There he sank down upon a sofa, closed his eyes and pretended to be dozing. It didn’t escape his notice that George had gone at once to Gina’s side and was deep in conversation.
Samuel was satisfied. In time the lad would come to see where his best interests lay. As for this wench…this Ellie? Perhaps now was not the time to remove her from the scene. Let George believe his promises. He could afford to wait.
Chapter Seven
‘Gina, I do like gentlemen, don’t you?’ On the journey home, Elspeth was radiant. She had enjoyed her evening.
Gina laughed. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘Well, they are all so kind. Mr Newby makes us laugh and Mr George Westcott tells such interesting stories…’
‘And can you decide between them? I thought that Mr Newby was your latest flirt.’
‘I doubt if I’ll ever marry,’ Elspeth said artlessly. ‘I’ll never be able to choose.’
‘And does Mair feel the same?’ Gina glanced at the elder of her charges.
‘I’d need to know them better,’ Mair said wisely. ‘I feel more comfortable with Giles. He seems to me to have a stronger character.’
‘Giles is the handsomest of all, but he doesn’t laugh so much…’ Elspeth continued to chatter on. ‘Still, we love him best, don’t you?’
‘I hadn’t thought of comparing him with anyone,’ Gina replied. It was no more than the truth. Giles alone had touched her heart. Beside him George and Thomas Newby seemed to her to be no more than boys. ‘But you have known Giles longer. That is probably the reason.’
Her voice was perfectly steady, but Mair gave her a long look. There was something slightly fey about Sir Alastair’s eldest daughter. Mair seemed to pick vibrations from the air.
‘Mr Newby has been more than kind,’ Gina went on quickly. ‘Without him you would not have learned to waltz.’
‘And he has promised us more lessons,’ Elspeth said with satisfaction. ‘Will he come tomorrow, do you suppose?’
‘I imagine that he will wait for an invitation, Elspeth.’
‘Oh, do ask him again. Promise?’
‘We must not monopolise the gentlemen. They will have many other calls upon their time.’ Gina was torn between a longing to see Giles again, and the fear that if he took her in his arms once more she would be sure to give herself away.
‘But they enjoyed it, Gina. They both said so…’
Gina hesitated. ‘Very well,’ she said at last. ‘You may have your dancing lessons if the gentlemen agree, but I must ask something in return…’
‘Anything!’ they chorused.
‘Anything? Well, I shall take you at your word. If Mrs Guarding has a place for you at the Academy, will you go there willingly?’ She studied the stricken expression on both faces with a flicker of amusement. ‘It’s scarce a sentence of execution, my dears.’
‘Oh, Gina, must we? You’ve always taught us up to now…’ Mair was never at ease in a new environment.
‘I won’t say you must, but it would please me. You would learn much which is far beyond my own capabilities. Besides, you would make new friends. We cannot live in isolation here, and some of the other pupils will be of your own age.’
‘It might be fun, after all.’ Elspeth considered the suggestion. ‘We’d hear all the village gossip too…’
‘That’s hardly a reason for attending a place of learning.’ Gina’s tone was solemn, but her eyes were twinkling. ‘Is it a bargain then?’
‘It is,’ they both agreed, though Mair looked dubious.
Gina patted her shoulder. ‘In your case it won’t be long, my love. You’ll be out of the schoolroom before you know it and it will be a comfort to have friends about you when you make your come-out.’
Mair smiled, and Gina was satisfied. She tried always to reason with the girls, rather than insisting upon unquestioning obedience. To date, the use of that policy had resulted in the happiest of relationships with her stepdaughters.
‘And you won’t forget to send a message to the Grange?’ said the irrepressible Elspeth.
‘I shall pay a morning call on Lord and Lady Isham. We must not continue to deceive them as to the true reason for Mr Newby’s visits here.’
‘But suppose they disapprove?’ Mair said quietly.
‘I doubt if they will, my dear, and Anthony is master in his home…’
Gina did not pursue the subject. It was not her intention to criticise Mrs Rushford to her charges. On the following morning she ordered her carriage and set off for the Grange.
She was happy to find that India was receiving, and pleased to realise that she was the only visitor on that particular day.
India greeted her warmly. ‘Oh,’ she cried. ‘How good of you to come! Anthony is out riding with Giles and Mr Newby, and Mama and Letty are gone again to Hammonds in the village. I’d like to have gone with them, but Anthony is concerned about my being jolted in the coach.’
Gina sympathised. ‘Perhaps It’s better to take no chances in these early days, Lady Isham.’
‘Please call me India. We are old friends, are we not? I was feeling sadly neglected, but now I’m glad that I didn’t insist on going out, otherwise I should have missed you.’ India tossed aside her embroidery with a look of relief. ‘Don’t look at it!’ she pleaded. ‘I am no hand with a needle.’
‘Nor I.’ Gina gave her companion a cheerful smile. ‘I think it a total waste of time, though it is considered to be a suitable accomplishment for women.’
‘You prefer others, so I hear…’ India gave her visitor a curious look.
‘Rumour abounds, I know, but I have quite given up the practice of marksmanship and the art of murder.’ Even as she spoke Gina recollected the recent tragedy at the Grange. ‘Oh, I beg your pardon,’ she said quickly. ‘That was tactless of me.’
When she looked up she found that India was smiling.
‘Don’t be embarrassed, Gina. I enjoyed your joke. May I offer you a glass of wine? I must not join you, but I am allowed lemonade.’
‘Then lemonade for me, India. I find it so refreshing.’
Later, glass in hand, she explained the reason for her visit.
‘I have a confession to make to you. I fear it was a base deceit, but Giles and Mr Newby have been teaching the girls to waltz.’
‘How dreadful!’ India said demurely. ‘And here we were, in all innocence, believing that your objective was to ride. I shall take Giles to task!’
‘Oh, please don’t!’ Gina was betrayed into a quick objection. ‘It wasn’t in the least his fault. I allowed myself to be persuaded by the girls and Mr Newby. Your brother was against it.’
‘Was he? That surprises me. He taught both Letty and myself, though my mother does not know it.’ India was laughing openly. ‘Great heaven, Gina, why should you think we’d mind?’
‘I felt I was deceiving you, but we had no wish to offend Mrs Rushford’s feelings…’
‘Mama will learn to move with the times,’ India replied. ‘Gina, will you tell me something? You knew Giles in Italy long ago, didn’t you?’
Gina’s mouth was dry. She could only nod. Was her secret to be discovered after all this time?
‘Forgive me! Perhaps I should not ask, but Letty and I have often wondered why he was so changed when he came home. We hardly knew him.’
‘In what way had he changed?’ Gina found it difficult to speak.
India frowned. ‘He was different in that as a boy he was such a cheerful person. Oh, I don’t know how to explain it to you. Letty and he and I were close and he was always the leader in our expeditions, full of energy and ideas. And yet…yet when he returned to Abbot Quincey he was not the same. There was a barrier between us…invisible perhaps, but always there. We did not like to question him, but we have always wondered.’
‘You love your brother, dearly, don’t you?’
‘We do.’ A tear sparkled upon India’s lashes. ‘We’d give anything to have him back to his old self, but we don’
t know how to help him.’
Gina felt the same, but she did not dare to say so. ‘You’ve already done so much,’ she insisted. ‘Giles is managing your estate. It is the thing he likes best in the world.’
‘It’s something,’ India admitted. ‘But he is so proud. It’s fortunate that Anthony is such a diplomat. Giles could not bear to live on charity.’
‘But, India, that is not the case. Anthony thinks highly of your brother’s expertise, and these inventions must change the face of farming in this country.’
‘They might, if they were ever patented. Anthony has offered to back such a project, but Giles won’t hear of it.’ India looked at her companion’s face. ‘Tell me about Italy,’ she demanded. ‘It was there that something happened to my brother.’
Gina froze. She was silent for so long that India grew alarmed.
‘My dear, you are so pale. Do you feel quite well?’
With an effort Gina recovered her composure. ‘Forgive me! I have tried for so long to forget those dreadful times…’
‘How thoughtless of me, Gina. Pray do not speak of them.’
‘Yes, I must. It does not help to keep it all inside one’s head. When Napoleon attacked conditions in Italy became chaotic. We were staying in the hills behind Naples. We had to get away, but the children were so young, and their mother suffered from a wasting disease. Sir Alastair himself was never strong…’
She paused then, but when she spoke again her voice was bitter.
‘I doubt if you would recognise your fellow human beings, India, if you should see them in the grip of panic. We reached Naples with some difficulty. Several times we almost lost our coach and horses to other refugees. Then, at the harbour, we found that most of the boats were already filled, and by young men. It was the young and strong who were able to save themselves. Women and children and the old were trampled underfoot.’
‘Oh, do not tell me that Giles took a place which might have been given to a woman.’
‘No, Giles had left the week before. Your uncle sent for him in haste, he tells me.’
‘But if all the berths were taken how did you manage to get away?’
‘There was a vessel sailing for the Caribbean. I boarded as she docked. Then…er…I held the Master at gunpoint until the family was on board.’
‘And you sailed with him? Weren’t you afraid of being murdered when you were at sea?’
‘Not in the least. I kept my pistols by me at all times, and gold was an added inducement to the fellow, with a promise of more when we reached Jamaica.’
India gasped. ‘What an experience! You were little more than a child…’
Gina shrugged. ‘One is forced to grow up fast when lives are at stake.’
‘And…when you last saw Giles in Italy…did you sense anything amiss with him?’
‘No. He came to the villa to bid Sir Alastair farewell before we left for the hills. Your brother was unchanged then.’ Gina’s heart ached as she recalled that final evening of happiness. She and Giles had promised each other that no obstacle would be allowed to stand in their way. The world was their oyster, Giles had said, and she had believed him.
‘We…we had expected to see him on our return,’ she continued. ‘Sir Alastair relied on him so much, you see, but Giles was nowhere to be found. Then we learned that he had taken ship some days before.’
‘Do you know why?’ India enquired. She had noticed Gina’s quivering lips, and her heart went out to her visitor. With Giles gone, the Whitelaw family must have felt abandoned in a foreign country with anarchy and chaos on all sides.
‘My lady…India…you need not explain to me. I believe it was some family matter.’
‘It was an emergency,’ India told her softly. ‘My uncle James sent for Giles in haste. He was needed here on the estate. There was a real danger that it would be lost to us without a strong hand at the helm. I won’t go into details, but, believe me, it is true.’
‘I never believed that Giles would desert us without good cause. Sir Alastair thought so highly of him, India. Giles did mention that he had sent a note of explanation to await our return to the villa, but we did not receive it…’
‘That was unfortunate, but you tell me that events moved fast. Giles must have sailed from Naples before that final exodus turned into a rout.’ India was silent for a time. ‘Perhaps the change in him is caused by guilt. He would not learn of the horror of those final days until he returned to England. He must have wondered what had happened to you. I’m surprised that he didn’t try to seek you out.’
India stole a look at Gina’s face. She was aware that when Giles and Gina were together there was a certain tension in the air. Perhaps Gina believed him to be heartless.
Gina seemed to read her mind. ‘He did, but we did not return to Scotland for some years. My family had no addresses for me…You must not blame him, India, I do not.’
‘You are generous, my dear, but your life has not been easy. Shall you be happy here in Abbot Quincey?’
‘I intend to be.’ Gina’s smile transformed her face. ‘The girls have agreed to attend Mrs Guarding’s Academy. In fact, I am on my way there now, to see if she has places for them.’ Her eyes twinkled as she looked at India. ‘You may think me indulgent, but I had to strike a bargain.’
‘What was that?’
‘More dancing lessons, that is, if your brother and Mr Newby will agree?’
‘I’ll pass on the message,’ India promised. ‘I think you may rely on them. When are they to present themselves?’
‘Perhaps tomorrow, or the next day? I’ve warned the girls that we must not monopolise their time…’
‘You are doing them a favour,’ India laughed. ‘By day they are not short of occupation, but of an evening we can offer only cards. I wonder…’ she hesitated.
‘Yes?’
‘What do you say to a charity ball at the Assembly Rooms?’
Gina stared. ‘Shall you wish to sponsor such an event? You are still in mourning, I believe.’
‘It won’t be frowned upon if it is intended to raise funds for those ill-used children in the northern mills. My aunt Elizabeth is used to arrange these functions, but she is in London for her daughter’s Season.’
‘It’s certainly a worthy cause, and I should be glad to help you, India.’
‘I hoped you would. Come tomorrow, and we’ll make out an invitation list. Would your mother and father care to attend, do you suppose? Mr Westcott has always been so generous in supporting us…’
‘Nothing would give them greater pleasure,’ Gina assured her warmly. ‘They would be honoured…’
She was thoughtful as her carriage rolled away. Anthony could not have chosen a better wife, nor she a better friend. She’d been tempted to confide in India, but for the moment it was best not to give a full account of what had happened in Italy. She had not lied, but neither had she been entirely frank. She was still preoccupied as her carriage reached the outskirts of Steep Abbot.
Looking about her she decided that it hadn’t changed in years. It was still the prettiest, if one of the smallest, of the local villages, set as it was beside the River Steep and surrounded by trees.
A request to see Mrs Guarding gained her entry to that lady’s presence. Gina found herself under inspection from a pair of sharp blue eyes.
A brief nod was her only acknowledgement for some time, but Gina’s tranquil expression did not change.
‘Yes, my lady, what can I do for you?’ Mrs Guarding said at last.
‘My stepdaughters are in need of education,’ Gina explained. ‘Lord Isham recommended you.’
‘Did he?’ There was a slight thaw in Mrs Guarding’s tone. ‘How old are the girls?’
‘Fifteen and sixteen, ma’am.’
‘I see, and what have you in mind for them? Deportment, needlework, a little painting and sketching, perhaps?’
Gina knew that she was being needled, and she laughed.
‘Nothing of the sort
, Mrs Guarding. I want them to learn to use their minds. Philosophy and mathematics, that is what I want for them.’
Mrs Guarding gave Gina her full attention. This young woman’s remarks were unexpected. It was time to reverse her initial impression. On the surface Lady Whitelaw appeared to be merely a fashionable hostess—a type of woman she despised. Clearly she was wealthy. Beneath the close-fitting spencer there was a glimpse of a fine silk gown. Mrs Guarding might scorn concessions to the latest mode, but even she could appreciate the skilled hand of a master cutter.
‘Where have the girls been educated?’ she demanded.
‘I’ve taught them myself.’ Gina could have laughed aloud at the expression on Mrs Guarding’s face. ‘Don’t worry, ma’am, they are fluent in French and Italian, and they have some Urdu. Their knowledge of geography and history is good, but their skill with the needle leaves much to be desired.’
Mrs Guarding actually laughed aloud. Then she held out her hand. ‘We shall deal together, Lady Whitelaw. Send me your girls. I’ll give them some Greek and Latin too.’
‘Thank you, ma’am,’ Gina said meekly. ‘Mair is a studious creature, but her younger sister is…er…irrepressible, I fear.’
‘That is no bad thing, Lady Whitelaw. I like a child with spirit. It often denotes an acute intelligence. You need have no fear for them when they are in my care.’ Mrs Guarding paused. ‘You realise, of course, that I am considered a pernicious influence in these parts?’
Gina didn’t attempt to deny it. ‘So I’ve heard,’ she said drily. ‘You don’t allow it to worry you, I think.’
‘Certainly not. My teachers and I may be considered radical in our thinking, but we have a strict moral code.’
Gina make no comment.
‘I have found it necessary to err on the side of morality. Our notions may be rigid, but how else can we counter accusations that education in a woman leads to immorality and grief?’
‘That is nonsense!’ Gina said briskly. ‘I have no patience with such Gothic notions. Rather, one would suppose that a good education would cause a woman to think before she acted.’
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