The Colonel's Spinster: A Regency Romance (Tragic Characters in Classic Literature)

by Audrey Harrison

  “Do not let Lady Catherine hear that. She will immediately order an extension of Rosings.” Prudence smiled.

  “She probably would. I could not believe the noise. It hardly ever ceased.”

  “I miss it when I’m not there,” Mr. Bamber admitted.

  “That is why I can never get you to visit anywhere outside of Manchester,” Prudence admonished.

  “Why would I want to go anywhere else when all I need is here?” There was genuine puzzlement on Mr. Bamber’s face, at which Prudence laughed.

  “You are incorrigible, Papa. You love it here, and yet you tried to send me away.”

  “That’s because parents want what is best for our children.”

  “I am quite happy being in Stretford, thank you,” Prudence said tartly.

  “It was not as rural where your aunt lives.”

  “And look how bored I was there. I came home early.” She noticed the curious look Mr. Huxley aimed in her direction, but she ignored it, hoping her father had not noticed it.

  Unfortunately for Prudence, Mr. Bamber had noticed exactly what had passed, and two days later in a lull at the mill, he brought up the subject with Mr. Huxley.

  “Which one of the gentlemen at Rosings has turned my girl’s head? And before you start to deny it, I saw the look you gave her at supper the other night,” Mr. Bamber said to the cornered Mr. Huxley.

  The younger man sat heavily in his seat. “I will not lie to you, sir, but I wish you would not ask me anything.”

  “Unfortunately for you, my daughter has kept her feelings to herself since her return but has walked around the place with a haunted look in her eyes. Oh, she thinks she has kept it from me, but I saw the moment she walked through this door when she returned that something was amiss.”

  “She decided to leave quite suddenly,” Mr. Huxley said hesitantly.

  “I know that. Now don’t start being all niffy-naffy with me. Tell me what is going on, and I will think all the better of you for it,” Mr. Bamber said.

  “Miss Prudence might not, though,” Mr. Huxley pointed out.

  Mr. Bamber chuckled. “Sometimes the silly chit thinks she knows best, but when she is hurting, I know for sure she does not.” He sat on the edge of the large desk, close to Mr. Huxley. “Now, come, who was it turned her head? And why isn’t there a marriage being announced?”

  Mr. Huxley sank a little in his seat. He was astute enough to know he was fighting a losing battle trying to avoid speaking about what had happened at Rosings. Sighing he looked at Mr. Bamber. “Miss Bamber became very friendly with one of her cousins, Colonel Fitzwilliam.”

  “A colonel, eh? That’s good. Something obviously did not go well, or I would probably be welcoming a new son by now. Which one of them erred?”

  “I do not know all the details. I only know that their other cousin, Mr. Darcy, came to visit suddenly, as a result of a letter from Lady Catherine, and there was an almighty argument. For the first time, there seems to be a rift between Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. It is very strange, for they’ve been as close as brothers over the years.”

  “Hmmm. Interesting. So Lady Catherine decided to interfere, did she? Hurt my girl in the process. Well it was my own doing. I was foolish enough to wish her to meet her family. Seems I might have caused more mischief than benefit.”

  “Miss Anne thinks a lot of Miss Bamber.”

  “Aye, my Prudence has talked about her cousin. Seems she became mighty fond of her. A pity it all went wrong. I knew there was something amiss. What is so special about this Colonel that they would not wish my daughter to marry him?”

  Mr. Huxley stood up hurriedly and walked to the window. “Sir, it is not my place to say.”

  “I’m not going to reveal what you tell me. I just need to know what I inadvertently caused.”

  “Colonel Fitzwilliam comes from a good family, but he is a second son.”

  “Ah. He needs to marry for money,” Mr. Bamber said realising the truth from Mr. Huxley’s few words. “There is no need to say any more lad. I can imagine the rest. The fools. He would have had more blunt than he could spend if he had stayed loyal to my Prudence. Bet he is sick to his stomach now he knows who she is. I am presuming she told them the truth before she left?”

  “Yes. I believe so.”

  “Good girl. Well, he will live to regret it, but I’m glad my girl did not end up with a man just interested in her money.”

  “He seemed extremely upset. I think he had real affection for Miss Bamber,” Mr. Huxley said of the raging Colonel. His words to Darcy had been heard all through the ground floor of Rosings.

  “Not enough though, or he would be here wouldn’t he? Thank you for telling me. I will not forget your honesty.”

  “I did not have much of a choice, really, did I?” Mr. Huxley asked with a smile on his lips.

  “No. None at all.”

  Chapter 14

  Prudence knocked on the door of her father’s study before walking into the room. It was the place where she had spent a lot of time when growing up, her father never really being far away from business.

  She smiled on entering the study, as both her father and Mr. Huxley were bent over some documents spread out on the desk.

  “Gentlemen, it is Sunday. A day of rest, surely?” she asked.

  Mr. Huxley looked up guiltily. “I’m sorry, Miss Bamber. I just keep asking questions. The whole business is fascinating. I shall leave you.”

  “There is no need for that, lad,” Mr. Bamber said good-naturedly, but he started to wrap up the papers.

  “I shall take a walk in the gardens and think about what we have discussed.” Mr. Huxley left the room with a bow to Prudence.

  “Have you found yourself a protégé?” she asked with a smile in her voice.

  “He is a bright lad. I bet your aunt is ruing the day she let him go. He is very capable. I know he will want to move on at some point, but I admit, I will miss him when he’s gone even though he has only been with us for a short time.”

  “I have noticed since his arrival how I have been neglected. I remember the times you used to come home and talk to me about the mills. Now it is all Mr. Huxley,” Prudence teased.

  Mr. Bamber walked around the desk and held his hands out to his daughter. When she placed hers in his, he squeezed them. “You know full well you would glaze over if I spoke to you about business as often as I do with young Huxley.”

  “Perhaps a little. But I insist that you have a break. I don’t want you wearing yourself out just because you have a playmate.”

  “Cheeky wench,” Mr. Bamber said. He linked Prudence’s arm through his own. “What have you got planned to brighten my Sunday?”

  “I thought we could go for a ride along the river? You have been neglecting your favourite horse as well as your daughter.”

  “In that case I think we ought to,” Mr. Bamber said.

  They had walked into the hallway and were heading for the stairs when the sound of an approaching carriage halted their progress.

  “Who would come calling at this hour?” Mr. Bamber asked.

  “I have no idea, but there seems to be some commotion,” Prudence said. It seemed as if there were shouts coming from the carriage, and she hurried to the door along with her father and the butler.

  Faltering on the step of the house, Prudence frowned. “It’s Lady Catherine’s carriage!”

  “Is it?” Mr. Bamber asked, but did not stop to speak further as the coachman had jumped down and was shouting for them to hurry. “What is it? What’s amiss?”

  “Miss Anne is very ill, sir!” the coachman shouted without preamble, flinging open the door of the carriage. “She needs a doctor at once!”

  Prudence ran to the open door of the carriage, arriving before her father had reached the vehicle. She looked inside before quickly climbing in.

  “Anne? Anne! It’s Prudence. What is amiss?”

  Anne was laid across the seat. Her pallor was sickly looking, a sheen
of sweat making the whiteness of her skin glisten. Her eyelids flickered at Prudence’s voice, but she did not respond further.

  “Dear God, Anne. What have you done?” Prudence asked quietly before turning to the three worried faces at the open door. “We need to get her to a chamber immediately. Lift her out, but be gentle. She is not of a strong constitution. She needs a doctor immediately.”

  Anne was carried out and taken into the house. A footman was despatched to get the local doctor while Prudence followed her cousin upstairs.

  “Miss…” the worried voice of the coachman made her pause.

  “I’ll need to speak to you very soon, but I need to settle Miss De Bourgh first.” Receiving a nod of understanding at her words, she continued up the stairs.

  Prudence and Mrs. Williams, the housekeeper, carefully undressed Anne and sponged her down to try to cool her skin. They worked together in silence until the doctor arrived.

  After examining Anne, he stood, a frown firmly in place. “I don’t know her history, but she seems very fragile. She has a fever, and it seems to have taken a firm hold. I’ll give her some laudanum, and I advise she is not left alone. Try to keep her cool. But without knowing her previous complaints, I cannot offer any real hope. From the look of things, she is severely ill.”

  Prudence sucked in a breath before speaking. “Thank you. We shall care for her as best we can.”

  “I shall return in the morning, but if she should worsen…”

  “We will send for you immediately,” Prudence said. She waited until the doctor had administered the liquid. It was painful to watch how unresponsive Anne was.

  The housekeeper led the doctor out the door, and Prudence rang the bell. A footman knocked on the door, and Prudence opened it. “Where is the coachman?”

  “In the kitchen, Miss. He was a little shaken but has calmed down now.”

  “Good. Please have him sent to the morning room. I shall see him there in a few moments.”

  Prudence had decided on the smallest room so as not to intimidate the coachman. She needed to know the whole situation and quickly.

  “I shall return soon,” Prudence said once the housekeeper had returned to the room. “I will stay with Anne tonight.”

  “I can look after her overnight, Miss Prudence,” the old retainer said quietly. “You look after her during the day when I have my other duties to fulfil.”

  “You’ll be exhausted doing both.”

  “The days will seem long for you. Don’t wear yourself out. I think we’re going to have to learn patience and forbearance.”

  Prudence looked at Anne. She was so tiny and frail in the huge expanse of the bed. It grieved her to see her lovely cousin so ill. Setting her shoulders, she stepped away from the bed. “I shall return as soon as I can.”

  Walking into the morning room, Prudence was immediately joined by her father.

  “Keen to find out what has been going on,” Mr. Bamber said.

  The coachman looked terrified, but Prudence smiled at him in encouragement. “Please take a seat. We would be grateful if you would tell us everything that has happened.”

  The coachman sank into a seat. “It has been a nightmare, Miss,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

  “Start from how Miss de Bourgh came to leave Rosings. It’s such a long distance from Manchester, and there seems to be just the two of you.”

  The coachman looked as if he were about to burst into tears. Mr. Bamber stood and poured a drink from the side table. “Here, get this down you. We can’t have the two of you collapsing on us, or we will never get to the bottom of it,” he said, but his tone was gentle.

  “When Mr. Huxley was dismissed, the house was in an uproar,” the coachman started. “I’ve been with the family for fifteen years, and I ain’t ever seen anything like it,” he continued. “Lady Catherine was screaming and shouting. Lady Anne was crying and shouting ― yes shouting at her mama.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Then Lady Catherine had some sort of spasm and had to be carried to her chamber.”

  “Is she well?” Prudence asked.

  “I think so. I don’t really know, to be honest with you, Miss. Lady Anne demanded that the coach be brought around, and she climbed into it as soon as I arrived at the front of the house. She insisted that I take her to her cousin in London.”

  “Which cousin? Did she pack a case?” Prudence asked.

  “I don’t know which she was intending to visit, if any. I think now that her aim was always to come here. There wasn’t time for her to bring anything. It all happened very fast.”

  “Did she bring her abigail with her?”

  “No, Miss.”

  “Good God!”

  “What happened at the coaching houses you stopped at?” Mr. Bamber asked.

  “I took control, asking Lady Anne to remain in the carriage, and I brought things to her. I also employed a maid, but she was very poor, and I had to send her back. Miss Anne had to do without female assistance.”

  “When did she tell you to bring her north? And what did you do overnight? My mind is racing, wondering how you managed to overcome these obstacles!”

  “Lady Catherine always keeps a supply of money in the carriage. Hidden in case we get robbed. It’s never used because she is rarely out after nightfall,” the coachman admitted. “It gave us money to get through the tolls and buy refreshments. It was quite a few pounds.”

  “Thank goodness for that.”

  “Yes. Staying at the inns was more tricky. I had to make up all sorts of stories before they would accept a young lady unaccompanied. I slept outside her door to make sure she was safe, but we couldn’t always stay in the best inns. I think some of the sheets might have been damp because she started looking pale the further we travelled.”

  “Oh, dear. She is not used to such activity, either,” Prudence said.

  “No. I tried to persuade her to turn around and go home, but she was insistent that we continue. She threatened that she would cast me off and drive the carriage herself.”

  Prudence could not stop her laugh from escaping. “I told her she had claws! Oh, Anne, why have you risked yourself so?”

  “For the last two days we haven’t stopped, day or night.”

  “You have travelled through the night?” Mr. Bamber exclaimed.

  “Yes. I had to. Lady Anne was very ill, and I had to get her here. Every time I opened the carriage door to check on her, I sent up a prayer that she was still alive.”

  “Oh, you poor thing! You must be fit to drop!” Prudence said.

  “Will she get better, Miss? I know she’s poorly.”

  “We don’t know as yet, but be assured that she will have the best care. You need to rest. I will arrange for a room for you and some food. Go to bed and don’t get up until you are fully recovered. You have gone above and beyond your duty over these last few days.”

  “I know Lady Catherine will turn me off for not bringing Lady Anne home, but she was so upset Miss. I’ve never seen her so. She has always been a good girl. I wanted to take her to her cousin in the hope they would help her. It was only later that I began to realise who she was travelling to.”

  “I presume you do not mean me?” Prudence asked.

  “No, Miss. Is it true that Mr. Huxley is here? Lady Anne said she had told him to come here.”

  “Yes. He’s here.”

  “Thank goodness for that. At least it wasn’t a complete fool’s errand, if you’ll beg my pardon, Miss.”

  “Of course. Thank you for not deserting her,” Prudence said, and then ringing the bell, she gave instructions of what was to happen with the weary coachman.

  When Mr. Bamber was once more alone with his daughter, he shook his head at her. “It seems we are to inherit most of Lady Catherine’s servants if this is to continue.”

  “Papa, she travelled all the way from Kent on her own!”

  “As did you,” Mr. Bamber pointed out.

  “I’m not
a slip of a chit who has barely been out of her own county and has been cosseted for every minute of her life. There is little difference between us in age, but believe me, we are worlds apart in experience. Anything could have happened.”

  “At this moment in time, what could have happened is irrelevant. Getting her well will be task enough.”

  “Yes. What the devil are we to tell Mr. Huxley?”

  Chapter 15

  Mr. Huxley was devastated. He cursed and raged for a full ten minutes before calming himself enough to be the sensible man he normally was.

  “What can I do to help her?” he asked.

  “She shall be given the best care possible,” Prudence assured him for the tenth time in as many minutes. “There is one thing I need to discuss with you though, and it shall not be an easy decision to make.”

  “What? I’ll do anything I can.”

  “We need to decide who to contact to let them know Anne is here with us and ill. As much as I would not wish to have Lady Catherine arrive at my door, I feel she has the right to know what is going on.”

  “She does not deserve the daughter she has been blessed with.” The words were said with gritted teeth. Mr. Huxley was standing in front of the fireplace, his knuckles white with gripping the marble edge.

  “That may be so, but Anne is her daughter, and Lady Catherine has a right to know. My only hesitation is about the news that she was taken ill. I do not wish to add to her distress, though I have little affection for the woman.”

  “No. Nor I,” Mr. Huxley admitted. He sighed. “Perhaps it would be best to write to Mr. Darcy? He has had quite a bit of involvement with the family over the years I have been employed there. Lady Catherine seeks his counsel on many things. You could perhaps write to him.”

  “That is the direction my own thoughts were tended,” Prudence admitted. “He is the closest family to us and might wish to visit in place of Lady Catherine. I shall send him an express.”

  “Might I see Miss Anne?”

  “I do not think it would be a good idea at the moment.”