Dinner that evening was a strange affair. The Earl had looked forward to the return of his brother but he had not reckoned on Harry’s astute nature. He had the distinct feeling that Harry was beginning to distrust him and his presence at Winstanley Hall was beginning to prove troublesome. He needed to think of a way to get rid of him. He suspected that Harry had an unhealthy interest in the Trevarren chit and was beginning to think that his departure would not be that easy to achieve.
Dinner was only made light by the constant chatter of the Countess who was looking forward to Lord Dereham’s garden fete on Saturday afternoon. Lord Dereham lived five miles to the North of the Winstanley Estates and all the good families in the neighbourhood had been invited, including the Wyndholme’s and the Delaval’s and Lord Ashenden. Harry suspected that Cecelia’s excitement was not only in anticipation of a convivial day but the company of a certain gentleman. He looked across to his brother. Did he suspect? Harry decided that it was none of his concern. He had enough to deal with now he had taken on the mantle of Sophie’s quest. His own family was beginning to nauseate him.
*****
Saturday arrived and the Northcote’s were poised to leave for the Dereham’s garden fete. The Earl was not amused when Harry changed his plans and asked him to relay his apologies to Lord and Lady Dereham because he needed to go to Newcastle on urgent business. He had left the house two hours earlier and if he could make it back in time he would make every effort to put in an appearance.
Harry had been evasive and had not enlightened Rupert as to the nature of his visit to Newcastle and consequently the Earl was irritated. It was not in Harry’s nature to be so furtive. He could not think what business Harry could have in the town unless it was regarding his own estate to the north, but why would he keep that a secret? Rupert was annoyed over his brother’s lack of openness but had he known he was off to visit Mr Redesdale, he would have been sorely troubled. However, as the carriage moved off, the Countess’s happy chatter served to distract him and he set off determined to enjoy the day.
At Chalcotte Grange, the family were also preparing to leave. Sophie wanted to ride on Excalibur as she hated the confines of a closed carriage but her Aunt complained that it was not quite the thing for a young lady to arrive at a garden party on horseback. She would arrive all dishevelled and besides, as Lord Wyndholme was to be an outrider, the least Sophie could do was accompany her Aunt in the carriage. It was about time she showed some decorum instead of romping about the countryside like a termagant.
Sophie reluctantly agreed that she could not abandon her Aunt alone in the carriage and went to put on her best dress of deep blue muslin with a small white daisy print, a shade that brought out the colour of her vibrant blue eyes. As the weather was set to be a mixture of sunshine and showers, she accompanied it with a beautiful shawl made of the finest Norwich lace and a large decorative parasol. She wondered why she was making such an effort with her appearance. She knew that the Colonel would not be there as he was off to visit Mr Redesdale on her behalf. She sighed wearily. She would miss him but Daniel was to attend the fete as well. She realised that the presence of the Colonel would have been a huge complication and so she had been given a fortunate reprieve.
Daniel had a long face and had earlier complained to his Uncle. ‘Aw, Uncle Jack, do I really have to go?’
His uncle Jack just smiled and winked. ‘Well young man, if I am forced to attend, the least you could do is be my ally and support me. Besides, your Aunt Caroline will have my head if I allow you to stay at home. We must keep the ladies happy you know.’
Daniel looked disappointed and grumbled something about stuffy old garden parties. He would have much preferred to take his precious colt out for a prolonged sprint across the Town Moor. Uncle Jack knew exactly what he was thinking and tweaked his nose. ‘I tell you what, young whipper snapper. Go and saddle up Zephyrus and you can be an outrider alongside me.’
Daniel brightened. ‘Oh, thank you, Uncle. You really are a trooper.’ And at that, he went skipping off the stables to harness Zephyrus.
Sophie sighed after him with affectionate envy. At times, her little brother seemed to have an old head on his shoulders but in reality, he was still a boy. It was at times like this that she was made to realise it and she knew that she had saddled him with a massive burden.
The Northcote’s and the Wyndholme’s were among the last to arrive at the garden fete and came almost simultaneously. After leaving their equipage in the care of the groomsmen, they entered the grounds. Lady Northcote greeted Lady Wyndholme but did her best to ignore Sophie. Sophie was not perturbed, in fact, she hardly noticed because she was far too excited.
Lord and Lady Dereham lived in a large baroque manor house with an attractive, spatial landscape garden designed by William Kent. The grounds must have been thronging with at least two hundred people and the party was in full swing.
Lady Dereham had spared no expense. Nearly every respectable family in the neighbourhood and beyond had been invited, and every kind of entertainment had been laid on for her guest’s entertainment. There were croquet and quoits on the front lawn. On the perimeter of the gardens and away from the main bustle of activity, an archery and shooting range had been set out for those interested in such pursuits. In addition, each guest was handed an itinerary. Chairs had been laid out in front of a temporary dais on the formal lawns and at two o’clock there was to be performed a shortened version of Richard Sheridan’s comedy, ‘the Rivals.’ It was to be staged by a local amateur dramatic group who had set out a tent at the side of the dais for costume changes. This was to be followed at four o’clock by a music concert by professional musicians and later at six o’clock there was to be informal music and dancing. Lady Dereham was hopeful that the weather would remain clement but if not, she had servants on hand to move the formal entertainments indoors. She was determined that nothing would mar the enjoyment of the day and had left nothing to chance.
Last but not least, three large tables had been set out under large canopies near the house in the coolest part of the gardens. Each table had a large epergne in the centre and was laid with every delectable dish imaginable.
Daniel having worked up an appetite was the first to spy this most welcome sight. ‘Oh brilliant! Crèmes and Jellies!’ he exclaimed as he began to make a beeline for the tables. Aunt Caroline grabbed him by the ear. ‘No you do not,’ she chastised severely. ‘Not until you have greeted our hosts. ‘And you are to eat sensibly, not all the sweets things. Do you hear me?’
Daniel suitably chastened hung his head. ‘Yes, Aunt,’ he responded as he reluctantly resumed his place at her side.
As they waited in the short queue to be greeted by their hosts, Daniel looked around him for a friend or a familiar face, someone he might know. The only children of his own age were all girls. Urgh, girls he thought to himself. This was going to be a very long day.
Lord and lady Dereham and their two daughters were waiting to receive their guests. Lady Dereham was an attractive diminutive woman with auburn hair and a sociable disposition. After greeting lord and lady Wyndholme she turned to her youngest daughter, a small freckled child of eleven years with plaited, strawberry blonde hair. ‘Evangeline dear, Lord Trevarren must be thirsty after his journey here. Would you like to accompany him to the refreshment tent for some lemonade and ice cream?’
At first, Daniel did not realise that lady Dereham was referring to him as he was rarely addressed by his title. Feeling the tug of the girl’s hand on his arm, he gathered his wits. The last thing he wanted, was to be seen in the company of a sloppy girl, but sorely tempted by the prospect of ice cream and lemonade, he allowed himself to be propelled away.
‘Just call me Eva,’ the little girl said as she skipped along beside him. ‘All my friends do.’
Sophie watched after him, smiling as she heard him reply in kind. In truth, Eva was a lively and charming companion but Daniel was resourceful if nothing else. If he wanted rid of her
, he would find a way.
Emmaline, the Dereham’s oldest daughter and only one year younger than Sophie, took her arm and led her away also. The two had met at various functions over the last six months and were comfortable in each other’s company. She smiled knowingly. ‘Do not worry about your brother. I am sure Evangeline will entertain him well. I do not think it will be long before she has him eating out of her hand and they are up to all kinds of mischief.’
‘Not too much mischief, I hope, Emma,’ replied Sophie, looking back anxiously.
‘I am sure they will be perfectly fine. Now let us go and find some refreshment of our own,’ she said with a laugh.
The garden party progressed at a pleasurable pace and at three o’clock Sophie and Emma sat through the production of the Rivals. They came away together laughing. Sophie had tears streaming down her cheeks. ‘Oh Emma, Mrs Malaprop was so funny. I laughed out loud when she said that Jack was the very pine-apple of politeness.’
Emmaline chuckled loudly. ‘And when she said that Lydia was as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile. Oh, I have never laughed so much in ages.’
Emma took her arm. ‘Come let us find some more refreshment before the music starts.’
The weather was dry and although not as warm as it should have been, the sun was trying to get out. Sophie was glad that she had taken her parasol. After the music which had consisted of compositions by Mozart, Beethoven, Handel and Bach they made their way to the archery butts, which for the sake of safety, stood in the perimeter of the gardens. There were four butts altogether with huge netting behind them. Three of them were set at twenty yards distance but the fourth was set at fifteen yards for the older children who wished to try their hand. This is where Sophie found Daniel. She noticed that he was still in the company of Evangeline. He came running up to Sophie. ‘I say, Sophie, this is not such a bad garden party after all. There is plenty to do here and this archery range is just brilliant. No wonder you like toxophily.’
Sophie gave him and indulgent smile. ‘I am glad you are enjoying yourself, Danny. I am just about to try my hand myself.’
Emmaline and Sophie accepted bows from the retainer who had been employed to oversee safety and Emmaline was first to shoot. She was not particularly good, but her arrows managed to find the outer edge of the target face. Here Sophie was in her element. There was nothing she liked better than field sports, and in these, she excelled. Her enjoyment was to be short-lived, however, for she did not realise that at five o’clock Colonel Northcote had entered the gardens.
Chapter eight
The Colonel on arriving left Julius with a groom. On passing the numerous horses and carriages, he stopped before a chestnut colt with a white, right fetlock. He recognised that colt. It belonged to the brother of his lady rogue and the boy who had nearly mowed him down that day. He smiled to himself. That young man was here and Harry was determined to lay his hands on him before this day was out. He walked back over to the groom.
‘Do you know who that colt over there belongs to?’ he asked curiously.
The groom just nodded his head. ‘I am sorry, my Lord. As you can see there are many horses and carriages here and I cannot remember who they all belong to.’
Harry understood. It would have been a huge feat of memory to expect the groom to remember everyone.
He gave him his card and handed him a yellow boy. ‘If the young man returns for his colt, can you find out who he is and let me know?’ he asked kindly.
The groom pocketed the generous coin and grinned. ‘I will keep an eye out, my Lord, and do what I can.’
The Colonel left the groom and sought out his host to apologise for his tardiness. He found him with his brother, also Lord John Wyndholme and a number of other gentlemen, all discussing the War. Lord Dereham welcomed him over and placed a glass of wine in his hand.
‘Ah, just the chap, Colonel Northcote. Being an officer yourself, we would very much welcome your opinion. Lord Wyndholme here seems to think that Old Boney has not been incarcerated as securely as one would wish and believes that there is every chance he may escape. What do you think, old boy?’
The Colonel accepted his wine and looked contemplative for a moment. Napoleon had certainly been dealt with leniently. His abdication at Fontainebleau was voluntary and he has been allowed the title, Emperor of Elba with a thousand men assigned to him. It was said that he had wasted no time and that he was already reforming the government there.
Harry replied carefully. ‘One can never be sure. Who can predict? The man is ambitious and no matter what is said about him, he is a brilliant strategist. Nothing can be ruled out, not even escape.’
‘That is also my opinion.’ replied Lord Wyndholme reflectively. ‘It is all a very sad business.’
Lord Dereham sighed. ‘Ah well, only time will tell. Let us hope we have seen the end of it. It is bad enough fighting on the American front. One can only hope that this damn war in the Colonies will end soon too.’ He raised his glass. ‘Here is to peace, I say.’
The others followed suit and Harry downed his wine. He could only agree because if he did not sell out, he would probably be sent there after his prolonged leave and if he were honest with himself, he had had enough. He turned to Lord Wyndholme. ‘Can you tell me where I will find Lady Trevarren? I have something I wish to tell her.’
Lord Wyndholme absently looked around him as if she should be there. ‘I am not quite sure, Colonel, but if I know the gel, you will probably find her at the shooting ranges.’
Harry thanked the Baron and politely took his leave, walking off in the direction of the archery range. He was within fifty yards of the range when he spotted Sophie. She was at full draw and about to release an arrow. He stopped for a moment and watched as the arrow left the bow and landed true on the centre gold. He remained still as she knocked her second arrow which also flew true to the centre, the tip nestled against her other arrow. He was amazed. Where did Sophie learn to shoot like that?
He was just about to resume his approach when he heard an excited squeal at the children’s target. A young girl with plaited strawberry blonde hair was jumping up and down and clapping in delight.
‘Oh, brilliant Danny. Gold! You have done it again!’
Harry glanced at the subject of the girl’s delight and spotted him. There was no mistaking the blonde curls of the boy who was the centre of her attention. He changed direction heading for the boy but as he did so Daniel looked up. He saw Colonel Northcote heading straight for him and his eyes widened in dismay. He dropped his bow to the ground and hissed at Eva.
‘There is a man coming this way. No matter what he asks you, you do not know who I am, do you understand?’
Eva looked at him uncomprehendingly then gathering her wits, she replied. ‘Anything you say, Danny,’ but she was speaking into thin air because Daniel had fled into the bushes with Colonel Northcote in hot pursuit.
Colonel Northcote had no wish to harm the boy but he had his suspicions, and the young cub was just the person to put those suspicions to rest. He had discovered one thing, the boy was called Daniel.
Eva, not being slow-witted decided to disappear also. If the man came back and started asking her questions, she did not wish to be present to answer them. Daniel obviously did not wish to speak to him and she now considered Daniel her friend. She was curious, though, and when she caught up with Daniel, she would jolly well get him to tell her every juicy detail.
Having evaded his pursuer, Daniel turned full circle back to the archery range. He was cursing. What had turned out to be a jolly fine afternoon, after all, had turned into a nightmare. He would have to spend the rest of the garden fete evading Colonel Northcote and although the gardens were large and extensive that was not going to be easy. He knelt in the bushes to the side of the archery butts trying to attract Sophie’s attention.
‘Pssst. Pssst. Fee,’ he whispered.
Emmaline was taking her turn at the target and Sophie, standing under
her parasol watching her, turned around to see who was trying to attract her attention. She spotted Daniel’s blonde head poking out of the bushes and waving her over.
She walked across the few yards that separated them. ‘Goodness Danny, whatever are you doing crawling about in the bushes?’ she asked in astonishment.
He groaned in exasperation. ‘Colonel Northcote is here and he has seen me. I have escaped him for the moment. Oh, Fee, what am I to do?’
‘The Colonel, here? You must be mistaken. He has gone to Newcastle today.’
‘He is here I tell you. I have seen him! If you do not think of something soon, I am going home and will face Auntie’s wrath later.’
Sophie thought for a moment. ‘No Danny, don’t do that or you will be in for it. I will think of something.’
‘Well you had better think of it quickly,’ he growled.
She furrowed her brow and then smiled radiantly. ‘I have an idea. Meet me in the tent beside the dais. I will wait for you there,’ she replied mysteriously.
Daniel did not like that smile. He had seen it before when she had one of her ideas and it usually heralded trouble. However, Daniel had no other choice but to agree and ten minutes later he managed to creep into the tent without being seen. Sophie having told Emma that she needed the ladies room was kneeling on the ground and rifling through a trunk of theatrical clothes that had been used for the play. She pulled out a short, dark, curly wig.
‘Here, put this on,’ she instructed him urgently.
Daniel looked at her as if she had two heads. ‘Fee, you cannot possibly be serious,’ he uttered in total disgust.
She stood up and approached him. ‘Take off that garish waistcoat,’ she said, reaching to help him.
He took off his waistcoat, thinking that it was a jolly good idea for the garment had vibrant multicolour stripes, but he drew the line at the wig. He stood mutinous with folded arms.
Lady Trevarren and the Emerald Brooch: A Regency Romance and Murder Mystery Page 8
