Regency Belles & Beaux

by Michele McGrath

  “Aunt, I want to know if I must tell Sarah to pack my trunks or not,” Alice said when they were both seated. “I realise that I have, to some extent, abused your hospitality but it was never my intention to hurt you or any member of your family.”

  Lady Mary nodded. “I understand that, yet you will agree it was not conduct I would expect from my niece and your father’s daughter.”

  Alice said nothing, having nothing to say. Her aunt was quite right and she could only be thankful for her forbearance.

  “However, to answer your question, no. Don’t order your trunks to be packed. We must wait on events. Edward left specific orders that you should remain in this house until he returns.”

  “He did? Did he say anything else?”

  “No. You have caused him a lot of trouble you know. Better that he stays away until he can keep his temper under control.”

  “I see. Thank you, ma’am.”

  Alice rose and made her way unhappily out of the door. She could not help comparing Edward’s attitude to her last night with the one he had adopted after her revelations this morning. She believed that she was the unhappiest girl in the world, having love snatched away from her before she had any time to enjoy it. Kitty, however, would dispute her claim. She would say that her own unhappiness was worse than Alice’s. Edward had refused even to mention her marriage before he went away. Everyone was quite worn out and happy to seek out their beds the moment the tea tray had been cleared away.

  Edward did not return the next morning. The under valet told Lady Mary at breakfast that the master had taken Parry, his valet, and enough changes of clothing for a week. Questioned further, he told them that he did not know his master’s destination or when he was likely to come back. With that, the ladies had to be content.

  The days that followed were dull. A feeling of flatness fell over all of them. No one said anything, but they understood that they were all waiting for Edward. Kitty’s nerves occasionally played up, and she gave sharp answers to innocent questions, apologising afterwards for her rudeness. Roper did not come back, so she was without his support. Although the family pursued their usual round of activities, the balls and suppers seemed to be commonplace and lacking in interest. Alice danced and dined and even flirted a little with her admirers but she found no joy in it.

  It is as if we are all waiting for a storm to break, she thought. Whatever happens, anything is better than this. She had a melancholy thought that as soon as Edward returned she would be leaving London, perhaps forever. In her present mood she believed she would be glad to sink back into the life she had always known. There she was neither aux anges one moment and in the depth of despair the next. A little peace and quietness would be very nice for a change.

  On the fifth day after her adventure, a surprise awaited Alice when she came down to breakfast. A letter, written on foreign paper and much franked, lay by her plate. Only one person could be writing to her from the continent and she hurried to open it. She gave a sigh of relief when she had read its contents. She waited until the servants had withdrawn and then she said,

  “Philip is safe, Aunt. He has almost reached Paris and will be journeying on to my uncle’s home just outside Grenoble. I am so thankful.”

  “And Mrs. Staunton?”

  “She is with him and well, although very tired from the journey.”

  “For your sake, I am glad he is out of harm’s way.”

  As the days passed, Alice began to dread Edward’s return. Surely something important had happened to keep him away so long. Kitty often speculated on his destination, thinking perhaps that he might have followed the fugitives but, with what motive she could not guess.

  Why ever should he? Alice thought to herself. Philip will not come back. He can’t. So what purpose would it serve?

  “Where do you think he has gone?” Kitty asked about ten times a day but Alice had no answer to give her. His real destination never occurred to her. When the ladies heard a commotion outside the house and Lizzie, peering down from the window told them that Edward’s coach had just arrived, Alice felt sick. Taking a firm hold on her courage, she made herself sit still and, when he entered, she was able to greet him with propriety if not with enthusiasm.

  “Good day to you, Edward,” Lady Mary said, giving him her hand. “We had almost given you up, you had been so long away. I’m sure Eastham, your agent has called quite three times to see you on business and Reynolds has had to send him away.”

  “I am sorry you had the trouble, ma’am. I will ask Eastham to call tomorrow. I was away rather longer than I expected because one of the wheels broke and I had to wait until it was mended.” He turned to his sister. “Kitty I would be obliged if you would write to Roper and ask him to meet me here at his earliest convenience.”

  Kitty cast a startled glance at his face and realised he was smiling down at her.

  “Of course, Edward, I will do so right away but I am not sure when he will receive the letter. He has not been to visit us since the day you left. I don’t even know if he is even in London.”

  Edward nodded and turned to Lady Mary. “Now ma’am, if you will excuse us, I have something of a private nature to discuss with my cousin.”

  “I beg you will let her stay here with us, Edward, at least until the end of the season. It would be very unkind to send her home in disgrace and cause tongues to wag. You might jeopardise her whole future.”

  “You need have no fear of that, ma’am. Come, Alice.”

  Alice could feel her legs shaking as she followed him down the corridor to the library. He held the door open for her, and she walked past him to the fireplace to warm her hands. She was freezing, although the day was fine. Even Edward’s words to her aunt did not give her much comfort. She had not really understood them. Now, looking into the fire and unable to stand the silence a moment more, she blurted out,

  “Well, Cousin, do you want me to leave your house?”

  “Only if you really want to,” Edward said.

  She turned around to look at him and realised that he was regarding her with a slightly puzzled frown between his eyes.

  “Would you like to know where I have been these last few days?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I have been to visit your parents at Kirkmore.” Alice sat down hurriedly. If he had told her father about the scrape she was in for helping Philip, she shuddered at his reaction. But Edward was continuing to speak, “While I was there I met an acquaintance of yours, Mr. Hardwick.”

  It took a moment or two for his words to penetrate the fog of fear that lay over her thoughts. When it did she exclaimed, “Goodness!”

  “He had come to ask your Papa for permission to pay his addresses to you.”

  “Oh no!” Alice moaned. “Do you know what Papa said to him?”

  “He refused him.”

  “He did?” Relief flooded through her. “Hardwick was behind the fair. You see, your father had already given me his permission to marry you!”

  “What?” Alice bounced up from her seat, with no thought as to propriety. “He did what?”

  Edward came up to her and caught her hands in his. He was laughing. “What else could I do after all the things you said to me on our drive from Richmond?” He put a finger under her chin and tipped her face up to his. “I must say, cousin, that if you did not mean those words then I have to tell you, that you are a shocking flirt.”

  His lips found hers and she responded to his touch.

  Some time later, they were sitting on the couch when Alice asked,

  “Did Papa receive my letter about Mr. Hardwick?”

  “If he did, he did not show it to me.”

  “Thank goodness you got to Kirkmore before him,” she said with a little shudder. She would never have to listen to Mr. Hardwick again.

  She was so happy at that moment that she wanted everyone to share her happiness. Perhaps she could now do as she had promised and plead Kitty’s case to Edward.

 
“Why did you send for Captain Roper?” she asked him.

  “To tell him that he might marry Kitty with my blessing.”

  “What!” Alice exclaimed. “But you said you would not condone the match.”

  “I know I did but if she is sure this is what she wants, who am I to cause her unhappiness? I intend to send my wife to visit her and keep her from becoming bored whenever Roper is away. What do you say to that, my love?”

  “That I am happy to obey you. How famous! Kitty will be over the moon. When did you change your mind?”

  “She was so sensible and courageous the night you vanished that I realised she had grown up and was not the little sister I had left behind me. Roper is an intelligent man. I cannot stand in the way of their happiness when I am about to get married myself. Now, shall we go and tell the family that you are about to become Lady Alice Maitland rather than Mrs. Hardwick?” He held out his hand to her and together they walked out of the library.

  Regency Belles & Beaux

  Lord Philip’s Christmas

  Michèle McGrath

  Lord Philip’s Christmas

  Prologue

  “What will you do now, Mama?” Mrs. Matilda Appleby asked in a shrill voice. “Do we even know where Philip is?”

  The late autumn day was drawing to a close and the atmosphere in the salon at Kirkmore was bleak. It was not relieved by the fact that most of the inhabitants wore the severe black of mourning. The only exception was a tall girl dressed unbecomingly in a dull grey bombazine, with her hair wrapped around her head in thick dark braids. She sat apart from the company, as if she did not consider herself part of the family, as indeed she was not. Miss Grace Talbot had come to reside at Kirkmore, following the recent death of her father and was finding her position more than a little tedious. It was true that the Countess of Kirkmore kept her busy with requests for water, for smelling salts or to call a servant to build up the meagre fire. At other times, her duties included reading aloud, writing letters and any other task her mistress could not be bothered to do for herself.

  When Miss Talbot had been introduced to the family earlier that day, the two eldest of the Countess’s daughters, Matilda and Cecily, looked her over critically and then proceeded to ignore her completely. The youngest and prettiest of the three had greeted her civilly enough but had shot her a puzzled look. It was a puzzlement which Miss Talbot shared. No one was more startled than she had been, when the Countess descended on the quiet vicarage as she was packing. Lady Kirkmore offered Grace a refuge and a position as her companion. At the time, Grace had been cudgeling her brains to decide what to do next, since she had been left almost penniless by her father’s death. So, she had accepted the offer with relief. Now she could not help wondering whether there might be more exciting ways of earning her living elsewhere, for Grace was a dreamer. Her prim costume, worn to please her employer, held no clue to the personality that bubbled beneath the surface. Lady Kirkmore would have been horrified at some of the thoughts revolving in her new companion’s head. Tales of adventure and derring-do, exotic lands and narrow escapes wove their magic and did much to relieve the boredom of a country gentlewoman’s existence. Sometimes Grace wished she could write the stories down but when she tried, it seemed she lacked the ability to transmit them onto paper. Additionally, she would have been ashamed if someone found and read what she had written, so one day she had burned her attempts on the kitchen fire. Occasionally Grace felt guilty about her secret imaginings but her own mother had read novels and her father had not condemned her for doing so. I don’t hurt anyone with my fancies, she thought, and if I did not tell myself fairy-tales, how would I ever be able to bear the tedium?

  Today, however, was not the time to dream. Grace realised she must keep her wits about her, for this occasion was both solemn and fraught with the spectacle of clashing personalities. Grace would much prefer not to be present at this gathering and had been on the point of leaving the room. She was called to order by the Countess and reluctantly resumed her seat. The Earl’s solicitor had just left the grieving family, after reading the late Lord Kirkmore’s will. This document had been written well before the death of his eldest son, Julian, in a hunting accident and never revised. The solicitor pointed out that when he asked the Earl several times to do so, he had been promptly sent about his business. The will contained few surprises. All the minor provisions and bequests were capable of fulfilment but the most important had become totally irrelevant. Julian, Viscount Buchannon, the heir to all the entailed property and titles, had not married or produced a son. He had held the opinion that he was too young to fall into the parson’s mousetrap yet and enjoyed his unfettered lifestyle with no thought for the future. This fact had thrown the assembly into disarray, although it was not unexpected, for the whereabouts of the new successor, his brother Philip, was unknown.

  Lady Kirkmore frowned at her eldest daughter who had posed the question and did not immediately answer. It was her youngest sister, Alice, who replied,

  “Philip told me that he was going to visit Oncle Richard in France.”

  “Pooh! When did he tell you that? You were only a child at school when he ran away and you haven’t seen him for years,” Mrs. Appleby retorted.

  Sir Edward Maitland, standing by the fire with one arm propped negligently on the mantelpiece, gave a slight cough which drew all eyes to his tall, elegant figure. “I hesitate to disagree with you, Matilda, but in fact Alice met him as recently as this summer. He indicated then that he was returning to France and to Dauphiné in particular.”

  “France! Is that where he has been hiding himself?”

  Sir Edward shrugged. “So it would appear.”

  “Will you send for him, Mama?” Mrs. Appleby ignored her brother-in-law’s response. “He cannot know about Papa’s death or even Julian’s.”

  “What choice do I have?” The widow replied in an angry voice. “Whether we like it or not, your father’s death makes Philip the new Earl of Kirkmore.”

  “Unless he relinquishes his title and estates,” Mr. Appleby said with rather more eagerness in his tone than was strictly proper to this occasion. “If he does, wouldn’t Matilda inherit his portion?”

  “I don’t see why she should,” Lady Ridlington interrupted. “Matilda may be older than me but she has no son to continue after her, unlike my darling little Jasper.”

  Miss Talbot frowned and looked away. She had been tasked with looking after ‘darling little Jasper’ yesterday while the other ladies had a quiet coze together. It took all her strength of will and imagination to control one of the most ill-behaved and indulged children she knew. When Grace turned back, she noticed Alice’s understanding smile.

  Lady Kirkmore laughed but there was little humour in her voice. “Be quiet both of you. I never considered you needle-witted, Arthur, but please remember that this has been explained to you before. Even if both my sons died, females do not inherit in England, more is the pity. It’s impossible for Matilda to become the Countess of Kirkmore in her own right or to make you the Earl, despite the fact that you are the husband of my eldest daughter. The title and entailed lands would pass to that creature my husband used to call ‘poor Cousin Arthur’.” The widow turned to Alice. “When precisely did you meet Philip, Alice, and why did you not see fit to inform your parents when you did so?”

  Lady Alice Maitland still retained the grace to blush, in spite of her newly married state. She answered her mother, however, with more confidence than she would have done a year ago, before she managed to escape from her home and her overbearing mother and father.

  “I met him in London when I went to make my debut under the auspices of dear Aunt Mary. He appeared at a ball when I was present.”

  “And why didn’t you write to Papa? He would have posted up to London immediately.”

  “Philip asked me not to.”

  The Countess stared at her in astonishment. “Are my ears deceiving me? Am I hearing you correctly? You put the wishes of tha
t miscreant above the interests of your own parents?”

  “Yes I did,” Alice glared back at her mother, her own temper rising. “Philip knew he couldn’t stay in this country, with Mr. Staunton intent on having him arrested for attempted murder. He intended to leave very soon, so what point would there have been in informing you? Philip would be gone long before Papa arrived. I didn’t think it made any difference.”

  “You think! You have never been known to have a sensible thought in your life,” her mother hissed.

  “Mama, should we really be discussing such matters in front of Miss Talbot, who is after all a stranger to most of this family?” Lady Ridlington asked, looking pointedly at Grace. Lady Kirkmore followed the direction of her daughter’s eyes as Grace rose and murmured,

  “Give me leave, ma’am. Indeed, I do not wish to intrude on you at this sad time. I should have left before, if you had not bid me to stay.”

  “Nonsense. I will decide, Cecily, who stays and who is to go. Miss Talbot is a woman of sense, which is more than can be said for most of my children. This is still my house and my decision. Sit down Miss Talbot, if you please.” The Countess swung around to Alice, “As for you…”

  Sir Edward interrupted this incipient row, “I must ask you, ma’am, to consider well before you say anything more. I will not allow you to insult my wife in my presence.”

  “You, you…” as Lady Kirkmore searched for an epithet for her latest son-in-law, he rose to his feet and forestalled her.

  “I don’t believe we need stay any longer, do you, Alice? You have given your mother all the information she needs. Let us thank her for her hospitality and leave now. With luck, we can be several leagues closer to home before full darkness descends.” He held out his hand to Alice, bowed to the assembled company and swept her out of the room before her mother could even utter the word ‘Well!’.