‘Now I know where Cleethorp intends to put down roots,’ Luke said, scowling.
‘Cleethorp? Darius Cleethorp? What’s it to do with him?’
‘Hell, I’d forgotten that you have your differences with the man.’
‘That was a long time ago. Water under the bridge.’
‘Even so…’
Luke repeated to Paul everything that Flora had just told him about Cleethorp and his interest in Exton’s niece that made him so desperate for a rich wife.
‘I am now extremely suspicious about the accident that killed an inconvenient husband,’ Luke concluded by saying, his expression sombre.
Chapter Seven
Henry Beranger had enjoyed Louise Pearson’s company enormously the previous evening, which had come as a surprise. He’d always had an eye for any pretty new face at the family’s social gatherings, but those faces inevitably disappointed when he became acquainted with their owners. He shared his brothers’ oft-repeated view that ambitious females who were incapable of rational thought quickly became tedious. Luke had warned him that he must expect to be pursued for his social position.
Miss Pearson had proved to be a refreshing exception. She didn’t simper, flirt or flatter, and had therefore held his interest. He had gone out of his way to entertain her, and although reticent at first she had eventually let her guard down and Henry had sensed an answering interest. She had spent most of her life living in the capital and they held a lively discussion about politics.
Thinking about it afterwards, Henry was astonished at her depth of knowledge on a subject that interested few women. She questioned the free trade system supported by both main political parties that rendered Britain defenceless against the flood of cheap wheat from America, making the harvest of 1879 the worst in living memory. She seemed to think that men in his position had a duty to ease the hardships that resulted from falling wages within the new industrial working class. At a time when her head should be full of nothing more taxing than enjoying being young, wealthy and admired, Miss Pearson seemed to care deeply for those who were less fortunate than herself.
He’d spent much of the night thinking about her, understanding now why none of the young women who had thrown their caps at him in the past had made a lasting impression. Beauty was all very well—and Henry was an ardent admirer of the female form—but he found little to admire in the silliness that inevitably accompanied said beauty. Louise was another matter entirely, and he would like to know her better. She fascinated him for reasons he was unable to identify. She seemed self-assured, yet isolated, and there was something about her circumstances that didn’t quite ring true. She had adroitly changed the subject whenever he asked about her background, and gentlemanly instincts forbade him from pursuing a matter that she clearly didn’t want to discuss.
He had been wondering how to engineer another meeting without also engendering expectations on her part. When he saw her arrive at Beranger Court that afternoon it seemed like providence. He’d been in the billiards room at the time with his brother Sam, and had watched through the window as Flora and Miss Pearson wandered around the lake, heads close, deep in conversation.
‘Concentrate,’ Sam had adjured. ‘The chit has probably called in the hope of seeing you. Wouldn’t do to appear too keen.’
‘I am fairly keen as it happens. She’s…different.’
‘Damn it, Henry!’ Sam put his cue aside and pulled a doomed face. ‘Don’t you dare break ranks! Charlie’s tied the knot and if you go down that route so soon after him then the local tabbies will descend upon us in droves with their dreary chits in tow. You’ll leave Luke and me devilishly exposed to their machinations.’
Harry laughed. ‘Luke can take care of himself. He’s evaded the parson’s mousetrap for this long.’
Sam harrumphed. ‘Even so…’
‘I’ve been thinking about setting up my own establishment for a while, as it happens.’
‘What, leave Beranger Court?’ Sam looked perplexed. ‘Why?’
‘It’s time, little brother. This is Luke’s inheritance and although he gives us plenty to do to make us feel useful and gain experience, he doesn’t really need us. It’s been good training, but now I’m ready to spread my wings and make my own decisions. I have the money Grandfather left me, which is enough to purchase a modest estate.’
Sam didn’t look convinced. ‘It’s all well and good to want independence,’ he said gloomily, ‘but you don’t need to get leg-shackled as well. You’re only twenty-three.’
‘I merely said that I admired the chit’s spirit.’ Henry shook his head, sending a shock of thick brown hair cascading over his brow. ‘You’re as bad as an old woman, the way your mind immediately flits from admiration to marriage.’
‘Well, that’s what all the old women will be thinking if you pay the chit too much attention, so tread carefully.’
Henry smiled, assured his brother that he would exercise extreme caution and changed the subject. They continued with their game but Henry was unable to concentrate and Sam celebrated a rare victory.
When he’d seen Miss Pearson through the billiards room window, Henry had cynically shared Sam’s view, wondering if she had invented a reason to call in the hope of bumping into him. She wouldn’t be the first to have employed that stratagem, but he had obviously done Miss Pearson a disserve since she didn’t set foot in the house. Her lack of interest in him only increased his desire to see her again. He strolled outside the moment the game finished and headed for the lake. The ladies were returning from their prolonged interlude, and there was no possibility of their avoiding him. Henry felt uncharacteristically awkward when Flora made a point of scampering off and leaving him alone with Miss Pearson.
‘Are you quite well?’ Henry asked as she walked beside him, a slight blush colouring her cheeks. ‘If you don’t mind my making the observation, you seem a little distracted. I hope my coming upon you did not interrupt your conversation with Flora. If you would prefer for me to leave you alone with your thoughts, you have but to say the word.’
‘I am sorry if I’m poor company,’ she said with a sigh. ‘I have a lot on my mind.’
‘There’s no need to apologise.’ They paused to watch his grandmother’s cat stalking something through the reeds that bordered the lake. Zeus pounced, splattering his white coat with mud, but failed to catch whatever had taken his interest. He looked disgruntled by his failure and stalked off, tail aloft and swishing. ‘How are you enjoying Wiltshire? You must find it very different from London.’
‘It’s far more pleasant. The delights of the ton quickly lose their charm. Either that or I am becoming jaded.’
‘Correct me if I have it wrong, but I thought that all young ladies enjoyed the social whirl.’
‘I did at first, but I quickly found it too restricting.’
‘You are a free spirit who does not enjoy rules and regulations.’
‘How very disobliging of you to see through me so easily,’ she replied, looking up at him with a smile.
He laughed in return. ‘I apologise, Miss Pearson. Pretend I didn’t speak, but if it helps at all, my words were intended as a compliment.’
She tilted her head, as though assessing his judgement of her character. ‘In some respects I am a free spirit, I suppose. I certainly enjoy laughing at society’s absurdities, of which I’m sure you will agree there are many. The rules become tedious. I like to speak spontaneously and hate having to stop and consider if a particular subject is suitable for lady so-and-so’s drawing room.’
Henry shook his head. ‘A gruelling necessity.’
‘I can see you are determined to laugh at me, Mr Beranger, which is most unsympathetic of you.’
‘On the contrary. I understand how tedious such restrictions can become. What in particular irks you about the regulations in London? Have the goodness to confide in me and you will be assured of my immediate and sincere sympathy.’
Louise laughed. ‘Since you insist
upon knowing, I love riding but can only do so in the park—properly escorted, naturally.’
His lips quirked. ‘Oh, naturally.’
‘It became…’
‘Restrictive,’ they said together, laughing.
‘I suppose you gentlemen avoid London for different reasons. It seems to me that only those seeking wives, either for financial expediency or to ensure the continuance of the family line, stoically endure the social rigmarole. Those not ready to take the plunge avoid it like the plague. Either that or they retreat to their clubs where no female would get past the porter’s desk, even if she had the temerity to attempt such a thing.’
‘You do my sex a disservice,’ he said with a languid smile. ‘We are not all quite so calculating.’
‘But a lot of the members of my sex are, is what you mean to imply.’
He gave a mock shudder. ‘I would not dare!’
‘Foolish man!’ She swatted his arm playfully. ‘Mothers, I have noticed, set their sights on marrying their daughters off, and marrying them off as advantageously as possible, before the daughters in question are even old enough to leave the nursery. There is quite lively competition between some matrons, I understand, as to who will procure the best-born or wealthiest husband for her precious child.’ She shook her head, setting the curls dancing beneath the brim of her hat. ‘A gentleman only has to dance twice with the same lady and speculation about his intentions spreads like wildfire. Mind you, you gentlemen are not immune from my criticism in that regard. I understand that quite often books are run in those oh-so-respectable clubs of yours regarding particular gentlemen’s intentions.’ She shot him a castigating look, although her grey eyes were dancing with mirth. ‘I think it a very great pity that a man cannot enjoy himself without giving rise to gossip.’
Henry laughed. ‘It is a bit like a cattle market, I suppose, which is one of the reasons why I don’t go up to town much myself. We keep a house there but none of us spends much time in it. Luke can’t ignore his obligations altogether, of course, but he is a prime target for the matchmakers you just referred to, so he has to be especially careful.’
‘I can certainly understand his disinclination to leave such a wonderful estate as this, even for a short period.’
Henry almost spoke of his intention to purchase an estate of his own, but held back for fear of giving her the wrong impression. Besides, it would be a fraction of the size of Beranger Court, and certainly nothing to boast about.
‘If you enjoy riding,’ he said instead, ‘then you and Flora have something in common. Perhaps she told you?’
‘No actually, we had other things to discuss.’
A shadow passed through her eyes. Henry sensed that she was deeply disturbed about something, and was filled with a desire to be of use to her. Desire was the word that sprang frequently to mind whenever his thoughts dwelt upon his charming companion. He didn’t know how to offer his assistance without seeming presumptive, so he remained silent, glad that she had at least confided in Flora, who seemed capable of achieving anything she set her mind to.
‘Luke purchased a very spirited gelding for Flora as a birthday gift.’
‘Did he indeed?’ Miss Pearson elevated one brow. ‘How very generous of him.’
‘I think he wants to make sure that she doesn’t quit her position. She came into a small legacy recently and may decide that she would prefer to be her own mistress. We none of us quite know what we would do without her. Anyway, if you have a horse at your disposal, Flora would be glad of the company, I am absolutely sure of it.’
‘Unfortunately I do not have a horse here in Wiltshire. Mine is eating her head off in the mews in London, and grandmother only keeps carriage horses.’
‘Well, our stables here are full of decent saddle horses. Do make arrangements with Flora. And if you can stand it, I will happily bear the two of you company.’
‘That is a very generous offer, Mr Beranger, but I cannot commit myself to anything at the present time.’
Henry blinked, not having expected an outright rejection. ‘Excuse me. I can assure you that I have no intention of placing the type of pressure on you that you left London to avoid.’
She blushed, looking conflicted. ‘I did not suppose for one moment that you did.’
Their walk had brought them to the front of the house.
‘Will you come in and take refreshment?’
‘Thank you, but no. I told my grandmother that I wouldn’t be gone for long, and I have already overstayed my welcome.’
‘In that case.’ He conducted her to her carriage and offered her his hand to help her into it. He kept possession of it until she had seated herself and was slow to release it even then. ‘I wish you a good afternoon.’ A thick lock of brown hair blew across his eyes and he pushed it impatiently aside. ‘It has been a great pleasure. I hope we shall see one another again very soon.’
‘I hope so too. Good afternoon, Mr Beranger.’
⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎
Louise lifted a hand to Henry Beranger as her carriage moved off. He stood watching it go until the driver turned around a bend in the drive and she lost sight of him. Louise appreciated his gentlemanly conduct, his physicality, his lack of artifice, the effort he made to put her at her ease, his interest in her—she liked everything about him. But she couldn’t afford to lose sight of the fact that he would despise her if he knew the truth about her behaviour.
Relieved to have confided the lurid particulars of her association with Darius Cleethorp to Flora, she remained to be convinced that there was anything she or the earl could do to protect her from the odious man if he chose to be vindictive. He possessed the power to destroy her—and worse, to disappoint her grandmother and sister. She cared little for her own future. As Flora rightly pointed out, she possessed financial independence and was indifferent to society’s view of her. Henry Beranger’s handsome features flashed through her mind and she knew momentary regret. Had things been different, she could so easily have…but no, she couldn’t afford to dwell upon regrets.
Her sister didn’t deserve to be tainted by association, so for her sake she would fight Cleethorp tooth and nail. And for her grandmother’s, too. She had allowed herself to become estranged from her by people who had put their own interests ahead of Louise’s at a time when she was too young to know her own mind. She had long regretted the separation but was now in a position to do something about it.
But not even Grandmamma, so non-judgemental as a general rule, would want to know Louise if the particulars came out.
Louise sighed and gave her attention to the passing scenery. The carriage took her through the village of Ashton Keynes. She felt nervous when several people stopped to stare as it passed them. Some raised hands in acknowledgement but Louise was so intent upon examining faces, reassuring herself that Cleethorp’s was not amongst them, that she did not return their greetings. She would rather be considered aloof than let her guard down, which was just plain idiotic, she decided as the carriage made its way out of the village. If Cleethorp came to the district he would know exactly where to find her. Louise didn’t doubt that her aunt would keep him fully informed of her whereabouts.
She shuddered at the thought of the duplicity of a woman who had been the closest thing to a mother she had known these past ten years and upon whose guidance she had depended until quite recently. It was now clear to Louise that she had only ever considered her own wellbeing.
Once she was safely returned to her grandmother’s abode, Louise alighted from the carriage and found Marianne wandering in the gardens.
‘There you are,’ Marianne said, smiling and linking her arm through Louise’s. ‘I was beginning to worry. Grandmamma didn’t want to tell me where you had gone.’
‘There was no reason why she should not have.’ The two girls sat on a bench beneath the shade of an arbour. It would be covered in dog roses in the spring, Louise imagined, and the air would be filled with their pungent aroma. She pulled off he
r hat and gloves and threw her head back, enjoying the freedom of that simple gesture. Divesting oneself of one’s hat in London, even in the relative privacy of a garden, would cause its gatekeepers to have a collective fit of the vapours. ‘I went to call upon Flora Latimer.’
‘And caught a glimpse of the delightful earl, I would imagine,’ Marianne said, her eyes sparkling.
Louise laughed. ‘No, I did not see him. Nor did I expect to. And you shouldn’t he aiming that high either.’
‘I am not. I get tongue-tied when I am anywhere near him, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t noticed how handsome he is. And how eligible. I expect he will fall madly in love with you, though. You are so very sophisticated and always seem to know what to say in awkward situations.’
The comment made Louise realise how young and immature her sister still was. It also infused her with guilt. She should have insisted upon having her come up to London last season so that she could at least have enjoyed her share of the entertainment.
‘Hardly,’ Louise replied.
‘I have only met the earl on a few occasions. Last night and once before when Grandmamma was invited to dine and I was included in the invitation. Most of our neighbours think I am still too young to be out.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘My invitations to Beranger Court would have been the countess’s doing. She and Grandmamma are the greatest of friends, but I expect you already know that. Miss Latimer has worked wonders with the countess. Everyone says so. Grandmamma told me that she was delighted when she heard that the earl had appointed a clergyman’s daughter as her new companion. She frightened all her predecessors away with her sharp tongue, you see, and no one thought that Miss Latimer would last more than a week. But none of the countess’s usual tactics have shocked Miss Latimer so far, and now they get along very well.’
‘Yes, so she tells me.’
‘I don’t think the earl has noticed me at all when I have been in his house.’ Marianne wrinkled her nose. ‘Well, if he has I’m sure he simply dismissed me as a silly girl. I certainly didn’t attempt to attract his attention.’
A Sense of Injustice (Perceptions Book 4) Page 11