Daughter of Trade

by Lesley-Anne McLeod

  Dinah flashed him a look of alarm.

  "I am teasing you now. Every gentleman has practiced this enough that he will seldom toss a lady right over the horse. It sadly harms a budding relationship to heave your lady into the dirt." He kept his face utterly solemn but he could not prevent the mirth in his gaze.

  Dinah allowed herself a nervous chuckle.

  Holly nodded to the groom and they all moved a few paces from the mounting block. The groom remained at the mare's head with Geoffrey on the far side. Holly and Dinah stood at the stirrup side of the saddle.

  "Place your right hand on the up-pommel. You will lift and guide yourself with it. Put your left foot in my hand--I will bend a little. Then put your left hand on my shoulder, and tell me when you feel ready. I will lift, you will rise and manoeuvre yourself into the saddle. Adjust your skirts, hook your knee, and find your stirrup."

  "It sounds so easy."

  "Try it."

  She could not manage it, not the first time or the second. He wondered if she was, as was he, seriously affected by their proximity. He thought her hand lingered on his shoulder, and he knew he was moving closer than he needed to, intoxicated by her scent and her nearness.

  She edged away from him with both feet on the ground and her hands gripping one another. She closed her eyes.

  Sebastian directed a fierce frown at the groom who was struggling with ill-concealed mirth and snapped a quick rebuke at Geoffrey whose chuckle sounded from the other side of the mare. He stared at her with concern.

  She opened her eyes and lifted her chin. "I shall try once more," she announced. She gripped the pommel, placed her slender foot in his fingers, and her slim gloved hand on his shoulder.

  "Now!" she directed, and within a moment she was in the saddle with her knee hooked over the pommel and her left foot in the stirrup.

  Her triumphant grin called up from him a warm smile in return. Their gazes meshed and he was uncommonly saddened when her smile faded.

  "How do I get down?" she said.

  "That is my favourite part," Sebastian dared to say, for her ears alone. He extended his arms and placed his hands on her waist; she automatically unhooked her knee, freed her left foot and he lowered her to the ground.

  He watched her blush a becoming peach, and forgot to release her until she removed her hands from his shoulders. The groom coughed discreetly and Geoffrey peered over the groom's shoulder. Sebastian hastily stepped away from Dinah, reining in his unaccountably reeling senses, and noting with relief that the other young ladies had retired to the house.

  He hurried into speech and they practiced the mount and dismount several more times. Then Dinah's Merry, with her in the saddle, was led triumphantly on a walk from the mews to the lane. On the return trip she was allowed to take the reins in her own hands, and Sebastian could feel her pride in her accomplishment.

  "Enough for today," he said when they regained the mews. "Geoffrey deserves to ride out. He has had little activity, since you did not require to be caught."

  "Thank goodness," Dinah said. She smiled widely at her brother.

  Sebastian envied him.

  "You nearly went over that once," the younger man jibed his sister. "Weren't you glad I was there?"

  "I was," Dinah said with fervour.

  Sebastian aided her final dismount and felt her shiver of relief and awareness.

  He held her a little longer than was necessary. He could not resist it, but he released her before she could voice a complaint. He offered his arm knowing that her legs would be shaky from the unusual exertion and she took it without hesitation or comment. He accompanied her through the stableyard gate and the small green space to the house.

  Dinah offered him her hand, as she paused before the door. "Thank you, my lord. You have been very kind."

  He took and held it as he replied, "I have been selfish. I should like to ride out with you, and so I am governed by self-interest." He smiled at her and with practiced ease removed her right glove before lifting her hand to his lips.

  "I think I shall enjoy riding out," she said, before she realized what he was about.

  He turned her hand and pressed a kiss into her tender palm before curling her fingers closed.

  She smothered a gasp.

  He released her and stepped away. The contact had shaken him; he could not discern if her response was anger or something more.

  "Until tomorrow?" he said with a slight, formal bow.

  She was staring at him with wide eyes, agitation in her expression. He wished he had the right to soothe her.

  She only nodded, but he was aware that she watched him as he crossed the garden to its gate. He turned and lifted a hand in farewell, and she swung away at last and ascended the step to the door.

  * * * *

  Dinah could think of nothing but that kiss until sleep claimed her, and when she woke the fingers of her right hand were still curled protectively over her palm. But Friday morning, the young ladies had agreed, must be devoted to a visit to the Promenade Room, with a pause at the circulating library for exchange of their novels. So when Dinah rose, Adelaide was already preparing for the outing.

  Beginning her own grooming, Dinah was unprepared for Adelaide's musings on the previous day.

  "Did you enjoy riding, Dinah? You were very pink when you joined us in the parlour. Had you been afraid?"

  Dinah hid her face in the towel with which she dried it. She forced thoughts of the kiss and her feelings from her mind. "I was excited," she said. She thought her voice sounded very unlike her own. "I enjoyed it of all things."

  "Lord Holly seems an excellent teacher. At least I believe you may trust his teaching; he has such an attention to detail."

  Dinah feared she could not trust the viscount at all, particularly with her heart.

  "Why did you go within?" she managed to ask. "You must know I was depending upon your presence."

  "Well, it was interesting at first, but finally, it was boring work. Juliana and I wished to practice at our duet at the pianoforte. You were well chaperoned. You cannot have had scruples. What do you think of the viscount, Dinah--have you concerns of him?"

  Dinah shook out her gown, and ensured that she had the matching bonnet to hand before she replied. Sun streamed in the east windows of their bedroom, and Pippy, their little maid, bustled around the chamber humming a simple tune.

  Dinah forced her tone to calm indifference. "He is pleasant enough," she answered. "A good teacher. A tolerable companion." Pippy came to her side to clasp a delicate necklace about her throat. How could she admit that the viscount had turned her orderly, content world upside down?

  Her sister fiddled with the combs upon the dressing table. "I think that he might have--conceived a tendre--for you."

  "Great heavens..." Dinah, pinned into her primrose muslin gown, picked up her gloves, promptly dropped them and made a work of collecting them from the flowered carpet. She straightened with a pinkened face, cultivating indignation. "How can you say such a thing? He is of the aristocracy; even did I find him worthy, he would never find me so. His sort stays within his own circle, the ton. Even a mild affection for one of the 'lower' classes would be nipped in the bud, for he must know he has nothing to offer such as me."

  "Marriages are not unheard of between the classes." Adelaide was tying on her bonnet.

  "When a peer is pockets to let, or when an earl must gain a fortune to save his precious estate or cover his gambling debts. My father would not ask me to sacrifice myself for such an 'honour' and I would not do it. If Lord Holly seeks a relationship with me, it will be because he smells a large dowry."

  "I think you wrong him. Oh I know your feelings on the subject well enough, but I do not think he looks for money..."

  Harriet burst into the room, holding a letter. "He does not. I have writ to Cousin Margaret about him. This letter was brought yesterday from the Receiving Office, but misplaced in all the busyness. At any rate, you must remember she knows everything abou
t everyone in London; well, she has replied with a multitude of information."

  "Harry you should not interrogate Margaret, especially about the nobility. Now she will think that we seek to climb the social ladder," Adelaide admonished her younger sister gently.

  "Well, she should know us better than that," Harriet said.

  Dinah added, "We need not seek social advancement. Mama and Papa have taught us the worth of our own class. And that there are fine men and women among our acquaintance. I must agree with Adelaide, Harriet, you should not inquire about Lord Holly."

  "Lord Holly is finer than any man I have met; I want to know more of him," Harriet said, with some evidence of mulishness. "Can you compare Mr. Humberstone's looks to those of the viscount? I think not. Or his conversation?" Her expression conveyed her scorn.

  "At any event listen to this." She searched the paper in her hand. "Ah here it is. 'Lord Holly is very well regarded in Town. He is a rather solitary gentleman, without family. His mother died fifteen years ago, his father five years previous to that. No siblings, no aunts, but one uncle, childless, in the West Country. Holly is generally regarded as an unexceptionable man, a little proud, very reserved but pleasant and conversable. No one claims to know him well.' There, what do you think of that?"

  Dinah began to draw on her gloves. "I think you should find your bonnet and pelisse. We shall never get to the library and the Rooms if we do not soon leave."

  "Dinah! What do you think of this news of Lord Holly?" Harriet demanded, unmoving.

  Dinah set her teeth. "I think that Cousin Margaret is dealing in second and third hand news. She is not in a position to know anyone who knows the viscount. You had as well ask Mr. Matherton what he knows of..."

  "Bernard Humberstone?" Adelaide was disposed to be mischievous.

  "Mr. Humberstone is... is...worthy." Dinah brought out the word triumphantly. "Although not socially adept. But there is more to life than dancing elegantly and presenting oneself gracefully. Mr. Humberstone manages his business well, and treats his workers with some consideration. He is not articulate but..."

  "He is aided by clever clerks and his Mama directs him skillfully, else he would not manage so well. And he treats his workers abominably. Don't you deny it, Dinah Driffield." Harriet directed an accusatory stare at her older sister. "Tell us that you prefer the company of Bernard Humberstone to that of Lord Holly."

  Dinah could not. She very much feared she preferred that of Lord Holly to anyone of her acquaintance. And that was contrary to all her cherished beliefs. "I shall tell you only that we should be going to the library!" She swept from the room to the sound of her sisters' giggles.

  Harmony was restored as they strolled down Robin Hood Lane toward the Sulphur Well. The sun was high and the day very warm, with only a light breeze stirring the young ladies' muslin gowns. The tewits called plaintively in their soaring flight and their black and white plumage gleamed in the sun.

  The young ladies were joined by Geoffrey and Hamilton who caught them up as they were about to enter the circulating library. The library of Lower Harrowgate had not quite the selection of Hargrove's in the upper town but had the charm of convenience. They spent an hour or more perusing the titles available for purchase and loan, for they all were avid readers. When they had chosen their new books, Hamilton ran off to return them to their grandmother's house while the other four siblings walked on to the Promenade Room.

  They passed the Sulphur Well, where Betty Lupton and her helpers dispensed the waters to the elderly and infirm clustered under the domed canopy. Harriet and Geoffrey pinched their noses against the stench of the water as they passed, but Dinah and Adelaide did nothing so unrefined. They simply speeded their steps. They had to pause within the doorway of the Rooms to allow their vision to adjust to the sudden entry into shade from the brilliant sunshine. After the brief adjustment they were occupied with greetings and polite conversation, for they had a wide circle of acquaintance.

  Dinah would not for the world have admitted that she swept a glance about the elegant chamber for the express purpose of discovering if Lord Holly was present. That she was disappointed not to discover him she did not admit either, but applied herself with enthusiasm to conversation with the Heslers who strolled up.

  Mr. Humberstone had joined their group and was conversing amiably at Dinah's side, when she suddenly was aware of his glare directed across the room. She followed his glance and beheld Lord Holly crossing to them, his morning dress impeccable, his Hessians gleaming and a smile already lighting his handsome face.

  He exchanged greetings with the entire company, and replaced Humberstone at her side with practiced ease. She would not examine her pleasure at having him in attendance. Her palm tingled and she would not meet his gaze.

  Humberstone gave Holly no opportunity to speak, however, but said, "Miss Driffield, I am desolated to tell you that I must return to Leeds in the morning. My manager has writ to say that the cloth-dressers, both croppers and tenters, are up in arms over the machines I had planned to implement. Impudent fellows...if they were not themselves so inefficient in shearing and stretching the cloth, I should not have looked to the machines."

  "Papa says the workers have every right to feel concerned," Geoffrey, who made no secret of his dislike for Mr. Humberstone, said. "That they fear loss of income when their expenses are so high. And rightly so."

  "They should have put money by for hard times," Humberstone mumbled with a venomous sidelong look at Holly.

  "They are not paid enough to put anything by," Harriet said.

  Dinah watched Holly approve her younger sister's words with a quick glance and a nod. She could not but be proud of Harriet's youthful acumen, and would not for the world silence what others might think to be her insolence.

  Mrs. Driffield had no such qualms. She had entered the Promenade Room with her mother-in-law and her youngest son and joined her children unnoticed. Now she quelled the younger two with a glance. "You are leaving us Mr. Humberstone? We shall be sorry for it."

  He bowed without grace. "I thank you ma'am." He turned to Holly and said, "Thought you was to Scotland for the grouse, my lord?"

  The viscount ignored him and very properly greeted the two Mrs. Driffields.

  "Lord Holly, I understand the riding lesson went very well yesterday. How very kind you are," Mrs. Driffield said.

  He answered the lady where he had ignored Humberstone. "My pupil was most adept, ma'am. I hope that we may continue the instruction today."

  Dinah could not miss Humberstone's malevolent glance at the viscount. Her opinion of her stout suitor's character was further lowered. Such animosity could not be justified and the viscount should not be required to tolerate it.

  "I think there may be opportunity later in the day. Dinah, am I correct in thinking this?"

  Dinah's wandering attention was reclaimed, and she struggled to think of an excuse to avoid further familiarity with the viscount. Nothing came to mind.

  "I have no engagements, Mama" she said in a faint voice.

  "I shall look forward to it then. As I look forward to Saturday's cricket match," Lord Holly grinned at Hamilton. "And I shall attend at divine service this Sunday without fail."

  Humberstone excused himself with a notable lack of grace, and made his farewells in a sentimental and, Dinah felt, unappealing fashion.

  Mrs. Driffield continued the conversation as though the interruption had not occurred. "Are you then of an evangelical taste, my lord?" she said.

  "I think I cannot claim it ma'am, but perhaps did I better understand it, I should aspire. Would you undertake to instruct me?" His impertinent question teased the elder ladies gently.

  Mrs. Driffield, well accustomed to young gentlemen, answered serenely, "Instruction has been ever my forte, my lord. You shall hear all about the evangelical movement when next you visit us."

  The viscount stayed for only a few minutes' more of conversation. Juliana queried if he had had word from Matherton. Ham
ilton ascertained that the viscount was aware of the time and location of the cricket match. Holly spoke briefly with Adelaide about the condition of her injured affianced, and he rallied the elder Mrs. Driffield about her delightful bonnet, which he avowed must be new.

  Dinah watched him charm them all and stiffened her resolve. He would not charm her, no matter that she had been pleased to see him, and she would banish the imprint of his lips from her palm with the strongest soap in her grandmother's house.

  Despite her firm intentions, Dinah found herself watching the fine clock on the mantelpiece as the afternoon ticked toward four o'clock later that day. Another riding lesson--more time spent in the viscount's company. She could not bear it; she could not forego it.

  No one interrupted her thoughts which were full of the previous day's lesson, as she stitched on babies' shirts and gowns for their factory workers. Adelaide and Juliana were whispering over their embroidery, the boys and Harriet were gone out, and the elder ladies were laid down on their beds.

  She was far too at ease in the viscount's company for her own peace of mind. His company had been congenial, his teaching wise and careful, his touch had thrilled her and... She broke off her thoughts with determination. He was not of her class, she had no interest in persons of his rank. She was certainly no more than a passing fancy on his part, a...a summer flirtation.

  A grumble of thunder could be heard in the distance and she wondered if the riding lesson must be postponed. She closed her eyes on the distress the thought engendered. The parlour door crashed open, and she opened her eyes to see three of her brothers tumbling in.

  "Joseph, here you are at last!" Dinah exclaimed.

  "I am!" Her most handsome brother, a year younger than she, grinned at her. He was a well-made youth of medium height with broad shoulders, a good leg and an engaging grin. His mahogany hair was well brushed but disheveled and one could not but be aware of his uncompromising jaw.

  "We found him on the doorstep," Hamilton burst out. "Ain't it famous? Now he shall come to the cricket match also."