chin, upper lip a little long and nose straight but not quite long
enough, which makes him stop short of handsome. Under his wig
his hair is dark brown what there is of it and of course his ears
stick out as Father always says Henry’s did but his wig hides them.” “And the eyes?” Bel prompted and saw Deb’s f ace light up. “Ah, his eyes! I love his eyes. They are a clear light blue and so honest, so expressive of his simplicity, his sweetness. Oh!” Her tears welled up. “I do long to see him again! Why have I allowed all these months to pass? He thinks I don’t care for him but something has moved him to want to come. Do you think it is only
because his grandfather wishes it?”
Bel felt a stab of guilt at concealing the secret of her letter when
Bel had so opened her inmost thoughts to her. I must admit it one
day when their marriage is firm as a rock, she told herself. Now she
just squeezed Deb’s hand and got up. “I would say he has been
longing to hear from you but his grandfather’s illness has occupied
him and he couldn’t think of leaving him to come and find out
your true feelings, but now he can. Be happy, my child. You did no
wrong all those years ago and it is no sin to recall the act. If this
comes to a marriage it will be different, more lovely because you
will know all around you approve and rejoice with you. Now let me
go and answer his letter and you can look forward to his coming
without a qualm.”
Deborah knelt on the window-seat when she had gone and watched the flurries of snow settling among the emerging crocuses below the window. The points of yellow and purple were still visible. The cold was not intense. Maybe the landscape would not be swathed in whiteness again. Frederick would be here in the spring. It was easy for dear Grandmother to say have no qualms. She still had to tell him about Ranald.
Work was the best distraction. She went downstairs to the Estate Office and sat down in her usual chair beside her father. He was surprised to see her but made no comment and they put their heads together over the rent book they had picked out.
“Quarter Day has passed,” Deborah said, “and Charlton has been written to but has not paid yet. Looking back he was late with his rent twice last year.”
“And paid some in eggs which we didn’t need for our own hens were laying well.” Her father was smiling at her but she avoided his eyes. She had come to work.
He cleared his throat. “Did you know there is talk that we must keep the English Quarter Days when the Act of Union is passed? Up here we have followed Scotland but they will have to conform in that and many other ways I suppose. The Act will certainly be ratified by Parliament this year now both countries have signed and then we will all be British.”
Deborah couldn’t stop herself from showing off her knowledge. “The English first quarter day of the year is Lady Day, the twentyfifth of March. Shall we give Jack Charlton till then to settle up?”
He chuckled. “Not this year. Next year he may have that grace. I suppose youknow all the other dates.”
She nodded. “Midsummer, Michaelmas and Christmas.”
“What will I do without you?”
“Don’t.” Her voice shook. “I can’t think of it. I can’t imagine it.”
“Will it not become clear to you when Lord Branford is here in person? It will be hard for you to resist passionate love.”
She repeated the words with a burst of laughter. “Passionate love. I cannot picture Frederick expressing passion. Perhaps he’ll come with a legally worded agreement from his grandfather for you to sign.”
“Well, if there is not somepassion I don’t believe I shall sign my girl away.”
She turned to him and hugged him. “You are only making it harder, Father. I have been truly happy working with you. Shall I write another letter to Jack Charlton or ride over to find out why he’s in trouble?”
“Let us enjoy a ride round all our land when the snow stops. I pray that John will come soon and bring his family and settle here and then you can be free.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
John was strolling with Jeanetta in the château garden while Jean and baby Diana were in the care of the nurse. It was still only March but spring was stirring around them and John’s thoughts were on stirrings of another kind.
“You know, Netta, Scotland is seething with discontent. We must not miss this chance. Le Vent has been there and I wager he’ll bring news soon.”
Jeanetta pursed her lips. “Scotland is always seething, is it not?” “This is bigger. This is no less than the government trying to wipe Scotland from the map. The very name will go. No, I say Scotland is ripe for its own king again. If we can get him there with Louis’s backing Scotland will rise.”
“And my John will have helped put him there.”
They were some distance from the door in the wall to the stables but they heard it clash and Matthew came running.
“Master John. It is he, just arrived, asking for you.”
“What? Our windy friend already?”
Jeanetta gave a skip of delight. “Oh it is so exciting. You must let me come too.”
“He is in the stables giving orders about his horse,” Matt said. “He’ll see you in the chapel.”
“And you see,” she said, “he comes to you first now, not Uncle Neury.” John lapped up her admiration. She clung to him as they made their way to the chapel and stood in the cold stone dimness of the porch watching the door in the wall. In a few minutes the cloaked figure emerged. “Le Vent lookslike a conspirator,” Jeanetta whispered, “but see how he swaggers. He should creep, hunched up.”
“That is his way of notrousing suspicion.”
“Even his moustaches march before him. He is splendid. You mustlet me stay to speak with him.”
John resented her admiration though he was himself in awe of le Vent. The day was fresh but his armpits pricked with sweat. Had the moment of action finally come?
Le Vent swept off his hat on seeing Jeanetta. “ La belleJeanetta! I bid your ladyship good day.”
“She wants to stay. She knows all about it.” At that John saw a gleam of anger in those very black piercing eyes and his heart quailed.
Le Vent was immediately all smiles again, kissing Jeanetta’s hand. “Ladies are to be beautiful. No more is asked of them. Your towering sister does not know all, I trust.”
“Certainly not. She is at Horden well out of the way.”
“Like all good ladies.” There was something about his gaze that crushed Jeanetta though he was still smiling.
She cast John a pleading look, muttered, “You’ll tell me,” and turned and scuttled away along the broad walk.
Inever have that effect on her, John thought. He saw le Vent’s eyes turning on Matt with a questioning look.
“Matt will be at my side all the time,” he said and Le Vent just nodded and sat down on the porch seat. Matt remained standing as a look-out by the door.
Le Vent motioned John to sit beside him. The stone was cold through his breeches but he was too keyed up to notice.
Le Vent’s manner had an intensity John had never seen before. He placed one finger against the side of his nose. “Ah, mon cher Jean, you say Horden is well out of the way but that is where you will be going.”
“But I went and recruited many. Only I could give them no clear word.”
Le Vent moved his eyes back and forth like black beads. “But now they are to be ready for the king’s landing. Louis has at last promised French infantry and ships to transport them.”
“God! It is really happening.” John trembled at the drama with which Le Vent hissed the words, barely moving his lips, but smiling at the same time. “When does it set sail, sir? I would like to be with this force.”
“No no no, you will be with the Jacobites to meet it when it puts ashore. Your task is to get to Englan
d and gather the people you have already recruited with all the armed man they have promised and join up with the Scottish forces. Together you will meet the king to march with him to Edinburgh.” He pointed his finger in a generally southerly direction. “Go and await my message at Horden. The king will put ashore in the Firth of Forth.”
John thrilled to the tips of his toes but the words that came out shamed him.
“We have a very young babe. They are not expecting me at home yet.”
Le Vent tut-tutted. “Women, babies. Thank God I was never cluttered with such things. But spare your blushes. It will be some time before the force is assembled. Give no such reason to your wife. Go when she expects you to go and tell her nothing more. If she is unwilling to go you must go alone.”
John was thinking, Netta may not care for life at Horden Hall but she will want to be there when I lead an uprising. She may insist on riding with me and leaving the babes with Deb and Ruth and the two nurses of course. I understand Le Vent. Women and children are clutter, but Netta must see my triumph.
Le Vent stood up. “I have others to call upon.”
“You will see de Neury?”
“Ah le petit vicomtewho believes he is a vital cog in the wheel! That great desk he has with secret drawers! Is he safe to be trusted any more?”
John was flattered that le Vent appeared to be asking his opinion but he answered himself. “I will have a word with the old man. If he thinks he is being left out he could be dangerous.” He pulled his hat further down and clutched his cloak round him. “You need not come, John.” He stopped at the doorway and demanded of Matt, “You can handle a weapon?”
Matt came to attention. “Yes sir.” Le Vent treated him to one of his broad grins and a twirl of his moustaches and strode towards the house.
“I’ll be glad to be back in England,” Matt said. “I began courting Elsbeth the new chambermaid last time and I’m hoping she hasn’t forgotten me.”
John laughed. “You heard what Monsieur le Vent said about unnecessary baggage.”
“Nay, sir, but I’ll not board her till this excitement’s over.”
Horden Hall was certainly in a state of excitement. Sir Daniel was reviewing his household for the visit of an earl’s son. He was aware that everyone believed the gentleman was coming to court Mistress Deborah. They had all heard of the San Remo fire and Suzette had found herself the centre of questions from the moment of her arrival. Her account had grown more graphic with every new telling. Daniel was happy that she had become close friends with Elspeth, the new chambermaid. They shared a room over the kitchen next to Jane’s, the senior female servant who liked to call herself the housekeeper though not in Lady Horden’s presence.
When he looked round at the number of his servants it came home forcibly to him that Eunice, far from being an aloof Lady Horden, was housekeeper, often cook, seamstress and even laundry-maid. Jane, who had long ago wanted to be lady’s-maid to the young Deborah, had learnt to help her ladyship whatever she was doing. A cook-maid came in from the village daily who brought her twelve-year-old daughter with her as a kitchen-maid and general skivvy. Suzette was happy to do anything she was asked, particularly waiting upon his mother, Bel. But however he reckoned them Daniel was unable to make more than three livingin women servants and two dailies.
Outside in the stable block two grooms, Luke and Walter, shared a large room above the carriage house. Matt when he was at Horden had a separate room there to himself, but since his travels with John Daniel thought he might expect to be housed in the Hall as a personal servant, though the word ‘valet’ could no more be used in Eunice’s presence than ‘lady’s-maid’. Daniel looked after the wine cellar himself so there was no butler. A man came from the village to look after the lawns, hedges and fishpond but Deborah worked in the flower garden and vegetable patch and frequently the woodland while his own mother, Bel, still looked upon the hen-run as her province. Ruth had been allowed to concentrate on lessons till Eunice had wakened to some of her deficiencies in household management and was now doing her best to put these right. Eunice made it very clear whenever they engaged a servant that they must expect to help in any task within their capabilities. “We do not stand on ceremony here. We help each other. Come to me if you have troubles but do not grumble at anything you may be asked to do.”
Going about among other gentry Daniel saw this was not the way of things with most of them. In the ‘best’ houses footmen stood about idle and chambermaids would not touch a kitchen implement.
“What will Lord Branford think of us!” he exclaimed to Eunice a few days before they expected him.
“Are you forgetting he was brought up a farmer’s boy? Has not Deb told us he strugglesto be a nobleman?”
“Maybe so, but he has lived long enough now in a great house and our frugal, informal ways may surprise him.”
She wagged her finger at him. “My Dan, what is troubling you is your own pride. You have had the painters and plasterers in touching up every place that is worn or marked. Now you think we have not servants enough. Do you suppose the man will be upset if it is Deborah who opens the door to him rather than a footman in livery?”
Daniel shook his head and drifted away from her but he was muttering to himself, “I’ll wager the Branfords have a livery.”
Deborah tried very hard to find her father’s anxiety amusing. She kept telling herself, it is only comical little Frederick we are expecting and stammering young Peter who is an interesting blend of bluster and shyness. It was I who escorted him through France rather than the other way about. They will settle in quite happily for a while and we’ll show them the local sights and then they’ll go home again and life will go on as before. It is of much greater significance that the Act of Union has been passed and England and Scotland have become one nation. That ismomentous.
On the morning of the day they were expected a letter came from John to say that he and Jeanetta and the babies would be coming in July.
“Where do we put Lord Branford if he is still here then?” Eunice exclaimed. “There are two other good rooms but they are barely furnished and Nether Horden Grange is not ready for them yet.”
“Mother it is only early May,” Deborah said. “You spoke of a week or two for our guests at first. I shall be delighted to see John’s children and I hope he intends to be here for good.”
Eunice stood back to look at the flowers she had arranged for the dining-table. “We will all rejoice at your brother’s coming. As for the other business it is in your hands and I don’t feel I have any say in the matter. You keep so close about it.”
“Oh Mother, I’m sorry.” Deborah was moved by a gleam of tears in her mother’s eyes as she adjusted a trailing piece of fern. “I’m in such turmoil inside I scarce know how to contain myself.”
“Ah well, that is all I need to know. I can pray now that the right thing will come to pass.” Daniel came in to see how well the table looked with their only set of silver cutlery sparkling in the sunshine.
“I am sending the carriage to the Staging Inn in fifteen minutes.
Do you want to go in it, Deb?”
“Oh, should I? Is it proper?” She knew she was as flushed and
confused as a little girl.
He said, “You went round France and Italy with him.” Eunice looked at Deborah. “I think, Daniel, it should be only
our coachman so there is plenty of room for their luggage.” Deborah nodded vigorously. “Yes, thank you, Mother. I think I’ll
just go upstairs and let Suzette brush out my hair. She’s done it up
tight.” As she left the room she heard her mother say, “She wants
to look younger.”
Descending from the stage at the inn door in Newcastle Frederick wanted to go inside and find a mirror and see how travel-stained he looked but Peter had already spotted the carriage drawn up waiting and called out, “From H-Horden Hall?” The driver nodded and jumped down to help with the luggage and Fre
derick found himself seated in it in two minutes. He was too nervous to look about him. He kept his eyes straight ahead as they drove through streets which might be brick, stone or wattle and daub for all he noticed. They passed through the town gates and he became aware after a little while of trees and fields. The coachman addressed a few remarks such as, “I trust your lordship has had a pleasant journey” but it was Peter who had to answer. All he could see was the figure of Deborah towering above him.
They had turned off the main road onto a narrower one which soon branched and he read a sign saying Nether Horden to the left and another pointing down a lane saying Horden Hall. He swallowed. It was a real place and he was almost there. A small copse of trees and a farm cottage, a bend in the lane and there ahead were fine wrought iron gates, gleaming with a fresh coat of paint. There was no lodge but a man was there to swing them open with a flourish of his hat and a bow. A newly swept gravelled drive lay ahead and the house itself sat foursquare beyond neat lawns, a solid, stone-built mansion with twirling red brick Elizabethan chimneys.
His heart was pumping so much he couldn’t think what he felt about it. He just saw it. And then as they drew near he saw something else. Seated on a bench to the right of the entrance was a figure in a green gown with fair hair charmingly arranged in green ribbons about her shoulders. He was above her looking down on her and she didn’t rise until he stood up to descend as the step was unfolded for him.
She came forward, inclining herself towards him, not rearing up like the image in his mind. Her smile was gentle, hesitant as she held out her hand. He thought, she is neither cold nor aloof and he took both her hands in his. His eyes were brimming and he couldn’t speak.
“I’m glad to see you, Frederick,” she managed and then she couldn’t speak either. Was it possible that she was thinking ‘you have come for me at last’? So her grandmother had been right about her feelings and now he had revealed his just by being here. Out of the corner of his eye he sensed a family group on the steps: a tall fair man, too tall for him, a small plump woman, an old one as bright and scrawny as a little bird and a young girl trying to push between them.
Prue Phillipson - Hordens of Horden Hall Page 20
