The American Earl

by Joan Wolf

  He looked at her boots. “You had better change back into your own gear.”

  “Yes.”

  She bent over to unlace Sammy’s boots and replace them with her own. When she sat back up again and was tying the bow of her bonnet, he said cheerfully, “Have you thought of a name?”

  “No.” She finished tying her bow and turned to him. “He’s such a beautiful color.”

  “He is. Would you say he’s red?”

  “More like a red-gold.”

  “Mmm,” he nodded agreement. “It’s the same color as the woman’s hair in the picture you have by that fellow Titian.”

  “That’s perfect,” Julia said with delight. “I’ll call him Titian. Ty for short.”

  He looked pleased. “I like that.”

  She nodded firmly. “I like it too. She spent the rest of the trip home extolling the perfections of her new horse.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I made it safely upstairs in my bonnet and pelisse and was just opening the door to my room when Aunt Barbara emerged from Lizzie’s room and saw me.

  “Where have you been, Julia?” she demanded. “Grantly told me you and Evan had gone out in that dilapidated old carriage. I thought you were feeling ill.”

  Damn, I thought.

  Lizzie came into the hallway as well.

  I pulled my pelisse around me tightly and said, “I felt that some air would do me good, so Evan was kind enough to take me out. We used the carriage and opened the window and it made me feel much better.”

  Lady Barbara looked skeptical. “A carriage ride is an unusual cure for an upset stomach.”

  “It might be unusual, but it worked,” I replied.

  Aunt Barbara eyed me suspiciously.

  Lizzie said hurriedly, “Our new clothes have arrived, Julia! Nancy has hung yours in your wardrobe. Don’t you want to see? I’ll come in with you.”

  A footman appeared in the hallway. “My lady, a Miss Hood is here to see you. About the governess position, I believe.”

  “Very good, Sidney,” Lady Barbara returned. “Put her in the Blue Salon and I will be there shortly.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “You’re interviewing governesses for Maria?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I hope you’ll give Maria a chance to meet whomever you select before you hire her. Maria isn’t difficult to please, but her wishes should be consulted. She’s not a little girl, after all.”

  “Your cousin has made that abundantly clear to me,” Lady Barbara said acidly. “Maria will be consulted.”

  Lizzie and I watched as Lady Barbara moved down the passageway. When she had disappeared from sight we went into my room.

  “Well,” Lizzie said as soon as the door had closed. “Did you do it? Did you buy a horse?”

  I put my package containing Sammy’s boots and hat down on the bed. “We did. He’s so beautiful, Lizzie! I can’t wait to ride him!”

  Lizzie sat down on the bed next to the package. “Tell me all,” she demanded.

  I sat down next to her and enthusiastically complied.

  * * * *

  At dinner that evening, Evan told Aunt Barbara that he had purchased a horse for me. “It’s being delivered tomorrow morning,” he said. “I hope Julia will be pleased.”

  Aunt Barbara’s eyes narrowed. “How did you go to Tattersall’s if you were out in the carriage with Julia all afternoon?”

  I searched frantically for an answer to this very cogent question but before I could come up with anything Evan came to the rescue. “I went earlier in the day to choose the horse and a friend was kind enough to stay and do the bidding for me.”

  “Tattersall’s can be very expensive,” Aunt Barbara commented.

  “Indeed,” Evan returned enigmatically.

  “What friend did you ask to bid for you?”

  Evan lifted his eyebrows. “I doubt you would know him, Aunt.”

  Aunt Barbara looked unsatisfied, but she couldn’t pursue the question any longer without appearing rude.

  “I did make one new acquaintance while I was there,” Evan said. “A Mr. Ormesby. Do you know him, Aunt?”

  “Mr. Ormesby?”

  “Well, he introduced himself as ‘Ormesby’.”

  “Good heavens. You must mean the Marquis of Ormesby. A young man, slim with black hair?”

  “That was he,” Evan agreed.

  “Good heavens.” Aunt Barbara’s eyes shone. “Ormesby is one of the biggest catches on the marriage mart, girls. Large estates, plenty of money. He has made a name for himself in the government – I believe he is considered one of Lord Castlereagh’s most trusted lieutenants. Altogether a most suitable young man for you to know.”

  “How young is he?” I inquired curiously. The marquis had not looked that young to me.

  “He must be in his early thirties,” Aunt Barbara answered.

  Lizzie said, “I wonder he isn’t married by now.”

  I found this remark puzzling and said so.

  “A marquis’ first duty is to provide an heir to his name and property.” Lizzie smiled at me. “For such a duty to be accomplished, he needs a wife. Most men in his position are married in their twenties.”

  Aunt Barbara provided us with the answer to Lizzie’s question. “The present marquis is a younger brother who inherited the title quite recently. The elder brother unfortunately perished of a putrid infection of the lungs, leaving only daughters. That is why the present marquis is still unwed.” She gave her daughter a teasing smile. “Perhaps that will be to your benefit, Lizzie.”

  Lizzie smiled demurely.

  “I think it’s so unfair that girls cannot inherit from their fathers,” I said.

  “I agree with you,” Evan returned wholeheartedly. “I would much rather you owned Stoverton than I, Julia.” He lifted his eyebrows in a gesture I was coming to recognize. “If this was America, I might add, you would have inherited.”

  “If your sister Frances had been an only child, would your father have left her the entire shipping company?”

  “Of course he would have. Frances is the eldest and she’s extremely competent.”

  “Well, that’s one good thing about America, I must admit,” I said.

  He grinned at me across the table and I felt that smile all the way down to my stomach. Hastily I turned to my aunt, who was saying, “I will invite the marquis to our ball. He is definitely a parti you girls should meet.”

  I did my best to smile demurely like Lizzie.

  Chapter Twenty

  The following day I wanted to wait at home for Ty to be delivered, but Aunt Barbara insisted that we pay a visit to Lady Sefton. So, reluctantly dressed in my fine new clothes, I got in the carriage with my aunt, Lizzie and Evan to be taken to Grosvenor Square.

  Lady Sefton’s house fronted directly on the square, with no imposing gates to shield it from the street. One simply got out of one’s carriage, walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. Which is what we did.

  Lady Sefton’s butler ushered us into the drawing room where she awaited us. The first thing I noticed was the painting over the marble fireplace. It was the portrait of a woman with powdered hair, a low-cut blue gown, a fan and a spaniel. Her brown eyes had a knowing look and there was an air of great sophistication about the entire painting. Sir Joshua Reynolds, I thought. We had one of his paintings at Stoverton hanging in the long gallery and I recognized the style.

  Lady Sefton rose to greet us. She was a sweet-looking woman who bestowed a warm smile upon Aunt Barbara and invited us to be seated.

  It was immediately obvious that Lady Sefton was impressed by Evan. As well she should be, I thought with satisfaction. He is the best of the Marshalls. I then had the most disconcerting feeling that in thinking this I was betraying the first earl.

  Lady Sefton had finally finished questioning Evan about America and turned her attention to Lizzie and me.

  “You girls must be so excited that Lord Byron will be livin
g across the street from you,” she said with a sparkle of excitement.

  Lizzie’s eyes opened wide. “No! Is he really?”

  “I have it on the best authority that he has taken Devonshire House for the season. He and his new wife should be in residence any day now, I expect.”

  “How thrilling,” Lizzie said. Her blue eyes were bright. “I have read all his poems.”

  I said, “I’ve never heard of him. Who is he?”

  The three other women in the room stared at me with open-mouthed incredulity.

  “I’ve never heard of the fellow either,” Evan put in, backing me up.

  “He’s a famous poet,” Lizzie finally managed to say.

  “He’s probably as famous for his bad behavior as he is for his poetry,” Aunt Barbara said, looking down her nose. “I am not pleased by the thought of his living across the street from me.”

  “He’s a married man, now,” Lady Sefton said. “We must hope his bad behavior is behind him.”

  Lizzie said, “How is it that you’ve never heard of him, Julia? You’re such a great reader.”

  I said with dignity, “I haven’t had any new books for a while.”

  Evan said, “We’ll stop at a bookshop and buy you a copy of this Byron fellow’s poems, Julia. You should probably have a look at them.”

  “You must read ‘The Corsair,’ Lady Julia,” Lady Sefton urged. “All of the ton is mad for it. Just fancy, it sold ten thousand copies on the first day of publication.”

  “Ten thousand copies!” Evan looked impressed.

  “’There was a laughing devil in his sneer,’” Lizzie quoted soulfully.

  Evan’s impressed look faded. It faded even further as Lizzie continued:

  That raised emotions both of rage and fear;

  And where his frown of hatred darkly fell,

  Hope withering fled – and Mercy sighed farewell!

  “Good God,” Evan said. “Is that how he writes?”

  Aunt Barbara said, “I believe he is more admired by women than by men.”

  I suppressed a smile at the expression on Evan’s face. He might not know much about art, I thought, but he can certainly recognize bad poetry.

  Evan was saying, “My own favorite poet is Shakespeare, and somehow I doubt that this Byron fellow is going to supplant him in my esteem.”

  I was delighted by this declaration. “I adore Shakespeare,” I said enthusiastically. “One can never tire of reading him.”

  Our eyes met in pleased recognition.

  “I always have a copy of his plays on shipboard. He has such amazing insight into the human condition.”

  I thought this was a very perceptive comment.

  Lady Sefton said, “You will enjoy the theatre here in London, then, my lord. Mr. Kean has been delighting us with his performances. I believe he is to perform The Merchant of Venice this year at Drury Lane.”

  “We’ll have to go,” Evan said.

  “What fun,” Lizzie said.

  When we rose to leave a few minutes later, I tucked Evan’s comment about going to the theatre into my memory. That was a promise I would hold him to.

  * * * *

  Ty was waiting for me when we arrived home. I quickly changed into riding clothes and ran to the stable to meet him.

  He was just as beautiful as I remembered. I examined him all over, fed him carrots, stroked his face and talked to him. He listened with ears pricked, as if he understood every word I said. I was dying to ride him and when Evan arrived to see Ty as well, I said, “I want to try him out but I can’t go by myself. It’s absurd, but according to Aunt Barbara girls can’t go anywhere by themselves in London. Will you come with me to Hyde Park?”

  Evan frowned. “You haven’t even sat on this horse yet, Julia. Are you sure you want to take him through the city streets?”

  “I would rather take him through the woods at Stoverton,” I said agreeably. “But I don’t have that choice, do I?”

  “This is the busiest time of day in the streets. Why don’t you wait until tomorrow and we can go out early in the morning, before the traffic has time to build up?”

  “You bought him for me so I would have a horse to ride in London! Now you’re telling me that I can’t ride him? That’s not fair, Evan!”

  He let out a long breath. “Put a saddle on him and ride him around the courtyard first. Let’s see how he handles.”

  It was a matter of minutes before my beautiful Ty was tacked up. I swung up into my comfortable old sidesaddle and picked up my reins.

  How are you doing, fellow? I asked him through the reins.

  Energy flowed back to me, but he stood quietly. I squeezed him lightly with my calf and he immediately stepped forward into the bit. He had a wonderful walk, very forward and free. His small, elegant ears flicked backwards, listening to me. I asked him to trot.

  It was the trot I had seen at Tattersall’s, very long, very forward.

  I can’t believe this horse wasn’t being sold as a hunter, I thought. They probably thought he was too small. I wish I could put him over some fences.

  I didn’t want to stop, but Evan was waiting patiently for me in front of the stable. When I pulled up in front of him, he was smiling. “You look grand together,” he said.

  “He’s wonderful!” I beamed back at him. “How can I ever thank you for buying me this magnificent horse?”

  “You can thank me by trying to enjoy your social acquaintances with a little bit of the enthusiasm you show for your horse,” he answered dryly.

  “I am going to be so good, Evan,” I said earnestly. “I will be nice to everyone. I promise.” I patted Ty on his neck. “Now, will you come with me to the park?”

  He laughed. “I suppose so.” He turned to Sammy, who had been watching me as well. “Can you saddle up Baron for me?”

  “Good. I’ll go get changed.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Julia and Evan’s ride to the park was a little more exciting than Evan had hoped. The rumble of the traffic and the noise of people hawking their wares spooked Ty. He snorted, rolled his eyes and gave an occasional buck, but Julia managed to keep him going forward. The bridle path was nearly empty this early in the afternoon and a good hard gallop helped Ty to get rid of his excess energy. Evan was relieved to see he behaved better on the way home.

  The expression on Julia’s face as she rode the beautiful chestnut tugged at Evan’s heart. She rode like an angel and he didn’t regret for a moment the two hundred pounds he had paid for Ty. She deserved the best.

  When they arrived back at their home stable Julia remained to oversee Ty’s grooming and Evan returned to the house to change his clothes. He had left his bedroom and was walking down the hall when he saw a strange young lady standing in the vestibule. A worn-looking portmanteau rested at her feet.

  “Hello,” he said. “I’m …” he hesitated. It always sounded ridiculous to him when he called himself a lord. “I’m Lord Althorpe,” he admitted at last.

  “How do you do, my lord,” the woman replied in a soft, well-bred voice. “I am Emma Dixon, the new governess.”

  “Ah,” Evan said. He regarded the tall, auburn-haired young lady. “I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Dixon. We have been anxious for Maria to continue her education, and to have a comfortable companion as well.”

  The new governess smiled. She was a very pretty girl, he thought. She had large, gentle-looking brown eyes, rather like a doe’s, and soft brown hair worn in a simple bun on her neck. He estimated her to be in her middle twenties.

  “I am happy that Maria chose me,” she said. “I liked her very much the one time we met.”

  Lady Barbara came sailing down the stairs, followed by the housekeeper. “Miss Dixon, you have arrived. Splendid. Mrs. Sales, our housekeeper, will show you to your room. I will tell Maria you are here and she can show you around the schoolroom.”

  “Thank you, Lady Barbara,” Miss Dixon replied.

  “Come along with me, Miss,” Mr
s. Sales said. “Peter here will carry up your bag.”

  The footman picked up the bag and followed the two women toward the stairs.

  Evan said to his aunt, “She seems a very pleasant young woman.”

  “A little too young, I think,” Lady Barbara said. “She was my last choice, but Maria liked her. Evidently Miss Dixon is very musical.”

  “Then she will be perfect for Maria. By the way, have you engaged a music teacher for her yet?”

  “I am pursuing that,” Lady Barbara said. “I have not precisely had a great deal of free time.”

  Evan responded to the rebuke by saying, “Would you like me to do it?”

  Lady Barbara smiled. “My dear Evan, you wouldn’t have the least notion of how to go about it.”

  This was indubitably true, but he wanted Maria to have a music teacher right away and his aunt seemed to be dragging her feet. “Are there agencies for music teachers the way there are agencies for governesses?”

  “I have heard Maria play. An ordinary music teacher will not do for her. I will find someone, Evan. I have told a number of my friends I am looking and I am sure something will come up.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” he replied, a little chastened. She was doing more than he had given her credit for.

  She looked him up and down. “You look very well in your new clothes, Evan. A perfect gentleman.”

  His new clothes were certainly tighter and less comfortable than his old ones, but he was pleased to have his aunt’s infrequent approval. After all, he would not have to wear them forever. Once he set sail for America, he could toss the whole extravagant, uncomfortable wardrobe over the side of the ship. In fact, he looked forward to doing so.

  “Where are the girls?” he asked.

  “In the library. If you are going there, Evan, will you please tell Maria to go upstairs to welcome Miss Dixon?”

  “Certainly.” When he reached the library he found Lizzie and Maria comfortably disposed with books in their hands. He gave Maria her message and she jumped up and went out the door just as Julia was coming in.