by Mary Beeken
Of course she had neither accepted nor declined Glenmore’s proposal as he had not made one. If she was honest it had annoyed her as she had wanted to be given the opportunity to say no; to assure him that she was not a husband hunter and was not about to trap him as many others had attempted to do. She even hoped to shrug off their tryst as insignificant to her as it had probably been to him, though in truth it was quite the opposite. She did not regret what she had done though she realised that being hurt was inevitable which ever way she turned. To stand fast in her refusal to marry him would break her heart; to know that they would never be together and that he would almost certainly marry someone else. But to marry him knowing he did not love her and had been trapped in the very snare he had tried so hard to avoid would be equally as bad. He would soon come to resent her once the lust had worn off, and how could she bear him to look at her with dislike and bitter regret when she loved him so much?
Coulton coming into the room bearing fresh coffee delved into his pocket and handed her an incredibly crumpled missive. “The footman who delivered insisted on waiting for your answer,” he informed her.
Dizzy held up the wrinkled envelope to her brother who grinned at the face she was pulling although he was quick to hide it when the butler having delivered his load to the sideboard turned back to them. “Are you going to read it or just stare at the envelope?” he asked her caustically and Gideon dived behind his newspaper to hide his humour when she replied.
“I am just wondering if it will survive my opening it. I feel the letter inside may be illegible there are that many creases in it! Perhaps I should request an iron!”
“And it sounds to me like you are requesting a clip around the ear! Just open it so I can send the lad off with the reply. He is a handsome devil and causing mayhem with the maids,” Coulton told her with a sniff of disdain.
Gingerly opening the envelope, Dizzy smoothed out the sheet of paper with her hand and quickly perused the few, neatly penned lines instead. “It is from Erica,” she told Gideon. “She says she is going shopping this morning with her cousin Fiona and asks if I would care to join them.”
“Will you go?” he asked. “I know you hate shopping but it might be fun.”
“Yes I believe it will. We are to have lunch at The Pulteney Hotel too,” she said getting up. “I had better pen a reply.” On a whim she went up to her brother and hugged him from behind; wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. “Thank you Gideon for being the best brother a girl could have.”
He patted her arm affectionately. “Go on with you before Coulton loses all patience! Have a good time today,” then after she had taken a couple of steps he called to her, “Dizzy, I only want you to be happy, you will remember that won’t you; even when we are at outs with each other?”
She searched his solemn face for a moment, wondering if he was talking generally or whether he had a scheme afoot but whichever she knew she had to reassure him. “I will always love you Gideon and I know you think you know better than me what will make me happy but believe me you don’t. I have to make my own choices and decisions. If ultimately I am unhappy then it is better that I am living with the consequences of my actions and not yours; then I will have no one to blame but myself.”
“Do you love him?” he posed the question gently.
“With all my being else I would not otherwise have acted how I did last night. But he has made it clear to me since the moment we met that he is avoiding love and marriage and nothing he has said since has led me to believe he has changed his mind. I could not endure being married to him knowing he had been forced into it; knowing that eventually he would not be able to hide the resentment,” she replied.
“What if he does love you as much as you love him? What if he tells you that next time you meet?” he asked.
“Then I would know that he is lying. As a gentleman he is expected to put all right by marrying me though it is against his wishes. He was caught in the act of satisfying his lust and in the eyes of the world he must make recompense. Only the world does not need to know and I am not disposed to comply; I am not agreeing to a life of misery for the sake of one rash and irresponsible decision.” When her brother nodded acknowledging her point of view she brought the conversation to a close. “I shall see you at dinner, enjoy your day.”
Within the hour a coach had pulled up outside and Dizzy tripped lightly down the steps to be greeted warmly by her companions for the day.
“Ross refuses to come shopping for more furniture and has taken Stephen and Marcus off to Gentleman Jackson’s for the morning and then they plan to go on to their club for some ‘masculine conversation’,” Erica explained as they pulled out into the busy London traffic.
“So we are going to help her choose items for their new house and if Ross does not like our choice then it will be tough on him,” Fiona added with a mischievous grin.
“Do not think you are buying any old monstrosities Fiona just to tease Ross for I have to live with them too!” Erica pointed out.
“How could you think I was referring to any old monstrosities?” Fiona asked in outrage then with a quick smile at Dizzy said “I was thinking of new ones!”
“Oh were you now? Bear in mind, cousin dear that anything purchased that I do not like will be saved to be given as birthday and Christmas gifts to one or two of my relatives!”
“She would as well! Although, to be fair giving away unwanted gifts is a bit of a family tradition,” Fiona told Dizzy. “There is a particularly ugly vase that does the rounds of our extended family. It was a wedding present given to Erica’s parents by a colour-blind old, great-uncle who had made and painted it himself. They gave it as a present to my mother who the following year passed it onto Stephen’s mother and then every Christmas since it has been passed on again. My mother has had it twice that I can recall.”
“So who has it now?” Dizzy enquired.
Erica laughed saying, “Ross’ parents were the happy recipients last Christmas. Their faces were an absolute picture and their efforts to sound sincere in their thanks were praiseworthy. For several days they had it on display in a prominent position so as not to upset Charlie who had given it to them.”
“Unfortunately, one of the children, Thomas I think, let the cat out of the bag and their relief was comical. Simeon; Ross’ father, was heard to mutter “Oh thank God!” as he quickly whisked it from view and I believe his mother had compiled a list of potential recipients by the time he had returned to the room; sans vase,” Fiona added.
“Who will be the lucky one to get it this year do you think?” Dizzy asked.
“She is keeping it very quiet so I do not know but I suspect it will be one of the newly weds,” Erica said smirking a little at Fiona.
“If we are on the list I hope they give it to you and not me!”
“Then I guarantee that you will be getting it the year after!” Erica retorted.
“In that case we should both hope Charlotte gets it; she is so kind we will easily be able to manipulate her into giving it to someone other than us!”
“Thank heavens I am not a member of your family!” Dizzy exclaimed. “Such scheming!”
“Oh it is most decidedly dog eating dog when it comes to that vase!” Fiona confirmed.
“You have not seen the vase!” Erica said at the same time and they all laughed.
“I pray it stays that way,” Dizzy told them.
“Back to today,” Erica stated all businesslike. It is mainly sundries we will be looking at as most of the big items have already been purchased but I would like to look at ordering a dinner service and buying table linen.”
“Have you ever been to Kipps Emporium? It has a wide range of everything but being relatively new, it is not yet popular with the ton,” Dizzy asked.
“Then we will head there first,” Erica decided and with Dizzy’s help, gave the directions to the coachman.
When they pulled up and alighted from the carriage they s
pent several minutes admiring the building before them. A converted warehouse it was large and rambling but it was the front that held their attention. Several storeys high, the front was made up of mainly glass set in floor to ceiling, thin, arched window frames and so taken as a whole it looked very much like the façade was a wall of glass.
“It looks like a dolls house,” Fiona remarked, “Only life-size!”
“Wait till you get inside. It feels like you are in a doll’s house!” Dizzy told her and led the way to the front door which was opened for them by a footman who bade them a good morning as they walked past him with a smile of thanks.
Standing in the centre of the front building on ground level, it was possible to view each of the four floors as they ran around the central square rather like balconies. An ornate, shallow stepped staircase led one up; giving an excellent view out of the glass front of the street outside. An impressive entrance but only a small part of the shop as Fiona and Erica were soon to discover for moving away from the galleried area a hotchpotch of rooms and floors filled with all manner of things were waiting to be explored. The floors were all on different levels so one found oneself climbing three steps in one place only to go down five a little way further on. The items for sale were also organized in a peculiar way as in similar items were not all displayed in one space but rather down to style or size.
“I can see us being here all day!” Erica commented after they had been wandering around for ten minutes.
“I can see us being here all week! Tell me Dizzy, how often do they have to organise search parties for missing customers?” Fiona asked.
“Oh around one a sennight I believe, though in a bad week it has been known to be as many as four!” she replied all serious.
“Really?” Fiona queried with concern.
“Of course not!” Dizzy and Erica laughed.
“You are not normally so gullible, Fiona,” Erica commented.
“No but she is so good. Did you see her? So straight-faced that I thought it must be true!” Fiona argued in her defence. “We need to make you an honorary member of our family so that you can join our drama events.”
“I would be honoured but no; you are not off-loading that vase on me!”
“You are right, Fiona,” Erica pointed out “She is good. She has you pegged that’s for sure!”
With so many floors and so much to see, time sped by and both Erica and Fiona had accumulated a sizeable list of items to purchase though a dinner service still eluded them but Erica was not too disappointed as she had decided to commission one from a pottery in Staffordshire explaining that then she could design it herself and have it made to her own specifications.
It was with a sense of a job well done that the three ladies again ascended into the carriage to be taken to The Pulteney Hotel for lunch. Dizzy had never enjoyed a shopping trip more nor laughed so much. It was amazing how, being in the right company, could make something as mundane as shopping so amusing.
Conversation when they first sat down to eat centred on their various purchases and what still needed to be bought. It was a natural progression then to ask Erica about the renovations to the house and when they expected to be able to take up residence. “We are hoping to move in right after Marcus’ house party, so not long now. We will certainly be in before summer.”
“Talking of that, do you know how many people Marcus has invited to the party?” Fiona asked. “And do you know anything about it? All I can get from him is that it is not going to be like any other party we have attended.”
“He told me the same when I quizzed him about it,” Erica confirmed. “What about you Dizzy, has he mentioned it to you? Can you throw any more light on it?”
“You know more than me already. All I know is he has invited all of us and everyone has accepted,” she replied with a shrug.
“We stayed at Brynston Hall last autumn,” Erica told them. “It is a lovely house set in beautiful grounds; not far from the coast. Marcus is very fond of the place and has been using it as a retreat whenever he felt the need to escape the shackles of the Dukedom. It has been a hard few years for him and is testimony to his strength of character and intelligence that he has not only learned but excelled in his unexpected role as Duke.”
“Tell us more about the house!” Dizzy said, wanting to move the conversation away from the man himself but interested to know what to expect when they all travelled down the following week.
“It is large but comfortable. Marcus, recognising its potential as a holiday haven, has had it modernized. It is also ideally situated between London and Dover so I know he has let close friends and family stay there on route to or from the capital.
The grounds are superb so I am hoping the weather is good so that we can enjoy all they have to offer. As well as an ornamental lake there is also a river flowing through it which is ideal for fishing. The attached parkland is extensive and great for a good gallop so make sure you pack your riding habits.”
“I must say I am really looking forward to it!” Fiona said. “I have a feeling it is going to resemble our family gatherings we have each summer rather than the more stilted ones normally put on by the members of the ton.”
“Fiona, you may be insulting our guest!” Erica pointed out with an apologetic glance at Dizzy.
“No she hasn’t I can assure you. I know precisely what she means. Grandmamma has dragged me off to a few in an attempt to marry me off. It is like doing the season only worse!” she said with a look of disgust. “In a confined space with all the ambitious mammas and anxious daughters; young men strutting like peacocks because they are being fawned over by the female contingent. It makes me shudder just thinking about it!”
“But that isn’t even the worst of it!” Fiona announced. “What about all that dreadful ‘performing’ by young women who should not be allowed within twenty feet of a musical instrument.”
“Yes it is amazing how quickly musical instruments can be turned into instruments of torture, is it not? Especially the harp!” Dizzy added and they all laughed.
“It is perhaps here that I should make a confession,” Dizzy murmured anything but contrite.” I have never been able to master an instrument; my fingers just refuse to move in the right way at the right time. I am simply dreadful! But I have been known to take my place at the piano and play abysmally with great enthusiasm. My reasons have always been twofold. One is to annoy my grandmother; to exact a revenge for making me attend such affairs when my sisters get to go to much more exciting events and secondly, it is amazing how quickly the tea tray is wheeled in when I announce I wish to play. Barely have I thumped my way through four bars of music than it is time to stop!”
“How fantastic!” Fiona exclaimed. “I wish I had thought to do that!”
“But you play really well!” Erica reminded her.
“Yes I know but it would have saved us from some really awful renditions,” she pointed out then turned to Dizzy “I expect lots of girls were grateful to you!”
“You are right. Those who had the sense to know they were not very good would hang back dreading the time when they would be called upon to play by their mammas. Their sighs of relief when I stood to play almost drowned out the groans of despair coming from everyone else. My Grandmother is forever taking me to task for growling in public but even she does it when I volunteer to play.”
“She is not one of the forceful matrons pushing you forward then to perform?” Erica laughed.
“Absolutely not!” Dizzy said emphatically “She is beyond frantic in her efforts to get me hitched and knows that if any sane, hearing man were to listen to me perform they would run a hundred miles. Whilst every other matron is urging their offspring forward, she is pulling me back with a vicelike grip on my arm!”
“Dizzy Brockton; I am so glad we have become friends!” Fiona declared. “You are my kind of girl!”
Chapter Twelve
The Brockton carriages arrived at their destination in Kent in mid
afternoon after a relatively pleasant journey; the weather being overcast was comfortably cool for travelling. Marcus met his guests on the steps and welcomed them all to Brynston Hall. “I trust you had a good trip down? Everyone has arrived now apart from Fiona and Stephen and they sent a message to say they would be here for afternoon tea.”
As the family were taken off by the butler and housekeeper to be shown to their rooms, Marcus forestalled Dizzy by placing his hand on her arm. “One moment please Dizzy. Can you spare me a few moments?”
She hesitated. She had not seen him since the night they had been intimate for he had not called on her or been at any of the social events she had attended. Two thoughts troubled her therefore. Uppermost was that his absence was a sure sign that he was distancing himself from her both physically and metaphorically and was probably regretting inviting her family to a house party. Secondly was her own embarrassment that had been increasing with every day that went by that she did not see him. Pride made her hold her head up but meeting his eye was another matter. She wondered if his desire for a private word was to make sure she understood that nothing had changed; they had embarked on a game and the same rules applied. From her point of view she would rather nothing be said; that they could be politely distant and pretend nothing had occurred between them. Her heart was breaking as it was so she did not need him trampling on it too.
“Please Dizzy; I will not keep you long!” Marcus said holding open a door and indicating for her to enter before him.
She inwardly sighed and walked into a room that turned out to be an office. A large desk stood before the window but the room also boasted two winged chairs placed either side of an ornate fireplace; their worn, green leather bespoke comfort and enticed one to sink into them but Dizzy ignored them and turned to face Glenmore; wanting this interview to be over as soon as possible.