Mistress Agnes

by Kirsten Bij't Vuur

  That was done in a second, Dennis let the two young ones out and took over the reins of the tall hunter. Both men mounted and Dennis took the lead. The moors were beautiful in late summer, some of the heath was already in bloom, and dragonflies were chasing each other across the wetter parts of the moors.

  'Those bright green patches are the dangerous bits,' he explained as they walked their horses past some bogs. 'They can swallow a man whole.'

  The captain was interested in everything Dennis could tell him about the moors, and they spent above an hour riding, until horses and hounds were a lot quieter than they started out. Dennis decided to do the stable work since he was out here anyway, and John would want to go home after a tiring drive.

  Watching him, Captain Avery observed, 'You look like you are used to doing chores, why don't you have a larger staff? There is plenty of space in the house, and I know Agnes can afford it.'

  'You are right, captain, that is not the reason I sometimes do chores myself.

  Staff talk, and we like our privacy. The people we have working for us now

  will not gossip, and that is what we prefer. Even if it means helping out once or twice a week. I do most of the garden, it's very pleasant work, and it frees Charles for his art. Before you wonder, Agnes doesn't work. They will not let her, she is their mistress and she is not allowed to do anything but write books, which is, in fact, work. But not the work a servant does.'

  Dennis knew the captain must be aching to ask him how he grew up, and though he would hate to lie to a man he rather liked, if he did ask, Dennis would tell him the story Agnes and himself had made up before they went to London, and that they had stuck to since then. Guy and Patrick were in on it, a lot of ladies used their servants to gather information, and they expected to be questioned on the subject of their new master's descent and former life.

  Agnes had even thought up a romantic first meeting, beautiful enough to be in one of her books.

  Everyone in London had eaten it up, and to Dennis it was second nature to tell people about his youth in an impoverished family, trying to hold onto their dignity but with parents forced to work for a living. Since the Parker family in London was well-to-do and very well-known, they had elected to have Dennis come from the north of the country, a local boy so to speak. To Londoners it was a part of the country they didn't know anything about, to the country folk in Agnes' domain, even the nearby cities were unknown territory. No-one ever questioned his story.

  But the captain did not ask, he probably thought it was painful for Dennis to admit to having been raised in relative poverty. Not as poor as he had truly been, but then, his real family-name was that of a whore, since no man had ever claimed him and given him his name.

  At the captain's request, Dennis introduced him to Maria, who was working on her designs in their own living space. Dick was very proud to have her called Mrs Parsons, and Maria looked back at her husband with obvious love, they were going to have a bad time of it with Dick's enforced idleness, but she would pull him through.

  Dennis spent the rest of the afternoon working in the garden as the captain chatted with Patrick, he was so outgoing towards the staff, almost as if they were old friends. As time passed by and the sun started to lower considerably, Dennis tried to keep himself from worrying about Agnes, there were no brigands, she was perfectly safe. She was just taking a little longer than he expected.

  And when he heard a carriage approaching he was so glad, he jumped up and

  almost ran to meet it, eager to kiss his beloved, but also to share the responsibility of their visitor with her. It was hard work to play a persona all the time, he was used to just being himself all day.

  Chapter 27

  Inside the carriage Agnes was feeling the same way. She had talked to Dennis' former comrades, found them sympathetic, eager to tell about their times together. Agnes had heard most of the stories from Dennis and it was really interesting to hear how he looked back on his own role in them as much less important than his mates did. They had much more respect for him than he had for himself.

  Two hours was a long time to be anxious over Dennis' reaction to them showing up, and she felt worn out by the time they were nearing the manor house. She truly hoped Dennis would receive his guests well, so they could share the burden of having what was in a way 'the enemy' under their own roof.

  From the window she could see him practically running to meet the carriage, he was as eager to see her as she was to see him. But who was that walking up behind him at a much more sedate pace? It was not Dick, and Patrick was right behind the man, who did look familiar.

  Oh my dear God, it was cousin Henry! Of all the people she did not expect to see here, it had to be him, a captain of the army! If these fellows greeted Dennis as one of their own, which they were certainly planning to do, they would give him away to a higher-ranked officer. Why couldn't anything work out as planned? What could she do?

  'Is something wrong, Mrs Beauchamp? You look as if you've seen a ghost!'

  Lieutenant Harley was very observant, of course he had been on active duty for years.

  'Yes, something is very wrong. Apparently I have a visitor, my cousin, who is a captain in the south. He must not find out that Dennis used to be a soldier.

  You cannot use his real name, or talk to him as if you know him. I know you were looking forward to talk to him freely, but you cannot, it will be his downfall!'

  'Don't worry, ma'am,' Jones now offered, 'we'll be strangers to him. We don't want him to get into trouble, you know.'

  When was this going to end? Were they ever to have some peace and quiet again?

  When Dennis opened the door to the carriage she took care to be the first person he saw, and as she fell into his arms she forgot all trouble for a few seconds. He kissed her behind her ear, and whispered, 'I take it you've seen your cousin?'

  He was going to have a shock, but what could she do?

  'I did. Dennis, four of your former mates are in that carriage. Pretend they're strangers.'

  Never had Agnes admired her beloved more than at that moment. He merely kissed her intimately, in front of all those people, then left her to greet her cousin, while he introduced himself to men he had known for years.

  'Lieutenant Harley, so good to see you again! Will you introduce me to your fellow officers? Have you come for my statement?'

  Agnes didn't hear more, since Henry was right in front of her, and he embraced her with eagerness.

  'My dear cousin, Agnes, I'm sorry to come at such an inconvenient time! Had I know you expected visitors I would have gone straight to London. Though I had a very nice day with your intended.'

  He looked well, and Agnes was glad he didn't seem too put out with her intent to marry. She had almost forgotten his proposal to her, about a month after Frederick's passing, when he hoped it would pull her out of the depression her loss had thrown her into. Seeing him look at her with such love and concern reminded her of that painful moment.

  'You look well, Henry,' she observed truthfully.

  'Thank you, my dear. And you look tired, I suppose you've had a busy day.'

  'Frankly, Henry, I'm just not used to dealing with so many different characters in a single day. First the freeholders who were raided, I guess you heard how we captured the culprits, I wanted to offer the farmers my help and protection. Then I ran into an officer, who requested I see his colonel, with whom I had lunch and discussed books. Then he urged me to take a few men to take our statements, and lavish honour upon poor Dick. So Dennis treated you well?'

  'He did. He let me have lunch with your staff and praise your cook until he blushed. Then I saw him ride Frederick's old hunter, he seems soft in his manners, your man, but there must be a core of iron in him, for he showed no fear whatsoever. I suppose I heard Frederick tell too many horror stories

  about that horse.'

  'He's getting on, Henry, the horse, not Dennis, he's gotten a lot milder.

  Frederick's hounds h
ave aged quickly the last few months, soon there will be just the horse left to remind me of him.'

  'But you'll have Mr Parker and your baby to occupy your heart. That was quite a surprise, Agnes, when Mr Parker told me you were with child.'

  'I'm sorry, Henry, I just didn't know how to put such a thing in writing. We're not married yet, as you know. I guess I was a bit ashamed to have you know before I was married, and I am very aware of robbing you of your legacy.

  The title should have been yours.'

  'Titles need to be passed on, Agnes. I have never been able to picture myself with wife and child, and the name of Beauchamp would have been lost anyway. It's better this way, you will raise your child to love the moors, and know the people scraping a living out of them.

  Congratulations, Agnes, on finding a man worthy of you, and of getting the child you wanted years ago.

  Oh, there's beautiful Guy trying to catch your attention. I'm afraid my coming here is a terrible inconvenience, Agnes, I'll take myself away right after dinner. Cook promised to make me his specialties, I have to taste them or he'll be hurt.'

  What was going on here? Henry had never acted like this, he used to be so calm and self-assured. Now he seemed almost shy, and disappointed.

  'Don't talk nonsense, Henry. I'll see what Guy wants, and we can sit in my room and catch up. Dennis can amuse the official visitors, he's the master of the household after all. You go and shake hands with the lot of them, maybe you have mutual acquaintances, they're officers from the camp, you know.'

  From the corner of her eye she saw Dennis happily introducing her cousin to his four comrades, as if they were strangers he'd just met. He did not seem nervous or disconcerted, and Agnes thought she'd done the right thing. As long as she managed to distract her cousin elsewhere in the house, so the soldiers could talk freely to Dennis.

  'Don't worry about your cousin, Mrs Beauchamp,' Guy's voice broke into her reverie.

  'Patrick tells me he has been coming on to him all day, shyly and clumsily, so obviously it's actually dangerous, and he proposed we take the fellow under our wings for an evening. Tell him how to recognize likely partners, where to find them, what not to do, whom not to trust. And if your cousin does find out

  about Dennis, we'll know something that will ensure his silence. So there you are, ma'am, we'll settle this for you. He's kind of cute, even though he's a bit fleshy for us. Still, he is a trained soldier, he'll be a lot firmer than he looks, and he's undoubtedly a skilled fighter. Can we take him to the attic?'

  What? Her cousin was attracted to men? Thinking back, there had always been signs, but why had he wanted to marry Agnes then? For the money? To cure himself, or cover something up? Still, it did solve their problem.

  'You can, if you promise to put the collar out of sight before you take him there. Are you sure about him? Why did you never notice before now?'

  'Patrick is usually pretty good at spying them out. And we won't ask him outright, we'll just encourage him a little, where your other guests cannot see.

  I suppose the poor fellow thinks he is mad, to lust for handsome men instead of pretty ladies. Shame can shut them up for decades, some never acknowledge it. I guess your cousin had trouble admitting it to himself because he's in the army. They'd kill him if they found out. Poor fellow.'

  Agnes' head was already spinning, so she decided to leave this up to the boys, and see what happened. But first, she wanted dinner, for she was starving.

  She couldn't remember when she'd last entertained five guests at once, but Cook had certainly risen to the challenge and outdone himself. Henry ate with a relish, now Guy had mentioned it Agnes saw it, too, he was a bit pudgy here and there. The others seemed to enjoy the dainties as much, they didn't get those at their camp.

  Agnes herself still ate simple fare, she was glad to keep some bland white meat down, and bear with the smells of the rich food waiting for the others.

  Henry did notice, he seemed surprised rather than worried.

  'You hired a chef good enough to run an exclusive London restaurant, dear Agnes, why let him feed your guests truffles and trout mousse and goose liver, and eat a roast bird's wing yourself? You used to relish these dainties as much as I do.'

  She smiled at his outrageous statement and replied, 'It's the pregnancy, Henry. I was sick for weeks, until we all thought I'd die of dehydration and malnourishment. Then Dick's mother-in-law took one good look at me and told me I was most likely with child. Since I wasn't even engaged at that time, I suppose she must have been outraged, but she didn't show a thing. She merely ordered Cook to make a bowl of porridge for me, and some clear broth. You can imagine being with child was the last thing on my mind after years of barrenness.'

  Conversation at the table was lively, but not what the rest of the party had in mind, and Agnes decided if the boys wouldn't step in straight after dinner, she'd take her cousin to her study to give Dennis the chance to talk to his friends. They were talking readily enough, but it was clear to her they were aching to become more intimate, and not just with words.

  But first they discussed army matters, comparing camps, predicting how long the peace would last, there was even some talk of guns, which Dennis easily kept out of. But Agnes thought he had to be aching to join the discussion on a new way of mapping, and the advantages and disadvantages of using hounds for tracking down the enemy.

  That last discussion he could join in his role as landed gentleman, but Agnes knew he'd be afraid to give away his knowledge of tracking people instead of game.

  When dinner ended, Agnes did not retreat to the drawing-room all by herself, but rather poured the gentlemen who wished it a superb brandy. She did not indulge herself, though she usually did, and neither did Dennis. They both saw the importance of keeping a level head.

  As Patrick and Guy removed the remains of the meal, Agnes saw Patrick stepping up to cousin Henry for a short moment. He said softly, 'Captain Avery, do you want to accompany us to the library to check out those drawings I told you about?'

  That one sentence was so filled with invitation and sexual tension, that Agnes felt her pussy twinge in remembrance of his touch on her.

  'Both of you?'

  Henry seemed about to bolt, but at the same time his face showed his desperate wish to go with the handsome servant.

  'Yes, captain, Guy and myself both. Do you mind?'

  Poor Henry, so hungry for the kind of love he could accept, and so afraid to give himself up to it.

  'We will clear up the remains of dinner, and then we will show you the mistress' book with drawings of ancient Roman statues. You haven't seen it yet, have you?'

  But Henry might be shy, he was not a coward, he was a soldier who had faced battle countless times, and he rose to the occasion brilliantly.

  'No, Patrick, I haven't, and I'm looking forward to your presentation of them.

  Thank you very much. Will you fetch me, or do I make my own way to the library?'

  'I suppose you'll move to the drawing-room for coffee before we're done, we'll fetch you there. Please don't worry, Captain, we've done this before, we'll be gentle.'

  They'd better be, that was a very expensive and exclusive book!

  Within a few seconds the boys were gone from the dining-room, and to Agnes it was obvious that her cousin was deeply troubled by what he had consented to do.

  'They will do well for you, Henry,' Agnes tried to soothe him.

  He looked back at her, not even surprised at her knowing what it was about, fear and hope still waging war in his features.

  'I've denied this for years, Agnes, I didn't know others felt the same until I had time to talk to Patrick this afternoon. And he merely hinted at it. I never did understand why those handsome boys lived here with you instead of with your aunt and uncle in London. I'm scared. If I go with them life will never be the same.'

  He swallowed hugely, Agnes had never seen Henry this vulnerable, she decided he needed a little physical contact to calm him down and
embraced him. His head rested in her bosom without the slightest hesitation or shame, and he said, 'For a while I really thought I loved you. I'm sure I do, but not that way. You do feel and smell great, though. That's what confused me so.

  So you knew about those two all along?'

  'Yes, Henry, I did. It was part of our arrangement.'

  'I always was a bit jealous of them, people gossiped you were intimate and I wanted that so badly. Now I wonder of whom I really was jealous. Whether part of me always knew. Somehow I always felt drawn to Patrick, but I never even thought of him and Guy. Guy inspired me with some kind of awe, even though he was just a servant.'

  'Guy has that effect on people. But he is actually very mild, Henry.'

  'So you think I'm not making a huge mistake?'

  She would not insult Henry by denying that. Being what he was would be very dangerous in the army, and in general. So she formulated her reply very carefully.

  'You are what you are, Henry. But acknowledging it can be dangerous if you go all out suddenly. Listen to Guy and Patrick, they've been there, they know how to stay safe.'

  They drank coffee in the drawing-room, and when Patrick opened the door and gave Henry a significant look he got up and sent Agnes one last,

  pleading, look.

  'Enjoy, Henry,' she said, 'if you think only the Romans had bodies worth worshipping, you're in for a great time. Think of this manor as a safe-house.'

  And he was off, looking more like a schoolboy than a captain in active service.

  Of course their other guests never noticed, they were still worshipping their own idol, one Agnes herself also admired very much. She was going to hand them a nice surprise.

  'Gentlemen, my cousin will be very much distracted for the rest of the night. I suppose you need not be so very formal anymore.'

  Well, that certainly didn't fall on deaf ears. Lieutenant Harley was the first to get up, walk towards Dennis deliberately and take him in a solid embrace.