Amberley Chronicles Boxset II (Amberley Chronicles Box Sets Book 2)

by May Burnett

  ***

  In the end he merely rented the coach and horses, and the cost proved modest enough. Anthony, clad in a colourful and most unmarquesslike costume, would himself drive the four old greys. They seemed sturdy enough but would be utterly useless in a chase. The former Harlequin made him promise not to overtax them.

  In the meantime, Tsien travelled onwards to Milan in their carriage and with their coachman. He was disguised with one of Emily’s black dresses and the widow’s veil from Margaret’s valise. In Milan he would resume his male persona and later catch up to them with a different, faster coach. Anthony hoped that all these changes would confuse pursuit.

  As they slowly drove northwards, Margaret stayed inside the coach, investigating the fanciful costumes contained in two trunks, while Emily joined Anthony on the long driver’s bench, in a multi-coloured cloak that dazzled the eyes.

  “What an adventure,” she said. “Not many English gentlemen would be willing to disguise themselves as travelling entertainers. Do you not feel deprived of your social position?”

  He shrugged. “I like to vary my social position, as long as the demotion is temporary. Your cousin, Sir Conrad, would probably balk at the prospect.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “About three – no, by now it is almost four months. We were thrown together as the only young passengers on the ship we boarded in Ceylon, and struck up one of those shipboard friendships. As we were both keen on seeing Italy before returning to England, we travelled together from Naples via Rome and Florence. There he said he wanted to call on his aunt in Verona, and you know the rest.”

  “You are older than he – by how much?”

  “I am twenty-seven, and will turn twenty-eight in December. Conrad is only twenty-four, an infant by comparison.”

  “That would make me a new-born, with my nineteen years,” Emily said. “So there are almost nine years between us.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “Of course not. Your age is perfect for a husband. I was afraid that my grandmother was going to marry me off to some fat old man in his sixties or seventies.”

  “Surely you would not have agreed to such a travesty.”

  “I would have tried to resist, but when your whole family depends on charity, it would have been difficult. Thank you for saving me from such a fate.”

  “I would not mind if you were a little older, though I believe you are more mature than the average nineteen-year-old. As it happens, eighteen or nineteen is considered the perfect age for a young society wife.”

  Her brows contracted slightly. “Society? You mean, the kind of society to which your sister the Countess belongs? How old was she when she married?”

  “Twenty, but then it took some time to finalize the settlements, much to the chagrin in of her bridegroom. It was love at first sight between her and George, my brother-in-law.”

  “And she – and you – moved in circles where meeting a young Earl was something normal for her?”

  “Well, yes. Our family is at least as good.” He really should tell her about the title. “Besides-“

  Margaret interrupted before he could go on. “There are soldiers coming up from behind!”

  “Speak Italian!” He reminded her. “And settle down.” He reined in the old horses. Within seconds a troop of six soldiers passed by them at a fast trot, without stopping.

  “They may be on a completely different errand,” he told the sisters. “We are moving at such a snail-like pace, that on that score alone we cannot be regarded as suspicious.”

  “What if they catch up with Tsien?”

  “What of it? He is not the spy they are looking for.”

  “He might be imprisoned simply for wearing a disguise, and for being associated with us.”

  “He is not easy to hold,” Anthony said, reassuring himself as much as the girls. Tsien could be slippery like a fish. He had a roll of gold with him and knew enough Italian to get by.

  No, he had best keep his worry focused on the two young ladies in his care. Only days ago, when he had first heard of their existence, he could not possibly have imagined this current situation.

  Lord and Lady Pell on a most eccentric wedding trip. It would be something to tell their grandchildren one day.

  Chapter 15

  Your inmost wishes may be granted in unexpected or unwelcome ways.

  Maxims for Young Gentlewomen, Vol. 2, by a Lady (1824)

  It would have taken several days to reach the border even in the faster coach. With the old horses, the journey was more than twice as long. At least it provided ample time for Anthony to talk to his new bride, and confirm his belief that they were well suited, and would rub along well once they returned to England and his normal life.

  Several times they observed soldiers passing in both directions, at high speed. Anthony felt certain there was a manhunt on, one that included all of their descriptions. However, only once were they stopped and searched. They kept bored, impatient expressions on their faces throughout, and were grudgingly permitted to travel on.

  “My heart nearly gave out,” Emily later confessed to Anthony. “I never want to be a fugitive again. To think that Margaret risked this for a pittance! If the War Office asked her to risk her life – and ours, as it turns out – they should at least have given her a stipend she could live on, if necessary.”

  “I am planning to have a word with them,” Anthony said grimly. The same reflection had occurred to him more than once on this endless journey.

  “They are hardly likely to care, or even listen to an outsider.” She sighed. “At least Margaret only spied for her own country, and not a foreign one.”

  “Even so, that sort of thing is best left to professionals. They are less likely to come to grief. I understand there is a kind of courtesy, across nationalities: they are more reluctant to arrest each other, for fear of retaliation, while an amateur can expect no mercy.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “A friend has connections in that world – but he advised me to steer wide off it, and this experience proves that his advice was good.”

  “It is odd, this being half-married,” Emily said pensively, her small hand resting unselfconsciously on his calf. He would have liked to touch it, but could not release the reins.

  “It is like a betrothal, don’t you think? We shall rectify our situation in Geneva, over the border. I confess that I am impatient to enjoy all the privileges of a husband.” He stole a quick kiss.

  “Whatever you say, Anthony, but I always dreamed of a marriage in an English church – the one near our former estate, to be precise. Each time a wedding was celebrated there, I looked forward to my own, with flowers and a veil and friends and family about me. That is foolish, I know, because what really matters is that the marriage be valid before the law, not where it takes place.”

  “Your hopes were modest enough.” He pondered. “For your reputation’s sake we cannot wait until we arrive among the English gossips. I am too well-known in England, and your good name would be torn to shreds. But there is no law that prevents us from having another ceremony in your church – is it far from London?”

  “It is in Leicestershire, not far from Hinckley.”

  “Prime hunting country, that. One of my estates is not too far from there. Consider it done, my lady.”

  “You spoil me, Anthony.” She pressed his hand. “Thank you. But I was merely dreaming, – I am not sure we should go back to my old parish – our family left it in disgrace, with unpaid debts. The moment they see us, our former friends and neighbours will revisit the scandal and humiliation we suffered.”

  “All the more reason to show them you are now a rich and happily married lady. They will bow to you, Emily, depend on it.”

  “But if your family should go there for the wedding – your sister the Countess, her husband – they will hear all about our past misfortunes in every painful detail. It will be humiliating.”

&nbs
p; “Many families suffer misfortunes. The important thing is to rise above them. You have not caused or contributed to those ills, I would wager.”

  “No, of course not. Until I was fourteen, I was not even aware that we were facing ruin.”

  “What became of your family estate?”

  “There was no entail, so it was foreclosed upon by my father’s creditors and sold for a fraction of its worth. I believe a rich manufacturer from Liverpool is the owner now, but he does not reside there. It was offered for rent, the last I heard.”

  Maybe he could recover the house for Emily, to leave to one of their younger children. “Tell me more – how big is it, how long was it in your family?”

  “Queen Elizabeth bestowed the estate on Sir Reuben Bellaire. The spelling of our name was changed later.”

  “And the place remained in your family until the nineteenth century? What a pity that your father could not hold on to it.”

  “Margaret would have inherited it, if he had not gambled. There are no male Bellairs left.”

  “My own family is in no immediate danger of extinction, as I have several cousins,” Anthony remarked, “but I shall be most grateful to you, if you provide me with an heir. Also for any daughters and younger sons you might give me, of course.”

  “I shall do my best,” Emily said, blushing. “Since I also want children, it will not be a great sacrifice.”

  “How many do you want?”

  “Four or five? That seems a good number. But I understand that it is not a sure thing.”

  “There are ways to prevent conception, but no means to reliably ensure it,” Anthony agreed. “Even worse must be if a woman cannot carry a healthy child to term. Think of the poor Duchess of Clarence.”

  Emily nodded sombrely. Adelaide, widely considered the future Queen of England, had suffered a number of miscarriages, and the two royal princesses she had borne had only survived for short periods. “Her fate does give one pause, especially if one considers that she would have drawn on the very best medical advice. On the other hand, less exalted women of every station give birth successfully every single day.”

  “Four or five children seems an excellent number to me as well. Let us hope they are granted to us.”

  “Your sister the Countess will be able to help the girls find suitable matches,” Emily said. “Though that is far in the future, of course.”

  Anthony had to smile. “We won’t need her help. Our town house is perfectly adequate for the come-out ball of a debutante. When Marianne was first presented, we had four hundred guests there.”

  “You want me to invite four hundred people?”

  “Once you have done it a few times it becomes routine.”

  “If you say so,” her voice expressed doubt. “It sounds awfully expensive, Anthony.”

  “Don’t worry, we won’t easily run out of funds.”

  “I shall hold you to that.”

  “If you are so rich,” Margaret’s voice came from inside the coach, “I suggest you buy faster horses than these slugs. I vow I could progress faster walking.”

  “They are a necessary disguise,” Emily said sharply, “necessary because of your imprudent actions, Margaret.”

  “It drives me to distraction, being shut up in that swaying box for so many hours a day, listening to the two of you billing and cooing.”

  Anthony had thought he had been remarkably discreet under the circumstances. “You know why we have to take these precautions, Miss Bellairs.” He felt no inclination to call her by her first name, nor had she offered. “And we are coming to a village, so must I remind you to switch to Italian?”

  “The natives can tell we are foreigners, anyway,” she said ungraciously.

  “By my calculations, in one more day we shall arrive in Como, where Tsien should wait for us with a faster coach.”

  That afternoon they were stopped yet again, and subjected to a perfunctory search. Two Austrian soldiers were accompanied by an Italian who might well denounce them as foreigners; Anthony said as little as possible, grunting in reply to their orders. Margaret had donned a wig from their chest of theatrical costumes, and a short-skirted costume that focused attention on her shapely legs rather than her face.

  They passed muster once again, but as the men left, the Italian said, “I will see you at the fair tomorrow, I am sure. My wife is very fond of pantomime.”

  Anthony nodded and breathed a sigh of relief when the men were gone.

  “Did you hear that?” Emily asked as soon as they were private again. “A fair! If we don’t perform it will look very suspicious. But I could not possibly – pantomime is an art form that takes years to master, and any Italian familiar with it would unmask us in a minute.”

  “I fear that is correct,” Margaret assented. “Besides, we are only three people, not enough for a full performance. I wonder that this circumstance did not rouse suspicions.”

  “We have to drive on, and hope that they will forget about us,” Anthony decided. “If that local fair has enough other attractions we should not be missed.”

  “Maybe there is another troupe to perform pantomime, and they will confuse them with us,” Emily said with more optimism than Anthony could share. “It is near the time when we usually stop. How are the horses holding up?”

  “Look for yourself – they are blowing hard, these constant steep elevations are tiring them. In truth, they have already done more than I could have expected. To drive on much longer would be inhumane.”

  “Isn’t there any way to change horses?”

  “Remember that by tomorrow we should meet Tsien and change transportation.”

  “We might leave the whole coach and carriage behind, and travel post,” Emily suggested. “As an English couple returning from a vacation, and their maid.”

  “Hmm.” It was not a bad idea. Anthony was getting heartily tired of driving these slow horses. Passing drivers gave him pitying glances. When he thought of the thoroughbreds in his English studs and stables, the racehorses he owned … it really was too ridiculous, to be reduced to this.

  Wryly he recalled his previous reluctance to end his travels and go home. This adventure was adding weeks to the journey, and had worked a thorough change in his sentiments. Now he was impatient to return … though that might be due to his marriage more than anything else. There would be no dull routine with Emily by his side, experiencing his world for the first time.

  The fair was drawing custom from far away, and the four inns in the small town were full to bursting. A perfect excuse to continue onwards, but the horses were spent. With some trouble, Anthony found space for them at a livery stable, and invited the young ladies for a tour of the city and a meal in a common restaurant, where their simple clothes would not be marked. They dined well enough.

  “We could mingle with the crowds in the fair, but who will guard our luggage?” Emily worried. “Is that livery stable secure? The whole town is full of foreigners. Some of them look decidedly shifty.”

  “They probably think the same of us,” Margaret said. “I bet you that I could organise onward transport within the hour.”

  Before Anthony could object, Emily said, “No, Margaret, my nerves cannot stand any more risk. I want none of your reckless schemes.”

  “Where there’s life, there’s risk,” Margaret retorted, tossing her head. Her eyes flashed.

  “Anthony,” a soft voice said behind him. He turned, and there was Tsien, dressed as a fashionable young man, with a woman in a grey cloak standing by his side.

  He breathed out in relief. “Tsien! How did you find us?”

  “I merely had to ask for that monstrous coach of yours, with the poor old horses. Everyone noted your passing. And this city has not so many establishments, that it could take long to run you to earth.”

  “As long as it’s only you doing so, and not the authorities,” Emily said in a low voice. She smiled at the woman. “Did you come with Tsien?”

  “Allow me to present Sig
nora Tarcassi,” Tsien said, “I hired her in Milan, as maid for you, Madame Emily.”

  Yet another dependent – what was Tsien thinking? The woman was in her mid-thirties, at Anthony’s guess, older than any of them. “That is all very well, Tsien, but we were just wondering how to continue our trip towards the border. Did you bring a carriage large enough for the five of us, as well as our luggage?”

  “Yes, of course. All is well. And it is better if we have a different number of persons, as they are still hunting your party. I was worried they would catch you before we met. I heard that they have released Sir Conrad, however.”

  “They have?” Margaret leaned forward intently. “Thank God!”

  “Where did you hear that?” Anthony wondered.

  “From an article in the local newspaper,” Signora Tarcassi said. How much did she know? It was not like Tsien to take a stranger into his confidence. The woman was too old and respectable to be his mistress. What was going on here?

  “Welcome to our troupe, Signora Tarcassi,” Emily said. “It feels strange to have a maid when I am dressed like a simple countrywoman.”

  “But you are a lady, and will soon resume your natural position in life,” the woman returned. “It will be my pleasure to help you make the most of your assets.”

  “You are welcome to try,” Emily said with a sweet smile. Anthony shook his head. She already was adorable. No need to gild the lily, as far as he was concerned.

  Chapter 16

  When a major problem is resolved you may be surprised how many small ones arise at once, to take its place.

  Maxims for Young Gentlewomen, Vol. 2, by a Lady (1824)

  “At the top of this pass we should reach the Swiss border,” Anthony said. “Very soon we shall be safe.”

  “It cannot be soon enough for me.” Emily tried to relax. Her jaw was tense, and her hands had an unfortunate tendency to clench into fists.

  “Don’t worry, Ma’am,” Signora Tarcassi said in her deep voice. She had limited but fluent English, and her vocabulary was growing apace. “It would be too much bad luck, to be stopped when you have come so far.”