They might have been invisible as they joined the others. All eyes were upon the Countess, who seemed on the verge of a strong attack of hysterics.
‘Keep those wretches away from me!’ she screamed. ‘Filthy little urchins! This is all the thanks I get for taking them into my home. Well, they shall give up their good food and their fine clothes. De Vionnet must take them away. I won’t have them near me!’
‘My darling, you are overwrought.’ The Earl attempted to soothe her. ‘The shock has been too much for you. Will you not rest before making such a decision?’
This opposition to her wishes had a startling effect. The Countess slid to the ground, apparently in strong convulsions, and began to drum her heels upon the carpet.
‘This is no place for you, my dears!’ Laverstoke looked an appeal at his guests. ‘Pray use the Blue Drawing-Room, if you will…’
James and Sir William began to move away, but Amy hesitated. She was loath to leave this kindly man to cope with a hysteric on his own.
‘Is there nothing we can do?’ she asked.
‘Sadly no, Miss Wentworth, but if you will ring the bell? My wife’s maid is accustomed to dealing with these attacks. She will attend the Countess…’
James ushered Amy and Charlotte from the room, whilst Sir William followed with the terrified children.
‘No one seems to have given much thought to them,’ he observed mildly. ‘Yet they have suffered the greatest shock.’ He settled them by the fire and began to question them.
‘Do we know what happened?’ Amy asked.
‘They were running away,’ James told her. ‘They believed that if they were taken far from here, to London or to Brighton, they might never find a ship to take them to the Indies.’
Charlotte sighed. ‘Then they are still hoping to find their families again?’
‘I fear so, and it is a forlorn hope. Thank God that the little Prospero is unharmed. I blame myself for the accident—’
‘You shan’t say that, Sir William!’ Charlotte told him firmly. ‘I heard you insist that the hole should be safely covered.’
‘Clearly it was not safe enough. In his haste to get away the child kicked the wooden hurdle aside… It is a miracle that he was not killed after suffering a fall of such a depth.’
‘There was plenty of soft earth in the base of the pit, as you can see from my appearance.’ James tried to lighten the mood of the company. ‘Now if you will excuse me, I propose to improve the appearance both of these children and myself.’ He took a child in either hand and left the room.
‘But what is to become of them if the Countess will not have them here?’ Charlotte cried in an agony of mind. ‘Surely she will not put them back upon a slave ship? That would be too cruel since they cannot hope to find their parents in the New World.’
‘I imagine she plans to sell them on, with the help of Philippe de Vionnet.’
‘But they are so very young.’ Charlotte’s lips were quivering. ‘Must they be passed from hand to hand as if they were not even human beings? Oh, Sir William, you cannot let that happen!’
His calm gaze rested upon her. ‘You are quite right, Miss Charlotte, I cannot let that happen.’
It was at this moment that James rejoined them, his hair still damp from washing. He looked about him at the solemn faces.
‘Well, Linden, what are you about to prevent? I must pray that it is more hysterics.’
‘How is the Countess?’ Amy asked.
‘I have no idea, but the screams have stopped. The Earl will not wish to act the host just now. I believe we should return to Bath. He must be distressed…’
‘Well, it was extraordinary,’ Amy admitted. ‘I had heard of people drumming their heels, but I had not actually seen it until today. It must be a strange sensation, but certainly it was effective.’
James looked down at her. ‘Don’t even think about it, Amy. Let me assure you that I should put you over my knee at once!’ He turned again to Sir William. ‘You did not answer my question, Linden. Do you have anything in mind?’
A faint smile touched Sir William’s lips. ‘It must depend upon the Earl, and here he comes…’
Laverstoke looked worried as he came to join them. ‘I have seen the children and they seem much recovered. Hot sweet drinks and a change of clothing have restored them, but I confess that I am at a loss. My wife will not have them under our roof for another day. She feels that the responsibility for their safety will be too much for her. She is all heart…’
Amy gaped at him. She had heard that love was blind, but it didn’t seem possible that any man could be so mistaken in his judgment of character. The Countess was a monster.
‘May I make a suggestion?’ Sir William asked. ‘In the usual way de Vionnet would take the boys away, but since he is not here perhaps you would allow me to perform that service for you?’
‘You, Sir William?’ Laverstoke was astonished. ‘My dear sir, you cannot find a use for them… You have no wife—’
‘That state of affairs may change in the near future.’ Sir William’s reply was made in a casual tone, but the Earl’s manner changed at once.
‘My dear chap, what is this? Are we to wish you happy? It would please me above anything.’
‘The matter is not yet settled, but I have hopes…if my offer is accepted I shall be adding to my household. Now, sir, what do you say? May I take the boys? They will be well cared for and I shall keep them busy with small tasks suited to their years. Naturally, I shall wish to offer you recompense for your outlay to date.’
The Earl frowned. ‘I beg that you will not consider it,’ he said stiffly. ‘I shall be in your debt…that is, if you are sure? My wife must not see them again, you know, but I fear that they may become a burden to you.’
‘I shall help to carry that burden,’ James assured him. ‘This must be the answer, my lord. Do you not agree? The boys will be more comfortable with those who speak their own language.’
Laverstoke nodded with a sigh of relief. ‘You are right, my friends. You have lifted a great weight from my mind.’ He rang the bell and gave instructions for the children to be made ready for their journey to Bath.
Sir William looked at Charlotte.
‘Better now?’ he asked. ‘I trust these arrangements meet with your approval, Miss Skelmersdale?’
Charlotte had received a severe shock, but she answered him mechanically. ‘You are very good,’ she said. ‘The boys will be happy with you.’
She hoped that her anguish was not apparent to the others. Sir William to wed? His words had struck her like a daggerblow. Nothing in his conversation had indicated that he was about to become betrothed to another.
Oh, if only he had not been so very kind to her! Yet even in her present anguish she reminded herself that he had not uttered a word of love, or treated her other than with the strictest courtesy.
She had deceived herself into believing that his friendly manner and his evident enjoyment of her company might lead to something more.
What a fool she was! His lineage went back to the Crusaders. How could she have imagined that he might offer for the daughter of a mill-owner with nothing, not even beauty, to recommend her? Her mother had left her in no doubt of her shortcomings. Now it was time that she faced the truth.
Yet even in her own despair she spared a thought for Amy. Her friend sat in the corner of the coach as it set off for Bath. She was pale and silent, but her hands were shaking uncontrollably.
‘Are you unwell?’ she asked in a low tone.
‘Oh, no, it is just that I feel so very cold…’ Amy forced out the words through stiff lips.
‘Delayed shock!’ James announced briskly. ‘Will you change places with me, Miss Charlotte?’ He took off his coat, wrapped it about Amy’s shoulders, and gathered her into the crook of his arm. ‘It is all over,’ he soothed. ‘And there is no harm done.’
Amy tried to smile without success. Suddenly she buried her face in his shoulder and beg
an to sob.
‘My dear girl!’ James was all concern. ‘Whatever happened to Boudicca, my famous warrior queen?’
‘Oh, pray don’t tease!’ she begged piteously. ‘When the rope snapped I thought that we had lost you…’
‘I am not so easily destroyed, my dear. The rope gave way before we had ascended above a yard or so. I fell astride Prospero, fortunately without injuring him.’
‘But how did you turn?’ Sir William asked with interest. ‘You were lowered into the shaft head first. I thought it must be nigh impossible to tie the rope about you from that position…’
‘I turned the neatest of somersaults with Prospero in my arms. Next year I may apply to Astley’s Amphitheatre as an acrobat…’ He began to laugh and the atmosphere lightened.
Amy’s spirits were a little restored and she released her grip upon his hand. The others were behaving with the greatest tact, but she was conscious of the fact that she was in James’s arms once more, possibly adding to her own and his embarrassment. She tried to struggle out of his coat and the shelter of his arms, but he held her firm as the coach bowled slowly along the country roads.
Sir William was questioning the boys, translating as he did so for Charlotte’s benefit.
With typical generosity she had set her own feelings aside and was absorbed in what he had to say.
‘They are agreeable to your taking charge of them?’ she asked.
‘They are overjoyed!’ he replied. ‘The Countess was not, I fear, the kindest of employers.’
‘None will argue with that, but sir, do you not fear that they will run away again?’
‘No, I do not. I have made the situation clear to them, and, young as they are, they seem to understand. Alone in a strange country, without money or friends, they would fall prey to the first unscrupulous villain who came upon them.’
‘But their families? Is it not their dearest wish to find their parents?’
‘An impossible hope, my dear, but I will try. I have connections in the Indies, and Cassius has remembered the name of the ship. Doubtless it is still at sea. Those ancient and heavily laden vessels do not make much speed.’
‘So what will you do?’
‘I intend to send a message by fast packet in the hope that it will arrive before the slave ship.’
‘And then?’
‘Then we shall proceed to search for a needle in a haystack. There is little expectation of success. Their parents may not have survived the voyage, and even if they do so the families will be split up and sold at auction…’
‘But you will try?’ Impulsively she reached out to touch his hand.
‘Yes, I promise!’ He gave her a heart-stopping smile. ‘I would do much to please you…’
Charlotte blushed. ‘But you are not doing this for me,’ she protested. ‘I know that you have the best interest of the boys at heart.’
‘And you will allow me none of my own?’ The quizzical smile returned and a little flame of hope returned to glow in Charlotte’s breast.
Back at Laura Place James and Sir William tried to excuse themselves, pleading the need to settle the boys into their new home.
‘Why not leave them with us, just for tonight, at least?’ Miss Langrishe asked. She had listened to the story of the day’s events in amazement. ‘These children must be exhausted.’
‘Oh, pray do!’ Charlotte pleaded. She held a boy in each hand. ‘They seem content with us…I mean…well…I do not suggest that they will not be content with you…but their heads are drooping. They are much in need of rest.’
Sir William bowed. ‘Then if Miss Langrishe has no objection it shall be as you wish.’ He looked across at the older woman. ‘Ma’am, I am in your debt. Perhaps you will excuse us now. In our present state Sir James and I are unfit to appear in polite society.’
Miss Langrishe laughed. ‘This is not polite society, Sir William. It is the home of one of your friends. You will return to dine with us, I hope. Chef has been on his mettle throughout the day.’
James grinned at her. ‘In that case, ma’am, how can we refuse?’
Miss Langrishe looked at the clock. ‘I will allow you just one hour,’ she said. ‘Pray heed my words. I am given to understand that a soufflé waits for no man.’
Laughing, they took their leave of her, with a few last instructions to the boys.
Miss Langrishe rang the bell. The boys were to be fed and bathed and settled in their beds, but they could not be persuaded to relinquish Charlotte’s hands.
‘It is not a problem,’ she answered equably. ‘With your permission, ma’am, I will go with them…?’
‘Will you, my dear? That would be a kindness.’ Miss Langrishe transferred her attention to Amy as the others left the room.
‘My dearest child, you are very quiet,’ she said in some alarm. ‘James mentioned something about shock…must I send for Doctor Hirst?’
‘Please don’t!’ Amy cried in desperation. ‘It was just that I felt so cold, but now I find the heat oppressive.’
‘Indeed, the atmosphere is sultry. I fear that we must expect a storm as this heatwave breaks. Has it given you a headache?’
‘No, Aunt!’ Amy’s lips began to quiver. ‘I have been such a fool, and now I cannot bear it…’
‘Come here, my love!’ Miss Langrishe patted the seat beside her. ‘My dear one, none of us is perfect. Why punish yourself for what is, after all, a very human failing? Perfection is, alas, a rare commodity upon this earth.’
‘I know it, Aunt Trixie, but good sense should not be so very difficult to achieve… Up to this present time, I don’t seem to have managed it.’
‘Few of us do so. Now, what has happened, Amy?’
‘Well, I did not know, you see.’ Amy’s face was a mask of anguish. ‘I can’t say that I wasn’t warned of the dangers of meddling in the affairs of others, but I paid no heed. I had it in my head that James and Charlotte would make a perfect match. It was not until today that I knew the truth…’
‘And what is that, my dear?’
‘Oh, Aunt, I love him dreadfully. When the rope snapped and I thought that he was gone I knew. I cannot live without him.’
‘And is it so very dreadful to find oneself in love?’ Miss Langrishe asked lightly. ‘I had thought that it must make you happy.’
‘It would, if James returned my love. He is fond of me, I know, but to him I am still a child. I have simply managed to embarrass him before everyone by throwing myself into his arms and almost begging him offer for me.’
‘It will all be set down to shock, my dear. Now, you must go on as if those words were never spoken. Will you not see how Charlotte goes on with the boys? Then, when you have bathed and changed into your prettiest gown, you will feel so much better.’
Amy was unconvinced, but she did as she was bidden. Hurrying upstairs, she met Charlotte on the second landing.
‘Is all well?’ she asked.
‘I think so. The boys are so glad to be away from the Countess that they seem to have lost their fear of me.’
Amy chuckled. ‘My dear Charlotte, they were never afraid of you. You seem to be the object of their devotion. After all, you pleaded their cause with Sir William.’
‘Oh, no! His offer to take them was made simply out of the goodness of his heart. Besides, the boys could not understand what I was saying.’
‘Their understanding was not based on words, I think. Children are quick to know a friend when they see one.’ Amy looked down at her grubby gown. It was still soiled from her contact with James when he appeared from the depths of the shaft. ‘We had best change,’ she said. ‘It will soon be time to dine.’
She would have given much to be able to retire at that moment, to nurse her troubled thoughts in private, but there were others to consider. As she recovered some of her composure she reflected upon her aunt’s words. Perhaps it might be best to pretend that she had forgotten about her outburst. She could think of no other course of action that might enab
le her to get through the evening without a feeling of utter humiliation.
An hour later, bathed and dressed in her newest gown of jonquil crepe, she was able to greet the gentlemen with an appearance of calm.
James gave both girls a look of admiration. Then he shook his head in wonder and appealed to Sir William.
‘Well, Linden, what do you say? For myself I fancy that if these two ladies were to be cast adrift in an open boat they would step ashore without a hair out of place.’
Sir William bowed to them and then to Miss Langrishe. ‘Your charges are a credit to you, ma’am. We have been fortunate indeed to secure their help.’ His languid manner had disappeared and the warmth in his voice brought a blush to Charlotte’s cheek.
‘Well now, we shall all feel much better for some food.’ Miss Langrishe allowed Sir William to take her arm and lead her into the dining-room.
Once seated, she looked across at Amy. ‘What has happened to Henry and Crispin?’ she enquired. ‘I was expecting them to dine, but they sent their apologies earlier. Am I to take it that the charms of archaeology are beginning to wear thin?’
This brought a ripple of amusement from her guests, but it was left to Amy to explain.
‘Henry cannot abide the company of the Countess,’ she said quietly. ‘Earlier today he looked so black at her that I feared he might say something. It would have distressed the Earl…’
‘Then we must be glad that he remembered the respect due to Laverstoke.’
‘He did, but it wasn’t easy. I believe it persuaded him that it was time for he and Crispin to leave for Scotland, as they had intended before the end of the month.’
‘Well, we shall miss them. I like to have young company about me. They have promised to call upon us later this evening.’
It was at this moment that a lurid flash of lightning lit the room. It was followed at once by a violent crash of thunder, and Charlotte jumped.
Sir William laid his hand on hers. ‘It cannot harm you,’ he assured her.
‘But it sounds almost overhead,’ she cried in panic. ‘I have always been afraid of thunderstorms…’
The Matchmaker's Marriage Page 21
