Daphne had gleaned these pieces of information from Mr. Summers. That set Lord David off. “I have been thinking of hunting. I, in fact, have plans to buy a hunter. The stables at the vicarage are quite large and could accommodate it as well as my regular mount and carriage horse. I won’t be able to get him before the next meet, of course. Daphne, could I borrow Captain Giles’s hunter, Dark Paul, for the occasion? The exercise would do us both good.”
Daphne was about to reply that she herself intended to ride Dark Paul at the meet. She was forestalled by her father.
“Daphne, isn’t that the horse you had trouble with yesterday?” asked Mr. Moorhouse. “I heard that he threw you and you could have been injured.”
“It wasn’t that serious,” Daphne protested.
“That’s not what Mr. Jackson tells me. He said that you were lucky not to break your leg or worse. I suggest that for your first hunt you ride Moonbeam. I will join you on my horse, Sterling, at the meet.”
This was so out of character for Daphne’s father that she changed the reply she had been about to make to Lord David, which had been to point out that the stallion would be in use that day.
“That is a splendid idea you have about riding Dark Paul, Lord David,” she said. “We can make quite a party of the occasion.”
In the drawing room after dinner, Daphne was again surprised when her father pressed Miss Carolyn Bush, Captain Bush’s sister, to play for them. Miss Bush was now a good deal more accomplished than she had been on the previous occasion when Daphne had heard her play. She was even more surprised when Mr. Moorhouse urged Lord David to sing while Miss Carolyn accompanied him. Mr. Moorhouse had no ear for music, usually, though he had insisted that Daphne learn how to play the piano-forte as she was growing up. What in the world was her father up to?
Daphne made sure that she was the last person to leave the gathering. When it was her turn to express her farewells, she told her carriage to wait. “Father,” she said, “I think we should talk now, not wait until tea tomorrow. I don’t understand why you are so interested in the Hunt now when you have never have been in the past. And why you are so keen to have Lord David ride Dark Paul instead of me.”
“As to the latter, I think you don’t realize that it is harder to control a spirited hunter than you think when your mount is excited by the other horses. You need much more practice. I don’t want to lose my daughter. I would also like Lord David to enjoy being at Dipton. He is the best vicar we have had in a long time. Just look at the good-natured way he performed the unwelcome duty of conducting a forced marriage. And if he should marry Miss Bush, it is more likely that Captain Bush himself will settle here on a permanent basis, though, of course, Captain Giles is the main attraction. But I also have concerns about your riding with the Ameschester Hunt, and that is what I should tell you about.”
Daphne and her father left the entry way where this conversation had taken place to move into Mr. Moorhouse’s library where a cheerful fire had dispelled all the autumn chill. Mr. Moorhouse poured two small glasses of brandy one of which he handed to Daphne before settling into his favorite chair. Ladies did not drink spirits as a rule after dinner, but, ever since she had come out, Mr. Moorhouse had always poured Daphne a glass when they were in his library in the evening.
“Now, about me and the Hunt,” he started. “For you to understand the situation, I have to go back a ways, long before you were born, my dear. And it covers matters about which I should have told you years ago, but, when push came to shove, I never really felt like doing so because the circumstances are still a bit painful.
“My father was a gunsmith by trade, as was my grandfather, and my great grandfather. Their business was making fine rifles and pistols for gentlemen. But they expanded into making Brown Bess muskets, just when the need for them was growing rapidly. My father increased the business much beyond what he had inherited from his father, and he became quite rich in the process. The demand for muskets has been growing in the last many years, and Moorhouse and Son -- that is the name of the establishment – kept expanding. Even in the intervals of peace, the company did very well, selling muskets to the East India Company and expanding their side-line of making nuts and bolts. He was an honest man, and a rich one, but in no way was my father a gentleman, and that rankled with him.
“My brother George, your uncle, Daphne, do you remember him? He visited us once when you were about ten years old.”
“Yes, I remember a big, red-faced man who spoke with a funny accent. He brought me a toy cannon to play with. He was very loud; I don’t think I liked him very much.”
“That’s him. He is sixteen years older than I and was apprenticed to the gun trade even before I was born. He turned out to be just as good at the business as my father.
“My father had always been aware that gentlemen were automatically treated differently from him. He wanted his sons to be gentlemen, as befitted his wealth. It was really too late for my brother who was a rough metal worker with a pronounced Birmingham accent. He would never be a true gentleman.
I was different, especially after my mother died when I was three. He got me a good nanny and sent me to prep school in Birmingham and then to public school. Not one of the great ones, like Eton or Harrow, but a respectable one, Cedarhurst. The students at the school were mainly the sons of professional men like lawyers or parsons, but also there were the sons of country gentlemen and minor aristocrats. Cedarhurst had a good enough reputation for its students to be admitted to the universities and it made sure that we all spoke with the proper accent for gentlemen. From Cedarhurst I went to Oxford, not one of the very fashionable colleges like Baliol or Christ Church, but a solid one with a penchant for serious studies. That is where I got my love of classical history, and of hunting. Several of the men in my college were from country estates or parsonages and they would ask me to go with them to their homes. You know that the university terms are not very long, so there were several opportunities to take up the invitations. On some of those visits there would be a hunt in the neighborhood and I was asked to participate. I found I loved it. I also enjoyed the hunt dinners that often were part of the hunt. Men only, of course. And sometimes separate dinners for the younger and more boisterous participants from the more staid gatherings of their seniors.
“When I came down from Oxford, my father bought me Dipton Manor, an estate which had become available and was a good distance from Birmingham. He gave me enough money to live comfortably even if the estate did not bring in much income. At first, I was not well accepted here, because of my roots. I didn’t realize it at the time, but there was great resentment about someone buying Dipton Manor who wasn’t really a gentleman, but just a tradesman from Birmingham. That sort of prejudice still remains, though maybe it is not as strong as it used to be. I always tried to shield you from being looked down on, but I wasn’t really worried about the effect it would have on you since you are so strong. Anyway, soon after I settled here, I heard about the Ameschester Hunt and went to one of their meetings. Everyone, of course, is welcome. At the end of the hunt, I was riding with one of the men who seemed to have something to do with organizing it and I asked about a hunt dinner. He told me, in very cold terms, that they did indeed have a hunt dinner, and that, of course, it was only for real gentlemen and I was not invited.
“Oddly enough, the man who so insulted me was the father of the Mr. Summers who visited you about the hunt.”
“How do you know about that?” Daphne demanded. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you any of that.”
“Tisdale told me. He had it from Steves who, I am afraid, was boasting about how important a house is Dipton Hall. Anyway, I was badly hurt by the rejection, and decided that if they did not want me, I would not have anything to do with them. But I do like hunting, so I was just chopping off my own nose to spite my face. And for all these years, I have not hunted.”
“So why have you changed your mind?”
“It’s been a long time
, and I am much better accepted in the community, I think. And to give you support.”
Daphne realized that it would not be a good idea to shock the gentlemen at the hunt by riding astride the first time she joined them, especially not when she was accompanied by her father who was undoubtedly wanting a warm acceptance from those who ran the Ameschester Hunt. So she really should polish her side-saddle riding, even though she would be on Moonbeam. This was particularly true since she rarely rode the mare in the open fields as she would in a hunt.
Daphne found herself falling into a routine. In the mornings, she worked on the accounts when she was not receiving visitors. These kept coming. They were not only people whom she had known well before her marriage but also ones from outside her immediate neighborhood. Furthermore, there were ladies from the Dipton area who in the past had been rather aloof from her. Following her father’s revelations, she realized that this might well have reflected her status in their eyes rather than any indifference related to her own personality or interests. She was amused rather than resentful that the only reason for their sudden interest was the title of her husband, for they did not know him and she herself was the same as always.
Afternoons were given over to examining various parts of the estates and conferring with those who worked on them and with the tenants on their farms. Now she usually took Moonbeam for a canter over open country, riding side-saddle. She was teaching the horse to jump small impediments, and found that Moonbeam, while initially very skittish, was beginning to take them in stride, rather than balking at even slight obstacles. At the end of the afternoon, she would take tea at her father’s home or her own, and then usually dine at the other location.
On the day before the hunt was to take place, Daphne was overjoyed to receive a long letter from Giles. It was his practice to start a letter to Daphne when the previous one had been mailed and then keep adding to it until another opportunity arose to send the letter to her. This one started with Giles’s meeting with the Admiral after being ashore searching for the traitor and being to Walmer Castle. It seemed to end as Giles was returning from the raid on the French landing craft and talked of the emerging problem with Lieutenant Kirkpatrick. But that was not the ending, even though Giles left three-quarters of the page empty while his usual practice was simply to continue on the same page under a different date. Instead, when Daphne turned over the paper she found that the letter continued.
“I have just received your letters, Dearest Wife. How I love to hear all your news, though I am sometimes very alarmed at how daring you can be. I write in haste, since it is very late and I must be up well before first light.
There are two matters in your letter that I want to address at once. First, I am sorry about your having to share Dipton Hall with my sister and her daughters. I did not find Marianne a pleasing person when I was extricating her from the North. Quite the contrary, and I did not form a favorable opinion of the girls. But it is not my nieces’ fault that their mother has made some serious mistakes, nor that their grandfather has not seen fit to look after his own kin. I think, despite my father’s shortcomings, or maybe because of them, that I should provide the girls with suitable dowries and if that makes it easier for them to marry – and it must – so much the better. I am afraid that I have no idea of what is the proper amount, either in view of their own status or in view of what may be necessary to attract a suitable suitor. I have in mind fifteen thousand pounds but that may be too much or too little. I am assured by Mr. Edwards that I am rich. I hope he has sent you all my accounts, as I asked him to. You can judge better than I what we can afford. Mr. Edwards may have an idea of what is appropriate, or possibly the visitors you have told me about will talk about dowries and you can infer what might be suitable portions for my nieces. I know that all aspects of getting married are a favorite topic among young ladies and their mothers when they gather together.
Now, the matter of the Ameschester Hunt. I am delighted that you were approached. Since I cannot commit myself to be at any particular meet or ball in the present circumstances, you have my enthusiastic support in having the meet at Dipton Hall when appropriate and to host the Hunt Ball. I know your organizing abilities quite outshine my own so I expect that it will be a wonderful occasion. How I wish that I could be there, but I doubt that there will be a truce with the French just for the occasion.
I am happy that you are thinking of joining the hunt. How I wish that I could be there! I do hope that you will not ride Dark Paul. He is a very large horse, with a hard mouth. I don’t think I would have chosen him, but I knew that I would need a hunter when I am at Dipton and I let Edwards pick him so that a hunter would be there when I got a chance to ride. I think you should get a smaller, well trained horse of your own, maybe a mare, just for yourself. I for one, do not care if you shock everyone by riding astride, though if you want to quiet tongues, it might be advisable to use a side saddle until you have some experience.
Now I must close. I love you and I miss you.
Your Husband, Richard
What excellent news to receive just before the hunt! Daphne had realized that she had hardly any idea of what would be a suitable amount for the dowries, ones that would be enough to secure their purpose without being too extravagant. She suspected that Giles’s guess was about right. She was even more pleased by his immediate acceptance and indeed encouragement of taking part in and hosting the Hunt. Until reading his letter, she had considered that getting a hunter for herself would be a needless expense, but she realized now how deeply she desired one. If Lord David and her father were getting hunting horses, maybe they could help her in finding one soon.
The day of the hunt came bright and frosty. She met her father and Lord David at the end of the drive leading to Dipton Manor and they proceeded at a gentle pace to Deeping Hall where the meet was taking place. On the gravel in front of the portico, many horses were milling around as riders greeted each other and accepted stirrup cups from the trays carried by footmen. Daphne discovered that her cup contained mulled wine, just the thing, she thought, when waiting for the start. Mrs. Sandforth was in evidence greeting the riders as they arrived and seemed particularly glad to see Daphne and her father.
Daphne noted, as she had expected, that there were very few women mounted. They were all riding side-saddle and on horses that looked like regular mounts, like hers, not special hunters. She was somewhat surprised when Mr. Summers came over to greet them.
“Lady Giles, it is so good to see you out for today’s hunt. The weather is most promising. Mr. Moorhouse, I was not aware that you hunted. I am very glad that you are here. I wonder if you are aware that we will be holding a hunt dinner at the end of the day. In Ameschester. At the Fox and Hounds. You must join us. And Lord David. So good to see a clergyman participating in the sport of his congregation! And what a magnificent horse you are riding! You, of course, must also come to the dinner. Come as my guests, both of you, please do.”
Daphne was amused that her father agreed at once to accept the invitation and warmly expressed gratitude for the invitation. His previous resentment did not make him prickly about now attending a function from which he had been barred earlier.
Turning to Daphne, Mr. Summers continued in a lower tone, “I don’t suppose that you have heard from Captain Sir Richard, have you, Lady Giles? Or made up your mind about the meet at Dipton Hall?”
“Yes, I have, Mr. Summers. Captain Giles wished me to convey his disappointment that he is not able to be here today, and will likely miss other meets this season. His duties, you understand.”
Mr. Summers face fell at the rebuff he was expecting, which gave Daphne an inner smile, knowing what she was about to add.
“Captain Giles, nevertheless, said that I could hold both the meet and the Hunt Ball, if I wished. So Mr. Summers, all I need to know is the date so that I can start planning to have a very successful day."
“Thank you, very much, Lady Giles. That is splendid news,” said Mr. Summer
s.
While they were talking Major Stoner had drifted over and heard Daphne’s last statement. “Jolly good!” he cried enthusiastically. “It is very good to see you here for the hunt, Lady Giles. Very good!” The Major had apparently forgotten his previously revealed attitude to women hunting. “And of course, you, Lord David,” he continued, “and you, Mr. Moorhouse. I didn’t know you hunted, sir, though we have had many a good chase over the fields of Dipton Manor.”
Daphne wondered whether her father’s now warm acceptance had more to do with his long time status as a landowner in the community or with her own suddenly elevated social status. Her thoughts on this subject were cut short because two young men had drifted over to them while they were talking to Mr. Summers and Major Stoner. Now one of them spoke up, “Major, you must introduce us to this lovely young lady.”
“Yes, of course. Lady Daphne Giles, may I introduce Captain Ralph Hicks and Lieutenant Geoffrey Charles, of Lord Moresby’s Regiment. And Mr. Moorhouse and Lord David Giles.”
After the appropriate gestures recognizing the introduction had been exchanged, Major Stoner continued, “Mr. Moorhouse is the father of Lady Giles who is married to Captain Sir Richard Giles, of the Royal Navy. Lord David is her bother in law and vicar of Dipton.”
“Delighted to meet you,” drawled Captain Hicks, and he and Lieutenant Charles drifted away again.
“Good men, those, good men!” exclaimed Major Stoner. “Add to the hunt! Captain Hicks has a high position in the family bank, I understand. And Lieutenant Charles is the eldest son of my good friend, Douglas Charles, who has a very pretty estate in Yorkshire, worth, I would guess, eight thousand a year. Very good family.”
A Continuing War Page 11