The Daughter of Highland Hall (8 page)

He opened his Bible. “Good morning, everyone.”

“Good morning, sir,” Lawrence replied for the staff.

William smiled at Julia, and she returned a loving look as she took her place beside him. Some days it still surprised William that this beautiful and caring woman had set aside her plans to return to India as a missionary and accepted his proposal. His affection and appreciation for her grew deeper every day, and he only wished the wedding would come more quickly, so they would never have to be parted again.

Kate, Penny, Andrew, Millie, and Jon joined them by the fireplace, neatly dressed and ready for the day. Lady Gatewood never graced them with her presence this early in the morning. As the only married woman among them, she followed the tradition of having her breakfast in bed and joining the family later.

Her decision not to come down had irritated William at first, but Julia reminded him Louisa’s attitude and comments often made them all uncomfortable, and it was probably best that she did not take part.

“This morning I’ll be reading Psalm 46.” William cleared his throat and lowered his gaze to the page. “ ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.’ ”

He continued reading and then slowed as he came to his favorite part of the psalm. “ ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The L
ORD
of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.’ ” He let those words sink in and bring him comfort. “Let us pray.”

He bowed his head. “Father, You are a great and holy God, but You are also our personal place of safety and strength. We thank You for Your faithfulness and generous provision for our staff and family. We ask for Your guidance and protection over our household today. May all we do and say bring honor and glory to Your name. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.”

Lawrence lifted his head, a look of appreciation in his eyes.

William exchanged a nod with his butler. It had been only eight months since he inherited Highland Hall and took charge of the staff and estate that had belonged to his second cousin, Randolph Ramsey. There had been a bit of a struggle as everyone adjusted to the changes, but it seemed he had finally won the loyalty of his butler. No doubt bringing Lawrence and some of the other staff to London with him had helped that process.

Lawrence turned and dismissed the servants to continue with their duties.

Kate crossed the entrance hall toward the butler. “Lawrence, have the newspapers arrived?”

“Yes, miss. They’re in the dining room.”

“Thank you.” Kate and Penny exchanged excited glances, then hurried into the dining room ahead of the rest of the family.

Julia leaned closer to William. “I hope the article is not too unkind toward Kate.” Earlier that morning she had told him about Kate’s struggle at her presentation. William could only hope it wouldn’t make it more difficult for his young cousin to receive invitations for the season’s events. They were already under a bit of social scrutiny since William’s sister, Sarah, had married Clark Dalton, the head gardener at Highland, and William himself was now engaged to his children’s governess.

He touched Julia’s hand. “I think it’s more likely they’ll leave Katherine out of the article altogether, but we shall see.”

They entered the dining room, and Julia led Andrew and Millie to the buffet where she helped them prepare their breakfast plates. William stood to the side and waited his turn with Jon. “I understand you’re attending the garden party at Dr. Gleason’s home this afternoon.”

When Jon didn’t answer, William turned toward him. Jon’s gaze was fixed on Kate and Penny as they spread the newspaper out on the dining-room table. “Jon?”

Julia’s brother blinked and turned toward him. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you were going to Dr. and Mrs. Gleason’s this afternoon.”

Jon’s eyebrows lifted. “Why, yes, I am.”

William smiled. “I’m not a mind reader. Your aunt stopped by yesterday with an invitation for us, and she mentioned you might be attending.”

“Dr. Gleason invited me last week, no doubt at my aunt Beatrice’s prompting. But he is the head of St. George’s Hospital, so I thought I should accept.”

William nodded. “Your aunt thought it might be a nice opportunity for Kate to meet a few people before the rush of the season begins.”

“Look, there you are!” Penny pointed to a photo at the top of the page.

Kate gasped and lifted her hand to her mouth.

Jon’s gaze swung toward her. “What does it say, Kate?”

“Just a moment.” Kate bent closer and scanned the article, her expression growing brighter as she read. “It seems … all right.”

“All right?” Penny sent Kate a questioning smile. “It’s wonderful.”

Julia turned from the buffet table. “Why don’t you read it aloud?”

Kate hesitated, her cheeks flushing.

“I’ll read it.” Penny leaned over the newspaper. “ ‘A very pretty girl among those who were presented at court last evening was Miss Katherine Ramsey, the elder daughter of the late Randolph Ramsey, Baronet of Highland Hall, and the late Lady Eden Ramsey. Miss Ramsey made her appearance in society under the wing of her aunt, Lady Louisa Gatewood of Wellsbury, who is well known in London society. Miss Ramsey’s pleasing
appearance as well as her grace and poise during her presentation won her the praise and admiration of all in attendance.’ ”

Penny grinned and gave her sister a one-armed hug. “See? I told you they wouldn’t mention you turning your back on the royal family.”

“Thank goodness.”

Penny continued reading. “ ‘Miss Ramsey much resembles Lady Gatewood, with the same golden-brown hair and blue eyes, although she is taller than her aunt. She is a fine horsewoman who enjoys country life. But she is also gifted with an exceptional voice and sings charmingly when she gathers with friends and family.’ ”

William scooped some eggs onto his plate. “That’s an interesting bit to include since it has nothing to do with your presentation.”

“I’m sure Aunt Louisa supplied that information,” Kate added.

Penny bent over the newspaper again. “ ‘Up to the moment of her appearance on the social scene, Miss Ramsey has been deeply engaged with her studies and has received an excellent education.’ ”

Julia placed Millie’s plate on the table and smiled, looking pleased by that comment.

“And listen to this part.” Penny beamed as she continued reading. “ ‘Miss Ramsey has a younger sister, Miss Penelope Ramsey, who is sixteen and may be one of next year’s most celebrated debutantes.’ ”

William shot Julia a questioning glance. He thought they had two more years before Penny would be presented. Was this Louisa’s way of placing the idea of an early debut in Penny’s mind? He certainly hoped not. He would have to speak to Louisa and make sure she understood his position.

Kate was eager to receive a proposal, but eighteen was awfully young to be thinking about getting married. Hopefully, if she did catch the eye of the right young man this season, they could put off the wedding for at least six months and hopefully a year.

“That all sounds very complimentary,” Jon said.

Kate glanced down at the newspaper again. “I’m so relieved they didn’t say anything about my feet getting tangled in my train.”

“That’s because the article was written and approved by your uncle and me well before the events of last night.” Louisa crossed the dining room toward the table.

Kate’s smile faded. “So they made up the part about my grace and poise at the presentation?”

“They wrote what we paid them to write.”

The joy drained from Kate’s face, and she lowered her gaze.

William clenched his jaw. Couldn’t Louisa ever temper her words? Didn’t she realize how these statements affected Kate?

Jon glared at Louisa as he set his plate on the table.

“There’s no need to look so deflated, Katherine. You should consider yourself lucky,” Louisa continued. “I was afraid your poor behavior would prompt the man to change what had already been written.”

Kate looked up. “But the people who attended the presentation saw what happened.”

“There is nothing we can do about that now.” Louisa took a seat at the table. “Thankfully most of London was not there. They will believe what was reported in the newspaper, and you can thank your lucky stars for that.”

William sent Louisa a stern glance. The woman was intolerable! “Let’s fold up the newspaper and have breakfast.”

Louisa returned William’s look with equal strength and took the newspaper from Penny. “I’ve already eaten, and I want to read the rest of the article.” She squinted toward the page.

Julia sent William a sympathetic glance, but it did little to remove the sting of Louisa’s comments. His stomach burned as he sat at the head of the table and placed his napkin in his lap.

What had possessed him to agree that Louisa could stay with them for the next three months? Of course, Katherine needed a sponsor for her presentation, and that had to be a woman who had been presented when she was a debutante. When Louisa told them she had promised her late sister, Eden Ramsey, that she would take on that role for Katherine, he didn’t feel he had a choice. Still, he wasn’t sure it was worth the aggravation.

William glanced down the table at Jon. At least Julia’s brother was an
agreeable houseguest. His interest in the children was refreshing, and his kindness toward Kate and Penny was also welcome. Jon was an interesting young man with admirable goals, and William was glad he had this time to become better acquainted with him.

Lydia straightened her shoulders as she stood with Ann in the lower hallway and faced Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Adams.

Mr. Lawrence clasped his hands behind his back. “I must urge you to be very careful and never let the children out of your sight. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir. We’ll keep a good eye on them.” Lydia tried to sound confident, but underneath she felt a bit uneasy about the outing. The park was only a few blocks away, but she’d never walked the streets of London alone. Of course, Ann and the children would be with her. Still, the responsibility of it all weighed down upon her.

“Sir William has entrusted the children into your care, and you must be sure to watch them well.”

Ann nodded, her expression sober. “We will, sir.”

Mrs. Adams turned to Mr. Lawrence. “I’m sure Lydia and Ann know how to take charge of two children and walk them to the park.”

“But this is their first time to do so in London. And an outing to Wiltshire Park is not the same as a walk around the grounds at Highland.”

A bit of amusement shone in Mrs. Adams’s eyes. “I suppose you’re right, but they’re sensible young women.”

“As long as they keep their minds on their duty and don’t become distracted.”

Mrs. Adams sent Mr. Lawrence an indulgent smile. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

He straightened his vest. “I hope so.”

“All right, then.” Mrs. Adams turned to Lydia and Ann. “Off you go, and enjoy the afternoon. But be sure to bring the children back by three-thirty so they have time to wash and change before tea.”

“Yes ma’am.” Lydia nodded to the housekeeper, then hurried up the stone stairs to collect the children. Ann followed close behind.

Ten minutes later the four of them walked out the front gate and set off toward Wiltshire Park. Hooves clattered on the cobblestones as two carriages rolled past. Lydia lifted her gaze to the white clouds scuttling across the bright blue sky. “My, it’s a lovely day.”

“The nicest we’ve had since we arrived in London.”

A motorcar buzzed by at a frightening speed, spewing exhaust and honking at the carriages it passed. Lydia clasped Millie’s hand more tightly.

Millie smiled up at Lydia. “I like London, but it’s rather noisy.”

“Yes, that’s true. I hope the park will be a bit quieter.”

As they rounded the corner, Andrew hurried on ahead.

“Please wait for us, Andrew.” Ann quickened her steps.

The boy slowed and looked over his shoulder. “I hope you won’t make me walk this slowly when we reach the park.”

“Never mind about that. You’ll have a good romp when we get there.”

Andrew sighed, but he stayed with them as they passed through the open wrought-iron gateway. A broad, green lawn opened up before them, dotted with several tall shade trees. Birds twittered overhead, and a fresh breeze whisked away the pungent scent of the street. A curving pathway led through the park toward a small lake in the center. Gardens filled with red and yellow tulips lined one side of the walkway. For just a moment it reminded Lydia of the fields and pond at her family’s farm.

Several women and a few men strolled along the pathway around the lake in groups of two or three. Most of the women wore large hats or carried parasols to shade their faces from the sun. Boys and girls ran across the grass, some pushing hoops with a stick and others playing a game of tag. A group of young boys knelt on the lakeside path, engaged in a game of marbles.