The Ghost of Glendale

by Kleinman, Natalie

  Lydia was gratified when Rupert engaged her in conversation.

  “It was kind of your mother to allow you to join us this evening. I trust she is not in too much pain.”

  “No, indeed. I fear it is the incapacity that frustrates her for she is such a doing woman. Were it not for Mrs Wiggins I think she would be bored beyond reason.”

  “Mrs Wiggins?” He knew her, of course, having run freely through Glendale since childhood, but was unaware of the former connection.

  “She was my mother’s nurse before coming to Glendale upon my aunt’s marriage. It is fortunate their relationship is such that I am able with confidence to leave Mama in her care.”

  “Phoebe tells me she has been showing you some of the delights of Bath today. I trust you were not too uncomfortable, for it is still very warm.”

  Lydia was touched that he seemed so concerned for her welfare and hastened to reassure him. She even told him of the yellow ribbon she had purchased to adorn one of her bonnets, before then apologising for boring him with matters inconsequential.

  “Not at all. I look forward to seeing the results of your stitchery for I am sure it will look delightful.” He glanced a moment over his shoulder. “I wonder, Miss Talbot, if you would like to take a turn about the garden. The doors are open and we shall all the time be in sight of the rest.”

  There seemed no good reason for refusing to accompany Rupert to the terrace and they spent a while in silence admiring the view and delighting in the companionable silence.

  Edward leaned against the cushions and fell asleep as the carriage took them back to Glendale.

  “Perhaps you can see now what I meant earlier today. In the country everyone is so relaxed. Nobody displays any airs and graces or puts themselves forward to impress.”

  Phoebe smiled, thinking that Rupert had very much set out to impress. Naturally she did not say so to Lydia.

  “Yes, a delightful evening. I am truly fortunate with my neighbours and my friends. I hope you are pleased with what I have arranged for tomorrow. Mr Armstrong and Mr Brendon have invited us to a picnic lunch in the grounds of Cranford and I have accepted on your behalf as well as my own.”

  Her cousin looked shocked until Phoebe told her that naturally her abigail would accompany them, “and it will be no hardship to her, I know, for I am fairly certain she has her eye on the second footman.”

  “Then of course I shall be delighted. But what of Mama?”

  “I’m sure she will not object for there is little you can do for her at the moment. However, on the spur of the moment I invited the two gentlemen, together with Mr Max Brendon, to spend a quiet evening with us tomorrow. My father shall be persuaded to join us,” she said, glancing in his direction as he breathed in noisily, “and if your mother is happy to recline on the chaise longue we shall sit with her in the drawing room.”

  “How very kind of you, Phoebe. I am sure she must by now be craving company though she never complains.”

  Surely this cannot be the same woman who arrived at Glendale little more than a week ago, Phoebe reflected, though she was tactful enough not to share the thought with her cousin.

  “Papa,” she said, placing her hand on her father’s arm and nudging him gently, “we are home. It is time to rouse yourself.”

  Sir Edward looked a little sheepish.

  “Very good evening. Nice to meet up with old friends.” Which made Phoebe laugh because her father was not the most sociable of men. It would seem that the Talbot’s visit was doing a lot of good in more ways than one.

  Some hours later Phoebe awoke from a disturbed sleep. She had dreamed that Duncan was riding away from her and, fast as Jester galloped, Beau was quicker. Wait, she had called out in her dream. Wait, we have not finished our mission. But horse and rider disappeared over the horizon and she woke up. She was shivering, thinking it was because of her dream, but then came the realisation that Simon’s spirit was in the room with her. This was only the second time he had made his presence felt other than in the Long Gallery. She felt strongly that he was trying to tell her something and that there was a connection between her dream and his being there. “I shall not give up, Simon. I promise you,” she said aloud, at the same time sensible to the fact that she was talking to thin air. Or was she. As she finished speaking the iciness left the room. She lay down again and fell for the rest of the night into an untroubled sleep.

  The next day dawned bright as ever but more comfortable, for there had been a storm during the night which had left a freshness in the air. When Duncan met Phoebe in the stable yard he remarked that Beau was dancing on his toes and ready for a good gallop. “And I am glad of it,” he said. “The horses must have been feeling the heat as much as we. Shall we give them their heads?”

  She nodded her assent and they were off.

  “You are looking very fine this morning,” Duncan remarked later when they had reined in and settled into a walk. Phoebe could not but be pleased for her new riding habit had only yesterday arrived from London and naturally she had to wear it at the first opportunity. “The blue contrasts well with your hair. I particularly like the military cap and its plume of feathers.”

  “I see you are an expert on such matters,” she said, choosing to ignore the personal nature of his remark.

  “Not at all, but I know what I like when I see it.”

  Phoebe did not relay her dream to Duncan, not being at all sure as to its meaning, but she told him of Simon’s visit.

  “I wonder does his spirit feel that we are getting closer to the solution.”

  “I don’t know but I assured him I wouldn’t rest until we have resolved it. The strange thing was that after I had spoken he disappeared again, hopefully confident of our tenacity.”

  They were by this time almost out of the woods. “Lydia and I will join you in a while but I must first spend some time with my aunt. I fear I have been sadly inattentive.”

  “It is to be hoped you can recover ground later. I shall do my very best to entertain her this evening.”

  “I am depending on you,” she said smiling as she took her leave of him.

  “Aunt Sophia, I hope you will not pluck crow with me for you must be feeling sorely neglected,” Phoebe said with an apologetic smile when she entered the drawing room.

  “Not at all, my dear, for I have not until now been looking for company. Wiggins has supplied all my needs and it is truly only in the past twenty-four hours that I have been feeling the fidgets.”

  “You are uncomfortable?” Phoebe asked, dismayed.

  Her aunt laughed. “No indeed. Merely desirous of joining society again. You must know that the doctor has been already this morning and given me permission to exert myself a little. I am greatly anticipating this evening for Lydia tells me you have arranged something for my entertainment.”

  “Just a very few friends to bear us company but I hope it will suffice to amuse you. I am so sorry I was not here when the doctor came.”

  “It is of no matter. I have received the reassurance I needed. He seems to be a good man and I trust what he has told me. I confess though to feeling a little tired after his call and will spend some time resting while you join your neighbours for a picnic. I shall see you later.”

  Phoebe could almost have believed her aunt had undergone a change of personality, so gracious was she. Leaving the room, she went herself to fetch her bonnet and to find her cousin.

  Phoebe was, she felt, old enough to be alone with a man without drawing reproach upon herself, in spite of what her aunt might think! But Lydia must of necessity observe society’s mores. Consequently, Phoebe felt more like a maiden aunt than a cousin for she ensured that Rupert and Lydia were not left unattended during their time at Cranford. However, Duncan suggested they might all take advantage of the kinder conditions and go for a walk. Lydia and Rupert walked in front and her maid followed behind. Phoebe and Duncan fell even further back, thus allowing the others to have private conversation. It was perfectly in
nocuous.

  “Your mother is improving, I hear.”

  “Yes, and greatly looking forward to your company this evening.”

  “I am glad of the opportunity to further my acquaintance with her. And perhaps to alleviate her boredom for I cannot believe she is not by now in need of diversion,” Rupert said with a smile.

  “She said as much to me this morning though I think she has no immediate wish to return to town. But she is a sociable creature and never happier than when in the company of others.”

  “Your stay at Glendale must of necessity be prolonged. Forgive me when I say I am pleased it should be so.”

  Lydia didn’t know how to answer so she looked at him with a smile, stumbled and would have fallen had he not caught her arm. A flush appeared in her cheeks, she thanked him, and they walked on. Rupert was a man who had always been up for a lark and his friends would have been astonished to learn that from the moment of meeting Miss Talbot he had desired nothing more than to be able to take care of her and shield her from harm. He was frustrated that for the present at least he could be of little service to her. He was not to know that his quiet assurance was just what she liked and if she thought of Thomas Wainwright at all it was to compare the boy with the man. Rupert, overwhelmed at first, was content now to take his time. He had never been so happy as when he was with Lydia, nor had he ever been as anxious for he could not judge whether or not she favoured him above any other.

  “My childhood friend is a changed man. Ever since I have known him he has been prime for any adventure. It is one of the things I liked best in him but this maturity suits him I think.”

  “Allow me to assure you he has not entirely abandoned his previous ways. Only the other day when we went fishing he grabbed my ankle and attempted to tip me into the water.”

  “Now that sounds more like the Rupert I know,” she said laughing. “And did he succeed?”

  “No, for though he is by no means a small man I had the greater weight.”

  “And dare I ask if you sought revenge?”

  “You dare not for had I indeed done so it might be deemed I was taking unfair advantage.”

  She chuckled again. “You do not deny it however.”

  “Allow me to tell you that the stream of which we speak is but a short distance from here. Any more of that and were I not a gentleman it might be that you would find yourself plunged into the water. Just for fun of course.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “Appealing as the thought is, no, I would not.”

  Chapter Nine

  Nothing could have been more convivial than the group of people who gathered in the drawing room at Glendale that evening. Though Phoebe had ensured there was sufficient refreshment to satisfy the most demanding of guests, nothing else was put in place for their entertainment. The card table was brought to the side of Baroness Talbot’s chaise longue and she entered enthusiastically into a game of piquet with the elder Mr Brendon. Upon declaring, “I couldn’t possibly,” when Duncan approached her with the offer of sherry, she was persuaded to take a small glass. He then left them to their obvious enjoyment.

  The rest played Jackstraws with all the eagerness of children not yet out of the schoolroom, even Sir Edward declaring it great sport. Lydia proved to be the star of the evening winning several times before Phoebe declared she had finally met her match in a game she had before considered all her own.

  “You have rendered me bankrupt but I promise you I shall come about another time when we shall sit down to play whist.”

  “Clarissa used to declare she would not play with me for I had such a steady hand. Should I have said,” she asked looking innocently at her cousin but with her eyes brimming with laughter. There is more to this young lady than meets the eye, thought Duncan. She is enchanting and will do for Rupert very well, as he informed Phoebe during their ride the next morning.

  “They seem eminently suited, I agree,” she replied, “but is he not do you think a little old for her?”

  “I understand there was just such a disparity in the ages of your parents and yet, forgive me if I speak out of turn, you have given me to understand their marriage was a happy one.”

  They parted company soon after, Phoebe relieved to have had her uneasiness laid to rest. In the end, as it transpired, their paths would not cross for the foreseeable future. When Duncan arrived back at Cranford, Rupert had his foot in the stirrup in the process of mounting his horse.

  “I was just about to come in search of you. This man has ridden night and day for your mother has fallen ill and there is some doubt as to her survival. She begs you to come.”

  “Tell me, lad, how was she when you left?” Duncan asked, turning from Rupert to the courier at his side.

  “As to that, sir, I cud na say. Only that the master charged me wi’ bringing this letter as fast as I could. Your brother did tell me he had only left his parent’s side to place it in my charge and to give me your direction, hoping, he said, that you’d still be here.”

  “Then we must leave at once. Rupert?”

  “Of course. Take Beau and another of my horses, for this one has been ridden flat out. You may send them back to me when you change mounts on your way.”

  “I am in your debt. Thank heavens I sent word to Fergus of my direction or he would have had no idea how to contact me. You there,” he said, turning to the lad, “wait while I pack a saddle bag. Dinna fash yersel,” he added, falling easily into the old familiar dialect. “I shall not be many minutes. Are you fit to travel so soon?”

  The boy looked offended and Duncan took that for a yes. He thought of Phoebe and regretfully dashed off a quick note to her, and then they were off.

  “How long did it take you to reach me,” he asked when they slowed to a walk to give the horses some respite.

  “Above six days, sir, though I rode as hard as I could.”

  “Then we shall try if we can to do it within six days but we must make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight or I’ll be leaving you on the road to recover.”

  “You never would, sir.”

  “No, though I might be tempted,” Duncan said with the open smile that made so many warm to him.

  It was a tedious journey and Duncan had much to occupy his mind. At the first stop he arranged for the return of Rupert’s horses. He then made the decision to continue at a slightly less hare-brained pace. “I shall be of no use to my mother if I collapse upon my arrival,” he told Tom. They made a good meal and continued on their way, covering much ground before engaging to stay the night at an inn. Duncan lay on his back, his feet hanging over the end of the small bed, his arms folded beneath his neck. Staring up in the dark at the invisible ceiling he thought of his mother and wondered if he would be in time. He had not been home for a long while. Life had been such an adventure and now he berated himself for his selfishness. It was true though that their relationship was not close and it was his ties with his brother not his mother that might have prompted him to return sooner. He turned onto his side and conjured up a picture of the young woman who in little more than two weeks had come to mean so much to him. What would she make of his note? He’d dashed it off so quickly he could scarcely remember what he’d said. Heaven knew when he would see her again and in the meantime she would have to carry the burden of her aunt’s visit alone for it seemed doubtful that Sir Edward would be of much help. He gave himself a mental shake, for it was not in his personality to worry over what he could not change, and so fell into a fitful sleep.

  My dear Miss Marcham he had written

  I am called home in some haste. Forgive me but it seems I shall have to abandon you to search alone. Yours regretfully, Duncan Armstrong

  He had told Phoebe his hand was indecipherable but she had no difficulty in reading his short message. It had more of an effect upon her than she liked to admit. What was so urgent that he could not take half an hour to take his leave of her? She couldn’t know that his formal address had been deliberate
. That he’d thought she would be amused by his oblique reference to Simon, but she had not been privileged to see his rueful smile as he wrote. She had no call upon him. Perhaps she had made more of his friendship than had been offered. What she had taken for something stronger was likely to be merely the open manner of a man with few airs and graces. Feeling more than a little wounded she went to tell her father that Mr Armstrong would not after all be joining them for the various planned entertainments.

  He expressed his regret. “It seems I shall have to fulfil my obligations to Baroness Talbot without his aid. A pity. I wonder what took him off in such a hurry.”

  “It is not for us to question his reasons. Forgive me, Papa. I must go now and consider what further diversions to put in place for my aunt’s pleasure.”

  Phoebe went to her mother’s drawing room and settled down with various pieces of paper. However, her pen made no changes for she spent some time staring out of the window. Coming to the conclusion that men were not to be relied upon, except for Papa of course, she tried to put Duncan Armstrong out of her mind. It was of no help that she kept visualising his ready smile and recalling his humour, seemingly so well matched with her own. She realised too how much his aid had lightened her load. That he would not now continue to do so rendered it heavier than ever and she could only be grateful for Sophia’s seeming change in personality. Their other venture troubled her even more. It was something they had embraced together and now she would have to continue alone. And continue she would. She had, after all, given her word to Simon. “Men!” she exclaimed aloud and taking her pen in hand she settled down to the task in front of her.

  As Duncan headed north the scenery changed and so did the weather. They rode through thunder and lightning, keeping a firm rein on their horses and driving them forward. Though skittish they cantered on without bolting and were rewarded, when the storm abated, with a titbit and a well done, lad, from both riders. Duncan rode long and hard in daylight hours and slept soundly during the night. It had been nearly three years since last he’d been home. Fergus understood. It was something to do with being a twin and he knew why Duncan kept his distance. He felt no joy in being favoured by their mother. But as he rode, Duncan reflected that she was still his mother too. Would he be in time? Would there at last be a reconciliation?