared to do whatever was needed to protect her if she needed protection.
It was unlikely, he knew. Yet, somehow, it was always the most improbable of things that wound up happening when one did not prepare for them. And William had never liked the idea of being unprepared for anything. With Nan, the thought of losing her because he had not taken every precaution to keep her physically pained him. She may not have wished to share her past with him, but eventually, one way or another, she would. William would use every trick he knew, short of physically hurting her, to gain that knowledge.
They had just turned past a thick grove of trees when Azurecross came into view. A magnificent three-story structure composed of bluestone that, during the summer, was a near match to the sky. Two large bay windows rose from the first floor to the third, each bordered by tall white and blue marble Greek columns. Elongated tear-shaped topiaries flanked on either side of the front door, a vast dark oak structure framed with stained glass in every shade of blue. It was with a quiet bitterness that William regarded the building they were nearing, its majesty not bring him the same joy and pride it once had when it had graced his eyes. So he looked to Nan to divert his attention and found her expression had changed from worry to awe as she stared at his sister's home.
"That's Azurecross," William informed her with a soft smile, though they had been riding together for three days, and she had said yes to coming along with him and still had despite her obvious discomfort with doing so now. He still could not believe she was with him now.
"It's lovely," she breathed as she stared at the building. She spoke as though she genuinely considered the building lovely, and that filled him with a small measure of pride.
"Quite." William agreed, though his eyes were not on the building as he spoke, and Nan jerked in surprise when he reached out to brush a lock of hair from her cheek. Wincing with an apology for her startled reaction as she looked to him, then glared with annoyance when she saw the smirk he wore. Nan may not have liked William very much at the moment, as he had repeatedly refused to glean any information on his sister. Still, William found Nan's insistent worrying over the matter adorable.
Sophia had never worried about meeting new people. She had been so confident in her beauty that she assumed anyone who looked upon her would simply fall in love with her. And most did. William certainly had. Nan, it seemed, did not have such confidence, but he found her fretting over such a simple matter endearing.
"You're enjoying this far too much," Nan muttered as she returned to looking out the window, surveying the three-story marvel of bluestone and marble columns. She was surprised to see that as they drew closer to the house, no one came to greet them. No servants rushed out from hidden doors; no family stepped from the front—there was no one.
When the coach stopped at the front of the house, and William opened the door, stepping out before her, she was still looking around expectantly and puzzled by the oddity of their solitude. Even when William turned back to the coach and offered his hand to her, she could not help but hide her bemused expression.
"Where is everyone?" she asked absentmindedly as she took William's hand and stepped from the coach onto the gravel. She watched as he turned to his driver and waved the man on. This caused Nan to frown at the action as she stared, baffled, at William.
"Mostly likely all inside helping prepare for the ball." He stated easily.
"Tonight!" Nan gasped, staring up at him with wide, panicked eyes once more. "You said the ball was tomorrow!" she snapped.
"Did I?" William replied, his question mocking in its false ignorance. "Hm, forgive me, my love. I must have confused the dates." He shrugged, then took her hand and started leading her into the house.
Dumbfounded, she followed William, having little choice in the matter, as he pulled her behind him. Still, she caught sight of no one as she tried to take in her quickly passing surroundings. That is until a rather portly-looking man with a shining bald head and a graying beard, dressed in a suit that was a near match to Mr. Baringer's, stepped out of a nearby room, causing William to stop and Nan to stumble to an unsteady halt beside him.
"Sir William." The bald man bowed his head as he greeted William with an odd and slightly concerned look of surprise, though William did not seem to notice. "Mrs. De'Mont is not expecting you. Should I continue to keep her uninformed of your presence?" he asked, his stiff tone laced with the same mischief that Nan could see so clearly gleaming in William's eyes as he regarded the man before him.
"Yes, Phillip. But please tell the Captain. I'd rather Clara not chase me about the house throwing vases this time." William replied with a nod and slight grimace at the remembered event.
"Throwing vases?" Nan queried, gawking at William in a near-comical manner and gaining the bald man's full attention.
"I have a fondness for startling my sister." He admitted with a grin as his entire expression became wicked with mischief. "She—"
"Does not share in it." Phillip finished for William, eying him like a parent might a child when they knew their offspring was up to no good. "Might I inquire to the young lady, Sir?" Phillip asked, waving in Nan's direction.
"Yes, of course," William said, lightly touching Nan's back as he pushed her forward slightly. "Phillip, this is Miss. Harris. She is a very dear friend to me," William said, his tone and expression hardening somewhat as he introduced Nan to the other man.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." Phillip bowed to her in the same manner he had to William. "I'm Phillip De'Grey, the Butler here. If there is anything you should require, please do not hesitate to ask," Phillip informed her warmly. "As for Mrs. De' Mont, Sir William, I believe she is in the greenhouse with Miss Lucy. Shall I show you the way?" he inquired with a wave of his hand.
"No, thank you, Phillip. I think I still remember how to navigate my house," William replied, clapping a friendly hand on the man's arm before setting off down the hall again. Nan stumbled awkwardly behind him as he retook her hand.
"Your house?" Nan repeated, again confused as she followed William. "Is this where you grew up?"
"Good God, No," William replied without a backward glance. Nan halted in her tracks and wrenched her hand from his as she stood in the middle of the hall with her arms crossed beneath her breasts, glaring at William, having had enough of his aversions.
"I don't wish to interrogate you in your home, William." Nan stated, "But you are being decidedly cryptic, and I do not care for it." She added her expression cross, her tone hard as she glared at him. "Will you tell me nothing the entire time we are here?"
"My Love," William smiled softly, stepping towards her as he touched her cheek. "When you said you'd come with me, I decided two things. One: I wouldn't care what my family or anyone else thought of you. And two: since you chose to withhold the knowledge of your past from me. I will do the same for as long as I can." He grinned, dropping his hand and crossing his arms over his chest, mirroring her stance as he smirked at her.
"That is a difference, and you know—" Nan snapped, thrusting her arms down to her sides just as a high-pitched squeal of girlish delight filled the air. Cutting Nan off as she looked down the hall with wide eyes, a little girl with bright blond curls in a pale pink dress that stopped just above her ankles came racing down the hall.
"Uncle Liam!" she screamed as she latched onto William's waist. She was quickly hoisted into his arms and kissed lightly on the forehead, nose, and cheeks. Receiving a chorus of sweet giggles from the child in his arms, and for a second time, Nan stood utterly stunned by what she was seeing.
"Hello, Lulu!" William beamed affectionately at the little girl sitting happily in his arms.
"Did you bring me a present?" The little girl chirped, her hazel eyes going wide with excitement at having a present from her Uncle.
"A present?" William feigned ignorance as his brow wrinkled at her question. "Why would I bring you a present?" he asked innocently.
"Because it's my birthday." The little girl replied, her voice rising when she said the last word and a happy smile spreading across her lips.
"Your birthday? Are you sure? I could have sworn we took care of that last year." He remarked still playing ignorant even as she nodded to his words, a more severe expression crossing her face.
"No. It's my birthday, Mama and Papa said. And it's yours too," she piped, much to Nan's surprise.
"Is it? Really?" he questioned, his tone holding mock wonder at not knowing it was either of their birthdays. "Oh, dear." He muttered, frowning slightly, a look that had the little girl raising her tiny hand to flatten the wrinkles on his forehead. "I'm sorry, Lulu. Your silly Uncle completely forgot. Can you forgive silly Uncle Liam?" he questioned, his eyes big and pleading as he gazed into his niece's.
"Only if you do one thing," the little girl said, holding up a single tiny finger. William quickly clutched her tiny hand in his massive paw and kissed the extended digit.
"And what's that, my Sweet?" William grinned.
"Kiss." She placed one finger on her cheek and was instantly rewarded with a warm, laughing smile and a big kiss on her cheek.
"All right, my Sweet," William said as he set his niece back down. "I have to go find your mother. So if you find her first, remember," he pressed a single finger to her lips, and she pushed one back to his. "You haven't seen me. We don't want a repeat of last year now, do—" William hadn't even finished his question before her little eyes grew large with new excitement, and she raced back down the hall, disappearing around the corner. "We." He finished as he stood back up, glaring unhappily down the hall. "Blast." He cursed softly before looking at Nan, his brow furrowing at the sight of her.
She, too, was looking down the hall, but her expression had become that blank mask he so hated.
"Where did she go?" Nan asked, looking back at William. Her former worry was nowhere to be found on her sweet face, which annoyed him for some reason. William liked having Nan off balance and looking to him for answers. Sadly, telling her he'd withhold them may have been a mistake on his part. He should have just kept smirking.
"Most likely to find her mother and tell her I'm here." He replied with a dry sigh, rolling his eyes skyward as though praying for a quick death.
"Don't worry, William, I'll protect you," Nan replied with a cheeky smile that had William cocking his head at her in an oddly amused manner.
"He'll certainly need it." A bombing voice came from behind them, causing both to spin about and face yet another balding man. Though he had a bit more hair at the sides of his skull, it was stark white. He was tall, nearly as tall as William, though about half the width and a great deal older than William by the looks of him.
"John!" William beamed at the man who approached them, clapping hands with one another before embracing in a tight hug. "Nan, this is Captain Jonathan De'Mont. The best Captain I ever had the pleasure of serving under. And the unfortunate sod that married my sister." William stated with a cocky smile.
"Is he now?" Came a woman's unhappy voice. A voice that quickly removed William's arrogant smile as he slowly turned to face the woman who had spoken. Had William not moved, Nan never would have seen the tiny woman who barely reached the middle of William's chest. She was so small and delicate compared to William and the Captain, though the quiet, angry look she regarded both men with held no such delicacy.
"Clara," William said, his voice carrying a tremor it had not held before as he addressed his tiny sister with a petrified swallow.
"Liam." She replied with no warmth as she glared at her larger brother.
"John?" William said, tilting his head towards his Captain but never removing his eyes from his sister. Slowly, he back-stepped away from her as though afraid she might pull a pistol on him.
"Sorry, son. You're on your own," John replied, holding up his hands as he shook his head and moved away from William. "Darling, I'll leave you to your brother. Do try not to kill him. Our Lucy is rather fond of him," John remarked as he walked over to his wife, placing his hands on her tiny shoulders from behind and kissing her cheek before starting down the hall with a cheerful whistle.
Nan stood off to the side, watching the scene unfold before her, wondering momentarily if this was just some odd dream she was having, as she watched William cowering before a woman who was just barely half his size and pregnant if her vastly distended belly was any indication. Save for her belly and her currently displeased scowl, Clara De'Mont looked like a doll. Her hair was a mess of golden curls, her green eyes shining like Topaz against her flawless pale skin.
"Clara, my dear sweet—"
"Oh, shut up, you ingrate! I sent that invitation to you over a month ago—a month! And—" Clara stopped her rant when her eyes landed questioningly on Nan. "Who are you?" she asked, marching past William and directly up to Nan, scanning her from head to toe with a sharp frown.
"Nan Harris. Mrs. De'Mont. I came with Sir William." Nan replied easily, unfazed by the tiny woman's intense demeanor.
"With?" Clara replied, her expression both shocked and confused. "You came with my brother?" she said again, her brow arching.
"Yes, Ma'am." Nan nodded.
"De'Grey," Clara called over her shoulder. "Mr. De'Grey," she said a little louder. "Phillip!" she shouted, glaring down the hall, then grinning when the portly Butler came jogging to her call.
"Yes, Mrs. De'Mont," Phillip said after a moment, his hands on his sides as he tried to catch his breath.
"Do we have a room available for Mrs.? It is Mrs.?" Clara asked, looking to Nan for confirmation.
"Miss, Ma'am." Nan corrected.
"Miss? Miss Harris." Clara asked Phillip sweetly as she looked back at her red-faced Butler.
"One is being made ready, Ma'am," Phillip stated with a nod.
"Splendid!" she clapped her hands with a bright smile, mirroring her daughter's gleeful features. "Well, my dear, since your room is not yet ready, would you care to join me for tea?" Clara asked with a sweet smile, looking at Nan expectantly.
"I would be delighted, Mrs. De'Mont." Nan smiled back and followed Clara out of the hall, stopping only when William took Nan's hand and stared into her eyes, terrified. Nan took his hand by the wrist and removed it from hers, her expression giving away nothing as she dropped his hand and continued after his sister.
"I'm sure Mrs. De'Mont will take a liking to Miss Harris, Sir," Phillip said, his words trying to be comforting, though their tone could not hide their worry.
"If she doesn't. My stay will be considerably shorter." William replied.