The Scandalous Saga of the White Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Hanna Hamilton

  Anna lowered her gaze. “And you, Harry? How are you doing these days?”

  “I am fine,” he said, not very convincingly. “I expect you must have heard about the incident with the cattle. I did not have time to tell you before we left for Winchester.”

  “I did. Percy has been visiting regularly and he was quite candid about his father’s hand in the incident. He feels very badly for you. He has taken some of the shame upon himself, even though it was all his father’s doing.”

  “I noticed that. And he is my friend and I will try to relieve his guilt, if I can.”

  “Harry…” Anna said very quietly and looked away. “I have concerns…”

  “About?”

  “Percy. I have not been able to forget the advice you gave me about him and his father. I fear you are correct and, even though I have had a deep affection for Percy for some time, I find his attentions to me may not be sincere.”

  Harry’s heart leapt at her statement. And hope rose in him once again. “Has he said anything that might give him away?”

  “Not in words exactly, but I can tell his words are rehearsed and they fall like tin coins and do not ring true.”

  Harry did not want to insert himself into her relationship with Percy and said very simply in Percy’s defense, “I know he has been under a great deal of stress with his father and the terrible economic conditions under which the family is suffering. And I know because you care for him, you are able to give him some leeway.”

  That gave Anna pause for thought and she lowered her eyes and folded her hands in her lap.

  At that moment Maria returned, dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief. “I am sorry to run out like that. But, as my friend, I felt he needed some consolation.”

  “Is he all right?” Anna asked.

  “I think he is sad,” she addressed her brother, “He feels so badly about your cattle, Harry. He is embarrassed and feels helpless that he cannot make good on the harm his father has done you.”

  “He knows I do not hold his father’s deed against him,” Harry answered.

  “Nonetheless, it has hurt him more than he can admit even to himself.”

  “I shall speak to him soon. He is resilient and will be his old self before you know it.”

  Maria returned her attention to Anna. “Dorothy seems to be very happy with the trip.”

  Anna laughed. “She never lets up. I certainly hope the family is respectable, for I fear how Dorothy might react if the family was found wanting and she could not marry Christopher. She truly is very attached to him.”

  “But will she make a good wife? I am certain they will be sizing her up as well.”

  Anna raised an eyebrow. “Excellent point. I have been focused on how we will evaluate them and never thought about the reverse.”

  “Dorothy is young. She will mature and be an excellent wife, I believe,” Maria said. “Now I think it is time we go. How long will you be gone?”

  “At least three weeks, but it could be more. It seems Mr. Christopher has plans for us to go to the seaside, which would be lovely. You know I have never seen the sea and I think it will be quite a jolly adventure.”

  Maria gave Anna a kiss on the cheek. “Then we shall leave you to your preparations.”

  “And if there is any way we can assist you while you are gone, please let us know,” Harry added.

  Chapter 30

  Dorothy was beside herself with excitement as the day arrived for the trip to Dorset. It had been a struggle for Anna to keep her sister in check leading up to the day of departure. Their sojourn to the solicitor’s had been trying for Dorothy. As she had prophesied, she was bored, inattentive, and restless.

  But the day was here, and she was dressed, packed, and ready to head out the door even before breakfast was served.

  It was to be a two-day trip and Anna had arranged for them to stay overnight at a friend of their father’s near Amesbury.

  “Who are these strangers we shall be staying with?” Dorothy asked, soon after the carriage left their estate. “Are they dull friends of father’s who shall bore us with endless talk of India, or even worse, regale us with daughters with spots, playing haplessly on the pianoforte after dinner?”

  Anna laughed. “I have no idea, my dear. But it is certainly better than staying in a squalid wayside inn.”

  “Oh, I do not know about that.” Dorothy laughed. “Perhaps a handsome gentleman might make himself known to you and sweep you off your feet and take you to his castle.”

  “You read far too many trashy novels, dear Sister.”

  Dorothy was so happy to be on her way to Christopher, she did not mind the journey and even spent a pleasant evening at their host’s house that evening.

  But by later in the second day, as they closed in on their final destination, Dorothy could barely contain herself, and was peering out the carriage window every five minutes trying to catch sight of the Stewart estate.

  “There, there!” she shouted as they rounded a bend and could see the house rising up before them. She clapped her hands and bounced in her seat.

  At last, the carriage came to a halt in front of the Stewart estate entrance and Christopher was already waiting for them along with his mother and father and a number of footmen ready to retrieve their luggage.

  Christopher flung open the door and shouted, “Dorothy, you made it!”

  She flung herself into his arms and he twirled her in a circle as Anna alighted from the carriage and was greeted by Christopher’s mother and father.

  “Theodore Stewart,” a robust looking gentleman with a ruddy bald pate and flyaway hair introduced himself while shaking her hand. “And this is my charming wife, and Christopher’s mother, Claribel.”

  The mother was plump, red-faced but with a happy demeanor. “And you must be the sister, Anna.”

  “I am. What a pleasure to be here and to meet you all.”

  At that point the other children came down the steps. “And this is our other son, Thomas, and our two daughters, Louisa and Florence.”

  The young fifteen-year-old Thomas bowed, and the two slightly older sisters curtsied.

  Christopher introduced Dorothy to his family and they went into the house followed by the servants with the luggage.

  Florence directed the footmen where to take the luggage. Christopher had moved aside with Dorothy and they were smiling, chatting, and holding hands, totally removed from the rest of the activity going on around them.

  “You must be parched after your long journey. Might we offer some refreshment? Supper will not be served until seven and regular tea is at four.” Theodore said to Anna. “But cook has just made up a batch of lemonade that our children love so much. Would you like to try that?”

  “I would,” Anna said, “But I should like to freshen up first. The last few miles were very dusty.”

  Theodore laughed. “Yes. Those are the estate’s roads and I have not kept them up as I should have. We have not had any rain for quite a spell.” He turned to his wife who had just returned and asked, “Which room for Miss Anna, dear?”

  “She is to be in the blue room and Dorothy is in the yellow.” She asked Anna, “Has my husband offered you tea or something?”

  “He kindly has. But I have requested to freshen up first.”

  “Of course, dear. Let me direct you.” She laced her arm with Anna’s and led her up the stairs and to her bedroom.

  Anna glanced back, seeing that Dorothy and Christopher had already disappeared and were no doubt catching up on the time that had separated them.

  Louisa and Florence joined them as they headed to the bedroom.

  “You are very pretty,” the young Louisa said. “Are you married?”

  Anna smiled. “No, dear, I am not. As you can see from my dress I am in mourning, as our father died recently, and I may not consider marriage for a time.” With that question, Anna could not help but think first of her dear friend Harry and her suitor, Percy. Neither were ever very fa
r from her thoughts as she found she had feelings for each man.

  “Does that mean Dorothy may not marry yet either?” Florence asked.

  “Yes. It does. But it will not be long.”

  “Girls, let Miss Anna be. She is tired from her journey. Let us give her a little time to refresh herself and then we can all meet for tea later.”

  “Yes, Mamma,” Louisa said, and the sisters scampered off.

  Claribel showed Anna her room and left her with, “Cheery-bye. Come down when you are ready.”

  Anna immediately collapsed into a comfortable looking chair, but almost immediately there was a knock at the door and a chambermaid entered.

  “I brought you your lemonade and might I unpack your luggage for you, Miss?” she asked as she handed the cold glass to Anna.

  “Oh, yes, please. That would be lovely.”

  The maid busied herself with the unpacking, while Anna went to the window and looked out over a series of rolling hills in the distance. Directly below the window a rather straggly garden presented itself. It was clear the family did not find a pleasure garden to be important, for there were a number of farm machines lying about and a large part of the old formal garden had been converted into a thriving vegetable garden.

  Anna turned to examine the room. It had not been painted in quite some time and the room looked a little shabby, but clean.

  “Is there anything else I can do for you, Miss?” the maid asked when she had finished her task.

  “No. Thank you,” she said, and the maid left.

  Anna sighed. These seemed like nice people. They were not of the nobility and kept a much more casual house than she was accustomed to. She wondered how Dorothy would react to her fiancé’s family.

  Now that she was unpacked, she went to a table where there was a basin and a pitcher of water which she poured, and wetting a cloth, washed the dirt of the road off her hands and face. She felt a great deal better and was ready to rejoin the family.

  Louisa skipped ahead of Christopher and Dorothy as they walked arm in arm along the stone wall where a wild abundance of field flowers and tall grasses grew.

  “This is our largest field and here we keep the sheep and some cattle,” Christopher said pointing.

  Dorothy was not that interested in the details of the farm and she diverted the conversation by saying, “Your parents are very pleasant—and your brother and sisters. I like them very much. Do you think they like me?”

  “How could they not—a lovely lady as charming as you?” He leaned toward her and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

  She smiled at him but broke free from his arm and ran ahead, turning several times with her arms outstretched, in her happiness at finally being with Christopher again.

  “When are we going to set a date?” he asked as he loped after her and finally caught up.

  “I think we will need to discuss that with your parents and Anna. She has set herself up as the authority on the required period of mourning. I would marry you this very minute if I could… but…”

  “I know. My parents have questions too. We will sit down together quite soon, but for now I just want to enjoy seeing you again.” He took hold of her shoulders and kissed her on the lips.

  “Oh, Christopher, I want us to be married right now,” she said petulantly.

  “But as that is not possible, let us enjoy the anticipation.”

  They had come to the end of the wall and field. “Shall we head back? I think it is almost tea time.” He turned to look for Louisa. She was examining a fallen bird’s nest.

  “Chris, can you help me put this back in the tree?” Christopher went over to her. “Look there are three unbroken eggs in it.” She handed the nest to him.

  “I do not know. It is my understanding that if the nest falls, it is abandoned by the parents.”

  “That is harsh,” Louisa said. “But let us put it back anyway. Perhaps the parents will not have noticed.”

  Christopher reached as high as he could and placed the nest in the safest and most secure spot.

  “There.”

  “I will come back tomorrow,” Louisa said, “And see if it is still there.”

  They started back. From this distance the house could clearly be seen as a whole and Dorothy studied it.

  “Perhaps I should not say this, but your house looks like it needs a lot of repairs.”

  Christopher was a little embarrassed. “Yes, I am afraid it does.” He hesitated a moment but added. “I was hoping that once we are married we might be able to start repairs and improvements.”

  “But why wait until we are married? Why not do it now?” Dorothy asked. “It would certainly be better for us to come, as a married couple, to a nicely refurbished house.”

  “Well…” He could not meet her eyes. “We do not have the money at the moment. And to be honest… father is not the best steward of the house. He puts his whole attention on the farm.”

  “Then how will you have the money after we marry?”

  He looked at her strangely. “We shall be married, and there will be the dowry.”

  Dorothy was momentarily taken aback. “You will use our money for your family’s house?”

  “Our house, Dorothy. It will be our house one day. I am the heir. I thought you understood that.”

  For the first time since they had met, Dorothy struggled with doubt. She had never once thought that he might be considering marrying her for her dowry. But that could not be, for she was the one who had indirectly asked him to marry her. He did not know she was to be wealthy when he agreed they should marry and that calmed her thoughts.

  “It must be tea time,” Louisa said, and she ran ahead. Christopher took Dorothy’s hand and they followed after her.

  Chapter 31

  Harry was at the gate to his largest field when Roger Dillon drove up in his wagon with the new cattle.

  “You made it,” Harry called out. “Safe journey?”

  “Good weather and no incidents,” Roger said as he jumped down from the driver’s seat.

  The men shook hands.

  “It is good to see you again so soon. Let us get these beauties into the field and then come to the house. Lunch will be served shortly, and I know one person who has anxiously been awaiting your visit,” Harry said with a sly smile.

  “As have I.”

  They lowered a ramp from the back of the wagon and led the cattle into the field. When done, they leaned against the fence to see how the new cattle might interact with the herd. But there appeared to be no complications, so they drove the wagon to the barn and went to the house.

  Daniels showed Roger to his room as Harry went to his study where he said he would wait for Roger to return. But no sooner did he enter, then Maria showed up at his door.

  “Did the new cattle arrive safely?” she asked, lingering at the door.

  “They did, but Roger could not make it and sent his brother instead,” Harry said straight-faced.

  Maria appeared to be devastated. “Oh… really?”

  Harry laughed. “No, not at all. I sent Roger to his room to refresh himself and he should be down any moment.”

  Maria let out a sigh. “Oh, you are wicked, Harry Buxton! How you tease me.”

  “Harmless fun.”

  “Hello,” Roger said, as he came up behind Maria. She wheeled around to face him. “It is a great pleasure to see you again.”

  “And you,” Maria said. He offered her his hand and she took it, but they did not let go right away.

  She lowered her eyes and blushed, as she finally withdrew her hand. “How long can you stay?”

  Roger gave a quick look at Harry. “I am not in a rush to return, but I do not want to impose.”

  Harry said, “You are welcome to stay as long as you like. Do you fish? We have a wonderful trout stream if you care to join me.”

  “I should like that. I have never fished before but am willing to give it a try.”

  “And I thought, after lunch,
I might show you around Creassey.” Maria offered. “We could ride out to see the whole area or walk the lovely paths we have through the forest.”

  “Whatever pleases you, Miss Maria. I would be happy to accompany you wherever you might suggest.”

  Maria was flush with excitement as she and Roger left the house after lunch.

  “What would suit you, Roger?” Maria asked, “Do you prefer to ride, or shall we walk?”