A Suitable Bride (2 page)

She turned to go but he moved with remarkable speed for a man of his bulk and he grabbed her elbow, his fingers biting painfully into her arm. ‘Don’t you dare to turn your back on me, young lady. I’ve allowed you too much freedom, it’s time you learned to do as you’re told. I’ll not be gainsaid and you’ll do well to obey if you don’t wish to suffer the consequences.’

She bit her lip and turned her head away so he couldn’t see her tears. ‘I’ll not go to Silchester Court and I can’t believe that you would carry out such a dreadful threat in order to force me to go.’

He released her and she dashed away. Her mother didn’t look up, but Grace hadn’t expected her to. Neither of her parents held her in high regard – indeed the only affection she’d ever received had come from her governess.

She would change and ride over to visit Charlotte, her bosom bow, who lived at the Rectory in the village three miles away. Not for the first time she wished she’d been born into a happy family like Charlotte’s. They had little money to spare at the end of each quarter, but never complained and were always ready to share with those less fortunate than themselves.

Her stallion, Rufus, so named for his bright chestnut coat, was as eager as she to get away from DuPont Manor. She galloped him over the fields revelling in the feeling of power beneath her, enjoying every hedge and ditch that they flew over. Although she preferred to ride astride she wouldn’t dream of doing so anywhere but on her own estate.

‘Good boy, good fellow, we must slow down now for I’ve no wish to arrive in the village at such speed.’ She applied a gentle pressure on the reins and transferred her weight to the rear of the saddle and instantly the animal responded. He might be a stallion, and more than sixteen hands in height, but he was a gentle giant – at least he was with her.

She trotted through the woods and turned into the lane that led to the village street. She was well-known here and was greeted by several people on her way to the Rectory. By the time she arrived her horse was cool and she could hand him over to the ancient groom knowing he would come to no harm in her absence.

‘Good afternoon, miss, good to see you. Will you be staying long? Shall I remove his saddle?’

‘Yes, if you don’t mind, Tom. I’ll need him ready at four o’clock.’

That gave her more than two hours to spend here, and even if Charlotte was out delivering food parcels or some such worthy pastime she would be content to spend time with the Rutherford family for she loved them all.

Her friend was indeed absent and so Grace had no opportunity to discuss what had taken place between her and her father. After a pleasant visit she returned to the stable and scrambled back into the saddle. Tom was far too ancient to offer her any assistance.

She returned at a more decorous pace and arrived in a better humour than she’d departed. On reflection she realised she’d overreacted, that it would have been better to agree with her father’s preposterous suggestion as he was never going to obtain them an invitation anyway.

When they met for dinner at six o’clock she would apologise and say she’d had time to reconsider and would agree to his proposal should an invitation be forthcoming. For all his bluster he wasn’t an unkind man and surely would never carry out his horrible threat to kill her beloved animals?

Although not especially interested in horseflesh he was an astute businessman and well aware that the stud she’d set up was already bringing in a satisfactory return. Obviously she couldn’t legally own this business venture, but so far he had allowed her free rein and was content to sign whatever papers she put in front of him. To shoot any of her livestock didn’t make economic sense.

But what about her dogs? He wasn’t fond of them and they were of no monetary value. She kicked Rufus into a canter and arrived in the stable yard at such speed that an unfortunate boy tripped over his pitchfork and fell head first into a pile of manure.

Chapter Two

Grace tumbled from the saddle and dropped to her knees to greet her three dogs who were waiting patiently for her. She apologised to the stableboy and tossed him the reins; her stallion would behave now he’d had his exercise for the day.

This time she didn’t go upstairs to change before searching out her father. He was, as usual, in his study going through various business documents and papers. He looked up, his expression unfriendly, when she stepped in.

‘What do you want now, miss? Have you come to your senses?’

She curtsied politely. ‘I’ve come to apologise, Papa, and tell you that I agree to attend this house party if an invitation can be obtained for us to go. Can you tell me when this event is likely to take place?’

Immediately he was all smiles and
bonhomie
. ‘Good girl, I knew you would see sense. I shall write at once to Lord Peabody and set things in motion. The house party is to take place in three months’ time in June, and we shall be there for several weeks. Your mother must send for the modiste and have your wardrobes replenished. I’ll not have you looking dowdy – I want you both to look as fine as any of the toffs.’

‘I shall go at once and give her the message. We have ample time to get ready, which is a relief.’

Mama roused herself sufficiently to listen to this news. ‘A completely new wardrobe each? How delightful! Sit down, daughter, and look through these fashion plates which arrived only yesterday from Town. We shall have gowns, spencers, new bonnets and parasols to match – we shall spare no expense. Imagine being invited to such a prestigious event and to be mingling with a duke and his family – I’ve never been so excited in my life.’

Her mother swung her legs to the carpet and stood up. ‘I’ll send a man by post to London and have Madam Ducray return with him.’ She bustled off with more speed than Grace had seen since the new carriage had arrived three years ago.

Several days later the interminable measuring and selection of fabrics was over and Madame Ducray had departed promising the gowns would be delivered within the allotted time. ‘If you don’t mind, Mama, I’m going to the stables. We have a new filly just born and I want to ensure she’s well.’

Her mother waved a hand. ‘Run along, Grace, but remember your papa is returning today and will expect you to be here to greet him at four.’

‘Yes, Mama, I’ll not be long. The men we employ are more than capable of taking care of things, but I like to see for myself how matters are progressing.’

Her mother sniffed. ‘I warn you, my girl, that all this nonsense will stop once you’re betrothed to Lord Sheldon. Young ladies shouldn’t spend so much time in the stables; they should be doing embroidery, playing the pianoforte or painting pretty watercolours.’

‘Yes, Mama, I’ll bear that in mind.’

The mare and the new filly were doing well and Grace returned to the house in good time to change and be downstairs in order to greet her father. He was going to be in a foul mood because he would have now discovered what she already knew, that members of the
ton
did not invite lesser mortals such as themselves, however wealthy, to attend their house parties. She would shake her head and commiserate with him, and promise to do her best to find herself an aristocratic husband next year when she had her delayed debut in London.

Two of the three things her mother had mentioned as being essential if a young lady was to find herself an eligible husband were things she was hopeless at. Her stitching was worse than that of a five-year-old and she could no more paint a picture than fly in the air like a bird. Perhaps being an excellent pianist would be enough to compensate for her lack of the other two skills? What she could do was run a stud farm, manage an estate and ride and train any horse that came her way.

She smiled to herself. These qualities were hardly likely to endear her to any prospective husband so she would remain a spinster and take care of her parents when they became infirm. This prospect wasn’t something she was looking forward to, but it was preferable to becoming trapped in a marriage with a man who viewed her as no more than a mother for his children and mistress for his house.

Correctly attired and no longer smelling of the stable she duly appeared in the drawing room at the appointed hour to find a mother in tears and no sign of her father.

‘Mama, what’s wrong? Has there been an accident?’ Grace ran across and dropped down beside her parent and tried to offer what comfort she could.

‘I’m devastated. I’ve never been so unhappy in my life.’ Mama gulped and tried to stem the flow of tears with a small handkerchief.

‘Has Papa done something to overset you? Please tell me how I can help.’

‘It’s all very well for you, you can go, he’s arranged for his precious daughter to attend the duke’s house party. But we’re to be excluded – not good enough for the likes of them.’

Grace was horrified. Never for a moment had she thought the invitation would be issued – she’d never have agreed to go otherwise. ‘Where is he? I’m going to see him right away and tell him that unless we can all go, I shan’t be going either.’

Her pronouncement did nothing to improve the situation as her mother redoubled her sobs. ‘You silly girl, don’t you understand? Your father’s depending on you to gain him entry into society by marrying Lord Sheldon. If you don’t succeed I don’t know what he’ll do.’

Her father was in his study making heavy inroads into a decanter of brandy. She hesitated in the doorway knowing he would be even more unpleasant if he was bosky. Unfortunately he spotted her.

‘You’ve heard then? Stupid woman – she should be grateful you can go and stop her snivelling.’

‘I don’t understand, sir, how I’ve been invited when you haven’t.’

He glared at her. ‘Peabody has agreed to take you with his party. He’s going to introduce you as Lady Peabody’s goddaughter so you’ll have to be very careful not to reveal your background.’

Good grief! The more she heard the worse it sounded. ‘How can I attract the attention of a suitable husband if no one knows who I am? Even if I did, as soon as my true status is revealed I will be ejected from the house. People like that don’t wish to be associated with people like us, however rich we might be.’

This remark did not improve the situation. He slammed his hands on the desk sending his half-full glass flying and covering the documents he was looking at with brandy. He swore and surged to his feet. Grace fled, not wishing to be on the receiving end of his rage.

She had given her word she would go if she received an invitation and could not renege on this promise. At least her mother would get a wardrobe full of new gowns even if she couldn’t accompany her to Silchester Court. Whatever her father might expect, she would do her best to remain in the shadows and make sure that no one, especially Lord Sheldon, could possibly think of her as a suitable bride.

*

Bennett scrutinised the list of candidates trying to summon up enthusiasm for this project. Restoring the family fortunes was down to him, Beau had more than enough to do running the many estates and being head of the Silchester clan. The twins at two and twenty were far too young to contemplate matrimony; indeed, they appeared to have little interest in anything apart from cards and horses.

He had no choice in the matter. He must do his duty in the same way he’d served King and Country these past ten years. Although he had a profitable estate no more than twenty miles away he preferred to live here with his siblings. He’d spent so much time apart from them when soldiering on the Continent that he scarcely knew his sisters or his younger brothers. He’d always been close to Beau and thought the world of him. He didn’t envy him one bit being the eldest and having to shoulder the responsibility of the dukedom.

‘Seen anyone on your list that you think might be a possible candidate?’ His older brother had wandered into the study to find him and was reading over his shoulder.

‘None of the names mean anything to me. I’ve been so long out of society I can’t recall any of the names or titles mentioned here. Why don’t you ask everyone on this list? God knows there’s more than enough room in this vast building to house a hundred extra people and their staff.’

‘I recognise most of the names, but there are one or two unknown to me. Peabody? That rings a bell – isn’t he a distant relative of some sort?’ He pointed to the name
.
Lord and Lady Peabody, Miss Peabody and Miss DuPont
.
I suppose this other girl’s a niece of some sort – I can’t say I’ve ever heard the name DuPont mentioned anywhere. One must assume the girl’s acceptable if she’s being sponsored by Peabody.’

‘I see there are almost as many gentlemen coming as there are young ladies. Is Madeline planning the entertainment? We can shoot, ride and play billiards but what will the ladies do during the day?’

His brother laughed. ‘I expect they’ll need all day to get ready for the evenings – don’t forget they will all be outdoing each other to impress you.’

Bennett tossed the paper aside. ‘Don’t forget the twins will be here too and they are equally eligible. I shall be close to slitting my throat if I’m obliged to spend four weeks talking to simpering young ladies and their doting mothers.’

Madeline had overheard his remark as she arrived in the study. ‘We must have a garden party and invite the neighbours, also a ball and perhaps a musical evening as well.’

He groaned and covered his face with his hands in mock despair. ‘Heaven help us!’ He recovered as he thought of a way he could make things more bearable. ‘In which case I insist that we have horse races, plus a village event to which all our tenants and workers can come, and a treasure hunt we can all be involved in.’

His sister clapped her hands. ‘What fun! I’ll leave you to organise your suggestions and Giselle and I will take care of the rest. There’s ample time to send out invitations and get everything prepared before our guests arrive.’ She counted on her fingers. ‘It’s exactly nine weeks to the house party. The lake will have warmed up splendidly by then, the rose garden will be in full bloom…’

‘Are you intending we should swim, Madeline?’ Beau asked.

‘I expect that some of the gentlemen might wish to do so, but it wouldn’t be acceptable for the ladies to join them in this pastime. No, I was thinking of having a variety of water-related events – we could have rowing, sailing, fishing and even a picnic.’

‘What about cricket matches? That’s something ladies and gentlemen can do together.’ Bennett was now becoming enthusiastic. It had been many years since he’d been able to enjoy such frivolity, and if there was so much of interest going on the search for his future wife might become bearable. One thing was for certain, he’d rule out immediately any young lady who didn’t wish to participate in the outdoor events.

*

Grace continued to run her stud and her parents, satisfied they’d achieved their objective, left her to it. She was obliged to go in to be fitted when her gowns and other items arrived, but apart from that she spent as much time outside as she could.

‘Look at you, young lady, you look like a girl from the village. Your face is unpleasantly brown and you will stand out from the others in a most unflattering way. I cannot imagine how Mr DuPont and I managed to produce a child like you. You must be a throwback for it’s certain you don’t take after either of us.’

‘I shall wear a bonnet and gloves when I go out into the grounds of Silchester Court, Mama, and am putting on milk of roses every night as you instructed.’

‘Do you want to be a figure of fun, Grace? You’ll be ostracised by all the well-bred young ladies, they will think you a common person because your complexion is no longer pale like theirs.’

‘Then they will be correct as I will be a fish out of water. I know I had the best education money can buy, that my wardrobe will be second to none, that my dowry will be three times bigger than most, but to them I am unacceptable. I wish you wouldn’t make me go, it will end in disaster, I’ll be found out and sent packing in ignominy and that’ll do nothing for papa’s good name.’

No sooner had she spoken than she wished the words unsaid. She had merely stated the truth, but her mother was averse to hearing anything that didn’t fit in with her wishes. Grace wasn’t surprised when her parent succumbed to loud sobbing. There was no point trying to comfort her mama as she’d been the cause of her distress.

Instead she sent a footman to fetch her mother’s dresser and decided to make good her escape. However, the noise attracted her father and he roared at her to return and explain what all the noise was about. She ignored his command and scurried up the staircase and ran to her apartment. She slammed her sitting room door and turned the key, then raced into her bedchamber to make sure the external door was also locked.

When he heard what she’d said he would be incandescent with anger and she had no wish to be on the receiving end of a beating. He was a strict disciplinarian and had used a birch on her many times when she was a child. Fortunately she’d learned to control her wayward tongue and avoided further chastisement – until now.

Annie was elsewhere and there was no time to send for her. Perhaps Miss Newcomb was in her rooms and would be prepared to stand beside her and prevent her father from attacking her. There had been no birching since her governess had joined the household and this must mean she would be safe in her company.