‘I’m all in for tonight,’ Archie announced one chilly October evening, pulling himself to standing, which Flora could see was an effort. She watched as he lit a cigarette – a habit he’d picked up from the war – and wandered over to the yew tree.
‘You go in. I’ll finish up here,’ she suggested.
‘You know the light of the lanterns and the nip in the air reminds me of that night I kissed you here,’ Archie remarked.
‘Don’t remind me,’ Flora muttered.
‘Of the kiss, or the circumstances?’
‘You know very well which, Archie.’ Flora turned back to the flower bed.
‘Yes.’
There was a pause.
‘I wish I could kiss you again, Flora.’
‘I . . .’
A sudden touch on her shoulder made her realise he had moved behind her. He took her hand and pulled her to standing, then turned her round to face him. ‘Can I? Love is never wrong, darling Flora, it’s only the timing that can be. And this time, it’s perfect,’ he murmured.
She looked at him, trying to formulate an answer, but before she could, his lips were on hers. And as his arms pulled her closer, every reason not to kiss him back disappeared from her mind.
After that, the two of them settled into an odd domesticity, keeping their relationship a secret from the rest of the house, although Archie was eager to marry her as soon as possible.
‘We’ve wasted so much time already,’ he entreated her, but Flora stood firm.
‘We must wait for at least a year until we announce any engagement,’ she told him. ‘I want no dissenters or gossip when we do.’
‘Goodness, Flora,’ – Archie took her into his arms; they were currently reduced to arranging trysts in the greenhouse, which Flora thought rather added to the excitement – ‘why do you care so much? I am lord of the manor and if I have my way, you will be my lady within a year. And I warn you that, whatever we do, there will be gossip.’
‘Then we will wait for the sake of Aurelia’s memory,’ she countered.
Eventually, Flora persuaded Archie to let her use some of her legacy to fill the house and grounds with the help it needed. As staff were employed and builders tramped through the house to mend the roof, fix the damp, and wallpaper the interiors to brighten the rooms, she finally understood what Beatrix had seen was missing in her life. Despite the chaos they currently lived in, Flora felt happier than she’d ever been, even though the true nature of their relationship was unknown to anyone else.
‘Darling, I have something I must confess to you. A surprise, if you like,’ Archie said over supper one evening. ‘I remembered recently that I had not yet registered Louise’s birth. The registrar was most helpful, and given the traumatic circumstances of Aurelia’s death, even let me off the fine that comes with leaving the registration past forty-two days. And . . .’ Archie continued, taking a deep breath, ‘while I was there, to keep things straightforward, I decided to register Teddy’s birth on the date Louise was born. Teddy is safe now, darling, and can never be taken away from us. To all intents and purposes, he is my son, and the twin of Louise.’
‘But . . .’ A stunned Flora looked into Archie’s dark eyes. ‘I now can no longer ever be his legal mother! And you have lied on an official document!’
‘Goodness, darling, there is nothing dishonest about love. I thought you would be thrilled! It saves all the dreadful paperwork one must complete, especially given Teddy’s provenance – not to mention the court appearances that one must go through to adopt a child. And now our babies can grow up believing they really are twins.’
‘What about Sarah? And the doctor?’ Flora wondered if Archie had taken leave of his senses. ‘They both know the truth.’
‘I have already told Sarah, and asked her opinion on what I’d decided to do. She agreed it was the easiest way to make Teddy safe. As for the doctor who attended the birth, he has since moved on to another practice . . . in Wales.’
‘Good God, Archie, I do wish you had asked my opinion on such a huge decision.’
‘I thought that it was best to present it as a fait accompli, simply because I know your honest heart and mind. And that you would have talked me out of it. Please remember, it is me who has handed my title and the estate to Teddy on a plate. One day, the son of a Lakeland shepherd will be the next Lord Vaughan.’ Archie smiled grimly. ‘And I cannot think of a better way to honour a man who fell in the trenches than by making his son a lord.’
Flora remained silent, finally understanding Archie’s reasoning. More and more, she had become aware of his guilt over surviving when so many had fallen. This was his gift to atone for all those lives lost. And he had given it to Teddy.
She knew there was nothing she could say. The deed was done. For better or for worse. And Flora realised that now, she too was culpable in the deception.
Archie and Flora finally announced their engagement the following autumn, in 1920, planning to be married three months later at Christmas.
After much agonising and gentle persuasion from Archie, Flora had decided to invite Rose to the wedding. Rose had recently returned from India, having gone out to stay with a cousin after her husband’s death. On her arrival home, she had sold the house in the Highlands and rented an elegant flat on Albemarle Street in London. She had written to her daughter on receipt of the wedding invitation, entreating Flora to pay her a visit. And there, Rose had wept, apologising to her for the deception and the difficult childhood Flora had endured. And for her subsequent lack of support after the King had died.
‘You do understand that, just like Mrs Keppel, I had to stay away? Any contact with you, given the suspicion you were already placed under, not to mention Alistair’s continual bitterness towards the situation . . . I felt that it was for the best. Also, I was frightened of seeing you again, the terrible things you might say. Can you forgive me?’
And eventually Flora had forgiven her – in her blissful state, she could have forgiven anyone anything. At least the two of them had been able to share their grief over Aurelia’s loss.
‘I did not even know she had died until two months later. The post in Poona is so very unreliable,’ Rose said. ‘I could not even attend my own daughter’s funeral.’
Even though her mother had initially questioned the fact that Archie had only mentioned Louise in the letter informing her of Aurelia’s death, she had put it down to an oversight due to his grief at the time. And once Rose arrived for the wedding celebrations and saw the ‘twins’ at High Weald, crawling and playing together, any lingering doubt had been washed away.
‘Dear Teddy looks so very like his mother,’ Rose had commented, dabbing away her tears as Teddy sat on her knee, his innocent blue eyes reminding Flora too of her sister’s.