'Not quite,' the Earl said. 'There have been a few battles in France, but we have not yet crossed the Adour towards Bayonne.'
James looked pleased. 'Then there is still time for me to be there!'
'And if you do join, are you prepared to be sent to America, or India? Do you wish to make the army your profession, or is it only to fight Napoleon that attracts you?'
'I want the army, and even though I can't possibly buy a commission, I'm happy to be one of the troops. Will you help me, please?'
*
CHAPTER 7
James was still very weak, and the doctor said he must stay in bed during the morning, and get up for just a few hours later in the day. Eve wished she could have him close by, but knew it was impossible to impose on Caroline, and Sir Peter was willing to keep him. She could, he said, go and see him every day. It was still very cold, and there were many snow storms, but Eve and Amelia, Caroline said, plowed a path between Albemarle Street and Berkeley Square. They often found the Earl there, and James confided he had been very helpful in describing what army life was like in the ranks, and advising which regiments he might prefer to join.
Because of the snow hunting had to be abandoned, and many people were struggling back to town where, they said, there might be some entertainment. Small parties were arranged, the guests usually coming from close by to avoid having to drive far, or use carriages at all. James, though, was confined to the house, the doctor stating that the cold, freezing air might damage his weakened lungs.
Eve and Amelia were in the hall at Berkeley Square late one afternoon, donning their cloaks, and the Earl was planning to escort them back to Albemarle Street. While James was saying farewell, preparatory to going back to bed, there was a loud knocking on the door. The butler moved to open it, and those inside saw a coach laden with trunks and valises, and being handed from it the Countess Paloma Melikov. Talia was already on the flagway, holding an armful of shawls.
The Countess shook out her skirts, took Talia's arm and that of the footman who had been helping her climb from the coach, and came into the house. She looked round in amazement, and pointed at the girls.
'What's this? What are you doing here in my house?'
'Mama?' Peter sounded less than pleased to see her. 'How did you manage to come here from Brighton? The snow must be a foot deep or more.'
'Much more, and the journey has taken three whole days. The wretched horses could not go above a walking pace, and had to be led. It was not nearly so bad in Russia, where we had sledges and horses that did not stumble over the least unevenness in the road.'
'But why did you attempt such a journey? I understood you were fixed with Tatiana until the end of January.'
'We were, but she decided to close up the house and come to London. So thoughtless of her. She said there was no pleasant company there in Brighton at this time of year.'
'She probably got tired of her house guests,' Amelia whispered to Eve, who stifled a laugh.
'Oh. Well, come in, and I will make sure your rooms are ready for you.'
'They should always be ready. But you have not told me why these girls are here. And who is this?' she added, having caught sight of James, who had been edging towards the stairs.
'This is James Ripon, who is staying with me.'
'He must go. I am not having a strange boy in my house.'
Sir Peter refrained from pointing out that the house belonged to him. 'James has been very ill. He cannot go elsewhere.'
'He will, or I will go and stay at the Pulteney, and tell everyone you have turned me from my own house to make room for a young, weakly-looking boy. They will draw their own conclusions!'
'Mother! You insult us both!'
'Let James come to me,' the Earl said quietly. 'After I have escorted the girls home I will have my travelling coach fetched, and he'll take no hurt being in the cold for a few minutes.'
'So you are one of them, too!'
'No, Madame Countess, we are none of us what you impute, and I ask you to apologise. If you cannot find it in you to do so, then I fear I will not again enter this house while you remain. Nor will any of my friends, and we will also avoid any parties where you are expected.'
'Oh, Aunt, please apologise,' Talia said. 'It will be so very tedious if we are ostracised. She is very tired,' she added, turning to the Earl, 'she does not mean what she says.'
'I hope she will mean an apology,' the Earl said.
'Mama, be sensible. You cannot wish the whole of the ton to cut you, and they will when this tale gets about, as it will.'
The Countess frowned, then shrugged. 'Very well, if that is how you mean to treat your mother. I apologise. Now, may we go to our rooms. Have tea sent up at once.'
She stalked up the stairs and Talia, with a rueful smile, followed. Sir Peter breathed a sigh of relief.
'James, I am so sorry she insulted you.'
He shrugged. 'If Justin will have me, I am grateful, but I will be sorry to leave your care. You have been so very kind.'
'Come back into the library, and Cooper will pack your old clothes, in case you need them. Meanwhile I will find a cloak and a muffler you must hold over your mouth. I will inform the doctor, and no doubt he will come to Grosvenor Square to make sure you have come to no harm.'
'He fusses!'
'He's taken good care of you.'
*
In Grosvenor Square James insisted he could easily take care of himself, he did not need the Earl's valet to dress him.
Justin laughed. 'That is what I have been saying for years, but Clement takes no notice. He's been with me since I was a boy, and I sometimes believe he has not accepted I have grown up. And in the army I had a batman fussing over me. You had best get used to it.'
'But I won't have a batman.'
'No.' Justin did not wish to say more, to raise the boy's hopes, for he was still a minor, and the Rector would have to agree to his joining the army if and when he or Peter made the offer of buying a commission. Somehow, he wondered if the Rector was so stiff-necked that he would refuse such an offer.
'So I can dress myself? Not that I have many clothes, just the one set Sir Peter provided for me, and my own old ones, which are too shabby to wear in your house. Even the servants would be scandalised.'
Justin laughed. 'For the moment, bear with him, or he would be most hurt. We must see what we can do to replenish your wardrobe. I believe Clement has kept many of the clothes I wore when I was your age. Maybe they would fit you. Meanwhile,' he said quickly when he say James's stubborn look, 'I have a proposal. My secretary is in Yorkshire, no doubt imprisoned by the snow, so would you help me by dealing with some of my correspondence?'
'Of course! I do want to thank you all for having taken care of me while I was ill, but I am fit now.'
'Fit enough, at any rate, to open and sort my letters.'
'Yes, of course. I'll sort them into piles, and maybe you'll permit me to answer some of them, or draft replies? I'm told I have a neat hand.'
'Thank you, that will be a great help. When I have seen them, you may send regrets to the social engagements I don't want to attend. Which,' he added with a grin, 'will be most of them!'
*
The daily visit to see James now involved a longer walk, and after a few days the girls found James busy in the Earl's study. He was, he said, much better now, and the doctor permitted him to go out each day if it was not snowing. He could walk twice round the Square, he said, and soon it would be three times.
The Earl nodded. 'He really is much better, though he must not overdo things. My secretary is stranded in Yorkshire, where he was dealing with a problem on my estate there, so James is helping with some of my correspondence. Fortunately, with this weather, and no real activity on the continent, there is less than usual.'
'I'm glad to have something to do,' James said. 'And I never knew there was so much involved back here in England, when the war is in France.'
The Earl laughed. 'This is only a s
mall part, the rest is at the War Office. But I understand you prefer activity to sitting at a desk.'
'Yes, I do! But you are teaching me to shoot, and you say when I am stronger you will begin to teach me to fence. Papa would not permit it, he loathes what he calls warlike activities. I think he would rather allow Napoleon to come here that try to stop him by force.'
Eve sighed. 'Yes, he would. That's why he wants me to marry Nicholas, who is, he says, a man of peace. But one can make war with words, without using guns and swords!'
'So you do not wish to marry the curate?' the Earl asked. He wanted to hear it from her directly.
'Never, and Papa won't force me, whatever he threatens.'
The four skaters still went to the Serpentine every day unless there was too heavy a snowstorm. Eve by now could stand by herself and move, if only slowly. Soon, she promised herself, she would be able to glide along like Amelia did, and even do some of the simpler turns. Sir Peter and Amelia often skated together, even doing some of the moves of a dance.
'Oh, I wish we could waltz on the ice,' Amelia exclaimed, she and Sir Peter having completed a fast race round the edges of the lake.
Eve laughed. 'I'll never be able to do that, however long this freeze lasts.'
'They say the Thames itself is freezing over,' Sir Peter said. 'I wonder if there will be a Frost Fair? The last was five and twenty years ago, and I was in Devon with my nurse, so I never saw it, to my utter frustration.'
The Earl nodded. 'It was the same for me. This time, however, I hear the watermen are making plans to entertain anyone prepared to venture. They can't earn money in the usual way, so they plan stalls selling food and drink, and perhaps, if the ice is thick enough, roasting sheep and an ox.'
'We'll make a party and go,' Sir Peter promised. 'Talia is already saying it will not be nearly so cold or frozen so hard as in Russia, but she is nonetheless eager to sample it.'
'You won't include her in our party, will you?' Amelia said, and then blushed. 'Oh, I do apologise! That was so rude of me.'
'But truthful, and no, she will not come with us. I suppose I will have to take her, but it will be at a different time.'
*
James sighed. It was all very well to be told he was being useful, and he did appreciate that while his arm, mending but still weak, prevented him from enlisting, he could do nothing else, but it was frustrating. At any moment his father might return to London, and then he could expect no mercy. In front of other people Papa adopted a tone of amused sarcasm which fooled them into believing he was a gentle, placid man, but they didn't know the intense fury which gripped him when he was alone with his victim. Many times James had cringed at the vitriol tossed to him. It was worse, he thought now, than the physical punishment inflicted on him when there was no one else to see or intervene.
He had begun to trust the Earl, and believe that he would help him. But when? And how could he help? Would he be willing to defy the Rector? Not many people were, but James had come to admire the Earl, and in an optimistic mood had decided he was a match for the Rector. But was he? Could he withstand the arguments of an older man? Papa, James admitted to himself, had the legal right to control him, to dictate his actions, and to some extent decide his future. But he would never agree to be ordained as Papa expected. He did not want to become a curate, and Papa would no doubt arrange it so that this curacy was under his supervision. James shuddered. That would be worse than anything he had suffered in his life so far. Could he appeal to the Bishop? Yet, if that had to be, it would only be after he was studying for the priesthood. Oh, he had to join the army!
He began to daydream. If only he could buy a commission, he might be able to rescue Eve and John from their father. He wasn't very clear about how he could do this if he were posted to, let's say, America. He gave himself a shake. It was pointless. The only way was for Eve, like Rachel, to escape through marriage. But who would take a girl who was almost penniless? He was well aware of how important dowries were, and Eve had almost nothing. Rachel had accepted an older man, mainly, he was sure, to escape from home. The Viscount was wealthy enough to ignore the lack of a dowry, but how many other men would be? Was Rachel happy? He had not seen her for several months, and she rarely returned to the Rectory. His father did not permit him to visit her, despite her invitations. What was he afraid of? He said it was so as not to disrupt James's studies. Eve was permitted to go, but she was not studying. He sighed and returned to the letters he was supposed to be answering. However frustrating he found the delay in his attempt to enlist, he was remarkably fortunate to be here in a well-run household, in need of nothing, and able, if only in some small way, to repay his benefactor.
*
Eve forgot the Frost Fair the following day, for they were to attend a ball to be held in a house near Sir Peter's in Berkeley Square. She had been able to make some alterations to her one ball gown, and told herself no one would recognise it. Sir Peter would be at the ball, and he had informed them that Talia had also been given an invitation. She felt that by now she knew so many people in London she could easily avoid Talia. In the event, however, it wasn't so easy. As soon as Eve and Amelia entered the ballroom Talia came across to them.
'My card is almost full,' she announced, 'but I am keeping two dances for the Earl of Newark. I did not meet any suitable men in Brighton, there are too few dukes in England, so I tell myself I must make do with an Earl.'
'Have you told Justin?' Amelia asked, trying not to laugh.
'But no. It is not for a woman to make the announcement.'
Eve regarded her in amazement. The woman really was so ridiculous. She was certain the Earl did not like Talia, and after all, he and Amelia had been childhood sweethearts. No doubt soon they would announce a betrothal.
She glanced across the room and saw the Earl entering, with Sir Peter and their hostess. The two men were laughing as they came across the room. They seemed not to have seen Talia until they reached the little group, and Eve thought she saw a slight hesitation before they made their bows.
Talia beamed at them. 'Ah, here you are. Justin, I have saved two dances for you. Look, here on my card.'
The Earl glanced at it, and shook his head. 'I am so sorry, but those dances have already been reserved for Miss Ripon. The next ball, perhaps, when I hope I will arrive in good enough time to secure a dance with you.'
Eve managed to hide her amusement. There had been no such arrangement, and she admired the Earl's quick thinking.
Talia was looking furious. 'Then tell me which dances you have free, and I will cancel my partners.'
Sir Peter shook his head. 'No, Talia, you must not do that. People would not like it. It would be considered most discourteous.'
She glared at him. 'I care nothing for what these stupid people in London think. What I do can never be considered discourteous, Peter! So, Justin, when are you free to dance with me?'
'No, Madame. It would be thought an insult by the partners you discard. I will not take any other man's place.'
'You are afraid they might challenge you to a duel, no?'
'I hope I am polite. Now, Eve, this is our dance.'
'And mine with Amelia,' Sir Peter said, and they whisked the two girls into the set just forming for the country dance.
'This dance wasn't on my card,' Eve said.
'No, but could you condemn me to dance with that harpy? If I were not careful I'd find myself betrothed to her before the dance was over. And that would be a fate worse than death!'
Eve laughed. 'I'm sure you are adroit enough to evade such a fate.'
'I would hope so. My only recourse is to become betrothed to someone else, as soon as possible.'
What was preventing him, Eve wondered as the movement of the dance separated them. This was one of the more lively dances, and there were only a few moments when they came together, when they were too breathless to say more than a few words. Amelia was here in town, so was her father, if the Earl was intending to make a formal
application for her hand. But perhaps he wished to inform his mother first?
Talia, to her relief, seemed to have taken offence, and they spoke no more to her that evening. She and the Countess left early, and Sir Peter told them the Countess had complained of a headache.
'She wanted me to accompany them home,' he said, 'but as it is only two doors away I excused myself. Mother was furious when I said it would be foolish to have to dress in cloaks and shawls and then undress when I returned. She thought as she was leaving I should too.'
The Earl laughed. 'I am thankful my mother chooses to remain at my house in Leicestershire. It's a hunting box, but she says it suits her better than the house in Buckinghamshire. I won't be hunting this year if this snow persists, but I must visit her when the roads are passable. Meantime, the river seems to have been declared safe. Shall we venture tomorrow?'
*
Rachel had, to begin with, been disappointed not to be able to go to London this year. Eve, she knew, would also be disappointed, but perhaps Lady Montgomery would invite her to remain with them. She could not go back to the Rectory while their father was away in that ridiculous search for James. If necessary she must come to her, but it was not at all the same as enjoying the delights of a London Season.
The Viscount had been busy. He had summoned one of the bailiffs who looked after one of his smaller estates in Staffordshire. As soon as the snows ceased Turner would travel to Lancashire and begin the search for Uncle George. Meanwhile Rachel was expected to provide all the information she could recall about her uncle.
'George Talbot,' she told Turner. 'He would be about sixty years old now. He was wealthy, he'd made a lot of money in India. As far as I know he was never married there. I don't think he brought a wife to visit us at the Rectory, but I was only a child. He may have gone back to where he grew up, though there was no estate for him to inherit.'
'It doesn't seem very helpful,' she said later to the Viscount. 'He could be living anywhere. He might be dead.'
Apple Blossom Bride Page 11