The Marquis Is Trapped (10 page)

“I will do what I can, sir,” the Marquis had replied.  “I think what Peter really needs more than anything else is practice.”

Then they talked about horses and Sir Gerald asked if he would like to ride early in the morning before the match.

“You must not tire yourself,” he counselled, “but I have some horses that I hope will please you.  I know that your father owns a magnificent stable.”

The Marquis had accepted the offer with delight.

Next morning he and Peter rose an hour earlier than the rest of the team and they rode in the paddock and over the flat fields beyond it.

The stallion the Marquis had been mounted on was an outstanding one with Arab blood and he thought it was a horse he would always remember.

He enjoyed his ride so much that he was hoping his invitation to stay would be extended.

But when he reflected about it, it seemed rather an odd household.

Sir Gerald’s son, Peter, was a great deal younger than his father, who then had married for the second time a woman who seemed too young for such an elderly man.

She was, he considered, rather good-looking and he imagined her to be getting on for thirty.

Peter Benson did not seem particularly interested in his stepmother, although he resented it when she spoke to him sharply about attending to his guests.

When they returned to the house after their ride, the Marquis and Peter went into the breakfast room.

Most of the guests had finished their breakfast.

“Where have you been?” they were asked.

Some of them were obviously a little annoyed that
the Marquis had been taken out riding, as they would have enjoyed a ride too if they had been included.
Peter explained the reason by saying,

“My father is very determined that we will win the
match today and he did not wish you to be tired out.  If you want to ride, I am sure you will be able to do so tomorrow.  After all, as today is a Saturday we are expecting you all to stay until Monday morning.”

Those who were feeling a bit disagreeable about the Marquis’s ride cheered up and the conversation naturally reverted to cricket.

When the Marquis viewed the cricket ground at the
back of the house, he understood Sir Gerald’s anxiety for the match to be a success.

It was apparently traditional that the Benson estate
should stage a cricket match every year and the proceeds of the gate-money were handed to one of the most deserving charities in the County.

This year Sir Gerald was determined that the match
should be more successful than usual and he had invited the majority of the players from Oxford University.

The County team had won a number of matches for the season and was therefore a formidable adversary.

There were special seats at the ground for the Lord Lieutenant and the other dignitaries of Hampshire and also plenty of room for members of the public.

It was a fine day and fortunately not too hot.  At the same time quite a number of women had brought their sunshades with them.

The Marquis was very keen to distinguish himself and he was not surprised when he was put in to bat first.

When he had scored a hundred runs, everyone rose, clapped and cheered him and there was a loud groan from the crowd when he was caught out ten runs later.

However, his success was much appreciated by Sir Gerald and when it was time for luncheon, Lady Benson paid him so many gushing compliments that he felt quite embarrassed.

The Marquis had not asked her to dance the previous evening and he reflected later that it would have been polite to do so.

There had been a few attractive young girls in the party and when they retired to bed, Peter had teased him, complaining that he had had more than his fair share of them.

“They danced very well,” he commented to Peter.

“And the one you spent so much time with was by far the prettiest and none of the rest of us had a chance!”

“She was an excellent dancer, but equally she had little to say for herself.”

“You expect too much, Oliver!”

At the end of the day the Benson team had won but by only fifteen runs – it had been a close finish, even more dramatic than the Marquis expected it to be.

Sir Gerald was absolutely delighted and at dinner, which he hosted for both teams, he made a formal speech congratulating every player, most especially the Marquis.

He said he looked forward to seeing him playing at Lords and that he would be very disappointed if Oxford did not beat Cambridge by a large margin.

Those from Oxford clapped and cheered and then the Captain of the other team replied to the speech.

He said they all hoped Sir Gerald would give them another chance next year to have their revenge.

Sir Gerald readily agreed to this suggestion, which meant more cheers.

The Marquis had been rather surprised to find that he was seated on the right of Lady Benson and he supposed that this signified that he must be the hero of the match.

“You must tell me about yourself,” enquired Lady Benson flatteringly.  “I just cannot think why Peter has not asked you here before.”

“I will come here again if I get the chance and I am determined, after seeing what a success it has been today, to ask my father to arrange a cricket match at home.”

“I am sure it is something he will want to do, if you ask him nicely,” Lady Benson fluttered her eyelashes.

“We always hold the Hunt Ball at our house,” the Marquis remarked, thinking that it might interest her.  “Our ballroom is quite enormous and we can accommodate more people than the Master can or anyone else in the County.”

“And who do you like to be dancing with?  Anyone in particular?”

“I like anyone who can dance well.”

“Then, as we are going to dance after dinner tonight, I hope you will ask me for a waltz, Oliver.”

The Marquis thought it was really a rebuke because he had not done so last night.

Quickly he responded,

“I should be most honoured and perhaps it would be correct for you to open the proceedings.”

“That is a very good idea, as once we start dancing everyone will do the same.”

As the ladies left the dining room, she turned to her husband,

“Now, Gerald, you are not to stay too long.  We all want to dance and if you gentlemen start reminiscing about cricket, we will all go to sleep waiting for you!”

Sir Gerald chuckled.

“I know exactly what you are saying to me, Moira, and we will be with you in twenty minutes, I promise.”

“I will accept your word,” she replied.  “And I will be very angry if you break it!”

She walked to the door and all the gentlemen rose to their feet.

As Lady Benson had predicted, the older gentlemen immediately began to reminisce about the days when they were young boys and grossly exaggerated the scores they had made in various matches.

It was actually a good half-an-hour later before the gentlemen joined the ladies in the ballroom.

Lady Benson was there waiting for the Marquis and when he reached her side, she whispered,

“I have told everyone we are to open the dance and I have chosen a lovely tune I know you will enjoy as much as I do.”

The Marquis put his arm round her waist and at the same time he was somewhat annoyed to see that Peter had quickly invited the pretty girl he had danced with last night to be his partner.

‘I will ask her for the next dance,’ he decided.  ‘She is undoubtedly better on the floor than anyone else.’

It was only seven dances later that he managed to partner her – she was obviously a great success tonight and enjoying every moment of it.

As soon as the dance was over, she had promised to dance with the Captain of the County team.

In fact whilst the Marquis was trying to manoeuvre another dance with her, he found himself once again the partner of Lady Benson.

“You dance as well as you play cricket,” she smiled at him appealingly.  “And Peter tells me that you are also an outstanding rider.”

“I am lucky enough to have some very fine horses to ride at home.”

“I hope that you appreciate ours and I thought that tomorrow we should all ride at about eleven o’clock in the morning.  Then after luncheon is over, we might sail down the river which I am sure you will relish.”

“It all sounds delightful,” agreed the Marquis.

“That is what I wanted you to say.  Just as I want you to feel that this is a very special party that I hope you will enjoy more than any of the others you have attended.”

“I assure that you it is already at the top of my list,” the Marquis answered politely.

“I have a special horse I would like you to ride.  It is one my husband gave me as a Christmas present last year.  If we can arrange to have a race on our private Racecourse tomorrow morning, I am sure you will win on it.”

“It sounds marvellous, Lady Benson, and I did not know you had a private Racecourse.”

“It was my idea and it was only finished about six months ago, but I am sure that it will be easy to arrange all sorts of races and the high jumps are excellent training for young horses.”

The Marquis was intrigued.

They talked on about the Racecourse as the dance finished and he found, because they had so much to say to each other, he was now dancing for the third time with his hostess.

“I think you are very clever,” Lady Benson said to the Marquis a little later in the evening.  “And you excel at everything you undertake.”

“I try to and, as you will appreciate, there is a great deal to learn now that I am at Oxford.”

“I am sure that you will soon learn what is most important in life, Oliver.”

He was about to ask her what that was, when someone came up to Lady Benson to say goodnight.

“I am afraid we have to leave.”

“Oh, must you, General?”

“I am not as young as I was,” he answered, “and as I have to read the lesson in Church tomorrow, I must have a good night’s sleep or I will stumble over the words.”

“I am sure you would never do that!” Lady Benson assured him.

Whilst she was occupied talking to the General, the Marquis had another quick look round for the girl who danced so well.

He was irritated to observe that once again she was dancing with Peter and he was just about to select another partner when Lady Benson put her hand on his arm.

“I am longing for a glass of champagne, Oliver, and I am sure you would enjoy one too.  Let us go to the buffet in the room next door.”

There was nothing the Marquis could do but agree and he had to admit that the champagne was excellent.

Lady Benson insisted on him having a second glass.

They did not go back into the ballroom until they heard the band playing ‘
God Save the Queen’
.

“My husband thought it was a mistake for us to go on dancing when it was Sunday,” Lady Benson explained when the Marquis looked somewhat surprised.  “I told him he was being rather old-fashioned, but he did not want to offend the Bishop who was dining here tonight.”

The Marquis had not noticed the Bishop earlier, but he could well understand Sir Gerald’s reasoning.

The local guests started to say goodnight, but they all took a long time to depart and it was almost one o’clock before the house party retired to bed.

The Marquis looked for his hostess and found her closing the doors of the conservatory.

“Please help me,” she asked.  “The flowers are very precious and the cold night air is not good for them.”

The Marquis helped her close the doors and when they had finished, he realised that most of the rest of the party had gone upstairs.

“Goodnight,” he said to Lady Benson, “and thank you very much for a delightful evening.”

“You were the real hero of the hour and the greatest success,” she replied to him softly.  “But although you are an expert in so many things, there is one that I do think you are rather ignorant about.”

The Marquis felt surprised.

“What is it?” he enquired.

She looked up at him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“It is
love
,” she whispered.

The way she spoke and the way she looked made him draw in his breath.

Then, before he could respond, he heard Sir Gerald call out,

“Moira, where are you?”

Lady Benson turned towards him and then looked back at the Marquis.

“I will finish what I was saying,” she murmured, “a little later on and that will complete what has been a very wonderful day.”

Before the Marquis could say anything, she slipped away from him and ran back towards her husband.

The Marquis stood still gazing after Lady Benson feeling bewildered.

Could she possibly have meant what she said?