'Take Coffee,' Mother said, referring to her horse, which happened to be a favourite of mine.
'Thank you, Mother,' I dropped into an unnecessary curtsey.
'There is little enough for young girls to do in the country,' Mother continued. 'A trip to the market is as harmless a diversion as one can imagine.'
'When you are there,' Father looked up briefly from his papers. 'Check the prices for wheat and barley would you?'
That was all that was said, except the expected warnings to be careful and keep together.
I will not bore you with details of our ride across country to Haddington. Suffice to say that Catherine was wild with excitement to hear my reasons. I had known Catherine all my life, and we trusted each other with our most intimate secrets. I told her about Captain Ferintosh, leaving nothing unsaid. I may possibly have exaggerated some aspects a little. Not much, just sufficient to titillate and tease poor Catherine, leaving her in a state of agitated suspense.
'You are a bad woman,' Catherine spoke with the sort of heat that only envy can produce.
'I know.' I said. 'What will you do when I am with the captain?'
'I will sit in the coffee house,' Catherine said. 'I will drink coffee by myself and mourn the absence of my most particular friend, who prefers the company of a stranger to mine.'
'Good,' I knew that Catherine was teasing. 'That means you will sit in a coffee shop hoping to be admired by only the most handsome of men.'
We laughed together as only old friends can. I salved my conscience by telling myself that Catherine had a hundred cousins all across East Lothian including three in Haddington. She would never want for company.
I had never felt such excitement as I waited for Captain Ferintosh. The market at Haddington was busy with farmers selling and buying cattle, farm labourers lounging, drinking, wenching or chatting, and scores of beasts, carts and children creating mayhem. Catherine stood nearby, eager for a sight of the gallant captain. When I tried to wave her away, she merely waved back, the minx.
'My Lady Mary.'
Again, I did not see Captain Ferintosh appear. One moment I was searching for him amidst the surging tide of farming humanity, the next he was at my side, resplendent in a blue cutaway coat above a buff waistcoat, with skin-tight breeches that left little to my imagination. The weak sun glittered on the gold braid that adorned his tricorne cat.
'You are dressed for a city ball,' I looked down at my own, more practical, or perhaps more mundane, appearance. 'I look dowdy in comparison.'
'You could wear rags and still outshine King Louis of France and all the court of Versailles,' Captain Ferintosh gave a sweeping bow that attracted the attention of some half-dozen women.
'Have you been to France?' I was determined to find out all that I could about my captain. 'You never talk about yourself, Captain Ferintosh.'
'I have been to France,' Captain Ferintosh said. 'It is not what you expect.' He lowered his voice conspiratorially. 'It was raining,' he said, 'and full of Frenchmen.'
The captain took my arm and guided me away from the ancient Mercat Cross. Fortunately, it was a dry day, or we would both be spattered with mud from the farm carts, even as it was we had to walk circumspectly to avoid what the animals left behind.
'Where are you taking me?' I looked around for Catherine, who waved again. 'You are certainly not dressed to spend time in Haddington Market.'
'You are correct,' Captain Ferintosh said. 'I told you that I would not damage your respectability, I have a carriage with me. Where would you like to go?'
I was not sure. 'Somewhere romantic,' I said without thought. 'My horse is in the stables.'
'Coffee will be safe there.' Trust the captain to know the name of my horse. 'And Catherine Brown of Laverockhill will be equally safe without you.' He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. 'I have instructed one of my men to watch over her.'
That sounded immensely thrilling. I felt a shiver of delight run down my spine. 'One of your men? Do you mean one of the crew from your ship, Captain?'
'I mean you should not worry about your friend,' Captain Ferintosh said. 'She is as safe as if she was at home. She will also find a sovereign soon…'
I turned to watch Mary and, sure enough, she bent over to pick up something from the ground. She held the golden coin, looking bemused as Captain Ferintosh smiled and twirled his cane. 'There now. Catherine can eat and drink like a queen today. You need not think of her again.'
'You are a kind and generous man,' I said. I wondered if Catherine would enjoy the company of a strange man, or if she would find one of her cousins.
'Others may not agree,' Captain Ferintosh said. 'Now, what kind of romantic destination would you like?'
I had recently read Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, and Reeve's The Old English Baron, so my taste was leaning toward gothic romance. 'Take me to a castle,' I said, thinking of the fairy-tale castles of the Rhine or the recently-mentioned King of France's palace of Versailles.
If you know East Lothian, you will know that it is a county steeped in history. We have battle sites galore, from Dunbar where Edward Longshanks of England smashed the Scottish chivalry to Prestonpans where Bonnie Charles Stewart scattered the redcoats and Johnnie Cope was first to carry news of his own defeat to anxious Hanoverians. We have places such as Athelstaneford where the Scottish Saltire appeared in the sky to inspire a patriot army to defeat the invading Angles and Traprain Law where old Lot of Lothian had his capital. We also have a plethora of castles. As a small selection, there is Dunbar, where Black Agnes withstood a siege, Dirleton with its bowling green and courtyard and Tantallon, my particular favourite. 'Ding doon Tantallon,' goes the rhyme, 'build a bridge to the Bass,' which were two things thought of as impossible in the old days. Well, Tantallon has been well dinged doon, leaving the most romantic of ruins.
'Take me to Tantallon,' I said.
'Tantallon it is.' Captain Ferintosh assented.
I did not know what to expect when the captain told me he had his own carriage, but certainly nothing as luxurious as the chariot to which he led me. If the captain's clothes were opulent, then his carriage was undoubtedly regal.
Gilded in gold, the dark body had its own coat of arms and a pair of matching chocolate-brown stallions. There was even a coachman in matching green and yellow.
'Who are you, Captain?' I asked in some awe. 'Am I in the presence of royalty?'
'Nothing so exalted,' Captain Ferintosh said.
'A duke, perhaps?'
'Not even a duke,' Captain Ferintosh shook his head. The coachman jumped from his perch to open the door and let down the step for us both. He was a handsome enough fellow as well in his tight breeches.
'An earl?' I worked my way down the social scale step by step.
'Not even close,' Captain Ferintosh lent me his arm to clamber inside the coach. The interior was of rich, soft green leather with a rug on the floor in place of the usual straw.
'A lord then?' I sank into the cushioned seat and took hold of the leather strap that a careful designer had provided to ensure passengers were not knocked all a-tumble when the coach rounded sharp corners.
'Not a lord nor a knight nor even a baron,' Captain Ferintosh slid opposite me, grinning. 'I have no title except Captain and no noble line of any sort.'
'Oh.' I am not sure if I was disappointed or not. You will know that in my day, many young women aspired to marry a title. The daughters of rich manufacturers or merchants polished their education in finishing schools and sallied forth to balls and gatherings in the hope of meeting a member of the social elite. Penniless lords obtained a fortune in exchange for a wedding ring, and merchant's daughters found social acceptance for themselves and their children merely by warming the bed of their titled husband. Love was not always expected. What happened outside the confines of the marriage was nobody's business as long as it was kept quiet. Nobody wanted a scandal of course, so wives turned a blind eye to the amorous affairs of their husban
ds and presumed that their husbands would allow them to live their own physical lives once the duty of producing an heir or two had been successfully negotiated.
I did not wish such a false, hollow life. That is why I broke my mother's cardinal rule of stepping into the carriage of a man I barely knew. I sought romance in my life as well as a comfortable marriage, and in my book, both should be tied in the same man. Call me an idealist if you wish, but that was my dream, and with Captain Ferintosh, both seemed possible. Was I taking a chance? Yes. Was I aware of the risks and the ruination of my reputation and life? Yes, but youth is eternally optimistic. The evil that befalls others will never befall us, or so we believe.
'Now tell me, Lady Mary,' Captain Ferintosh said. 'If you saw me in this carriage, 'would you think I was the scion of a noble house?' He smiled at me across the interior of the carriage. 'You are a gentlewoman born and bred. What would you believe?'
'What a strange question,' I said. 'I don't believe I've ever been asked anything so queer in my life before.'
'Well, Lady Mary?'
I sat back, smiling as I considered Captain Ferintosh. 'I think you are the most perfect gentleman,' I said. 'I only wonder why you were walking across Lammermuir dressed like a gentleman at large in the city.'
'I will settle for the most perfect gentleman,' Captain Ferintosh glanced out of the window. 'Do recognise where we are?'
'I have lived in East Lothian all my life,' I said. 'I know we are on the road between Haddington and North Berwick.'
'Do you know the people as well?' Captain Ferintosh's gaze never left my face. 'I suppose you will. Your father is an important man.'
'I know the local farmers,' I said. 'I know some of the lairds and gentry.'
'Who would you say is the most important landowner in your corner of the county?' Captain Ferintosh leaned back. 'There now, Lady Mary; there is a quiz for you.'
I pondered for a moment. 'There is no major landowner,' I said. 'Many are tenants of the Duke of Buccleuch, who lives at Dalkeith Palace and not in East Lothian. Others have a couple of hundred acres, like my father.'
'Is there not a lord or an earl in the area?'
'There is Lady Emily Hume,' I said. 'Lady Emily of Huntlaw House is the closest we have to a great landowner.'
'That's the lady,' Captain Ferintosh said. 'I have heard she is a bit of a recluse.'
'She is,' I said. 'I don't think anybody has met her face-to-face for years.'
Captain Ferintosh seemed satisfied with that information. 'Here we are at the castle,' he said. 'Come on, Lady Mary.'
I said that Tantallon was my favourite of all East Lothian's Castles, and with reason. Set on the coast, it commands the most spectacular views over the Firth of Forth, with the great white lump of the Bass Rock and the distant Isle of May.
Captain Ferintosh dismounted and gave his hand to help me out before ordering the driver to open the boot and bring out what was inside.
'May I help?' I asked.
'Absolutely not,' Captain Ferintosh said. 'Pray allow us to prepare things.'
Somehow the captain's man had managed to fold up a chair in the boot, which he now produced for me. I sat there in state, like the Queen of France, or is it the Empress of France nowadays? Or are they reduced to a republic again? I do find the constant changes of these Continental potentates so tiresome, as must you. Why don't they make their minds up for one thing or another? It makes little difference to ordinary people. We pay our taxes and grumble at how bad things are compared to our younger days. As far as I can see, one ruler is every bit as useless as another although our present young queen seems to be an exception.
As it sat there, watching the men work, seagulls wheeled and circled around the great red walls of Tantallon. I thought of the old days when the Douglases controlled this castle and Scots and English and kings and nobles fought for control. All done with now and we're all friends together and nobody one whit the better for all the raw blood spilt.
'Are you ready, Lady Mary?' Captain Ferintosh lent me his arm.
I had never seen anything quite like the spread Captain Ferintosh had prepared. He and his man had worked wonders to erect a table and two chairs, although where they had secreted it away on the coach, I could not begin to guess. A crisp white tablecloth covered the table, with all sorts of delicacies set on bone china tableware that would put the royal household to shame.
'Wherever did you find so many rarities?' I asked. I could not even name the exotic fruits and meats that covered the table.
'For you, my Lady, 'Captain Ferintosh pulled out my chair with a flourish. 'I have travelled the world.'
We started with some bubbling French champagne, which was like drinking frothy water, although I did not tell Captain Ferintosh that for fear of hurting his feelings. I could not tell you what we ate and drank that day, only that the captain treated me like a queen. Perhaps I am the last person to be banqueted at Tantallon Castle. I do not know. I do know that Captain Ferintosh acted like a perfect host as well as a perfect gentleman.
Once we had dined, the captain ordered his man to clear everything away while he took me on a perambulation around the ancient walls. Or rather wall, for Tantallon is a strange sort of castle. It is built on a promontory, with cliffs descending to the sea on three sides and a massive curtain wall on the landward face. I presume that there were walls on the seaward sides at one time, but if so, nothing much now remains.
'Do you like your domain, Lady Mary?' Captain Ferintosh took my arm in the crook of his elbow.
After the champagne and claret, I felt as if I was floating on air. 'I like it a great deal.'
We halted at the edge of the cliff, with the great breakers crashing on the beach below. 'I wish to ask you another strange question, my Lady. Are you ready?'
'Ask anything you wish, Captain.' I was happy to lean against him in the strong wind. I wondered what my mother would say if she saw me now, being wined, dined and wooed by such a gallant gentleman.
'I know you are from a respectable background,' Captain Ferintosh seemed to be sounding me out again. I wondered if he was ascertaining if I was suitable marriage material for a man of his standing. I hid my smile; my mother could keep her plain John Aitken.
'Yes,' I agreed, waiting for the captain's next words.
'Is your father also rich?'
Well, that was blatant. 'In other words, do I come with a dowry?' The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
'No, my Lady,' Fortunately, Captain Ferintosh did not take offence. 'If our friendship developed to the extent that I considered matrimony, I would not need a dowry. I am, let us say, a man of independent means.'
'Oh,' I felt very foolish. 'Then pray, why do you ask?'
The captain smiled. 'You are a young lady of exquisite manners and considerable decorum, Lady Mary. Normally wealth alone brings such poise. I was attempting to ascertain if, in your case, it was natural.'
I laughed. 'My father is not a wealthy man, Captain. The farm pays its way with little margin or leeway.'
'In that case,' Captain Ferintosh bowed, 'your poise is entirely natural and all the more commendable for that.'
'And you, sir?' I tried to steer the conversation away from me and onto a more interesting subject. 'You still have neglected to tell me your name, or where you are from.'
'I am a child of the world,' Captain Ferintosh twirled his cane, 'and I have many names.'
Well, that may be very romantic, but it did not help me in the slightest. 'I cannot continue to call you Captain,' I said, rather too hotly. 'You must have a given name.'
'Will Captain not be sufficient for now?'
'No,' I said. 'I feel as if you don't trust me.' I pulled away from his hand. Oh, I was quite prepared to have him leave me there, stranded at Tantallon, miles from home. I could walk to North Berwick, hire a post-chaise and find my way to Coffee at Haddington. I was not quite as green as I acted.
'My kindly parents named me Edmund,' Captain Feri
ntosh said. 'There now, can you blame me for hiding my name? Edmund Ferintosh.' He bowed. 'At your service.'
That was more like it. 'Edmund Ferintosh. There is nothing wrong with your name; nothing at all.' It was unusual, and all the better for that.
Captain Ferintosh shook his head. 'There is nothing wrong with my name until you have to live with it. Edmund Ferintosh is a bit of a mouthful.' Retaking my arm, he led me back to the coach. 'Could you imagine it, Lady Mary, Mrs Edmund Ferintosh? How would you like it, then?'
The breath caught in my throat at the name. Mrs Edmund Ferintosh. 'It is a fine name,' I said. Had that been a marriage proposal? Was the captain asking me to marry him in a uniquely oblique manner? Was this entire day been to prepare me for that question? My heart hammered within my chest as I wondered. Was I ready for marriage? Was I prepared to marry this bold, mysterious gallant man with all his finery? These questions filled my mind as we travelled back to Haddington.
'You are very quiet.' Captain Ferintosh said as we pulled up outside the stables.
'I have a lot on my mind,' I left the chariot in a flurry of skirts.
'Have you enjoyed your day?' Captain Ferintosh asked. I wondered if he would kiss me farewell in front of half of Haddington. I hoped not; the day was now drawing toward evening, the light was fading, and some of the more rowdy elements of the town were making their presence heard.
'I have enjoyed my day,' I did not forget to curtsey. 'I thank you for your hospitality, Captain.' I lowered my voice. 'Or Edmund, rather.'
'I do prefer Captain. I dislike that Edmund name intensely.'
We had that in common then. 'Captain Ferintosh it is.' I put a hand on his sleeve. 'Thank you for letting me into your confidence, Captain.' I hesitated, not sure what to say.
Thankfully Captain Ferintosh spared me the trouble. 'I know I can trust you, Lady Mary. There are very few people I can say that about. I can trust you with my name.'
I can trust you with my name. Was that another insinuation? Was the captain again hinting at me becoming Mrs Ferintosh?
Before I had time to reply, Captain Ferintosh lifted his hand in farewell. The driver whipped up, and the coach jolted away. I watched until it was clear of the market.
The Name Of Love (Lowland Romance Book 4) Page 4
