Regency High Society Vol 1: A Hasty Betrothal / A Scandalous Marriage / The Count's Charade / The Rake and the Rebel

Chapter Five

Sandford, meanwhile, had returned to the Dower House in the pursuance of his earlier inquiries. He found that his cousin had, in fact, made some useful progress during his absence.

Ridgeway had eventually tracked down the boy, Billy Tatler who, along with several of his disreputable friends, was discovered attempting to ride some ewes bareback. The terrified sheep had been herded into a corner of a field and Billy was issuing orders to his cronies as to the best way to mount these animals. Needless to say, their efforts were meeting with little success and, at the sight of their master’s angry countenance, the urchins scattered and endeavoured to make themselves scarce.

Ridgeway, leaping nimbly from his horse, had managed to grab Billy by the seat of his breeches as the boy tried to scramble through the hedge and, hauling him upright, he had frogmarched him to a nearby barn to question him.

This cross-examination, accompanied by dire threats of the awful punishments and penalties that would be incurred if any lies or omissions were discovered, took both time and patience but, eventually, Ridgeway had managed to extract what he took to be the bones of a very odd tale.

It transpired that Billy and his friend Nick often spent their days larking around the Beldale lake, hopeful of catching a trout or two and, on the day in question, had been splashing about in the water by the boathouse when ‘this cove’ had appeared and collared them both before they could escape. He had, firstly, threatened to haul them up to the ‘big house’ then, at their pleas for mercy, he had persuaded them to play a ‘little trick’ on the young lady who was presently making her way around the lake path. Billy was to pretend he had fallen into the water and, when the young lady leaned forward to help him out, Nick was instructed to give her a sharp push from behind. This was, apparently, to teach the young lady a lesson for some ‘bad thing’ she had done to ‘Lady ‘Genie'. Both boys knew that the water was quite shallow on this side of the lake and Billy, when tickling trout, had often knelt upon a large flat stone just below the surface a few yards away from where they had been standing. The ‘cove’ had then directed Nick to conceal himself in the bushes and Billy had slithered to his place on the stone. They were told they would be being watched by the ‘geezer’ from behind the boathouse and that he, of course, would go to the young lady’s assistance if she got into any real difficulties and, if they carried out the ‘job’ to his satisfaction, he had promised them a shilling each!

‘In the event, Nick got cold feet and scarpered, leaving Billy to do the deed on his own and when he climbed out of the lake and saw Miss Cordell standing up in the water, he didn’t think much harm had been done and, when he saw you riding along the path, he made off before the ‘'cove” could grab him again!’

‘But did he say who this ‘'geezer” was?’ Sandford demanded of his cousin, at the end of the recital. ‘You asked him, surely?’

‘Naturally.’ Ridgeway was indignant. ‘He said he’d never seen him before but thought he must have come from the House. ‘'Tall, thin and dark” was all he could say.’

‘Young or old?’ asked Sandford impatiently.

‘Well, he said ‘'old” but to a child of his age, that could be anyone from twenty upwards,’ Ridgeway pointed out. ‘Sorry, old chap, back to square one, almost.’

‘Not quite,’ said Sandford, frowning. ‘We know how it happened, but as to why? Miss Cordell has not yet met your mother, so where does she fit into the conundrum?’

‘Oh, I figured that one out,’ said Ridgeway. ‘If the little varmints have any loyalty at all it’s to ‘'Lady ‘Genie''. Billy actually thought he was doing it on Ma’s behalf and this chap, whoever he is, must have known that!’ He looked squarely at Sandford. ‘You want me to lay them off—send them back to London?’

Sandford flushed. ‘I hope you know me better than that, Charles,’ he said shortly, getting ready to mount his horse. ‘Sounds as if you’ve put the fear of Lucifer into the brats already. The real villain has still to be discovered!’

He wheeled his horse out of the Dower House stableyard and, raising his crop in salute, he galloped back down the lane to Beldale.

Upon his entry into the hall he encountered Harriet sitting on a chair, reading. To his surprise she jumped up and came forward to meet him.

‘Lord Sandford,’ she said, clearly in some agitation. ‘Could I speak with you, if you please?’

Puzzled, he led her into the salon and, closing the door behind them, he turned to face her.

‘How may I help you?’ he asked, feeling his heart contract at the sight of her downcast face. He steeled himself

for whatever battle of wits he was sure must be about to follow.

‘I—I—want to apologise, my lord,’ she said in a small voice. ‘I fear I have misjudged you. I …’

Discomfited, he put up his hand to stop her.

‘Please, Miss Cordell, no more!’ he protested. ‘It is I who am at fault if I gave you the impression that I disbelieved your story. Believe me, it was never my intention …’

‘But you have found the culprit?’ she interrupted eagerly. ‘You have solved the mystery?’

‘Alas! Not entirely,’ admitted Sandford, vexed at having to disappoint her. ‘Sit down please, Miss Cordell. Let me tell you what I have ascertained.’

Briefly, he related his own investigations and his cousin’s discoveries, deeply conscious of Harriet’s eyes on his own the whole time he was speaking and sick at heart that he was unable to bring a smile to her face.

‘But these boys,’ she said, anxiously gripping her hands together. ‘Surely they are in some danger now? The man must be aware that they could expose him. Who can he be and what do you suppose it all means?’

Sandford shook his head and laid his hand on hers, to still the trembling.

‘I confess I am at a stand,’ he said reluctantly. ‘Unless you know of anyone who would wish you harm? These Middletons … ?’

Harriet shook her head. ‘They could not have known of my whereabouts last week,’ she said. ‘Even Mama did not, until the—engagement—notice was in the paper.’

Sandford regarded her silently for a moment then, rising purposefully to his feet, he became his normal efficient self again. ‘Then we must assume that the whole thing was some unfortunate mistake,’ he said decisively. ‘For the present, however, I must insist that you refrain from wandering off on your own again and that you always tell one of the household where you may be found …’

He stopped, at her look of astonishment.

‘Must you persist in treating me like a child?’ she asked in disgust. ‘Perhaps you could look out some leading-strings for me?’

He sighed, all at once too weary to engage in the inevitable bout of verbal fisticuffs he had come to expect from their interchanges.

‘My concern is merely to ensure your safety until your grandfather arrives to remove you,’ he said stiffly. ‘I would be obliged if you would comply with my request during the remainder of your stay here. I have wasted far too much time on this wild-goose chase already.’

Wrenching open the door, he left the room, conscious of an overwhelming desire to give Harriet a good shaking or, perhaps, just hold her tightly in his arms. Cursing under his breath, he crossed the hall and climbed the stairs to his chamber, where he curtly dismissed Kimble and attended to his own toilette, much to his valet’s chagrin.

Harriet, still angry, paced the floor of the salon for some minutes after the viscount had gone, mulling over both his revelations and his subsequent chastisement. Aware that she had little choice but to heed his instructions, she contemplated the possibility of dashing down to the village the following morning in order to catch the Osbornes before they left for Hampshire. Rejecting this idea as impractical and, ruefully sensible of the fact that Martha would simply return her to Beldale, she wondered once more whether she could confess her situation to Judith Hurst but, oddly, the closer her friendship with Judith grew, the less that idea appealed to her. Reluctant to expose herself to her friend’s possible disapprobation, she realised that she had no alternative but to sit tight until her grandfather arrived, however long that might be. She resigned herself to remaining inside the four walls of Beldale House for the foreseeable future, since there was absolutely no way she was going to stroll about the grounds with a footman at her heels and, as for riding with Sandford, she would see him damned first!

Once more an uneasy truce attended their meetings, which Sandford confined to the barest minimum, unwittingly causing his mother deep misgivings, for she could sense his unhappiness and concluded that he was regretting his decision to return to Beldale permanently.

The earl continued to make good progress and no longer seemed to have a compulsion to dwell on his accident. Harriet spent a good deal of her time with him, playing chess and piquet and reading scurrilous articles from the newspapers to him, which latter usually developed into heated debates between the two of them, culminating in paroxysms of laughter.

Sandford entered his father’s room on one such occasion and, although the sight brought a smile to his lips, his eyes remained bleak and he indicated to Chegwin that he would return later.

Lord William, however, noticed his son’s retreat and speculated upon the cause of it, but was reluctant to broach such a delicate subject with Sandford. Instead, he elected to quiz Harriet during one of their games of Hazard.

‘I shall miss you when you are gone, my dear,’ he said gently. ‘I’m sure you must know how attached I have grown to you—we all have. Her ladyship calls you her breath of fresh air!’

‘Sandford would probably say ‘'whirlwind'',’ she said, smiling ruefully as she took her turn at the dice. ‘He seems to take such exception to everything I do.’

‘You dislike him?’ he shot at her, regarding her intently.

Startled, she raised her green eyes to his faded grey ones and sighed. ‘There are times when I really do, I’m afraid,’ she admitted. ‘He can sometimes be so overbearing, you know, and then, just when I could happily murder him—he does something so—so—unexpected.’

Beldale gave a snort of laughter. ‘Well, you are honest, I’ll give you that—not that I’d expect anything less of you, of course,’ he said, looking at her fondly. ‘Care to tell me about it?’

‘Well, it seems that no matter how hard I try to conduct myself with the dignity and propriety he expects of me,’ said Harriet with a grin, ‘I find myself involved in some sort of scrape. Papa always used to say it was lucky I wasn’t a cat—although I do have the eyes for one—for I must easily have lost all nine lives before now!’

‘Curiosity is regarded by some philosophers as a prime virtue,’ observed his lordship thoughtfully. ‘How else could we acquire knowledge? My throw, I believe.’

Harriet passed him the dice-box and studied her score-sheet. ‘That makes about fifty thousand guineas I owe you, my lord,’ she laughingly informed him. ‘I will have to ask for time to pay, or shall you have me cast into Bridewell?’

‘Bridewell? Hmm—that might just be the answer.’ The earl answered absentmindedly, as he shook the box.

Harriet looked up puzzled. His lordship seemed abstracted.

‘Oh, I have tired you out,’ she exclaimed, jumping up in concern and beckoned to Chegwin to clear away the bed-table.

Lord William smiled at her agitation and took her hand in his. ‘Perhaps I shall take a nap, my dear,’ he said. ‘It’s Judith’s assembly this evening, is it not? Be sure to come and see me before you leave.’

Harriet, bending to kiss him on the forehead, promised that she would.

As soon as the valet had closed the door on her departure, Beldale hauled himself up on his pillows and issued several succinct orders and a request for Lady Caroline’s immediate attendance.

That evening, as she stood submitting herself to Rose’s final administrations, Harriet felt a pang of regret that she would shortly be losing the cheerful young maid and wondered if her grandfather would allow her to offer the girl a position in his household.

‘Don’t frown so, miss,’ admonished Rose, as she buttoned her mistress’s glove. ‘You’ll get lines on your forehead soon enough, believe me! There, now—a real picture you look!’

Harriet studied her reflection in the pier-glass. Her soft, copper-gold hair had adapted happily to its new shape, its curling tendrils framing her elfin face, whilst her deep green eyes mirrored the colour in the shot silk of the over-tunic. The neckline of the white satin underslip was low but decorous, without ruffle or frill, accentuating the creamy curves of her bosom. The tunic, which was sleeveless, fastened around the waist with a narrow sash decorated in a gold-threaded Greek-key design and Rose, still bemoaning her mistress’s lack of jewellery, had fashioned a similar ribbon to weave through her curls.

Feeling enormously pleased with the whole effect, Harriet took the fan and reticule Rose was holding and thanked the smiling girl for all the effort she had made on her behalf, determined that she would find some way of rewarding her for her loyalty before she left.

‘You’re to go and see the master,’ Rose reminded her, as she handed Harriet a dark green velvet cloak. ‘He’ll be wanting to see you in your finery, I expect.’

Both Lady Caroline and Sandford were waiting in the earl’s room when Harriet arrived. The old man’s eyes lit up when he saw her and he beckoned her to him.

‘Just like a little sea-nymph,’ he chortled, beaming with pleasure and nodding at his wife. ‘See, my dear? I was right. Hand me the box, please.’

The countess, smiling, passed him a flat leather case from which he lifted a glittering necklace of tiny emeralds strung on a gold chain. Harriet gasped as Beldale passed the necklace to Sandford and bade him fasten it round her neck.

The viscount, whose senses had been considerably affected by Harriet’s appearance, found his fingers trembling as he battled with the clasp.

‘Oh, Lord William!,’ breathed Harriet, as she leaned over to kiss the earl’s cheek. ‘I promise I shall take the greatest care of it! I shall return it to you personally first thing in the morning.’

‘It is not a loan, my dear.’ His lordship patted her hand. ‘It is but a small token of thanks for the many hours you have devoted to my recovery.’

‘But I cannot possibly accept such a gift,’ she protested. ‘And you know perfectly well that I, too, have enjoyed our tête-à-têtes.’

‘Which is why you cannot possibly refuse my gift, I think,’ said his lordship gently. He looked at his son. ‘Isn’t there something else, my boy?’

Sandford cleared his throat. ‘Father was concerned that Judith’s guests would be sure to mark the absence of an engagement ring,’ he said, reaching for the small box which he had previously selected from the assortment on the side table.

‘These jewels are all part of the Beldale collection, my dear,’ said Lady Caroline conversationally, as Harriet removed her glove. ‘They belonged to Lord William’s grandmother,

the third countess. She was very fond of emeralds, we are told. I myself prefer the sapphire and our girls have always regarded the green stone as unlucky …’ She hesitated. ‘Oh dear, I trust you have no such qualms, my child?’ She looked anxiously at Harriet, who let out a ripple of delighted laughter.

‘Not at all, ma’am—it is, in fact, my birthstone so I believe that to me it must be lucky …’ She stopped, as the box Sandford was holding fell from his grasp and bounced across the floor. Chegwin bent to retrieve it and handed it back to the viscount, who was looking at Harriet with an incomprehensible glint in his eyes.

‘Perhaps you would do us the honour of wearing this tonight,’ he said, executing a stiff bow and handing her the box. ‘Certain people are sure to comment—will it suffice?’

Harriet opened the lid and beheld a flawless square-cut emerald, surrounded by diamonds and mounted on a gold ring. Her lips trembled as she slid the jewel on to her finger and, holding up her hand for all to see, ‘It fits perfectly,’ she observed, in shaky surprise.

‘I hoped that it might,’ murmured Sandford impassively as, somewhat shaken himself, he picked up the box and returned it to the pile.