“It seems that most people other than our true friends have a very low opinion of your choice of bride,” commented Miriam with concern. “I will not let this upset me. All my life I have been treated differently because of my lameness and would not expect this to change now that I am a married lady. I have learned to ignore comments that may be hurtful to me. I only hope that you can do the same.”
“I have given you my name, and this as you know was done freely. I will not tolerate anyone speaking badly of you and the nature of this marriage. I can assure you I will always offer you the protection you deserve.” Vincent leaned over and patted her hand to convince her that he truly meant what he said. He truly thought highly of her and desperately wanted her to know this.
Miriam felt somewhat reassured. “I thank you, my lord. You are a good man and I am sure I will have no difficulty behaving as a dutiful wife should.”
The journey continued. They had two very short stops for refreshments and to reheat the bricks as they briskly covered the miles to Maudley Castle. They spent most of the time in comfortable silence, and eventually the movement of the carriage lulled Miriam to sleep.
Vincent awakened her with a gentle shake as they were approaching their destination. “Miriam, we are almost there.”
It was after ten at night when the carriage stopped in front of the castle. The carriage door was opened by a footman and Miriam saw her future home for the first time. It was dark and only one or two rooms looked to be lit. The whole silhouette of Maudley Castle looked black and forbidding. The weather was so cold that she could see her breath in front of her as Vincent handed her out of the carriage. It was as well he kept a firm hold, as her legs were almost numb with cold and from being seated for so many hours in the carriage.
They made their way to the front door and inside the entrance found a handful of servants waiting to greet them. Vincent introduced Miriam as his wife: the new Countess of Chantry. “Where is my mother?” he asked.
“The countess asked me to inform you that, due to the late hour, she has retired for the night and will greet you in the morning,” the butler replied.
Although aware that this was a direct snub, Miriam was relieved because she felt far too tired to face anyone after the long journey. She was also very aware that she was not looking her best after two long days of travel.
Now came the moment she was dreading. How would they manage the sleeping arrangements now they were here? She looked at Vincent but he did not seem concerned.
“I have arranged for our personal belongings to be taken to the master bedroom suite. I will take you up there and then leave you with your maid while I attend to a few domestic arrangements,” Vincent informed her.
Not only was Miriam far from reassured by this news, she realized as she looked up the magnificent staircase, that she felt too weary to attempt the climb. Miriam felt close to tears and could do nothing to stop them from welling up in her eyes. She could not look at Vincent as she admitted, “I am very tired.”
Vincent grinned and swept her up into his arms, saying (Miriam presumed for the benefit of the servants), “I feel it is appropriate, my lady, if I carry you upstairs on our first true night of marriage.”
Miriam blushed but found herself instinctively fastening her arms around Vincent’s neck to steady herself. She felt safe in his strong arms, and he carried her up the stairs as if she weighed nothing. She took advantage of the heat from his body and snuggled up against him in an attempt to warm herself. She knew that her heart was beating far too rapidly because of his close proximity—and her concern about the sleeping arrangements.
Miriam had to hold on to Vincent even more tightly as he released one arm from around her to open the bedroom door. Once inside he put her on her feet and let the door close behind him. Miriam looked around the room. It was a large room with a grand fireplace where a fire was burning brightly; a writing desk and leather chair were in an alcove in front of a bay window. A large, comfortable-looking leather chair was placed by the fire. Her face paled and her heart beat even more rapidly as she saw the large four-poster bed with the draperies open and the bedding turned down in readiness.
“There is only one bed,” she said. “You promised me that you would not expect…” Her voice trailed away.
Vincent smiled down at her, amused at her reaction, and then took her hand and led her through to an adjoining room. “This will be your bedroom,” he explained.
This room also had a large bed, but with furniture and draperies that were more feminine in nature. She gave a sigh of relief. So this was where she would be sleeping.
She thanked him, then said, “This is a lovely room. I am sure I will be very comfortable. Has your mother had to move from this room to accommodate me?”
“Mother moved out as soon as my father died and took most of the furniture from this room to her new rooms in the west wing. As the new earl, I was expected to use the master bedroom, and I had both rooms refurbished before I felt I could be comfortable sleeping here.” Vincent added with a grin, “It is commonplace for husband and wife to have separate sleeping arrangements, and this could not be more convenient to our circumstances.”
Miriam was delighted with the room and glad that it was not as it was when Vincent’s mother had occupied it. She could not, however, keep her gaze from straying to the door that connected her room with Vincent’s room. Vincent followed her look.
Miriam found herself blushing again as Vincent said tactfully, “I think tonight we had better leave the connecting door unlocked, because the servants will be expecting us to be…celebrating our marriage. Tomorrow I will try to find a key for the door and I will leave it in your possession.”
“Although I do trust you,” Miriam said, “I do think I may feel a bit happier if I was able to lock the door.” She blushed again. Honestly, he must think her complexion was permanently red because she had done nothing but blush since arriving at his home!
Susan knocked and came into the room to assist Miriam to get ready for bed. Vincent bowed and said, for the benefit of the maid, “I am going downstairs for a nightcap and will return shortly.”
Miriam put up with Susan’s excited chattering as she helped her into her nightgown. In the end she dismissed her, saying she could quite manage the rest of her toilette on her own. The room was lovely and warm and Miriam crept into bed and lay awake, alert for any sound of Vincent coming to bed in the room next door. Over an hour went by and she had not heard any noise, and she finally gave into sleep.
The following morning Miriam awoke late, and by the time she and her maid had found where breakfast was being served, the butler informed them that Vincent and his mother had already broken their fast. She was invited to join them in the drawing room when she had eaten. At this, Miriam’s mouth went dry and she lost all appetite. However, to delay the moment she would need to face the Dowager Countess of Chantry, she pushed some food around her plate for a good half hour.
Get it over with, she said to herself and, straightening her gown and checking her appearance in the mirror, she opened the door, and immediately the butler appeared and led her to the drawing room.
“I will arrange for more tea to be served,” he said formally.
“That is most kind,” Miriam replied.
To say the atmosphere was strained when she entered the room would be a gross understatement. Miriam was pleased that Vincent remembered his manners and came over to greet her. Giving her his arm, he took her over to where his mother was seated.
“Mother, I have the pleasure of introducing my wife, Miriam.”
Miriam was sure that it was only years of breeding that enabled the countess to respond with a curt, “I believe we met once before.”
“Yes indeed,” replied Miriam. “I had the pleasure of being introduced to you at my cousin Percival’s wedding.”
She allowed Vincent to seat her in a chair between himself and his mother. It soon became clear to Miriam that no one was about to i
nstigate conversation. As the atmosphere became increasingly strained, she tried for the commonplace.
“We had a long journey to reach here,” she said, “but fortunately the weather, although cold, stayed clear and we were able to make good time.”
“Humph,” responded the countess.
Miriam tried again. “I am sorry you were unable to attend our wedding. It was, however, a very small affair with it being arranged so quickly.”
Again “Humph,” was the only response.
“Come, Mother,” Vincent tried to intercede. “Miriam is trying to engage in conversation and you seem to have a lapse in your manners.”
Miriam noted that this prompted a response.
“You…You…accuse me of poor behaviour. I think that you should look to yourself,” the older woman countered, her thin, angular face contorted with anger.
“Mother, how many times must I tell you that neither Miriam nor I have behaved badly or in any way that need concern us or you?” Aware that he had raised his voice, Vincent took a deep breath before continuing, “We have chosen to marry each other and I would expect you to be happy for us and support us in this. I thought, as you have been pressing me to find someone to wed, you would be pleased.”
“When I said you should marry, I did not expect you to choose the first wretch that came your way,” his mother spat out.
Miriam realized that they had quite forgotten that she was still in the room, and although mortified by his mother’s outburst, she decided to take action.
“Vincent, would you be so good as to ring for my maid so that she can accompany me to another room?” Miriam asked, biting her lip in a determined attempt not to let them see how close to tears she was. “I do not wish to sit here any longer and hear this conversation.”
“Miriam, please accept my apologies,” Vincent said. “I am sure my mother does not mean to upset you, but she seems to have not yet come to terms with our marriage.” He turned to the countess. “Mother I must insist you apologize to Miriam immediately. She has done nothing to deserve your unkind comments and I will not stand by and see you treat her thus.”
The countess seemed to have a difficult time composing herself, but eventually her good manners shone through. Through tight lips she managed to say, “Miriam, please accept my apologies. I was upset and angry and should have kept my thoughts to myself. I will be the person to leave the room. You may stay here with Vincent.” With that, she swept out of the room, leaving Miriam and Vincent at a loss as to how to deal with this.
Miriam was the first to break the silence. “I am not surprised. We both knew that your mother would not be happy with the marriage. I am sure that she will think about what she said in her distress and will not be happy with her behaviour.”
“You are most understanding.” Vincent was ready to strangle his mother. “She just needs a little time to get used to the idea. I do not intend returning to London until next weekend, and by then I am sure that she will have come round. Meanwhile I will show you around the estate and introduce you to the estate manager. Do you feel sufficiently rested to take a tour of the house today?”
“Yes, I should love to do that,” responded Miriam, glad to have a diversion.
Miriam and Vincent spent the rest of the day exploring the castle, taking rests and drinks whenever Miriam felt tired. She thought the place was magnificent, and the pictures of Vincent’s ancestors showed that he came from generations of tall, good-looking aristocrats. She also realized that she would be unlikely to remember what the many rooms were used for, and so she focussed on remembering the rooms that she would need to use every day. Vincent led her back to her bedroom in time to change before dinner, which was to be served at seven o’clock.
Miriam dressed carefully. She wanted to look her best to give herself extra confidence when she had to face Vincent’s mother again. In the event, it was not too hard. Vincent’s mother showed her inherent good manners and, although not friendly, was polite throughout the meal and kept conversation at an inconsequential, impersonal level. Following the meal, Vincent excused himself and went to the library. His mother pleaded a headache and went to her room and so Miriam decided that she, too, would retire for the night.
Once in her bedroom Miriam realized that she was not really very tired and so she sat by the fire for a short while and read a book. She did not ask Susan to help her change into nightclothes straight away as she thought Vincent might come to the room to provide her with the key to the adjoining door. By ten o’clock she was yawning and rang for Susan. She did not think that Vincent would disturb her at such a late hour about the key.
Although she had felt tired, Miriam found that when she was actually in bed she could not sleep, because she was going over and over in her mind all that had transpired that day. She was particularly worried about Vincent’s mother’s disapproval of her and wondered how she would behave towards her when Vincent returned to London next week. The countess could make her life very uncomfortable.
Eventually she gave up trying to sleep, and lighting a candle next to her bed, she got up and resumed reading her book in the chair in front of the fire. It was an attempt to stop herself from dwelling on what may happen in the future. Miriam was well aware, from past experience, that any situation always seemed worse in the middle of the night.
Sometime later Miriam awoke with a jolt and realized that she must have drifted off to sleep curled up in the chair. Her book had fallen to the floor, the candle had burned out and the fire was so low that it was giving off very little heat. She surmised that she had awakened because she had become too cold, and so she stood up to make her way to her bed, where she could warm up under the thick blankets. As she stood her legs, which had been folded underneath her and unknown to her had gone numb as a consequence of this, gave way beneath her. She felt herself falling, but could do little to prevent this.
Chapter Fourteen
The Fall
After the meal, Vincent had retired to the library, and upon returning briefly to the dining room, he found that his wife and his mother had gone straight to their respective bedrooms. He therefore returned to the library to have a cigar and some brandy, which he felt was well deserved after having put up with his mother’s behaviour towards both himself and Miriam earlier in the day. Not to mention her frosty politeness at the dinner table.
He acknowledged that his marriage must have upset his mother greatly, but he had never known her to be as blunt and unpleasant as she had been that day towards Miriam. He would have to tackle the problem tomorrow and try to get her to accept Miriam before he left for London. Meanwhile he would read the paper and unwind from the day. He was most conscious of not disturbing or upsetting Miriam, particularly as he had not yet managed to locate a key to the bedroom door as he’d intended. He remained in the library until gone midnight by which time he had drunk an ample quantity of port and could barely keep his eyes from closing.
Vincent had let Mason retire earlier, as he was quite capable of getting himself ready for bed. He entered his room being very careful to make as little noise as possible so as not to disturb Miriam. He got into his nightshirt and put some extra coal on the fire before making his way into his bed. Not hearing any sound from the adjoining room, he presumed that Miriam was asleep. He was gradually drifting off into a sleep himself when a loud thud from her room brought him suddenly and fully awake.
He sat up in bed and listened carefully, but did not hear any further noise. Surely the noise must have awakened Miriam, too. What was it? Maybe it had frightened her. He was in a quandary about what to do. Eventually he decided that he would open the adjoining door slightly and take a look to make sure everything was all right. If it was, he could then go back to sleep without a worry and with Miriam not being any the wiser.
Whatever Vincent thought might have made the thud did not prepare him for the sight that confronted him as he peered round the door into Miriam’s bedroom.
“God in heaven!” he e
xclaimed at the sight of Miriam lying face-down on the floor motionless. With trembling hands he took his candle and lit the candles in her room from it. Feeling sick with fear at what he might find but trying to maintain his composure, he hunkered down next to Miriam to see if she was alive or dead. He touched her arm and found it icy cold, as was her hand. His heart was beating rapidly as he gently turned her onto her back, so he could see her face. Her body was limp and she appeared lifeless. Fearing the worst, Vincent placed his hand on her chest with trepidation. To his great relief he felt the gradual rise and fall as she breathed softly.
“Thank God!” he breathed. Looking at her face, he thought yet again how pretty she was. She looked so very young as she lay on the floor, unconscious. Vincent then noticed a red mark on her forehead and surmised that she must have fallen and bumped her head on the hearth, thus knocking herself unconscious. But she was so cold! Surely she couldn’t have got so cold in the short time between his hearing her fall and his coming into the room. Quickly he took a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her. He lifted her inert little body into his arms and carried her through to his own bedroom, where the fire still burned warmly. He considered putting her in his bed but worried about her reaction if she found herself there when she came round. Would she think he was going to take advantage of her?
“Come now, Miriam, all will be well,” he whispered to her, trying to convince himself of this. As he looked down at her she moved slightly, but still her eyes did not open. Knowing that he could not stand with her in his arms all night and concerned by how cold she felt, he sat down on the chair in front of the fire, keeping her in his arms. He hoped that she would benefit from his body heat and warm up quickly.
As he sat holding her, Vincent prayed that she would recover. He gently rubbed her arms and her face in an attempt to rouse her. He felt totally responsible for her—thank God he had not found the key for the door. If she had locked it, he wasn’t sure what would have happened. Would he have called her name, and getting no answer, have kicked open the door—not an easy thing to do. He decided that as soon as she warmed up a little, he would return her to her bedroom, call her maid and send for the doctor. Meanwhile, he sat holding her close to him watching for any sign of improvement.
In Pursuit of Miriam Page 11