Free Prue Phillipson - Hordens of Horden Hall by Hearts Restored Page A

come.”
    William held up his hand for silence.
    “If such words were spoken at all it suggests to me that an inappropriate conversation had already taken place. What is the truth of this?” His face was reddening and his voice rising a pitch. “Has my mother already been plotting this and you, boy, have turned her down? Why then would she persist?” He slapped the letter. “Oh I can well see that a baronet would view marriage with a daughter of this house as preposterous. But that he should tell her to her face –”
    Daniel drove his hands desperately through his hair. “Mother! It wasn’t as it seems. Oh, sir,” to William, “I wouldn’t for the world have caused her pain. And I am far from regarding rank – why, she is my equal in every respect – if I could only explain to her – will you not call her down?”
    “I will not, sir.” William took a step closer and his teeth were clenched. “I have striven to keep her away from temptation but she enters that house and all this has followed. I smell a conspiracy of the devil. My mother’s deviousness I know well but there has been cruelty here too. Within a few hours of meeting with my daughter’s innocence you have trampled on her feelings. God forbid that worse has been done.” He shook his head with an expression of agony. “She has not told me all. I see there was more, much more. But why has my mother done this thing now?”
    Daniel shrank before him. Although he was taller than William he felt the man grow in stature as he grew in fierceness. Feeble protests that Eunice had overheard something spoken and nothing at all had happened died on his lips. He had never encountered anyone like this. He saw his father lay a hand on William’s arm.
    “Pray calm yourself, Cousin. I know of nothing that passed between these two young people –”
    William shook off his arm and turned his dark brows on him.
    “Ay, you indeed know nothing. No, no one knows but these two and God above. And I feel the presence of the Father of Lies more strongly than I do the Lord at this moment.”
    Bel intervened at his other side with a half-suppressed laugh. “William, you are at risk of being ridiculous. I preferred you when you were seventeen and had nothing to say for yourself.”
    “Ha! Ridicule I am well used to. It touches me not at all. You have not changed. You had nothing of the meekness of womanhood then and have learnt none since. If I am not to be told the truth by your boy here I would wish you to leave this house. But if he has had his evil way with my girl then I call down heaven’s curses upon his head.”
    Bel started to say, “Oh come, Nat, Dan, let us leave this mad house,” when the door above opened and Eunice stood in the doorway.
    “Father!” Her voice was shrill, “You shall curse no one. Why will you not believe that nothing happened? Oh go all of you! You have nothing to do with us. You can never be a part of our lives. Tell my grandmother so.” She made desperate shooing motions with her arms.
    Daniel took a step towards the foot of the little stair. His head was on a level with the worn slippers he saw peeping below her dress.
    “Please believe me – I never meant –”
    William grabbed his arms from behind and propelled him towards the door.
    “She has told you to go. Your presence is unwelcome.”
    “Yes go,” she pleaded. “I should never have opened my lips. Just go.”
    She disappeared inside and closed the door again.
    Daniel looked in utter frustration from his father to his mother and then defiantly at William.
    “I hope, sir, you have abandoned your wild and horrible imaginings. Do you believe now that we are both innocent? You will not cruelly interrogate your daughter when we are gone?”
    William stared him down with eyes like ice and turned to Nathaniel. “You, sir, will tell your son that he comes between father and daughter at peril of his soul. Remove him, I pray. He has his mother’s fiery spirit. You, I think,