“No, why should she be writing to me? I only met her last night although she has been pointed out to me before,” Celestina stated.
“She wrote to me, but under the circumstances I thought you should read what she said and I included a copy of how I replied,” Xavier replied sternly, standing waiting for her to locate the notes among the correspondence on her desk.
Celestina located the pink letter along with two pages in Xavier’s immaculate handwriting. She read through Selena’s letter, shaking a little as she did. Whether she was shaking from anger or shock even Celestina was not sure, as she certainly had reacted strongly to seeing what she had written. She tried to get her thoughts under control. Selena’s love note explained why she had automatically disliked the woman. Xavier had behaved under the circumstances absolutely correctly. He had declined and had been open with her about the situation. She had known that Xavier had had lovers among disenchanted aristocratic wives, but she had not expected them to be so brazen in propositioning him now it was known that he was married.
Xavier’s stiff reception of Selena the night before had not been inviting. He could not be considered at fault for confirming they had been lovers in the past, as he was now firmly declining her new invitation. Yet part of Celestina wished she had not known of their liaison. Now she could picture them together. She jealously feared failing to measure up to the beautiful Selena. Xavier was apparently concerned about how she would react to his revelation, but bravely waiting for her condemnation. Yet he was acting as he should, for she could not think of a better way of allaying her suspicions.
Perhaps it was better that she had let him realise how much she enjoyed his lovemaking, because clearly he would have plenty of offers from less reticent ladies. Even if he was lying about being happy in their marriage, at least he cared enough about her feelings to want her to believe him. She took a deep breath and found she was still shaking. She reached for the tray on her desk to pour herself a glass of sherry, but Xavier took the decanter from her hand and poured it for her. She carefully lifted the glass and slowly drank it down; finding the heat promptly reached her cheeks and eased the shaking.
“Thank you Xavier. You’ve been very honest and although I wish I did not have to know, you have been quite correct to tell me, reducing the chance of misunderstandings on my side. I disliked Lady Selena on sight last night and could not justify my reaction. I shall do my best to avoid her. I hope your reply deters her, although I fear she may be difficult to discourage.”
“I am sorry to have to bring the matter to your attention. I had no expectation of her pursuing me after so long a separation.”
“I suppose there will be others, please inform me if you think it necessary. I accept you are not at fault, Xavier. I believe Lady Selena has children, were you the sire? I understand her husband is very old.”
“I did not father her son or daughter; both were born before our affaire began. I believe Lord Romshire is their father, but I was not her first lover. I know two lads are of my get. Edward, the second son of Lord Rinstep, who is eleven; and Gordon, Lord Tanmoor, heir to the earl of Tambar, who is eight. His mother encouraged my advances when she had produced a string of girls. The earl is a former friend of mine. He informed me, it had been his idea to avoid an entail and ensure his wife and daughters’ future, when he warned me off. He has similar colouring and features to mine, but both boys look like me. I have tried to avoid siring bastards and know of no others.”
“I suppose it is best for me to know, so it will not cause complications further on for our children.”
“Yes, any daughters we may have would have to be told they could not marry their half-brothers,” Xavier said quietly, clearly embarrassed.
***
Lady Selena had bathed and dressed in an exquisite new peignoir made from flimsy golden silk and coffee Brussels lace. She had her dresser loosely curl her long blonde hair and had been looking forward to Xavier’s appearance. His note was delivered before the time she had suggested but she would have waited. She had no expectation he would refuse to come and was furious when she read his terse reply. She tore it into tiny shreds and was just about to start throwing the priceless Meissen shepherdesses that festooned her boudoir when there was a knock on her door.
“I said I did not want to be disturbed, Yeatman, unless Lord Kittleton has changed his mind and is at the door?” she declared when her butler entered.
“Not Lord Kittleton, my lady but another gentleman was wishing to see you. Sir Arthur Devereaux is waiting in the French drawing room, Ma’am. He asked me to give you this,” he said handing over a jeweller’s box.
“I presumed to ask one of the maids to arrange the roses he brought, but here is his card,” he said holding out a thick piece of cream card to his mistress. She opened the box which contained a charming sapphire and diamond necklace and held it against her décolletage to consider the effect. Lady Selena smiled, a rich lover was perhaps not better than one as creative as Xavier, but it looked like Sir Arthur intended to be very generous, very generous indeed.
“Ask Sir Devereaux to wait a little and provide him with suitable refreshments while I repair my toilette. Thank you Yeatman.”
***
The atmosphere between Xavier and Celestina was slightly uncomfortable after Xavier’s disclosures, but they had avoided a major row over Lady Selena, and both felt they had weathered the storm. Then they went into dinner together and talked together about their day’s activities. Before the meal was over they were back in accord and Celestina was very careful to show enthusiasm when she joined her husband in bed. She had chosen to marry the handsome lord who had deflowered her. There would be plenty of other women who would willingly take her place, she was determined the likes of Lady Selena Romshire would not share her husband’s charms.
Chapter Nineteen – Green Park
After clearing the air over Lady Selena, it was in quiet accord that Celestina and Xavier met for breakfast before going riding in Green Park. Xavier suggested Robert Avery accompany them as groom, primarily because he trusted him more than the town staff, whom he had yet to get to know as well. They set off for Green Park from the town house, but Xavier had the feeling they were being followed. He wished he had decided to go armed although Avery carried a saddle pistol. As they neared the gates of the park he turned and glanced back, but could not see anyone who seemed to be obviously following. He dismissed his feeling as a fancy and decided to enjoy a pleasant ride alongside Celestina.
“Is something bothering you Xavier?” she enquired because he did not seem his confident usual self.
“I felt for a moment like somebody was following us. Silly fancy I know, but I could not see anyone taking an interest in us.”
“I was surprised how many people wanted to invite us to some event or other. I thought as a ‘cit’, I’d be shunned,” she said with a little heat.
“You are a very wealthy ‘cit’ and, I am afraid, I have a certain notoriety. So we are considered ‘interesting’ and our refusals have made meeting you so much more sought after. Society is very shallow…”
“So they want to gossip about us? If we were to make a vulgar scene, will they leave us alone?”
“Lord, no. That would only double the invites. They will get bored eventually if we do nothing they can fan into a scandal…”
Celestina was wearing a rather lovely emerald green riding habit along with a tight bonnet and veil in the same colour. Xavier considered she was a fairly good rider, although she seemed to lack confidence. They rode slowly past one of the herdsmen as he coaxed his cows to a fresher patch of grass. The cows turned and stared at the riders going past. Xavier rode beside Celestina, but Robert Avery hung back to give them some privacy to converse. The park was a large open area of land, nearly fifty acres in total and it was grazed by both a small herd of cows, together with a herd of fine deer. It was not landscaped with flower beds and had no large bodies of water. It was just made up of mature trees, e
xpanses of grass and a path which was known as Queen’s walk.
Carriages were not permitted in the park, but riders could exercise there and if considerate of the cows and deer might have a short gallop. It was not the safest of areas in London as there had been problems with footpads there, especially in the evenings. Xavier was wary but set himself the task of entertaining Celestina, they spotted a few deer grazing under a copse of trees. They rode quietly a little closer so as not to disturb the deer. Celestina had never been there before and was intrigued to find so large an area of open space so close to the centre of town. Xavier turned them towards an area of the park currently without other animals which might be too disturbed and they pushed their mounts into a gentle canter, following a simple curve to take them to the further end of the park.
They cantered past another group of mature trees, but there was a sudden flash and enormous bang. Xavier moved closer towards Celestina automatically, but as he neared, her horse whinnied, speeding off as if frightened or hurt. A second retort confirmed what Xavier had already guessed, someone was shooting from the trees at Celestina. As she hurtled onwards, unable to control her panicked mare, he let Xerxes follow at a full gallop which ate up the space between them. As he closed on her mare, it twisted to one side and Celestina tumbled to the grass, while her horse bolted off towards the deer they had been observing. She lay still upon the ground as Xavier moved his horse between her and whoever had been shooting. He dismounted and bent over her body, looking for blood on her habit, but could find no obvious bullet wound. She was a little muddied but there was no hole in her habit, or obvious bleeding wound on her body. Her bonnet had been torn off in her headlong gallop. Her long curling red hair was fully displayed tangled around her.
Her delicate features were very white, and he feared that she might have not survived the fall, even though the grassy ground was fairly soft. He cradled her in his arms with his back shielding her from further firing. He checked her pulse and discovered she was clearly still breathing. As he checked her over he found she was bleeding from a nasty cut in her head. Her eyes stayed closed and Celestina showed no reaction as he called her name. She was clearly unconscious. Avery caught up to them, looking very worried. He joined Xavier crouched over his mistress. They were both now shielding her body from further firing and searching the tree line for signs of the shooter, who had no reason to bring a gun to Green Park where hunting was definitely illegal. They could see no one and no signs of movement.
“I can’t find a bullet wound, but she must have hit her head when she fell, as she is unconscious,” Xavier told him. “I can’t see anyone there, perhaps he has legged it? Can you shield us while I lift her onto Xerxes and get her home?”
This manoeuvre was accomplished fairly swiftly and with Celestina across the horn of his saddle, Xavier remounted and tucked her tightly to his body. If he moved fast enough, Xavier believed it would be difficult to hit her from that distance.
“I’m taking her straight home, Robert, leave her mare and follow.”
Xavier touched his heels to the sides of his stallion and galloped straight for the gate, clutching Celestina tightly to his chest. He scattered a few cows and walkers who were standing around looking shocked, as he burst out of the park with Robert following at a slightly more sedate pace. Once on the road, Xavier made straight for Kittleton House. Celestina stirred and he mumbled a few sweet words to her, gripping her tighter to his heart. Xerxes was heading for his stables without any directions from Xavier, who was more concerned about getting his wife away from danger than where his horse was heading. As the streets got busier he eased the horse to a canter and then to a controlled walk. Celestina tossed her head and muttered something, but her eyes remained shut. Xavier was relieved she seemed to be beginning to come back to her senses.
Robert Avery caught up with them and they looked back, but there had been no rushed pursuit. He rode to the door of the house and dismounted, Xavier followed and together they lifted Celestina down from the horse. Then Xavier carried her into the house, past a bemused butler and a couple of footmen.
“Have her doctor brought from Harley Street, and send her dresser up at once,” Xavier ordered while taking the stairs with Celestina in his arms. He carried her into her bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. Then he started to undress her, beginning with easing off her half boots and unbuttoning her leather riding gloves. He undid the fastenings at the front of the jacket of her riding habit. Her eyes flickered open briefly.
“It’s all right Celestina, we are home,” he said as Amy entered the room and rushed to assist Xavier in removing her muddied habit and putting her to bed. Now that the first rush of fear had passed, Xavier examined her features. There were no scars or birthmarks. Her features were close to perfection in his opinion, even in her supine, muddy state he could not imagine any woman being more beautiful. Why had she been preventing him from seeing her lovely face and hair? He now believed that particular peculiarity of her behaviour had been only for his benefit. Did she think he would despise her magnificent red hair and lightly freckled skin?
He was worried about whether she was more seriously injured than he had first thought while being overjoyed at the revelation of her beauty. He helped Amy ease off her jacket and blouse by lifting Celestina into a sitting position, then holding her while she unravelled the knots to her stays and pulling them over her head. The skirt to her riding habit soon followed and then Amy wound down her stockings leaving her in her shift. They pulled back the coverlet together and tucked her in.
“Thank you Amy, Could you get one of the maids to light the fire and light more candles for the doctor to see by,” Xavier requested, before continuing. “Then could you arrange for some hot water to be brought up for the doctor and to wash her face. I must see about having her mare caught.”
Xavier thought he ought to inform the Bow Street police that his wife had been shot at, but did not know what to tell them. His wife seemed an unlikely target for assassination. As far as he knew she had no family who might benefit from her death, which was why she needed an heir. He dismissed the idea that Hector might have set someone on her as implausible. Hector seemed to Xavier the soul of trustworthiness and clearly treated Celestina as a combination of employer, partner and daughter. Xavier could sense no underlying jealousy or resentment in Hector who he saw as a useful and supportive ally. So he thought he would wait until Celestina regained consciousness before deciding whether to call in the authorities over the attack. However he scribbled a note and sent one of the footmen to Celestina’s offices to fetch Hector, who Xavier thought should be told at once.
He could have understood it if he had been the target, as he had certainly made a few enemies in the past, but the bullets had definitely been heading towards Celestina and had not been aimed at him. Xavier ran back downstairs and found Robert Avery in the hall waiting for news of his mistress.
“Her ladyship is still unconscious, but seems a little better, Robert. Do you think you could take a couple of extra grooms down to the park see if you can round up her mare? Make sure you are all armed in case it is some madman who was taking pot-shots at her ladyship.”
Avery touched his cap and moved off as instructed, but he and the rest of the house’s staff were clearly concerned about their mistress. Xavier went back to Celestina’s bedroom and knocked before being bidden enter by Amy. Celestina’s eyes were still closed but she was tossing and turning in the bed. Amy was trying to cool her forehead and had already washed the mud from her face. He heard the doorbell ring and heard their butler welcoming the doctor before leading him upstairs. Celestina’s eyes flickered open briefly and then shut again as the doctor was admitted.
Xavier explained about the fall from her mare and then was hustled out of the room by the doctor who insisted on only keeping Amy present while he examined her. When Xavier was allowed back in, the room smelled of sal volatile and Celestina was sitting up in bed, with her eyes wide open, her head bandaged and
her complexion was looking rather green. She was now wearing one of her nightdresses and had a shawl draped around her shoulders. Amy was bearing away a covered bowl which suggested her ladyship had been copiously sick.
“Her ladyship will be fine, it is a nasty bang to her skull, but I don’t think there is a fracture. She will need a couple of days in bed on a light diet. You are not to work, my lady while you have a headache. I want you to stay awake until mid-afternoon to give your nerves a chance to settle, but then you may sleep as much as you want.”
“Thank you doctor,” Celestina said wanly, not even arguing about his restrictions. Xavier followed the doctor out, leaving Celestina only with Amy.
“So the fall was not serious? Should we worry if she continues to be sick?” Xavier asked still concerned about how sickly his wife had looked.
“Falls can be serious to women in her condition, my lord. The nausea will continue for a few months yet, but she has a strong constitution and has not lost the baby. She will be fine if you can persuade her to stay in bed for a few days and allow her head to heal. Call me if she runs a fever or falls unconscious again, but I don’t expect her to. I have left some laudanum to help her sleep tonight and ease the pain, but I doubt if she will need to have me called again.”
“I am sorry doctor, I was not aware of her condition, when will the child be due?”
“Late August or perhaps early September as first babies often hang late. But don’t you go worrying, she will be fine.”
Xavier was relieved to hear Celestina would recover and overjoyed that she was with child. He was not however sure whether she would be pleased the doctor had informed him of her condition. He would try to be tactful in talking to her as she would be upset he had seen her face and hair. He had not deliberately tried to discover how she looked, but when her horse bolted after being fired on, her bonnet and veil had blown away. He had not looked away because his main concern had been how best to protect Celestina, not of revealing her secrets. How she would react to the realisation that he had seen her face worried him. She had been a little unkind to him immediately after their marriage, but she had been totally generous in having Kittleton Place restored to the standards fit for a lord’s habitation. Even now their steward, Matthew Bayliss was striving to expand the estates, so that the land could support the house and family.
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