It was more news of Sophie’s friends. If she felt like that now, Joshua hoped she would not think life at Linmore poor by comparison.
CHAPTER 17
Athens – 1799
A year ago, when the French invaded Egypt, the news held Joshua and Charlie’s attention for weeks, but much had happened in the intervening time and they looked at life differently. Every day since their arrival in Athens, they visited the British Embassy. Not to hear news of the war so much as to experience the reassuring normality they felt when they walked through the door.
Outside it was unbearably hot, but within the cool confines of the embassy drawing room, nothing seemed more important than entertaining the English visitors to afternoon tea and specially made scones. They could have been in England, whereas in the city, the Ottoman culture took precedence over Greek.
A mosque stood alongside the Parthenon. People in the streets and bazaars wore Turkish dress, and the air was heavy with aromatic fragrances. When Joshua and Charlie left their lodgings, Sergeant Percival and his assistants escorted them to ensure they were not tempted to enter the shops, which sold strange scented products.
The sea voyage from Thessalonica took its toll on Dr Hawley’s health, so Joshua went with Charlie to present his father’s letter of introduction to the British Ambassador. Once there, he found news of their misfortunes had preceded them, conveyed by the diplomat from Thessalonica.
The welcome he received from Sir Giles Stanmore was particularly warm.
“So you are Tom Norbery’s son and heir. I remember your father and his brother as young men. My family are Salopians as well, and live only a few miles distance from Linmore.”
Joshua noticed the oversight about his seniority, but the moment to repair the error passed without comment.
When they met the ambassador’s wife, they found matters of great significance to gentlemen were of little interest to the ladies. Once they exclaimed at the news, they quickly passed on to other things.
Lady Stanmore was the first to express horror at the events that had overtaken them. “It must have been dreadful; Mr Norbery, to be confined in such conditions, and unable to seek proper attention for Dr Hawley.”
Joshua would not want to do it again, but he tried to make light of the experience. “It was at first, your ladyship, but Sergeant Percival, our tour guide, acquired the services of a herbalist, who provided a remedy that saved Dr Hawley’s life. Without her help, I fear the outcome could have been different.”
A flicker of alarm crossed her face, but her manner remained benign.
“That is excellent news, but these things are fraught with danger, and one hears of some guides who are unreliable.”
Joshua hastened to assure her. “Sergeant Percival is well known to my father, ma’am. I think the risk would have been greater, had he not been with us.”
Sir Giles was not convinced. “That’s as maybe, young man,” he said, “but the area through which you passed is not commonly visited by English travellers. I thought the guide should have ascertained that first, and taken you along the Dalmatian coast. I will write to your father and tell him of this.”
Joshua said nothing, in case he made things worse by admitting the guide used his initiative rather than follow Dr Hawley’s instructions.
In the meantime, Lady Stanmore was eager to move on to things dearer to her heart. “Are you familiar with Almacks Assembly rooms, Mr Norbery?”
“Not personally, ma’am, Mr Cobarne and I were onlookers when my sister was presented at Court two years ago.”
That was near enough without remembering the dates.
“Did she enjoy a successful season?”
He sensed the ambassador’s wife was hanging on his words, but was not sure what she wanted to hear.
“I believe so, ma’am,” he said. “Caroline is now married. So are the two cousins with whom she shared the season.”
From her beatific smile, he had obviously said the right thing.
“How gratifying it must be for their parents. If only we can achieve the same for our daughters,” she said in a wistful tone, and then asked a surprising question. “Did you share the pleasure with her?”
Joshua could hardly tell of the excruciating boredom they felt at the time, but Charlie was willing to elaborate.
“Oh indeed, my lady, there was great excitement in the household,” he said. “It was a veritable whirlwind of daily visits by dressmakers and mantou makers. Almost every day, there were deliveries of bandboxes of every description, and bouquets of flowers by the score. And that was before they saw Queen Charlotte.”
He had everyone’s attention – even if he exaggerated.
Joshua caught Charlie’s eye and was tempted to wink. Then he realised it was a most improper thing to do in the present company – so he did the next best thing, and smiled. That was perfectly acceptable.
By then, Lady Stanmore was speaking again. “The reason I asked, Mr Norbery, is because my husband and I will be returning to London next year, in order for Sir Giles to take up a new post in the Foreign Office. The timing is excellent, for it will enable our two daughters to be presented at Court during the following season.” She hesitated before continuing. “Your arrival is most fortuitous, because we are seeking to prepare them as best we can with lessons in protocol, etiquette and dancing.”
“How can we be of service, ma’am?” said Charlie.
“I wonder if you would care to join their lessons.”
They readily accepted the invitation. It was not as if they felt in need of education, but after the rigours of their journey, it was a joy to mix with people of their own age. To laugh and talk again, and have young ladies consult their opinions on travelling in the hinterland.
When the ambassador’s two daughters saw Charlie, their eyes widened with delight and they started to chatter amongst their group of friends, making plans to include their visitors.
“Mama,” said Miss Eliza Stanmore, the younger daughter, a dainty little miss with fair, curly hair, “Emily asked if it would be in order to invite the gentlemen to our picnic party?”
Her older sister flushed with embarrassment.
When her mother agreed, the young lady turned to address Charlie.
“I’m so glad you have agreed to join our lessons, Mr Cobarne, it is beyond anything to have my brother pretend to kiss one’s hand.”
The Honourable Henry Stanmore, a young man of about eighteen years, rolled his eyes skywards, under the wayward lock of black hair that fell across his brow.
“Sisters, say the most embarrassing things,” he grumbled in mock disgust. “All the same, I’d be awfully grateful if you fellows would support me; I can see they would much prefer your attention than mine.”
Charlie chuckled and turned his roguish dark eyes in Joshua’s direction.
“We are delighted to be of service,” he said. “My cousin was saying only this morning, how much he enjoyed the present company.”
That was the first Joshua had heard of it. Charlie was the one who enthused about them after the previous visit.
Lady Stanmore made no secret of her approval. “You must feel free to come and go as you please, gentlemen. The young ladies love to have your escort, and I am grateful that you find the time.”
Several other invitations followed the first, and they soon found their store of clothes insufficient for their needs. A travelling trunk, containing many of the garments donated by Joshua’s relatives, was still in Thessalonica. On hearing the problem, the visiting Ambassador from the city promised to have it returned to them.
When Lady Stanmore, heard of their predicament, she arranged for a tailor to attend them for fittings in the embassy. The thought of being beholden to strangers made Joshua embarrassed, but the lady waved his concerns aside.
“Good heavens, Mr Norbery, this is only a helping hand until your property can be restored. You must allow me to do this, for I have known your family for many years. In fact, your aunt
, Mrs Pontesbury, and I were presented during the same season, so I am almost an aunt to you.”
He supposed knowing the family made it all right.
Their first lesson in etiquette taught them formality ruled, but it was hard to maintain a straight face when Charlie emphasised every nuance and his exaggerated poses made the girls giggle in the middle of an introduction.
Joshua knew it was Charlie’s way of hiding his boredom. He learned lessons fast, stored his knowledge and wanted to move on. He needed active occupation, not social posturing – they both did, but neither was so gauche as to admit to ennui in elevated company. Fatigue was permissible to admit, boredom was not.
In an attempt to impress on them the need to be serious, the ambassador’s wife enlisted the help of her visitors, amongst which several members of the English aristocracy were new arrivals.
When the moment came, everyone passed the test. They answered questions correctly on points of protocol, maintained the correct demeanour, and afforded the assembled company the appropriate degree of respect.
Once they mastered the basics, they embarked on a series of dancing lessons. Had they been midgets, the master of the dance might have acknowledged their presence in a more gracious manner; but the appearance of two unknown, personable young gentlemen challenged his supremacy with the ladies.
Instead, he favoured them with a slight inclination of the head. Then he pranced around the ballroom, gesticulating and issuing orders in an unintelligible falsetto, to the accompaniment of a pale shadow of a woman on the pianoforte.
It was soon apparent the ambassador’s children were familiar with the steps, but to Joshua, it was so complicated that it might have been a foreign language. He tried hard to follow the irritating little man’s instructions, but always ended the dance confused.
Sometimes it seemed as if the dancing master deliberately set out to mislead him, and then belittled his efforts in his native, rapid-flow Italian, assuming Joshua could not understand the language.
At his side, Charlie nodded his understanding and tapped his toe in time to the music. “This must be the sort of thing Sophie was telling me she did at school. I can see why she enjoyed it.”
Dancing was easy for Cobarne. Nobody would think his feet clodhopping, whereas Joshua had the problem of being two sizes larger, and was slower in the turns. Charlie could laugh at his mistakes, and frequently did. The young ladies forgave him, even when he stepped on the train of their gowns.
No matter how hard Joshua tried, he still felt foolish, and it did not make it any easier knowing that as the frequency of lessons increased, so did the number of spectators.
The Dowager Countess of Kenchester was visiting Athens, accompanied by her two granddaughters. One of which, Lady Rosemary Chervil, was an unusually tall woman, somewhat past the first blush of youth.
It was unfair of Charlie to call her a “Long Meg”, but with her aquiline features, and russet coloured hair, severely braided around her head, she was unmissable, standing a head and shoulders higher than the gaggle of frippery young misses. Only Joshua stood taller and she immediately made her way to his side.
“Mr Norbery,” she said, “I hope you will forgive me if I am direct, but it seems to me that you find the process of dancing somewhat confusing?”
He flushed with embarrassment, but could not deny the fact.
“It doesn’t have to be that way, you know,” Lady Rosemary said. “I have a suggestion to make. I love to dance, but seldom find a partner tall enough to make the process enjoyable. If you would be so kind as to lead me onto the floor, I will engage to see you learn the steps. In fact, it would be my pleasure.”
She was an excellent teacher. Within half an hour, Joshua forgot to be nervous, and did everything right. There was not a word of dissention from the dancing teacher.
“I knew you had the makings of a dancer,” Lady Rosemary said, “Now, I have another proposal. My grandmother has persuaded the ambassador to hold a ball whilst we are here, and I hope you will put your dancing to the test. I am sure you will be every bit as much in demand as your charming cousin.”
Joshua was not so sure about that.
Long before the date of the ball, the diplomatic service restored the missing travelling trunk to its owners. With a wardrobe deserving of the name, Joshua and Charlie perceived the benefits of having a valet to keep their clothes in order.
In the first weeks, they had the excuse of wearing comfortable clothes, such as they used for travelling. Buckskins and top boots being their favourite dress, but their lessons taught them that for visiting, pantaloons matched with Hessian boots, and for eveningwear, knee breeches and silk stockings were the accepted mode of attire. The knowledge they were correctly dressed for the occasion made a difference.
Joshua knew Aunt Winifred had impeccable taste, and the array of clothes she gave them was ideal. The only problem they encountered being their size and having grown in stature on their travels, there was a need to use the garments before they were outgrown.
It seemed strange to dress in formal clothes. At Linmore, they laughed at Matthew Norbery aping the dandy set. Now, it seemed they were destined to be similarly dressed, but Gilbert, their valet, had no need to pad the shoulders of their coats and their smallclothes fitted their limbs like a glove.
The aptly named, calf-clinging pantaloons caused amusement at first, but they soon adapted to the change. Even buckskins had a smoother fit.
The proof of their success was in the reception they received from the ladies on the night of the ball. As he dressed in his new clothes for the occasion, Joshua hoped he would not disgrace himself. He moved his head from side to side, growing accustomed to the higher neck of his shirt, and crisp white folds of his neckcloth.
It felt strange, but in tying the cravat, Gilbert aimed for a simple design, perfectly executed, and to Joshua’s mind, the result exceeded anything his brother’s valet achieved in an hour of failed attempts.
For once, he was comfortable with his appearance and knew Charlie felt the same. Gilbert made a special effort in shaving them for the occasion. He started the practice soon after they arrived in Athens. Until then, it hardly seemed worth the effort, but their skin toughened during their sojourn in the hinterland. Now they were socialising, it was imperative they looked their best.
The valet explained the process as he worked.
“I daresay you’ll have a batman to do this in the army,” he said, showing them how to lather the soap on their faces before applying the open blade, “but it’s as well to know how it should be done. You never know when it will come in useful. After all, you cannot go visiting ladies with stubble on your chin. They don’t want to rub faces with a hedgehog.”
At the time, it made them laugh, but smoothing his hand over his chin, Joshua could see the sense of it now. It felt good.
When he arrived at the embassy ball, Lady Rosemary tilted her head to one side as she scrutinised his appearance. Then she nodded approval.
“Oh, yes,” her eyes twinkled appreciatively, “I think your Aunt Pontesbury would be proud of you, sir. Neither of her sons have your… um… presence.”
“You know my cousins?”
She gave a wry smile. “I do indeed, sir. Would you mind if I called you Joshua? I hate all this silly formality, particularly when we might have been related.”
Joshua’s eyes widened with surprise. “You mean…?”
“Yes,” Lady Rosemary said with a laugh. “My mother and your aunt had a strange notion when Augustus and I were infants that we might make a suitable match.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Complete nonsense, of course, but one day, we met and agreed to differ with our parents. I think Gus realised I might be as forceful as his mother, and he… well… let us say his lifestyle and mine are not compatible. I don’t like the rackety people with whom he associates.”
“I see,” was all Joshua could think to say.
“I wonder if you do…”
The ball passed without incident. However much he might wish otherwise, Joshua learned it was not the done thing to mark a lady’s card for more than two dances, so Lady Rosemary introduced him to several other women – friends, by all accounts – all of whom were older, and accomplished in the social arts.
He lost track of time, caught up in the flow of the music. At midnight, he saw Charlie, leading his partner to the supper room, and they exchanged a grin.
Dawn was breaking when they returned to the villa. The sun was rising over a blue sky, a sign it would be another warm day, but in their somnolent state, they would see little of it. Was this how their social lives would be when they were staff officers in the army?
Charlie was amused when they recounted their experiences of the evening. “D’you know, Josh?” he said, stifling a yawn. “We have a perfect arrangement. You seem happier with the older women, and I… think the young beauties like me. I reckon if we continue like this, we’ll never have reason to quarrel over a woman.”
Joshua stared, bemused. “Why would we argue anyway, when there are enough for us both?”
For the first time, he felt at ease talking to women. His partner’s age did not bother him as much as his ability to complete the set piece of the dance, and he became more accomplished with each social event. He owed it all to Lady Rosemary – or Rosie, as she told him to call her.
Joshua knew from his lessons in etiquette that it was not appropriate for someone of his age to do that on such short acquaintance. She might do it with impunity, but he must observe the rules. To compromise, he maintained Rosie’s title and shortened the name. In response, she called him, Mr Joshua Norbery with a laugh in her voice.
From what he could judge, Lady Rosie was about the age of his sister, Caroline, but much friendlier, and there was little doubt her independent nature was the reason she was not married. She was a delightful companion, as was her cousin, Lady Alice Silverdale, newly emerged from her widow’s weeds, but several years younger.
Brothers at Arms Page 20