The people of high society could be a cruel and vaporous lot that was prone to exaggeration and spreading falsehoods. The tale of his night with Miss Browne had no doubt reached all corners of London and beyond by now. Graham sighed at the window of his study as a bird flew into the tree he could see through the glass.
“If only we were all as free to choose our destinies as you, little bird,” Graham whispered. He rubbed his beard.
There was only one thing that bothered Graham more than thoughts of Miss Browne and Lord Stanhope. That was how to tell his sister, who was set upon Lord Stanhope herself, that the man was not what he seemed. As much as Graham was satisfied to learn he was exactly as he had thought him, convincing Amanda was a completely different problem.
Amanda had a good chance at finding a suitable match, but she seemed wholly fixated on the degenerate Lord Stanford. Graham wished for once his sister would see reason and abandon her quest just this once.
A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. “Come in,” he called as he drew himself out of his revelry.
Amanda entered all flashy eyes and flushed cheeks. “What is this I hear of you manhandling Lord Stanhope? The maids are all atwitter about it. They say you threatened him!”
Her voice rose with every word and Graham lifted his hand to halt his sister’s onslaught. Amanda fell silent but her hands were balled into fists, as if the act took considerable will to do so.
Graham cleared his throat. “The maids are correct in that I had to have Lord Stanhope removed from the house. He was drunk and quite belligerent.”
“You probably fed him too much brandy to make him act so horribly.” Amanda stared Graham down.
Graham shrugged. “You may feel how you wish about it. I simply could not stand by and allow him to insult you and Miss Browne.”
“Insult me? And why on earth would he care about Charlotte?” Amanda’s nose flared with her words.
Graham knew she was furious with him, but he continued calmly. “He made use of the rumour and implied that he would take her as a mistress. It was insulting to you both, Amanda. He did not speak kindly.”
“And no doubt you had no hand in making him make such declarations?” Amanda folded her arms and paced back and forth.
Graham sighed and leaned back in his chair. “No one ever makes Lord Stanhope do anything. You should know that having been around him. Why would I try to make him insult you?”
“He did not insult me. He insulted Charlotte,” Amanda howled. “She put herself into that situation, Graham.”
Graham shook his head at Amanda. “I put her in that situation as I was the one who insisted that we rest for the night. I should have the scandal upon me, Amanda, not the other way around.”
“That is so typical of you, Graham.” Amanda raised her arms in exasperation. “I will admit that I do not like the idea of a husband of mine taking on a mistress, but you know as well as I do that men do that sort of thing.”
Graham hit the desk with his palm. “Not to my sister! I would not do such a thing to a wife of mine, and I will not suffer a brother-in-law of mine to do so either.”
“And there it is,” Amanda declared grandly. “There is the reason I shall forever be doomed to be alone. No one will ever live up to your impossible standards, Brother.”
Graham knew that Amanda was going to be hard-headed, but she was proving herself even more stubborn than Graham had thought. “I should think that you would be more mindful of your reputation, Amanda, since you are so stern with Miss Browne over her indiscretion. A man who would talk so openly about mistresses before he even weds you certainly cannot have your best interest at heart.”
“Anyone can make a mistake while deep in their drink. I do not hold such indiscretions against him.” Amanda held her chin up high. “You should not look down on others so. You proclaim that you made a mistake with Miss Browne, but you did so quite sober, Graham. Can you not show some leniency?”
The set of Amanda’s jaw told Graham that he may not be able to escape from telling her of the story Miss Browne had relayed to him. Graham grimaced as he began, “There is more that I had hoped to spare you. However, since you seem unwilling to believe my statements on their own, you have left me little choice.” Graham drew in a breath and folded his hands on top of his desk. “Miss Browne came by here earlier to inform you out of a sense of friendship that Lord Stanhope had come to her and proposed marriage.”
Amanda’s mouth dropped open. “Surely you do not believe her,” Amanda said haughtily. “She is clearly vengeful after my rebuke of her at Lord Stanhope’s tea party.”
“Is it really so hard to imagine that men such as Lord Stanhope might lie about affections if it benefitted them?” Graham sighed at his obstinate sister. “Please try to be reasonable.
The tears welled up in her eyes and Amanda turned away momentarily. When she turned back she exclaimed through clenched teeth. “He did not lie. His affections for me were genuine!”
“I cannot convince you otherwise?” Graham had known Amanda might be bull-headed over it, but to take such a hard stance did not seem logical. Perhaps Amanda held more fascination for the young man than Graham had thought.
Amanda shook her head. “Save your words, Brother. I will listen to no more from you. Lord Stanhope and I will run away together, and you can rot here with your high ideals!” Amanda spun on her heel and was out of the room before Graham could say anything else.
Graham stared at the door for a long moment before he rubbed his face. “Fine mess I made of that,” he grumbled.
*
Amanda dashed down the steps of the manor. She fumed at the audacity of her brother. Did he think that her emotions were so easily swayed?
Was it a test of her strength of character? Amanda shoved the idea away. Not even Graham was that much of an imbecile. Besides, she knew that Lord Stanhope would never betray her. He loved her. He had told her so. She gathered her skirts and walked toward the stables. “Boy,” she called.
One of the stable lads appeared at the door and peered at her as if he had gone dull in the head. “Yes, Miss?”
“I need a carriage.” Amanda smoothed down her skirts and lifted her chin imperiously. “Now, if that is not too much to ask.”
The young man ducked his head as if Amanda had thrown some weapon at him. “The carriage is being worked on, Miss.”
“Worked on?” Amanda groaned. Of all the luck. The one day she chose to run away the carriage was unavailable. “We have more than one carriage.”
The stable boy grimaced. “His Lordship has requested the second carriage. I’m afraid it is at his disposal.”
“I am allowed a horse, am I not?” Amanda fought to keep the red from her face as her ire rose.
“Of course, Miss!”
Amanda was left in front of the stables. As she stood, she thought of what Graham had said. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she grew insulted for Lord Stanhope’s sake all over again.
She would go to Lord Stanhope and they would run away to be married. It happened on occasion, and they were a perfectly suitable match. Besides, Lord Stanhope was so clever and his wit so entertaining that surely they would be happy together.
It was not until the boy came back with a saddled horse that Amanda realised she had no idea where to find him. She accepted the reins of the horse with a smile. “Thank you.”
She allowed the boy to help her up into the saddle. Amanda did not let on where she was going. It would do her little good if her brother caught on that her threats had not been the vaporous ramblings that he always took her words for.
“Enjoy your ride, Miss,” the stable boy called as Amanda urged the mare down the path away from the house. She did not respond.
As soon as she was out of the gate, she turned her horse toward the vicarage. If Lord Stanhope had been to see Charlotte then perhaps she would know where the man was staying. It was the only thing she could do other than wander aimlessly unescorted all o
ver the county.
Amanda urged her horse onward. She was grateful at least for the fair weather. She thought of all the things she could say to her former friend. It was Charlotte’s fault that Amanda was not in London at this very moment.
Yet she needed the woman’s help. If Amanda stayed away too long, Graham would send someone out to find her, so she would have to stay out of sight until she could find Lord Stanhope. Amanda let her thoughts wander as the horse followed the road to the vicarage.
The squat house sat in an oak-strewn stretch of road that some might have called quaint. Amanda might have called it quaint herself to be polite, but it struck her as a giant white toad sitting low under the oaks. She frowned as she pulled on her horse’s reins.
There was a child out front with a dirty face, but with quick eyes, who darted off into the house as Amanda climbed down from the mare’s back. It was a rather undignified thing as she had no one to help her, but what else was there to do? Once she reached the ground, she turned to look at the house.
Before she could decide how to approach the situation, the door came open. Charlotte and the boy from earlier appeared. Charlotte’s eyes grew wide. “Amanda? I mean, Miss Easterly, what are you doing here?”
Amanda sighed. “Never mind that. What shall I do with my horse?”
“Just tie her there,” Charlotte said as she came out of the door nodding at a post to the side of the yard. “She’ll be fine.” Amanda allowed Charlotte to take the horse’s reins and tie them safely onto the post.
Amanda cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
“Would you like to come in?”
Amanda nodded. It was rather warm out in the sun today. “That would be lovely. The road has left my throat a little dry.”
“Then I shall put on a kettle.” Charlotte ushered Amanda inside.
The outside of the house did not prepare Amanda for the inside. Amanda could not recall Charlotte’s house being like this before. It was suffocating. It was neat and tidy, but far too crammed full of filthy children for any real comfort.
“Are these the vicar’s children?” Amanda eyed the small girl that had toddled over to her with disturbance. “No. No. We shall not touch my skirts.” Amanda halted the girl with one of her gloved hands as the child reached for her dress.
Charlotte scolded, “Dot, stop that.” She scooped up the child and deposited Dot on her hip in one smooth movement that spoke of familiarity.
“You live here with these children?” Amanda eyed the rest as they stared at her in return.
Charlotte nodded and turned to the kitchen. She said over her shoulder, “Oh yes. Well, I do not stay in the house proper, but I spend most of my time here.”
Amanda followed Charlotte, hopeful that the children would not do so. To her relief, they all stopped at the kitchen doorway, even if they did continue to stare at her. “I came to ask about Lord Stanhope. I hope am not being forward by doing so.”
“Lord Easterly told you then,” Charlotte said with a frown. She set the small child on the floor. Dot took off towards her brothers and sisters, disappearing back into the den. Charlotte began filling the kettle with water.
Amanda straightened her shoulders and clasped her hands in front of her. “He did. I, however, do not wholly believe that Lord Stanhope would be so callous towards me. I must speak with him myself.”
Charlotte set the kettle on the stove and turned toward Amanda. “Your brother doesn’t know you are here, does he?”
“He may or may not,” Amanda said with a shrug. “Will you aid me, or have I truly lost you as a friend?”
Charlotte crossed her arms and there was something in her eyes that made Amanda worry that perhaps she had injured Charlotte’s pride a bit too much. Charlotte sighed. “Friend or not, I never turn someone away if I can help them. It would be an insult to my father’s teachings if I did.”
“So, you will help me?” Amanda did not know if she liked that Charlotte did not consider her a friend, but as she was willing to help her it did not truly matter. Or did it?
Charlotte gave Amanda the slightest of smiles. “Of course I will help. However, I do not see what help I could be.”
“Well, you could hide me,” Amanda suggested with a pleading look on her face. “I do not know where Lord Stanhope is, but if my brother finds me before I find Lord Stanhope then all of this will be for nothing.”
Charlotte’s faint smile vanished. “I do not like the idea of lying to Lord Easterly.”
“There is no lying,” Amanda assured her. “He would not think of me coming here. I am sure of that. And as soon as we find Lord Stanhope it will be over. So it should be a small imposition at best.”
There was a moment where Amanda thought that perhaps Charlotte might show her the door, but true to her nature, Charlotte accepted Amanda’s words with a dip of her head. “I do not know where he is, to be truthful, but I feel he must be staying at the inn in town if he is not at your estate. There are very few places a gentleman would pass the night in our small town.”
“That is true,” Amanda whispered. Charlotte turned her attention back to the kettle that had begun to sing. Amanda watched Charlotte set the kettle on a tray, which she brought over to a table set to one side of the kitchen. “Are we to sit here then?”
Charlotte laughed lightly. “I do not think you would like the dining room. It is likely to be filled with children doing schoolwork.” Charlotte came around and pulled a chair out for Amanda and waved for her to sit.
Amanda crinkled her nose. “Yes. Well, it is a quaint little spot,” Amanda said as she made the best of things. She eyed the chair distrustfully before she sat down.
“I know you think that running off is accomplishing much,” Charlotte said as she poured the tea. “However, all you are likely to do is convince Lord Easterly that his view of your nature is true.”
Amanda frowned. “All the same, I do not think I can face him.”
“Perhaps not just now,” Charlotte agreed with a smile. “He is your brother, though, and he does love you.” She held a cup of tea out to Amanda. “Stay here for a while if you like, but eventually you have to face your brother.”
Amanda took the tea and sipped. It felt heavenly on her throat. “I shall consider what you say.”
Charlotte accepted her words with another dip of her head. They sat and finished their tea in silence after that. Amanda felt odd sitting in this house, asking her former friend for a favour.
Yet, were friends not allowed to ask favours of each other? She had done Charlotte a favour, after all. It was only fair that Charlotte returned her kind gesture.
“Charlotte,” a woman’s voice called. “Oh.” The woman came in and stopped short when she saw Amanda. She was a tall, slender sort with overly sensible clothes that made Amanda cringe at how horribly out of fashion it all was. “Forgive me. I did not know we had an esteemed guest.”
Charlotte waved her hand toward Amanda. “This is Miss Easterly. I do not think you two have been formally introduced. Miss Easterly, this is Mrs. Wilson, my employer.”
Amanda extended her hand towards the woman in what she was hoping was an inclusive gesture. “It is nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Wilson. Charlotte has spoken of you.”
“And she has spoken of you, as well,” Mrs. Wilson returned as she shook Amanda’s hand.
Amanda could not help but wonder if Charlotte had spoken favourably of her or not. She could glean nothing from the face of Mrs. Wilson. She folded her hands on the table. “I apologise for dropping in like this, but it was a spur of the moment visit.”
Under the Seductive Lady's Charm: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 20