Miriam instantly decided that she liked this man, with his open manner and friendly expression. She judged he was probably about thirty, although his weather-beaten face made it difficult for her to be certain; maybe he was even younger. “I look forward to learning about the estate and I would very much like to meet your father, although as you can see I have had a slight accident and would prefer to wait until the bruising has gone and my face is restored to normal.”
“Vincent told me that you had fallen. He also stressed that I was to make sure you came to no further harm.” Jeremy smiled, despite Vincent’s scowl.
Miriam thought that they must know each other well. Maybe she could find out more about the man she had married at the same time she learned about the estate.
Vincent got back to business. “I am leaving for London after lunch today, so I have suggested to Jeremy that he meet with you tomorrow morning. You can then decide how often you want to meet. When I’m at home, we generally meet up two or three times a week, but I will leave you to do as you think best.”
“That is a good suggestion,” agreed Miriam, hoping her distress upon hearing how soon Vincent was to leave did not show in her voice or expression. “Mr. Stiles, shall we meet in this office at ten in the morning?”
“That will suit me fine, my lady, and please call me Jeremy or I will think that you are referring to my father.”
Jeremy stood and bowed before striding out of the room, leaving Miriam and Vincent alone.
“I hope you have a safe journey to London,” Miriam offered, suddenly feeling a little awkward with him.
“Thank you.” Vincent suddenly wanted to spend a little more time in her company before he left. He’d noticed that the smile had gone from her face. “Will you take lunch with me before I leave? My mother is out visiting so she will not be there to question you about your injury.” He paused, then asked, “Are you sure that you are feeling quite well?”
“I am feeling my usual self as long as I do not touch the bruise on my head,” Miriam assured him. “I would be very happy to have lunch with you and to see you off on your journey.” Then, worried that she may have sounded too forward, she added, “The staff will expect that, I think.”
Miriam dressed carefully for lunch. She wanted Vincent to see her at her best before he left. The meal was quite relaxed and Vincent regaled Miriam with tales of the Christmas Balls of past years, then added sadly that this year’s might be hard for him as it would be the first since his father died. Miriam could easily sympathize.
When it came time for Vincent to leave, she pulled on her warmest cloak and went outside to wave him off. Vincent formally came over to her and said his farewells. Miriam, realizing this was not how a newly married pair would act, took his hand and walked with him up to the waiting carriage; when they arrived at the carriage, she put her hands on his shoulders and offered her cheek for him to kiss.
Vincent played his part to the full. Aware that he might not get another opportunity, he ignored her proffered cheek and, tilting her chin, kissed her full on the mouth.
The kiss was firm yet gentle and unlike anything Miriam had ever experienced before. Her mouth opened willingly beneath his, and her whole body trembled so much that she had to cling more tightly to him for fear of fainting.
Shaken and aroused by Miriam’s response, Vincent was the one who eventually broke away. Miriam could not have done so if her life had depended on it. She had to take deep gulps of the cold air to settle her breathing. She found herself speechless and unable to move from where she was standing as she watched him climb into the carriage and depart.
His lips still burning from the kiss, Vincent had to take a few deep breaths of his own to recover himself before he felt able to turn and wave. He was now even more convinced that he needed to put some distance between himself and Miriam in order to regain control of his feelings.
Miriam stood in the same place for many minutes after the carriage had disappeared from view, until at last Susan came up and assisted her back into the house.
Miriam knew that she would savour that kiss for the rest of her life.
Chapter Fifteen
Life Goes On
Over the next few weeks Miriam’s life fell into an easy rhythm. She met with Jeremy Stiles three mornings a week. He took her around the estate in the carriage if the weather was fine, and if not, they discussed estate matters in Vincent’s office. Her favourite mornings were those when Jeremy was busy and he took her to his house to talk with his father.
Miriam took an immediate liking to Jeremy Stiles Senior, and he treated her like the daughter he never had. They drank tea and she told him all about her old life at Charlwood Hall. In turn, he told her tales about his family and Vincent’s, as well as the estate. She learned that Vincent and his younger brother, Charles, had been frequent visitors to the Stileses’ house when they were children and often played with Jeremy and his brothers. After Vincent’s father passed away and Jeremy Senior reached his sixtieth year, he decided that he would stand back and let his son Jeremy take over as the estate manager. He was still able to help out when needed and remained very aware of what was happening on the estate.
Afternoons were quiet times for Miriam when she would read or sew. Miriam wrote to Vincent once or twice each week to keep him informed on estate matters. The countess, although at first not overly friendly, did meet with her several times a week to discuss household matters and to make the arrangements for the Christmas Ball that was to be held a few days before Christmas. The countess was quite happy to delegate the task of writing invitations to Miriam while she dictated names and addresses.
Miriam had taken the countess’s advice on a suitable dressmaker and listened to her suggestions regarding an appropriate ball gown for the occasion. This at least gave them a topic for conversation, and they were both cordial to each other when they met at mealtimes.
The countess offered to move to the dower house in the new year, but Miriam, remembering how she had felt when she was asked to move out of Charlwood House, assured her that she would be welcome to continue living in Maudley Castle.
Miriam’s quiet routine changed at the beginning of December. First, Lucy arrived and, although Miriam kept up her regular morning meetings with Jeremy Stiles, the rest of the day was now spent in the drawing room gossiping with Lucy, or if the weather was fine, they would have a ride in the carriage.
They were seated in the drawing room one afternoon when, much to Lucy’s delight, Mr. Robert Bright was announced. They were both pleased to have him call on them, Lucy because she was halfway to being in love with him and Miriam because his easy charm made him delightful company. He soon became a frequent visitor to Maudley Castle, and now that Miriam was a married woman, she could act as chaperone to Lucy on the occasions when they visited Robert’s home, Fairleigh Manor.
The second arrival that afternoon was Charles Mount-Parker, Vincent’s younger brother. He was back from Oxford University for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. At nineteen, he was not much younger than Miriam and Lucy. He had the noble Mount-Parker nose, his hair was slightly darker than Vincent’s, and he was not quite as tall, but there could be no mistaking they were brothers. Charles had known Robert Bright from childhood and the four of them became fast friends, meeting up most afternoons. Miriam found Charles quite wild, compared to Vincent. Vincent always appeared calm and seemed to think about everything carefully before he spoke or acted, whereas Charles would dash headlong into different activities, often taking Lucy, Robert and herself along with him.
One fine afternoon Charles suggested that they all go horseback riding. Miriam explained to him that she was unable to ride.
“Did you never learn?” he asked. “I would have thought that you of all people would benefit from this greatly, since you cannot walk for any distance.”
“I did ride when I was a young girl,” explained Miriam, “but with the weakness in my legs I could not manage side-saddle.” The sadness this cau
sed Miriam was reflected in her eyes.
“Then you should ride astride,” Charles declared. “I am sure that within the grounds of our estate it would be quite acceptable. I shall ask Mother’s opinion on this.”
“Please do not,” implored Miriam. “I am sure that your mother would be shocked if you even suggested such a thing. Her opinion of me is not high and I do not wish to lower it further.”
“I will not ask her on the one condition that you give it a try. We can take a mount to the big barn and you could ride without fear of being observed,” Charles dared her.
“I’m not sure,” replied Miriam, feeling sorely tempted.
“We can go first thing in the morning when it is quiet,” Charles said as he left the room, giving Miriam no opportunity to respond.
The following morning Charles appeared with some riding breeches. “Come, put them on and cover up with this long cloak. I will meet you back here in five minutes. We will go to the stables.” He gave her no chance to back out.
The thought of riding a horse again was so appealing that, after having further assurances from Charles that she would not be seen, Miriam gave in to temptation and agreed. She could not in her whole life remember ever having done anything so daring. She felt both excited and nervous at the same time, and her heart drummed.
Miriam could not believe her bad luck when, arriving at the stables, the first person she saw was Jeremy Stiles. She made to turn back, but Charles, confident as usual, went up to him and asked his opinion on which horse would best suit Miriam, who had not ridden for many years. Jeremy gave this some thought and suggested they try Princess, an older horse who was very calm.
When Jeremy went to fetch a saddle, Miriam knew that the scheme was doomed to fail and secretly felt that it would be for the best. Charles went with Jeremy into the tack room, and Miriam could see they were in earnest discussion. Then Jeremy came out carrying a regular saddle.
“Charles tells me that you used to ride when you were younger?” Jeremy questioned her. He felt the need to check this for himself before letting them continue with this caper.
“Yes, I had my own pony that I rode until it was deemed that I had to change to a side saddle, but however hard I tried, my legs were not strong enough to support me,” explained Miriam with a smile. She did not want to be pitied.
“I am not completely in favour of Charles’s suggestion but would not stop you trying out a ride on Princess as long as it’s in private in the barn.” Jeremy smiled. “I cannot imagine how I would feel if I was no longer able to ride my horse and so…I do not want to stop you having a bit of enjoyment.” He hesitated, then added, “I am not sure what your husband would think of this, but I cannot suppose much harm can come to you.”
That first morning as she was helped onto the horse, Miriam was very nervous and allowed Charles to take a leading rein and slowly walk the horse with her on it. After a few turns around the barn she felt confident enough to take the reins herself and was surprised at how quickly everything she knew about guiding a horse came back to her. Princess was a beautiful animal, and Miriam knew that she would want to ride her again and again, even if it was out of sight in the confined space of the barn.
Charles was delighted at her enjoyment, but after an hour had passed, he suggested that she had perhaps been riding long enough. It turned out he was right, for the following morning Miriam’s legs ached badly from using muscles that had not been used since she was a child. This, however, did not deter her from wanting to ride again, and Charles was easily persuaded to accompany her.
During the next two weeks Charles took Miriam to ride in the barn on those mornings when she did not meet with Jeremy. She became more confident on each occasion and was trotting Princess around the barn one morning when Jeremy came to check on her.
“You are an accomplished rider,” he praised her. “I had my misgivings about being involved in Charles’s scheme for you to ride, but I can see how much pleasure riding gives you.” Jeremy remained unsure of what Vincent’s reaction would be, but it was not his place to question and it was good to see the young mistress enjoying herself.
Miriam glowed under his praise and was relieved that he had not come to put a stop to the activity.
Chapter Sixteen
The Master Returns
Most afternoons found Miriam, Lucy, Charles and Robert together in some activity. On wet days they played chess, read, talked or listened to Lucy play the piano. It was one such wet December afternoon when Vincent returned home.
That afternoon Charles had persuaded the others that it would be good fun to read out loud a Shakespeare play and each take on a different character. They had agreed on Julius Caesar and had assigned the roles following much debate and discussion. Then Charles had suggested that to make it even more fun, the ladies should play the male parts and the men the female. And so Charles and Robert spoke their parts in high falsetto voices and the ladies made their voices low and gruff.
“‘How hard is it for women to keep counsel! Art thou here yet?’” squeaked Robert, playing Portia.
“‘Madam, what should I do?’” growled Miriam in the role of Lucius.
All four of them were howling with laughter when Robert suddenly noticed Vincent standing in the doorway and pointed him out to the others. They all immediately went quiet.
Vincent’s face looked like thunder.
“Please, do not let me stop your enjoyment,” he said curtly, then turned and stalked off.
Miriam laughed, but her laugh now was due to nerves. She could not decide whether to go after Vincent or leave him be.
Vincent went straight into the library. He was not at all happy with what he had just seen. He had been looking forward to returning to Maudley Castle for Christmas and, although he had enjoyed his time in London, he had found himself thinking of the estate more frequently than he ever had in the past. This may have been because Miriam had written dutifully at least once a week to keep him informed about her meetings with Jeremy.
He had kept busy while in London. He reopened his house and had, for the first time, taken up his seat in the House of Lords. He had spent time at his club and had been a regular visitor to the boxing gym and to his fencing school. Although he was less sought after for social occasions since word of his marriage had reached the society mamas, this did not bother him.
When he had informed Robert of Lucy’s arrival at Maudley Castle, Robert had immediately made preparations to return home to Fairleigh Manor. Although Vincent was tempted to return with him, he knew he still needed to keep some distance from Miriam. This had not stopped him wondering if she was homesick for Derbyshire and worrying about how his mother was treating her.
When he had thought about how he would be greeted on his return, he had imagined Miriam coming into his arms and them kissing as they had when he had departed. He did not expect to find Miriam, Lucy, Robert and his brother acting in such an unseemly manner. He had stood watching their antics and laughter for a good two minutes before he had been noticed. Knowing his brother, Charles, he was in little doubt that he was the instigator of whatever nonsense was going on.
Vincent had hoped that Miriam would be pleased to see him, that perhaps she would have missed him. Instead, it was quite clear that while he had been in London worrying about her, she had been enjoying herself enormously and had not given him a second thought. He felt hurt.
He heard a small knock and Miriam put her head around the door. She was not smiling and looked nervous. Good. So she should be.
“Did you have a pleasant journey? Why didn’t you send a message ahead so we would know to expect you?” Miriam asked nervously while taking a seat across the room from him.
“Thank you. The journey was uneventful. I did not, however, realize I was expected to inform anyone ahead of my intended arrival at my own home.” He put emphasis on the last three words.
“I did not think. No, of course you shouldn’t have to. I’m sorry.” Miriam’s face redden
ed.
“Of course, if I had done so, you could have made sure that you and your friends were behaving properly and not in the undignified manner in which I found you. You Miriam, as the lady of the house, must take responsibility for this. My brother is young and often wayward.” Vincent knew that he was being harsh but could not help himself. “And Robert should know better.”
Miriam was close to tears. “I am very sorry. We were only having a bit of fun and then we got the giggles. There was no harm done.” She saw his expression darken further. “But now that you mention it, I can see that we went a bit far.”
Vincent got to his feet. “I will see you at dinner,” he said curtly as he walked out of the library without giving her a backward glance.
Miriam was too shocked to move. She had been looking forward to Vincent’s return. Now it was ruined and it was her fault, because of her behaviour. He had not accepted or even acknowledged her apology.
Later that afternoon Vincent met with Jeremy, but as Miriam had kept him abreast of all that had been happening on the estate, this did not take up much time. He thanked Jeremy for showing Miriam around in his absence and discussing estate matters with her.
“It was my pleasure. I find her very intelligent and quick to learn. She has also become a favourite with my father and often visits him,” Jeremy told him.
For some reason this made Vincent even more displeased. It had not taken Miriam long to worm her way into people’s affections. Jeremy was obviously quite taken with her, and from what he had told him, so was Jeremy Senior. He wondered if she was playing on her lameness to get sympathy. Well, she certainly could not have met with as much success with his mother.
He was, however, surprised to find that he was wrong. He joined his mother in the drawing room, where she was passing the time until going through for dinner.
“Are plans for the Christmas Ball all in place?” enquired Vincent.
In Pursuit of Miriam Page 13