Drawn to Lord Ravenscar

by Anne Herries

  Perhaps she had imagined the whole, which was humiliating.

  Lucy felt hot all over. How could she make the first move to heal the breach between them when she did not even know if he particularly liked her? If he thought she was throwing herself at his head, she would die of embarrassment. She must give no hint of her feelings. If he cared for her, he must speak first.

  Dismounting and giving her horse into the care of a stable hand, she hurried up to the house. She must change into a pretty afternoon gown to be ready for the arrival of her cousin, Judith.

  * * *

  ‘How pretty you are,’ Judith said and kissed Lucy’s cheek. ‘It is such an age since I saw you, Cousin. When we last met you were in the schoolroom.’

  ‘And you were about to be married,’ Lucy said, and then, as she saw a flash of grief in the other’s eyes. ‘Forgive me, that was clumsy.’

  ‘No, it was truthful. I was married and then I was widowed and now I have put off my mourning. Sir Michael was very good to me and I was happy as his wife, but he would not wish me to grieve for ever. I can speak of him now without hurting, Lucy.’

  ‘I am glad. You...you look beautiful, Judith.’

  Her cousin had dark hair, which was swept into a sophisticated chignon at the back of her head, a few tendrils curling about her face. Her complexion was pale, her eyes so dark that in a certain light they looked black. Her gown was crimson silk with a buttoned bodice and a deep lace collar and cuffs; rubies sparkled in her ears and in the gold brooch she wore at her throat. Anyone looking at the two girls might think them a perfect foil, the one so dark, the other so fair. Lucy had a delicate colour in her cheeks, but her lips were not as red as her cousin’s and there was a sparkle in Judith’s eyes—a sparkle that spoke of laughter and a joy of life.

  ‘Thank you, Lucy,’ Judith said and laughed softly. ‘I would say I have more style than beauty, but I do not turn up my nose at compliments, I assure you.’

  ‘You do have a style of your own,’ Lucy said thoughtfully. ‘I do not know quite what it is—but you are not like most ladies I know.’

  ‘I am told I resemble a Greek goddess,’ her cousin said, laughing. ‘I think they mean statuesque... I am certainly not a wraith like you and I mean that as a compliment.’

  ‘You mean I am thin,’ Lucy said. ‘Papa says I am too thin, but I cannot help it.’

  ‘And I am nicely rounded...’ her cousin twinkled ‘...but because I am tall I can get away with it, you see. If I were diminutive, I should be fat, but the Greeks liked their goddesses well rounded, it seems.’

  ‘You are not in the least fat,’ Lucy said and shook her head. ‘You are—yes, you are statuesque, but I find that magnificent.’

  ‘I should have visited you long ago, for you are good for my morale,’ her cousin teased. ‘We shall certainly be friends, Lucy dearest. I am told you have travelled to Italy and France. I should like to travel more. I was taken to Paris for a wedding trip, but unfortunately my husband became ill of a fever when we returned and was never quite well again. Our plans to visit Greece and Spain never came to anything.’

  ‘I enjoyed my time in Italy but...’ Lucy sighed. ‘I was grieving and I did not wish to come home for a long time, but now I do not think I wish to travel for a while.’

  ‘You disappoint me,’ Judith said. ‘Had you been eager for it we might have travelled together...but never mind, I shall not tease you. Papa says I should find myself an obliging husband, who will take me to the places I want to see, and perhaps I shall.’

  ‘Are you looking for a husband?’

  Judith seemed thoughtful, then gave an expressive shrug. ‘I am not certain. He would have to be someone I could respect... A man who would be willing to indulge me and not dominate me. You see, I am quite wealthy and can afford to indulge myself. I would not risk that freedom unless...’ Again she shrugged. ‘The future will take care of itself. Tell me, are you thinking of marriage in the near future?’

  ‘My parents think of it for me,’ Lucy said. ‘I was to have married, as you know. Since then I have not met anyone new that I liked enough. I was asked in Italy more than once, but I could not consider any of the gentlemen who were so obliging as to offer for me.’

  ‘Well, perhaps we shall help each other to find husbands,’ Judith said and her soft laughter made Lucy want to giggle. ‘After Papa leaves, perhaps my aunt would take us both to Bath, if we asked her nicely.’

  ‘I am sure she would, for she has spoken of it,’ Lucy agreed and tucked her arm into Judith’s. ‘Tell me, Cos, do you ride or do you drive yourself?’

  ‘I enjoy both,’ Judith said. ‘I have arranged for my horses to be brought down, Lucy. Do you think your father will stable them for me—or should I ask his advice as to where adequate stabling may be had?’

  ‘How many horses do you have?’

  ‘Three that I wish to bring with me,’ Judith replied. ‘Queen Mab is my mare and an excellent riding horse—but Thunder and Lightning are two of my favourites. I drive them when I go out in my phaeton—but I have others at my home. Sir Michael kept an extensive stable and I have not wanted to sell his horses, though most serve no practical purpose, other than to draw my travelling coach, because I could not handle them.’

  ‘You should offer them to Adam Miller should you wish to sell any of them,’ Lucy said. ‘I think he would offer a fair price for good horses.’

  ‘I do not know the gentleman,’ Judith said. ‘I would only sell to a man I could be certain would treat them well.’

  ‘Captain Miller is a cousin of both Paul and Mark Ravenscar...Hallam, too.’

  ‘I believe I once met Major Ravenscar,’ Judith said. ‘He married a lady I knew well at one time.’

  ‘Madeline?’ Lucy smiled. ‘Theirs was a very romantic story, do you not think so?’

  ‘Yes, perhaps,’ Judith agreed. ‘Do you drive yourself?’

  ‘No, I have not been taught, though I once hoped to learn.’

  ‘Then you must allow me to take you out in my phaeton. If you have an aptitude for it, I could teach you myself. I was taught a long time ago...when I was but seventeen.’

  A look of such sadness passed across Judith’s face that Lucy was struck by it, but in a matter of seconds it had gone. They had by this time reached the rooms Judith was to occupy and in showing her cousin into the pretty apartment, Lucy forgot that moment.

  ‘This is quite lovely,’ Judith said. She looked about her at the pretty satinwood furniture and a cabinet filled with objets d’art, then bent to sniff the perfume of a vase of damask roses placed on a green-leather desk top. ‘What a gorgeous scent. Roses are my favourite—and green is my colour. This room might have been made for me. Thank you, Lucy, I shall be very happy here.’

  ‘I am glad,’ Lucy replied, a little shyly. ‘I hope you will stay with us for some time, Judith. I never had a sister and often wished for one—now I have a cousin I like very well, which is just as good.’

  ‘That is a pretty compliment and I believe you mean it,’ Judith replied and kissed her cheek. ‘I shall enjoy learning to know you, Lucy—and I meant what I said, we must contrive to find us both a handsome husband. We shall discuss all the gentlemen’s faults and make all the attractive ones fall in love with us.’

  ‘Oh, I am not sure that I know how,’ Lucy said, but the comic face her cousin made at her brought laughter to her eyes. ‘Well, I dare say it will be fun trying.’

  ‘Oh, yes, that is the idea of it,’ Judith teased. ‘It is a lady’s duty to be proposed to at least once a day—and a gentleman’s duty to keep trying until she makes up her mind.’

  Lucy giggled. She was a little shocked by her cousin’s assertions, for Judith was certainly not the sad little widow she had imagined.

  ‘You must show me how it is done,’ she said. ‘For I am sure I do not k
now how.’

  ‘Do not know how to flirt?’ Judith mocked her. ‘My dearest Lucy, you have only to smile and crook your little finger to have them all running to do your bidding.’

  Lucy shook her head and went away, leaving her cousin to tidy her gown and make herself comfortable. She had seen herself as being a comfort to her cousin, but now she saw that Judith was more likely to turn the household upside down.

  As she went downstairs to the parlour, she discovered that she was humming a little tune. If only Judith was right...if only she could lift her finger and one particular gentleman would come running...

  Chapter Five

  Lucy could hardly remember when she had enjoyed herself more. Certainly she had not laughed as much since before Mark’s unfortunate death. Judith had brought some gifts with her, including a pretty fan and some beautiful old lace for Lucy, also a pile of fashion magazines. After dinner that evening, the cousins put their heads together on the sofa and pored over the latest fashion plates; they were in colour and beautifully drawn and the two girls enjoyed themselves, discussing the various styles.

  ‘I love that sprigged muslin,’ Lucy said, pointing out a simple but elegant gown for afternoons. ‘It would look charming with a sash of yellow.’

  ‘It looks charming with a sash of blue,’ Judith said and smiled, ‘for I have just such a dress in my trunk, Lucy. You must try it on and if you like it you may have it—though it would need a deal of alteration, I fear.’

  ‘Oh, no.’ Lucy shook her head. ‘I would not dream of depriving you of a gown I am sure you like—but if you do not object, I should like to have one made in a similar material and style.’

  ‘Oh, if you will not take it, you must have one made the same, but with a yellow sash, and then we shall both wear our gowns when we go out together. We shall cause a sensation.’

  ‘Yes, that would be amusing,’ Lucy agreed and her eyes lit at the idea. ‘If we go to Bath, I shall have just such a gown made.’

  ‘The seamstresses in Bath are very good,’ Judith said. ‘There is a Frenchwoman I have used before. She fled from the Terror in her youth and settled in England. Her sense of style is not to be beaten, I think.’

  Lucy hung on her cousin’s every word, for she had much to say and was more worldly than she. Because of her cousin’s lively conversation, Lucy scarcely thought of Paul until just before she was falling asleep that night.

  He had definitely been friendlier when she’d seen him that morning. Perhaps it was just a case of getting to know one another again. Lucy smiled just before she drifted into sleep. She thought that at last she could truly put the past behind her and begin to think of the future. Judith’s teasing had made her think carefully of marriage and she realised that there would be many advantages to being the wife of a gentleman. Wealth was always welcome, for it made life more comfortable, and though Lucy did not crave a fabulous wardrobe and splendid jewels, there were things she would like to have—and one of them was a magnificent high-perch phaeton similar to the vehicle her cousin drove.

  Judith had shown her the designs she’d had drawn up before commissioning her phaeton and Lucy could not wait to ride in it—and perhaps to drive it about the estate.

  * * *

  Before they’d parted for the evening, her cousin had suggested a drive after breakfast so that Lucy could show her the estate. They’d agreed to meet in the hall at nine the next morning and Lucy was dressed in a becoming habit of dark green when she went down to meet her cousin. However, when she saw Judith she gasped in awe and admiration.

  Judith was wearing a habit of dark-crimson velvet with gold frogging on the tailored jacket, which fitted into her waist. A froth of white lace at her throat was fixed with a large ruby-and-diamond pin and the elegant shako on her head had a magnificent and very large diamond-and-ruby brooch pinned to it with a plain band of gold ribbon round the base. Her gloves were of fine leather and black to match her gleaming riding boots.

  ‘You look wonderful,’ Lucy cried. ‘I have never seen such a habit; it looks like a military coat. I think you should be a Hussar.’

  Judith laughed, well pleased with the compliment. ‘Thank you, Cousin. My husband had it made for me...It was one of his last gifts to me, for you must know I was thoroughly spoiled. This is but the second time I have worn it, because I wore nothing but black until last month when I decided that Sir Michael would very much dislike my mourning.’

  ‘If he liked to see you in bold colours, he could not have wanted you to wear black for ever.’

  ‘No, he forbade me before he died, but I felt it right to mourn him, Lucy. He was a good man...and very kind to me.’

  ‘I am sure he loved you very much.’

  ‘Yes...’ A thoughtful expression came to Judith’s face. ‘Perhaps one day I shall tell you the whole and then you will understand what an exceptional man my husband was...and why I felt it right to show respect for his passing.’ She sighed deeply, then shook her head. ‘I refuse to dwell on things that make me unhappy. Come, I want to show you my phaeton and horses.’

  They walked to the stable together. When Lucy saw the matched pair of black horses and the dashing rig her cousin intended to drive, she was speechless. She eyed the horses doubtfully as they pawed the ground with their front hooves, for she knew enough to realise that these were mettlesome creatures and would take some handling. Judith must be a noted whip to be able to drive such prime cattle.

  Realising that her cousin was waiting, Lucy said, ‘I am in awe of you, Judith. I love your phaeton and your wonderful horses—are you not at all afraid that they might get away from you?’

  ‘No, indeed, I was always good with horses—watch...’ She went up to them and began to talk softly to the horses, stroking each in turn and showing her affection for the handsome creatures. They responded by tossing their heads a little and snorting, but the impatient pawing at the ground ceased.

  ‘Shall we go, Lucy?’ Judith asked, turning to her. ‘Come and say hello to my beauties. You must get to know them and then they will be happy to let you drive them for a while.’

  Lucy went to the horses and stroked their heads. ‘You are magnificent,’ she said and laughed, for like Judith she had no fear of them and laughed as they tossed their heads in agreement. ‘Thunder and Lightning, I think I can see who is who.’ A giggle escaped her as the horse with a jagged white mark on his forehead snorted at the mention of his name.

  Grooms came to help the two young ladies up to the driving box of the high-perch phaeton. It was a long way from the ground and Lucy felt a thrill of nerves as she realised how precarious her seat was, for the rig had very large wheels with red trims and such vehicles might be easily overturned by reckless driving.

  However, when Judith’s groom stood up behind and she gave her horses the command to move off, Lucy’s slight apprehension disappeared for she could see that her cousin was in complete control. Her horses were fine beasts and mettlesome, but well trained; they responded to the lightest touch of her hand and her whip merely cracked over their heads, never once needing to touch their shining coats. She had a knack of catching her whip with the same hand, something that Lucy had seen Adam and Mark do occasionally and knew was very skilled. Any fears she might have entertained vanished like summer mist as they bowled along the country roads.

  Lucy’s father’s estate was well tended and prosperous, but not large, so when Judith decided at the end of the tour to leave the private land and set off down the highway, Lucy did not object. She was aware that one or two gentlemen driving their vehicles towards them turned their heads to watch as Judith drove past them. Some saluted them, others, if Lucy was well known to them, waved their hand.

  * * *

  They had been driving for some twenty minutes or so on the road when a vehicle approached from the opposite direction. The gentleman was driving at a g
ood pace and it was not until it drew closer that Lucy realised it was Paul in control of the horses. He seemed unaware of them until he passed them and then a startled look came to his eyes and he frowned. For a moment she thought he would halt his horses, but although he slowed his pace he did not stop, merely giving Lucy an odd stare as he drove on by.

  He looked very much as if he disapproved of them, but whether it was the rig or the fact that they were driving on the highway she could not know.

  Lucy’s heart caught, for he had looked angry, but she dismissed the idea as her imagination. What possible reason could Paul Ravenscar have for disapproving of her driving out with her cousin?

  They had reached a crossroads. Judith turned her horses neatly and drove back to the Dawlish estate. She did not offer the reins to Lucy, but after they had been helped down, she turned to her with a smile.

  ‘My darlings were fresh today, for they had not been in harness for a while. They were driven down in short stages and have to accustom themselves to new stabling. I felt them pulling a little. Tomorrow they will be easier with their new surroundings and then I shall begin your lessons—if you still wish for them?’

  ‘Yes, please,’ Lucy said instantly. She had seen the way the gentlemen they met on the road looked at Judith. Most had had nothing but admiration in their eyes for her—and Lucy would very much like to be as skilled as her cousin. ‘I enjoyed our drive, Judith. It was exhilarating and I should like to be able to drive as well as you, though I am not certain I ever could.’

  ‘Well, we shall see,’ Judith said. ‘You were not in the least nervous when I let them have their heads for a little while, so I think they will tolerate your hand on the reins.’ She laughed and removed her hat as they went into the hall, placing it with her gloves on a mahogany pier table. ‘The fresh air has made me hungry. Do you think your cook has more of the delicious macaroons we had for tea yesterday?’