by Dilly Court
Harry turned at the sound of her footsteps. ‘How is Sir Hector?’
‘As well as can be expected. Isn’t that what doctors always say?’
Sam dragged off his billycock hat. ‘I’m truly sorry. Is there anything I can do, Josie?’
Harry turned to her with an amused smile. ‘Are you this friendly with everyone on the estate?’
‘We grew up together, Sam, Kate and myself,’ Josie said hastily. ‘He meant no disrespect.’
Harry shrugged his shoulders. ‘It’s none of my business. This is your home and you must do as you please.’
‘I’ll try to remember my place in future, miss,’ Sam said, glowering.
‘We should leave now.’ Kate looped the reins over Sheba’s head. ‘I’ll take her to the stables, Miss Josephine.’ She headed off without giving Josie a chance to respond.
Sam tipped his hat. ‘Good evening to you, miss.’
Josie sent him a warning glance. ‘Thank you, Loveday. Hadn’t you better go after Kate? I assume that you are here to take her home.’
He held her gaze for a moment and then backed away. ‘That was the plan, miss.’
Josie clenched her fists at her side. The insolent look on his face made her want to slap him. He was treading on dangerous ground. Social mores had mattered little when they were younger, but things were different now. It was time that Sam Loveday acknowledged the fact that they could no longer treat each other like equals. She turned to Harry, but he was staring up at the darkening sky. ‘It looks like rain. Perhaps I ought to take Miss Coggins home in my curricle. The poor girl has had a bad enough time of it today without getting a soaking.’
‘Really, Harry.’ Josie’s frayed nerves were beginning to get the better of her. ‘Kate’s a country girl; she won’t dissolve in a shower of rain. Loveday will see her safely home.’
‘Aye, us country folk are used to getting a good soaking every now and then,’ Sam muttered as he sprang nimbly onto the driving seat. He gave Josie a last, long look and then flicked the reins. The horse obediently started off in the direction of the stables.
‘That fellow should be taught a few manners,’ Harry said, frowning. ‘He needs putting in his place, Josie.’
‘Yes, and I will be the one to do it, but are you sure that you were just being chivalrous? Kate is a pretty girl and innocent as a newborn lamb where men are concerned.’
‘Of course I was, my dear.’ Good humour restored, Harry met her anxious gaze with a smile. ‘You know that I have eyes only for you.’
Josie bit her lip; she knew that he was teasing her, but she was not in the mood. ‘Your reputation as a flirt preceded you, but when you took charge after the accident, I thought I saw another side to your character. Obviously, I was mistaken.’
‘I’m too much of a gentleman to contradict a lady.’ He held out his hand, palm upwards as large spots of rain began to fall. ‘There now, didn’t I say it was going to rain? I think I might take your protégée home after all. She may not be as robust as you think she is.’
She watched him striding towards the stables with anger roiling in her belly. If he had dishonourable designs on Kate, then he had better beware. She would not stand by and see her friend’s reputation ruined. The rain was falling heavily now and Josie retreated into the house. She had intended to go straight to her room, but with her mother fully occupied, the duties of hostess now fell upon her shoulders. She ought to go into the Chinese Room where she knew their guests were assembled waiting to hear news of Sir Hector’s condition, but she did not feel up to the task. Besides which, she hardly knew them. They were Harry’s friends and without him there to support her she would feel ill at ease. Why he had felt the need to go chasing off after Kate was a mystery. She clenched her hands into fists and stamped her foot, causing the footman to jump to attention. She turned away from him with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her mouth was dry and her pulses raced. For a moment she could not understand the anger that threatened to consume her, and then she caught sight of her reflection in one of the many mirrors that adorned the walls. The face of a jealous woman stared back at her, and she realised with a sense of shock that it was Kate who had roused such a tumult of emotion in her breast. The idea was so ridiculous that she laughed out loud. One had to be in love in order to suffer the poisonous bite of that emotional serpent. She could not possibly have fallen for Harry. She intended to marry him but love had not come into her scheme, and if she succumbed to such a passion she knew that it would eventually destroy them both.
She had a sudden urgent need to see her father. Never mind Harry and his hangers-on. She had little or nothing in common with the languid beauty, Gwendoline Mortimer, who had not an original thought in her head, or the vivacious red-head, the Honourable Sophronia de Vere. They might be people whom she ought to cultivate if she intended to become mistress of Copperstone Castle, but at this moment she could not have cared less. She hurried up the grand staircase to the bedroom her parents had shared for more than twenty-four years.
She found her mother pacing the floor in a state of great agitation. ‘Mama, what’s the matter? Is he worse? Shall I send for Dr Smith?’
Marguerite came to a halt, gazing at her with tears running down her thin cheeks. ‘He’s just the same, my darling. Your poor father has been cut down in his prime. I can’t bear to see him like this, and if the worst happened and he were to die … what would become of us then?’
Josie put her arm around her mother’s shoulders and led her to the window seat. ‘You mustn’t think like that, Mama. Even if what the doctor said was true and he is partially paralysed, that doesn’t mean it’s the end.’
Marguerite sank down on the cushions and fished in her pocket for a scrap of lace that served as a hanky. She dabbed ineffectually at her eyes. ‘I know that, Josephine. But you don’t understand. If your father were to pass away, we would have to leave here. The estate is entailed on the closest male heir.’
‘Uncle Joseph.’
‘Exactly. Joseph and Hermione Damerell will take up residence here and we will be evicted.’
‘Surely not. He wouldn’t be so cruel.’
‘Joseph is an ambitious man and he would love to get his hands on your papa’s estate.’
‘But there’s the town house, Mama. We could live quite comfortably in Bedford Square.’
Marguerite gave her a despairing look. ‘Haven’t you understood a word I’ve said, Josephine? The entire estate will belong to Joseph.’ She broke off on a sob. ‘You should have been a boy. I asked for a boy.’
Josie stifled the sudden desire to giggle. ‘I’m sorry that you prayed for a son and got me instead. Perhaps I was a changeling.’
‘Don’t say such things. It’s not true. It’s absolutely not true. You are mine.’
Josie stared at her in dismay. Perhaps the shock of her father’s accident had turned her mind. Mama was delicate at the best of times. She laid her hand on her mother’s arm. ‘I didn’t mean to be flippant, Mama. But there’s really no need to get yourself in a state. Papa isn’t going to die. I won’t let him.’
‘You always were a stubborn child.’
‘I’m my father’s daughter. We’re made of strong stuff, you’ll see. You and I will nurse him back to health, and if he can’t walk again we’ll get him one of those Bath chair contraptions. We’re Damerells, Mama. We won’t allow something like this to beat us.’
A muffled moan from the bed brought Marguerite to her feet and she rushed to her husband’s side. ‘Hector, my darling. Are you all right?’
Sir Hector opened his eyes for a few seconds and then closed them again, groaning.
‘Laudanum,’ Josie said, seizing the bottle that the doctor had left. ‘Give him a couple of drops in some water, Mama. It will take the pain away and help him to sleep.’
Marguerite snatched the bottle from her. ‘I’m not a child, Josephine. I know what to do. I’ll stay with your father, and you must go downstairs and entertain our guests.’
‘But Mama, they’ll understand that I’m needed here.’
‘Listen to me for once and think about what I’m about to say. It’s even more important for you to cultivate Mr Challenor now. I want to see you married and your future assured before the year is out.’
‘I would like to be mistress of Copperstone Castle, but I’m not sure I want the man who goes with it.’
‘Don’t you dare make a joke of this, Josephine. Our whole future rests on your shoulders.’ Marguerite’s fingers trembled as she attempted to take the cork out of the small glass bottle. She brushed Josie’s hand away as she attempted to help her. ‘Ring the bell for Hickson. I need her now.’
Dismissed from her parents’ room, Josie made her way slowly downstairs, bracing herself to join the party. It was one thing setting her sights on being the wife of a rich man, but quite another to be coerced into marrying a man she could never truly love. She crossed the marble-tiled floor, oblivious to the heady scent emanating from jardinières filled with bronze and gold chrysanthemums, and the bowls of flamboyant dahlias placed on pier tables, their gaudy hues reflecting in gilt-framed wall mirrors. The footman had just lit the candles in the glittering chandelier and had hoisted it up to the ceiling where the crystal drops trembled and sent prisms of coloured light dancing on the ivory walls. She paused for a few seconds outside the double doors, glancing around with a shiver of apprehension. All this grandeur and her comfortable, pampered way of life might vanish over-night if her father were to die from his injuries. Her privileged upbringing had left her without the necessary skills to earn her own living. She would be a pauper unless she made a good match. She painted a smile on her face and opened the door.
Next morning, Josie’s attempts to see her father were foiled by Hickson, who had taken temporary charge of the sickroom. ‘Your mama is sleeping,’ Hickson said, folding her arms across her flat chest and barring the door as Josie attempted to push past her. ‘She was up all night and now she’s completely exhausted, but she made it clear that your father is to be left undisturbed.’
‘You can’t keep me out of the room,’ Josie cried angrily. ‘You’re not a nurse. I want to see my papa.’
‘I want doesn’t get,’ Hickson said primly. ‘You know that very well, Miss Josephine. Now be a good girl and go downstairs. I believe your guests are leaving for London this morning. You must see them off. It’s what my lady would want.’
Josie knew this was true, but it did not make it any easier to take orders from Hickson whom she heartily loathed. She could make a fuss, but then that might wake her father and she knew in her heart that Hickson was correct in stating that he needed rest and quiet. She turned on her heel and marched off with her head held erect. She would not let the hateful woman think that she had won.
The visitors had gone. Josie stood on the gravel carriage sweep gazing at the cloud of dust sent up by the horses’ hooves and the carriage wheels. Harry had been serious for once and had shown concern for her father’s state of health, but he had not given any indication that he would like to see her again. The invitation to stay at Copperstone Castle that her mother had eagerly anticipated had not materialised, and Josie could not help comparing Harry’s casual treatment of her with the concern he had shown for Kate the previous evening. She was suddenly desperate to find out what had passed between them. In all probability Harry had simply been amusing himself with a naïve country girl. She must see Kate immediately and make certain that she had not misconstrued his actions. She went back indoors and sent for the chaise.
Half an hour later Josie leapt nimbly from the vehicle, handing the reins to Molly who was in the farmyard feeding the hens. ‘Where is Kate?’
‘In the dairy, miss.’ Molly shot her a wary glance. ‘If you want Sam, he’s taken the cows back to ten-acre field.’
‘Why would I want to see your brother? I don’t associate with farm labourers.’ Picking up her skirts Josie strode across the yard in the direction of the dairy, irritation prickling like a burr. Why would the silly girl think that she wanted to see Sam? Their summer frolic had been a mere diversion. He was a yokel compared to the suave, sophisticated people she had mixed with in London. Both the Lovedays needed to be kept in their place, and she had more than a few words to say to Kate. She entered the dairy and found her cleaning the butter churn. Strands of fair hair had escaped from the mobcap she wore and her cheeks were flushed to a delicate pink. Adding to her annoyance, Josie had to admit that she presented a pretty picture with her milkmaid freshness and her air of innocence. She could imagine that such an image would excite and intrigue a sophisticated man liked Harry Challoner. Kate would present a challenge to such as he, but once conquered her artless charms would soon pall and she would be discarded, broken-hearted and dishonoured.
As if sensing her presence, Kate looked up. ‘Josie, what’s the matter? Is it Sir Hector? He’s not …’
‘He’s not dead, if that’s what you were going to say. He might never walk again, but he’s still alive, if you call being paralysed from the waist downwards living.’
‘Oh, Josie. I’m so sorry. No wonder you look so upset. I would be too if it was my pa.’
‘Yes, yes. It’s dreadful and I’m desolated, but that’s not why I’m angry. I’m furious with you, Kate.’
‘With me? What have I done?’
‘Don’t act the innocent with me. I saw you last night, throwing yourself at Harry.’
Kate paled visibly. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Of course you do. You’ve been flirting with him. And don’t put on that innocent face. You must have done something to fix his interest in you. Why else would he have paid so much attention to you at the harvest supper? And why did he go chasing after you last night, offering to take you home in his curricle? Why would a man like Harry bother about a servant girl like you unless you had given him some encouragement?’
Kate stared at her, eyes wide and her lips trembling. ‘How can you even think such a thing? I’ve only met him on a couple of occasions, and I’ve barely been civil to him.’
‘Are you so gullible, Kate? Harry is used to women falling at his feet. I doubt if any female has ever turned up her pretty little nose at him before. It would be enough to pique him and make him even more determined to win you over.’
‘I don’t want anything to do with Mr Challenor, and that’s the honest truth.’
‘Well, you won’t get the chance, and neither will I. He’s gone now. They all left this morning, and I doubt if I shall ever see any of them again, least of all Harry. You’ve ruined my life, Kate Coggins. I want you to know that.’
Josie stormed out of the dairy, but Kate ran after her. ‘If anyone has ruined your life, it’s you. You told me that you only wanted to marry him for his money. You don’t even love him.’
‘And you don’t understand.’ Josie snatched the reins from Molly. ‘If my father dies we’ll lose everything. My uncle Joseph will inherit Damerell Manor and the house in London. My mother and I will be paupers unless I marry well, and it looks as though you’ve just ruined any chance I had with Harry Challenor. That’s why I’m angry, Kate. How could you be so selfish as well as stupid?’
Kate’s eyes flashed and her cheeks flushed. ‘Don’t take your temper out on me. I’ve done nothing wrong.’
Josie climbed up onto the driver’s seat, glaring down at her. ‘If my uncle inherits the estate he’ll almost certainly put a tenant of his choosing into the farm. Then we’ll all be out on the street.’
Chapter Seven
A WEEK LATER, Kate and Molly were in the orchard picking apples. They had already filled several sacks with windfalls which were destined for the cider press, and now they were concentrating on filling baskets with ripe eating apples, some of which would be stored for the winter and the remainder taken to market. Molly had hitched her skirts up around her thighs and climbed high up into the branches, but Kate was concentrating on the fruit lower down. It was
a busy time of the year, harvesting fruit and vegetables, making preserves and laying down stores for the winter, and Kate had had little time to brood over Josie’s unfair and unfounded accusations.
She had been hurt and angry, but she had long since grown accustomed to Josie’s tantrums, and she was confident that commonsense would prevail in the end. Pampered and spoiled from the cradle onwards, Josie had a habit of flying off like a badly put together firecracker, but she was always very sorry afterwards. And, when all was said and done, poor Josie had witnessed the dreadful accident that had almost killed her father. Kate suspected that she blamed herself for what happened, and to discover that Sir Hector was crippled for life must have been a terrible blow. She felt pity for Josie who must have been consumed with guilt and grief when she flew into such a rage, but even so it still rankled.
With all this on her mind, Kate had curbed her inclination to visit the big house and try to make amends, even though she was eager to have news of Sir Hector’s progress. She had instead to rely on gleaning bits of information from Molly whose friend Sal Cobb worked in the Damerells’ kitchens and was always ready to spread a juicy bit of gossip. It seemed that Sir Hector was out of danger now, but it had been confirmed that he would never walk again. The servants were sorry for the master, but more than relieved to know that Mr Joseph would not come into his inheritance for a while yet. Molly had said that things were getting back to normal now that the house guests had left, but the nurse that Dr Smith had put in charge of the sickroom was an old besom and expected to be waited upon like one of the gentry. She was even worse than Mrs Wardle, who had been dismissed much to the delight of everyone below stairs. The sooner this one was gone, the better.
