Matthew assisted both ladies to alight from the carriage. Two large footman had accompanied them as well. He looked down the street and saw an acquaintance. He gestured to the footman to wait by the door of the shop. “Miss Masters, Sarah? Why don’t you two go into the shop while I go down to talk to my friend? Marcus said he had set you an account here at the shop. I will be right down here should you need me.”
Lady Shannon looked apprehensive, “I thought you would come in here with us.”
Matthew grimaced, “Frankly, I’d rather be hanged. I have the two footman waiting at the door.”
Sarah and Lady Shannon looked at the dress shop’s discreet sign:
‘Duponts Dresses for the Discriminating Lady’
The footman opened the door and the ladies stepped into a sumptuously decorated showroom with various fabrics displayed artfully around the room. Sarah looked for Beatrice and Emily but was doomed to disappointment—they were not there. Further the other customer who was there was Mrs. Harriman. She was being waited on by one of the shop attendants.
Sarah ignored the woman and was looking with Shannon at some fashion plates, when the shopkeeper herself approached her.
“Madame, may I help you?” the women said coldly looking at their clothing dismissively.
Sarah stated, “We are needing several new dresses…we also want to know if you have anything ready made to replace these gowns.”
“I am sorry to say, madame, but we are completely booked and have no ready made dresses available,” the shopkeeper said this with a sniff as though this were the gravest insult.
Lady Shannon pointed to a dress on display, “Why not this dress? I believe it would be close to my size.”
“I am sorry but we have nothing in the shop that would fit you,” the woman’s voice, if possible, became a touch cooler.
“Madame Dupont, we were to meet friends here—“ Sarah began even though her face was starting to burn with humiliation.
“I do not believe that there is anyone of your…acquaintance in my shop,” the shopkeeper’s dark eyes glared at them with disdain. “Please, leave.”
Sarah heard the muffled laughter coming from the direction of Mrs. Harriman. She took Lady Shannon’s hand and turned and walked to the door.
As the ladies reached the door, Beatrice and Emily walked into the shop. “There you are. I was wondering what was taking you so long…Emily and I went next door to look at the bonnets,” Beatrice looked at the shopkeeper gliding away and at the slumped posture of her two friends.
She took in the triumphant smile of some woman unknown to her and the shopkeeper’s stiff posture. She masked her own face with relief, “I hope you haven’t placed any orders yet…I find the dresses in here not at all the thing and I will mention it to my mama how inferior the dresses are here.”
The shopkeeper turned with surprise. “But Miss Warrick…Lady Althorpe,” she spoke with an appealing gesture.
Beatrice and Emily donned a hauteur that would have done a royal princess proud, “Lady Shannon Masters and the future Duchess of Allendale can not be seen in just any old rags,” Emily said coldly. “I am canceling my plans for purchasing any dresses in here.”
The four ladies left the shop to the dawning chagrin of the shopkeeper.
“Miss Warrick, Lady Althorpe, I do not know about Miss Montague but I’ve lost my taste for shopping today…I would rather go home,” Lady Shannon said quietly.
To Beatrice who did not know her very well, Lady Shannon sounded forlorn. “None of that, Lady Shannon!” Beatrice said briskly. “I told your brother I would see you through a shopping expedition and I will.”
Sarah protested, “I no longer wish to spend all of my coin in one of these overpriced shops.”
“But you are spending Marcus money not yours, and my cousin has plenty to spare,” Beatrice replied with more vulgarity than tact. She paused to adjust her bonnet to a different angle outside the shop. She gestured to the two footman to trail behind them. “Where on earth is my brother? I am sure he said he would dance attendance on us all day.”
Sarah gestured towards where she last saw Matthew and said, “He saw a friend over that way and went to speak with him briefly.”
The shop bell discreetly rang behind them as Mrs. Harriman and her daughter stepped out. Beatrice could see that the woman was still gratified by Sarah’s humiliation. “Ladies, shall we repair to my home? I hear that Mama is going to be entertaining three of the Almacks patronesses at tea, I hear that Princess Esterhazy wishes to discuss your charitable work, Sarah.”
They heard Mrs. Harriman’s acerbic voice behind them, “As though a Patroness would involve herself with guttersnipes.” She turned to Lady Shannon, “With your brother being such a gazetted cad, you should mind with whom you associate.”
Lady Shannon stopped, turned, straightened and looked at the woman. She pulled a lorgnette from her reticule and held it to her eyes. She took a long look at the woman starting from her gaudy bonnet, to her over decorated dress and finally her plain walking boots, and then turned her back on the woman. She lowered her lorgnette and stated loudly to the other ladies, “I do not know why they call this polite society, the most ill-bred people speak to one without an introduction.”
Beatrice was happy to note that Lady Shannon did have some back bone after all as she watched the rude woman stride down the street in high dudgeon. The ladies looked at one another and dissolved into giggles. “Lady Shannon,” Beatrice said, “you will do.”
Chapter 23
The ladies decided to stroll down Bond Street towards where Matthew had last been seen. They made quite a parade with the four of them walking followed by the two burly liveried footman. Sarah saw a shop that was in the midst of renovations as the ladies passed it, she recognized an old acquaintance: Mrs. Peabody, the dressmaker.
Sarah instructed her friends to wait while she picked through the debris to speak to the lady. “Mrs. Peabody, are you opening a shop?”
The woman looked at Sarah quizzically and then with dawning recognition, “I am sorry, Ma’am, but I know you were married to that captain but I do not remember your name.”
“Actually, Mrs. Peabody,” Sarah began delicately. “We were not married and had to represent ourselves as such as we had trouble on the road. We needed to stay overnight at an inn and I had no maid.”
Mrs. Peabody nodded sagely, not making any judgments, “I see. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company today, Miss?”
“Well, Captain Derning is now the Duke of Allendale and my-my betrothed,” Sarah said hesitatingly as she still had difficulties referring to him in that way. “I want to hire you to make up some dresses for me.”
Mrs. Peabody looked at her considering, then she walked around Sarah. “First, I need to get you into a different dress—you are out of mourning, aren’t you? Ask your friends to come upstairs to my rooms.”
A few moments later the ladies were in Mrs. Peabody’s temporary workroom. Sarah with the assistance of Mrs. Peabody had taken off her old gown. She grimaced at herself in the mirror her old front lace corset was hopelessly threadbare. Mrs. Peabody said, “We need to get you one of the new corsets with a pocket for a busk.”
Sarah said, “I have heard of such things but I have never seen one.” The woman pulled open a box and withdrew a corset which would have to be applied by a ladies maid. Several moments later Sarah was admiring the difference in her figure. Then Mrs. Peabody pulled out a wooden board carved with some designs and slid it into the front of Sarah’s new corset. Sarah had to stand straighter but her average sized breasts were enhanced in size. Mrs. Peabody tossed a new walking dress over Sarah’s head that only needed a few adjustments. She also found a flattering gown for Lady Shannon. Lady Shannon, she saw, did not need a new corset as she had a very detailed corset with a busk made out of carved…ivory?
Sarah stared at Shannon so long that she blushed and stammered, “I-I know I am a little much.”
Sarah hu
rriedly said, “Oh, no, I was admiring your busk. It is made out of ivory, isn’t it?”
Lady Shannon looked surprised and shrugged, “My mama and my stepfather gave it to me as a gift for my birthday. My stepfather is very kind to me.”
Sarah did not know why anybody would be unkind to Lady Shannon, she seemed a nice person. She dismissed the thought and watched the seamstress finish with adjusting the hem and darts.
When the two ladies were arrayed in their new gowns, Mrs. Peabody looked at them pensively. “About payment, Miss Montague, I can not afford to carry accounts as yet…” her voice trailed off.
Lady Shannon’s hand flew to her mouth in consternation, however Sarah just smiled. “How much for both of our dresses?” she asked pleasantly.
“Ten pounds for both,” Mrs. Peabody replied firmly.
Sarah reached into her reticule and pulled out a ten pound note. Lady Shannon tried to stay her hand, “Miss Montague, I could not possibly let you pay. I will have my brother send a servant over with the money this afternoon.”
“Please, call me Sarah, you and I shared a moment of humiliation together,” Sarah said laughingly.
“And you must call me Shannon,” she said with a smile. Sarah realized that was the first time she really relaxed enough to have a genuine smile.
“And we are Beatrice and Emily,” Emily added. “Sarah, I love that dressmaker…no phony french airs, good prices, top quality workmanship.”
Matthew greeted the ladies as they came away from the shop. He was standing next to the carriages. Beatrice waved and called to him, “Matthew, how ever did you know where we were?”
“Four ladies and two large footmen?” he said incredulously. “The only way you ladies could have been more conspicuous is if you brought the dog.”
Marcus had surprised the solicitor and acquired the books detailing the past repairs and expenditures on his recently inherited London house. He was examining the entries and making notes while seated at his uncle’s desk. His uncle was at one of his clubs today. Marcus would have liked for him to have been there. Marcus had no experience at trying to figure if someone was trying to cheat him. He would have to interview some of the listed contractors to find out if the repairs were even performed. Marcus very much doubted that the roof had been repaired last year judging from the current state of the ceiling plaster. He set his quill aside and rubbed his eyes.
“Marcus, dear, I hate to disturb you,” Lady Minerva said from the door.
“No, you are not disturbing me, I would not have thought to examine the accounts if you did not suggest that to me,” he said looking up at his aunt with tired eyes.
“Yes, well it isn’t about that,” she said as she waddled into the room. “I declare these babies get bigger with each successive confinement.”
Marcus looked at her enquiringly.
She hurried into her concern, “I just received a disturbing letter from your mother.”
“What does my dear Mama have to say that concerns you so much?” Marcus said unconcernedly, he steepled his fingers and looked over them at his aunt. She truly looked worried.
“Dorothea is concerned that you are taking gratitude too far by marrying Sarah,” she said. “One of her acquaintance has written her that Sarah is a social climbing strumpet. She says she heard that Sarah was having an affair with a lieutenant. When they were caught by her father, she cried rape to try and make the man marry her.”
“I know the truth of the matter, Sarah was an innocent victim,” Marcus said coolly.
“You have only known her a short while, how is it that you are so certain,” Lady Minerva asked. Marcus gave her a knowing look. “Oh, my,” she said. Flustered she said, “Your mother also said that you feel an overwhelming sense of obligation to the woman as her father lost his life saving yours.”
“Of course, I do, I have been doing some investigation of the two men who were interrupted from killing me and it seems that they were paid to kill me and make it look like I was killed during looting,” he stated grimly. “If Sarah’s father had not been there I would have been killed with no one the wiser.”
Lady Minerva protested, “But don’t you think marriage is a little extreme—“
In a tone that brooked no further interference, Marcus said, “It is my duty, my honor and my obligation to marry Sarah and that is final!”
Sarah had heard from the butler that Marcus was in his uncle’s study and was directly outside when Marcus made his final pronouncement. She reeled back under the blow. Every word pounded into her brain and shattered her heart. She heard Lady Minerva’s light tread as she walked to the door. Sarah hurriedly scurried down the hall to the doors that led to the garden. She just had to be alone so that she could compose herself. She was devastated. She always knew it was too good to be true.
She stumbled blindly towards a bench, but before she could get there a dirty hand grabbed her arm and she could barely get out a squeak of alarm before a sack was flung over her head and she was tossed over a brawny shoulder. The sack smelled like old potatoes and dirt. Slung over the man’s shoulder she could barely get a breath out. She was settled none too gently into a waiting carriage.
Peter and Phoebe were looking out there nursery window and saw Sarah walk out into the garden with her shoulders slumped. Phoebe said, “She looks like someone was mean to her, Peter.”
Peter looked disgusted, “She prob’ly ran into one of those ladies who was trying to meet Marcus. They called me a nasty name and Sarah something worse. Mama was really mad.”
“Maybe we should go cheer her up. We could tell her out of all the ladies in London we liked her best. She was nice to us when no one was looking,” Phoebe said with simple six year old wisdom. She stared out the window a moment more. Peter had went to go and see if he could find their governess. Phoebe saw man grab Sarah and stuff her into a sack and carry her off. She started shrieking, “Peter, a man stole Sarah! We have to find Marcus.”
The two children ran out of the nursery towards their father’s study.
Marcus saw the two children running down the hall to him being chased by their nursery maid. Peter looked angry and Phoebe looked like she was going to cry. The children grabbed at his long legs, shouting, “Somebody stole Sarah.”
He felt a cold chill sweep over him as he bent down to question the children, “Tell me what you saw, one at a time.”
Phoebe was sobbing by now, “Some dirty bad man stuffed a nasty sack on Sarah’s head and carried her away. I sawed it all.”
Peter said, “I only’s saw the man carrying Sarah. She was kicking her feet.”
Marcus ran out the door into the garden and ran for the garden gate. He did not see a carriage, he turned back into the garden looking for anything to validate what the twins said. Then he saw it, Sarah’s reticule. He picked it up and looked inside and whistled. There had to be at least a hundred pounds in bank notes in her bag. As tight as Sarah was with money she would never have left her bag voluntarily.
A young voice spoke to him from the gate, “Gov’nor, I seed whot ‘appened with the pretty lady.”
Marcus turned and ran for the gate, he shouted, “Tell me what you saw! I will make it worth your while.”
The young man said, “Two blokes, I thinks one was Olly and the other was Sully grabbed Miss Sarah and stuffed her inta old Jo-Jo Marshall’s cab.”
Marcus grabbed the boy thinking he knew too much, “If you are lying to me.”
The boy looked stunned, “I’d never ‘urt Miss Sarah, me lil’ sis stays at the mission. My friend jumped on the back of the coach when they set off. I was jist comin’ ta get ya.”
Marcus looked impotently at the road then turned back to the boy, “How can we get word of where the coach is going?”
The boy looked surprised, “There be lads all over Lunnon, ‘e’ll get word to us.”
Marcus ran back into to house to get his gun.
Chapter 24
Sarah smelled the musty scent of dir
t and potatoes on the burlap bag covering her head. She had been so lost in her own misery that she allowed a man to creep up on her. Then a new terror struck her, Marcus was so loyal that he would come for her. She was sure the kidnapping was just a ruse to get Marcus away from all of the protection surrounding him.
The men were congratulating themselves on the ease of taking her. The voice she recognized as Ollie said, “Sully, I knews tha’ you was ta clever one, I be just that sorry you’re your brother was kilt afore we could plan.”
A new voice said, “The tofts don’t believe anybody would take them in daylight from their gardens. Wenches al’ays likes the flowers. One o’ them had to come out sooner or later.”
Sarah needed to think. She closed her eyes and listened to the rhythm of the coach and tried to picture where she was by the sounds, smells and turns. She noted they appeared to be headed towards the docks. She noted the sounds of the carriages around her were heavier than the light passenger vehicles. She heard the call of a seagull and the stench of dead fish. Sarah hoped that these two were either smarter than she gave them credit or dumber. Either way she did not want Marcus to find her if it meant he would be killed. Surely his aunt would delay him trying to find her until his cousins could be gathered.
She opened her eyes and tried to see through the coarse weave of the burlap when the carriage stopped. She felt rough hands grab her once again and kicked out with her foot. Sarah smiled in bitter satisfaction when she heard the man swear.
The man called Sully said, “What about that skinny cove what kilt my brother? Did ja ever find him?”
Only In Her Dreams Page 13