Secrets of Cavendon: A gripping historical saga full of intrigue and drama

He took her hand in his again, squeezed it. ‘Let’s not bicker. What we have to do is make a plan, work out how you can do both—’

Cecily interrupted him peremptorily and said in a brisk, business-like tone, ‘I shall have to learn to delegate, since I will have to run my business from here. I’ll promote Aunt Dottie and Greta Chalmers. They can do it, I’m sure. They’ll both handle more responsibility for the business well.’

‘And you won’t mind that?’

‘Of course not. I have to do what’s practical.’

His pleasure showed on his face. He was beaming at her, and his eyes held the sparkle that had been missing for so long.

Cecily’s heart sank. Her being here full time as Countess was what Miles wanted – and needed. But as she considered the serious problems she had with her business, the debts, the lack of money, she knew that spending less time on it could be disastrous. She was almost on the point of confiding in him, but changed her mind.

She would not be able to give him any money for Cavendon this year. Her business was in the red. But would Cavendon survive without her contribution? She was not sure.

Now she thought: Why spoil the weekend? I’ll talk to him on Monday, give him the bad news then.

‘We’d better go to lunch,’ she said, standing up, offering him a loving smile. But her heart was heavy with worry, disguise it though she did, knowing that Cavendon could go down.

THREE (#ulink_ab7de8c4-e7b1-55ef-b370-0b4be9e4f5a5)

Alicia Ingham Stanton, eldest child of Lady Daphne and Hugo Stanton, stood staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, startled by her appearance. Her blue eyes were red-rimmed, there were dark shadows underneath, and her delicate pink and white complexion had a strange greyish tint to it today.

But she was not really surprised she looked so awful. She and Charlie had drunk far too many cognacs last night, and later sleep had eluded her. Now, at six o’clock in the morning, she felt totally exhausted.

A small shiver ran through her as she thought of the evening she had spent with her parents and her siblings. The farewell supper at the Savoy Hotel had started out well enough, but had almost disintegrated into a huge quarrel. Knowing she was the only one who could prevent this from happening, she jumped up and threatened to leave immediately. Knowing that she always meant what she said, Charlie had backed off and their mother had instantly shut up.

After that their father had managed to quell the imminent storm, and had reintroduced a measure of peace around them. But, for Alicia, the dinner before their parents’ departure for Zurich had been a disaster, ruined by her mother’s bitterness about Cavendon.

Peering at her face once more, Alicia reached for a face cloth, ran ice-cold water on it, then pressed it against her cheeks. She did this several times, patted herself dry and slapped on layers of Pond’s cream.

She was not particularly vain about her looks, but she knew she must take care of them, since she was an actress who worked in films. The camera could perform magic but it also highlighted flaws. In two weeks she was starting a new film and must look her best, be in good form.

Once she was back in bed, she pulled the covers over her, determined to get a few hours of sleep. She was having lunch with Charlie later and knew she must be rested and alert before meeting him.

Alicia did not blame her brother for last night’s debacle. Rather, it was her mother’s fault. Everyone had been shocked to hear Daphne’s critical comments about Cecily, including their father. Of course Charlie, as usual, had been unable to hold back, had spontaneously blurted out a heated defence of Cecily before she could stop him. As always, this verbal fight-back was like a red rag to a bull as far as her mother was concerned. He had been doing it since childhood.

Though it was justified, Alicia now thought. Charlie was correct to defend a woman who had saved their family from catastrophe more than once. Their mother had been wrong, the attack misguided. Why on earth had Daphne spoken like that?

Although she had not said anything to a single soul, Alicia was worried her mother was ill. She had noticed certain little things lately. A tremor in her hands at times, a hesitation when trying to remember something, an irritability Alicia had never seen displayed before.

Did her father know the truth? Was he keeping something from them? Maybe. Hugo would never reveal a thing to his children about his wife. He loved them, she knew that, but his main priority in his life was his beautiful Daphne. He had always been her knight in shining armour. That was the way it had begun – love at first sight for him – and ever since he had been mesmerized by her beauty and charm, devoted and supportive.

It suddenly struck Alicia that she ought to confide in Charlie, pass on her worries about their mother. She knew she must also exonerate him for speaking out; she needed to reassure him he had been correct. At the back of her mind, she was positive her brother was still harbouring that anger from last night.

At thirty-five, Alicia was four years older than Charlie, and had been his protector since childhood, forever looking out for him. They were joined at the hip, more like twins than their siblings, Andrew and Thomas, who were twins.

The shrill of the phone cut into her thoughts, and she reached for it. ‘Hello?’

‘It’s me,’ a gruff male voice growled at the other end.

‘Brin? Is that you?’ she exclaimed.

‘Who else would ring you at this ungodly hour?’

‘What’s wrong? You sound strange.’

‘I’ve been up all night. I’m about to collapse, drop dead perhaps. I’m coming over. Okay?’

‘You sound bad. I’ll come and get you. Where are you?’ she cried, her alarm spiralling.

‘Just left Albany, Jake Stafford’s place. I’m in Piccadilly, in a phone box.’

‘That I realize—’

‘Say you’ll let me in … Do you want me to be arrested for loitering with intent?’

‘Get into a taxi at once. Oh, do you have money?’

‘Sure.’

‘I’ll be waiting.’

‘I bloody well hope so.’

The phone went dead. She stared at it for a long moment, then put it back in the cradle. In the year they had been involved in an intense and passionate love affair, nothing like this had ever happened before. He did like to drink, that was true, but he could hold his liquor, was always in control. Now he sounded out of control, weird. She couldn’t help wondering if he was still drunk?

Alicia leapt out of bed, went to the kitchen, and put on a pot of coffee. She then hurried into her bedroom, pulled on a silk dressing gown, continued into the bathroom, removed the cream, washed her face, cleaned her teeth and brushed her hair. Ready for anything, she muttered.

Returning to the kitchen, Alicia set a tray, but was interrupted by the doorbell. Bracing herself, she went to let him in, not quite knowing what to expect.

She called him Brin, an invention based on a favourite toy from her childhood. His real name was Bryan MacKenzie Mellor, born thirty-one years ago, in Edinburgh of a Scottish mother and an English father. A fellow actor, he was tall, handsome, dashing, and considered to be the second best-looking man on the West End stage. The first was her uncle, James Brentwood, still thought of as the greatest matinee idol of all time.

Brin coveted his Savile Row clothes, was proud of his stylish appearance and looks, and did not usually have a hair out of place.

Not this morning, she thought, shocked by what she saw standing before her. He looked like a tramp who lived permanently on the streets; someone who had just risen up from the gutter.

His navy blue pinstriped suit, a piece of perfect Savile Row engineering, was crumpled and his jacket was stained. A blue silk tie dangled out of a side pocket; his white shirt had dark bloodstains on the front and the collar was torn. Then she noticed the cut above his right eye and bruises on one cheek, just visible under his growth of stubble. He lolled against the door-jamb and it seemed as if he was about to slide down onto the floor. He almost did.

Reaching out with both hands, she grabbed his arms and pulled him inside the flat. He tripped and almost fell, but managed to somehow stay upright. Then he staggered towards the bedroom, muttering, ‘Bathroom.’

Alicia followed him, stood waiting for him. Once he came into the bedroom, she took hold of his arm and said firmly, ‘Come on, darling, let’s get you comfortable.’

He didn’t protest as she led him into the living room, just allowed himself to be propelled over to the sofa. He flopped down, a look of relief crossing his face as he sank into the soft cushions.

‘Do you want a glass of water? Coffee might be better.’

‘Whisky.’

‘No way. You smell like a brewery.’