The Countess and The Baron: Lady Prudence Baggington (The Nettlefold Chronicles Book 3)

by Isabella Thorne

  5

  Prudence had not been aware that she had drifted off to sleep until a hand upon her arm woke her from her dream. She gasped awake twisting away, turning her face to her shoulder to guard against an attack.

  The jolt of her body dislodged sweet Posey, who tumbled off of the Lady’s lap and onto the floor of the carriage.

  A deep voice murmured a soft apology as a shadow bent down to scoop up the scampering pup. It took Lady Prudence a moment to recall where she was, and with whom. She was glad for the drawn curtains of the carriage for there was no doubt that her ivory skin had deepened into a crimson blush. Her heart raced and she had yet to find her words. To her everlasting relief, she was not forced to speak or even acknowledge her reaction.

  “We will arrive any moment,” Lord Halthaven informed her with a voice as calm and cool as if he had not taken note of her jitters. She appreciated his discretion. Lady Prudence reminded herself that she would have to do better at masking her fears if she were to pull off this farce. Still, having been awakened many a night to the terrors of the darkness meant that she usually did well to ensure that she never drifted to sleep under the eye of a witness. Her waking hours were well controlled, her sleep gave free reign to nightmares.

  “Thank you,” she whispered with her face turned down into her lap. She set about the task of adjusting her skirt. The heavy fabric was crumpled and folded like a vice around her legs from the carriage ride. When Lady Prudence felt that she had herself composed into a decent state, she looked up to her companion to see him attempting to tug his shirtsleeve from the sharp grasp of the playful pup. Posey released a halfhearted growl and shook her head with a vigor that resulting in a tear of his fine linen shirt.

  Lady Prudence gasped and began spouting her apologies. She reached for the animal and did her best to free the gentleman from his attacker without further damage to his person. The pup was lively after her long rest and wanted nothing more than to continue her romp. She wiggled free of Lady Prudence’s grasp and slid across the floor of the carriage to clamp her teeth around the leather laces of the gentleman’s boot.

  “Oh dear,” Lady Prudence exclaimed. Her eyes searched the gentleman’s face but found no hint of anger. Rather, he seemed amused by the feisty creature that was determined to make her mark. “Perhaps it might be mended?” she wondered.

  Lord Halthaven inspected his cuff and deemed it reparable. He made the statement as if it were no matter. Lady Prudence could not help but sigh with relief as he once more scooped up the puppy and handed it back to its owner. She wondered if he had an immense reserve of patience or was merely a skilled actor. Perhaps, she thought, he would fly into a rage when he thought no one was looking. Lady Prudence could not name but a handful of men that she suspected to be above fits of temper. Even those, she thought, might still possess the demon when out of the sight of gentile folk.

  She stroked Posey until the animal was settled. The small, willful eyes were still alert and mischievous. Lady Prudence made a mental note that she must need be better at keeping her from trouble, and from wrestling with the baron’s wardrobe.

  The memory brought a small smile to her face and she was forced to press her lips together to conceal it. As the carriage began to slow, Lady Prudence pulled back the curtain to peer at the elegant estate that lay ahead. The buildings were of middling size. Certainly nothing to be ashamed of, she thought, but not so grand as some of those that she had visited back in Nettlefold. Despite its modest stature, every inch of the land and buildings was maintained to perfection. Lady Prudence could tell at once that the home was well loved by both its master and those under his employ.

  A row of rosebushes lined the stone drive. Now that the summer was ended they were bare save for the well-manicured greenery. She closed her eyes and attempted to imagine their beauty when covered with the wide blooms of red or white blossoms. Perhaps they might even be a rarer breed of pale pink.

  She could almost smell them in her mind, as the carriage rolled down the lane. How wonderful it must be to be here in the summer. She felt a moment of sadness that she would never see such a sight. Here she was with the autumn upon her and the prospect of leaving at any moment. Beautiful or not, she would never see the rosy lane in the summer.

  She was thankful that the Reverend Mother would go to such lengths to secure her safekeeping. Lady Prudence only wondered how far she might have to travel to procure it. Perhaps she would be sent away to some land of perpetual ice where roses never bloomed and summer never came. Or perhaps the savagery of the colonies. She tried to be disappointed at the thought but even that was preferable to the threat of Lord Fondleton.

  The steward and the housekeeper were waiting upon the step when the carriage rolled to a stop. Solemn nods and kind eyes revealed that they too were familiar with the nature of the gentleman’s guests. Lady Prudence was handed down from the carriage by the footman, who passed her sole piece of luggage to the housekeeper.

  The woman was rail thin with a sharp jawline and wisps of grey curls that sprung out from the edges of her cap. Lady Prudence liked her at once. She seemed the sort of no nonsense female that would not ask questions or pry while still able to keep strict control over the house and all those that resided within.

  “Mr. Perkins,” Lord Halthaven introduced the steward, “and his wife will see to your every need. Do not hesitate to seek their service.”

  Lady Prudence nodded.

  She could not imagine the couple paired as husband and wife. Mr. Perkins was a giant of a man. His wife, could easily be tucked beneath his arm like a mother hen might hide a chick. He seemed more suited as a stable master, she thought, due to his sheer strength and size. That is, until she saw him move. For a beast of a man he was surprisingly graceful. On silent steps he opened the door and swept the group into the entryway. As if from midair he procured a silver platter, upon which were the day’s correspondence for the baron as well as a mouthful of wine each to refresh the travelers from their short, albeit rugged, journey.

  “If you’ll follow me, Miss,” Mrs. Perkins said as she turned her back and began to walk down the hall. She expected to be followed without question, but Prudence was unsure. Lord Fondleton had allowed no female to speak before him, or give orders within his home. For that reason alone he had difficulty keeping a housekeeper and proper maids. Instead, he had resorted to bribery and threats to keep those who worked within the walls of his estate loyal and quiet.

  Lady Prudence deferred to the lord of the house for permission with a questioning look. He nodded and continued his conversation with the steward about matters of estate that were in need of attention. Lady Prudence considered herself dismissed and followed after the housekeeper with Posey scrambling to release herself and explore the new location.

  “You ought to change into something more comfortable,” Mrs. Perkins said as she pulled a ring of keys from the folds of her gown and unlocked the door to the quaint chamber in which Lady Prudence was to stay. “This’ll be your room,” she said. “Here’s a key, not that you’ll need it but it’s yours if you’d like.”

  Lady Prudence grasped the key as if it contained life itself. Such a luxury as a lock she had never been allowed. Now, the offer was almost more than she could bear. She held back a battering of tears, the Barrington refusal to show weakness still ingrained in her very soul.

  “I’ll have your other bags brought up if you would like to freshen up before meeting the young Miss.” With a clap of her hands a young boy appeared to fulfill her request.

  “I have nothing else,” Lady Prudence explained with a blush. Never in her life had she wanted for anything that a lady might need to keep up appearances. Even in all of his horror, Jasper had spared no expense on the appearance of showering his wife with finery. Just as her father had done, Lord Fondleton knew that the appearance of wealth and comfort was enough to stave off even the most observant of eyes.

  “No?” Mrs. Perkins asked. “A true postulant then, are you?
”

  It seemed that all those within the protection of the estate were aware of the precarious nature of the young ladies that came to stay on occasion. Rather than make a fuss, she instructed the boy to take the puppy to the stables where she could be fed and allowed to romp as puppies were known to do.

  “Well then,” The housekeeper continued before Lady Prudence was forced to formulate an answer, “I suppose we ought to have some fabrics sent up from the village.”

  “Please, no!” Prudence cried. She did not wish to be a burden upon the Lord Halthaven who had already gone so far as to grant her safe shelter. Besides, she thought, The Reverend Mother had given her firm instruction to remain beneath the notice of the villagers. The last thing that Prudence needed was suspicion of her presence floating around town.

  “What I mean is,” she clarified, “I do not expect to be here for long. I do have the gown I arrived in. It will need some patching but I can manage if you’ll be so kind as to offer me some scraps and a needle.”

  “Nonsense,” Mrs. Perkins opened the bag and pulled her ruined travel gown from its depths. The nuns had been unable to salvage the fabric, which was torn and tattered from the height of her knees and on down. “I shall have Lizzie fix it up nice enough,” she said with a nod. “She has a fine hand with the needle and is fast as a whip.”

  “I shouldn’t wish to put her out,” Lady Prudence protested.

  “She’s begging for a task,” Mrs. Perkins said with an exaggerated sigh. “My daughter is fit to burst with those babies she’s carrying. Bless her heart. Doctor says it’s a pair! He bound her to the bed this last month to keep the labor from coming on early and she has been feisty as broke-hoofed burro with nothing to do but read. She’ll mend your dress up right as rain. I even think we could take in a few of her gowns, if you’d like. She’s a bit wider about the waist at the moment but the bust should fit just fine, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

  Lady Prudence hesitated.

  “They’ll be modest. I swear it,” Mrs. Perkins assured her. “My Lizzie isn’t one to flaunt what the good Lord gave her. I even thought she might join the Abbey when she was younger, before she married John, but I’m right glad she didn’t or I wouldn’t have those grand-babies on the way, now would I?”

  Lady Prudence could not help but feel a smile creep across her face. Mrs. Perkins was a breath of fresh air after the silence of the convent. She found that the older woman’s chatter eased her tension and allowed her to feel at once at home here at Halthaven.

  A short while later Prudence had washed her hands and face and shook out what dust she could from the grey woolen gown. Her other had been folded away for Mrs. Perkins to deliver to her daughter later that evening. Prudence allowed the housekeeper to comb her hair and twist it up into an intricate knot that she claimed to have learned from a French woman who had passed through the village several years before.

  She cast a glance in the looking glass and determined that she looked as respectable as she was able. With a sigh and a shrug Prudence allowed herself to be led back down the staircase to meet the baron’s young charge.

  Marietta was pretty girl with blonde curls that hung down her back and a vibrant blue gown that matched her eyes. She had a youthful giggle and an easy smile, as if she were pleased to be raised by her relative, despite the tragic loss of her parents. Lady Prudence recalled the housekeeper’s tale that the girl had been orphaned at only five years old and had very few memories of her mother and father. Still, she had said, Lord Halthaven did his best to keep the memory of his dear cousin and his wife alive in the child’s heart.

  When Lady Prudence entered the drawing room Lord Halthaven was offering his praise for a drawing that the child had completed in his absence that afternoon.

  “Your mother too was a magnificent artist,” he told her. Marietta looked up at him with a wistful grin, begging that he tell her more.

  “What of father?” she asked. “Did he draw?”

  “Not a lick,” Lord Halthaven laughed. “She once bet him to make a likeness of a fawn he saw in the great wood. Only, when he drew the spots upon its back it looked more like a squat tortoise than anything and she’d not allow him to hear the end of it.”

  Lady Prudence could not help but laugh herself at the strange tale as she approached the pair. Her quiet chuckle drew the attention of Marietta, who rounded on her with wide, excited eyes.

  “Are you Miss Riverford?” she clapped her hands together and bounced on the tips of her toes like a bird about to take flight. “I am so pleased to make your acquaintance. Cousin George won’t let me venture too far from the manor without a proper companion. He thinks I am far too mischievous.”

  Marietta glanced back over her shoulder and made a face at the baron, which Lady Prudence found quite hard to process. She had never made jokes of her father in such a manner. Her brothers, perhaps, but they were different, kind and lighthearted even.

  “You are mischievous,” Lord Halthaven replied with a pointed look that must have reminded the girl of something she had done for she had the decency to look contrite.

  “I suppose I am in need of a companion,” she admitted. “Though, I must say, I am pleased to see that you are much younger than the last.”

  “Marietta,” the baron scolded. “Mrs. Rovier was a fine woman.”

  “Fine, yes,” Marietta agreed, “but she’d not allow me to ride for she said it made her bones ache and her mind addled.” The young spitfire turned to Lady Prudence who was now finding great amusement in the conversation. “Do you ride, Miss Riverford?”

  “On occasion,” Lady Prudence revealed. “Though I am no horsewoman.”

  “That is well enough for me!” Marietta grinned. “We shall get on just fine, I think.”

  “You know the rules,” he reminded his charge. “You are to stay to the grounds. No exceptions. Understood?”

  Marietta groaned. “Just as far as the village, please Cousin George.”

  “Miss Riverford has no knowledge of the neighborhood,” he replied. Lady Prudence was glad that he made no reference to her situation. “You’ll stay at Halthaven until further notice.” When Marietta seemed disconsolate he reminded her that it was the beginning of the harvest season and her more common friends would be far too busy with the crops to entertain the whims of a lady.

  She nodded her head in dismay, blonde curls bouncing, and agreed that she had been notified of their duties. While it appeared that there were many families of note in the Halthaven neighborhood, the properties were far too distant to allow for daily visits. It was all very different from the bustling countryside of Nettlefold where Lady Prudence had spent the majority of her years.

  “At least we have the Harvest Ball to look forward to,” Marietta concluded with a sigh. “We’ll have to find you a better gown than… that,” she grimaced at Lady Prudence’s simple grey frock.

  Lady Prudence felt her eyes grow wide with shock. She had no intention of attending a ball. That would be contrary to everything that the Mother Abbess had instructed. Lady Prudence was to keep as quiet an existence as possible until her removal could be arranged.

  Lord Halthaven released a low curse under his breath. The word brought a giggle from his charge and a quick apology from the baron.

  “I had not thought on that,” he explained. “The Harvest Ball will be held in a month’s time, at the conclusion of the picking. There will be nearly a dozen families staying at Halthaven that evening.”

  “It is no matter,” Lady Prudence offered with a shrug. “I expect that the Reverend Mother will have made arrangements for my removal in that time. If not, then I shall have no qualms remaining in my room. I am guessing, Miss Marietta is not yet out?” The girl shook her head. “That settles it. She cannot yet attend such an evening event, and I have no need for a ball.”

  Marietta scrunched her nose as if to say that she thought it strange that Lady Prudence had no interest in the occasion.

  “You can watch f
rom the rail of the stair at my side,” she giggled with childish excitement. “I do love to look at all of the beautiful ladies in their gowns and the gentlemen in their fine silk coats.”

  Lady Prudence could not help but recall the spectacle that her gowns had once made. She decided not to mention them to the child, unless for nothing more than a good laugh. When it seemed that the conversation had run its course, and the gentleman looked antsy to return to his matters of business, Lady Prudence suggested that Miss Marietta show her to the stables where they might check on dear Posey and her wellbeing.

  Marietta was thrilled to hear of the arrival of a puppy, having always wanted one for herself. Lady Prudence promised that she might help in the care of the creature, so long as they did their best to teach the animal to be gentle and obedient.

  With that, Prudence hand was grasped and she was pulled from the room before she could offer a word of farewell or thanks to the gentleman. It took no more than a moment for Lady Prudence to recognize that the young Miss would keep her every moment occupied with her vibrancy and excitement.

  Perhaps it was for the best, she thought. A little distraction was in order. She might even come to push the horrors of the past to the back of her mind where they could remain thoroughly buried.

  The women found Posey curled in a bed of straw behind the locked door of the birthing stall. Lady Prudence thought that it was the perfect pen in which to contain the rambunctious pup until she could be better trained. The last thing that she wished was for the small dog to destroy any more of Lord Halthaven’s belongings.

  The pair of ladies sat upon the floor of the stall for several hours, talking and plying the animal with treats as incentive to waddle from one lap to another. Lady Prudence was surprised to find that there was much to admire about the young girl who had lost her family at such a young age. Prudence felt a sort of kinship to the child, though their horrors were quite different. It seemed to her to be a difficult task to be a female in this age. Few enough were granted a simple path to comfort and pleasure. Even a title and fortune was no guarantee that one might be protected from strife.