Regency Belles & Beaux

by Michele McGrath

  “Have you had news?”

  He nodded and took her hand. “I’m sorry it has come to this.”

  “Must you go? There are so many soldiers, surely they don’t need you.”

  “My dear, I have to. I would never forgive myself if I did not. Mason writes that the regiment is short of officers and begs me to set off at once. Lots of people sold out when the wars ended and not all have returned to the colours. I can join them near to Brussels but I must go now. Otherwise I could be stopped at the border.”

  Alice rose. “Then we must tell the family that we are leaving and start to pack.”

  Edward caught her hand. “Darling, stop. I would prefer it if you and Grace would stay here until I return. Then I’ll escort you back to London. Who knows what’s going to happen in the coming days? You’re safe here with your aunt and uncle. No one will harm you. The road into Switzerland and through to Brussels can be treacherous if the weather changes. It’s a long a tiring journey at any time and we don’t know what is happening in the Low Countries. When armies are on the march, it’s dangerous for women to be anywhere nearby.”

  Alice looked at him steadily. “All that you say is true, but I am still leaving with you. If you don’t take me, I’ll follow you. If you are going to war, I realise I can’t go onto the battlefield with you, but let me stay for as long as possible. Don’t deny me this, please. These may be the last days we ever spend together.”

  “You aren’t afraid?”

  “If I’m with you, no, I’m not. You knew when you married me that I wasn’t a coward.”

  He smiled. “Then don’t complain when you are sore from the bumping of the carriage.”

  “You’re taking the carriage? If you do, it’s certain to be noticed. It has your arms on the panel.”

  “Originally I intended to ride and leave the coach here for you.”

  “Why not do so then? On horseback, we’ll be able to travel faster, especially at the rate Old Trevor drives. You told me about Juana Smith riding with the troops in Spain. What she can do, I can do.” Thank goodness, I’m not with child, Alice thought. I was so disappointed when I found out, but now it’s a great blessing. I could not have gone with him otherwise.

  “What about all your luggage and kickshaws?”

  “I sent most of them back to England with Bennett. Grace can take the rest home.”

  Grace, however, did not immediately approve of this plan when Alice broke the news to her.

  “I’m English too, so I should leave as soon as possible. I don’t want to be detained here, although I like your people very much and this is a lovely place. Let me come with you, please.”

  “Can you ride at speed?” Edward asked her. “The roads are likely to be rough and we will need to hurry.” At this she hesitated.

  “I used to ride, but my father only kept one horse and she was old and slow.”

  “Riding around the villages in England is different than following steep tracks through the mountains. Alice is a good rider, but even she is likely to have some difficulty. If I’m to be in time to join the regiment before it fights, I can’t wait for you. I’m sorry but I think you would be better off going home in the coach with Trevor.”

  “Won’t Grace be at risk if she does?” Alice asked.

  “She’s a woman and Trevor is not of military age. They will be safe enough if they start tomorrow and keep up a steady pace; they should reach the Channel before anyone tries to stop them. Once across, Grace can go to our house and wait for our return.”

  “I’m sorry, Grace, but I agree with Edward,” Alice said, closing the discussion as Grace reluctantly nodded.

  They went together to tell their hosts. Tante Françoise was alarmed at the thought of her niece riding through the mountains all the way to the Low Countries but Alice reassured her.

  “It’s only a matter of time before they intern people like me,” Edward explained. “I’m surprised that the orders haven’t gone out already to detain anyone who is still in the country.”

  “You have no passports,” Oncle Richard reminded him, “but the border is rarely patrolled at night. With luck, you may slip through. If you can’t, return here and I will find you a guide to take you by the mountain paths. I’ll lend you horses but I would ask you to send them back to us when you find a change. Jean can go with you over the first stage to Chambéry and bring them home.”

  “Thank you.”

  It was arranged that the pair would leave with Benson and the groom, Jean, early next morning and hope to be in Chambéry that night. Their luggage was packed up and loaded onto the coach. Grace and Trevor would start the journey to England as soon as possible.

  “For now, you must take what you need in saddlebags because a pack animal would slow you down,” Oncle Richard advised the riders. “You cross into Switzerland a few leagues from Geneva and you should have no difficulty travelling onwards from there to the western border. Beyond Switzerland I can’t tell you. I have never travelled any further.”

  Both parties started out the next morning as dawn was breaking over the Chartreuse massif. Alice and Edward waved their farewells to Grace and the family gathered to see them leave and say goodbye. They mounted their horses and followed Jean towards the valley leading north. The air was crisp; it was a fine day for riding. Several hours later, though, Alice had changed her mind. As Edward had predicted, she was saddle-sore. Although she had hunted regularly at Kirkmore and ridden in London, it was months since she been in the saddle for such a long time. Pride, however, made her hold herself up and say she was not tired, when Edward asked her how she did. Nevertheless, he knew her well enough to realise that she was uncomfortable, so he called a halt for the night at Montmélian, a few leagues short of Chambéry. They ate a quick meal and went straight to bed. Alice fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow, she was so weary.

  Next morning, she felt as if she had been beaten as she hobbled down to the coffee room to break her fast. They were just finishing when there was a sound of horses’ hooves outside the inn. Edward’s face froze and his hand clenched.

  “Do you think they have come to arrest us?” Alice asked him in a whisper.

  “Perhaps.”

  The door opened and Benson entered.

  “This man is asking for you, sir.”

  He stood aside to let a young man, dressed as a farm labourer into the room.

  “Milor’ Maitland?” Edward smiled at the title but nodded gravely.

  “Monsieur Debord sent me with this package for you. I have been riding all night, hoping to find you as soon as possible.”

  “Then you must be exhausted!” Alice said rising to her feet and pushing the young man into her chair. “Eat and sleep before you go back.”

  She asked Benson to find the landlord. When he arrived, she ordered more bread and cheese and to have a bed made up. The young man told them his name was André and he worked in her uncle’s vineyard. He protested and told her he must return home but she insisted that he rest before he attempted to ride any further.

  “If you aren’t tired, your horse will be,” she said tartly, clinching the argument.

  While André was eating, she looked over to her husband’s shoulder as he opened the packet and read its contents.

  “What is it? It must be important for Oncle to send it after us,” she asked in a low voice.

  “A letter from your brother enclosing these.” He held three pieces of paper out to her.

  She scanned them. “Passports?”

  “Sealed with the imperial seal no less and instructing the authorities to render all assistance while we are in French territory. I wonder where he got them from?”

  “Are they forged?”

  “The seals look authentic but it is surprising that no one has raised difficulties to my leaving. However, with these, we may travel in more comfort on the main routes. I will hire a post chaise once we get to Chambéry unless you prefer to ride the whole way?” He grinned at her
and she laughed.

  They said goodbye to Jean at Chambéry and sent him back with their horses to Grenoble. He intended to rejoin André at Montmélian so they could ride home together. Alice breathed a sigh of relief when she sank backing into the cushions of the coach. It was so good not to be on horseback or to keep up her pretence.

  “What are you thinking about so deeply?”

  “That I must ride every day whenever I can. The journey from Grenoble was more difficult than it should have been and I did not want to slow you up.”

  “You didn’t, but I thought I might have to leave you here to follow me or even to send you back.”

  “I won’t make that mistake from now on. What is the news?”

  Edward had bought one of the broadsheets in Chambéry and had been trying to read it despite the bouncing of the coach.

  “Bonaparte is calling up his army as I expected. He’s been making various speeches to them about ‘defending the borders of France’ if his efforts to make peace fail, as they no doubt will. I don’t envy Philip’s mentor, Caulaincourt, his work; it’s a hopeless cause. The allies won’t accept Bonaparte as leader of France again. They declared him an outlaw at Vienna and now their troops are almost at the border. This article says that Wellington is south west of Brussels while the Prussians are to the south east, but whether that is true or not is debatable.”

  “Will you seek him there; Wellington I mean?”

  “We’ll go to Brussels first. Someone there should be able to tell us where the army is. I’ll find a lodging for you and a couple of swift horses, in case you need to leave for the coast in a hurry.”

  “You don’t think Wellington will be defeated, do you?”

  “Who knows? He’s never fought Bonaparte in person and the Emperor, for all I detest the man, is a genius at war.”

  “And what will you do, if the army is defeated?”

  “If I can come to you I will, but you must not wait for me. I’ll try to send Benson with a message if the day is going badly. Promise me that, if you receive it, you will leave Brussels at once?”

  “Must I?”

  “I have never been in a battle with someone I love nearby. I can’t fight, if I am distracted by the fear of something happening to you. Promise me?”

  “I don’t want you to fight. I don’t want you to be killed.”

  “My dear, you knew I was a soldier when you married me.”

  “But you had sold out.”

  “If I hadn’t, would you still have married me? A soldier’s wife knows that at any moment he might be sent off to anywhere in the world.”

  “I would have married you if you were on your way to China the next day!”

  Edward laughed. “Then, my darling, you have only yourself to blame. A soldier needs his wits about him in a battle. He can’t think about anything but his orders and the survival of himself and his troops. A minute’s inattention has killed better men than me. If you truly love me, promise me that you will leave Brussels the moment you receive my message.”

  He took her in his arms and held her close. Reluctantly she whispered the words he wanted to hear,

  “I promise.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  It proved easier than expected for Philip to obtain the passports he needed. His section of the bureau was sent information from the Police listing the individuals who should be detained in France. He took it home with him and rewrote it, removing Edward’s name. Another list provided the names of those who were permitted to leave the country. He added Edward’s name at the bottom. Then he wrote out the permits. He brought the finished documents to MacDonald, who looked them over, only asking a few questions about the men. When he reached Edward, Philip said to him,

  “Edward Maitland is an old man who is desperate to go home. He’s ill and wants to die in his own country.”

  MacDonald simply nodded and said, “Poor fellow.” Then he handed everything back to Philip and said, “Send them. Let’s get rid of these people as quickly as possible.”

  That evening, Philip went to Victor’s lodgings. He gave him the package containing the passports and asked him to make sure that they were delivered to his father.

  “So you’ve decided what to do then?”

  “Alice helped me when I rescued Celia from Staunton. If I allowed Edward to be imprisoned, it would be a scurvy trick to play on her, in return for what she did for me. Edward may not be accepted back into the army and even if he is, I can’t see that one man, more or less, makes a difference. I decided that family is more important than politics.”

  “Which shows that you aren’t really a Frenchman at heart, mon ami. In this country, nothing is more important than politics! Yet I liked Edward and wish him well.”

  “Can I trust you, or would you prefer not be part of this deception?”

  “Of course you can trust me. I may be French but I, too, care about our family and as you say, Edward is only one man among a multitude.”

  Philip went back to his translations and to fencing with Marco when he was free from his duties. It was a life where he had little leisure time and he was rarely at his lodgings, except to sleep. Around him the clouds of war were gathering. Troops were drilling in the Champs de Mars and in other open areas of the city. Military and civilian uniforms were everywhere, although not all the imperial ministers and marshals had resumed their duties. The Moniteur carried stirring speeches, but the cheers that had greeted the Emperor’s return were largely absent in the weeks that followed. Reality had returned and the people faced an uncertain future. There was an uneasy feeling in the streets and the talk in the taverns was subdued. One evening Philip found a note waiting for him at his apartment.

  “An Englishman brought it, Monsieur, the coachman who served your sister,” Agathe told him. Philip frowned and broke open the seal. If a servant had returned, what had happened to the rest of the party? Agathe was watching him closely and saw his frown vanish.

  “Not bad news, I hope?” she murmured.

  “On the contrary, very good news, but it means I must go out again.”

  “What about your supper? It’s your favourite pie.”

  “You eat it or take it home to your family. Don’t wait for me, I may be late.” He caught up his cloak and hat and did not see the pained expression on Agathe’s face as he left. When he reached the hotel where his sister had stayed, he was warmly greeted by the manager who remembered the open handedness of her party.

  “Bien sur, Monsieur. Miss Talbot is in her room, for the hour is somewhat late. Shall I send up your card?”

  “Please do.”

  Grace did not keep him waiting many minutes and as soon as he walked into the salon her face lit up. She rose and held out her hand which he kissed rather than shook in the English fashion. As he straightened, he found himself very close to her. She was looking up at him and smiling, so it was the most natural thing in the world for him to lean down and kiss her lips. He felt a tremor run through her body but she did not push him away, instead her hand slipped over his shoulder and stroked his neck. It was some little time later that they sat together on the couch before the fire, holding hands and talking.

  “Grace?”

  “Yes?”

  “You know my circumstances and the awkwardness of my situation. Nevertheless, if I can extricate myself, will you marry me?”

  Grace held herself still. She wanted to shout out ‘yes’ so the whole world might hear but she did not. Instead she murmured,

  “Why are you asking me, Philip? You told me once how much you loved Celia and it was her name you called out when you were ill.”

  “Celia was a callow youth’s dream. She was beautiful in my eyes and I longed to protect her from all the winds that blew. I never even managed to protect her from her husband. You don’t forget your first love, do you? I had to rescue her when she fell into difficulties or I would not have forgiven myself. Those months we lived here were unhappy. She was ill and fretful and she did not try to h
elp herself either. No matter what I did to try and give her thoughts a new direction, she did not respond to me. She believed that she didn’t deserve to be happy again. She was too deeply wounded, no longer the girl she had been before her marriage. I would never have left her but, although I grieve for her, I must confess that her death came as somewhat of a relief. If her father had allowed me to marry her when I asked him for her hand, I would have counted myself the luckiest man on earth. Lately though, I have often wondered how we would have dealt together as we grew older and met with life’s difficulties. She was timid and what spirit she had was easily overset. The slightest setback caused her to break into tears.” He stopped suddenly. “What a cad I am to talk about her like this!”

  “I’m glad that you told me and that you helped her, but if we marry, she will always come between us.”

  “No she won’t. As the days pass, I am finding it more difficult to recall her face. Celia could not have stood up to the turmoil you have known in your life. I loved her, and in some ways, I still do, but my feelings for you are different. Respect and admiration as well as love. With you I can be myself, I don’t have to be strong all the time or to act a part. I can’t say I come to you as a stripling, but I offer you a man’s love and I wouldn’t let you down.”

  “I don’t think you would, but there are other reasons why we should not marry. Your mother would not like it. She is expecting you to make a great match and I have neither your rank nor any fortune.”