‘I will not marry you, not now. I don’t care if we both are ruined.’ She spun round and fled from the room for the second time that day.
Upstairs, Eleanor was still incandescent with indignation. She scrambled hastily into her blue velvet riding habit, determined to put herself as far from the loathsome man as she could. A gallop on her chestnut stallion, Rufus, would do just that.
All Mary’s entreaties failed to placate her. She would not be shouted at and treated like a child. A sharp knock at the door halted her.
‘Mary, I won’t see him. Don’t open the door; tell him I’m too upset to come.’ The knock was repeated more firmly. ‘Oh God - please just delay him - give me time to escape. Please Mary, I beg you.’
‘Very well, but I don’t think it’s wise gallivanting off like this.’ Mary could see how distressed she was. ‘Go down the back stairs, quick now, before he comes in.’
Eleanor smiled her thanks and slipped into the adjoining dressing room and out through the servant’s door. Mary hurried across and opened the bedroom door a fraction.
Brown, the elderly butler, stood stiffly outside. ‘His lordship requests that Miss Eleanor join him in the dining-room right away.’
‘Miss Eleanor is too upset to come down. Please convey her apologies to Lord Upminster,’ Mary replied and shut the door firmly in his face. What his lordship’s reaction to the news would be she shuddered to think. She did not have long to wait before she found out.
Leo marched into the room without stopping to knock. ‘How the hell can I apologize if you will not come—’ He stopped suddenly aware he was talking solely to the maid. With an ominous frown he demanded, ‘Well, where is she?’
‘Gone for a ride, your lordship, she said she needed to clear her head,’ Mary replied nervously, bobbing a curtsy. Without another word he turned and, taking the stairs two at a time, headed for the stables.
Meanwhile Eleanor had already reached the stable yard and with the help of a stable boy was placing the saddle upon the back of her horse. Rufus was stamping his hooves and tossing his head, affected by his mistresses’ distress.
‘Please stand still, Rufus darling, or we’re never going to be away in time.’ The saddle safely secure she led the excited horse out of the box. Without waiting for her groom to throw her up she scrambled onto his back. A feat she couldn’t have accomplished if she hadn’t been wearing an invention of her own, a divided skirt. Moments later she was gone, leaving the young man standing open mouthed in the empty stable yard.
Leo ran into the yard hoping to find his errant bride still there. ‘Saddle, Hero,’ he ordered. ‘No forget that! I’ll do it myself.’ Years of saddling up in seconds meant he was astride and off scarcely minutes after Eleanor had left.
Chapter Three
The wind whipped Eleanor’s hair out from under her hat. Ears flat, neck outstretched, Rufus thundered along, his huge hooves dislodging clumps of turf. Oblivious to danger, or decorum, she urged the powerful stallion on; their mad gallop suiting the mood of both.
‘Steady, boy,’ she called, gently reining in; ‘we must meet the next one straight.’ The rapidly approaching, dense, hedge was at least six foot high and easily four foot wide. This was a formidable obstacle for any but the most experienced and skilled of riders. The jump presented no problem to her; the horse responded instantly to the slight check on his reins and gathered himself to jump. She sailed over with inches to spare and continued her ride.
She became aware of the drum of rapidly approaching hoof beats. She glanced over her shoulder knowing already who she would see. She crouched and urged Rufus to go faster. There was no horse or rider on this earth, she believed, that could catch her. To her utter astonishment the long grey nose of Hero appeared at her heel. Then a hand reached out and caught her rein and her headlong ride was over.
Leo leant back hard in the saddle forcing both horses to slow to a more manageable canter. Eleanor, defeated, also sat back and eased her mount to a standstill. She remained, staring straight ahead, waiting for the storm to break over her head.
‘My God, you can ride, Ellie. How much do you want for this horse? He is magnificent.’ He swung smoothly from the saddle and looping his reins over his arm, gave Rufus a resounding slap on his sweat streaked neck.
‘Nothing, he is not the sale.’ she replied laughing, relieved she wasn’t to have a peal rung over her. She joined him on the ground. There she flung her arms around her horse’s neck and by so doing transferred a large portion of mud to her own face. ‘Silly boy. Don’t tread on my toes please.’ She tried to step back but found there was an obstacle preventing her. Aware immediately Leo was blocking her retreat, she froze and turned to face him.
‘Well, little bird; it appears your flight is over.’ His voice slid like silk across her muddy face. He placed a fingertip under her chin and tilted her head. ‘Look at me, Ellie. Surely you’re not afraid?’ He smiled down, his grey eyes alight with laughter. He drew her into his arms and dropped a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
Involuntarily Eleanor leant back against her horse, away from Leo, startled by his unexpected gesture of affection. Rufus stepped forward. The solid wall of horseflesh supporting their weight, being so abruptly removed, the inevitable happened.
She started to fall backwards into the space created by the departure of the horse. Leo, still holding her arms, was unable to prevent her fall but spun them around and braced himself to take the impact. They landed with an inelegant thud on the ground.
‘God’s teeth!’ he swore, as the breath was knocked from his body. ‘Dammed animal! Are you all right, Ellie?’ She struggled to free herself from the tangle of legs and arms they had become. Her flailing limbs were not unnaturally making matters worse. ‘Eleanor, be still.’
She responded immediately to the authority of his voice and was quiet. He sat up taking her with him and then carefully unravelled the full skirt of her riding habit from around his legs.
‘Good girl, now you can stand up.’
Embarrassed, she scrambled to her feet eager to put as much distance between herself and the smiling giant still spread-eagled on the ground. Leo sprung lithely to his feet openly laughing at her discomfiture.
‘How dare you laugh at me? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. If you had behaved like a gentleman none of this would have happened.’
‘Ellie we’re engaged to be wed; it’s permissible for me to kiss you before our nuptials, you know.’
She snatched the reins of her mount from his hand and before he could interfere she had vaulted into the saddle. She glared at her betrothed with dislike. ‘That is possibly the case, Lord Upminster, where affections are involved. It is not in a marriage of convenience. I had thought you a man of your word. Perhaps I was mistaken?’
All sign of amusement vanished instantly from his face at this scathing attack on his honour. He stepped up and placed a restraining hand on the bridle of her horse. His eyes held hers and his words were delivered with the same impact as a slap.
‘This is the second time today that you have insulted me. There will not be a third…do I make myself clear?’
Her bravado melted under the onslaught of his anger. She gulped nervously, her face devoid of colour. ‘Yes, my lord, I apologize.’
‘Very well, I will say no more on the subject.’ He released his hold and whistled to his own mount grazing unconcerned a few yards away. Hero trotted over, ears pricked, eager to return to his stable. Leo sprung into the saddle and, gathering his reins, turned to Eleanor waiting meekly beside him. ‘Come, Eleanor, let us return,’ he said, his tone formal. ‘We are both in need of a change of clothes and some refreshment.’
The ride back was completed in awkward silence. She had no wish to speak to the formidable man riding beside her; she had experienced two severe set-downs already. She waited to be dismounted and then hurried off to the house not wanting to spend a moment longer than she had to in his company.
She had almost re
ached the rear entrance when she realized the small detail of their wedding had not been discussed. She stopped in her tracks, and then hesitated, unwilling to turn back and initiate a conversation on the subject. There was a light footfall behind her.
‘Stop dithering in the doorway, Eleanor.’ His voice held no trace of his former disapproval.
She decided to risk it. ‘My lord, we have to talk.’
‘Yes, certainly, but not here, if you please.’ He placed his hand in the small of her back and ushered her into the house. She attempted to speak again. ‘No, my dear, I refuse to discuss anything in the passageway. Let us repair to the library; we’ll be private in there.’
A footman materialized at the door and opened it for them. Eleanor was, by now, thoroughly unnerved for Leo’s changes of mood were as random as a weathercock. She marched to the furthest end of the room and sat on the window seat. He remained standing, eying her speculatively from his position in the centre of a handsome Indian rug. He raised an interrogative eyebrow and smiled encouragingly.
‘Why do you wish us to be married today?’
His answer was as brief as her question. ‘Until we’re wed we’re virtually penniless and there are pressing bills to be paid.’
‘But why today? I can’t see how a week or two will make much difference.’
He thought for a moment and then nodded. ‘Very well. I have no wish to cause unhappiness. We shall be married in two weeks.’
She could hardly believe her ears; he had capitulated without demure. Two weeks wasn’t long, indeed she would have preferred longer, but at least it would give her time to assemble a trousseau and find a dress fit for such an important occasion.
‘Thank you, my lord. I do understand the urgency of the situation; it’s never comfortable to be in debt. But now I will have time to prepare my bride clothes.’
‘Bride clothes? Good grief, how could I have been so stupid? I had quite forgotten young ladies require to refurbish their wardrobes at such a time. Please forgive me, Ellie, I promise I’ll learn to behave more like a civilian and less like a soldier. Just give me time.’ His smile of apology made him appear younger and less austere.
There was one more point upon which she wished to be put straight. ‘My lord—’ she got no further as he interrupted her.
‘Eleanor, I believe it will be quite acceptable for you to address me by my given name. Even Cousin Leo would do; I’m becoming a little tired of your constant, ‘my lords’.’
‘Very well, my … Leo, I must suppose you had already obtained a special licence to allow us to be wed today. As we’ve now postponed the day, are you intending to invite any of your family?’
‘It had not occurred to me to do so. But no doubt my brother and his insufferable wife would be delighted to attend. Are you sure you wish me to ask them, she is quite impossible you know?’
She giggled at his frank appraisal. ‘I believe a wedding with no guests might look a little odd’
‘I don’t see why, but I bow to your superior knowledge. No doubt Aunt Prudence brought you up to snuff. She might have been an eccentric, but she was always au fait with current fashion and the ways of the haut ton.’ He said this with such distaste Eleanor burst out laughing.
‘Did you never go about in town, Leo? Have you never visited Almack’s and seen the debutantes on parade?’
His shout of laughter startled her. ‘God forbid! I would rather spend an hour having teeth pulled than venture into such a place.’ Their conversation was disturbed by a tentative tap on the door. ‘Come in,’ he snapped, obviously displeased by the interruption.
‘Excuse me, my lord,’ Brown said obsequiously, ‘Will you be requiring any refreshments to be served?’
‘Yes, indeed, thank you. Put something cold out in the yellow drawing-room.’ He turned enquiringly to Eleanor. ‘Will you be ready to eat in twenty minutes, my dear?’
‘Of course, I hadn’t realized how ravenous I was until you mentioned it.’ Brown held open the library door to allow her to pass.
As she reached the exit Leo spoke, his tone still open and friendly. ‘Eleanor, it had not escaped my notice that you ride astride and unaccompanied. You will not do so again. Is that understood?’
She halted; about to make a heated protest but catching the steely glint in his grey eyes refrained from comment.
She took a deep breath and managed a calm, if ambiguous, response. ‘I understand perfectly, Leo. Now pray excuse me, or I shall be late.’
Chapter Four
‘My goodness, miss, whatever’s happened? Did you take a tumble?’ Eleanor’s maid greeted her dishevelled appearance with concern.
‘Yes, but not from Rufus, I slipped in the mud when dismounting. Only my habit has suffered, I assure you.’
Eleanor heard Mary muttering something about ‘ruining good clothes and skylarking about’ as she sank gratefully under the steaming, scented water of her bath.
She lay back, preferring to submerge her shoulders and have her knees above the water, it being impossible to stretch out in the hip-bath prepared for her in the dressing-room. She would ask Leo to install a bathing room when they were wed, that’s if he thought to ask what she wanted for a bride gift.
Reluctantly she stepped out and allowed Mary to envelop her in a warm bath sheet. ‘Lord Upminster and I are to be married two weeks today. Will we be able to make up sufficient new gowns and undergarments by then?’
‘Lawks, Miss Ellie! I know you’re a marvel with the shears and needle, but a whole trousseau in two weeks? We’ll never do it on our own!’
Eleanor laughed as she dried herself briskly. ‘I know that. I thought I would employ some women from the village and also get the help of any housemaids who can sew.’ She quickly donned her clean white undergarments; glad the new fashion no longer necessitated that a girl as slim as she wore a restricting corset. The high-waisted, loosely flowing lines of the current fashion admirably suited her tall, slender build. The pale green, sprigged- muslin worn over an underskirt of yellow silk was a fine example of a gown she had cut and made herself.
The pictures displayed in such publications as La Belle Assemblée had always been sufficient inspiration for her to cut and make what she needed, and to remain in the forefront of the present mode. In a gown that matched the green of her eyes she hurried out of the room, unwilling to miss a meal for the second time in as many hours.
The food had been set out on small tables, as instructed, in the yellow drawing room. This was the room both her aunt and Eleanor preferred to use when they had no guests. In spite of her rush, Leo was there before her.
‘At last; I don’t think I could have lasted another minute without sustenance.’ The rebuke was spoken teasingly and she couldn’t take offence.
‘I must apologise, my … Leo, it’s always so hard to leave the comfort of one’s bath.’ She stopped, appalled, her face crimson. How could she have been so immodest as to mention her bath? Nobly he kept his face straight and refrained from commenting.
‘I have been thinking about your trousseau. Even I know enough to realize fashionable gowns and fripperies don’t come cheap.’
Eleanor interrupted him, glad for once she could have something to say that would please him. ‘Do you mean a gown like this, Leo?’ She spun round allowing the daffodil yellow under-slip to show beneath the green.
‘Indeed I do. It’s a beautiful confection, Ellie, and must have cost your Aunt Prudence a small fortune.’
Eleanor crowed with delight. ‘You are wrong! This dress cost almost nothing, I made it myself.’
If she had announced she was a devil worshiper he could not have been more astonished. ‘I don’t understand. My...’ Leo hesitated, considering it indelicate to mention the name of his most recent ladybird in front of his betrothed. ‘My brother has often repined the cost of keeping his wife at the pinnacle of fashion is bankrupting him. Why does Sophia not make her own clothes and save them a fortune?’
She shook her head,
his ignorance of matters female not surprising her in the least. ‘I am an exception, Leo; there are few women of rank who would have the skill, or the inclination, to do as I’ve done.’ Relaxed in his company for the first time, she led the way over to the enticing spread. ‘Shall we eat as we talk? It looks delicious and I for one could eat a bear.’
He chuckled at her unladylike expression. ‘Minx,’ he said affectionately, ‘be seated and I’ll bring you a plate.’
Eventually replete she dropped her cutlery noisily. ‘I couldn’t eat another morsel. I do hope Brown has the sense to delay dinner; it’s almost three now and I’m certain I’ll be unable to contemplate further food a moment earlier than eight o’clock.’
Leo finished his last forkful of game pie before replying. ‘I admit Brown is somewhat stiff and formal but he’s neither unobservant, nor a fool. I’m sure when he sees what inroads we’ve made; he’ll draw his own conclusions and ask Cook to make the necessary adjustments in the kitchen.’ He pushed his empty plate away, stood up and offered his hand to Eleanor. ‘Come Ellie, shall we sit by the fire? You can reveal to me the secrets of a top modiste.’
She declined to take his outstretched hand; she didn’t like the strange sensation such contact aroused. ‘There are no secrets my… Leo.’ She was finding it hard to use his given name. ‘I discovered in India that I had a talent for design and dressmaking. Material is inexpensive and plentiful out there and Aunt Prudence and I spent weeks wandering in and out of bazaars buying silks, cottons, muslins and all the threads, braid and ribbons to complement them.’ She glanced across to check that her long speech on so feminine a subject had not sent him to sleep.
He smiled encouragement. ‘Go on, I am absolutely riveted.’
A Marriage of Convenience Page 2