Miss Ridgeway's Privateer

by Michele McGrath

  Regency Belles & Beaux

  Miss Ridgeway’s Privateer

  Michèle McGrath

  Miss Ridgeway’s Privateer

  “Oh no! It cannot be true!” Lucy bounced up in her chair oblivious of the shocked glances of Mr. Soames, the solicitor, and her cousin.

  “Lucy, pray remember where you are!” Mrs. Beckwith admonished in a weary tone, with no expectation of being attended to.

  “I am sorry, my dear, but I’m afraid it is all too true,” Mr. Soames said gravely, peering at her over the top of his pince-nez.

  “My father left me no money at all?” Lucy’s eyes had widened with shock.

  “He had very little to leave you. As you know, your father quarrelled with your grandfather and his allowance was cut off before you were born. Fortunately, he inherited a life interest in what is called an ‘easy competence’ some years previously. When his father disinherited him, the life interest continued, in spite of your grandfather’s attempts to have it removed. Major Ridgeway has been living on the income from that legacy ever since. Because it was only a life interest though, with his death that income passes now to one of his cousins.”

  “Why does it not pass to me?”

  The solicitor looked at her. “Life interests end with the death of the recipient and cannot be passed on to their heirs. This bequest is specific to males who bear the name ‘Charles’ and are related by blood to the original donor. Since you are a female with no brother to inherit, the income must now go to one of your father’s cousins who had also been christened ‘Charles’. Your father once told me that his godfather and namesake was widely held to be eccentric and excessively fond of his Christian name.”

  “Stupid man,” Lucy murmured not quite under her breath which made Mrs. Beckwith shoot her a quelling look.

  Mrs. Beckwith leaned forwards. “Mr. Soames, is it possible for us to contest that relative’s will? Surely Lucy’s birth changes the circumstances of the initial bequest?”

  “You may contest it, Mrs. Beckwith, if you wish. I must warn you that it would cost you a great deal of money and you would be unlikely to win. It’s not illegal for a man to leave his estate where he chooses, however foolish we may think him. Major Ridgeway did not have any direct claim upon his godfather. He used the interest on the legacy to provide a home for his daughter and to pay her school fees. Since he possessed no other source of income when he went to Spain, he was in the unenviable position of having to live solely off his army pay.”

  “I did not know that.” Lucy turned to her cousin. “Did you, Becky?”

  “Not really, although your father used to ask me to try to economise where I could. I imagined he merely wanted to curb your extravagance because I thought he had a large income which was difficult to access except at certain times of the year.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Lucy demanded, remembering her guardian’s veto on some of her more outrageous demands.

  “You were too young the last time your father came to our house. He placed your affairs in my hands just before he left for the Peninsula. Indeed I would not tell you now, except that your father’s sudden death has changed your circumstances and new provision must be made for your future.”

  “New provision? My future? What do you mean? My debut?”

  The solicitor and Mrs. Beckwith exchanged glances. “I doubt very much that your debut can proceed this year without another source of finance.” Mr. Soames said. “Your father’s horses and his equipment have already been sold, as is the custom with the army in Spain. His colonel has forwarded the proceeds to me to distribute according to the provisions of Major Ridgeway’s will.”

  “Well then?” Lucy demanded, thinking they had merely been trying to frighten her. Becky had used such tactics in the past, to control her more difficult behaviour. Sometimes it had even worked. Maybe the position was not as dreadful as they seemed to be saying. After all, how could they meddle with her debut, the most important moment of a girl’s life? It was only months away and she had been longing for it to happen for years.

  “Lucy, please moderate your tone,” her cousin admonished. “Mr. Soames is trying to assist us in an extremely difficult situation. Your father’s death changes everything.”

  Lucy rounded on her. “Is he saying that I can’t make my debut? If I don’t, how can I ever get a husband?”

  “Control yourself, Lucy, I beg of you. You are putting me to the blush with your behaviour. Mr. Soames will think you have been badly brought up.”

  “I don’t care! If my whole future is to be ruined you can’t expect me to behave as if nothing has happened!” Lucy burst into noisy weeping. Mr. Soames merely raised his eyebrows to Heaven and produced a large pocket handkerchief which he handed to her.

  When her tears abated in fury, Mr. Soames said,

  “This is all very distressing my dear, but you had to be told and Mrs. Beckwith asked me to be the one to tell you. It’s important that you understand the situation so we can consider the best thing to be done. The sum raised by your father’s brother officers has enabled me to settle his debts, so that there will be no calls upon you in future, for which I am thankful. There is nothing more unpleasant than being dunned by creditors. Unfortunately, since the debts were considerable, little remains of the money that was sent to me.”

  Lucy blew her nose defiantly into the clean white handkerchief and asked,

  “What about the dowry Papa said he had put away for me? And my mother’s fortune?”

  “You no longer possess a dowry, my dear. Your father used the money he had set aside and the remains of your mother’s inheritance before he left for Spain. As you will know, one of his superior officers was selling out and remaining in England. Your father bought his promotion to major, because he had already received the recommendation of his colonel, allowing him to proceed. I tried to dissuade him from following a course which I considered reckless because, if something untoward happened to him in Spain, you would be left without provision. I am afraid he laughed at me, saying that he had no intention of dying until he was a white haired old man. I remember that he was elated at the prospect of becoming a major because he was rather young for the rank. He assured me that, when he returned and sold out of the army, he would have ample funds at his disposal. He would make everything right for you and live in comfort for the rest of his life. Sadly my fears have come true and that is no longer possible.”

  “Sir, if I may?” Mrs. Beckwith entered the discussion, an unaccustomed frown on her usually pleasant face.

  “Yes, Mrs. Beckwith?”

  “Exactly how much money does Lucy inherit, now that the debts have been paid?”

  “A little over twenty guineas.”

  Mrs. Beckwith gasped. “Why that won’t even pay for Lucy’s clothing and board until the start of the Season, never mind allow her to be presented at court, as her father wished.”

  The solicitor nodded, looking doleful.

  “With all the goodwill in the world, I do not see how I can continue the arrangement I made with Major Ridgeway,” Mrs. Beckwith said. “My own circumstances are straightened and barely enough for my family’s needs. My eldest daughter is about to make her come out this Season and I have other daughters to provide for after her.” She turned to look at Lucy. “It is as much as I can do to find sufficient funds to launch Caroline; I cannot undertake to pay for Lucy as well.”

  “Caroline, it’s always Caroline,” Lucy muttered, waspishly.

  “What did you say, Lucy?” Mrs. Beckwith asked in a dangerous voice.

  “I said that it’s only Caroline who counts with you. What about me?”

  Mrs. Beckwith drew herself up, her temper snapping at last. “Carol
ine is my daughter and my prime responsibility. I have looked after you well for the sake of your poor mother, my cousin whom I loved. I have put up with your tantrums and your distempered freaks ever since you came to live with me. Time after time you put me to the blush. I excused you when you were young, because of the loss of your mother. I can’t excuse you any more now that you are grown up. If things had been different, I would have seen you presented and settled into a suitable marriage. That cannot happen without sufficient money. I won’t use what little I have and deprive Caroline of her expectations, such as they are. When have you done anything for us that would make me want to put your interests before hers?”

  Lucy bit her lip and clenched her fists knowing exactly what her cousin meant. She had always considered herself to be the most important person in her cousin’s house. An heiress, with beauty and charm, she was the one to whom eyes turned, not Caroline, never Caroline! Now Caroline would be presented as planned and she would not. Lucy writhed inwardly.

  It had been intended that both cousins were to be introduced to the Ton under the auspices of the noble but impoverished Lady Westmore. Lady Westmore added to her income every year by sponsoring one or two debutantes of good birth but straitened circumstances during their first Season. It was a rule that debutantes must be presented to the Queen by a lady who had herself been presented. Estranged from his family, Major Ridgeway had not approached any of his female relatives to sponsor Lucy. Mrs. Beckwith, a cousin of Lucy’s mother, did not move in such circles and so was ineligible. Mrs. Beckwith, however, was ambitious for her daughters to make suitable matches, despite their disadvantages in birth and fortune. Lady Westmore’s charges were high. If Caroline did not achieve a suitable marriage in her first Season, Lucy knew that Mrs. Beckwith would not be able to afford to give her another. Caroline would be forced to retire from society and yield her place to her younger sisters. Lucy had pitied her, thinking that this would likely be her fate, while she felt sure that she herself would succeed. Now she would be excluded from that most important set of events. Mrs Beckwith continued to frown at Lucy and there had been an implacable note in her voice which Lucy, for all her bravado, dared not challenge.

  “I have a suggestion to make,” Mr. Soames said into the sudden silence.

  “If you can think of a way out of this difficulty, I would be most grateful to you,” Mrs. Beckwith replied. Lucy found it hard to speak, so she merely nodded.

  “I will pay the twenty guineas over to you now, which should help you in the immediate future. I am obliged to write to Major Ridgeway’s parents to inform them of his death, so that the bequest can be transferred. With your permission, I would like to take the opportunity to explain the situation Lucy finds herself in. Mrs Ridgeway’s parents, as you know, are deceased and you are her only living relative."

  “Why should my grandparents bother with me, when they disinherited Papa and I have never met either of them?” Lucy asked. She had known for years that her grandfather had disapproved of his son’s tempestuous marriage. Miranda Staveley was the daughter of a mere merchant and not even a rich one at that. The fact that her mother had been beautiful, sweet and loving did not matter to the old man. She ‘smelled of the shop’. Neither Miranda’s birth nor her fortune appealed to General Ridgeway and he had acted accordingly to disinherit his second son.

  “Perhaps they will not, but you are gently born and a female. Your relatives may not want the shame of people knowing that they abandoned you and left you to make your own way in the world.”

  “How would anyone find out?”

  “These things rarely remain secret for long.” Mr. Soames smiled a faint smile. “Society gossip is a force to be reckoned with and General Sir Walter Ridgeway is a respected man who has never had a breath of scandal attached to his name. Such a consideration may well make him decide to accept you into his family.”

  “It’s an excellent suggestion,” Mrs. Beckwith said catching Lucy’s eye and frowning her down.

  “Papa would never have agreed to that,” Lucy protested, defying her disapproval. “He never forgave them for rejecting my mother.”

  “Your father is not here, so his opinion cannot be considered at this moment of need,” Mrs. Beckwith replied sharply. “If you are to be provided for, then we must at least ask them. Major Ridgeway told me that his father spent some time in India and I believe he returned a wealthy man. He bought an extensive estate in County Cork in Ireland. If Lucy’s grandparents choose to interest themselves in her, they are in an excellent position to sponsor her come out. I remember reading about Lady Mary Ridgeway when she presented her daughters many years ago. She was an earl’s daughter and many said that she married beneath her. If they do not recognise Lucy, we are little the worse for trying.”

  “Ireland. I’ve never been there. What would I do in Ireland?” Lucy cried.

  “Whatever your grandparents ask you to do. They don’t know you or anything about how you conduct yourself. Let us be thankful for that.” Mrs. Beckwith turned to the solicitor. “Go ahead, Mr Soames. Write to General and Lady Mary Ridgeway. In the meanwhile, I will conjure my brains to think of other solutions, in the event they refuse to acknowledge Lucy.”

  Chapter Two

  In the hackney coach driving home, Lucy slammed her fists into the cushions and cried out,

  “Why, oh why did Papa die now when he could so easily have waited until next year? I might have made my debut and even been married by then. It’s just not fair!”

  “Lucy for Heaven’s sake control yourself. Your dear Papa didn’t intend to die. Remember, he gave his life for his country and he’s a hero.”

  “He didn’t consider me, did he? Why should he care more about his country than his only daughter?”

  Mrs. Beckwith stared at the tear-stained face in front of her. Despite her annoyance with her charge’s behaviour, she could not help admitting to a certain sympathy with Lucy’s point of view. It was extremely tiresome of Charles to get himself killed at just that precise moment in time. However, she said,

  “Don’t let people hear you talking like that. Anyone would say you didn’t care a jot for your father!”

  “How could I care for him?” Lucy demanded. “I hardly knew him. He was always in camp whether he was in England or in Spain. I’ve never spent as much as a sennight in his company since Mama died.”

  Mrs. Beckwith held the opinion that Major Ridgeway, once he placed Lucy’s future into her hands, avoided the child because she was far too like her mother. Yet she felt it her duty to try to correct this point of view before the outspoken Lucy expressed it in public. She reposed little confidence in her charge’s discretion and had no wish to encourage a scandal which would reflect badly on herself and her daughters.

  “You must remember him before that,” she protested. “He doted on your Mama.”

  “I was only seven when she died! He was tall with a big moustache which tickled. One day he danced with me around the drawing room and another time he took me to feed the ducks in Hyde Park. That’s all I can remember about him, except that he used to scare me a little, he was so big.”

  Mrs Beckwith clicked her tongue in disapproval. “You must pretend to mourn for your father, nevertheless. Not to do so would be frowned upon by everyone. Let me tell you now that I won’t tolerate any more of your scenes in public or in my house. Until your grandparents write or we decide on another future for you, you must conduct yourself with propriety and discretion. I won’t keep a hoyden living under my roof any longer.”

  “You’ve never minded before.”

  “Hold your tongue! I’ve put up with you for your father’s sake and for the memory of your poor mother. You’re no longer a child but a young lady, and from now on, I expect you to behave like one. Do you understand me?”

  Mrs. Beckwith expected her unruly ward to answer her back but, for once, Lucy did not. Although she gripped her hands tight, she nodded and did not say anything more. Her brain was churning with the shoc
king changes in her circumstances. Everything had altered last Thursday when Mrs. Beckwith received the letter telling them that her father was dead. She experienced a vague sadness at the news, but she had been truthful when she said she did not really remember him and could not grieve. He had been absent so often that he was only a shadowy figure in her mind. It never occurred to her that his death would affect her life so drastically. Even Becky, who seemed fond of her before, had changed. She had spoken to her so sharply. Certainly she used to scold when Lucy transgressed, but not with the sharp note in her voice that Lucy heard today. It was as if she no longer cared. At that moment, Lucy realised how much she relied upon her cousin to grant her wishes and to smooth away any difficulties. Now Mrs. Beckwith sounded as if she almost hated her. Lucy gave an involuntary sniff.

  At the same moment, Mrs. Beckwith was experiencing a pang of compunction. She did not really regret her words; certainly the girl needed correcting and perhaps now, she would listen and obey. Her behaviour when thwarted had always been the outside of enough. It might easily get her into serious trouble in future when no one would be there to prevent her making an exhibition of herself. Mrs. Beckwith was uneasily aware that she must shoulder much of the blame for not having trained her better when she was younger. Lucy would be alone either in Ireland or elsewhere among total strangers. She has to learn to exercise self restraint, Mrs. Beckwith thought. There are times when I like her very much, other times when she can be so naughty. I’m afraid for her now but perhaps today was not the best time to make my point after she has received such a terrible shock. Mrs. Beckwith spoke into the ringing silence, picking a topic she knew would interest Lucy and divert her mind for a short time.

  “By the bye, I must contrive proper mourning clothes for you which fit you better than that dress you have on. It is still too short, even though Sally has tried to fit it to you properly.”