Then as he was finishing his dinner two men, who were obviously commercial travellers, came in and sat at another table in the same room.
They were definitely having a poor reception from the villagers for their goods and they complained bitterly that this part of the country was so difficult and the sooner they were out of it the better.
The Marquis did not speak, but he listened to their conversation and found that the men were contemptuous of those who worked on the land, and they were even more convinced that it was a waste of time trying to sell their goods to country people – they had little or no money and were quite content with what they had already.
Listening, the Marquis thought this was something new as he had never worried if the people who lived in the villages he owned were happy with their lot or not.
His mother had been marvellous. If they were ill, she sent them fruit and honey and she always knew when they gave birth to a baby and his father had been concerned personally with the men who worked for him.
The Marquis knew now that if he settled down and lived at Milverton Hall, he would ensure that there were new ideas and new interests in his villages.
Of course, he thought, the young people were bored if they had nothing to do and like the two girls they missed the attractions and excitements of a town.
‘It is something I must see to in the future,’ he told himself.
At the same time he realised that he had been bored with too much entertainment in London, while the men of his age working for him had never had the chance of any entertainments – nor did they have the chance of learning about anything except their work after leaving school.
He wondered if other landowners had faced this problem on their estates and he decided when he returned to London he would discuss it with his friends at White’s.
He finished his dinner and a glass of port that was not particularly good and he then realised it was time for him to go to the girls’ party.
He walked out of the back of the inn and started to find his way across the field.
When he reached the wood the moon was coming out in the sky and the stars were already shining brightly which made it easy for him to see between the trees.
There was no question of there being any difficulty in finding the party. As soon as he entered the wood he heard the brash thump of music.
The man playing on the guitar was quite young and had obviously learnt to play well, but he was determined to make as much noise as possible.
The youngsters present, and there were the Marquis reckoned nearly twenty of them, were dancing, but it was in a way that would surprise anyone at a London ball.
The girls were dancing alone flinging themselves around and showing a good amount of their legs and the sight would undoubtedly have shocked his Aunt Matilda.
The men were doing very much the same, except that their idea of dancing was to jump up and down with their hands above their heads.
Alice saw the Marquis first and ran to him crying,
“So you have come! Now you will see what a good party we manage to have here where no one can see us and no one in the village can interfere.”
She had to speak out loudly above the noise of the guitar and the shouts of the dancers.
The Marquis sat down on one of the fallen trees and watched them and he quickly realised that a large amount of beer had already been consumed.
The empty bottles had been kicked to one side in the undergrowth as the dancing continued with the noise of the dancers growing louder every moment and it continued until the music ceased and there was a roar of applause.
“More! More!” the dancers were crying wildly.
It seemed as if the younger they were the noisier they managed to be and they were all, the Marquis thought, working class and some of them were good-looking at the age of eighteen or nineteen and extremely athletic.
As if to demonstrate one of the men turned a quick somersault and two or three of the others tried to imitate him and there were shrieks of laughter from the girls. They had loosened their hair and lifted up their dresses to dance.
Another man started to play a violin and as he did so they twirled around and around mostly alone or holding hands with their partner.
They showed so much leg that the Marquis could well understand why they did not wish their parents to see them.
Melanie pressed a bottle of beer into his hand.
“You had better drink this whilst you can, sir. The dancing gives our guests a terrible thirst.”
The Marquis smiled at her.
“Are you enjoying your party?” he asked her.
“It’s a bit different to what we would be doing if we were in Bristol,” she replied. “At the same time it cheers up the place and those who are dancing are willing to pay a shilling every time they come to a party like this.”
“Is that what you charge them?”
“We made it sixpence to start with, but they drank so much we ran out of money!”
The Marquis was not surprised and she went on,
“Now we charge a shilling, but there are some bad debts and we don’t have the heart, Alice and I, to tell them to stay away until they can afford it.”
“That is indeed kind of you and I think it is very entertaining of you two girls to have thought out something as unusual as this.”
He thought as he spoke that he would not want it to happen on his own land, but it was quite obvious that the young people in the villages must be amused and he only hoped that this enterprise on the part of the girls would not end in disaster.
He thought this again an hour later as two of the girls and the men they had been dancing with so vigorously disappeared into the darkness of the wood.
Nobody appeared to worry as to what they might be doing and the Marquis thought it would be easy for all the laughter to turn into tears, especially as there was no one to chaperone the younger girls.
The beer was by now finished and both the violinist and the guitarist were clearly exhausted.
“You play extremely well,” the Marquis praised the violinist. “Who taught you?”
“My grandfather used to play and he left me the violin when he died so I taught myself, sir.”
“Have you ever thought of going on the stage?”
The man shook his head.
“I’ve never been to a theatre, although I’ve heard about them. But I don’t suppose anythin’ I can do will be good enough for them.”
He spoke quite simply without any regrets and the Marquis wondered if he should try to help him.
“What work do you do here in Little Meadowick?”
“I work on a farm. I look after the chickens and the lambs and help with the harvest.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“It ain’t too bad and these girls from the Vicarage have made it amusin’ for us as it’s never been before.”
“Do you like coming here and playing for them?”
“It’s much better than playin’ alone to myself and it wouldn’t be so good without my friend on the guitar.”
The Marquis felt that this must be the truth and the two girls had been lucky to find such talent in the village and then he found himself wondering if there was the same amount of talent unnoticed and unpraised in the villages round Milverton Hall.
Two more girls and men disappeared into the wood and Alice came up to him to say,
“We are going home! Have you enjoyed yourself?”
“Enormously!” the Marquis replied, “and I have been most interested. I think it is very enterprising of you and your sister to bring such enjoyment to the village.”
Alice smiled but before she could say anything, he went on,
“I am sure that you should organise a concert in the village itself sooner or later and let them hear the two men who play your music. They undoubtedly deserve a larger and more attentive audience.”
“It’s something we have not thought about, sir, but it’s certainly
an idea.”
She thought for a moment and then added,
“You do see that we should have to pay for the hall and I expect no one would want to spend money on seats.”
“I am sure they would all come at least once.”
“They might do if they never come again! But, as this only just pays for itself, we have to be careful not to do too much too quickly that we cannot afford.”
“You are very sensible and I do hope you will find sooner or later two young men to take you to a proper ball. There must be one taking place somewhere in this district.”
“I hope you are right, sir. In the meantime it is fun and we have had more customers, as you might say, at the last two parties than we have ever had before.”
Alice spoke proudly.
“Now we must go home,” Melanie said briskly as she threw three empty bottles into the thick undergrowth.
As she spoke one of the older girls and the man she had been with came out of the darkness of the wood and there was an air about them that told the Marquis all too clearly that they had been making love.
And he wondered if there was any reason why they should not do so or whether it would become a scandal in the village, and then the parties thought out so ingeniously by the two girls would come to an abrupt end.
He walked back with them over the fields with the moon shining brightly to show them the way.
“What do the parents of these young people think of this new idea of yours?” he asked keeping his voice low.
Melanie gave a little giggle.
“As they are not admitted, they have no idea what happens. We have told the boys and girls to say nothing otherwise we will certainly be stopped.”
The Marquis was afraid that was the truth and he was sure the older people would be shocked at the way the young people danced together.
And if it was known what happened in the darkness of the wood there would certainly be an uproar especially among those who were more religious.
“If you ask me, you will have to be very careful not to get a bad name for yourselves and for Little Meadowick. I still think a concert would be a good idea. I am sure you and your sister have lots of talent if you want to show it.”
“I can sing quite well,” boasted Alice, “but I don’t suppose anyone would listen to me at this party.”
Her sister giggled and added,
“As you saw I can dance very well, but it might be called too fast for a Vicar’s daughter.”
“I would think, as you were dancing just now, that you could dance on the stage gracefully and elegantly. I would enjoy watching you at Drury Lane.”
Both girls gave a little cry of excitement.
“Oh, you’ve been to Drury Lane! We read about it in the newspapers. But Papa could never afford for us to visit London, so I am sure we’ll never see it.”
The Marquis hesitated a moment and then he asked,
“Is there anyone in London you can stay with?”
“Oh, yes!” answered Alice. “We have an aunt who lives in Chelsea. But why do you ask?”
“Because you have been so kind to me tonight and amused me when I expected a dull evening by myself, I am going to leave you a little money before I leave tomorrow.”
He smiled at them before continuing,
“If nothing else, it will take you to London for you both to watch the dancing at Drury Lane.”
The girls stopped still in the field to stare at him.
“Do you really mean that?” they asked together.
“Yes, I mean it and what is more, I will give you the name of a box you can watch the show from, because it belongs to a friend of mine.”
Melanie gave a little cry.
“It’s really the most wonderful idea I’ve ever heard. Thank you! Thank you, sir! But you will not forget?”
“I promise you I will not forget. In fact when I get back to the inn I will write it all down for you carefully and you can call for it tomorrow afternoon when I have gone. But there is one thing I want you to promise me.”
“What is that?” both girls chorused.
“That you will not tell anyone that I have sent you to London. Nor will you mention the name of the owner of the box.”
“We promise you! We promise you!”
“I want you to think when you watch the dancing, how you can dance yourself and how you could make it a special event for this village. I feel it would encourage more young people to come here and perhaps as well to the Church on Sundays.”
“That would certainly please Papa,” sighed Alice.
The Marquis decided that when he did return home, he would have a word with the Archbishop of Canterbury and ask him to provide a bigger and better Living for the Vicar of Little Meadowick.
If the girls had been in the City, this is where they would be the happiest and the country is for the country people who know no other life and are thus more or less content with what they have.
When they arrived at the village, the young people who had been following them came up to say goodnight.
“It’s been a real fine party, Miss Alice,” one of the men said, “and I ’opes we ’ave another one soon.”
“You are dancing better than you have ever done before, Joe, and our gentleman guest here thinks we ought to have a concert at the Church Hall.”
“If you thinks anybody’d pay to see me dance you got another think comin’, but I likes your parties. They be real fun.”
He walked off into the darkness and the others bade them goodnight.
The Marquis thought it was time he went to bed so he thanked the girls again and promised them he would not forget to arrange for them to go to Drury Lane.
He walked back to the inn to find the publican was waiting up for him while his wife had gone to bed.
“What were them all up to, sir” he asked. “You’ve been away long enough.”
“I had a long way to walk,” the Marquis answered. “But they enjoyed your beer very much and needless to say there was not a bottle unopened when the party finished!”
“Well, ’tis good for business, if nothin’ else.”
“I think it is good for the village. Idle hands for the young is always a mistake. These two young ladies have many new ideas and the brains to put them into operation. I would support them all you can.
“I have persuaded them, I think, to hold a concert in the Church Hall. If you will say that it’s for the Church or something the village needs people will come. The young would be able to show off how well they dance and how well they sing.”
The publican stared at him.
“You’ve got a good idea there, sir. It’s one I’ve never thought of meself. If you asks me it’ll bring people to the village and we needs that more than anythin’ else.”
“It’s a very beautiful village with a fine inn. I shall certainly recommend it to anyone coming this way.”
“That’s real kind of you, sir, and I assures you that you’ll always be welcome ’ere.”
“I shall depart early tomorrow morning. I will leave with you a letter for my two hostesses tonight and I am sure you will see that they receive it.”
“Of course I will, sir.”
The Marquis went to the stable to have a last look at Firefly. He was lying down quietly and content on the fresh straw the Marquis had provided.
“We leave early tomorrow, old boy,” he muttered “and perhaps we shall find another adventure at the next place. It may even be as amusing as this one has been!”
He sensed that Firefly was nodding his head as if he agreed with him.
Then he patted his nose and left the stable.
Before he fell asleep he was thinking that if he did not find his goal, he had certainly discovered new ideas.
There was no doubt that he had made three young women happier than they had been before he met them.
‘If nothing else,’ he reflected, ‘that is three good marks to me!’
CHAPTER FIVE
The Marquis rose early, had an excellent breakfast and then bade farewell to the publican and his wife.
“I have enjoyed being with you and I shall hope to come again,” he stated.
“We’ve liked havin’ you ever so much,” the wife said. “As I says to me ’usband, you be a real gentleman, that’s what you be.”
The Marquis smiled.
“That is a compliment I appreciate.”
He tied his bags onto Firefly and then set off from the back of the inn.
There were fields that had not been cultivated and Firefly was able to gallop over them and he only calmed down after travelling for quite a long way.
Keeping to the fields the Marquis moved steadily North, thinking that it would be interesting to see a part of England he knew little about and few of his friends came from the Northern Counties.
It was a warm day and the sun was bright but it was not too hot to be uncomfortable.
He thought it would have been pleasant if there was someone he could talk to and discuss the events since he left Milverton Hall.
He had learnt quite a lot about people in whom he had never been previously interested.
Yet there had been no sign of the beautiful young woman he was really searching for.
‘If I go home empty-handed,’ he mused, ‘I shall be back arguing with my relatives about marriage. I cannot face that sort of conversation again.’
However it was bound to happen, unless by some miracle he found the rainbow the Duke sincerely believed was waiting for him.
He was feeling hungry when finally he reached a small village rather like the one he had just left, but the inn was kept by an old man and thus there was no chance of a cooked luncheon.
The Marquis was therefore obliged to make a meal of a cheese sandwich that was only just edible, butter that was questionable and bread that was undoubtedly stale and he washed it all down with some quite decent cider and he was lucky to have a cup of coffee that was drinkable.
“What is the next village or town to this place?” he asked the ancient publican.
“There be a small town not too far away,” the man answered, “and you’ll find if you wants to stay the night, there be quite a decent ’otel there.”
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