At least they had got their story straight, and both had held to it fast. The first thing she would do when she got home would be to retire to her bedroom to hide her face. She sat back into the darkened corner of the carriage so Charles could not see the tell-tale marks of Alex’s passion on her lips.
In the panic that Charles would look closely at her face, she had forced herself to cry when confronted by him. Having to lie to him only made things worse.
‘You are not going to tell anyone, are you?’ she ventured.
Charles’ temper flared once more. ‘Your behaviour has been scandalous. If you don’t see the game the Marquess of Brooke is playing with you then that much-vaunted intelligence of yours has deserted you.’
Millie took a breath and tried to respond, but she couldn’t find the words.
One moment she had been held fast in Alex’s arms, revelling in a kiss far more passionate than anything she had ever imagined, and the next she had been faced with her worst nightmare. Now as she sat in the carriage, her hand touching her bruised lips, she could still smell the trace of his cologne on her skin.
‘Well?’ Charles continued, stirring Millie from her thoughts. ‘Don’t you care about Lucy? Could you not see how upset she was, how devastated she is to have found out that you are the same as all the other girls? As for me, and my position in society, you could not give a fig, could you? You care only for yourself.’
He sat back in his seat and, pulling up the window blind, looked out into the night.
‘I shall conceal your behaviour this evening, Millie, but if you ever do anything so foolish again, I shall stand back and leave you to your fate.’
Chapter 12
Ashamed.
There was no other word to describe how Millie felt the following morning as she sat glum-faced at the breakfast table, staring at her plate.
Adding to her discomfort was the presence of her brother and father at the now-regular morning meal. After the welcome-home ball at Ashton House, her mother had decided it was vital that they all spend time together to maintain their familial ties, so she had decreed that, until the start of the season proper, the whole family would share the same table for at least one meal a day. Now, instead of being able to stay in bed until mid-morning each day, Millie was compelled to rise early and sit down to breakfast long before she could face the prospect of food.
Most mornings her brother would hastily make a sandwich on his plate, wrap it in a clean handkerchief and head out the door to go riding in Hyde Park. This morning Charles sat at the table, with a large plate piled high with toast, black pudding and eggs before him. It was clear he was not going anywhere early this morning. Another consequence of the previous night had been the end of his daily rides with Alex.
When Charles asked her to pass a plate of kippers, she handed them to him without meeting his gaze. She was afraid to look at him, worried that he would still wear the look of disapproval he had worn all the way home in the carriage last night. His wrath had been truly frightening.
By the time they had finally reached home, he had worked himself up into such a lather that when the carriage slowed to a halt, he had flung the door open, jumped out onto the pavement and gone inside the house before Millie had time to rise from her seat.
At least he had kept his word about not revealing the events of last night to their parents. After the embarrassing situation she had placed her brother in, she had to be grateful for any small mercies.
She could not bring herself to imagine the scene that must have followed their departure from the house in Bird Street. With Lucy present, the brothers would not dare to have come to blows, but the possibilities of what might have occurred after David had returned from Strathmore House now played on her mind.
As for poor Lucy, Millie had proved beyond a doubt that her now-former friend had had every reason to be worried.
What a mess.
Last night had been a complete disaster and it was all her fault. She should have said no to Alex, no matter how much he pleaded, but she had yielded to temptation. Now her brother was furious with her, David Radley more than likely thought her a loose woman and Lucy was left to mourn the loss of yet another friendship.
She picked up a piece of toast from the rack and slowly buttered it, then placed it on her plate. She shook her head and pushed the plate away; the mere sight of food made her feel nauseous.
‘You haven’t eaten a thing, Millie darling. Are you feeling a little off-colour? I did tell you to have a care as to what you eat at other people’s parties,’ her mother said.
‘I am fine, Mama, it’s just a little early for food,’ she muttered. She blinked hard and let out a sigh.
‘You don’t sound fine at all my dear. What is the matter?’ Violet pressed.
‘Leave her be,’ her father interjected.
Across the table his gaze met his wife’s and he shook his head; James could not abide tears at the breakfast table. Violet would have to wait until after he had left for East India House to speak privately with their daughter.
‘So, what are your plans for the day, Charles?’ James asked, changing the subject.
Millie gave a silent prayer of thanks to her father and his sensitivity. He would be aware that she was holding on tight to her emotions. One careless word and she would dissolve in a flood of tears.
‘I thought I might pay a visit to Tattersalls today, and have a look at a pair of horses Uncle has recommended for me. They come up for auction later this week, so I will take the stable master from Ashton House with me and get him to look them over. Uncle said he will purchase them for me and stable them until my handling of English roads is up to scratch,’ Charles replied.
James finished off the last of his tea and wiped his lips with a napkin. Then, placing it on the table, he stood up and prepared to leave.
‘That is a very generous gift. But you know he does not have to buy them for you; I am happy to give you the money to buy them yourself.’ He walked around to his wife and, bending down, gave her a farewell kiss. She gave him a warm smile and her eyes sparkled when he whispered something no one else could hear in her ear.
Charles nodded his head. ‘I have to admit that while it is exciting for him to offer such lavish gifts, I am a tad uncomfortable with the whole business.’
His father planted a brief kiss on Millie’s head, but otherwise left her alone. ‘I shall have a word with him. You might inherit the title someday, but you are my son and heir, so if anyone is going to buy you a horse it should be me. I didn’t spend all those years in India salvaging the family fortunes only to be relegated to a secondary role upon my return. I shall drop by and see your uncle later today.’
After Mr Ashton had departed for the office, Charles helped his mother hobble down to the main sitting room, where she planned to spend the day resting her swollen ankle and catching up on correspondence. Millie knew that eventually her mother would send for her and begin to ask awkward questions.
Charles soon returned and after dismissing the footman, closed the hallway door behind him. Millie picked up her teacup and took a small sip. As she held her breath he walked around the table and took the seat next to her. He took hold of her trembling hand and, leaning over, planted a kiss on her cheek.
‘It will be all right, Millie. We have managed to avoid a public scandal. The Radley siblings are as anxious as we are to keep this quiet. Just don’t tell Mama anything of last night,’ he said.
Millie nodded her head. ‘I was thinking what to tell Mama, and I think a version of the truth is the best,’ she replied sadly.
Charles gripped her hand. ‘No. You cannot tell her you were alone with Alex; she would make you marry him.’
She turned and gave him a weary look. ‘I am not that stupid.’
Her brother raised his eyebrows.
‘Granted, I did some foolish things last night, but I am not about to tell Mama that I was alone with Alex in his house and that you and David discovered us. I
am simply going to tell her that Lucy and I have had a falling out, which, sadly, is the truth.’
Charles sat back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair; she hoped it was a look of relief that now appeared on his face, but she sensed there was still lingering frustration. After last night, things had changed between them. She suspected he no longer trusted her. It pained her to have disappointed him.
‘I am sorry about last night, Charles. I had no right to do as I did; you have every reason to be angry with me. You were right, I was stupid and selfish and I let my girlish infatuation for Lord Brooke cloud my judgement. It will not happen again, I promise.’
He raised his eyebrows once more and she let out a little giggle. She reached across and gave him a punch on the arm.
‘Stop it, this is serious,’ she said.
He rolled his eyes. ‘I know it is; why do you think I was so riled up last night? I am glad you finally realise how close to ruin you came. Of course, the biggest problem at the moment is how you are going to make amends with Lady Lucy. She was dreadfully upset when we left. You must speak to her this morning and try to put things right.’
Millie slowly nodded her head. While a major catastrophe had been narrowly averted, there were still injured bystanders.
‘I don’t know if she will see me – she made it clear our friendship was at an end. Will you accompany me to Strathmore House this morning? I may get further if you are in tow.’
Charles pursed his lips and then let out a long, tired sigh. ‘Yes, the longer you leave it the worse things will be. I have a couple of errands to run this morning – you can come with me. When they are done, we will call in at Strathmore House and see if we can repair the damage.’
‘Thank you,’ Millie replied. She reached over, retrieved her plate, took a bite of the buttered toast and sat quietly chewing on it while Charles picked at the beef left on Violet’s breakfast plate.
‘What is it about cold breakfast meat that makes it taste so good?’ he wondered aloud, taking a large slice of the beef and stuffing it into his mouth.
‘I don’t know, but I still cannot face eating beef at any hour,’ she replied, turning her nose up. ‘All I can think of is how offended our Hindu neighbours in India would be if they found out you were eating cow.’
Charles laughed. He wiped his hands on his mother’s discarded napkin and excused himself from the table. ‘Don’t be long; the sooner we get around to Strathmore House to see Lucy, the better.’ He reached over and ruffled her hair, before making a beeline for the door, leaving Millie sitting alone in the breakfast room, still chewing on her toast.
Charles’ little errands took a lot longer than expected, and it was close to noon before brother and sister reached the steps of Strathmore House.
The first sign that something was amiss was when a footman answered the front door, rather than Hargreaves, the Radley family butler. The young man was not wearing a coat and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. It was not exactly how one would expect a servant to answer the front door of a major house.
He looked rather surprised to see anyone calling at the front door and gave them both a quizzical look before asking, ‘Yes, may I help you?’
Charles looked at Millie.
‘Charles and Millie Ashton to see Lady Lucy Radley, if you please,’ he replied, and offered his card.
The footman took the card, gave it a quick glance and screwed up his face. ‘They are gone.’ He offered the card back to Charles, who refused to take it.
‘What do you mean gone? Gone where?’ Millie asked.
The footman looked from brother to sister, then appeared to remember what he was supposed to tell visitors to the house. He straightened his back and announced, ‘The Duke and Duchess of Strathmore are not in residence in London at present. They and their family have adjourned to their country estate in Scotland.’
Millie’s mouth fell open and an involuntary gasp escaped. She took hold of Charles’s hand and squeezed it tight.
The footman started to close the large black door. Having delivered his message, he evidently expected the visitors would silently nod their heads and go away, leaving him to get back to whatever task involved him wearing his shirtsleeves above the elbow.
Charles stepped forward and placed his boot in the doorway. ‘The entire Radley family has quit London for their estate in Scotland?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I just hadn’t got round to taking off the front door knocker yet,’ the footman replied, nonplussed.
‘The whole family, including all their children?’
‘Yes.’
‘When will they return?’ Charles pressed. Millie was grateful that her brother was determined not to leave until he got the full story.
The put-upon footman took a deep breath and replied slowly, ‘The Radley family, including Lord Brooke, Mr Radley, Lord Stephen, Lady Lucy and Lady Emma have gone to Scotland and will not be back for another six weeks. As such they are not receiving visitors at Strathmore House at present. Is there anything else I can tell you, Sir?’
Six weeks!
Millie bit down hard on her lip and tasted blood. Last night had been bad enough, but this was utter humiliation. Here she was, standing in full public view on the front steps of one of London’s grandest houses, discovering just how insignificant she really was in the lives of the Radley family. They had left London without a word.
Any other young miss would likely have dissolved into tears by now and fled, but Millie stood still, her back ramrod straight. The only outward sign of her struggle to maintain her composure was how tightly she held on to her brother’s hand. If she squeezed any harder, she feared she might break one of his bones.
‘I see. Thank you. We shall call again when the family has returned,’ Charles replied.
Charles removed his foot from the door and the footman let out a sigh of relief. The door closed. He turned to Millie with a relaxed smile plastered on his face, then gently prised her fingers from his hand and kissed the back of her glove.
As he bent over her hand, he whispered. ‘Smile, Millie, smile. If anyone is looking out from the other houses, they must see that we are laughing off our mistake. Come on, let us walk home. I for one could do with a stiff drink.’
She did as he asked and managed a half-smile and a nod of her head.
‘Well done my girl, and don’t you worry, I shall make Lord Brooke pay for this,’ Charles vowed, as Millie took his arm. ‘No one nearly ruins my sister and then disappears without a word. I knew I should have given him a thrashing last night.’
They had reached the street and were preparing to turn for home when the front door of Strathmore House opened once more and Hargreaves raced down the front steps after them. When he got halfway down the stairs, and had their attention, he slowed his pace to a walk. Reaching Charles’s side, he offered him his hand. Charles shook it and then casually put his hand in his pocket.
‘I am so sorry that you were received in such a poor manner. Marshall is a good boy, but he can be a little vague at times. Fortunately for us all, he did find me and give me your card,’ Hargreaves said.
‘The family leaves for Scotland at this time every year. They were due to depart later in the week, but his Grace announced to the staff late last night that they were to leave early this morning. The whole house has been up all night packing, ready for a pre-dawn departure. The first thing that some members of the family knew of the change of plans was when they were roused from their beds early this morning. His Grace likes to get a full day’s journey in on the first day so the family is able to stay overnight at the Earl of Wiltmore’s estate.’
Hargreaves gave Millie a sympathetic smile. ‘I am sure Lady Lucy would have sent a message to you, Miss Ashton, but since they left in such a hurry, it probably slipped her mind. She did seem terribly distracted this morning.’
Charles smiled at the obvious lie. Nothing happened in the great houses without the head butler knowing of it. Hargreaves woul
d have been well aware that Lady Lucy had returned home from the party with only one brother escorting her. Her lady’s maid would have filled Hargreaves in on any other pertinent details.
‘I am surprised you have not made the long trip north yourself, or are you following later?’ Charles enquired. The longer this pleasant little exchange lasted, the less likely prying eyes would find anything of interest to note.
The butler shook his head. ‘No, I shall be overseeing the closure of the house this week. A few days before the family returns, I shall reopen the house and the staff will make it ready for the season.’
Millie gave a nod. ‘Thank you, Hargreaves. I do recall Lady Lucy had made mention of the trip,’ she replied, her voice a little shaky. Hargreaves gave a polite bow and bade the Ashton siblings a good morning. As the butler disappeared back inside the house Charles whispered to Millie. ‘Well done, sis, nearly out of here. Fortunately, Hargreaves is a good stick and he knew exactly what we needed.’
She creased her brow.
He patted his pocket and gave her a wink. ‘He wrote the address of the Strathmore estate in Scotland on my card. Now at least you can write to Lucy and apologise. Six weeks might be long enough to exchange a few letters and win her back.’
Millie nodded. With her lips remaining tightly locked in a forced smile, it was clear she was not prepared to mention the other member of the Radley family who was on her mind. Only her sad eyes betrayed the depth of her disappointment.
Charles gave her a bright smile for the benefit of any audience, and arm in arm they strode off toward Park Street and in the direction of home.
Chapter 13
As he woke, Alex pulled the blanket down from over his head and looked around the carriage. His father was busy reading papers while his younger brother, Stephen, had his head inside a large brown book with strange letters on its spine.
He squinted and thought he could make out a Greek letter. He shook his head, Stephen was all of fourteen and could read five languages, whereas Alex struggled to read more than two words of English and so avoided reading at all costs. As a child he had believed that since he could not master a simple task such as learning to read, then he must be a simpleton. How could a boy who was unable to read or write one day become one of the most powerful men in all of England?
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