Teaching His Ward: A Regency Romance

by Noël Cades

  Chapter 33

  Miss Berystede’s household was overwhelmed with the revelation that Jemima was to marry the Earl of Southwell. The news eclipsed any possible scandal over Jemima having left the house, unchaperoned, in the dead of night, and returning in the Earl of Southwell’s carriage. She had at least been accompanied by his London housekeeper on her return, the poor woman woken up from her bed to fulfil this duty.

  Jemima had not wished for this, but her guardian - now her fiancé - had insisted.

  “I will not have my future bride travelling across the town unaccompanied, in the early hours of the morning,” he told her.

  Jemima had an idea that this would not be the first or last order he issued to her. She would need to develop her own strategy for dealing with her future husband if he became commanding, she decided. She had a fairly good notion of the best way to disarm him, but for now, it was wiser to obey.

  She was tempted to wake Kitty and tell her the news, but did not want to create any more disturbance than she already had. For Miss Pargeter, awoken by the noise of her return, had risen to determine what the matter was.

  On learning of Jemima’s engagement, she offered her sincere congratulations. She was forced to conceal a smile when Jemima mentioned what a surprise it must be to everyone.

  “I am delighted to find you so happy, my dear Miss Carlow. I am sure that Miss Berystede will be equally pleased by the news tomorrow.”

  Jemima, though she avowed that she could not countenance sleep with all that was in her mind, was nonetheless urged to retire by Ann Pargeter. Indeed, though Jemima had imagined lying awake all night reliving the scene with her guardian, she found the morning was already late when a maid woke her with tea.

  Miss Pargeter, in her usual wisdom and discretion, had not mentioned Jemima’s nightly excursion to anyone, nor Jemima’s happy news. Thus Jemima had the joy of sending Kitty into excited raptures and Mrs Owen into happy relief that it was finally settled.

  “From what you had told me about his former plans for you, I confess I am surprised, but no less delighted for you.”

  Only Miss Berystede took the news with her usual serene composure, graciously congratulating Jemima while her eyes held an amused knowledge.

  “It is a very suitable match, my dear. You are both to be congratulated.”

  Miss Berystede did not ask when or how the proposal had come about, but later held a conversation with Miss Pargeter that satisfied her as to that point.

  “They are better matched than I had thought,” she said to her companion. “For I fear that had his chosen bride not shown such initiative, Southwell might never have overcome his blindness as to her affection for him.”

  When they were alone, Jemima told Kitty of her midnight visit and much of the conversation that had ensued. She withheld her plan to have offered her guardian droit de seigneur, feeling more than a little ashamed about it in the hard light of morning.

  “I could not bear the situation any more. I knew that I had to see him, to find out if he truly planned to marry that terrible Lady DeClere. I simply could not sleep or eat again until I knew,” she told Kitty.

  “But what would you have done if it had been the case?” Kitty asked.

  “I do not know. I could not think of it,” Jemima said.

  Kitty had thought of something that was almost as delightful as the news of Jemima’s engagement itself. “Only think how Mrs Linton-Smythe will receive the news!”

  Both girls were silent for some time, imagining with some pleasure that woman’s inevitable displeasure.

  “She will doubtless find something dreadful to suspect me of,” Jemima said. “She will hint that I have compromised myself, and he is saving my honour or some such.”

  “I shall not suffer her to make any such insinuations, and nor will Miss Berystede,” Kitty declared.

  Jemima only hoped that she would be in earshot of such an exchange, if and when it occurred.

  Kitty soon had other matters to contend with. Lord Elstone called later that morning, and some confusion occurred when Kitty expressed her happiness at the news of the impending marriage.

  “The marriage? How could you divine such a thing, my dear, for I am sure I have not yet mentioned a thing. I own that I have had intentions for some time, but I have yet to approach that excellent lady for her consent,” Lord Elstone said to his daughter.

  It was Kitty’s turn to be confused. “Consent? But she has already given it. Of whom do you speak, papa?”

  Lord Elstone’s consternation was growing. “With whom has she consented to marriage?”

  “With the Earl of Southwell.”

  Her father paled. “The Earl of Southwell has proposed to Miss Pargeter?”

  Kitty was bewildered. “Of course not. He is to marry Jemima.” Then she realised what her parent had unwittingly confessed. “Oh! But is it also true? Do you have intentions yourself towards Miss Pargeter? Forgive me, for I know I should not have asked. But I confess I have wondered, and she is the dearest of women.”

  And so Kitty received notification of her future stepmama before the lady in question had even been approached regarding such a role.

  Ann Pargeter, however, expressed hesitation in accepting Lord Elstone’s offer of marriage, when he requested an audience with her in the drawing room some short while later. She desired some time to consider the matter. Privately she had formed a deep attachment to the widower, and at times had felt an almost girlish pleasure in his company.

  But she was troubled how such a turn of events might affect her employer. She respected and cared for Miss Berystede very deeply, and knew that a change in her household would not be easy for her.

  So while Kitty burned to know Miss Pargeter’s answer, and was all the more ardent that it should be yes, Miss Pargeter could not yet set her at ease.

  “I should prefer it if you would not speak of this to Miss Berystede yet. For I am anxious that she is not needlessly troubled. The news of Miss Carlow’s engagement is surely excitement enough for us all.”

  Kitty was disappointed, but complied with Miss Pargeter’s request. She also did not wish to dampen Jemima’s joy, so refrained from discussing it with her as well.

  It was Mrs Owen, who on learning of Ann Pargeter’s dilemma, tentatively proposed the solution.

  “My dear Miss Pargeter, you will forgive me if it is not my place to make such a suggestion. But I imagine that I must look for a new situation myself, for a young bride shall no longer require the chaperonage that I have provided. If only as a temporary arrangement, I would be glad to assist Miss Berystede in your place.”

  It was such a simple and excellent suggestion that they were surprised that no one had thought of it before.

  No one, of course, except the redoubtable Miss Berystede. When Ann Pargeter, with uncharacteristic hesitancy, mentioned that she had spoken with Lord Elstone earlier that day, her employer surprised her utterly with a chuckle of laughter.

  “The man has finally declared himself, has he? What with his lack of expedition and that of Southwell in these affairs, I had feared England must become a nation of spinsters.”

  Ann Pargeter was momentarily too taken aback to speak.

  “You had guessed, then, of his intentions?”

  “I should imagine half of London had, unless they were blind. Those girls have been plotting and planning about it as much as their own affairs, I shouldn’t wonder,” Miss Berystede said.

  It was one of the rare occasions when Ann Pargeter found herself blushing, only causing more amusement in her employer.

  “You young women are all alike, in believing your hearts to be far more concealed than they are. As for the gentlemen involved…” Miss Berystede contented herself with another chuckle.

  Flattered to be classed as a young woman, for she had long considered herself past her maidenly years, Ann Pargeter wondered how to broach the subject of her employment.

  Once again, she was beaten to the post by the astut
e elderly woman. “I dare say Mrs Owen may be prevailed upon to replace you, depending on her own plans. Not that I shall not miss you greatly, my dear, but it has ever been my hope that you would find a good husband and home of your own, should you be so inclined. I am most impressed by Lord Elstone. If he is not in his first youth, he is still hale enough to make a very satisfactory bridegroom, and Catherine is a delightful girl who should cause you no trouble. Has she been apprised of the news?”

  “She has, yes. She is fortunately very much in favour. And I am sure that Mrs Owen would not be at all opposed to your suggestion.”

  All parties thus satisfied, the preparations for the two marriages could begin. Lord Elstone and Miss Pargeter had no need for haste, but the Earl of Southwell was determined not to waste a day in getting his bride to the altar. By early evening a message had arrived from him, to say that he had obtained a special license and Jemima should prepare for matrimony on the morrow.

  This caused no small consternation among Miss Berystede’s household.

  “What can the man be thinking of, to proceed with such swiftness?” Ann Pargeter could not help remarking to her employer. “I fear such haste will be viewed as practically an elopement.” Aware as she was of Jemima’s midnight flit, she could not help but wonder if the Earl of Southwell had compromised his ward and was racing to conceal the fact. For her own part she did not condemn such a thing, but she was conscious of spiteful tongues.

  “I should not be concerned,” Miss Berystede said. “Once she is his countess, she will be above reproach. There will be more who seek to ingratiate than to repudiate.”

  “Still, there are those from whom we may expect a few barbed words,” her companion replied. Despite her own happiness, or perhaps because of it, she wished that the younger woman’s nuptials might proceed with equally untroubled bliss. Ann Pargeter had long supposed that her life would be spent in spinsterhood. To find happiness with such a man as Lord Elstone was as unexpected as it was joyful.

  Chapter 34

  That same evening they were all due to attend a ball at the house of Lord and Lady Daventry, which Miss Berystede had seen no reason to decline attending. “We need not stay late. But there is little we can do to prepare this evening for tomorrow. Southwell cannot expect new gowns at such short notice.”

  Jemima was too excited at the prospect of her marriage to be overly concerned with the details. “Having the Earl of Southwell at the altar rather than Sir Hubert will be delight enough,” she assured the others. She did not yet dare to call him Marcus before them, though she supposed she should do so afterwards.

  There was added anticipation for Jemima and Kitty that night, for they were privately longing to witness the reaction of Mrs Linton-Smythe to Jemima’s news. Neither girl was aware of Miss Pargeter’s private concerns. They supposed only that Mrs Linton-Smythe would be shocked and displeased, having no notion what aspersions might be cast.

  Before the ball, Mrs Owen took it upon herself to speak privately with Jemima. The girl had no mother, so as her companion, and as a married woman, it fell to her to offer some advice regarding the expectations of a young bride.

  "My dear, I wonder if I might have a few words," Mrs Owen began, as Jemima put the finishing touches to her toilette.

  Jemima turned to her. "Of course. Is there anything you need?"

  Mrs Owen entered Jemima’s room and seated herself on a chair. "I wanted only to offer my very best wishes to you for tomorrow morning, and also to give a few words of advice." She paused, uncertain how to phrase the matter. Having not had a daughter herself, it had not been incumbent upon her to perform this task before. "I felt that were your mother here to see you wed, she would not wish you to be entirely ignorant of the duties that lie before a new bride."

  The older woman’s delicacy around the subject was such that Jemima remained nonplussed as to what she was trying to convey. "Do you mean how I should comport myself at the service?" she asked.

  "Not so much that, my dear. It is that once a man and a woman are lawfully wed, there are certain acts of union that await. You must try not to be overly shocked or distressed, for I am sure your husband will be as considerate as possible. And indeed, you may well find in time that it is not such an unbearable duty. Rather it may even be a very welcome thing, the intimacy between a man and wife."

  Now Jemima understood, and she blushed with embarrassment as much for Mrs Owen as herself.

  "It is very kind of you to offer me such advice. But have no fears on my behalf, for I have some notion of what will be expected of me. In the rural part of Ireland where I lived, surrounded by farmland, certain matters were not so carefully screened as they might have been in a town or city," Jemima said.

  Mrs Owen was equally embarrassed but relieved by the young woman having some knowledge. "I am comforted to think that matters will not be entirely unexpected. Though it is quite normal to feel apprehension."

  Jemima felt more impatience than apprehension. She was glad they were attending the Daventries’ ball, for it would help the time pass more quickly until she went to church the next morning.

  The room thronged with people. Jemima entertained herself imagining how they would all receive her the next time she encountered them as the Right Honble. The Countess of Southwell. She was sure that the manners of several of them would be very much altered.

  “You appear to be in very high spirits tonight,” Mrs Linton-Smythe remarked to Jemima. It was intended to be a reproach rather than a compliment, for the girl’s shining eyes and frequent laughter irritated her.

  Jemima thanked her nonetheless. “It is kind of you to observe so. Indeed I have every reason to be in the very highest spirits,” she said, trying to avoid Kitty’s eye lest she lost her composure.

  “Indeed? I cannot think what should inspire such mirth,” Mrs Linton-Smythe said. She was clad in a vivid orange shade that evening, with the feathers of her fan dyed to match. “As I have always advised Selina, a lady best presents herself as calm and composed, and does not loudly laugh and frolic about.”

  Jemima feigned composure. “I thank you for your advice, for it is truly timely given the status to which I am soon to be elevated.” She turned to Kitty. “Only imagine, Kitty, if I should disgrace myself with too much laughter once I am a countess!”

  Mrs Linton-Smythe, convinced that Jemima was being very pert, tightened her lips. “I cannot imagine why you should suppose you may become a countess.”

  “Since I am to marry the Earl of Southwell on the morrow, I fear it is inevitable,” Jemima told her.

  There was silence for a few seconds. Mrs Linton-Smythe’s voice was somewhat altered as she spoke. “Did I hear correctly that you are to marry the Earl of Southwell tomorrow? Your guardian?” she emphasised.

  “Exactly so. At St George’s. You and Miss Linton-Smythe would both be very welcome to attend, if you would be so kind as to excuse the short notice.”

  “I thank you for the invitation. I have never approved of secret engagements myself, for it suggests there is something to conceal,” Mrs Linton-Smythe said.

  “O, there is nothing to conceal. Our engagement was only made yesterday,” Jemima told her.

  “Indeed! I find myself taken aback, then, that you should marry in such haste.” Mrs Linton-Smythe was determined to find some reason to disapprove. Would that she could disbelieve the news entirely, for to see this penniless chit elevated to the title of countess whilst her own Selina remained unattached was insupportable.

  Jemima merely smiled, infuriating the other woman even more. “Once our mutual affection was declared, there seemed no reason to wait.”

  Mrs Linton-Smythe fanned herself rapidly with her orange plumage. “Well, let us hope that there is no truth in the old adage of ‘marry in haste’…”

  Before finishing this doom-laded proverb, she was interrupted by Ann Pargeter, who had been standing in earshot and could not support any more. “Mrs Linton-Smythe, I trust that you have only good wishes
to express for such a very happy occasion as we await tomorrow.”

  Mrs Linton-Smythe, who regarded companions as worthy of little more regard than a lady’s maid, looked upon Ann Pargeter with mild outrage and contempt.

  “I am sure that I have not expressed any other such wish,” she said. “Though I confess myself offended by your insinuation. I also question whether it is your place to express yourself so.”

  Now Kitty could no longer tolerate such outrage. “As the future Lady Elstone and my future stepmama, Miss Pargeter holds equal place to any of us here, madam.”

  This appellation was deliberately chosen, for in future both Jemima and Miss Pargeter would be addressed in terms of higher rank, a fact that needled Mrs Linton-Smythe. She longed to offer some curt reply to Kitty, but overcome with so many matrimonial announcements, found herself quite at a loss as to what that might be.

  Fanning herself with greater rapidity, she muttered some hasty words of congratulations to Ann Pargeter, and excused herself with the remaining dignity she could muster.

  The three other women stood there, hardly knowing whether to laugh or be outraged. Nothing could repress Jemima’s spirits that night, however. “I fear Mrs Linton-Smythe may find herself indisposed to attend St George’s tomorrow,” she said.

  “Would that it might be so,” Ann Pargeter said. “I fear that nothing will stop her from imposing her presence upon us in some way.”

  “You were quite wonderful, Ann, in interrupting her spite,” Kitty said.

  Ann Pargeter smiled. “No less than you were. We have only to betroth you to a duke, and I vow she will suffer a fit of apoplexy.”

  Their merriment was high that night. Even the absence of the Earl of Southwell could not dampen Jemima’s happiness, secure as she now was in the knowledge of his affection and desire for her.

  “Only think that by this time tomorrow I shall be an old married woman!” Jemima said. “I may act as your chaperone myself, Kitty.”

  Ann Pargeter suspected that the Earl of Southwell would have his own views on such a notion, but remained silent. Even if she did not express herself so openly as Jemima, she looked forward to her own nuptials with no less eager anticipation.