An Earl To Remember_The Yorkshire Downs Series_Love, Hearts and Challenges_A Regency Romance Story

by Jasmine Ashford

  When she had finished breakfast, she set the tray aside and donned her silk robe, sitting at the dressing-table to brush her hair.

  Priscilla bustled in soon enough, and they began the comfortable morning ritual of dressing. First the undergarments, then the petticoats, then a corset, and then, finally, the light airy muslin dress, floating down like a whisper over her head.

  “There you go, milady,” Priscilla said, standing back to admire her handiwork. She chatted as she arranged Ada's hair, filling her in on household news and gossip. Ada mostly turned a deaf ear to the talk, and looked out across the fields to where she hoped to walk soon.

  Her hair styled and bonnet donned, Ada left Priscilla to clear the things away, smiling genially and waving as Priscilla bent down to clean the fireplace.

  “Good morning,” she called out to Henriette, who was passing on the stairs. The Frenchwoman looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes.

  “Oh, Ada! How can you look so cheerful?” she remonstrated playfully. “It is too early.”

  Ada giggled. “It is a lovely morning,” she said, indicating the sunshine. Henriette rolled her eyes and continued slowly downstairs to the parlor.

  “If you say so,” she said dubiously.

  “I do,” Ada said, and walked lightly through the front door. It was not so much that her confusion had abated, but rather that the lifting weather and her plans for exploring had lifted her mood.

  Outside, the grass smelled of dew. Ada walked along the stone pathway to the woods' edge, a walk of a good fifteen minutes. When she reached the woodland, she paused for breath.

  The estate of Newgate was vast, with only the half acre around the house given over to any form of cultivation. There was a coppice, a knot-garden and a vast bank of roses, a fountain a pond and a lake. Up here on the hill was the best place from which to view it.

  As she stood there, Ada heard the sound of someone walking in among the trees. She listened, but could discern only a single set of footsteps, and a lighter, rustling noise, as if the walker were accompanied by a hound.

  Her supposition was proved correct when a large terrier burst forth from the bushes, yapping playfully and throwing itself at her, tail wagging.

  “Hello you!” Ada exclaimed, ruffling the dog's furry ears. “Are you out hunting, eh? What can you smell?” she ran her hand down the wiry fur of the animal's back, and it yapped playfully, running about her in a circle and then running back.

  “You seem to be a friend of nature,” a voice observed behind her. Ada jumped. She spun round, to see the earl of Westmeath, leaning on a tree trunk. He looked relaxed and he was smiling at her.

  “Good morning, my lord,” Ada said, running a hand down her skirts to smooth them. His sudden presence had unnerved her, and she hoped she did not look too disheveled. She looked away shyly.

  “I did not mean to startle you,” Liam said pleasantly. “I was merely walking Rufus here, and he seems to have a better instinct for good company than I,” he smiled.

  “He is adorable,” Ada commented. “How long has he been with you?”

  “He's Toby's,” Liam said promptly, and, when she frowned, explained. “Tobias, Lord Moore, is my guest here. He brought Rufus down here with him, and the little fellow is too rambunctious by half to be kept all day inside.”

  Ada grinned. “I sympathise with the hound,” she said playfully. “This morning is too pleasant to be indoors.”

  Liam chuckled. “Will you walk with me, my lady? Rufus seeks company, and I find I am of like mind with him today. Unusual though that is.”

  “You do not seek company often, my lord?”

  “No,” Liam said distantly. Ada sensed a rawness in him and chose not to press him any more on the subject.

  “Nor do I,” she said instead. “I love to be out in nature, as you observed earlier. Northfell has a good trout lake, I recall?”

  “It does,” Liam agreed, as they walked out of the treeline and onto the hilltop that overlooked Newgate. “Though I am no fisherman, I am afraid.”

  “Nor I!” Ada chuckled. “Well, I would be a fisherwoman, I suppose...” she bit her lip, grinning. “But the once that Roderick tried to show me, I almost caught myself and vowed to never touch a rod again. It is a beastly practice.”

  “I agree,” Liam nodded. “I do not consider anything a sport which takes life. Death is not a game.”

  “My sentiments exactly,” Ada said quietly.

  Their eyes met, his gaze level as if he saw into Ada's soul. She took an involuntary step forward, as if to touch him. This close, she could see the pulse beat in his temple, and the long, dark lashes around his eyes. He did not move away, but reached forward, letting his hand fall loosely to his side before it contacted her.

  He wishes to touch me, as I wish to touch him. The thought was thrilling and frightening at once. Ada stayed where she was: close enough to hear his breath, which was as hesitant as her own.

  She looked up into his serious face, and wished she knew more of that scar. He must have seen battle, or been in a duel. Perhaps his vehemence about careless death derived from them. One day, perhaps he will tell me.

  “You are here for the winter?” Liam asked, breaking the silence. His voice sounded tense, and he was looking elsewhere, as if looking at her was dangerous. Ada cleared her throat.

  “Yes, my lord,” she agreed. “Unless my brother springs some surprise on me, I am here all year.” she chuckled dryly. “I am a wallflower, as I told you.”

  “As I told you,” he said with surprising gentleness, “that is a good thing.”

  They smiled at each other, the shared reference touching them both. At that moment, Rufus burst out of the bushes, yapping excitedly. In the distance they could hear the hoof-beats of a rider.

  “It seems we are to be graced with the presence of my dear friend, Lord Moore,” Liam grinned teasingly. “While I would delight in introducing the two of you, I may have to defer it until Lord Moore is in a better state.”

  “A better state?” Ada queried

  “His head and belly rebel against the whiskey we shared,” Liam rolled his eyes. “Well, shared is overstating the matter – I took a finger of it, he had almost half the bottle. I am surprised he is out at all, but he did insist a ride would do him good.” He shrugged and winced as the horse crashed through the brush.

  Ada giggled. “I shall leave you to administer to the poor man,” she grinned. “And hope to meet again in more conducive circumstances.”

  “I too, Lady Ada,” Liam said, raising a hand as she turned to walk away.

  Only when she was halfway down the path did Ada realize that his words were as good as an invitation to visit. She grinned and wrapped her arms about herself.

  The man loved nature, loved his friends, and had a sense of unquiet mystery. He was kind, gentle and somehow stirred her heart. She had to see him again, to find out more.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A VISIT TO WILDING

  A VISIT TO WILDING

  The sun shone down into the grounds at Newgate, shining off the dew-soaked front drive, warming the pale stone of the front façade. The tranquility of the scene was broken by two childish voices, lilting in the morning air.

  “Where are we going?” Medora asked, jumping up and down in the carriage as Ada helped her sister to climb in more decorously.

  “We're going to Wilding Manor,” Ada explained briefly. It was the day after the ball and she had risen late, her mind as much in torment as it had been that evening. She was pleased for the diversion of the children and the trip, hoping it would take her mind off both Oscar and Liam.

  “Yay!” Margaret offered, her usual ladylike dignity set momentarily aside. “Auntie Alicia!”

  Ada grinned. Lady Alicia Gray of Wilding was a long-standing family friend and the best friend of Henriette. She was an extremely distant cousin of Roderick and Ada, and not really the children's aunt at all, though they had always called her so and no one had changed that. She
was, after all, like a sister to Henriette.

  “Come on, then,” Ada smiled, “into the carriage with you!”

  “Hurrah!” Medora said, and held onto Ada's hand as she climbed inside. Margaret followed her sister, stepping up the stairs like a lady. Ada helped herself in and was followed by Henriette. Together they drove the two miles to Wilding.

  Medora erupted from the carriage the moment they arrived, handed down by Watford, Alicia's retainer, and unable to conceal her enthusiasm any longer. Margaret followed, more sedately, and together they crossed the threshold into the imposing stone manor, where the door had just been flung open.

  “Ladies!” A cry echoed delightedly out of the door. It was followed shortly after by a woman with masses of red curls, her petite but curvaceous form covered by a cerise-pink dress. She waved at the carriage, then replaced her hand on Margaret's head. The two little girls were clinging to her skirts, looking up delightedly.

  “Can we play in the ballroom, Auntie?”

  “Can we dance? Will you play for us?”

  Alicia giggled, a delightful sound like the peal of bells. “Of course, ladies. But first, let me greet your mother and your aunt!”

  Alicia ran lightly down to where Ada and Henriette stood at the base of the steps, exclaiming with delight,

  “Henriette! My dear, dear Henriette!”

  Shorter than Henriette by almost a foot, Alicia embraced the tall cool Frenchwoman in a hug that would have choked her, then turned to Ada.

  “Dear Ada! It seems to long since you were here. But you will catch cold! Come inside, come inside! You too, girls... no butterflies to chase now!” she added, chuckling as Medora and Margaret ran down the slight slope to the gardens.

  Recalling their dignity, the two girls returned and walked decorously behind the adults.

  Ada stood in the hallway at Wilding, looking up at the vaulted ceiling, high above her head. Imposing and harsh, Wilding had been built centuries before her own home at Newgate, and Ada wondered again how such a cold, forbidding place had produced such a lively and friendly person as Alicia.

  “How is Leo?” Henriette asked, as she removed her velvet cloak. Lord Leo Gray, the Earl of Harwood, was Alicia's husband. Tall and dashing, he had almost as much life in him as his exuberant wife. If he was in the building, they probably would have heard evidence of him.

  “He's well!” Alicia exclaimed. “I think he's in the library, working on some plans for some new venture. Leo!” she called up the stairs.

  “Yes, sweetheart?” he called back, from closer than the distant library.

  “Do come and see! Henriette and Ada are arrived, and they have Margaret and Medora with them.”

  “Coming, my lady,” Leo called gallantly. “I was just changing my coat.”

  They heard steps on the stairs, and Leo appeared shortly thereafter.

  Ada stared. The past eight years had treated him extremely well. He had a little white at his temples, and the wrinkles beside his mouth had deepened, but he was still one of the most striking men she had ever seen. Until recently. She swallowed at the thought and stepped forward to greet him.

  “Lady Ada!” Leo said, and kissed her on both cheeks. “Welcome! Dashed rainy, it's been these last weeks, eh? So pleased it cleared so you could visit us.”

  Ada smiled. “Thank you, Lord Leo. I am, too.”

  “And fair Henriette!” he exclaimed. “A pleasure, as always.”

  Henriette blushed. She was, through some elaborate ruse concocted by Alicia and Henriette years ago, partly responsible for engineering his marriage to Alicia – a debt of thanks he never forgot. Seeing his care for Henriette always made Ada smile. As did his closeness to his wife.

  Alicia was halfway to the parlor upstairs, the children following in hot pursuit.

  “Tea's been laid out upstairs!” Alicia called breathlessly back to the group. “If our hungry travelers would like to join us?” She grinned at the girls, who nodded vigorously.

  Upstairs in the parlor, Ada sat at the table beside Henriette and Roderick, with Alicia opposite her. The fare was beautifully laid out and served. The finest bone china from Holland, hand painted with designs of little flowers, and the food looked almost as beautiful as it tasted. Ada selected a dainty confection and bit it delicately, listening to the rise and fall of genteel conversation.

  “And Leo and I were considering a trip to London this year,” Alicia was saying. “It's been too long since we were there. And Lady Winthrope is going down for the season, and she invited us all to her ball!”

  “We'd love the company,” Leo added, reaching for a slice of jam tart. “Too many Londoners in London,” he added, grinning.

  “Oh, you...” Alicia said, exasperated. “He is incorrigible, is he not, Henriette?”

  “Quite so,” Henriette agreed briskly. Both women laughed.

  Leo smiled fondly at his wife.

  “You tolerate me admirably.”

  She patted his hand. “It is an effortless task.”

  Ada, watching them, felt a stab of longing in her heart. She wondered if she would ever find the easy closeness that Alicia and Leo had.

  “We should go,” Roderick said to Henriette. “I'd like a trip to London, and my business interests down there need seeing to. What do you think, my dear?”

  “I think I would love that!” Henriette said, pleased. “And you will, of course, accompany us, Ada?”

  Ada swallowed. “I shall?”

  “Of course, dear!” Henriette exclaimed. “It is so important for a young girl to get out into society more often! And all the lords and dukes will be there,” she said pointedly. “What say you, Alicia?”

  “Certainly!” Alicia nodded vigorously. “And besides, it is such fun! All the balls... you must come, my dear. I insist on it.”

  “I... very well,” Ada agreed, feeling nervous. She so often wished she could be more at the center of events, but now that it was offered, it seemed overwhelming. And she knew Henriette was hinting with the mention of dukes. The thought of Oscar Ridlington, and the agreement to meet him soon, made her feel slightly ill. She wished she could stay to see that strange, compelling man again. She blinked, realizing the conversation had shifted while she was lost in her own thoughts.

  “...and how is Emilia?” Henriette was asking. “I heard she had an accident at dancing?”

  “Oh, yes!” Alicia replied. “She slipped quite badly on the marble floor, but it was only bruises. Nothing worse. She's well now – such a graceful dancer! I'd almost think she takes after you, Henriette dear, were it possible.”

  Emilia was Alicia's eldest daughter, nearly seven, like Medora. She had two younger: Constance, now five, and Henry, just turned four. With Alicia's bright, youthful energy, no one would imagine her to be the mother of so many children. But she and Leo had established quite a brood.

  “Will the children come with us?” Ada asked, pouring more tea.

  “We thought to leave them here with Nanny Immett while we travel,” Alicia said. “She's a dear woman, and I know they will be safe.”

  Henriette eyed her own two daughters, who were sitting demurely at the table, eating a slice of gateau and sipping tea.

  “Girls?” she asked. “What say you to a trip to London?”

  Medora looked up, eyes shining. Margaret stared. “Mother?”

  “Yes!” Medora exploded.

  Roderick looked surprised, and Henriette spoke firmly. “Well, that's settled, then. It will be very good for the girls to attend a few tea parties,” she added to Roderick. “One cannot start practicing one's etiquette from too young an age.”

  Margaret looked pleased – of the two girls, she was obsessed with etiquette and always on her best manners. Medora stared at her mother, evidently not sure if this was a good or bad idea.

  Ada chuckled.

  “I agree, Henriette,” she said gently. “And I will be pleased to have them with us.”

  The girls seemed pleased with her endorsement,
and Ada felt relieved, too. It would ease the tension somewhat to have them with her, as she could not help feeling that Henriette was dragging her to London with the intent of finding a husband. It was not a wholly-comfortable thought. Especially not now, when she had just met someone interesting.

  “And we also thought to ask some other neighbors,” Alicia said. “A big party of us Northerners could travel down more safely together. You never know who's lurking on these roads,” she added darkly.

  “I trust you – we know footpads never bother us.” Leo smiled, and Ada grinned at the longstanding private joke. She did not know the story by heart, but it involved highwaymen, Alicia and Leo, and some miraculous getaway. She made a mental note to ask Henriette about it some time.

  “So,” Henriette said happily, “that's settled. When do you plan to travel?”

  “We were considering in two weeks,” Alicia said. “Weren't we, dear?” she asked Leo.

  He nodded and swallowed his pie, then reached for fresh tea.

  “I would like that,” he agreed. “We could even catch the start of the races.”

  Alicia laughed. “You and your plans! And I am sure our neighbors would like the races, too? I know you don't gamble nowadays, Roderick,” she said quietly, “but other young men in our party might enjoy it.”

  Ada stared. If Alicia thought to bring some of the locals, perhaps... he would be there?

  “What's the matter, dear?” Alicia asked her. “You look worried.”

  “I...” Ada stammered, shy to be the center of attention. “No. I am well. Just feeling overwhelmed with all the planning!”

  “Oh, sorry, dear,” Alicia apologized. “We have plenty of time to discuss it. Now, has anyone got any room for marzipan?” The two girls looked enthusiastic, and Alicia produced a large tin box that housed the sweet delicacy, passing it around.