‘Oh, I think I must move in here permanently, because I want to see how this works out. You do realise she’s seeing how far she can push you, don’t you?’
‘I’m well aware what she is doing, and it gives me hope that deep down she likes me.’ Harry grinned. ‘What a wife she will make.’
‘Look at that,’ Charles exclaimed. ‘She’s laying down the law with those three, and I do believe they are listening to her.’
‘I believe it’s the tone of her voice they respond to. It’s quite melodic, and have you noticed that even the London twang is hardly noticeable?’
‘She does speak quite well when you consider where she comes from, and Stuart said her writing is beautiful.’
‘So I believe.’ Harry’s gaze was fixed on what was happening in the field, and asked when she arrived back, ‘Are they going to be friendly?’
‘Yes, because I told them to behave themselves because I’ll be watching.’ She bestowed a smile on each of the men in turn. ‘Is that all you need, sir?’
‘No, it isn’t. It’s my father’s birthday today, and you will join us for a celebration dinner this evening, together with the estate manager and head groom.’
‘Happy birthday, your lordship.’
He bowed his head in acknowledgement.
‘And do wear a dress,’ Harry told her.
‘I wouldn’t insult his lordship by turning up in breeches. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get back to work.’
When she was out of earshot, Charles said, ‘What are you up to? My birthday isn’t until December, as you well know.’
‘I want to get her used to formal dining. I’ll tell Cook what’s needed and have a word with the other two, or they will give the game away as they know when your birthday is. See you later.’ He slapped his father on the back and strode off.
The order to wear a dress presented a problem because she didn’t have one. All she possessed were two skirts and two blouses, but one was freshly washed and pressed, so it would have to do. It was also customary to give gifts on someone’s birthday. The only thing that might have been suitable had been her father’s pocket watch, but sadly she’d had to sell that on her desperate journey to find the Travellers. It wouldn’t have been good enough, though, because his lordship already had one and that was gold. Still, she ought to take something. An idea popped into her head and she ran off to find the estate manager.
He was in the kitchen enjoying a piece of Cook’s fruit cake, and she sat beside him. ‘Mr Carstairs, do you have a sheet of plain paper and the use of a pen, please?’
‘I could find those for you. What size paper?’
‘I don’t mind, just whatever you have.’
He finished the rest of his cake, thanked Cook, and stood up. ‘Come to my office and I’ll see what we’ve got.’
She walked beside him, chatting away about the new horses. When they reached the office he opened a drawer, and she looked at the array of paper with longing.
‘Take what you need, Chrissie.’
She chose carefully and selected a sheet. ‘Could I have this and the use of one of your pens, please?’
‘Help yourself. What do you want it for? Are you going to write to someone?’
‘No, it’s his lordship’s birthday and I want to give him a gift.’
‘I’m sure that isn’t expected,’ he told her quickly.
‘Perhaps not, but I’d like to anyway. He’s such a nice gentleman.’
‘Yes, he is. Why don’t you sit at my desk? It will be more comfortable to work at.’
‘Thank you.’ She sat down, thought for a moment, and then her pen began to flow over the paper. She didn’t even notice that the estate manager had left the office.
When he returned an hour later he studied the picture she had just finished. ‘Where did you learn to draw like that?’
‘I’ve always been able to draw,’ she told him while she studied her work critically. ‘Put a pen in my hand and I’m happy, but I’m useless at sewing and embroidery. Do you think his lordship will like this?’
‘I’m sure he will, but let’s see if the blacksmith will make a nice metal frame for it, shall we?’
‘Do you think he would?’
He picked up another sheet of paper the same size. ‘I’ll go and ask him.’
By the time she was ready for the dinner, the picture was in a lovely frame, and she was thrilled to have something so nice to give his lordship on his birthday. Making her way across the yard she wondered what they were going to have to eat. Something special, no doubt, and she smiled to herself. She probably wouldn’t know what most of it was, but she liked trying new things.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The butler showed Chrissie to the sitting room, announced her very formally, and then gave her a wink as he held the door open for her to enter. She stepped inside with a huge smile on her face, and stopped in delight. This was the first time she had ever seen this room, and its beauty took her breath away. It was all in pale apricot and gold, and her first instinct was to examine everything in detail, but Lord Frenshaw and his son were waiting to greet her.
She walked straight up to his lordship, dipped a small curtsy and held out her gift. ‘Thank you for inviting me tonight, and I hope you’ve had a lovely day.’
‘What’s this?’ he asked as he took the picture from her.
‘It is customary to give a gift on a birthday, and I didn’t have anything so I drew this for you. Mr Carstairs had the blacksmith make a frame, and I hope you like it.’
He stared at it for quite a while before speaking. ‘My goodness, this is exquisite, and the likeness is remarkable. Thank you; this will have pride of place in my sitting room.’ He stepped forward and kissed her gently on the cheek, and then moved back. ‘Look, Harry, it’s Midnight.’
His son, who had been greeting the other guests and handing round drinks, came over and studied the drawing. ‘You drew this?’
She nodded. ‘I did Midnight because he has such a noble head, and Mr Carstairs only had black ink.’
‘You’ve done it beautifully. Stuart said you were good at copying things, but I didn’t realise you had a talent for drawing.’
Delighted her effort had been so well received she took the glass he was holding out to her and sipped it cautiously. It wasn’t too bad, she thought, and when she looked up he was watching her intently.
‘Why are you wearing those old clothes?’
‘They are all I’ve got, sir, and they are freshly laundered and pressed.’
‘Then you must purchase better clothes.’
‘I can’t. I haven’t got any money, sir.’
He frowned. ‘Why haven’t you?’
‘Because you don’t pay me, sir.’
‘What? Why on earth didn’t you ask me?’
‘When I agreed to come back you never mentioned paying me. I have a roof over my head, good food and a chance to work with the wonderful horses. What more could I want? Believe me, sir, where I come from those are the most important things.’
‘George!’ He spun round to his estate manager. ‘Didn’t I make it clear what Chrissie’s position was to be?’
‘You told me she would be working with the horses, so I have her down as a stable lad again. She isn’t due to receive wages until the end of next month, September.’
Harry ran a hand through his hair in shock at the mistake he’d made – another one where she was concerned. ‘This isn’t right. I’ll sort it out with you tomorrow. In the meantime, give her some money.’
‘How much?’
‘Whatever she needs to buy some decent clothes.’
She was looking from one man to the other, and listening to the conversation in amazement. ‘Excuse me, sir,’ she said clearly, ‘I will not be in debt so that I can buy fripperies I will never need.’
‘You won’t be in debt. I will meet the cost for you. I do not like to see you walking around in clothes that clearly need replacing.’
‘That may be so, but you should be wearing a pretty frock.’
She was sure there would be other guests arriving for this birthday celebration, and was dismayed that her appearance was not considered suitable. Without further thought she curtsied to his lordship. ‘I do beg your pardon for coming inappropriately dressed, your lordship. I have no wish to embarrass you or your guests.’ Then she turned and walked out of the room, leaving stunned silence behind her.
Charles turned on his son, furious by what had just happened. ‘You can forget any plans you had for her now! She’d made a big effort to look as presentable as she could, and in my eyes she looked quite charming. You have insulted her, and she won’t stand for that.’
‘Shall I go and bring her back?’ Bert asked.
‘She won’t come back. I saw her dark eyes flashing with emotions like anger, disappointment and resignation. This will be the end for her because she won’t stay where she feels she is not wanted. There’s the dinner bell, so we had better go to dine or Cook will be offended after going to so much trouble to prepare a special meal at short notice.’
‘Gentlemen,’ Harry addressed the two guests. ‘I do apologise for causing this upset, but please enjoy your dinner while I try to talk myself out of this misunderstanding.’
Charles followed his son out so they could talk in private.
‘I’m sorry, Father, I was only trying to buy her some decent clothes,’ Harry protested. ‘I hate to see her wearing shabby clothes. She deserves better, and most girls would have been delighted with the offer.’
‘In your eagerness to win her for your wife you are forgetting the harsh conditions she lived in. Where she comes from men don’t give women of that class gifts unless they want something from them. What they want is not respectable, and she would never put herself in that position. Stuart fell into that trap as well, but from what he told me he managed to smooth it over without insulting her too much. Anything she needs she will work for, or go without, because that is the way she has been brought up. You have just insulted her in the worst possible way, and she will leave now. You don’t deserve her, so let her go.’
‘No! I was angry with myself, not her, and somehow I’ve got to make her understand that. I was so pleased to have her here I completely forgot to instruct George to see she was given some money in advance. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have nothing.’
‘We have lived a privileged life, my boy, and never had to worry about money, and that is purely by accident of birth.’
‘I know, and I want to give her so much, but I’m not going to get that chance now, am I?’
‘I doubt it very much.’
‘Nevertheless, I must talk to her.’ He strode out of the house.
Charles watched him leave, knowing he was going to need all his persuasive skills to rescue this situation. Just because Chrissie had returned with him he had made the mistake of believing she was his and he could buy her things if he wanted to, without telling her how he felt. He was so wrong. Chrissie’s outlook on life was naturally coloured by her upbringing. She was not like the society females with nothing on their minds but gossip and making a prestigious marriage. If Harry really wanted her for his wife – and he was sure he did – then he was going the wrong way about it by making one blunder after another. And this last one might be one too many.
Sighing deeply, he made his way to the dining room. ‘We will be dining without my son. It might take him some time to talk his way out of this.’
Harry couldn’t find her anywhere. He’d checked the barn first, then the stables, but there was no sign of her. Panic swept through him. She wouldn’t have left already, surely? Not at night. He then hurried back to the barn, climbed the ladder and opened the hatch, giving a sigh of relief when he saw her belongings were still there. Jumping down, he went out to the yard, his gaze sweeping the area. Nothing. He wandered towards the other paddock, and when he turned the corner he saw a figure sitting on the gate. There she was, but he was going to have to be careful how he approached her. The fact that he was from a wealthy, titled family was no advantage to him with Chrissie. However, he had never been attracted to any of the society females he had met, while that girl sitting on the fence had stirred his emotions in a way he would not have thought possible. He could deal with a regiment of soldiers, but he was making a real mess of this. He should have told her sooner how he felt about her, and if he had, then this misunderstanding might not have happened. But it had, and he had probably lost any chance he might have had.
He made his way over to her, his boots making little sound on the grass. She didn’t turn or look at him when he climbed up beside her.
‘Peaceful here.’
She nodded.
‘I seem to spend my time apologising to you.’
No reply.
‘I didn’t mean to insult you. I was annoyed with myself for not making sure you had some money.’
‘You don’t have to explain yourself, or apologise to a servant.’
‘You are not a servant.’
‘What am I then? I work for you.’
‘You’re a friend, and is it wrong to want to buy a friend clothes?’
‘For a start we are not friends – we are master and servant. I have seen girls who have been in trouble because the master of the house showered them with gifts and flattery. I will not allow that to happen to me.’
‘Now you are insulting me if you think that is my motive. I will ask you another question. Is it wrong to want to buy things for someone you love?’
‘I suppose not, so long as there is a firm understanding between them.’
‘An understanding like marriage?’
‘That would be all right then.’ She glanced at him. ‘I hope his lordship wasn’t too offended by my appearance. Your disapproval has made it clear that I cannot fit in with the role you have been trying to give me. To avoid further embarrassment, I’ll send word to my friends and will leave at the end of the week.’
He was losing her! ‘Don’t do that, Chrissie. I wanted to buy you new clothes because you are the girl I love and want to marry.’
‘You can’t marry me.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I am not of your class. You need a woman of good birth who will wear beautiful gowns and be able to socialise with your friends.’
‘Can you possibly imagine me with one of them? Do you think any of them would run around in breeches and ride warhorses bareback?’ He snorted in disgust. ‘They’d be terrified of animals that size, and run for safety the moment they saw them.’
She giggled, and he relaxed just a little.
‘You don’t really believe women like that would interest me, do you?’
‘I couldn’t imagine it. You are a touch rough around the edges.’
‘Oh, that’s what you think of me, is it?’
She nodded.
‘I see, now we’re trading insults.’ Her head was down, but he could see she was smiling.
‘It’s only fair. Friends can do that.’
His heart leapt with hope. They had moved from servant to friend. ‘Is there any chance you could love me – even with all my rough edges?’
‘I came back with you, didn’t I?’
‘I thought you returned because of the horses.’
‘Them too.’
That word – too – told him what he wanted to know. ‘Will you marry me, Chrissie?’
‘I’ll need time to think about it.’
‘All right, but not too long, please. I don’t want us to waste any more time.’
‘I’ll give you my answer tomorrow when I’ve slept on it.’
Elated that she hadn’t refused him immediately, he knew he had pushed her as far as he could at this time, and he would have to be patient a
little longer. ‘Are you hungry?’ he asked, jumping off the gate.
‘Starving.’
‘Come on, then.’ He helped her down. ‘Big decisions can’t be made on an empty stomach.’
When they walked in to the dining room the men stood while Harry held a chair for her, then they all sat down again.
Charles looked enquiringly at his son and leant forward to ask quietly, ‘Do we have something to celebrate after all?’
‘Not yet, but hopefully we shall have tomorrow.’ He turned to the butler. ‘Are we in time for the main course?’
‘It’s about to be served, sir.’
‘Good. We are both starving.’
The rest of the evening was a relaxed affair with everyone in a happy mood, and it was only later in the evening when they were alone that Harry was able to tell his father what had happened.
‘It still doesn’t mean she will accept your proposal,’ his father told him, adding a note of caution, as he always did.
‘No, it doesn’t, but at least I have a chance. If she does accept then I will need you here because I intend the marriage to take place very quickly, so perhaps you should stay for a few days.’
‘I have every intention of doing so.’
Chrissie couldn’t believe he wanted to marry her. She’d been aware that he was attracted to her, of course, as she was to him, but she had expected a different kind of proposal. That was the reason she had felt her stay here would come to an end again. After all, gentlemen of social standing did not marry girls from the slums, and she had delayed her answer in order to give him time to change his mind. If he asked again, then it would tell her he really did love her and wanted her for his wife. She knew when she had fallen in love with him. It had been while they had been racing across the sands by the sea and laughing together with the sheer joy of it. She had come back with him because the thought of seeing him riding out of her life had been too painful. There had been no doubt in her mind that her stay would be short, but she hadn’t been able to throw away the chance of a little more time with him and the beautiful horses. However, she had never expected this, and was finding it hard to believe it was real. All she could do now was wait and see what happened tomorrow.
When Midnight Comes Page 29
