Lord Atherton's Ward

by Fenella Miller

  Sarah relaxed. Of course, he couldn’t risk being accused of compromising her, then he would have to make her an offer; that wouldn’t suit him at all. She pushed herself away from the wall and walked unsteadily to the window seat. Thankfully she collapsed on to it, she was feeling decidedly peculiar. Maybe if she rested she would feel more the thing in a moment.

  * * * *

  Perry heard the knock and braced himself for another unwanted interruption. He was going mad with boredom cooped up inside and had been practising getting about on his crutches so that as soon as he knew Sarah was downstairs he could go and see her. Being told by Dickon how wonderful the grounds were, how enchanting Jane was, did nothing for his temper.

  His jaw dropped when he saw who was standing there, her dear face marked by a hideous bruise and a zigzag of stitches across her brow. His shock at her appearance had made him snarl her at her when he ached to gather her close and tell her how much he loved her.

  Hastily explaining why she couldn’t enter he saw her smile of comprehension. She was so pale, he was certain she had lost weight. Now reasonably adept on his crutches he swung across the room, pausing at the exit. There was a window seat at the far end, she would have gone to sit on that.

  To his consternation he saw she had swooned, was lying stretched out with eyes closed and, if he was not very much mistaken her ankles bare. He ought to send for help, but something made him hesitate. He crossed the few yards to join her. Propping his crutches against the window frame he dropped to his knees. Taking her cold hands he chafed them within his own.

  ‘Sarah, sweetheart, wake up. You must go back to your chambers, you are not well enough to be wandering about the house on your own.’ Her eyes flickered open and her lips curved. His heart missed a beat.

  ‘Lord Atherton, how did you get here? I came to give you my thanks. If you and your friend had not arrived when you did, I would have perished.’ Her eyes closed once more. He saw it was an effort for her to push them up again. ‘I am so very tired; I hadn’t realised it would be so exhausting coming to see you.’

  Her hand was still resting trustingly in his as she fell asleep. He checked her pulse, it was even and her cheeks warm. It was merely overexertion, not illness. He cursed the fact that his feet were not strong enough for him to carry her back to her room. He would have to summon help. But first there was something he could not resist doing. Using his arms for support, he bent forward and gently brushed his lips across her mouth. Her lips tasted sweet, he inhaled deeply, loving her unique perfume that was his beloved.

  Reluctantly he reached for his crutches and returned rapidly to his chamber. It wouldn’t do for him to be found at her side. He reached the bell strap tugging it violently. To his astonishment it detached itself from the ceiling and he was covered with plaster and dust.

  Coughing and choking, he hopped back to stand in doorway, brushing his shirt down ineffectually.

  * * * *

  Sarah knew he was watching her. It had taken all her resolve to remain still whilst he kissed her lips. She didn’t know why he had done so, but wasn’t sorry that he had. She risked a peep from behind her long lashes. He was leaning in the door frame, in his shirt sleeves and britches, with his dark hair curling on his collar, he had a piratical look.

  Her eyes flew open. Her mouth gaped. Before she could prevent herself she was sitting up, quite obviously wide awake. ‘Good grief! Lord Atherton you are covered in plaster.’

  Chapter Eight

  Lord Atherton’s eyes blazed with something Sarah didn’t recognize. Then it was gone and he grinned making him look years younger. ‘How observant of you, my dear girl, I should not have noticed if you haven’t pointed it out to me.’ She had no time to answer as his valet appeared in answer to the summons. ‘Fetch Miss Ellison’s maid. She has overtaxed herself and needs to return to her room. Also inform Foster that my ceiling is in need of repair.’

  Sarah was laughing openly by this time. His poor man looked totally bemused, but nodded and hurried back down the passageway leaving her alone with a man she was beginning to find decidedly unsettling. She had no difficulty when he was roaring at her, it was when he was smiling her toes curled up in her slippers.

  ‘I am feeling perfectly recovered, Lord Atherton. I have no intention of sitting here like a ninny hammer waiting to be escorted like an old lady back to my chamber.’ To prove a point she rose gracefully, shook out her dress, curtsied without overbalancing, and smiled triumphantly.‘There, as you can see I’m quite capable of returning without assistance.’ She was relieved he made no attempt to leave his position in the doorway.

  ‘Are you not going to enquire if I have been injured before you disappear?’

  ‘It is obvious that you have not. It is a pity one cannot say the same for your ceiling.’

  She could hear him chuckling as she retreated. When Mary arrived she was safely ensconced on the day bed innocently reading a magazine.

  ‘Miss Ellison, whatever next! You should not have ventured out without me.’

  ‘As you can see I came to no harm. However, I think I should like to return to my bed after all the excitement. I was merely resting in the window seat before returning and Lord Atherton assumed I was unwell.’

  * * * *

  Sarah, two days later, declared herself ready to rejoin the house party. She knew that Lord Atherton, like herself, had had his stitches removed and was now able to wear his boots. He was already up and about and she was not to be denied this time.

  ‘Jane, I am going down to break my fast whether you are coming or not.’ She looked in exasperation at her sister who was still fussing with her appearance. She knew the reason, although it had been denied vehemently, Jane wished to impress Lord Mainwaring. She was certain she had dressed with no more care than she usually did.

  ‘There, I am ready now. Shall I take your arm?’

  ‘I’m not in my dotage. If you are ready at last, let us go.’

  Several of the servants greeted her warmly and she was obliged to stop and chat a few moments with each. It was Jane who was impatient now. She felt no urgency herself, after all Atherton was not interested in her and he was far too dictatorial her taste. But if he was to pursue her, would she consider his offer?

  She felt her cheeks colour as she remembered his lips on hers. His stolen kiss had been most enjoyable, but as her mother had explained to her when she had fancied herself in love several years ago, physical attraction was not the same as a true love which would last a lifetime. What she felt her him was the former; she couldn’t possibly be in love with a man who was the opposite of everything she wanted in the man she would eventually marry.

  The breakfast parlour was at the rear of the house overlooking the rose garden. There was a tempting array of food to choose from and Sarah helped herself to a little of everything. Having been without appetite for over a week she knew she needed to eat well if she was going to regain her strength. She noticed Jane took a small spoonful of field mushrooms and some toasted bread, far less than was her usual plateful.

  She was halfway through her meal when the door opened and Lord Mainwaring strolled in. He stopped and smiled warmly at Jane before bowing politely to her. ‘Miss Ellison, I am delighted to see you looking so well. Dickon Mainwaring, at your service.’

  Politely restoring the cutlery to her plate Sarah stood up and curtsied. ‘I have heard so much about you this past week, my lord, I feel that I have already made your acquaintance.’

  ‘In which case, Miss Ellison, let us not stand on ceremony. You must resume your breakfast and I shall collect mine.’ He nodded to Jane. ‘Is there anything I can get you, Miss Jane?’

  Sarah ignored the two of them as her attention was drawn to the door Atherton swung in, she was shocked to see that he still needed to keep his left foot from the ground. She owed him a great deal, she must make more of an effort to be civil in future.

  ‘Good morning, Lord Atherton. If you would like to be seated it would be my ple
asure to serve you.’

  ‘Thank you, but I would not dream of interrupting your meal. Mainwaring knows what I like and has been taking care of me these past two mornings.’ Deftly he pulled out a chair, hooked his crutches over another, and sat. For some reason he had chosen to sit directly opposite her. She wished he wouldn’t stare at her so closely it made her feel decidedly uncomfortable.

  ‘I notice you still need assistance to walk, how long shall it be before you are fully recovered?’

  ‘Another week, at most. It is not walking that is the problem, it’s the fact that I cannot ride either that I’m finding frustrating. Mainwaring and your sister have ridden every morning whilst I have been obliged to moulder away in the library reading a book.’

  He said this with such disgust Sarah laughed out loud. It was several moments before she had recovered sufficiently to answer. ‘I take it from that comment that you view reading with disfavour.’

  He smiled and her toes did their disconcerting curling. ‘I have no objection to books, I like to see a lady immersed in the latest novel.’ He nodded solemnly, but his eyes were dancing. ‘Then I know I shall not be obliged to listen to her twittering about the latest fashions.’

  ‘You are outrageous, sir. But I refuse to be annoyed by anything you say in future. It is my intention to be courteous and polite at all times.’ It was her turn to smile sweetly. ‘After all you are my guardian and a man of mature years. I have always been told to show respect to an older gentleman.’

  He nodded and leaned across the table in order to speak softly into her ear. ‘I am two and thirty, and in my prime. I am more than a match for you, my dear Miss Ellison, and you would do well to remember it.’

  Flustered she dropped her fork and the rattle attracted the attention of her sister. ‘Sarah, you are quite flushed. Do you have a fever?’

  ‘No, I do not.’ She glared at the man sitting opposite. ‘Lord Atherton has, as usual, managed to offend me.’ She saw his eyebrows rise. ‘However, I am going to ignore it and resume my breakfast as if he wasn’t there.’ Picking up her cutlery she busied herself cutting up a slice of ham. She didn’t dare raise her head and see how her impertinence had been received.

  The room was filled with an awkward silence. She knew both Jane and Mainwaring were waiting for the explosion. It didn’t come.

  ‘Am I to sit here and starve, Dickon, or is my food about to arrive?’

  Sarah left the three of them to finish eating. Her appetite had vanished. She wandered along to the library, feeling dispirited, and wished she had stuck to her decision to be pleasant to Atherton. What was that about him that made her so prickly? The latest offering from London was a novel entitled Pride and Prejudice, an appropriate title in the circumstances.

  When the door opened softly she didn’t bother to look up, she assumed it was Jane come to admonish her for her rudeness. Then a large hand removed the book from her fingers and she was obliged to look up.

  ‘This has to stop, Miss Ellison. I am as much to blame as you. May I be seated?’

  Hastily uncurling her legs she placed them demurely on the carpet before answering. ‘Please, do sit down. I must apologise, again, for my incivility. I cannot understand why I say these things.’ She shrugged and looked at him appealingly. ‘I have no intention of saying the things that come out of my mouth half the time. It is as though someone else takes possession of my tongue.’

  He stretched out his legs crossing them at the ankles. He shook his head sadly. ‘It is as I feared from the start. You are, how shall I put this delicately, a mad woman.’

  She gasped and then realised he was teasing. ‘It is your fault, I do not have this problem with anyone else. I am the most tactful and polite person you could hope to meet under normal circumstances.’

  ‘And I, believe it or not, am known for my diplomacy and charm.’

  Sarah’s hands flew to her mouth hoping to stop the giggles escaping. Eventually they both recovered and he offered her his handkerchief to mop her streaming eyes.

  ‘Mainwaring and I must depart this afternoon. I have pressing business in Town. I am arranging a house party at my estate in Chelmsford for the festive season. Could I persuade you and your sister to join us?’

  If he had demanded she attend she would have refused. ‘We should be delighted, we shall be out of mourning at the end of November. It seems long since we attended a social gathering of any sort. My mother died two years ago, and she was unwell before that; so Jane has never had the opportunity to mix with people her own age.’

  ‘In which case I shall make sure we throw a ball on New Year’s Eve. My mother and sisters are eager to meet you both. I think it will be beneficial for all of you to be well acquainted before you move to London at the start of the season.’

  ‘I’m sure you are correct. I know Jane will enjoy the entertainment. Unlikely as it might seem, my lord, I find no pleasure in being crushed in an over heated room for hours on end. However, I have promised her I shall enjoy it, so I must do so, for her sake.’

  * * * *

  Sarah watched the baggage carriage trundle away. ‘I can hardly credit it is finally time to leave for Chelmsford. We have been anticipating this moment for so long, and now it has arrived I feel quite sick with nerves.’

  ‘Miss Ellison, this is not like you. I do hope you are not sickening for something.’ Miss Read eyed her anxiously.

  ‘I shall be well enough once we are on our way. Jane has no doubts that this is going to be a successful visit, she cannot wait to join in the dancing and jollity. Although it will be good to have others around us for a change, it is so long since I was in company, I’m not sure I know how to enjoy it any more.’

  What she didn’t say was that in the intervening months she had come to understand the nature of her feelings for Lord Atherton. In her secret thoughts she sometimes called him by his given name, Perry. She had heard his friend use it and treasured the knowledge. He had kissed her and flirted outrageously -- but had not spoken of having deeper emotions. He was her guardian; was this why he couldn’t approach her? She accepted that she was to be irrevocably in love with him.

  It must be the intensity of this unlikely emotion that had caused her to behave irrationally whenever she was in his presence.

  Whatever happened over the next few months she would not embarrass him, or herself, by revealing her secret. It was going to be difficult enough for both of them to remain civil without the added strain of her unrequited love dangling between them. She feared that Jane was correct; they were too alike in personality to ever deal well together.

  Highfield Hall was approached down a long curving drive, Sarah was tempted to hang out of the window like an urchin in order to see the house itself. ‘The grounds are magnificent, even at the beginning of December. There are deer and sheep grazing under the trees. One would not think the grass was nutritious in the winter.’

  Jane was as agitated as she, so it was Miss Read who commented. ‘I had no idea, Miss Ellison, that you were so interested in other people’s livestock.’

  ‘I am not as a rule, but…. the coach is slowing, I do believe we are there at last.’ She squeezed Jane’s gloved fingers gently letting her know that she understood why she was flustered. They had discussed Lord Mainwaring at great length and Sarah knew that if his lordship made an offer Jane would accept with alacrity.

  It was only as the door opened and a bewigged and liveried footman lowered the steps that she realised Mainwaring would have to apply to Atherton for permission to address her sister. Would he give it? Or would he squash the romance before it became official?

  Gathering her travelling cloak around her she descended the steps and turned to assist Miss Read. Jane stepped down last. The late afternoon sunshine painted the yellow stone mansion gold. ‘It is a lovely building. I believe it to be quite modern in design.’

  Before her sister could reply the front door was filled with young women who waved energetically in their direction. Sarah exch
anged amused glances with her companions and felt they couldn’t ignore such an enthusiastic welcome from what must be Atherton’s siblings. She raised a hand to return their gesture. ‘At least our arrival is eagerly anticipated. Come, let us not today out here, it is decidedly cold.’

  Sarah was surprised to find both she and Jane had rooms of their own. It would be strange being by herself, having always shared with her sister. Miss Read had been allocated a delightful suite tucked away in the corner, she had declared herself thrilled with her accommodation and the chambermaid that came with it.

  As she and Jane usually shared their abigail, Mary, Sarah had decided she would manage with the girl who had been sent to assist their maid. After all it was not she who was wanting to impress.

  ‘What’s your name? As you are to take care of me it is important that we understand each other.’

  The girl, who could be not more than sixteen, curtsied and smiled shyly. ‘My name’s Sally, Miss Ellison. I’ve been helping with Miss Atherton and Miss Charlotte these past weeks in order to learn what I need for my duties with you.’

  Sally was happy to chatter as she helped Sarah change into fresh garments. There was no need for her to prompt, she had learnt everything she wished before she was dressed and ready to descend. Both Lord Atherton and Lord Mainwaring were still in London, but expected to arrive the following day.

  There were other miscellaneous members of the Atherton family invited to spend the festive season at Highfield Hall, but they were not arriving until the middle of the month. According to Sally there would be almost thirty residents plus their staff by the time everyone was there.

  The footman waiting outside the door conducted her through the house, down the main staircase and towards a large reception room. She could hear Jane’s calm voice amongst the giggles and shrill tones of the Atherton sisters. She braced herself, fixing a smile on her lips, glided forward.

  She had barely taken one step into the room before she was enveloped in a sweet smelling embrace. ‘My dear, dear Miss Ellison. I cannot tell you how happy my girls and I are to have you with us at last. When Atherton wrote to tell me of his plans, well, we were amazed, were we not, girls?’