A Continuing War_At Home and at Sea, 1803-1804

by John G. Cragg

  Her immediate need was to have somewhere to examine the accounts. She thought of what she knew of the rooms of Dipton Hall and realized that she was not familiar with them at all. That could be easily changed. She explored the myriad of rooms on the ground floor. She hadn’t realized how many there were, or how sparsely furnished they were. The rooms were, in fact, waiting for the mistress of the house to decide on how they were to be used or, more likely, to get the advice of some house-arranger who then would furnish the rooms with only minimal input from the owner. That was not Daphne’s way. She would take advice, but any decision would be hers! However, she would wait until her husband could be consulted before furnishing the rest of the house; she had to make sure that he thought of it as his, not as her house.

  For the time being she needed only a table and chair. However, she found on consulting Steves that even this minimal amount of furniture would be very difficult to obtain immediately. Apparently Mr. Edwards had arranged only for furniture that would be required when the hall was occupied by Lady Marianne with a minimal amount for Captain Giles so that his taste could determine more accurately the rest of the furnishings. Daphne could, of course, start completing the furnishings she herself needed, but right now she required a table and chair for what would be her work room. She decided that it would be best to forego the table that Steves offered from below stairs, largely because she suspected that it was Steves’ own table that would be brought upstairs for her use. Instead she dispatched two footmen and a horse-cart to Dipton Manor with a note for her father, knowing that he had several tables whose only function currently was to fill empty space.

  Daphne decided that, since she couldn’t yet examine the accounts, it would be a good idea to spend the time before luncheon at the piano. She needed to keep up her skills, indeed improve them, now that she played not only for her own enjoyment but, whenever possible, in duets with her husband. He kept assuring her that captains had nothing much to do on board ship and so he could play his instrument regularly.

  She had hardly started with some of the supremely boring exercises, which she was assured would improve the nimbleness and accuracy of her playing, when Steves announced that some more visitors had arrived. They turned out to be Lady Laura Dimster and her two daughters, Sophie and Deborah. Lady Dimster’s husband, Sir Thomas, was a baronret with an estate about eight miles from Dipton, but the roads were such that it required a considerably longer journey to travel between them by coach. Sir Thomas’s title went back to some service his Grandfather had provided to King George I. Exactly what that service was had been lost in time. Sir Thomas’s estate featured a rather pleasant house built at about the time the Dimster ancestor had been awarded the hereditary title, and it was said that its value, or maybe that of the incumbent, had been slipping in recent years. This latter information came from common gossip in the neighborhood: as far as Daphne could remember, she had never before met Sir Thomas and Lady Dimster. They had certainly never visited her own home of Dipton Manor.

  Daphne told Steves, when he announced that there were visitors at the door, to suggest to Lady Marianne and her daughters that they might like to join the visitors. They trooped in just after the initial greetings had been exchanged, neither side indicating that they had never been introduced to the other on previous occasions. Conversation was for a time distinctly sticky, there being only so much that one could find of pressing interest in the late autumn weather, but it picked up considerably when Lydia Crocker made reference to the ball that had been held at Dipton Hall. Somehow, the four young ladies gathered at the one end of the room while the older or married ladies continued to occupy the other one. Lady Dimster commented that they had not been fully aware of the ball at Dipton and so had not attended. Possibly the invitation had gone astray. Daphne, who was well aware that the invitation had not been received because it had not been sent, regretted that news that the ball had been open to all had not reached the Dimsters. Lady Dimster somehow indicated that she was particularly interested in the ball since she had heard that there had been a countess and a knight of the Order of the Bath in attendance. Lady Marianne was happy to inform her that the countess was her step-mother and so could be expected to grace Dipton Hall frequently in the future and that the knight was indeed her own brother.

  When Daphne inquired about Lady Dimster’s sons, the news was somewhat more interesting. Lady Dimster’s older son, Thomas, had just been sent down from Cambridge, for some offense that her ladyship most certainly had no intention of detailing. Sir Thomas was talking of buying him a captaincy in a fashionable regiment to keep him occupied until the time came for him to inherit the estate. Lady Dimster’s younger son, Robert, was in Lincoln’s Inn, articling to become a barrister. He would likely be home at Christmas time.

  Daphne had never met either of Lady Dimster’s sons and had asked only as a way to keep the conversation going. However, her ears picked up at the information about them. Here, indeed, were two very eligible young men who might be enticed by a suitable dowry to wed a granddaughter of an earl. She was starting to appreciate the dilemmas that faced the mothers of young ladies. They were typically domiciled in the country and few of them would go to London for the season, while the corresponding young men were away, and could only be caught at infrequent holidays or, possibly, very special occasions such as a ball that would induce them to return to their homes.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Lady Dimster’s preparing to leave and mentioning that she would be delighted to have Lady Giles dine with them, possibly accompanied, in the absence of her husband, by her brother-in-law, Lord David. Daphne, feeling like a complete fraud, graciously indicated that she would be pleased to accept such an invitation, on her part based solely on the consideration that she could have a reverse visit that should include at least one of Lady Dimster’s sons. She wished she knew more about the etiquette of inviting people to dine. Would she be expected to do so after she dined with them, and what interval should she allow to elapse before she could issue the invitation? She wished Captain Giles were here because he would know the answers, but she couldn’t put that sort of an enquiry into a letter. What was really the case was that she just wished that her husband were there; she was still not used to thinking of him as Richard, even though she missed him with every bone in her body.

  Daphne had only just sat down at the piano again when Steves announced the next callers. These were two gentlemen, whose names were familiar to her, though she thought that they had never been introduced to her. Their residences were on the other side of Ameschester, she knew. They must be prominent in society in the area for her to be aware of who they were. Why in the world could they be calling on her?

  Her visitors had come with a purpose. Mr. Edward Summers and Major Ralph Stoner started by offering their congratulations on Daphne’s wedding and to express their pleasure that Sir Richard and Lady Giles had settled in Dipton, their only regret being that it was not closer to their own estates. This was followed by comments on what a splendid house was Dipton Hall and, when that topic was exhausted, how the weather had been quite favorable for the time of year. The visitors then got down to the purpose of their visit.

  “We are here in connection with the Hunt, the Ameschester Hunt. I am sure that you have heard of it,” said Mr. Summers.

  Daphne acknowledged that she had.

  “It is one of the best hunts in the county,” Mr. Summers continued.

  “Very good sport! Very good sport, indeed!” added Major Stoner. “Very best people, too!”

  “We were hoping that you might host one of our meetings,” continued Mr. Summers.

  “Yes. Splendid country for a hunt around here. Absolutely splendid, I say!” declared Major Stoner.

  “You may know that old Gramley was not sympathetic to the hunt. Wouldn’t even let us ride over his land.”

  “Damn shame! Terrible! What was the matter with the man? I have even heard that he instructed his gamekeeper to kill foxes. Ca
n’t have a good hunt if the landowners do that,” pronounced the Major. He was single and often forgot to guard his tongue in the presence of ladies. His commission had been in one of the regiments in India, and it was said that he had returned to England very enriched. That sufficed to make him welcome where his manners might not.

  Daphne knew that her father had given the Ameschester Hunt permission to ride over his fields and woodlands, but she had never known him to participate himself. Apparently old Mr. Gramley had gone farther.

  “I am sure that Captain Giles would not object to the Hunt riding over our lands,” said Daphne.

  “We had more than that in mind, my lady,” said Mr. Summers.

  “You know, meeting point for the start of the hunt at a Great House, stirrup cups. All those things! Make for a great hunt!” elaborated Major Stoner.

  “We were also thinking that you might be able to host the Hunt Dinner. It is, of course, men only, but your brother-in-law might be able to play host if Captain Sir Richard has to be at sea. There are, of course, no women.”

  “Don’t women ride in the hunt?” Daphne asked.

  “A few do, but not many.”

  “Damned dangerous for a woman! Riding side-saddle! Can’t keep up! I wouldn’t try taking a jump riding side-saddle, myself. Damned dangerous! Women are better following some of the hunt in carriages if they want to participate in the hunt. Much more suitable!” sputtered the Major.

  “I see,” ruminated Daphne. “Women can ride if they want to, but cannot attend the dinner?”

  “Of course they cannot. It has always just been men.”

  “Quite right, too,” said the Major. “Not suitable for women! Not at all!”

  “I suppose not. But I am afraid that Lord David really cannot take Captain Giles place as head of the household for such an exclusive dinner. I will have to ask Captain Giles, of course, but I would not be surprised if he was reluctant to have the Hunt at all when he may not be able to be present. I know he doesn’t want to do things half-way. If it was a more normal dinner, I imagine that I could be the hostess, but without that, I very much doubt that Captain Giles would allow the Hunt here.”

  “I quite understand, Lady Giles,” said Mr. Summers, who most certainly did not. “Actually, the Hunt Dinner was only mentioned in passing. We sometimes hold the dinners in an inn if no suitable House is available. What I most wanted to inquire about is the Hunt Ball. Of course, women would not be excluded from that.”

  “I should think not! Can’t have a ball without woman! What a notion!” Major Stoner agreed.

  “Yes. We do very much hope that you can see your way clear to hosting the Ball. Actually, the Ameschester Hunt has never had a ball.”

  “Damn shame,” contributed the Major.

  “Quite. There is no Great House in the area that could hold one except, of course, Dipton Hall, and the ball would occur too early in the year to hold it outside, so we have had to do without a ball all these years. The assembly hall in Ameschester really isn’t suitable for a very special occasion. Having a hunt ball would certainly elevate the reputation of the Ameschester Hunt to what it should be. We have suffered in others’ eyes for never having held one. Of course, unlike the hunt, or the balls at the Assembly Halls, the ball is not for just anyone. By invitation only you know.”

  “Quite right!” commented the Major. “One would want only the right sort of person at our Hunt Ball. Not that you need a ball to be a first class hunt. It doesn’t require a ball to elevate a hunt. Good terrain, not stopped by difficult landowners, and well-kept woods so that a fox can be started and started early. Not having a fox is far more serious than not having a ball,” proclaimed Major Stoner.

  “The ball would be a splendid contribution to the neighborhood,” Mr. Summers added. “It would certainly establish Captain Giles as the leading figure.”

  Daphne had to hold back her immediate retort that Captain Giles was already the leading figure and he had no need to hold a ball to curry favor. In any case, she already had experience holding a ball and a hunt ball could not be much different. A hunt ball, with its special prestige, would draw many young and eligible young men back to the area. She was secretly astonished how much the need to find husbands had entered her thoughts when earlier it had been one of the last things she was concerned about, but, of course, she had not had earlier the problem of getting the Crocker sisters and their mother married off, and she had not been eager to marry herself.

  “Hosting the Hunt Ball might well be possible, Mr. Summers,” Daphne declared. “Of course, I shall have to ask Captain Giles and I don’t know how long it may take for my letter to reach him and his reply to arrive at Dipton. His frigate is, as I am sure you know, engaged in the war with France and neither his time nor his location is at his own choosing.”

  “Damn important service, ma’am, damn fine! Terribly important!” sputtered the Major.

  “I quite understand,” said Mr. Summers. “That is why we thought it wise to visit you so soon after your marriage, even though the Ball would not be held until late in March. Please do convey our respects to Captain Sir Richard when you write.” Daphne was amused that Mr. Summers had not picked up on her using the title her husband preferred. She suspected that Mr. Summers was too enamored of the aristocratic title to refer to Captain Giles simply by his family name.

  When her guests had departed, Steves told Daphne that her father had sent over a table and some chairs. She rushed into what would now be her own special room to find that her father had picked out the table she had used when studying the accounts for Dipton Manor, together with the chairs which had been in that room as well as some ornaments that she had had scattered around her former space. Her father had also sent a note in which he apologized for not having thought to send them earlier and asking her to dinner that evening. She would have to make sure that he realized that she had only expected a table that would be serviceable, not pieces of prized furniture from her father’s home. She would make that clear to him when she went to dinner.

  Luncheon with Lady Marianne and her daughters was a much more animated affair than usual. Everyone was excited about the news that they might host the hunt. The even more exciting news that they might have another ball at Dipton Hall was met with unalloyed enthusiasm. It was especially exciting that it might even be the Hunt Ball for that was certain to draw many more young gentlemen from elsewhere, especially London, than even a regular ball could. Everyone expressed, in none too subtle ways, the most intense desire that Daphne should persuade Captain Giles to hold it.

  Lady Marianne recalled happily the hunts that had met at Ashbury Abbey. She was, however, extremely vague about the details and revealed that the Earl Marquis had ceased to hold hunt balls before she came out. She had only attended a couple of them elsewhere before all her ties to Ashbury Abbey had been severed and with them invitations to hunt balls. While the conversation had not been as dull as usual when the four women ate luncheon together, Daphne had no better idea of what might be involved in practical terms in having the Ameschester Hunt assemble at Dipton Hall when luncheon finished than when it had started.

  Steves, when Daphne consulted him, also had only vague ideas of what would be needed. He had only been in service at town houses in London where, of course, no hunt met. He would inquire around and try to discover what might be involved in having the hunt start from Dipton Hall. Daphne wasn’t hopeful of Steves’ learning all the details. She suspected that he would be consulting other butlers in the immediate neighborhood, and none of their houses had hosted the Hunt to her knowledge. However, she could probably deduce the requirements from attending one of the hunts herself. Ladies were allowed to ride, and the hunts themselves required no special invitation.

  It was a crisp, sunny, autumn day and Daphne resolved to go for a long walk before returning to her accounts. Elsie had laid out her light blue walking dress which fell comfortably from the bosom in the French style. It had a white trim at the hem and puffy
sleeves. Over it she wore a short jacket in a rich brown color. For someone who claimed to have no interest in fashion, Daphne had always dressed very elegantly.

  The path that Daphne intended to take on her walk led first to the side of the well-kept gray stone Georgian house where a good view of the red-brick stables could be had. She noticed that one of the stable boys was exercising Dark Paul, the hunter which Mr. Edwards had bought for Captain Giles. He was a handsome black stallion, a little taller than Daphne’s own favorite mare, Moonbeam, and very much less placid. Daphne had ridden him a few times and had found him exhilarating, though a bit impractical for her usual trips on estate business because he was too high spirited.

  The Major’s dismissive words about women riders in the hunt still rankled Daphne. She would just try to see how difficult it might be to ride a hunter cross-country with a side-saddle. She had ridden in that way for as long as she could remember. Only when she added the management of the estate of Dipton Hall to that of Dipton Manor had she adopted her present practice of riding astride. She ordered the stable-boy, whose name was Timothy, to saddle Dark Paul with a side-saddle. He looked very doubtful about the order.

  “Don’t worry, Timothy. I can handle him. It is, after all, not the first time I have ridden Dark Paul.”

  “Yes, m’lady.” Timothy had no choice but to obey. In moments the side-saddle was in place and Timothy helped his mistress to mount.