A Farm Girl's Despair (#5, the Winds of Misery Victorian Romance) (A Family Saga Novel)

by Dorothy Green

  Ross wanted to run after her. He bit his lip, holding back the truth. He wanted to tell her right then and there that the engagement with Miss Woodley was a false one, that he was only doing her a favour. That he was not a scoundrel, flirting with another woman while engaged to another, no matter how it looks. But he could not, for he had promised Mary Anne, and he would not go back on that promise. She was a dear friend and he told her her respect and privacy, he would not humiliate her in such a way. So we had no choice but to allow Hilda to think the worst of him, how that thought grieved him, pained him greatly. What could he do now?

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  Miss Gemma Layles was having the grandest time at the party of Sir Hubert. Indeed the last few weeks had been something of a dream for her, for Mr Adam Crossbury was quite the man, and he had captured her affections. She never thought that such a thing was possible, not for her anyway. She did know that she could marry a number of men who had pursued her, but she did not think that marrying for love would ever be possible, that was until she met Adam. He was such an agreeable man and complimented her demeanour in such a way that she would have dared not ever hope. Time with him passed rapidly.

  She too had even noticed that her own happiness was starting to spread to Hilda, for she had never seen her engage in such a way at a party before. Hilda had been pursued by several gentlemen throughout the evening, and instead of begrudgingly accepting, Hilda was all smiles and flirtations. Indeed she had not seen her sister blossom in such a way, and she wondered if it was the gown that their mother had forced her to wear lately that was making her feel more confident than before. For she was a beauty, though she had not considered herself one before; something that brought her a great sadness.

  But on this evening, Gemma had noticed Hilda being quite flirtatious and enjoying herself. In truth, every time she had turned around Hilda was smiling and have a sparkle in her eyes for whatever gentleman was lucky enough to have her attention at the moment. When she looked away, Gemma would notice that the gentleman would look at Hilda up and down, in admiration of her figure in that gown. It made her quite content, for perhaps Hilda would soon find a gentleman that she fancied as well.

  But something did cause her a slight amount of confusion, the MP of Cornwall Ross Brookend. For she noticed the way he looked at Hilda, after having warned Hilda about him, she was now quick to see how he attended to her sister. Gemma found it quite obvious that he did not pay much attention to his own fiancé, and had a wandering eye that continued to wander over to Hilda. It was perplexing, why would he do such a thing when he had a woman at his side who is quite beautiful and had a title and possibly a substantial dowry?

  As she held the spot in her mind, she looked to Adam who stood beside her on the veranda overlooking the gardens.

  “I find your friend Mr Brookend quite perplexing.”

  “You do? How so?” He asked.

  “He is engaged to Miss Woodley, a very beautiful lady with a title and substantial wealth. Though every time I glance and his direction his eyes are focused on my sister. You saw the way they were with each other when we went riding? Then how they whispered to each other at dinner at your home. In truth I am quite worried that he intends to play with my sister, something that she is not used to dealing with when it comes to gentleman. I am worried that she will not know how to take his attentions not so seriously, and just a man sowing his flirtations wild oats before getting married. Is that confusing?” She said.

  “No Miss Layles, I share your sentiments exactly and have spoken with him on the matter. I find it odd that he lavishes attention on your sister as well, not that your sister does not deserve it. She does, for she is quite a beautiful creature, but not from a man that is already engaged.”

  “You have spoken with him on the matter? So it is not just my imagination,” She said.

  “No, it is not. And I must say that I am worried, because I do not want his character to reflect poorly on mine, especially not to you. I do not control my friend, I wish that you I know that now. I do not want him to harm your sister either, but if she does fall for false hopes, I hope that you will not find me to be at fault for it.”

  “I would, had you not told me now in this moment. I thank you for your honesty, sir. It is good to know that you have spoken to him of it, as long as I know that you are a good man that has tried to stop it, that is all I can ask of you. For as you said, you cannot control the actions of others. I warned my sister as well, and will again when I see her.”

  “Well then, we sound like a very elderly couple trying to warn the youth of the dangers of love,” he said, teasing her.

  “Yes, I do believe that you are right in that. How silly of us.”

  “And I hope that one day you and I could become that elderly couple... together...”

  “Mr Crossbury... I... I...” Gemma was astonished, but then she caught the sight of her sister stomping down the garden path toward the stairs. “Is that my sister?”

  “What? Where?”

  “There, and she looks quite distressed.” Gemma moved from the corner of the veranda toward the middle, where the grand stairs were located.

  “And look, there is my friend. What scandalous nature has he done?” Adam said, pointing further into the garden where Ross walked down the same path as Hilda, but far behind her.

  Gemma gasped. “Oh, Mr Crossbury. What shall we do? We must not allow them to make a scene, and with Miss Woodley inside.”

  “Yes, quite right. Go to your sister, I will go down to the gardens to my friend and take him for a turn, cool him off.”

  “Bless you sir, for you do know how to take action. Thank you, I will go to my sister now.” Gemma squeezed his hand and then walked directly toward Hilda as she reached the top of the stairs. “Hilda. Stop! Wait for me.”

  Hilda turned with astonishment in her eyes, and Gemma could tell that something was wrong. She reached her sister's side and took her arm.

  “Come, we will find a quiet corner inside to speak. Mr Crossbury has gone down to Mr Brookend to stop him from pursuing you inside.”

  “What? You saw?”

  “Not at all, come. No time to be seen out here.”

  Gemma knew that she had been correct to warn her sister about Ross and his false intentions. For she could see that Ross had grieved Hilda so, but she hated to be right about such a thing. She wished that her sister had heeded her warning, but circumstances being what they were in front of her eyes, it was obvious that she had not. Though she could not blame her sister, for who was immune to the charms of a marquis? The promise of nobility was a very rich temptation. Especially when one was as attractive as Ross was, and gave Hilda the attention that she was not used to. Now, she had to do what she could to stop Ross from ruining Hilda's reputation, for if anyone saw them arguing, they would think that they were lovers. It would not be good at all, for Hilda or her entire family. In truth it could also ruin her prospects of being with Mr Crossbury, and she most certainly would not allow that to happen.

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  Hilda was beside herself with rage. All she did was take an innocent walk in the gardens, and was thinking about Ross when she did so, because it was his advice she was following to take a look at the grandeur of the roses. Then for him to come upon her and say such things to her. She had to stop the tears from flowing from her eyes; it was too much to handle.

  But she was quite proud of herself. Instead of bursting into tears she gave him biting words back. She was not going to let him speak to her in such a way; how dare he accuse her of being in the gardens doing scandalous things with Ian Drake? Yes she took a fancy to the man, but not enough to steal kisses with him in the night in a garden. Who did he think that she was? Some harlot to play with? No doubt he did think such a thing, because he thought that she was doing such a thing in the gardens.

  In truth she
had a mind to go inside and find Ian Drake and dance and flirt with him for the rest of the night, just to spite Ross. She wanted nothing more than to hurt him, the way his hurt words had hurt her. if it were not for her sister coming to her side, she would have immediately done just that.

  “Come this way with me, sister,” Gemma grabbed two glasses of port off a tray and handed one to Hilda, then escorted her into a far corner of the salon behind a bench settee.

  “Are you all right, sister? What happened? Are you hurt? Did that scoundrel throw himself upon you? Ross?”

  “No, he did not. I do not wish to speak of it. Let us just go inside,” she said.

  The rest of the evening, Hilda was quite heated and even though she had a few more dances with Ian Drake, she did not enjoy the rest of the night because she was so incredibly distraught.

  One week passed and then Gemma received the most distressing news. Mr Crossbury was leaving to Oxford for some time on business and did not know when he would return, perhaps not until the end of summer.

  At the same time, Mr Layles received a note from Captain Brookend with the allowance for Hilda and news that he would be in Cornwall all summer.

  Both Layles sisters were quite distraught by the news, yet Mrs Layles saw fit to make use of the time.

  “Gemma, you will go to your aunt and uncle in Bath and have the summer season there. You must not lament on Mr Crossbury and continue to seek out a proper husband. As for you Hilda, you shall do the same and go to my eldest daughter Elizabeth and her husband Francis Williams in Brighton. I will not have any protest on the matter.

  Hilda looked at Gemma with astonishment on her face. Hilda was still processing that Ross had left so suddenly after all that happened between them. Now she was being uprooted to go stay with Elizabeth, who she knew quite well at this point, but was still confused as to why.

  Brighton

  Summer, 1873

  Hilda boarded the carriage outside her home in Hampstead Heath, bound for the seaside resort town of Brighton. She had only visited her eldest adopted sister Elizabeth twice before, but the entire family had made the journey during that time. This was the first time that she was going alone, and she hoped that it would not be too awkward for Francis and Elizabeth.

  “Now be on your best behaviour, dear,” Mrs Layles gave her hand a squeeze.

  “I will, Mother. Goodbye. Goodbye, Father. I shall write,” she said.

  She waved goodbye to Mr and Mrs Layles, her adopted mother and father, and the carriage jolted forward. She took a deep breath, and settled in. The journey took four hours by carriage, with a stop halfway at an end to rest the horses, and to get a meal and rest herself.

  She looked out the window, as they travelled through the small village of Hampstead Heath, and then through London, where her eyes were set on every passer-by she saw, especially ones that were tall with long dark locks of hair, and had a particular way of walking. For a moment she thought she saw him, Captain Ross, but when the man turned, it turned out to not be him, and she settled back in her seat.

  For he had returned to Cornwall, without so much as a note to her. Not that she was entitled to it, but she was his charge after all, and after the evening where he accused her in the garden, she thought he owed her an apology at least. She had replayed that evening in the garden over and over in her mind. Did he tell her such things because he did not want her to embarrass him, because she was his charge? Or did he tell her those things out of jealousy? He would not be entitled to do so because he was engaged to someone. Was he just being protective of her? Or was it something else? These were the questions that she wanted answered and therefore she had played every single word he said over and over in her mind until she was exhausted. But to leave things in such a way, was quite rude of him. She had expected that he would show up at the Hampstead Heath home in order to explain, or to apologise. But he never did, and she had learned of his absence from town from Adam when he wrote to her sister to let her know that he would be leaving. He at least had the manners of a gentleman, whereas the Captain was a reckless rogue.

  As soon as they were on the outskirts of London, she was truly able to rest and enjoy the scenery. They soon reached the flat fields, outside of London heading south. In truth she was excited to see the ocean again, for it had been far too long. And she knew why it held a special place in her heart. It was because the first time she saw the ocean very long ago, was the first time that she had met Captain Ross.

  At the halfway point of the journey, they did indeed stop to give the horses rest for one hour, and she made use of the time at the inn by taking a meal, and resting herself. Then they were off again, and two hours later they are changed. She opened the curtains wide in the carriage, allowing the sea air to hit her. She took in a deep breath, allowing the salty air to go deep into her lungs.

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  Hilda closed her eyes and thought about that day. She could go back there in her mind. It was the first time she saw the beach, and she had fear in her heart. For she had been hiding from her brother, and saw the ocean in the dark of night with the moon light bouncing off of it, and it was an awesome and eerie site to her. She had salt shelter in the rocky cliff, and looked out over the ocean for as much as she could keep her eyes open, and fell asleep to the soft sound of the waves hitting the shore. Then the next day she had a plunge in the ocean, her first time, but definitely not her last. She remembered how cold the water was, and it seemed that it was a lifetime ago, so much had happened to her since she had bathed in the sea. But what she truly thought of when she thought of the sea, with Captain Ross. For after she had taken her seat back, and stole clothes, that was when he appeared once more on horseback, like some hero out of a novel that she had read. She remembered looking at him, while the the wind whipped her red hair around. He had been the most attractive sight that she had ever seen, and she would never forget the way he looked at her, looking down from his mount on the horse.

  The carriage jostled, and she opened her eyes. She didn't realize that her heart was beating incredibly fast, because she had been thinking about Ross, and that fateful night where he helped her escape her brother.

  She looked out the window to see that she could now see the sea, and the sun was bouncing light off of the water. It was a beautiful sight indeed, and she smiled to see the seabirds, dipping in the air. Perhaps this was a good idea that her mother had, to get away from London. At least she would not be searching every person's face that she came across when she strolled in the park with her family, searching for Ross. This would be a good respite for her mind and heart altogether.

  The carriage continued down, and she could see people on the promenade, with smiles on their face, for the sea had a way of doing that. She grew excited, and could not wait to be walking along the promenade herself with her adopted family. This would be good for her, perhaps a little sea bathing would set her up just right.

  Elizabeth had married a man from a very old and established British family and lived in a large estate in the seaside region of Brighton. Hilda would be staying with her for now and her husband Francis Williams. The house was grand and a footman stood at the entrance to the arched gateway that shielded the house from the busy area of Brighton. There was a large brick lane and a grand marble fountain in front of the house. Large colossal doors were flanked by massive columns giving any visitor an impressive view before entering the inside of the home. When one stepped inside the massive doors, your heels would click on Italian marble floors in the foyer.

  Francis Williams was very proud of his heritage and the decor of the house had not been changed since the early 1400s as there were heavy tapestries and rich paintings on the walls of his ancestors. The furniture and art were the same it was like a museum inside the parlour and every single room from the dining room to the billiards room. Each room had a massive fireplace to keep it warm from the Brighton chill.

  Of c
ourse, no house would be complete if it were to be called a grand house without a grand ball room. This house had one of the biggest ballrooms in Brighton and many great parties were held in it. There was a massive library and sitting rooms as well that let out into the mini terraced gardens. The attics like in any grand house were where the servant quarters were located. Up at the grand spiral staircase that went to the left and to the right was where you would find her room just off the galley. It was fit for a princess with a full bed draped in a canopy of fine lace. The large windows were glazed and looked over the stunning green gardens below. Paintings on the wall were of English landscapes and buy some of the great masters of Brighton that Francis and his ancestors could afford to buy throughout the centuries. There was a vanity in the corner of the room and it caught a lot of natural light in order to make herself appropriate for the many outings that her sister insisted they attend.

  Her sister Elizabeth had a lot of freedom as she was married to a very kind man and Francis treated her very well. Her mother could not understand that she wanted to be out of wedlock for a while and just enjoy herself and her freedom, but in truth she was waiting for Captain Brookend’s return to London and kept hope until he was indeed married.

  "Hilda, by the time you find a husband that you get on with you shall be an old maid and no man will want you," she said to her, over and over every time she spoke to her. It was enough to drive anyone insane and she was happy to be free of her incessant talking.