A Winter Wager

by Rachel Osborne

  Before he could open his mouth to utter a word of censure to his Mama, though, the door to the parlour flew open and in strode Nash, his handsome face rendered still more so by the wide smile he wore. Erasmus and Michael were arguing over some matter of state, and Nash permitted them only a minute to bicker in peace before bringing an end to the argument.

  “I think one ought to be able to lay to rest the trivial concerns of government when one has a ball to consider!” He turned to Edmund and Mrs Gale, before clutching his chest and dropping to one knee. “My dear Mrs Gale! You look lovelier every time I see you! What on earth did you do to deserve a ragamuffin son like Ed?”

  Edmund hauled himself to his feet, shooting his friend a dark look and reaching, self-consciously, towards his hair.

  “Don’t you dare!” Nash said, straightening and reaching all the quicker for Edmund’s hand. “Your poor valet has no doubt lost an hour of his life to wrestling that unruly pate into something approaching civility. Do not undo his good work before the evening has even begun!”

  “I would not need to if you had arrived on time!” Edmund muttered, obediently dropping his hand to his chest and smoothing down the line of his coat.

  “My dear Edmund!” Nash slung an arm around his friend’s broad shoulders, steering him towards the door. “How long will it take you to grasp that perfection cannot be rushed...”

  In spite of himself, Edmund felt the corners of his lips lift as the rest of their party rose and followed them out into the dark night towards their carriage.

  “OF COURSE, WE HAD PLANNED to stay in London for Christmas, for we have so many friends there to see...”

  Sallie Merriweather was speaking with such loud enthusiasm about her life as a newlywed that it was all Maddy could do to keep a smile on her own face. She was not prone to jealousy but her friend’s account would have been enough to spark envy in even the most pious heart.

  “What brought you all the way to Castleford, then?” Juliet asked, when Maddy did not immediately provide a comment. She laughed. “I cannot imagine I would be easily persuaded to trade London for...this.” She held up her hand as if to illustrate the whole of Clifton and Castleford.

  “This is something you have scarcely ceased from praising since our first visit here!” Mady reminded her sister, feeling her irritation at Sallie’s good fortune fix itself to a new target.

  “Oh, well for you who live here, I suppose it is rather thrilling,” Sallie interposed, with a sickening note of sympathy in her voice. “Imagine how different life in quiet old Clifton will become with Castleford on your doorstep. You, too, might be fortunate enough to find a suitor, Maddy, dear.”

  Madeline’s smile froze on her face and Juliet leapt to her defence, turning a cutting smile on Sallie.

  “We cannot all be fortunate enough to marry our father’s friends. Look, Maddy, there is Colonel Black! Did not he say he wished to meet us here this evening?”

  Obediently Maddy allowed her sister to steer her away from Sallie’s arch scowl, but before they reached the red-coated regimental group, Mr Turner had beckoned his daughters to the corner he and his wife occupied.

  “Juliet! Madeline! Come and meet Mr Hodge, and Mr Robert Hodge properly. They are newly arrived in Castleford and I am sure would be grateful to make your acquaintance.”

  A small cry of frustration escaped Juliet’s lips but before Maddy could turn to enquire as to its cause she noticed the tall, stooped figure standing closest to her father and her heart lifted.

  “Mr Hodge.” She curtseyed and felt Juliet obediently curtsey next to her.

  “Miss Turner. How do you like the assembly rooms?”

  “Oh, they are quite beautiful!” Maddy exclaimed. “And so prettily decorated for Christmas -”

  “Yes, Maddy, I did want to show you a particular decoration I think you and I might contrive to fashion for our own table this year. It is just over -”

  “Good evening, Turners!” A merry voice broke through the melee and Maddy looked away from Mr Hodge just long enough to see Edmund arrive, with three friends and his mother in tow. Another irritable sigh escaped Juliet’s lips and she plastered an unconvincing smile on her face as Edmund came to join them.

  “Good evening, Mr Gale.”

  “Good evening Miss Juliet!” Edmund swept into an extravagant bow. “And Miss Turner. Please allow me to introduce my friends, Mr Nash Weston, Mr Erasmus Finch, and this -” He clapped the third gentleman on both shoulders, prodding him forward. “This is Mr Michael Heatherington.”

  “Delighted to make your acquaintance,” Mr Heatherington said, offering his own sweeping bow. Madeline smiled politely before turning back towards Mr Hodge, who had taken two steps away and was watching the new arrivals with a strange, haunted expression in his pale eyes.

  “Oh, but I see you are already in conversation,” Mr Heatherington said, straightening and retreating a little. “You must not allow us to interrupt.”

  “You most certainly must!” Edmund countered, reaching across Juliet with his hand outstretched. “Edmund Gale - although, forgive me! We are already acquainted! Hill, wasn’t it?”

  “Hodge,” Mr Hodge said. “Robert. And this is my father.”

  “You were enamoured enough with Castleford to stay here, then?” Edmund asked, conversationally. He seemed entirely oblivious to the dark looks Juliet was shooting at the back of his head, and it was not until his Mama laid a hand on his arm that his attention was diverted.

  “Edmund, dear, there is Miss Marianne Drew, recall I told you about her? She is newly arrived to stay with her aunt, my dear friend Phoebe Stringer. You must ask her to dance, for she knows nobody here, and -”

  “Speaking of knowing nobody,” the elder Mr Hodge said, leaning forward with a conspiratorial wink at the young ladies. “I hope you will each bestow a dance upon my son this evening. He is newly arrived not only in Castleford but in England after some years abroad and I dare say the notion of asking young ladies to dance -”

  “Father!” Mr Hodge groaned, looking thunderous. “I am quite capable -”

  “I know you are, m’boy,” his father said, patting him on the elbow. “But hark, the music is beginning, and you -”

  The tall man cleared his throat, looking towards Madeline but before he could utter the words she felt sure were to be forthcoming, there was a moment of confusion and Mr Heatherington stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding a collision with Madeline. He recovered himself at the last moment, turning to glare at Edmund who was somehow to blame for the stumble and bowed low, seizing the opportunity to do the only other thing he might manage to salvage the moment.

  “Miss Turner. I wonder if you would do me the honour of dancing the first dance with me?” He lifted his eyes to Mr Hodge, almost as an afterthought. “You do not mind, do you, Hill?”

  Mr Hodge did not bother to correct him, merely took another step backwards and allowed the pair to make their way across the room to join the other dancers.

  “Well, Juliet....” Edmund drawled, ignoring his mother’s fussing.

  “Mr Weston, do you dance?” Juliet asked, turning abruptly away from Edmund and accepting the hand his friend hurriedly offered.

  “I most certainly do, Miss Juliet. Come along. Shall we show these pretenders how it ought to be done?”

  Juliet laughed, and the two couples - Juliet and Mr Weston, and Madeline and Mr Heatherington - found their places amidst the crowds of other dancers. The first notes of the piece began, and Madeline glanced back at the corner just in time to see the younger Mr Hodge sink back into the shadows, watching the ball as if he were not a part of it at all, merely a spectator. She felt a wave of sympathy and a strange regret that it was the handsome Mr Heatherington and not he with whom she danced.

  The night is young, she counselled herself. And as his father says, he knows nobody. I am sure we will have a chance to speak again before the ball ends.

  She felt a strange thrill of excitement at the thought of this new
acquaintance, turning his name over in her mind. Mr Robert Hodge. Newly arrived in England after several years abroad. How she would love to hear him talk of his travels. Antigua, she recalled. Antigua and where else?

  She crossed Mr Heatherington and turned a circle, her eyes travelling across the room and identifying Sallie Merriweather dancing with her husband half a beat behind everybody else. She could not help but recall her friend’s slight. For people who have been nowhere else, Castleford must be the very height of excitement! Her smile fell. What on earth could she ever find to say that would be of interest to world-travelling Mr Hodge? I have been nowhere. Nowhere at all.

  Mr Heatherington was a fine dancer and strove at first to pay her numerous compliments and engage her in conversation. When his third such comment fell on deaf ears, though, he abandoned the attempt, and he and the pretty Miss Turner danced the duration of the minuet in silence.

  Chapter Seven

  Edmund enjoyed dancing and he was good at it. His partner, Louisa Turner, was at least as skilled as he and they had often danced together at Aston House, so he ought to have found the whole experience a good deal more enjoyable than he did.

  “Why is your Mama scowling at us?” Louisa asked, tilting her golden head in a manner that was surely designed to catch the eye of several gentlemen close to them as the light rippled over her curls.

  “Is she?” Edmund turned to glance over his shoulder and saw that, indeed, Mrs Gale wore an expression that might have passed notice with anybody who did not know her well. Edmund could see behind the vague smile the way her teeth were clenched together, the eyes that did not blink as they watched him move this way and that alongside his partner. He sighed, certain that she was already constructing the perfect argument to attack him with as soon as the dance was over. She wished for him to dance with the young lady of her choice. Lifting his chin, Edmund smiled as if Louisa had just said something incredibly amusing. I will dance with whomever I wish to, Mama. I am a grown man, and you will not intimidate me out of spending time with my friends.

  “...not that I do not like dancing with you,” Louisa continued, and Edmund realised that he had been paying no notice to her words. He hurried through his steps until they were close enough to speak again and offered an apology.

  “What was that?”

  Louisa sighed with an affectation of patience and repeated herself slowly and carefully so that Edmund would be hard-pressed to miss her words a second time.

  “I am grateful that you asked me to dance, Edmund, but I hope you do not plan to monopolise me all evening. We might dance together at any time and there are so many other people here I should like to meet!”

  Edmund laughed at this, for Louisa was never one to mince her words, especially around her family. At least this is one sister I may be able to help. He glanced over his shoulder to where Juliet was dancing with Nash, and won a glare from her, too. Why is it that so many ladies seem poised to oppose me this evening?

  “Is there anyone in particular, Miss Louisa? If I may offer my services in securing an introduction...” He frowned. “Except, recall, I am well aware that you are not yet twenty and as such ought not to pay any mind to gentlemen.” He shook his head, feigning chiding. “As your elder and a gentleman of close acquaintance I ought to advise against such wanton flirtation...”

  “Wanton flirtation?” Louisa snorted. “And who are you to warn me against such behaviour? You forget, Edmund, we were all privy to your adventures in London last year.”

  She tilted her head again, surely conscious of the ripple of gold that caught the light of the candles as she did so, and how well the picture looked.

  “Those were letters for your sister’s eyes,” Edmund replied, drawing his lips into a line. He felt strangely hot at the thought of Juliet clearing her throat and reading his letters aloud to her sisters. Certainly, he had chosen his words carefully enough to create the picture of his time in London he calculated would have been most damaging to Juliet - not because he wished to harm his friend but because he wished to make her fully aware of all that she had lost by refusing him.

  “I suppose you all took great amusement in my misfortune,” he muttered, wishing he could carry the light tone over into his voice and not lapse, as he had done, into obvious melancholy.

  “Oh, do not pout, Edmund,” Louisa instructed, beaming brilliantly at him. “We all took against Miss Parker immediately. How dare she pass over our dear Edmund for another? Secretly, I suppose we were rather relieved, though, for we did not like the thought of losing you to London and society and all those assemblies.” She sighed.

  “You mean you do not like losing me to London if you cannot come along with me, Miss Louisa.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Now who is pouting?”

  “Oh, very well!” she replied, crossly. The dance parted them for a moment and Edmund stifled a grin to see the two sisters, Juliet and Louisa, pass one another, both wearing similar expressions of frustration with him, on their markedly different features.

  “Come, then, Lou. Tell me how dreadful my behaviour was and how thoroughly scandalised you all were, and how relieved you are to have me home again and behaving myself,” he said as they stood together. “I have had plenty of lectures from Juliet, so you needn’t think I escaped.”

  “I am pleased you are home again,” Louisa said, obediently. “Although I do think you might have invited some jollier friends with you.” She pulled a face. “Mr Finch is so dull! All he talks about is business. And Mr Heatherington is old -”

  “Not so very old!” Edmund countered, a little affronted. “He is only a year or two older than me!”

  Louisa arched one eyebrow as if this proved her point and Edmund swallowed a laugh.

  “Well, Mr Weston then. He is my most gregarious and amusing friend. Surely you cannot mean to find fault with him too!”

  “He certainly dances very well,” Louisa allowed, turning to survey the gentleman in question a little more critically. “And see, he clearly must have some skill to flatter and cajole, for he has made Juliet laugh when she has been so bad-tempered all evening!”

  Edmund felt a little vindicated by Louisa’s assertion that Juliet’s bad temper had not gone unnoticed. It was surely not entirely directed at him, either, if her sisters had borne their share. He turned, though, feeling a strange bitterness that it should be Nash who succeeded in bringing her out of her bad mood. She caught him staring and shifted her position, the smile dropping from her face.

  Louisa, witnessing this, laughed, pinching Edmund lightly on the arm.

  “Ask Juliet to dance next, there’s a good boy. I am sure she will forgive you whatever little upset has happened. She is really very fond of you, you know.” She paused as if considering the matter. “We all are. You are quite the best neighbour we have.”

  “I am the only neighbour you have,” Edmund retorted, with a groan. “Unless you count Mr Montgomery who spends half his time abroad.”

  “That’s true,” Louisa mused, with a shrug of one thin shoulder. “Well - oh, never mind. Our dance is done. Good evening, Edmund.”

  “Good evening, Miss Louisa,” Edmund said, bowing obediently. He was about to ask if he could introduce her to another partner, but before he had a chance, she had spotted her quarry and scurried off, curtseying brazenly to a figure clad in a red jacket. Edmund scowled, wondering just what it was about the Turner girls and their fixation with the regiment. He had not forgotten the way Juliet’s eyes sparkled as she mentioned Colonel Black. His scowl settled into a smile as he located the colonel, three-men deep with his friends, and raising what must be his third or fourth brandy of the evening, if the colour of his cheeks was any indication.

  Freed from the clutches of Mr Nash, Juliet turned to scan the crowd, evidently seeking the same gentleman he had, but whether for herself or for Madeline, Edmund could not be sure. What he could do was route her progress.

  “Miss Juliet!!” he called, stepping in front of her and catching hol
d of one hand. “I believe the next is a jig, and you must not forget our tradition to always dance that particular one together. Shall we?”

  “In a minute -” Juliet began, but there was no way of avoiding him. She abandoned her struggle almost before she began it, offering him an imperious nod. “Very well, Mr Gale.”

  “Oh, do not be like that!” Edmund said, rolling his eyes. “You have barely spoken to me this evening. Surely you cannot be this angry with me already!”

  “How do you know this is not lasting anger from last time?”

  “And the time before that, and the time before that....” Edmund grinned. “Honestly, Juliet, it’s a good job we are such good friends or I might start to think you don’t care for me at all!”

  AS ANNOYED AS SHE WAS with him, Juliet could never manage to stay angry with Edmund for long, especially when they were dancing with one another. As she listened to him remark upon their companions in a waspish tone he had clearly modelled on his mother, she felt her frown recede and at last give way to a smile.

  “Aha! I knew it would only be a matter of time before I saw you smile. I think if it is to make us cross with one another all the time, we ought to abandon our wager right here and now!”

  “You are only suggesting that because Juliet has already danced with your suitor,” Juliet countered. “I have not even succeeded in introducing her to mine!”

  “Ah, yes, the good colonel. Where is he?” Edmund stepped out of time in order to have a better vantage on the crowd. “Dear me, is he quite well? He looks rather...flushed.” He smirked, turning back to Juliet and picking up where they left off, ignoring the whispered complaints of their neighbours. “His cheeks almost match his jacket!”

  Juliet bit her lip, but whether to keep from laughing or from telling Edmund off she was not sure. He was clearly no admirer of Colonel Black, but Juliet cold not help but agree with his assessment, as she caught a glimpse of the ordinarily handsome and composed colonel looking rather too merry for so early on in the evening. Perhaps it is for the best if Maddy does not meet him tonight! she thought, desperately craning her neck to see if she could locate her sister. Maddy had no humour for gentlemen who drank too much and Juliet did not wish for the colonel to disqualify himself before they had even begun!