“Don’t overdo it,” he cautioned repressively.
“I am going to enjoy this!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. By the way, where did you find that aggressive character you assumed in the taproom? I’ve met men like him, but surely you haven’t?”
“Several of my stepfather’s friends are exactly like him.”
“I can now see why you didn’t want to marry any of them!”
The horrible thought reminded her of just why they were making this journey and for a moment a cloud hung over her.
“Don’t worry,” assured the Marquis, showing the quick understanding she was beginning to find so loveable. “I will not allow anything to happen to you.”
They changed horses twice and pressed on as far as possible. It was eight o’clock in the evening before they pulled into The Three Acorns post house.
“I hope we will be able to find rooms,” the Marquis sounded worried. “It looks rather crowded.”
It seemed a comfortable inn, although rather small. The Marquis entered with his winning smile and asked if they had rooms available for himself and his young friend, as well as somewhere for his groom.
The landlord replied civilly that his inn was almost full, but he could just manage to squeeze them in.
“One room is ready now, my Lord, and the second one will be available in an hour. The gentleman who has been occupying it is just leaving.”
“Ponsonby, you take the one that’s available now,” suggested the Marquis. “And the other will be available when we’ve had dinner, I daresay.”
Lovall brought in their bags and took them upstairs.
Selina’s room proved plain and rustic, but spotlessly clean.
There were two small beds with patchwork quilts, a dresser and a wardrobe made of oak. The Marquis came to inspect it and direct Lovall to leave the bags there.
“Serviceable for one night,” was his verdict. “But I would not like to be here longer. It’s rather noisy. Some of the men in the taproom are getting rowdy.”
“Perhaps we ought to join them,” Selina proposed mischievously. “You can introduce me to the mysteries of strong drink.”
“I am supposed to be protecting you from the worst excesses!”
“But surely strong drink cannot be one of the worst excesses?” she argued, eyes glinting. “I am sure there are far worse and – ”
“Well, you’re not going to discover them with me,” he replied desperately. “Selina, are you trying to drive me grey-haired?”
“No, but Ponsonby is,” she reminded him.
“I mean, of course, Ponsonby.”
“He’s such a terrific daredevil is young Ponsonby,” she countered, getting into her stride. “After dinner I think he would like to go out on the town – ”
“After dinner he is going to do as he is told and go to bed,” the Marquis stipulated firmly. “After all, I did promise his mother – ”
There was a knock on the door.
Selina opened it to find a voluptuously built young woman wearing a very low cut dress that left no doubt of her charms. In her hands she carried two tankards.
“If you please, sir,” she said, looking languishingly at ‘Ponsonby’, “the landlord sent you some of our best ale, compliments of the house.”
Selina cleared her throat and declared,
“That’s very kind of him.”
“Shall I bring them into your room, sir?” she asked softly.
“Er – yes, thank you my – my dear.”
The maid came in and laid the tankards down. She offered a polite smile to the Marquis, but the full blaze of her eyes was reserved for his young friend.
“My name is Betty, sir. Can I do anything more for you?”
“I don’t think so,” Selina answered briefly.
“It’s no trouble, sir. Anything at all?”
The Marquis was observing this scene with unholy glee, but at this point he felt impelled to intervene.
“That will be all, thank you so much,” he insisted, proffering a coin, the size of which made Betty’s eyes pop. In a moment he received all her attention and he took the chance to remove her from the room.
“Ian,” asked Selina, aghast, “did she mean what I thought –?”
“She meant just that,” he laughed. “You made quite a conquest. At least, you did until I cut you out. It’s the power of money, I am afraid. You are a fine upstanding young gentleman, but I had the gold.”
“Goodness gracious!”
“The sooner we dine and retire the better.”
The food was excellent.
They were served by them Betty who, despite the power of the Marquis’s money, could not stop herself sighing over the handsome young gentleman,.
The Marquis treated her with the exquisite courtesy he always showed even to the lowliest servants.
Selina wondered if he admired Betty. Perhaps he liked buxom women.
She considered her own figure with some dismay. Without being exactly flat chested, she knew she could not compete with Betty. And she had big feet, which he would certainly know about now, she thought gloomily.
Over the beef the Marquis began to talk about his house and his plans for it.
“It has taken me some time to consider it my own,” he began. “I grew up thinking of it as Jack’s birthright and for a long time I felt like an impostor.
“But when I return from this trip I have plans, not just for the house but also for the village. For one thing, there is a derelict building by the Church, which I own, and which I mean to turn into a village hall with proper seating for an audience.”
“What would you need it for?” Selina asked.
“For one reason, there is not a decent place in the village where everyone can meet at Christmas. And then there are travelling shows and my people miss out because there is nowhere for them to perform.”
Selina nodded, noting the unconscious ‘my people’. It somehow pleased her that the Marquis felt like a father to those who depended on him.
“And it will be a suitable place for meetings when speakers come to talk to them about politics.”
“Politics?” She sounded a bit startled. “But what’s the point when they have no vote?”
“But they will have one day. The world changes.”
“But how can they use a vote when they have no education?”
“I must see to it that they do receive an education.”
Selina had never heard ideas like these before.
Her parents had been very kindly people, but they had accepted without question that there was a hierarchy in which most people were their social inferiors.
But the Marquis looked beyond his own interests, asking himself how he could benefit others.
Suddenly she felt exhilarated.
In a mysterious way the world was a better place because he was a good man.
“It’s lucky that I am dressed like this tonight,” she exclaimed.
“Why?”
“Because you are discussing serious ideas with me, ‘man to man’. If I looked like a woman, you wouldn’t.”
“I suppose there’s something in that, but I think – in fact I know – I would have wanted to talk seriously to you in any case. I want to tell you all about my home and everything I am trying to achieve, because I think you are the one person who would understand – ”
He broke off as he saw the landlord hovering.
“My Lord,” he said nervously, “a terrible thing has happened. I’m afraid I cannot let you have the other room. The man supposed to be leaving is drunk and refusing to go. He has barricaded the door and I am unable to get in.
“Please forgive me, but I am afraid you and your friend will have to sleep in the same room.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
For a moment Selina did not register the meaning of the words. It simply was not possible that the landlord had just said what he had said.
She swallowed nervously and looked at t
he Marquis. But far from being in any way concerned, he displayed a cool indifference.
“Surely some way could be found of opening the door?” he asked the landlord languidly.
“My Lord, we have tried charging it, but he seems to have wedged a large item of furniture behind it and the door cannot be shifted.”
The Marquis yawned elaborately.
“Well then, it’s a devilish unsatisfactory business. I shall simply have to take over your room, landlord.”
“You could do so, my Lord, with my good will, but my wife is a very determined woman and she says that if anyone tries to enter, she will use the poker on them!”
“My dear fellow, I shouldn’t like to put the lady to the trouble of using the poker. Let me see if my powers of persuasion can work on your disobliging guest.”
They followed the landlord up the stairs, falling a little way behind in order to have a muttered conversation.
“Ian, what are we going to do?”
“Say nothing, do nothing. Don’t let anyone see that you are disconcerted. That would attract attention, which we must on no account do.”
She recognised the force of this argument and fell silent, but she was full of dread.
They arrived at the room that should have been the Marquis’s and found a little crowd of maids and potboys, all eager to enjoy the excitement.
Selina tried not to meet Betty’s eye.
It soon became apparent that the Marquis’s powers of persuasion were not going to be up to this challenge, as his opponent was drunk to the point of imbecility.
A one-sided conversation ensued with the Marquis offering the drunk a handsome sum to vacate the room and was rewarded by a sea shanty, sung out of tune.
Then he increased the offer and something smashed on the other side of the door hard enough to make it shake.
“I seem to be having little success,” he concluded with a sigh.
“You can ’ave my room” one of the potboys piped up, adding, “for the same money you offered ’im.”
“Hush your mouth,” the landlord roared. “Take no notice of him, my Lord. He sleeps over the stables with three others. You wouldn’t like it.”
“No, I do believe I wouldn’t,” admitted the Marquis with a grim shudder. “No matter. There are two beds in Ponsonby’s room. You won’t mind me having the other one, will you old fellow?”
His hand was tight on Selina’s shoulder, urging her to follow his lead. She smiled and replied gruffly.
“Not at all, Castleton. Glad to help.”
The Marquis thumped her on the back.
“Good man! And now that that’s settled, I suggest we return below and finish our meal. Landlord, how good is your best brandy?”
“As good as you’d expect so near to the coast, my Lord,” answered the landlord with a wink.
“Then I’ll have a glass.”
“And so will I,” piped up ‘Ponsonby’ with a defiant glance at his ‘uncle’, who maintained a diplomatic silence.
When they were seated, Selina muttered urgently,
“Ian, whatever are you thinking about?”
“Well, you clearly think that I am going to forget my promise to behave exactly like a gentleman and force my attentions on you.”
“I didn’t – I never – ”
She was blushing furiously.
“You goose,” he told her lightly. “I shall have to go in there with you, but when the inn is quiet, I shall leave unobserved and go outside.”
“Outside where?”
“Anywhere. It’s a fine night. I can sleep under the stars.”
“But you can’t do that.”
“I must. I cannot stay inside the building. There’s too much chance of my being seen. We’re both safer if I sleep outside.”
“But won’t you be seen outside?”
“There’s a little copse of trees to hide me. And it’s summer. I won’t catch cold.”
“How kind you are,” she cried impulsively. “I feel dreadful making you do such a thing.”
“It isn’t you that makes me,” he pointed out, “but our inebriated friend. This is only for one night and then, tomorrow, we’ll go and leave all these problems behind us.”
The brandy then arrived and the landlord set a glass before each of them and retired.
Selina watched as the Marquis picked up the full-bellied glass, cradled it in his palm and inhaled the aroma before taking a sip.
“Now you,” he ordered.
Carefully following his lead, she swirled the liquid around the bowl, attempting to look as though this came naturally to her and then sipped.
At once she gagged. Nothing had prepared her for the fiery liquid.
The Marquis thumped her on the back.
“That’s no way to treat good brandy.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?” she asked hoarsely.
“Because you wouldn’t have believed me. Besides, I thought you wanted to experiment with a life of excess.”
“The joys of excess are greatly exaggerated. You can tell Mrs. Ponsonby that her little Cedric is going to be abstemious from this moment on.”
“She’ll be delighted to hear it,” he laughed.
He tipped her brandy into his own and sipped it, his eyes laughing at her over the rim of the glass.
“What did the landlord mean about being near the coast?” enquired Selina.
“It was his way of hinting that the liquor is brought in unofficially, by ‘the gentlemen’.”
“You mean smugglers?”
“Yes, I do.”
“What fun! Tell me all about it.”
“You are reacting improperly,” he reproved her. “Anybody would think you were delighted at encountering this criminal activity. A female of any delicacy should swoon with shock.”
Selina’s lips twitched.
It was getting late and the lights were going out as they climbed the stairs together.
Selina, trying to look as though she did not have a care in the world, opened the bedroom door and walked in, followed by the Marquis.
She could not help feeling intensely self-conscious.
It seemed that every second she grew more strongly attracted to the Marquis and this sudden enforced intimacy was almost overwhelming.
She was swept by the strength of her own feelings and turned away to the window, hoping he would not see her blush.
“That’s it,” he said, following her to the window and pointing to a patch of green behind the inn. “That little clump of trees over there. I’ll be nice and cosy.”
Selina now recovered her composure.
“Speaking as your valet, my Lord, I should advise you to wear your least elegant clothes lest the ground ruin them.”
“Good grief, Ponsonby! You don’t seriously think I am travelling with anything suitable for sleeping on the ground? What a lot you must learn before you can become a man of fashion! After tonight I shall discard them.”
“Take something warm to wrap in, then.”
“A very good thought.” He took a cloak from the wardrobe. “This will do. Of course, one should be willing to sacrifice mere clothes – ”
He added wickedly,
“Can I borrow your waistcoat?”
“Certainly not. Goodnight, my Lord.”
The Marquis crept out into the corridor and stood listening for any sound from the darkened building. From the taproom came the hum of a few late revellers.
He slipped outside without being seen and walked away from the inn, heading across the patch of grass.
Selina, standing at the window, watched him go until he vanished among the trees.
She was thoughtful as she took off her clothes and climbed into bed.
Who would have believed that so many incredible things could have happened in such a short time? It was only three days since she had fled her stepfather’s house, yet it seemed like a lifetime.
Selina had met the Marquis and already she could not imagine the
world without him.
He was amazingly unlike the dashing lover she had imagined might carry her off.
For one thing, he was a bit older than the man in her romantic dreams, but his sweet temper, his quiet charm and perfect kindly courtesy had enchanted her, as the brash manners of younger men never did and he had now come to mean everything to her.
What did she mean to him?
Nothing probably.
He regarded her as a child that he was humouring.
How very quick he had been to assure her that his behaviour would be entirely proper! Of course, she would not wish it any other way, she assured herself.
But it was sad that he seemed to find the promise so easy to keep.
After all, would one little improper advance be so terrible?
Instantly she caught herself up in horror. It was a shocking thought and one that no truly refined lady would have entertained for a moment.
With a sigh she decided that she must lack the right delicate instincts. And no doubt he thought so too and disapproved of her.
On that depressing thought, she snuggled down and went to sleep.
*
She was woken only a few hours later by a loud clap of thunder.
After a while she realised that the pounding noise she could hear was rain, pouring down and hammering on the roof. It must be one of the summer storms that seemed to occur in even the finest weather.
Suddenly she sat up in bed.
The Marquis!
He was caught out there in this weather. He must be drenched. He might catch pneumonia.
She rushed to the window and looked out into the darkness, but there was no sign of him. He was probably huddled under the inadequate shelter of a tree.
Surely he would be sensible and find some cover, even if it was only a barn?
But in her heart she knew that he would not return unless she fetched him herself. He would regard anything else as a violation of his word.
Throwing off her nightdress, she began to pull on her breeches and shirt. When she had put on her boots and drawn a cloak about her shoulders. she was ready to leave.
Her heart in her mouth, she crept down through the dark building and out through the back door.
The wind hit her like a blow and made her stagger back against the wall.
The Triumph of Love Page 9