Sally James (10 page)

'May I suggest, my lady, that one of the grooms rides to inform Lady Sharman that Miss Georgiana is unhurt while I find her some dry clothes?' Mrs Butcher suggested smoothly. 'Then when his lordship returns, as he should do soon unless he too has been delayed by the storm, he can drive Miss home.'

Thankfully Lady Fordington agreed to this suggestion and Georgiana was whisked upstairs in the charge of the competent Mrs Butcher, followed by maids with steaming cans of water, and soothed with a hot scented bath. She was drying her hair in front of a hastily lit fire in one of the guest bedrooms, garbed in an old discarded gown which had belonged to Lady Fordington, when her hostess emerged.

'I do hope you feel better now, my dear. What a predicament! I've ordered them to serve dinner in half an hour for I imagine you are hungry.'

'Thank you. Oh dear, I am causing you such a deal of bother,' Georgiana said remorsefully.

'No, I am pleased to have your company. After your visit yesterday I have been very dull all alone today. Justin's Great-Aunt Selina is poor company, she spends hours in her room reading trunks full of ancient letters and writing more of them to every member of the family. Heaven only knows what she finds to say, for she almost never leaves the house! But Justin will be home soon and will drive you back to Woodings. Now tell me how you came to be riding all alone, and exactly what happened.'

'I often do ride alone,' Georgiana said quickly. 'My mother was unwell and Isabella had gone to Lewes with Sir Frederick and I was all alone too, so I went for a ride on the downs. Arrow was startled by the thunder, and then a horrible old woman – Mother Weaver, she said she was – stepped out of the hedge and he shied and threw me. Oh dear! When I rode with Lord Fordington before I fell off too. I really am not so dreadful a horsewoman. That time Prince put his foot in a rabbit hole, and this time it was the thunder, and I had never ridden Arrow before.'

'Mrs Weaver? I have seen her once or twice. The maids are terrified of her,  they say she casts spells. Ridiculous, of course. No one believes in witches now.'

'Of course not,' Georgiana agreed, but she shivered. She must have taken a chill from getting so wet, she told herself, but the remembrance of the hag's tumbledown cottage and the black cat was a distinctly unpleasant one.

* * * *

Isabella, meanwhile, had contrived to keep the conversation on an impersonal level during the drive to Lewes, and Sir Frederick appeared content to expatiate on the beauties of the countryside, the antiquity of the ruins they had visited yesterday, and others he had seen in the past.

'Lord Fordington's are quite impressive although I do not think they are as old as he claims. They might be fourteenth century, but I am dubious about any earlier date.'

'I was unaware you were an expert, Sir Frederick,' Isabella remarked, unaccountably annoyed.

'But there is a great deal about me you cannot know yet,' he replied complacently, and Isabella hastily drew his attention to an old church they were passing, begging with a well simulated show of interest to be told about it.

In Lewes she persuaded him to wait for her at the posting inn and went off to do her shopping while he visited the two most interesting churches. At the appointed hour Isabella returned to find Sir Frederick had ordered a light luncheon to be served in a private parlour. When the waiter had withdrawn he helped Isabella to some slices of ham and carved a chicken breast for her.

'I hope you obtained everything you needed?' he asked politely.

'Indeed. The shops are quite good here.'

'I have been impressed by the variety of merchandise to be obtained in Brighthelmstone. Do you often go there?'

'Occasionally. Usually when Fanny, Lady Sharman, has a special requirement.'

'I hope you will visit it while I am residing there with my daughters. I so much want to present you to them, my dear Miss Isabella.'

'Are they with you yet?' Isabella put in quickly.

'They arrive in a few days with their nurse and governess. Will you have some more of this ham? It is delicious.'

Isabella forced herself to eat and the uncomfortable meal eventually came to an end. Sir Frederick poured another glass of wine for himself and rose with it to walk towards the window. Then he turned and smiled down at Isabella.

'When I last saw you in London, my dear Miss Isabella, I had been about to ask you a most serious question, but we were interrupted.'

'Yes,' Isabella agreed faintly, knowing no opportune appearance by Lord Fordington was possible this time. The best she could hope for would be the waiter coming to clear the table. But no one intervened and Sir Frederick continued ponderously.

'I explained then how great was my esteem for you. You are well aware of my circumstances, but you are a sensible woman. I hope, indeed, that you will take compassion on my daughters, and their motherless plight will induce you to accept the offer I make. Isabella, will you do me the honour of accepting my hand, of becoming my wife, Lady Hill?'

Isabella took a deep breath.

'I am duly sensible of the honour you do me, Sir Frederick,' she began, and almost spoiled the effect by giggling at the thought of how odiously like an insipid heroine of some idiotic novel she sounded.

'Mine will be the honour,' he interrupted.

'But I cannot accept,' Isabella continued hurriedly. 'I esteem you, Sir Frederick, but I do not think we should suit.'

He was staring at her in astonishment.

'But my dear girl! How could you refuse? You do not know what you say.'

'I am perfectly aware of what my words mean, Sir Frederick,' Isabella said sharply. 'I must thank you, but refuse your offer. And I would beg of you not to press me for reasons other than what I have already said. I cannot marry you.'

He would have argued but Isabella requested, in icy tones, that he order the horses and restore her to her cousin's care.

'It is that you do not know me well enough as yet,' he explained it to himself, and moved towards her purposefully. She stood up hurriedly.

'Indeed no. But I should have known better than to agree to dine with you in a private room, Sir Frederick. I thought you were an honourable man, to be trusted, or I would never have subjected myself to the possibility of insult!'

That halted him and he turned away, a dull flush on his cheeks, and rang the bell to order the waiter to send to the stables.

'Believe me, Miss Isabella, I had no intention of taking any advantage of you,' he said stiffly when the man had withdrawn. 'Indeed, I thought it better to protect your reputation by not dining in a public room!'

'Pray say no more, Sir Frederick. I would prefer to forget the whole incident.'

* * * *

The drive home was accomplished somehow. Apart from their mutual embarrassment the storm which had threatened for some days appeared imminent and black clouds hovered above them. Sir Frederick made some effort to initiate a harmless conversation and Isabella responded as well as she could, but they were both uncomfortable and anxious to reach home. Just before they reached Woodings Sir Frederick said he hoped Isabella would permit him to call on her again in a few days. Her reply was lost in a crash of thunder and suddenly the rain began to fall heavily. He whipped up the horses but by the time they reached the house they were both exceedingly wet and Isabella had to invite him to remain until the storm passed.

Fortunately Sir Roderick and William were at home and Isabella was able to escape to change out of her gown while Sir Frederick was borne off to the study with Sir Roderick for some restorative brandy. When she had been to see Lady Sharman, who was awake and feeling much better, though determined to remain in bed for the rest of the day, Isabella descended the stairs to find William pacing angrily up and down in the drawing room.

'What is it?' she asked in surprise.

'You may well ask! Georgiana has taken out Arrow!'

'Your new horse? But he is far too strong for her! She will never be able to control him!'

'She'll ruin him!' William said through gritted teeth.

'Is anyone with her?'

'No, for she chose a time when all the grooms apart from old Reuben were out.'

'Do your parents know?'

'Father does, but we decided it was best not to tell Mama yet. I'll wring her neck when she gets in!'

'I do hope she'll have the sense to take shelter while this storm is on. Perhaps she has gone to visit Lydia.'

'No, for we met Lydia and Mark as we were returning home, and they had been out all day.'

They waited, Isabella growing more and more anxious, and William more furious. The storm passed over and thankfully Isabella saw Sir Frederick on his way. She had been dreading the thought that he would have to stay for dinner. They had barely returned to the drawing room when Sir Roderick was called out to a frantic Reuben, hastening up from the stables to say Arrow had just returned, riderless and in a considerable fret.

'We'd best ride out to look for her,' Sir Roderick said angrily, and a search party was swiftly organised. Isabella, with stern instructions not to permit the news to reach Lady Sharman, was left alone, prey to visions of Georgiana lying helpless, even dead, in some isolated spot.

* * * *

Almost two hours had elapsed when a message was brought to her that a groom from Priory Dene wished to speak to her.

Swiftly she went into the hall where the man stood waiting.

'What is it?' she demanded.

'Lady Fordington sent me, Miss. To say that Miss Sharman is with her, unhurt.'

'Thank heaven!' Isabella exclaimed. 'What happened?'

'I don't rightly know, Miss, for I was ordered to come here as fast as I could. I understand the young lady was thrown from her horse and walked to the Priory to ask for help. They said you would be worried when her horse came back alone. Did he get here?'

'Yes, and all the men are out searching for her. Thank you for coming, and pray thank Lady Fordington for sending the message.'

'I was to say she would be brought home later, Miss.'

'Thank you. Come to the kitchen, I expect you can do with some ale and something to eat before you ride back.'

The man nodded gratefully and Isabella, after ensuring he was fed, asked him to inform any of Sir Roderick's men he might see on his way home that Miss Sharman was safe. Then, suddenly ravenously hungry herself, for it was well past the normal hour for dinner, she went to wait impatiently for Sir Roderick's return.

He came in an hour later, having met the groom from Priory Dene some distance away, and William followed soon after. They changed quickly and ate a belated dinner, Sir Roderick silent until William's reiterated threats of what he would do to his sister drew a blistering attack on his own head.

'If you had not bought the wretched animal, spending far more than you could afford, and having to come to me for an advance on your allowance, it would not have happened!' his father snapped. 'The sooner the wench is off my hands and safely wed the better pleased I shall be. Then her husband can try to control her starts!'

'If that's what you want you should have permitted her to come out this season,' William retorted.

'Huh! Much you know about it,' Sir Roderick said scornfully. 'I don't need to go to the ruinous expense of sending Georgiana to London to find a husband. She'll do well enough for herself here in Sussex.'

'I know better than to imagine a man like Fordington would offer for a romp like Georgiana,' William replied, unabashed, but before his father could reply sounds from the hall indicated that the truant had returned. They all rose and went to meet her.

Georgiana, in her borrowed gown, was laughing up into Lord Fordington's face when Isabella saw her, and he was bending protectively over her, helping her to remove a shawl of fine Norwich silk from about her shoulders.

'Lady Fordington has been most kind,' she was saying. 'I will return the shawl and the gown as soon as possible. Papa, pray don't be angry,' she said, turning to a fuming Sir Roderick. 'It was the thunder, it frightened Arrow, and then a horrid old woman stepped right in front of him. It was not really my fault I was thrown! It was fortunate I was so near Priory Dene and able to ask dear Lady Fordington for help.'

'You should never have taken Arrow! He's no lady's mount!' William interrupted.

'I controlled him perfectly well until the storm and the thunder and would have continued to do so even with that if he had not been startled and shied!' she protested.

'Is the horse harmed?' Lord Fordington enquired.

'By the sheerest luck, no!' William replied. 'Thank you for seeing that my irresponsible sister got home without having the opportunity of spoiling any more horses!'

'Come into the library, my lord, and have a drink before you drive back,' Sir Roderick suggested. 'As for you, Miss, go with Isabella. I will attend to you in the morning!'

Chapter Six

Sir Roderick, employing stern measures, informed Georgiana on the following morning that she was not to leave the house for a week. Since she had caught a cold from her wetting and exposure she received this ultimatum with less resentment than Isabella expected, and merely announced she might as well remain in bed and cosset herself. As Lady Sharman, belatedly informed of Georgiana's prank, was also indisposed it fell to Isabella to entertain Lord Fordington when he called to enquire after Georgiana.

'She has a slight chill but it will cause her little real inconvenience,' Isabella told him. 'We are most grateful to your stepmother for dealing with her.'

'Lady Fordington appears to like her,' he said, smiling, and Isabella wondered how much his stepmother's approval would matter in the business of choosing a wife for himself. 'I bring a suggestion from her,' he went on. 'I must confess to some surprise, for now she maintains she will take part in the local activities this year, something she had never done previously.'

'Does she often come to Priory Dene? I understood she preferred a different house, one belonging to Ninian.'