“Mr. Savage was apparently your father’s friend from a neighboring plantation in Ceylon.” Mr. Watson again cleared his throat. “Your allowance will continue as before, but the rest of your money, my lord, I regret to inform you is in the hands of your legal guardian, Mr. Savage. It will be entirely up to him whether or not your allowance will be increased to cover the upkeep of Lamb Hall and its tenant farms.”
The last thing Anthony seemed to be thinking of at this moment was money, so his grandmother spoke up for him. “That seems a decidedly inconvenient arrangement. Surely it would have been better in his solicitors’ hands, here in London?”
Mr. Watson of course agreed with her, but everything was scrupulously legal and without loophole. “Mr. Savage is presently having a house built at Gravesend and is returning from Ceylon when it is completed, so perhaps the arrangements will not prove inconvenient. Lord Lamb, if you will be so kind as to put your signature upon the deed to Lamb Hall so it may be registered in your name, and of course the deed to the Curzon Street town house.”
Anthony complied with the legalities and Mr. Watson seemed disinclined to linger in a house of mourning. “Lord Lamb, Lady Randolph, permit me to offer the condolences of Watson and Goldman. We will continue to serve you in any capacity you wish, as we served the late Lord Lamb. A death notice has been placed in theLondon Gazette.”Mr. Watson tried not to stare at the remarkable similitude between Lord Lamb and his twin sister. He bowed to the ladies and took his departure.
Antonia looked helplessly at her brother and whispered, “Will mother be coming home?”
“Apparently not,” Tony said, handing her their mother’s letter, then shoved his hands deep in his pockets.
Antonia read it, then handed it to her grandmother. The tears gathered in her eyes and spilled over. She moved toward her twin and they stared at each other in mute misery. Communicating without words, they left the library together and sought the privacy of the outdoors.
Through the window Rosalind watched the two dark heads disappear toward the river. “God damn the tropics!” She immediately took Mr. Burke into her confidence. The butler had always been with them and was indispensible to the workings of Lamb Hall. He placed a footstool beside a comfortable wingchair and indicated that Rosalind should sit down. She sighed.
“Shall I make you some tea, my lady?”
“Brandy … brandy,” Roz said decisively, “and pour yourself one while you’re at it, Mr. Burke,”
In the boathouse the twins busied themselves coiling rope and tidying the careless disarray of their sanctuary; then, when they had exhausted every chore, they climbed aboard and sat down listening to the water rhythmically splash against the side of the boat.
“What you said this morning is true,” Anthony lamented. “I can’t remember what either of them looks like.”
“Poor mother, out there all alone. I wonder how she’s coped these last months?”
“Damnation, I should be there with her,” Anthony swore in frustration. “Christ, only this morning Roz said I’d inherit all this without so much as lifting a finger.” His shoulders began to shake and he looked at Antonia with raw pain in his eyes. “I swear I don’t want to be Lord Lamb and inherit everything … not this way!”
Antonia reached out her hand to comfort him. “Your grief is all mixed up with guilt, Tony.” The lump in her throat threatened to choke her. “It isn’t your fault.”
He turned to her gratefully, as if she were his lifeline, and rubbed an impatient sleeve across his eyes. “I’m a selfish bastard. I’m glad you won’t be going up to London for the season.”
Antonia had completely forgotten about London. It was out of the question now that they were in mourning. She felt a pang of guilt at the money that had been wasted on gowns she might never get to wear. Perhaps they wouldn’t be too out of style next year when she made her debut. She pushed thoughts of herself away and concentrated her attention on easing her twin’s pain. “We’re lucky we have each other. Sorrow shared is sorrow halved. I’ve never told you this before, but this house is my security. It makes me feel safe. When things go terribly wrong, like this, I feel the very walls draw about me to protect and comfort. The house will be our bastion and we’ll be strong for each other.”
“What the devil was father about, making me a ward of this Savage fellow like I’m a snot-nosed schoolboy!”
“It’s not just you, Tony. Adam Savage is my guardian too,” she pointed out.
“Who the devil is he? We know nothing of him!” Anthony complained bitterly.
“Yes, we do. We know he’s building a house at Gravesend. That’s only ten or twelve miles off. Let’s ride over there next week.”
The plan to do something constructive alleviated the feeling of helplessness that almost suffocated them. They remained outdoors until the shadows lengthened and the chill off the sea drove them indoors. They both excused themselves from the light meal Mr. Burke had had prepared, and Antonia retired to her bedchamber.
Roz came in to make sure she was all right.
“I can’t understand why mother didn’t come home,” Antonia said, at a loss.
“Can’t you, darling?” asked Roz quietly. “Lamb Hall belongs to Anthony now. Eve couldn’t be lady of the manor here. In Ceylon she lives like an empress, her servants are almost like slaves to do her bidding. She is one of a unique and very select group, a white woman in a primitive culture. Society in Ceylon likely gravitates about her as if she were the sun, the moon, and the stars.”
“You make her sound shallow,” Antonia said sadly.
“In some ways your mother is shallow; in others very deep. However it isn’t easy being a woman, Antonia. It’s a man’s world and always will be. Did you not notice today that Mr. Watson almost ignored your very existence? Does it not strike you as slightly unfair that though you and Anthony were born the same hour, the same day, to the same parents, he inherits all; you nothing? This is based on the simple fact that he is male and you are female.”
“But titles can only pass through the male line,” Antonia said without rancor.
“And titles usually entail property, land, and wealth. Quite a system, created to ensure power remains in male hands,” Roz said bluntly.
“I never questioned the system before,” Antonia said solemnly.