The Paradise Will (10 page)

‘You always had an independent streak, but you might welcome my help one day – Hawkscote is too much for you to manage alone.’

‘Your confidence is overwhelming,’ said Alyssa, drily. ‘I believe I am managing perfectly well thus far – and Uncle Tom did request I listen to Sir Giles’s advice, not yours.’

‘But managing the estate is difficult in these changing times—’ he began, aggrieved.

‘Perhaps you could help me?’ interpolated Letty. ‘Alyssa said I might have a horse for riding out and I wonder if you have heard of anything suitable.’

He nodded, and smiled warmly. ‘I would be honoured, Miss Ravenhill. Indeed, there is a fellow locally with a sweet-going little mare for sale which is just the thing for you.’ Turning to Alyssa, he asked, ‘Are you willing to put up the necessary, Coz? Prime horseflesh doesn’t come cheap.’

‘As long as the price is not outlandish. There is a thoroughbred in the stables I can use, but Letty needs a suitable mount too, and I would not see her use jobbing horses.’

‘Lord, no! I’m sure Letty has light hands, and she needs a beautiful stepper with fine manners.’

‘I’m obliged to you for the compliment,’ remarked Letty, smiling.

‘Offering
you a
panegyric is no hardship, Miss Ravenhill,’ he said, with a grin and a wink.

‘We should go before you turn Letty’s head with your nonsense,’ said Alyssa, collecting her shawl. ‘We plan to visit Judge Jeffries’s lodgings before returning home.’

‘What the deuce are you going to some stuffy old building for?’ asked Piers.

‘Out of interest, and to gain a flavour of local history. Will you accompany us, Cousin? Your education might be improved.’

‘Not this time – I can spare myself the tedium of hearing how many of Monmouth’s supporters the judge sent to the gallows. I’ll accompany you as far as the lodgings then take my leave.’

They made their way down the High Street to the timber-framed frontage where the infamous judge had stayed and were about to enter when a shrill, unmistakable voice from behind Alyssa cried, ‘Miss Paradise! Miss Ravenhill! How fortunate – we were on our way to call upon you.’

Alyssa turned to see Mrs Nash and her daughter; Mrs Nash was all flustered excitement while Caroline evinced her usual haughty demeanour.

Alyssa smiled sweetly. ‘Oh, we would have been sorry to miss you. Have you been introduced to my cousin?’

The introductions were made with Piers regarding the twittering matron and her daughter with a diffident eye.

‘Delighted!’ said Mrs Nash, impressed by this pink of the
ton
. She hurried on in a bright voice, ‘You are staying with the Westwoods, I believe? Indeed, we had already heard. Such a noble family! There have been Westwoods in the area since the Conquest, and any friend of
theirs
is welcome in our select circle. One cannot be too careful – so many people these days have the whiff of
trade
– and certain standards must be maintained, even in the country. Caroline is most particular about these things, aren’t you, my dear?’

‘There can be no excuse for lowering one’s principles,’ agreed her daughter.

Piers’s exclamation of disgust, whispered under his breath, was loud enough only for Alyssa to hear. ‘Good God!’ he muttered, ‘Far too high in the instep for my liking!’

‘Mr Kilworth, did you receive your invitation to our little summer gathering?’ asked Mrs Nash.

‘Lord, I wouldn’t know if I have,’ replied Piers, affecting a bored nonchalance that once again impressed his audience. ‘All the cards I receive look the same.’

She stared. ‘But you must recall ours. It is distinctive and bears the address of Frampton Manor in large gold lettering.’

‘Ah, yes. Now I remember.’ He exchanged meaningful glances with Alyssa and Letty before raising his quizzing glass to observe Mrs Nash. ‘My dear lady,’ he drawled, ‘was that
your
card? I am surprised!’

‘Surprised? Is there a problem with the invitation?’ snapped Caroline, looking down her patrician nose.

‘Not with the invitation itself, but the card …. oh dear!’ Piers sighed. ‘Such cards are no longer the fashion – they are quite
out
. I thought ladies of your
obvious
good taste would know this.’

‘No longer fashionable,’ exclaimed Mrs Nash, horrified. ‘Why not, pray?’

‘Too ostentatious; the
haut ton
prefers a less showy affair. No self-respecting hostess in Town would be seen with such an’ – he made a moue of distaste – ‘extravagant card on her mantelpiece. Unassuming and tasteful is the aim if you want your invitations considered all the crack.’

‘This is Louisa Bailey’s fault!’ protested Mrs Nash to her daughter. ‘It was she who told me that style was favoured in London. I
knew
I should not have listened to her.’

‘You have been grievously misled,’ said Piers, shaking his head sadly. ‘It pains me to disagree with your friend, but, having left town recently, I assure you Lady Jersey’s invitations are beautifully discreet.’

Mrs Nash drew in a breath. ‘You
know
Lady Jersey?’

‘I count myself among her acquaintances,’ he said, giving a slight bow.

‘Then you move in exalted circles, Mr Kilworth!’ trilled Mrs Nash. ‘Oh, please never mention my little
faux pas
with the invitations to Lady Jersey! I would be
mortified
if she heard of it.’

‘My lips are sealed, dear lady,’ said Piers, the corner of his mouth quivering as he suppressed a smile.

‘Thank you! You are too good.’

Piers bowed again with flawless grace, ‘Merely happy to be of service.’

‘Will you be attending our party, sir?’ said Caroline.

‘E’gad, having met you two delightful ladies, I would not miss it,’ drawled Piers. ‘I shall clear my diary of every other engagement and send off my
acceptance
as soon as I return to the Westwoods.’

‘A distinguished London gentleman will be an asset to our little gathering,’ said Mrs Nash.

Caroline, turning to address Alyssa, said in a biting tone, ‘Of course, we
maintain
standards of evening dress.’

‘I expected nothing less, Miss Nash. Letty and I are therefore obtaining our gowns from the finest
modiste
.’

‘Oh? Madame Fauchon of Bruton Street, perhaps?’

Letty gave a short laugh. ‘Madam Fauchon! Gracious, no! We have not patronized her for some time. We use an exclusive mantua maker now – expensive but original designs.’

‘
Very
original!’ agreed Alyssa.

‘Your dresses are being sent down from London, I suppose,’ said Mrs Nash, gloomily. ‘Did I not distinctly say you should order a new gown from there, Caroline? Why does no one ever pay the least regard to my opinion? For shame if you are outdone by Miss Paradise and Miss Ravenhill at
our
evening party! What will Sir Giles think? Well, we shall have to make the best of it and prevail upon your father to supply funds for those new evening slippers. Ah, perhaps a quantity of lace to trim your jonquil. Yes, that will be just the thing.’

Piers squeezed Letty’s elbow in an unseen signal and exchanged another amused glance with his cousin. ‘I expect, my dear ma’am,
you
will wear ostrich feathers,’ he said.

‘Feathers!’ shrieked Mrs Nash in astonishment. ‘Fie! Whatever do you mean, sir? Feathers are worn at Court on debutantes’ headdresses – not by a matron of my age!’

He shook his head. ‘If you wish to be bang up to the knocker, there is only one thing to wear – ostrich plumes. Seen it m’self in London only last month when the most dashing dowager of my acquaintance was wearing them. Absolutely
the
latest thing! Three is acceptable – no less, mind you – but no more than eight large ostrich feathers, mounted upright on a tiara, jewelled aigrette or even on a silk turban. You will look magnificent.’

‘B-but the inconvenience of wearing them,’ wailed Mrs Nash.

‘What, pray, is minor inconvenience when set against being a leader of
fashion
?’ he observed, airily. ‘Upon my word, you will create a stir among the Frampton ladies, ma’am.’

‘Do you think so? I should like that very much,’ said she, eagerly. ‘I will endeavour to obtain some ostrich plumes although where they are to be found at short notice, I have no notion—’

‘Mama, we can discuss this at home,’ interjected Caroline. ‘I understand Sir Giles has visited Hawkscote regularly, Miss Paradise?’

‘Yes – he agreed to look over the accounts.’

‘In great detail, obviously: we have hardly seen him these past three weeks. Is his frequent assistance necessary?’

‘He kindly offered his opinion on a matter regarding the labourers,’ said Alyssa, bristling. ‘I would not waste his time with an idle task.’

‘I understand why a person of your inexperience might avail themselves of his knowledge. However, he can be generous to a fault. Sir Giles’s own estate is extremely profitable and cannot be allowed to suffer as a consequence of him offering you advice – advice which, it seems to me, falls outside the remit of your uncle’s will.’

Alyssa stifled her growing anger with difficulty. ‘Surely what help he gives is his decision? In any event, I would not dream of abusing his generosity.’

In the distance, the church clock chimed three. ‘It is getting late,’ declared Letty, hurriedly. ‘We should go inside if we hope to return in good time for dinner.’

‘Yes, of course,’ said Alyssa, relieved to bring the conversation to a close. ‘Good day to you, ladies.’

‘Miss Nash, I count myself fortunate to have met you,’ murmured Piers.
‘Adieu,
or rather
au revoir
, my dear Mrs Nash – and do not forget about the plumes.’

‘I shall do my best, Mr Kilworth,’ she vowed.

They walked away and Piers, still staring at their retreating figures, uttered a long, low groan. ‘Dear God! Why didn’t you warn me they were vulgar,
pretentious
tabbies!’

Alyssa looked at her cousin’s profile. ‘Piers – you – you
devil
!’ she faltered, in a choked voice.
‘Ostrich plumes
! Now Mrs Nash will be scouring Dorset for ostrich feathers, and it was all nonsense! I never realized until this moment how alike we are.’

‘Have you pitched the gammon to them before then, Coz?’ he asked, raising his brows. ‘I don’t blame you if you have. They deserve it: the mother is a
birdwitted
snob, and the daughter is a vixen. I don’t feel contrite! If Mrs Nash were not so busy cultivating her superior manner, she might be less gullible. Perhaps I should have suggested panniers or an enormous hoop to accompany the plumes.’

‘I’m glad you didn’t,’ admitted Letty, chuckling. ‘I found it hard enough to hide my smiles.’

‘What on earth is Maxton doing, making an offer for that hard-faced
creature
?’ queried Piers. ‘From what I understand of it, he’s no need of money. Lord, he’d better cry off before it’s too late.’

Neither Alyssa nor Letty could think of a suitable reply to this and, with a smile and a brief bow, Piers left them.

During the remainder of the week, Alyssa and Letty began to work on their gowns, altering the designs to suit their particular tastes. Saturday brought the now familiar sense of anticipation for Alyssa in spite of the headache and sore throat which had troubled her since waking that morning. Ensconced once more in the candlelit diningroom, Alyssa engaged in conversation with Sir Giles but ate very little; she did not feel hungry.

And not only had she lost her appetite; by the time the covers were removed, her headache had worsened considerably. Still, she wanted his thoughts on the labourers, so she asked, ‘Have you reached any conclusions about the wages yet?’

He nodded. ‘I have, and would like to you study some figures I prepared.’ Sir Giles cleared away the wine glasses and laid out two sheets of paper, which he turned slightly to allow Alyssa to view them more easily. ‘These,’ he said, tapping the first sheet, ‘are the calculations you made on the current expenses and wages – nine shillings per week expenses for a family against the seven shillings they receive in wages – and these,’ he indicated the second, ‘are my costing of what the estate can afford to offer as an increase. As you will see, I have underlined my recommendation at the bottom of the page.’

Alyssa quickly scanned the sheet covered with his bold, even handwriting. The writing blurred in and out of focus as a sudden wave of nausea assailed her. She frowned, trying to ignore it and focus on the page. ‘I see. So, one shilling and sixpence is your recommendation. I had hoped to give more.’

‘That is not possible unless you want to put the estate into considerable
difficulty
. You need to set aside capital to purchase some of the new machinery. If the harvest is good, a little further upward movement may be possible but only a few pennies at most.’

‘Your calculations are extremely detailed and I can find no fault with them,’ said Alyssa, studying the figures. She had no inclination to cavil on any point this evening and felt a curious detachment because of the pain now pulsating in her temples. With a heavy sigh, she said, ‘I suppose I must take your advice.’

He smiled. ‘Difficult as that may be, it would be the sensible course.’

‘But to offer so little!’ she cried. ‘I feel their plight deeply; how awful it must be to struggle to feed your family.’

‘Your conscience does you credit, but do not let it blind you to the wider view – your responsibility is to the estate as a whole. Costs are rising and wages must stay in proportion. The gap between prices and the wages the workers receive has grown too large, and you do right to address it – but only so far. Difficult times are ahead in farming and more uncomfortable decisions may follow, but these problems must be faced if Hawkscote is to survive.’

‘If I cannot offer more in wages perhaps I can arrange some basic education for the children. To grow up in ignorance is very sad, and offers no future.’

He looked at her in admiration. ‘You intend to act as a benefactor in that way too?’