Lord Rakehell

by Virginia Henley

  When Anne admired two cherrywood writing desks, and a nest of matching tea tables, she was not surprised to hear James make an offer that was instantly accepted. But she had never expected him to talk them out of the beautifully polished grand piano.

  “We have no children to whom we can leave our possessions,” Lady Susan explained. “I’m quite tickled at the idea that Princess Alix will be playing my piano.”

  “What about silver services and things in that line? I noticed that Sandringham is singularly lacking in fine silver.”

  Lady Susan drained her fourth glass of sherry. “We have two full sets of silver services, complete with tureens and chafing dishes, that are packed away. We never use them because they are monogrammed with W for Walpole.”

  “I’d be happy to take them off your hands. Just name your price.”

  Anne smiled her secret smile. James, you are so clever. W for Wales!

  “When will the royal couple be arriving?” Lady Susan inquired.

  “Early August. They are hoping to stay for two full months.”

  “I wouldn’t recommend them staying past the end of September. By October, we get the worst of the gales here on the coast.”

  “Thank you for the warning,” Anne declared. “I shall pass your advice on to Princess Alexandra. And I won’t forget about your invitation, Lady Cholmondeley.”

  As James and Anne walked to their carriage, she began to laugh. “You are a bloody marvel. When you offered to buy or rent any saddlery they could spare from their stables, I was dumbfounded.”

  James grinned down at her. “I’m about to acquire two dozen saddle horses. What the hell good are horses without saddles?”

  On the way back to Sandringham, James drove through Heacham, secretly anticipating a reaction from Anne.

  “James! Stop the carriage! Lavender fields stretching for miles. I never saw anything quite so lovely. Just breathe in the heavenly scent.”

  “When I saw them yesterday, I knew you would be enchanted.”

  “We must buy some. Now I know why the bed linen smells of lavender.”

  “If you start talking about bed at four in the afternoon, my beauty, how do you expect me to last until dark?”

  “Oh, I just had a decadent idea, Lord Hamilton. How would you like to make love in a field of lavender?”

  My God, she is so uninhibited. I absolutely adore this woman.

  • • •

  The following day, two dozen horses arrived from Sykes’s breeding farm. The grooms who accompanied them put them in a large pasture behind the stables. “Lord Sykes sent more horses than His Royal Highness ordered with instructions to choose the ones you like and we’ll take the others back to Doncaster.”

  With the help of Daniel Hingham, James checked the horses’ teeth, fetlocks, and gait. He could tell that Sykes had chosen quality animals. The majority were hunters, but there were also half a dozen easy-gaited palfreys suitable for ladies. “Please thank Lord Sykes on the Prince of Wales’s behalf. We’ll keep all of them.”

  For the next few days, both men and women arrived at Sandringham Estate seeking employment. James interviewed all the men and hired any who had experience as stablemen, gardeners, or gamekeepers.

  Anne, with the help of Mrs. Roydon, interviewed the women. Most of them were hired as housemaids, kitchen help, or laundresses, but Anne kept her eyes open for girls who were well-mannered and neatly groomed, who could serve Princess Alexandra in a more personal capacity.

  Anne compared notes with James and reminded him about the need for uniforms. He agreed to drive her to King’s Lynn the next morning. “While you are employing seamstresses, I’ll try to find a couple of experienced carriage drivers. We should be back by afternoon when the furnishings from Houghton Hall will be delivered.”

  • • •

  By the end of the first week, Sandringham Estate was busy as a beehive. All the furniture was being polished, the linen sheets on all the beds were changed, and the chambers plenished with toiletries, writing paper, towels, and chamber pots.

  As James carried Anne back to her own bedchamber early one morning, he teased, “I thought you were simply a decorative female. I hadn’t the faintest idea you had a domestic side. You will make someone a hell of a good wife.”

  “Mmm, if I ever decide to marry,” she teased back.

  “I think you need a break from all this domesticity, sweetheart. I’ll saddle a couple of horses and we’ll explore all twenty thousand acres of the estate. Who knows what secrets we’ll discover.”

  “That sounds wonderful. I am ready to cast aside duty for frivolity.”

  He caressed her bare bottom. “You’re always ready. That’s one of the things I love most about you, my beauty.”

  An hour later they were riding around the large lake that lay on the west side of the house. “I fancy another swimming lesson. I’d love to challenge you to a race from one side of the lake to the other.” Her mouth curved in a smile. “I have visions of winning.”

  “By distracting me with your provocative undergarments?”

  “I couldn’t win unless I took advantage of your vulnerability. You would have to reveal the secret of your great strength. Playing Samson and Delilah could be most diverting.”

  “I believe debauchery appeals to you, Lady Anne.”

  “At heart I am a sybarite.”

  “So I discovered in bed last night.”

  “Your compliments always make me feel extremely feminine and desirable.” She urged her palfrey into a trot. “Let’s go this way. I want to show you the intimate stream walk. Like the walled garden, it must have been designed for lovers.”

  The treelined path followed a babbling stream that led from the lake. Rustic benches were tucked into alcoves between flowering rhododendron and fragrant rosebushes. Marble statues of naked nymphs and cherubs in playful poses peeped from borders of exotically scented flowers.

  The path took them down a lush green dell where natural springs bubbled up through the grass, which was carpeted with marsh marigolds and water irises.

  Anne gazed at the lush beauty before them. “This is an enchanting place.”

  “It reminds me of Barons Court in Ireland. I promise to take you there someday.”

  “Sometime . . . somehow . . . someway . . . someday,” she said wistfully.

  “Darling, don’t be sad. I promise it will happen.”

  Anne tossed her hair over her shoulders, determined to banish the darklings. “Lead the way, James. There’s lots more to see.”

  The estate encompassed over thirty square miles of woodland and heath. When they reached the open stretches of rolling hills, they galloped full out, sending coveys of woodcocks and grouse into the air. When they slowed to ride through the woods, they laughed as they encountered startled herds of deer that lifted their heads, then sprang off through the leafy green branches. They in turn disturbed flocks of warblers and brilliant golden orioles.

  The acres of the estate were dotted with small lakes and ponds that attracted abundant small creatures such as rabbits, hares, stoats, weasels, and foxes, as well as ducks and wading birds.

  James and Anne drew rein beside a rocky stream. They dismounted and allowed their horses to crop the tall grass, while they sat down on a fallen oak to enjoy the lunch that Ethel had wrapped up in a linen cloth. Laughing, they fed each other buttery scones, dried sausages, cold partridge, apples, and cider. Anne was thrilled when a curious red squirrel approached and boldly snatched the piece of scone she offered.

  James brushed back her fiery curls and kissed her brow. “Even the cratures cannot resist you.” He plucked a wildflower and tucked it behind her ear. “Queen Anne’s lace.”

  In the afternoon they rode along the tidal mudflats of the Wash, then galloped across miles of empty sandy beach. They dismounted to wade in the surf and poke
about in the tide pools, finding jellyfish, tiny crabs, and cockles. Then, hand in hand, they strolled along the shore watching terns and oystercatchers run before them, picking up crustaceans that the sea had left behind on the glistening sands.

  They had heard about the glorious sunsets of the Wash, but as they stood together watching the bright golden sun sink toward the sea, the sky turned pink, then red, then deep purple. James and Anne were left in awe at the magnificent spectacle of nature they had witnessed. At the last moment, the sea swallowed the sun, and left them in complete darkness.

  Back at Sandringham, during dinner, they discussed the things that still must be done in the short time that was left before the royal couple and their guests would be arriving.

  “Tomorrow I have to visit a couple of kennels that have hunting dogs for sale.” James finished his ale. “This stuff isn’t bad. I should order a few more barrels.”

  “I have to make sure the uniforms are finished. Then I have to teach all the servants about the bellpull system. Some of the younger girls have never been in service before.”

  “We’ve accomplished quite a lot, though I’m sure there are things we’ve overlooked.”

  “I’m too tired to think about it. I had such a wonderful day today.” Anne yawned. “The sea air has made me soporific.”

  “How I’d love to carry you up to bed,” he murmured low. James cleared his throat as a new serving maid came in to clear the table. “I shall see you in the morning, Lady Anne. Good night.”

  “Good night, Lord Hamilton.” Anne looked at the earnest young maid and didn’t have the heart to tell her that she should not clear the table until the diners had left the room.

  An hour later when James came through the adjoining door into Anne’s chamber, his mouth curved tenderly when he saw that she had fallen asleep. He undressed quietly and slipped into bed beside her.

  Without opening her eyes, she whispered his name. “James, my dearest love.”

  He enfolded her against his heart. “Go to sleep, sweetheart.”

  • • •

  Grosvenor Square, London

  “Her Majesty has informed Alexandra that she will no longer tolerate her living apart from Bertie.” Emily gave her stepmother a triumphant glance. “Anne’s idyllic days at the villa in Chiswick will soon be over.”

  Lord Howe’s daughters from his first marriage were at Grosvenor Square for dinner with their father before Adelaide and Georgiana departed London to spend August at their country homes.

  “So long as the royal couple live separate lives, Queen Victoria realizes there will be little chance of Alexandra producing an heir to the throne,” Emily continued.

  “But surely the queen doesn’t expect the princess to spend August in London?” Adelaide felt rather sorry for Alexandra.

  “Her Majesty has informed her daughter-in-law that she and Bertie will be going to Sandringham, the country estate in Norfolk that her dearest Albert acquired before he died. She made it plain that she expects Alexandra to be breeding when she returns.”

  “Oh, that’s splendid news. Sandringham is only thirty-odd miles from Apethorpe Hall. I fully expect an invitation for Fane and me.”

  “Norfolk is lovely in August and September. I’m sure the princess will be taking Anne with her,” Georgiana remarked.

  Earl Howe threw down his linen napkin. “I don’t like the idea of Anne going to Sandringham. The prince will be inviting his dissolute friends and the very atmosphere will be conducive to licentious behavior.”

  Lady Howe felt her stomach knot. Only this morning she had received Anne’s letter that she was already in residence at Sandringham. “Richard, surely you’re not implying that Adelaide and Fane are dissolute because they are friends with the royal couple?”

  “Of course not. But Anne’s situation is entirely different. She’s an unmarried lady.”

  And whose fault is that, you hypocritical swine? “I have every confidence that our daughter Anne will conduct herself with propriety at all times.”

  “I tend to agree with Father about Sandringham.” Emily’s face was set in lines of disapproval. “Anne will be exposed to the licentious behavior of the prince’s close friends, such as James Hamilton.”

  You envious bitch! “If I remember correctly, Emily, you panted after James Hamilton shamelessly when you were a debutante.”

  Emily’s cheeks flamed. “He tried to take advantage of my innocence.”

  Her stepmother smiled. “How fortunate you were able to fight off his advances.”

  It was two hours before the earl’s daughters said their good-byes and departed. Lady Howe sat in her dressing room and reread Anne’s letter. The last sentence tugged at her heart: I likely won’t see you until the end of September, but hope and pray that by that time you’ll have been able to work your magic and persuade Father to change his mind.

  She looked into her mirror and spoke to her reflection. “I was going to try to work my magic tonight, but there’s little chance of my persuading him to change his mind now that Emily has planted her poisonous seeds.”

  Anne and James are alone at Sandringham. Knowing the frailty of human nature as I do, I’m not naive enough to believe they won’t become lovers.

  Lady Howe desperately wanted her daughter’s happiness. Anne and James Hamilton had fallen in love, and the only person that prevented them from marrying was Richard Curzon-Howe, the same hypocritical swine who had deprived her of a happy marriage.

  What if I told James the scandalous secrets of my marriage? If he confronted my husband and threatened to divulge what he knew, I’m sure Richard would capitulate.

  • • •

  Sandringham, Norfolk

  “James, this is the end of our idyll. They’ll be arriving tomorrow and we’ll no longer have Sandringham to ourselves.” Anne lay in his arms, her lips bee-stung from the kisses they’d shared, her body replete from his passionate lovemaking.

  “It’s not the end, sweetheart.” He brushed his lips across her brow. “Our love is without end.”

  She pressed her cheek against his heart. “How can I bear to share you with others?”

  “We will endure the days because of the promise of our nights. I will count the hours until we can withdraw behind closed doors and lock out the world each night.”

  Anne made a determined effort to push away any bad thoughts. “I’m just being fanciful. Our time together has been precious. I’ve never been happier. I refuse to let selfish thoughts steal my joy. When I wrote to Mother, I asked her to work her magic and persuade Father to change his mind.”

  His arms tightened. “When we return to London, I’ll ask him again. I’ll never take no for an answer.”

  Anne was on the verge of telling James about her parents’ marriage. If I give him ammunition against my father, I know he won’t hesitate to use it.

  “James—”

  “Yes, love?”

  A picture of her mother came to her full-blown, and Anne knew she loved her too much to betray her. “Good night.” She kissed his heart. “Dream about me.”

  “I always do, my beauty.”

  Chapter Twenty-six

  “I’m so glad we came by train. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. We passed wheat fields ablaze with poppies, dozens of medieval churches, and rolling green hills dotted with sheep.” Princess Alexandra smiled happily at Anne, as the carriage made its way from the railway station. “I can’t wait to see Sandringham.”

  “All is in readiness for you,” Anne informed her. “The chef from Marlborough House arrived yesterday with a mountain of pots and pans, and already the aromas coming from the kitchen are mouthwatering—a marked improvement from when I first arrived.”

  “My nausea has disappeared, so I’ll be able to eat again.”

  “You look wonderful. You appear to be blooming with happiness.”

/>   Alix laughed and patted her belly. “I’m brimful of baby.”

  The carriage rolled through the gates, and the princess eagerly watched for her first glimpse of the country mansion. When the enormous redbrick and stone house came into view with its towers and gables, the princess exclaimed, “Oh, it’s absolutely perfect! I know I’m going to be happy here.”

  “Did Frances come with you?”

  “Yes. She insisted on waiting for all the baggage to be unloaded from the train. She was determined that my husband’s luggage would not take precedence over mine in spite of the fact that Edward’s valets think they rule the world.”

  “We’ll get you settled and everything unpacked before the weekend, when your guests start to arrive.”

  “They’re Edward’s guests, not mine. He’s the one who’ll have to entertain them. Do you suppose we could serve dinner at seven rather than eight? I get sleepy very early these days.”

  “That sounds like an excellent idea. I’ll get James to suggest it to His Highness.”

  Anne helped Alexandra from the carriage, eager to see the Princess of Wales’s reaction when she entered the great hall.

  The entire staff, wearing their new uniforms, was waiting in the entrance hall to welcome Princess Alexandra when she stepped through the front door of Sandringham.

  “This is Mrs. Roydon, the head housekeeper.” Anne brought her forward.

  “Your Royal Highness.” Mrs. Roydon curtsied, and the entire staff followed suit.

  “I thank you all. I would like our country home to be a comfortable, relaxing place. I insist we dispense with the formality of curtsying and bowing.”

  The servants moved aside and Alix got her first glimpse of the great main hall.

  “Oh, Anne! It’s absolutely perfect. It’s so spacious and inviting.” She walked into the room and stopped. “Is that a piano?”