A Suitable Bride

by Fenella J Miller

  His sister’s surprise at his vehemence warned him too late that he’d served to make matters worse, rather than improve them. His interest would be misconstrued, the tabbies would already be linking his name to Miss DuPont and she was the last person he would consider offering for.

  ‘No doubt there will be much said about this, but you can inform anyone who mentions it that I’ve no interest in making an alliance with a young lady who doesn’t come from a similar background to ours.’

  ‘I’m relieved to hear you say so and believe that will be sufficient to stem the rumours and allow Miss DuPont to enjoy her stay here. I’ve no wish for anyone to be ostracised through no fault of their own.’

  ‘Now this has been settled satisfactorily, can you tell me why you’re lurking in the shrubbery like an unwanted visitor?’

  ‘I’m not exactly lurking, several guests have said they’ve seen a trio of strange animals here and I thought I’d better come and investigate.’

  ‘It’s those wretched dogs. I’d quite forgotten about them and I expect that those supposed to be looking after them have done so as well. Remind me, Madeline, did we extend our invitation to include pets and companions?’

  She shook her head. ‘Of course we didn’t. I cannot think how Lady Peabody thought it would be acceptable for her goddaughter not only to arrive a day early, but to bring a menagerie with her.’

  ‘Having met the young lady I would hazard a guess that Miss DuPont included them without asking for permission. I’ll find the dogs and have them put in a barn where they can cause no further harm.’

  His sister hurried off and he watched her go with a fond smile. She might be only nineteen years of age but she ran the household as well as his mother had ever done. Madeline would make some lucky gentleman an excellent wife, but hopefully not for another year or two. Her debut had been postponed because of the death of their father and until the coffers were refilled she refused to contemplate going to London for the Season.

  It would help him find the animals if he knew their names, but he supposed he must make an effort anyway. He walked through the shrubbery into the edge of the wood and whistled loudly. Immediately there was crashing and snapping branches, and then he was surrounded by three tail-wagging dogs.

  ‘Sit. Stay.’ To his astonishment they did as he bid, their eyes fixed on him, their long pink tongues lolling and their ears pricked. The gentle swish, swish in the leaves indicated their tails were still moving.

  He moved away expecting them to follow but they remained put, waiting for his instruction to move. ‘Come.’ They were at his feet and sat down without being prompted.

  He wanted to dislike them but they were in fact delightful creatures. The animals were obviously from the same litter, and identical in shape and size, but they were quite easy to distinguish as one was grey and black, the next a reddish colour and the third a mixture of the three.

  ‘Well, if you promise to behave perhaps I won’t banish you after all. However, I’ll take it up with your mistress when she’s recovered as to why she thought it permissible to bring her pets to visit.’ He grinned and they smiled back. ‘Come with me, boys, I’ll show you your new home.’

  They followed him, not barking or misbehaving, and he was impressed. He met an anxious groom as he was about to enter the stable yard. The man bowed.

  ‘I’ve been looking for them varmints this past half-hour, my lord, and beg your pardon if they’ve been causing further trouble. They’ve never been away from home before and are a tad overexcited.’

  This was certainly a day for surprises. Bennett was unused to being spoken to so informally and at such length by a minion. The dogs had sat in a row at his feet. ‘What are their names?’

  ‘That’s Ginger, the grey and black’s Buster and the other’s Toby.’ The man hesitated and then continued. ‘Begging your pardon, my lord, but I’m Peterson and it’s my job to take care of these three.’ He scratched his head. ‘I ain’t ever seen them so quiet and well-behaved. They must know they ain’t popular.’

  Bennett was warming to this garrulous groom. He reminded him of his sergeant who’d spoken to him in a similar fashion. ‘I like them, but they must be kept away from the guests and certainly not come into the house. In case you haven’t heard, your mistress is not seriously injured and will be up and about as usual tomorrow.’

  The man’s delighted expression said it all. ‘Thank you, my lord, we’ve been that worried. The lad who was riding Rufus has broke his arm, but it weren’t too bad and I’ve set it for him. I reckon Miss DuPont will want to know.’ The man touched his cap, snapped his fingers and walked off, the three dogs trotted behind him.

  *

  When Grace eventually woke up the room was dark but she was still in her petticoats. She was also ravenously hungry. She waited a few minutes for her eyes to become accustomed to the darkness and was then able to see enough to scramble out of bed and pull on her bedrobe.

  She crept across to the shutters and pulled one back letting in a shaft of moonlight. From this she found her way to the dressing room where the commode was situated.

  When she was comfortable she searched for a tinderbox and located one on a shelf. She was adept at using this and soon had several candles lit and the room bathed in a flickering, golden glow. Now she saw that the time was just after midnight – small wonder she’d been abandoned.

  Her head was sore but apart from that she was perfectly well. Having slept for the better part of a day already she was wide awake and had no wish to return to her bed. What she did want was something to eat and she could hardly go in search of food at this time of night.

  She made her way into her sitting room and was delighted to discover a tray, the contents carefully covered with a damp cloth, waiting for her on a side table. She devoured the contents with relish and when she was done was ready to get dressed. She was perfectly capable of finding her own ensemble and so there was no need for her to wander about in her state of undress until her maid arrived in the morning.

  There was an oil lamp in the dressing room and she quickly removed the glass, trimmed the wick and lit this. It gave a safer and better light in which she could go through her garments and find herself an outfit that would not require the services of Annie.

  Before she dressed she washed and removed her bandage. The doctor was right, she could arrange her hair in such a way that the stitches were almost invisible. As she intended to exercise Rufus at first light she put on her riding habit. She wore men’s breeches beneath the skirt as this meant she could ride astride or side-saddle without revealing an indecorous amount of ankle.

  Obviously she never rode astride when she was likely to be seen. She hoped the dogs were being taken care of in her absence and that the three servants she had brought with her had been given decent accommodation outside.

  Her ablutions and dressing had only taken an hour and it would be another four hours at least before she could venture downstairs. Good grief! She’d no idea in which direction to go when she left this apartment as she’d had her eyes closed when she’d been carried here. Did this mean she must remain where she was until there were servants around to direct her?

  She’d noticed an escritoire and if this held the necessary items for letter writing she would spend the time penning a missive to her best friend, Charlotte, and also to Collins to ask him to keep her informed about the progress of her brood mares and foals. She would send a short note to her parents informing them that she’d arrived safely.

  When she’d finished her task she folded each letter and sealed the back with a blob of melted wax. Then she wrote the address for each one on the front. At DuPont Manor there was a silver salver kept on a table by the front door for outgoing mail. She supposed there must be something similar here, but being a peer of the realm, the duke could frank her letters and they would go without extra cost.

  She wondered, in retrospect, whether she had said rather too much about Lord Sheldon in her letter to Charl
otte – would her friend misinterpret this and think she was really in the running for the position as his wife?

  Although she had taken her time with her task the hour was still too early to leave her chambers. Perhaps she could go at five o’clock – surely someone would be around by then to let her out of the house and direct her to the stable yard?

  What should she do for the next two hours? Perhaps there was something of interest in one of the glass-fronted bookcases that stood either side of the door that led into the passageway. There were certainly plenty of books to choose from so there must be something there that would keep her busy until she could leave.

  Unfortunately most of the volumes were religious texts, mathematical treatises and on other boring subjects. There didn’t seem to be a novel anywhere that would keep her occupied. The trunks were already unpacked so she couldn’t busy herself with that. After pacing up and down the room for half an hour she decided she would try and find her way to a side door and let herself out for surely she would go mad with ennui if she remained cooped up in here another minute.

  After tossing the skirt of her habit over one arm, she picked up her gloves and riding whip and headed for the door. With a candlestick in the other hand she was unable to close the door behind her and hoped it wouldn’t bang shut and wake the other guests who were sleeping in this part of the house.

  The shutters and curtains at the far end of the passageway hadn’t been drawn and sufficient light came in from the oriel window to guide her towards it. Hopefully she would be able to see something through the glass that would give her her bearings and allow her to negotiate the way around this vast establishment without becoming completely lost.

  The first glimmer of dawn on the horizon meant she could see she was facing east and acres of immaculately manicured parkland rolled away into the distance. There were stands of handsome cedar trees, yews and oaks and also what looked like a racetrack of some sort. She hadn’t been aware that this family were interested in racing and her pulse quickened.

  Did this mean there would be an opportunity to show off the prowess of her stallion? He was already in great demand for breeding and his progeny were much sought after in the locality. However, she’d yet to make any inroads with the gentlemen of the ton. If Rufus were to win a race or two whilst she was staying here this might make all the difference to her stud.

  Although ostensibly she was here to find herself an aristocratic husband she now viewed this as an opportunity to further her business interests. The trust fund would not become available until she married or reached the anniversary of her twenty-fifth name day. Her brow furrowed as she considered the implications.

  The ideal arrangement would be for her to marry a compliant husband, someone who would make no demands on her whatsoever and allow her a free hand to run the stud. The exact opposite of Lord Sheldon. It was as if a great weight had lifted from her shoulders. Now she could be herself, not worry if she offended the prim and proper matrons and their simpering daughters – she had no wish to attract the sort of gentleman who was looking for a young lady of good breeding and impeccable manners.

  From this point onwards she would search for either a very young gentleman who could be easily influenced or an older man who would be so besotted with his young bride he would allow her to do as she wished. The gentleman she was looking for must be an aristocrat of some sort, be kind and not lack for wit. She would prefer him to be personable, but the other criteria were far more important.

  Surely there must be someone who would do amongst those spending the summer at Silchester Court? Someone her father would be happy with so he would give his permission and thus release her funds?

  Chapter Six

  Grace tiptoed along the silent corridors until eventually she found the main staircase. She thought there might be maids on their knees scrubbing the floors but she was in advance of even those girls. There must be a side door that led directly to the stables and this would be easier to open than the front door.

  After several false ventures she arrived at an exit that would do. This had no key, just two bolts which she pushed back easily enough. She pulled the door closed behind her and stood on the flagstone pathway that ran between two high hedges, listening. Yes – this led to the stables for she could hear horses not far away.

  The path ended at an archway and she stepped through into an immaculate yard – not a wisp of straw or fork full of manure to be seen anywhere. Even here no one was yet at work. The loose box doors were closed and she could hardly go from one to the other looking in until she found Rufus.

  Then the familiar bark from one of her dogs led her to the rear of the stable block and she ran to unbolt the door that held them captive. She dropped to her knees and they jumped all over her. ‘Good morning to you, boys, I see you have comfortable accommodation and have been well looked-after. Now, show me where Rufus and the other horses are stabled.’

  The dogs danced around her feet and then Toby shot off towards a paddock she could see in the distance and she gathered up her skirts and ran after him. The other two animals raced after their brother and by the time she reached the fence her stallion was galloping towards her.

  He skidded to a halt, sending divots of grass flying up behind him and lowered his massive head onto her shoulder. ‘I’m glad they turned you out, you’ll be much happier here.’ She stared around the field and could see several empty fields stretching ahead which would be ideal for an early morning gallop. As she had no notion where his tack was she would have to ride astride and bareback.

  ‘Stand still, Rufus, I’ve no wish to further damage my head by falling on it again.’ The horse calmed and remained stationary a few inches from the fence whilst she scrambled on his back. After arranging her skirts to her satisfaction she was ready to go.

  ‘Remember, sweetheart, I’ve no saddle or bridle and you must be careful not to tip me off.’

  She gently touched her heels to his sides and wound his long wiry mane around one hand. He needed no further encouragement and moved smoothly from trot to canter, increasing his stride when he saw the obstacle in front of them. She leaned forward, staring through his pricked ears, her blood pounding with excitement.

  Rufus soared into the air and cleared the fence with a foot or two to spare and then they were galloping. The pins in her hair came out and it was streaming behind her. Forgetting she was at the home of the Duke of Silchester and that she was here for the sole purpose of finding herself a husband, and that her outrageous behaviour would offend, she laughed out loud.

  *

  Bennett had retired as early as he could do so without seeming uncivil, he wasn’t a heavy drinker nor a gambler and found the twittering of society ladies unbearable after his years spent on the Continent as a soldier.

  He rose at dawn as he always did, dressed quickly and took the backstairs so he could leave the house without disturbing anyone. He arrived at the side door and was startled to find it already unbolted. Surely no one else had come out so early?

  As usual the stable yard was empty of grooms, he didn’t expect one of them to get up just to saddle his horse as he was quite capable of doing so himself. He was walking to the tack room when he heard the uninvited dogs barking and was almost sure he also heard Miss DuPont.

  He must have imagined this as she would hardly be out here at dawn when she had been so sorely injured less than a day ago. Although she’d looked well enough when he’d seen her sleeping, being out and about was another thing entirely.

  The noise had come from the paddocks at the rear of the stable block where the chestnut stallion and the four grey carriage horses had been turned out. He couldn’t believe his eyes and increased his pace until he was running flat out in a vain effort to reach the fence before the girl mounted her stallion.

  Calling out would be disastrous, he would startle the animal and she would fall a second time and might not be so lucky. He arrived too late and watched helplessly as the horse took off. Then
his horror turned to admiration as he realised the girl was in complete control and had a better seat than anyone he’d ever seen astride a horse.

  He held his breath as the animal approached the fence and sighed as Miss DuPont, mounted astride and bareback, landed safely and continued her wild ride. Her three canine companions scampered after her. He turned and raced for the tack room and within five minutes he was on his own horse and galloping after her.

  His initial admiration for her horsemanship had turned to fear that she was risking her life so casually. Lucifer cleared the fence with ease and thundered across the grass enjoying the unaccustomed race. The girl would have to slow her pace, if she was capable of doing so, when they reached the fourth fence as this bordered the woods that surrounded the property.

  She might be an expert horsewoman but it defied credibility to think she could control such a powerful horse with no saddle or bridle. His worst fears were realised when he caught a glimpse of the chestnut without his rider on the far side of the hedge that bordered the final paddock.

  ‘Steady, boy, we must not arrive at this speed.’ He pulled on the reins and transferred his weight to the back of the saddle and the horse responded immediately, dropping from a gallop to a canter and then to a walk.

  He was about to call out when three overexcited dogs shot through a hole at the bottom of the hedge and their sudden appearance caused Lucifer to rear at the precise moment he was dismounting.

  *

  After jumping the hedge Grace realised her small dog pack was several fields away. ‘We will wait for them here, Rufus, I’ll walk you until you’re cool enough to graze.’

  It took a while for the animals to catch up and by that time Rufus was happily munching at the lush grass that grew along the edge of the hedge in the clearing she’d jumped into. She greeted the dogs and then decided to explore before remounting. Although there was a track leading into the trees she wasn’t sure it would be suitable to ride along, as it looked more like one used by deer.