by Ann Barker
They willingly assented and made space for her on the rug on which they were sitting. Eustacia deliberately sat so that she could not easily see the play without turning her head. Anna was facing her, and was therefore able to look her fill at Lord Ilam without turning her back on her companions.
Both of Anna’s companions looked at Eustacia with unconcealed admiration. She was older than all of them by at least three years. Add to that the fact that thanks to Lady Hope, her outfit was both summery and stylish, and she became a person well worth cultivating.
‘Miss Hope,’ began one of Anna’s companions, ‘have you been to any weddings recently?’
Suppressing the urge to say ‘Only my own,’ Eustacia answered ‘Not very recently, no.’
‘We were just wondering what brides are wearing at the moment,’ said the same girl, whilst the other one giggled.
‘Why? Is there to be a wedding around here?’ Eustacia asked.
‘Maybe,’ said the giggling girl.
Anna frowned at her two friends. ‘I don’t actually know of one,’ she said with dignity.
‘But there might be one,’ added the girl who had just spoken.
‘Oh do hold your tongue, Susan,’ said Anna firmly. ‘Miss Hope, do they play cricket where you come from?’
Her words and expression made it sound as if Eustacia must, at best, come from some outlandish and probably primitive country on the other side of the world, or at worst from a very distant planet or possibly the moon.
Eustacia answered her question politely, but inside, her mind was seething. About whose wedding had they been speaking? No one was due to get married, were they? Their general demeanour confirmed Eustacia’s earlier opinion, namely that Ilam had been so gentle in his conversation with Anna that she had completely failed to grasp what he was trying to tell her. She felt her heart sink. She really must speak to him again, before Anna said so much that she made a fool of herself. The only trouble was, he had not received her first attempt at raising the subject of Anna’s infatuation very well. Then she had slapped his face and that awful scene had ensued. He would not be very likely to listen to her now.
After the conversation had limped along for a short time, Anna said ‘Shall we stroll about a little? I’m getting tired of sitting in one place. Will you join us, Miss Hope?’
Her two friends obediently got up, and turning, Eustacia was not surprised to observe that Lord Ilam had ceased bowling and had retreated well away from them in order to take his turn retrieving the ball on the other side of the pitch. She had no wish to look as if she were pursuing him around the field, so she declined Anna’s invitation and instead went to see if she could help those who were hiding the pottery eggs.
Thanks to a little confusion over whose task it was this year, the job had not been completed, and her offers of help were greeted with grateful thanks. After the busyness of the morning preparations, the need for company manners as she greeted many acquaintances, and the disturbing nature of her encounter with Lord Ilam, a task which involved nothing more testing than hiding pottery eggs amongst the vegetation was very much to her taste. Consequently, by the time childish voices were heard as they approached the parterre, she was feeling very much more at ease.
The cricket match was not a long affair, and after Lord Ilam’s team had emerged the winner – by only a mere handful of runs – everyone wandered over to observe the treasure hunt, or to wait for the band to start to play. Young Elijah Crossley was an enthusiastic participant in the treasure hunt, and some of those who joined in were very much the same age as Anna Crossley. Indeed, her two friends were not above participating, even if they did proclaim themselves to be helping the giggling girl’s younger sister. One of them cried out in triumph as loudly as any ten year old when she located one of the better hidden eggs, and Eustacia liked her the better for it. She noticed that Anna carefully edged through the group of observing adults in order to get nearer to Lord Ilam. In the meantime, her brother David, watching her movements, was clearly intending to head her off.
Soon the treasure hunt was over, and people began to gather on the lawn to listen to the band and then to make their farewells. The musicians struck up with a country dance, and Ilam began the proceedings by leading his aunt out to take a few steps. Either they had made up their differences, or they were putting up a very good front, Eustacia decided as she accepted an invitation from a Mr Percy, a landowner from the next village.
‘Your first affair of this kind, Miss Hope?’ Percy asked as they waited their turn at the bottom of the set.
‘It’s not the first garden party I have attended, but I have not been to one here before,’ she replied.
‘Oh, they’re always big affairs. Mind you, I suspect Ilam doesn’t enjoy them above half.’
‘Really?’ enquired Eustacia, who had her own reasons for suspecting that he hadn’t enjoyed this one.
‘Oh, he does his duty, and all that,’ replied Percy. ‘Look at him now; plenty of pretty girls around, but he’ll only dance with his aunt.’
‘Indeed?’ murmured Eustacia, wanting to vary her responses.
‘Oh yes. He never dances with anyone else. If you ask me, he’ll be glad to see the back of us.’
When the dance was concluded, Ilam led his aunt to one of the chairs that had been set around the grassy area at the foot of the terrace, on which the band had set up their instruments. Eustacia could see that Anna was rejecting an invitation to dance, and looking hopefully in his lordship’s direction. Perhaps earlier in the day she, too, might have hoped for an opportunity to dance with him; but not now. She had had enough of the day, and would have been glad to go home with Trixie who was saying farewell to a wiry-looking lad from one of the farms. Unfortunately, she could not leave without telling her aunt, and she would not approach her because Ilam was standing behind her chair. It was not that she was nervous, she told herself stoutly; she was just very unsure of her welcome at present.
She drifted away from the dancers and wandered into the house, quite unaware that she was observed. There were a few servants about, and one or two guests talking quietly, but no one appeared to take any notice of her. She found a candle and wandered upstairs. After going through two or three rooms and crossing another small landing, she found herself, by a strange quirk of fate, to be yet again in the little room which housed the portrait of Lord Ashbourne.
She recalled the lie that her godmother had told about Ashbourne’s interest in her, and Gabriel’s insinuations about a possible relationship with his father. She stared up at the painted face. She had never even met the man, and he had caused her nothing but trouble.
‘You, my lord, are exceedingly tiresome,’ she told him wearily. ‘As for your wretched son, I would very much like to push him into his own stupid fountain, because he is just as tiresome as you are.’
‘I’m obliged to you, ma’am,’ said Ilam grimly from the other entrance. ‘I might have guessed you would come here.’
She jumped as he spoke. He had appeared noiselessly, and, moreover, she had assumed him to be outside with his aunt. ‘Oh, might you? Well, I can assure you that it was a complete surprise to me for I arrived here entirely by chance,’ Eustacia answered, colouring a little because he had overheard her saying that she wanted to push him into the fountain.
‘You’ll allow me to keep to my own opinion on that matter,’ his lordship replied.
‘Well, I suppose I had better do so, even if it is a completely stupid opinion,’ Eustacia replied. ‘As a matter of fact, I came up here to get away from people, not to be pursued by … by—’
‘You don’t need to say any more,’ replied Ilam suavely. ‘Your destination tells its own tale.’ He glanced up at his father’s picture.
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ Eustacia began.
‘The first time I saw you, you had laid flowers before his picture,’ Ilam interrupted.
‘No I hadn’t. I put them there by accident.’
Ilam laughed
. ‘A fine story,’ he declared. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if you came here quite deliberately, hoping to meet him, as I had assumed originally.’
‘I certainly did not,’ retorted Eustacia indignantly, turning quite pink. ‘I do not go running round throwing myself at men.’
They stared at each other. Up until now the air had been filled with fury. Now it seemed to crackle with tension of quite another kind.
‘No, you place flowers beneath their portraits instead. Don’t try to deny your interest in him. Remember that I heard you quizzing Aunt Bertha about him. This is not the first time that I have found you sighing over his picture. God Almighty, I have even had you defend him to my face!’ His voice had risen during this speech. Now, he made a perceptible attempt to pull himself together, and went on in a calmer manner. ‘I am well aware that your mother was pursued by my father and in your eyes he must have acquired an aura of glamour. Believe me, Miss Hope, you are far from the first to be captivated by his charms.’
‘Ooohh!’ Eustacia made an infuriated sound which was something between a growl and a scream. She looked around for something to throw at him, failed to find anything and eventually resorted to seizing hold of his coat and attempting to shake him. ‘For the thousandth and what I hope will be the last time, although somehow I doubt it, I do not know your father, I have never met your father, I have no desire to meet your father, and I do not find your father attractive!’
‘“Methinks the lady doth protest too much”,’ Ilam quoted softly.
With a squawk of rage, Eustacia tugged hard at his coat once again, and this time, whether because she tugged harder or because he chose to give way at that moment, she succeeded in pulling him down so that his face was close to hers. This proximity was so unexpected that she was taken completely by surprise, and therefore acted without thinking. Recalling the incident afterwards, she decided there could be no other way of accounting for it, for she took a deep breath, and kissed him full on the mouth.
His lordship did not respond by taking her in his arms, but he did not pull away either. When Eustacia drew back, the enormity of what she had done swept over her and she felt herself turning bright red.
Ilam stared down at her for a long moment. ‘I think you’ve made your point,’ he said, his voice sounding very quiet.
Before either of them could speak, or do anything, they heard the sound of footsteps in the passage, and a footman appeared with the message that Lady Agatha was now ready to leave.
‘Allow me to escort you downstairs, Miss Hope,’ said Ilam, politely making way for her, then giving her his arm the length of the long gallery. They were both silent, each lost in thought.
As they made their way into the garden, Ilam said, ‘Believe me, Miss Hope, this conversation is very far from finished.’
Eustacia watched him as he exchanged a few words with his aunt before their departure. She thought about how she had kissed him – and it had undoubtedly been she who had kissed him, not the other way round. She began to feel hot at the very thought; and not entirely from embarrassment. What would everybody think if she ran to him now and planted another kiss upon his lips? What would it be like to be pulled into his arms and enfolded in his powerful embrace? She was sure it would be powerful. His arms were so strong and muscular. Involuntarily she gave a little shiver.
How could she have been so unprincipled and vulgar, she asked herself. He had accused her of running after Lord Ashbourne. She had not done that, but she had behaved in just the kind of way that some female in pursuit of a notorious rake might be expected to conduct herself. It was high time she exercised a little more control.
That, she had found, was a good deal easier to say than to do. Quite recently, she had been afraid that he might have guessed that she was attracted to him. Now, the situation was infinitely worse, for she was in love with Lord Ilam, and thanks to the shameless way in which she had kissed him, he probably knew that as well.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
When Ilam arrived at the vicarage the following day, hoping for private words with his aunt and with Eustacia, he found that at least half-a-dozen persons had arrived and were cluttering up her ladyship’s drawing-room. Now that many people had returned from London, and marked their presence by their attendance at the garden party, it seemed that at least half of them wanted to pay their respects to Lady Agatha who, after all, was Ashbourne’s sister. Lady Agatha had her own reasons for wanting to avoid a tête-à-tête with her nephew, so she made no effort to see him on his own.
Eustacia, too, was much occupied, though not by her own design. Miss Granby appeared with two other young ladies, and all three of them wanted to discuss the garden party in detail as well as the forthcoming ball at the Olde Oak.
‘What are you going to wear, Miss Hope?’ asked Miss Barclay, one of the two. A slender, brown-haired young woman of about the same height as Eustacia, she spoke in rather a breathless voice.
‘Yes, do say,’ said the other newcomer. She was about the same height as Miss Granby, but with darker hair and prominent features. ‘Evangeline tells us that you are very stylish, despite never having been to London.’
‘Why do you not take the young ladies up to your room?’ suggested Lady Agatha. ‘Then you will be able to show them what you plan to wear.’ After Eustacia had shown them her gown, which was yet another item from her trousseau, they seemed to want to examine every piece of clothing in her possession.
Later, as they descended the stairs, Miss Granby encouraged Miss Barclay and the other young lady, Miss French, to go on ahead. ‘Come and take a turn with me in the garden,’ said Miss Granby under her breath. ‘I have something very exciting to relate.’
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the two other young ladies entered the drawing-room and Eustacia could see that Lord Ilam was in there. He glanced up, and their eyes met. She paused briefly, but then Miss Granby pulled at her arm and said, ‘Do come on. I must talk to you in private.’
Eustacia acknowledged his look with an inclination of her head, and hoped that he realized she was already committed to Miss Granby for the time being. She did not know whether to be glad or sorry. Part of her longed to speak to him, even if he wanted to reprimand her again. On the other hand, part of her dreaded the next meeting because of her brazen behaviour towards him.
‘Ah, that’s better,’ said Miss Granby. ‘I didn’t want to speak in front of Amy Barclay. If you tell her anything, you’ve told the entire village.’
‘I’m glad you consider me a safe confidante,’ answered Eustacia. ‘What is it you want to tell me?’
Evangeline waited until they were well out of earshot and said, ‘Do you recall that I told you about a certain gentleman who attracted my interest whilst I was in London?’
Eustacia nodded. ‘Well he is definitely coming to the ball. He wrote me a letter telling me so.’
‘He wrote you a letter?’ Eustacia repeated, reflecting that she had never received a letter from a single gentleman, even from Morrison when they were engaged.
‘You are thinking that Mama would have wanted to read it,’ answered Evangeline carelessly, as if she could guess her thoughts. ‘Mama never interferes in my correspondence. I would not permit it. Anyway, he is coming, and I shall have a chance to see whether I like him as well as I did in London. It will make my life a lot easier, though, if you say that you know him or are acquainted with his family. Mama thinks that you are the model of a well-brought-up young lady, and if you say that your family approves of him, or something like that, then she will not make a fuss, and that will make my life a lot easier.’
At this, Eustacia could feel her heart sinking down into her boots. More intrigue! What had she done to deserve this? ‘Evangeline, I don’t see how I can,’ she answered. Then, when Evangeline looked mulish, she said craftily, ‘Your mama is aware that I have lived a very quiet life and never been anywhere. She will want to know how on earth I came to be acquainted with him – especially if he lives in T
own.’
‘He doesn’t live in Town all the time,’ answered Evangeline. ‘His parents have an estate somewhere in the far North of England. Please help me,’ she went on in the same sort of wheedling voice that Eustacia had sometimes heard her use with her father.
‘We’ll see,’ temporized Eustacia, feeling a strong sense of kinship with Mrs Granby. She knew she was being weak, but she could not face making anyone else angry at the present time. ‘The most I will promise to do is to say that I don’t know anything against him.’
‘Well I suppose that that will have to do,’ replied Evangeline. Her tone reminded Eustacia very much of that of her music teacher at school on those occasions when she had not found enough time to practise before her lesson.
By the time they got back indoors, Ilam had gone.
‘He barely had a chance to exchange a single word with me,’ Lady Agatha said gleefully after the visitors had all gone and they were both sitting down to luncheon.
‘Did he say that he wanted to see me?’ asked Eustacia, trying to sound casual.
‘He did make an enquiry, but I managed to brush him off,’ said her ladyship in satisfied tones.
Eustacia laid down her fork. ‘Ma’am, do you think that perhaps it might be time to enlist Lord Ilam’s help?’
‘His help?’
‘In resolving the problems concerning your living quarters,’ answered Eustacia measuring her words carefully. ‘After all, he now knows about your plans….’ she allowed her voice to tail off delicately.
Suddenly Lady Agatha looked rather weary. ‘Yes, you do not need to tell me that. Of course Ilam will side with the church. I suppose I should not be surprised, when I consider that his half-brother is a clergyman.’
‘A clergyman!’ exclaimed Eustacia.
Lady Agatha gave voice to a brief laugh. ‘Ironic, isn’t it?’
‘Was it his own decision to enter the church?’ Eustacia asked curiously.
‘I’ve no idea,’ replied Lady Agatha. ‘Anyway, to get back to Ilam, he may support the bishop, but he won’t see me without somewhere to live.’ She looked about her and uttered a heartfelt sigh. ‘I suppose I always knew that I would have to leave this place. I just wanted to put it off for as long as possible. It can be rather a dull existence here, you know. A fight with the church provided me with a little sport.’