Regency Belles & Beaux

by Michele McGrath

Edward looked at her, startled. “Can you trust her to act in such a way that she doesn’t betray his whereabouts or would you expect her to rush to his bedside?”

  “She was never very concerned when we were little,” Alice said thoughtfully. “Now that Philip has inherited she might feel differently, of course. She was troubled if Julian hurt himself but she left the rest of us in Nurse’s care.”

  “If anything happened to Philip, who would inherit the estate?” Edward asked.

  “A distant cousin of ours who lives in London. Our family isn’t close, so he never visited Kirkmore. With two healthy brothers, I did not trouble to seek him out when I came to the city.”

  “Would the fact that Philip is now the earl make him more important in your mother’s eyes?”

  “It must do so. If anything happened to him, she would have to remove to the dower house and see Cousin Arthur inherit Kirkmore. To answer your question, I think she would go to him and would want to accompany him to ensure he was properly looked after.”

  “She wouldn’t trust you?”

  “Her opinion of me has never been high.”

  “What a foolish woman. Tell me, my love, would you like her to be with us all the way to Dauphiné?”

  “Certainly not. It has been a great relief to me to be on our own these last few weeks. I think, though, it would be wrong just sneak away from her as if we were thieves in the night.”

  “A sentiment that does justice to your heart, but not to your head. I, for one, will do much better without your mother…” Alice opened her mouth to speak, but he held up his hand to stop her. “To soothe your conscience, you may leave a letter to be delivered to her after we have gone.”

  “She will be so angry!”

  “If she follows us to Dauphiné, we’ll have escaped her company on the journey at least, and she is unlikely to make a scene in front of her brother and his family.”

  “She won’t come. She told me that she wanted your protection to come here at all, so I doubt she would travel further on her own.”

  “Even more reason to tell her after we’ve left.”

  “Edward, you wretch!”

  “She’s fulfilled her wish to find Philip and urged him to return to England. She can do nothing more to make him do so. If she wants to visit her brother and see her old home, she can easily hire outriders for the journey. It may be more convenient for her to travel with us but it’s not necessary. A very little of your mother’s company is trying to my nerves, so be a good girl and write to her if you must, but don’t invite her to join us.”

  The letter was duly written and given to the hotel manager with strict instructions to see it delivered after they had left. The manager was sorry they were going but was consoled with a large vail to thank him for his services. Bennett and Benson supervised the packing of all the trunks and bandboxes.

  “Mama told me that life is much simpler in the French countryside or even in a provincial city like Grenoble.” Alice and Grace were making a careful selection of what was to be taken with them. “We will send our town clothes home, including the dresses Céleste made and anything else that is not strictly necessary, so we may have more room in the coach.”

  Edward sent Alice and Grace out to purchase those items they thought might need for Philip’s comfort on the journey. They had been given a list of necessities by Antoine as well as the addresses of the apothecaries which would stock such things. They took a little time to make all the purchases, but they returned at last with everything he had suggested.

  One of the coaches they had brought from England was loaded with luggage Bennett was to take home. Alice, Grace and Agathe would travel in the other one with Philip, while Edward and Victor intended to ride. Benson had a seat beside the coachman as usual. Everything was ready when, that evening, Victor came to the hotel and took Edward aside.

  “They are hunting for him, or so I’ve been told. We moved him from the Hôtel-Dieu just in time. These royalists never persist in such things for long, though. If we can get him away, he should be safe. Philip didn’t shoot the King or one of his family, which is all that matters to them. One Englishman more or less is no great loss, forgive me for saying so.”

  Edward laughed. “I could say the same of a Frenchman in London.”

  “Nevertheless I think we should leave tomorrow and hurry over the first few stages. It’s better to be leagues away from Paris before anyone knows that we’ve gone.”

  Philip was apparently much improved but still unable to use his arm. Antoine agreed he could attempt the journey so long as it was strapped to his chest and he did not try to use it. Edward gave his instructions to the coachman while Alice said goodbye to Bennett, who was close to tears.

  “I am so sorry to be leaving you, ma’am. Are you sure I can’t stay?”

  “You will be far more comfortable at home and of greater use to me there than you would be bouncing over the mountains. Look after my dresses and give my letters to Lady Maitland and the housekeeper. There’s no need for you to hurry, because we won’t be in London for some weeks. The coachman knows to stop from time to time, so you may go for a walk and recover yourself. Have a good journey.”

  Although she liked Bennett, Alice was impatient for her to leave. She wanted to see her brother. When the coach turned the corner and was lost to sight, she gave a sigh of relief. She quickly mounted into the other carriage. Grace and Agathe were already aboard while Edward mounted his horse. Victor and Benson had gone on ahead to make Philip ready. They were carrying him down the stairs of the apartment, followed by Antoine, when the carriage drew up at the entrance.

  Alice and Grace were shocked to see how white and ill Philip looked. They tried hard to restrain their feelings, but Agathe cried out,

  “Oh! Monsieur le Baron!” She was promptly hushed by Antoine. Philip was assisted into the coach and propped up with pillows.

  “If he has good food and proper attention, he will prosper,” Antoine told them. “Don’t worry. You must dress his wound every day, more often if he starts to bleed, but I think it is unlikely.”

  He gave the women further instructions on the care for their patient and then wished them Bon Voyage.

  Chapter Eleven

  The carriage picked its way carefully through the streets of Paris. They passed out of the Port de Vincennes, one of the eastern gates of the city, and set off on the road leading to Dauphiné. Nobody challenged them at the gate although Victor had a story ready in case it was needed. At first everything went well and they left Paris behind. The roads were soft with rain but not enough for them to become mired. The horses maintained a steady pace and the changes were accomplished with no trouble. After they left the forest of Fontainebleu behind them, Grace pulled down the window and called to Edward,

  “I’m sorry but I think we must stop soon. Philip is obviously in pain. I have given him a little brandy, as Antoine suggested, but he has not settled.”

  “Victor, do you know where we can stay near here?” Edward asked.

  “The next village is Moret-sur-Loing. There’s a good enough inn there.”

  “How far?”

  “A league. Perhaps a little more.”

  “Very well.”

  The hostelry proved to be a pleasant place as Victor had said. Philip was carried up to the best bedchamber and made comfortable. The landlady clucked over him,

  “Ah le pauvre petit. Quel dommage.”

  Alice spent time with Philip while Grace and Agathe had their dinner.

  “I will stay with him tonight,” Grace offered when she returned.

  “No, you won’t,” Agathe disputed. “A lady does not remain in the room of a servant, even if he is sick. I am the one to do so. I have done it before when Madame was alive and no questions asked. No one takes any notice of me. Besides which, the Baron snores!”

  Grace could not help smiling at that. She made no further argument but came downstairs again and told Alice and Edward what Agathe had said.

&n
bsp; “She is perfectly right of course,” Edward agreed. “We are bound to be remembered if you or Alice look after a mere servant. It’s best to give the gossips nothing to talk about. Look in before you go to bed and see that he is settled for the night, then Agathe can call us if he gets any worse.”

  Edward insisted that both Alice and Grace came for a short walk before they retired.

  “You have been cooped up in the carriage all day. You won’t do Philip any good if you make yourselves ill through worrying about him. He’s young and fit and will recover from this wound. Let Agathe watch him, then you can see him in the morning.”

  They walked along the banks of the twisting river and admired the old buildings in the town centre. It was not long, though, before Grace grew restless and they turned back. When she peeped into Philip’s room she found him in a deep sleep.

  “Oh, Mademoiselle, he seemed so happy to be able to stretch out his legs properly and to lie still,” Agathe said. “I’m sure he is a little better, thank the good God.”

  “I hope you’re right, Agathe. Go down now and take a short walk. I have done so and I feel so much better. Wake me in the night if he is restless or if there is any change for the worst.”

  “D’accord, Mademoiselle.”

  They had the satisfaction of seeing Philip much improved in the morning but when Edward would have ordered the horses put to the carriage, Alice said,

  “My love, I don’t think he should travel today. This inn is comfortable and he seems fine so let us remain here another day and leave tomorrow. He can stay in bed or get up and sit by the window to take the air. I’m sure that it would be more sensible than carrying on and perhaps causing him to relapse.”

  “I have no objections if you believe it to be so. Do you, Victor?”

  “None at all. Antoine told me that we should travel by easy stages and there is no need for us to rush, now we are out of the city. No one seems to have followed us.”

  Later that morning, Philip insisted he was well enough to leave his bed and sit in the parlour for a short while.

  “Let him,” Alice said, “if he is crossed in small things, it always makes him fretful.”

  Benson was sent up to help the invalid to dress and then Victor and Benson supported him down the stairs. He was settled in a wing chair beside a cheerful fire and proclaimed that he felt much better just to be among them again. He shrugged off his injury, saying it was not paining him, although his white face and the lines of strain around the eyes gave the lie to this statement. Grace found an old pack of cards in the taproom and challenged him to a game of piquet. This kept him still for a while. When he became restless again, Edward handed him a broadsheet that he had acquired. This engaged his interest for a while as he snorted uncomplimentary comments about some of the articles. He had just insulted one of the king’s ministers, when the landlady entered to take away the dishes. She was obviously big with news.

  “Have you heard, Mesdames, Messieurs? They say the Emperor has left that island of his and is at this moment, riding through France.”

  “What!” Edward was on his feet. “Surely not?”

  “Mais oui! Soldiers have been sent to arrest him, but everyone thinks he’ll avoid them and come back to where he belongs.”

  “Heavens above!” Edward sank into a chair.

  Philip sat up straight and looked at his cousin. “Do you think they’ll catch him?”

  “I doubt it. He’s too good a general not to have made careful plans. There’s a lot of unrest in the country at present and nobody likes the king’s government. Philip and I aren’t the only ones.”

  “I wouldn’t want to be sent out to intercept Napoleon,” Philip commented. “That unfortunate man will be condemned by half the people if he succeeds. If he fails, the other half will be after him for his blood.”

  “You think so much of him then?” Edward asked curiously.

  “He has done some good things for France. The Code Napoleon for example. The previous laws were vastly unjust, unless you were a churchman or an aristocrat.”

  “He was known as ‘the ogre’ in England,” Alice said. “They told terrible stories about him.”

  “They would,” her brother replied. “He’s just a man like any other, neither an ogre nor a hero out of the myths. Some call him a genius in battle and certainly he has been successful. I don’t agree with some of the things he did, but I was proud to serve him. I can’t say the same about the king.”

  “It’s better to have a ruler who knows what he is about than one who is a fool who is led by the people around him,” Victor muttered.

  “I wasn’t alive when the king’s brother sat on the throne, so I don’t know what happened then,” Agathe said. Her eyes were sparkling. “Maman says that there were lots of balls and entertainments at the Tuileries when the old king was alive. She often watched the pretty ladies arriving, all covered with jewels. She sometimes took me there when the Emperor had guests. They were very fine, wearing their silks and satins. How I longed to wear such things. Perhaps those times will come again.”

  “I doubt it,” Edward replied, “England would never accept Bonaparte, it was hard enough getting rid of him the last time. We’re sure to fight against him and so is Austria and Prussia.”

  “If you are right and the Emperor does reach Paris and take over the government, have you thought that your own position will be in jeopardy?”

  “Philip,” Alice cried, “what do you mean?”

  “If the Emperor succeeds, everything changes. Louis XVIII is no soldier and neither are his cronies. They would most likely flee over the border as they did before. Victor and I can go back to our old jobs. If England declares war, then you three would become enemies of the state. When the Peace of Amiens broke down in 1803, those English people stranded in France were held here until they could buy themselves free. Most of those who did so were women, children and older persons. Young men were kept prisoner, to prevent them from joining in the fighting. I’m afraid it would be the same this time.”

  Victor nodded. “I agree. Dauphiné is close to the borders with Switzerland and Italy. It is also a long way from Paris so it would take days for an Imperial order to reach the authorities there. I think we should resume our journey tomorrow and make better speed, if Philip is well enough.”

  “I’m well.”

  “Before we panic, this all depends on whether the Emperor succeeds in taking over the government. The landlady said that troops had been sent out to arrest him.”

  “What will you wager on their finding him and capturing him if they do? He hasn’t failed very often in the past. The only battle he lost was at Leipzig and he would not have lost that one if he still had the soldiers he took to Russia. Personally, I wouldn’t bet heavily on his failure.”

  Alice looked at her husband. “What should we do?”

  “We must wait and see what happens. If the king prevails, then we need do nothing. If the Emperor regains his power, we must leave France as soon as possible. We’re already on the road to the border. We’ll continue our journey and hope to arrive at your uncle’s house before any action is taken against foreigners. These things take time to be organised and we won’t be high on Bonaparte’s priorities. He’s certain to be more concerned with raising taxes and building up his troops before the Allied Powers send their armies against him.”

  “If you leave France, I’ll come with you to the border,” Victor offered. “I’m French and a known supporter of the Emperor. Alice can pass as French also, but you, Edward and Grace, would be recognized as foreigners the moment you spoke to anyone. If Alice and I do the talking along the way, we should be able to reach Grenoble with little trouble. From there it’s an easy route into Switzerland.”

  “If he does succeed and we declare war on him,” Edward said slowly, “then I must rejoin my regiment.”

  Alice gasped. “Surely not? You sold out.”

  “I sold out because the fighting was over and I was wanted at h
ome after my father died. If we are to fight Bonaparte again, then anyone with military experience will be wanted urgently. Most of the troops disbanded last year and others were sent overseas to America. They can’t be brought back in time to stop him. England will need every man and even for you, my love, I couldn’t stand aside. Please God it does not come to this, because, if it does, it will be a stern undertaking with no guarantee of success.”

  “Amen to that.”

  “Philip what about you?”

  “If the Emperor succeeds you mean? I’ll go back to Paris. No one will bother about my duel with Staunton then. They’ll have more important things to worry about.”

  “You would fight against your own country?” Edward asked him dryly.

  “Not I. We’ve been over this before. I have never born arms against my country, nor do I intend to do so. If you are asking me would I join the British Army, the answer is again no. I am no soldier and I love France, which gave me a refuge when I needed one. I can’t fight against my mother’s country any more than I could fight against my birthplace.”

  “You could live safely in Switzerland,” Victor suggested, “until the situation becomes clear.”

  “If Caulaincourt comes back, then I’ll return to his service. He’s wise, one of the few who warned Napoleon against invading Russia. He’s loyal, trustworthy and a man of peace. If anyone can stop the fighting, it would be him. If England declares war then the Duc will need translators again, ones who don’t make mistakes.”

  The talk continued off and on for the rest of the day. No further news was received and the party was about to go to bed when they heard noises in the street. Victor shoved open a window and leaned out. Edward did the same.

  “Horses, many horses.”

  “Let me see,” Philip stood behind Edward who stepped back to let him pass.

  “What are they shouting?” Grace asked.

  Philip turned around and Alice realised that his whole face had changed.

  “They are shouting ‘Vive L'Empéreur’” he replied softly. “Napoleon must be coming through Moret. I’m going out.”