Believe in Me

by Ella Quinn

  “I wish I’d thought of that.” Worthington drained the glass, and poured another. “You know that Lord Phineas Carter-Woods is interested in Augusta?”

  Hector nodded. By now, everyone had heard. “I thought he went up to the Midlands after Lady Bellamny’s ball.”

  “That’s what he told Augusta. But I have reason to believe that he is in France.” That was an interesting piece of news. “Kenilworth saw him depart Dorchester House in a large traveling coach, heading toward Piccadilly. I wouldn’t have thought much of that, but Merton had made a dash down to his estate in Kent, and on his way back is positive he saw Lord Phineas as he was passing through Canterbury.”

  “Did you approach Dorchester? He must know where his brother went.”

  “I sent a note but have not heard from him.” Worthington glanced at the wine, shook his head, and put it down.

  A bit of conversation niggled at Hector, then he remembered it. “You don’t happen to know if Lord Phineas has a man by the name of Boman working for him, do you?”

  “No. But then I would have no reason to. Why?”

  “Just after the garden party incident, a man approached Baiju, my general factotum, asking for a ride to Calais on our ship. Naturally, he said that he’d have to ask my permission, but then he didn’t hear from him again.”

  “I do know that he and Augusta got on extremely well together. If it wasn’t for this university idea, she might have accepted him.” Worthington grinned. “As long as she could get him to admit he’s in love with her.”

  Hector laughed. “I can’t say I’m opposed to love matches.”

  “No. Neither can I.” Worthington looked at the papers. “I just want to ensure that you have everything you might require.”

  “I thought you supported her desire to attend university.” Before he left England, he wanted to make sure he knew exactly what Worthington’s thoughts were.

  “If it were only that simple.” Leaning back in his chair, he blew out a frustrated breath. After a moment, he straightened. “I want her to be happy. We all do. In the upshot, that means marriage and children. I do not think she has given enough consideration to how attending university will harm her chances on the Marriage Mart. If Lord Phineas wants her”—Worthington grimaced—“if he loves her as she is, and she loves him, then in my opinion, she should marry the man.”

  “Even if it means giving up her dreams?” Hector was sure Augusta would not agree she should be made to. “You do know the on dit is that his brother wants him to help ensure there is an heir.”

  “If they love each other enough, they’ll find a way to make it work.” Worthington laughed. “Lord knows I did. It will be up to Lord Phineas to work out a way for them both to have what they want. That’s probably the only thing I know for a fact.”

  Hector tapped the documents. “I’ll pick these up before I leave today.”

  “As you wish.” Worthington came out from behind his desk. “You’re a good friend.”

  “That’s what family is for.” Hector shook Worthington’s hand. “I’ll keep an eye out for Lord Phineas.”

  Worthington raised a brow. “Another American saying? You’re picking up quite a few of them.”

  “Now that everyone is at peace, I’ve been dealing with a lot of American ships’ captains and agents.” Hector opened the door.

  “We’ll soon have two different ways of speaking English,” Worthington said as he ambled into the corridor.

  “I think we already do.” Hector followed his cousin to the other side of the house where the party would be held. He decided to tell Jane what Augusta’s brother had said, but not Prue. She was growing too close to Augusta, and he did not want anyone to influence what might happen between her and Lord Phineas. Of one thing Hector was certain. No one would force her into anything she did not want. Not while he had charge of her.

  Chapter Twenty

  The farewell party Grace held for Augusta and the rest had been wonderful. It was set in the garden and her family and friends had all been present.

  “I shall miss you.” Henrietta gave Augusta a package. “It is tea. We all contributed. We thought you might have need of it.”

  “Thank you.” Good tea would probably be in short supply. “If you think of anything you’d like me to send, write to me.”

  Her friend laughed. “I’m sure there are a great many items I’d like, but they’d all require fittings.”

  “Perhaps some fabric, if you come across anything we do not have here,” Georgiana commented.

  “That’s an excellent idea.” Dorie held up her champagne glass, prompting the rest of the ladies to do so as well. “To a wonderful and educational journey.”

  Adeline took a sip of champagne. “I only want letters, and I shall write you every week.”

  “Rothwell and Merton have arranged to have letters sent with the diplomatic post,” Augusta said. “If you give your missives to them, they’ll take care of it for you.”

  Her friends agreed that was the most expeditious method. After many wishes for a good journey, embraces exchanged, and teary eyes dabbed, they left.

  Early the next morning, Matt and Grace came to Augusta’s bedchamber as she donned her gloves. Her maid had already left with the other servants.

  “It’s not long now.” Her brother hugged her. “I’ve given Hector all the documents you should require, including the information for drawing funds if you should have need of them.”

  “Thank you.” She returned his embrace, then turned to Grace. “I shall write often.”

  “Well, you will have no excuse not to.” She drew Augusta into her arms. “I arranged for a great deal of paper, pens, and ink to be sent with you. And you must give your new travel table a try.” She handed Augusta a purse. “This is for whatever you want.”

  “Thank you for everything.” Without Grace none of this would be happening.

  “I hope you find what you are looking for. Your happiness is all we want.” She wiped one eye. “Now, you must say adieu to the rest of the family.”

  This was going to be the hardest thing she had done so far. Outside her room the twins and Madeline waited for her. Her brothers were lining the stairs, and the two youngest were at the bottom of the stairs. Mama and Richard stood at the door.

  Before stepping into the corridor, Augusta took a breath and blew it out.

  “You promise you will be back for our come out,” Madeline said. She was flanked by Alice and Eleanor, who nodded.

  “Yes.” Somehow Augusta would find a way to be in Town for her sisters. “Write to me.”

  “We will,” Alice said, trying to blink back her tears. But there was no hope for that and soon all three of them were weeping.

  Mary and Theo too had tears in their eyes when they hugged Augusta tightly.

  “We will miss you,” Theo said.

  “Both of us,” Mary added, as if Theo’s meaning wasn’t clear.

  The girls gave Augusta handkerchiefs with their latest attempts at embroidery. Theo had started doing white work, and Mary had almost mastered the art. “These are lovely.”

  “We will be able to do much better when you come home.” Mary embraced Augusta again.

  Charlie, Walter, and Phillip each handed her heavy sacks. “What is in them?”

  “We each picked things we thought you’d need on your trip.” Charlie grinned. “But you’ll have to find out for yourself what they are.”

  Handing the bags to Durant, she hugged the boys. “You are the best brothers a lady could have.”

  “You’ll show them the way in Padua,” Walter whispered in her ear.

  “I hope so.” Despite her education, she expected university to be a challenge.

  Next came Louisa, Charlotte, and Dotty. “We have no gifts for you,” Louisa said, hugging Augusta. “Only our best wishes.”

  Charlotte peeked at the coaches outside piled high with trunks and bags. “We thought you might have enough to carry. I expect you brought all th
e books you wanted, and I hear the shopping in France is excellent.”

  “I expect you are right.” Augusta hugged Charlotte.

  “Write often.” Dotty embraced Augusta tightly. “You can depend upon Jane’s guidance if you should need it.”

  “I know. I will.” Augusta brushed back tears of her own.

  Her mother and Richard were the last to say farewell. Richard patted her shoulder and handed her a small purse. “Put this aside for an emergency. You never know when you will need ready funds.”

  “Thank you.” She hoped she would not need it, but her stepfather had traveled the world and knew more about it than she did.

  “I hope you have a wonderful time.” Mama kissed Augusta’s cheek. “I look forward to your return. I know you will write.”

  “Of course, I will.” It seemed that her mother was the only one who did not realize she would be gone for more than a few months. Or perhaps she simply refused to believe it.

  Thorton bowed. “Have a good journey, my lady.”

  “Thank you, Thorton. I hope to.” Durant escorted her to the coach, then took his place next to the coachman.

  Before Hector handed her into the coach, she turned and waved at her family, now congregated around the front door. The Great Danes had joined them. Mama turned her head into Richard, and he put his arms around her . . . Mayhap, she did know after all.

  Prue was already in the coach with Jane on the forward-facing seat of the comfortable traveling coach, where Augusta joined them. Hector, Nurse and Tommy—Jane, and Hector’s two-year-old son—sat on the backward-facing seat. This conveyance would take them to Dover. Once they arrived in Calais, another vehicle awaited them.

  As the driver set the coach in motion, Augusta glanced back. Her heart tightened as the children’s waving hands faded into a blur, and the family she loved disappeared.

  A tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it away. She was a grown woman off to see the world, to study, something she’d always yearned to do. She should be excited, not sad. It wasn’t as if she’d be gone forever. Her journey was no different from the ones young gentlemen made every year. Yet, she expected she would probably learn more than most of them did.

  Augusta watched as Tommy’s eyes fluttered closed. He spent a good amount of time with his cousins. Would he miss them? “What does the coach in France look like?”

  “Coaches, my dear. Much larger than this one.” Hector beamed. “I borrowed an idea from the French diligence, their version of a stagecoach. They both have three compartments. I shall tell you about the one in which we will travel first. Two of the compartments have seats that can fold down into beds.” He pulled out a sheet of paper on a board from a pocket on the side of the carriage, and as he spoke, he drew an image. “There are multiple pockets on the sides for gloves, books, games, or numerous other things.” He pointed to the front of the drawing. “Here you can see that the coachman’s seat has an oilcloth cover that can be pulled over him in case of rain.”

  “Sort of like Matt’s gig at home?” Augusta asked.

  “Exactly the same idea.” Hector went back to the sketch. “The benches inside of the main compartment are covered in brown velvet. The rear compartment has leather seats that can be protected with canvas.”

  “That is where Tommy will ride,” Jane added. “If he becomes ill or has an accident of any sort, the canvas can be washed.”

  “What about the front?” Augusta was intrigued by the planning that had gone into this.

  “Velvet as well. That will be used by anyone who needs to sleep or would like time alone. There is a cupboard for linens so that the bed can be easily made up.”

  She could see herself wishing time alone. “What about the other one?”

  “I asked my valet and Jane’s maid what they would like.” Hector grinned. “We must keep the servants happy. That front section will be for the second coachman and whoever of the grooms or outriders needs to rest. The middle compartment is for the ladies’ maids, and the smaller compartment is for my valet and my general factotum.”

  “Do the middle and last sections have beds as well?” Prue asked.

  “Three and two respectively,” Hector said. “In effect, it can accommodate all the different needs we could think of.”

  Although Augusta had heard about the French diligence, she had never even seen a drawing of one. “How did you know what the stagecoaches looked like?”

  “By traveling to France, of course.” She gave him a disgruntled look and he laughed. “I had some business in Paris and saw one leaving for Lyon. I was so intrigued that I made it a point to get a closer look.”

  “Hector has been planning our journey since Tommy was born.” Jane glanced at her sleeping son. “He was simply waiting for a good time for us to depart.”

  “Then I realized if we waited until everything was perfect, we’d never go.” Hector glanced lovingly at Jane.

  Mentally, Augusta counted up the number of servants and something wasn’t right. “Who is going to help Nurse?”

  “Mr. Addison is going to hire nursemaids when we get to France,” Nurse said as she shifted the sleeping boy. “I’ve picked up a bit of French here and there, so it will be good for Tommy and me to learn some of a new language. It will also help when I must buy things.”

  “The two we had before did not wish to leave England,” Jane added. “I gave them excellent references and helped them find new positions.”

  “If the coaches in France are as comfortable as this one,” Prue said, “I shall be extremely grateful. If you’ll excuse me, I am going to take a nap.”

  She closed her eyes and a short time later was snoring softly. Augusta wondered if her cousin could always do that or if she had learned the skill following the drum with her husband during the war. Nurse pulled up a cloth that was hanging loose and attached it to her apron, holding Tommy fast before she closed her eyes. Soon Hector was asleep as well.

  Augusta glanced at Jane. “I believe we have been left to our own devices.”

  “I fear we are surrounded by experienced travelers and another who knows how to take her rest when she is able.”

  “I’m much too excited to sleep. I suppose at some point I will be able to.” Augusta gazed out the window. They were already out of London and would soon reach the toll road. “How many stops have been arranged?”

  “We shall change horses every ten miles or so.” Jane glanced out the window. “Hector has posted some of his own horses and received permission to use others.” She smiled broadly. “I cannot believe I am finally going to Europe.”

  “Why did you not travel to Paris for your wedding trip?”

  Jane shrugged lightly. “Grace and Matt were newly married and had Charlotte and Louisa to chaperone. I decided to continue to help with all you children.” Jane gazed softly at Tommy. “Then I became pregnant, and we decided again to wait.”

  “That seems to always be the way.” Which was exactly the reason Augusta did not wish to wed right away.

  Jane gazed up at the ceiling, then said, “But we were wrong. Women have babies all over the world. Some of the ladies I have met have gone to sea with their husbands, and had their children onboard. It is more what our families and our society expect of us that holds us back.”

  “You’re right.” That really was the problem. The preconceptions of others. And when one did or wanted to do something outside of those expectations, she, not society, was considered somehow wrong.

  “I am proud of you for following your dream.” Jane held up one of the flasks of lemonade, and Augusta took it. “Not many young ladies would take the chance or the opportunity.”

  “Not many ladies have at least part of their family that supports their strange aspirations.” She thought of her mother. “It is hard to feel like a disappointment to ones you love.”

  “It is.” Jane took a drink of her lemonade. “Even though I was extraordinarily angry with my father and him with me, I was still sorry I disappointed h
im.” She glanced over at Hector, sleeping soundly. “Still, I have never regretted my decision.”

  “Did you always feel or know deep in your heart that you and Hector would be together?” Over the past few days, Augusta had missed Phinn more than she liked. She didn’t know what she would have done if he’d loved her.

  “I cannot say that I did.” Jane gazed out the window for several moments. “I simply knew that I would never love another man.” She glanced at Augusta. “You will meet the right gentleman for you. And when you do, he will be more concerned about making you happy than anything else.”

  Until recently, she never thought her wish to attend university would make her ineligible as a wife. That when she was ready a gentleman would simply be waiting for her. Yet, after her mother’s garden party, Augusta suspected that a gentleman would have to be extremely forward thinking to accept her as she was. Just like Matt had accepted Grace and all her brothers and sisters, and Grace had accepted Louisa, Madeline, Augusta, and Theo. And made sure they were all one family. Of course, the meeting all of the children had had in the schoolroom that day helped bind them together.

  For a while she watched the rolling, green countryside. Sheep and lambs dotted the meadows. Trees and hedgerows always seemed to bloom earlier in Kent than elsewhere. Maybe if she met the right gentleman, a man who loved her for herself, she could have everything she wanted.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Phinn took particular care with his cravat. Musson stood by with several extra neckcloths placed carefully over his arm. This was the only part in dressing for which Phinn was actually responsible. And for tonight, it had to be perfect. Though part of him wondered if Augusta would notice the pains he’d taken. She had never given him any indication at all she even found him well-looking.

  She and her party had arrived at Harrington House late yesterday. This evening Lady Harrington had planned a soirée. Phinn had received an invitation accompanied by a short note from Lord Harrington that Augusta would attend. Phinn paused in the process of lowering his chin. Just why his lordship had sent the missive was not clear. He thought he’d been careful not letting his intentions toward Augusta be known.