A Country Gentleman (20 page)

‘They left just over an hour ago,’ he said, as he got back in and took his place in Lord Riseholm’s luxurious well-sprung chaise. ‘They were heading towards Lincoln. I’ve told the coachman, my lord.’

‘With a pair or a team?’ Riseholm asked.

‘Just a pair of horses, the landlord said, but quite strengthy beasts.’

Riseholm smiled. ‘I doubt they’ve the stamina of my cattle,’ he said. ‘We’ll catch them, never fear.’

No doubt many would have thought them an oddly assorted party, but in the event, the time passed more quickly than anyone would have supposed. Lord Riseholm had a fine social sense and, hiding whatever anxiety he might have been feeling, made it his business to keep the conversation going. Timothy Ames had a ready wit, and Caroline was an intelligent young woman, and so between the three of them, they managed to cover a number of topics.

Lavinia was silent for a number of reasons. Most of her thoughts were turned towards Lord Thurlby. Could things ever be put right between them? During the journey, they had passed through Folkingham, and she remembered the moment on the top of the tower when she had tripped and he had almost kissed her. Why had everything had to go so badly wrong since then?

In addition, she was still somewhat annoyed with Lord Riseholm, who undoubtedly bore a good deal of responsibility for the whole situation, having first turned Isobel’s head in London, and then compounded his misbehaviour by
corresponding
with her.

At that moment, had it been possible, she would willingly have thrown Lord Riseholm and Isobel out of the nearest window. Of course, Lord Thurlby himself probably deserved the same fate. For what seemed like the hundredth time, she asked herself why he could not have listened to her and trusted her. She drew a deep breath, and all at once began to feel a little giddy. She visibly swayed in her seat.

Suddenly conscious of having been addressed, she turned to Caroline Tasker. ‘Lavinia, when did you last eat?’ the schoolmistress asked her. ‘I do not count the biscuit that you had with us at noon.’

Too taken by surprise to dissemble, Lavinia answered, ‘At breakfast time, I think.’

The earl took out his watch. ‘We will stop to eat at the next presentable inn,’ he said.

‘No, no!’ Lavinia objected. ‘We must push on. We cannot risk losing them.’

‘We will not lose them,’ his lordship answered placidly.

‘I do not know how you can speak so calmly,’ declared Lavinia exasperatedly. ‘It is all your—’ She broke off, suddenly conscious of the impropriety of upbraiding a nobleman in his own carriage.

‘All my fault?’ he suggested. ‘Now that I don’t admit. Half my fault, perhaps. But then, we are none of us particularly wise when it comes to matters of the heart, are we?’ Lavinia blushed and looked away.

It was not very long before they came to a village with an inn of reasonable size, and Lord Riseholm signalled to his coachman to stop. ‘We’ll dine here,’ said the earl. ‘It will give the horses a chance to rest, which will mean that we’ll be able to take them on
for another stage.’ He turned to Ames. ‘See if you can find out whether they’ve come through here. I’ll bespeak a meal and a private room.’

The arrival of Lord Riseholm’s impressive equipage caused something of a stir in such a quiet country place, and in no time, the landlord was at the ready, offering whatever these august
visitors
might deem necessary to their comfort. ‘I’ve some fine bedchambers, my lord,’ said the man eagerly, ‘with clean linen, well-aired.’

‘You are very obliging,’ Riseholm answered. ‘We shall, however, be continuing our journey shortly. A good meal served quickly and in privacy is all that I and my companions require.’

‘At once, my lord,’ the landlord replied, the depth of his bow showing a professional ability to sum up the quality of his guests.

Timothy Ames joined them as they were going into the parlour which the landlord had placed at their disposal. ‘They came through here about half an hour ago,’ he said. ‘We’ve gained on them. Ought we to lose that advantage?’

The earl waved one hand in dismissal. ‘We’ll soon regain it,’ he replied. ‘Remember that they, too, will need to stop for food at some point. We will do ourselves no good if by the time we catch up with them, we are fainting from inanition.’

Lavinia interrupted. ‘But what if by the time we catch up with them it is … is …’ she paused, blushing.

‘Too late?’ Riseholm suggested conversationally. ‘Then I’ll kill him. Come now, Miss Muir, have a glass of this wine that the landlord has brought us. I am persuaded that it will lift your spirits.’

Lord Riseholm believed in encouraging good service by offering a
douceur
beforehand, and in less time than seemed possible, they were sitting down to a sustaining meal of chicken pie with a fricassee of cabbage and some potato cakes.

The landlord was just offering to fetch more or, alternatively, to bring some cakes or a suet pudding, when a waiter came in
and, with a murmured apology, spoke briefly to the landlord in an undertone. ‘Forgive me, my lord,’ said their host, ‘but some undesirables have come to the door. James will attend you while I send them about their business.’

‘Undesirables?’ echoed Riseholm. ‘How many? Do you need help to eject them?’

‘Three, my lord,’ answered the waiter. ‘They claim they’ve been set upon by highwaymen.’

‘Then you must give them assistance rather than eject them,’ Caroline exclaimed. ‘To suggest otherwise is … is infamous!’

‘Don’t you worry yourself, miss,’ said the landlord, not appearing to take offence at her interjection. ‘They’re most probably spinning a yarn. I’ve known some tell that self same story of a highwayman as innocent as you please, then in the morning they’ve gone with no shot paid and most likely something stolen into the bargain. If you’ll excuse me, my lord, ladies and gentlemen.’

‘Leave the door open,’ Riseholm suggested, as the man left the room. ‘We’ll hear if you need help.’

‘Pardon me, sir,’ they heard one of the newcomers say, ‘but my wife and I have had our carriage stolen by rogues, and our coachman has been set upon. I was wondering whether—’

‘Is that a fact?’ the landlord interrupted, his tone far from the deferential one that he had used in speaking to Lord Riseholm. ‘As it happens, I’m afraid that my inn is full tonight, so I must ask you to move on.’

‘My lord—’ the waiter began, only to fall silent as Riseholm raised his hand in a warning gesture. The rest of the party looked at him. They were all thinking the same thing.

‘Benjamin Twizzle!’ Lavinia exclaimed under her breath, at almost the same time as Timothy Ames.

‘Indeed,’ purred Riseholm. He rose in a leisurely manner and strolled towards the door.

‘Full?’ exclaimed Benjamin Twizzle. ‘I don’t believe you.’

‘That’s as may be,’ the landlord replied. ‘But you’re a ne’er-
do-well 
if ever I saw one, and if that there doxy is your wife, I’ll eat my wife’s best Sunday bonnet.’

‘How dare you!’ Isobel’s voice exclaimed.

Riseholm grinned. ‘Innocentia, I do believe,’ he murmured. He threw open the door. ‘Mr Twizzle,’ he said, making an elegant bow, ‘I do not think that we have met. Your
wife
, on the other hand, is well known to me. I am Riseholm.’

There was a moment’s silence as the rest of the group in the parlour came to stand by the open doorway. It had come on to rain a few minutes before, and all the three newcomers looked very tired and bedraggled. Isobel perhaps looked a little worse than the others, since her blue velvet carriage dress had not survived the rain at all well, and nor had her bonnet.

Isobel’s hand went to her throat. ‘Riseholm,’ she breathed. Then, seeing her friend standing by, she exclaimed, ‘Lavvy!’ her voice breaking on a sob as she took two steps forward. Lavinia hurried to meet her, and without any hesitation put her arms around her dishevelled friend.

Mr Twizzle took a step backwards in consternation. ‘The lady appears to be somewhat the worse for wear,’ said the earl, staring at him in a way that the young man found extremely unnerving. He paused. ‘Perhaps I should inform you, sir, that this lady, far from being
your
wife, is engaged to be married to
me
. It is
therefore
my privilege as well as my duty to protect her reputation, with which you appear to have been playing ducks and drakes. Well? Do you have any explanation to offer?’

Mr Twizzle had had a very trying day, and given all the
circumstances
, he really felt that he had done the best that he could. He had managed to escort Miss Macclesfield to safety, for instance, when for two pins he could have left the termagant to fend for herself. Now, the dangerous-looking man who had
not
been in the vicinity when gallantry was called for, stood with his hand resting where his sword hilt should be, clearly threatening violence. It was all too much.

‘Be damned to you all!’ he exclaimed, and ran out into the inn yard, intending to flee.

A single horseman who had arrived at that very moment blocked his way. ‘Benjamin Twizzle!’ exclaimed Lord Thurlby, swiftly dismounting and seizing hold of his arm. ‘You’ve a lot to answer for.’

Twizzle’s reply was a single word that would have made his father blush right up to his ears.

Chapter Twenty

O
n hearing Thurlby’s voice, Lavinia involuntarily took a step towards the door, breathing his name. Riseholm came to take Lavinia’s place. ‘Go to him,’ he said.

Isobel and Riseholm were left facing one another. This was not how she had planned to appear before him next, in a wet gown with a muddy hem and her hair all coming down. With this misfortune, all her ability to flirt or dissemble seemed to have deserted her. ‘You can’t be engaged to me,’ she said, her eyes looking very big in her pale face. ‘You’re engaged to Miss Egan.’

‘I’m no more engaged to Miss Egan than you are to Twizzle out there,’ he said. ‘Whatever possessed you?’

‘It all began when we left London on the stage,’ she said with a sigh, clearly intending to embark on a long tale.

‘Oh, enough,’ he said impatiently, tilting her chin with one finger and kissing her firmly on her mouth. ‘Tell me later.’

Having first ordered the landlord to make hot drinks for everyone, Timothy Ames went outside to help Thurlby with Benjamin Twizzle who was still struggling. As for Lavinia, the harsh words that she and Thurlby had exchanged were all forgotten. Riseholm had almost challenged Twizzle to a duel, but was now exchanging endearments with Isobel. What if Thurlby felt obliged to fight Twizzle in his place? What violence might be done out there if no
one intervened? Regardless of the rain, Lavinia ran into the yard. ‘Please, no! You mustn’t fight him,’ she cried.

On catching sight of her, Thurlby released Twizzle into Ames’s care, and covered the ground between them in two strides. ‘Lavinia, my darling! Forgive me!’ he exclaimed, pulling her against him and kissing her fiercely under the brim of his wide country hat.

‘Forgive what?’ she asked him as soon as she was able, her eyes shining.

‘For keeping you out in the rain, for one thing,’ he responded, taking her hand and running with her into the lighted entrance. He handed his wet hat and riding coat to the landlord, but instead of going straight into the parlour to join the others, he drew her along the passage that led towards the back of the inn, and then into the recess beneath the stairs. Once there, he took hold of both her hands and raised them to his lips, one after another. ‘My mother told me that I was being pig-headed,’ he said. ‘I was bound to agree with her. I should say that I also admitted to her that I was an unreasonable bully. Lavinia, I should have listened to you; I should have believed you.’

‘Yes; you should,’ she agreed, determined not to let him get away with this too lightly.

‘What would you say if I promised you that I would greet your every utterance from now on with full attention and absolute deference?’ he asked her.

‘I don’t think I would believe you,’ she replied. ‘And what’s more …’ She paused.

‘What’s more?’

‘I think I would find that rather dull,’ she said frankly.

He caught her in his arms and, drawing her close to him, kissed her tenderly. ‘That’s what our first kiss should have been like,’ he said remorsefully. ‘Instead I handled you with unforgivable roughness, and turned what should have been a pleasure into a punishment. You know why, of course.’

‘No I don’t,’ she responded. ‘Tell me.’

‘I was horribly jealous,’ he admitted. ‘Just the thought of you exchanging endearments with Riseholm was more than I could bear.’

‘I have never exchanged endearments with Riseholm,’ she said.

‘I know that now,’ he answered. ‘I suppose I always did.’

‘Nor have I ever received – what was it? – boxes of sweetmeats and palomino ponies,’ she added mischievously.

He drew her close to him again, chuckling. ‘Would you like to do so?’ he asked her.

‘Well, maybe just one or two,’ she replied, running a hand up the front of his waistcoat.

‘I shall attend to it as soon as may be,’ he smiled, lowering his head to kiss her again.

In the meantime, Timothy Ames’s patient approach had succeeded where Riseholm’s insinuations and Thurlby’s more open threats had failed, and the vicar had managed to persuade Benjamin Twizzle to come into the inn and to tell his story. Caroline had ministered to the driver who was now dozing by the fire in the tap room, the graze on his head tended by her expert hands whilst he had told her his version what had occurred.

‘There’s no real harm in him,’ the vicar explained to the rest of the party when they were all gathered together in the parlour with the exception of Mr Twizzle. ‘He’s just a silly young man, desperate to cut a dash in the world but without the means to do so.’

By now, the rain had become increasingly heavy, the inn yard was awash and the company had come to a decision to stay the night. There was no danger of Twizzle’s absconding in such
atrocious
weather, so after he had changed into dry clothing, he had taken refuge in the tap room. Unsurprisingly, he had not wanted to sit in the same room as Isobel or Riseholm, not to mention Thurlby, and the landlord had promised to keep an eye on him.

Thurlby and Lavinia had returned from their spot under the
stairs, looking a little bashful, but very happy. Isobel had also changed out of her wet clothes, and she was sitting with Lord Riseholm on a settle next to the fire, her hand in his. Caroline was next to Timothy at the table.

‘He was blackmailing me,’ Isobel said indignantly.

‘He was desperate for money,’ Ames explained. ‘This villain Nightshade had won money from him, and he had no means to pay it back. He discovered that you, Miss Macclesfield, had a secret that you did not want revealed, and he decided to see if he could make money out of it.’

‘All because of a few letters,’ Isobel replied. Riseholm chuckled and raised her hand to his lips.

‘A pity you had to drag Lavinia into it,’ said Thurlby. ‘If you’d just given a little thought to someone other than yourself—’

‘Hush,’ said Lavinia, squeezing his arm. ‘It doesn’t matter now.’

Riseholm raised his hooded eyes and looked straight at Thurlby. As the years went by, they would doubtless meet because of the friendship between Lavinia and Isobel; but they were unlikely to become close friends.

‘The point is, what to do with the fellow?’ asked Ames.

‘Have him thrown into prison,’ said Isobel.

‘It is what he deserves,’ Caroline agreed reluctantly. ‘He has broken the law after all. Blackmail is against the law, isn’t it? And he did run off with Miss Macclesfield.’

‘My dear, we must be fair,’ the vicar responded. He turned to Riseholm. ‘I have no wish to offend you, my lord, but we are not talking about an abduction here. This was an elopement. As we both know, for an elopement to take place, one person generally has to suggest it. I will say no more.’

‘Isobel?’ said Riseholm.

She had a handkerchief in one hand. Now she began twisting it into a screw. ‘I could not see any other way out,’ she protested. ‘Everyone either hated or disapproved of me. There was no one to help. What else could I do?’

‘You could have come to me,’ Riseholm suggested.

‘Yes, but you were engaged to that insipid Miss Egan.’

‘I hesitate to contradict a lady, but I was not anything of the kind,’ he responded.

‘I, too, have been brought up not to contradict a lady,’ said Thurlby, ‘but I must tell you, Miss Macclesfield that regardless of whether I did or did not approve of your behaviour, I would never have allowed Twizzle to blackmail you.’

Isobel looked up at him. ‘I’m sorry for damaging your desk,’ she said.

‘What’s this?’ Riseholm asked.

‘Twizzle isn’t the only law-breaker in this inn,’ Thurlby said. ‘Tell me, Riseholm, what would you do with someone who broke into your desk and stole a hundred pounds?’

Isobel murmured and buried her head in her lord’s shoulder. Riseholm raised an ironic eyebrow. ‘Keep my eye on them, in exceedingly close confinement,’ he drawled, before kissing the top of her head.

‘Nevertheless, Twizzle is a young man with a penchant for bad company, and it would break his father’s heart if he were to go to prison one day for lack of guidance,’ said Timothy. ‘Is there no other way? What he needs is help; a good example; and work to do, for someone who will not let him get away with anything.’

There was a long pause. ‘Clearly that can’t be me,’ said Riseholm, ‘for everyone knows that I am an appalling example and I let everybody get away with everything.’ He looked down at Isobel.

Thurlby sighed. ‘What do you suggest?’ he said.

After some further conversation, the company retired to bed, the three ladies sharing one room. Thurlby and Ames shared another, Twizzle, anxious to put some distance between himself and the others, bedded down above the stable, and Riseholm slept alone.

Caroline and Lavinia awoke in the morning to find Isobel
gone, and in her place a note informing them that she was eloping again, this time with Riseholm. Although the earl had taken her in his own carriage, he had given orders for word to be sent to Thurlby, requesting a conveyance for the rest of the party. For Thurlby and Lavinia, this slight wait was no punishment, and a gentle walk in the countryside, fresh and clean after the rain provided a welcome opportunity to make further confessions of love, to their mutual delight.

‘I think that I began to fall in love with you when you first stepped down from the stagecoach at Stamford,’ the earl confessed. ‘You confused me because although I was angry with you for behaving recklessly, I couldn’t get out of my head what a lovely woman you had become. Then soon I found that I couldn’t stop thinking about you.’

‘When I was a girl, I was a little infatuated with you,’ Lavinia admitted. ‘I was so angry with you when you thought the worst of me, but I couldn’t stay angry with you for long. Then, at Folkingham when you almost kissed me …’ She paused, blushing.

‘Well?’ he prompted. They had been walking along a little woodland path, her hand tucked in his arm. Now they turned to face one another and he caught hold of her.

‘I was so disappointed that you didn’t,’ she confessed.

‘I will do my best never to disappoint you again,’ he murmured against her lips.