Amanda Scott (40 page)

“I hoped you would, but I did not expect this, ma’am.”

“Well, but you see, they were just coming out of the Flowers woman’s house, and I could see by the way young Upminster was looking up and down the street that he was up to mischief, so I made it my business to go bang up to him and ask him what he was doing. Now, one might expect the lad to have prevaricated in such a case. Certainly, anyone else bent on such a mad course would have done so. But not his high-and-mightiness. Oh, no!”

“Goodness, never tell me that he blurted straight out that he meant to marry her!”

“He did,” Lady Hermione said with a bemused shake of her head. “As cocksure as his father, that young snip, and needs taking down a peg, if you ask me. I hope Michael flays him for this. He’s still insisting he’s going to marry her, you know, even now, so I don’t know what we’ll do. In the midst of this lot, I can’t see us dragging him back to the Priory, can you?”

“I think I can prevail upon him to go with us,” Anne said, “but what about Mrs. Flowers? I must tell you, ma’am, I was as shocked as can be to see that she had actually gone with him.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be so surprised if you could but hear the poor woman. That rascal Jake Thornton evidently told her to her face that he had signed the house over to her, and that he had arranged for her to be comfortable for life. But she says he never gave her the deed to the house, which, as we know, is held by Maria’s solicitor. As to the money Jake promised her, she’s not telling the whole tale there, I think, but she does not put much faith in its existence, I can tell you that, and I certainly don’t blame her. I don’t suppose we can blame her for succumbing to Andrew’s pleading either, though I think she’s had second thoughts about that. She is no adventurer, you see, and though she got into the basket as meek as a nun’s hen, she was downright terrified once the wind caught us, and couldn’t get out fast enough once we were down, which is how she came to twist her ankle, of course.”

“But you have not explained why you took the balloon in the first place,” Anne said. “At least, I collect that you thought you could somehow keep them from going to Scotland, but surely you knew you would be at the wind’s mercy.”

“But that’s just what I counted on,” Lady Hermione said with a wicked grin. “Don’t you see, my dear? I could never have talked them out of going, for they were both dead set on it, and I couldn’t just let them drive off in Fiona Flowers’s gig, which is what they had planned to do. Upminster, apparently feeling that it would be unwise to take his horse or any sort of vehicle on his elopement, had walked to the village, you see. Rather foolish of him, I thought, but then he hasn’t had much practice at this sort of thing, has he?”

A bubble of laughter escaped Anne’s lips, and she said, “He was in disgrace, ma’am, and didn’t dare show his face in the stables. In the course of last night’s confrontation, Michael told him he was not to fish or ride, and commanded him to double his study hours with Mr. Pratt. Having told Pratt early this morning that he was off with Michael to Castleton, Andrew had to disappear, but I’m persuaded he must have believed Michael had given orders that he was not to take out a horse, so he dared not show his face there. Instead he no doubt spent a couple of hours playing least in sight, until he could slip into the village and visit Mrs. Flowers at a civilized hour.”

Lady Hermione shook her head. “Really, one hopes he will improve before he takes command at the Priory. His father did a lot of outrageous things, but Edmund would never have lowered himself to such an extent as to attempt to run off with the likes of Fiona Flowers, and I must admit, it quite shocks me to think that such a top-lofty young dog as Upminster would lower himself so much.”

“He counts her as a friend, ma’am. Indeed, he said she is the first real friend he has ever had, which I think very sad, don’t you? And as you said yourself, she seems to be the first person ever to treat him like a man instead of like a boy. That must count for a good deal with Andrew, I believe.”

“No doubt, but if he did this out of any reason other than plain unmixed pique, I’ll call myself a Dutchman.”

“No,” Anne said with a sigh, “that’s just what it was, I’m afraid. He was humiliated last night, and livid with Michael, I’m sure, for he resents anyone who holds him in check. But in fairness, though I should not say so, I agree with Lord Ashby when he says Michael has been too strict.”

“You’ll get no disagreement from me on that point,” Lady Hermione said. “Why, when I think what a rascal Michael was at the same age, and remember things said about his activities in London, I own I should have expected him to be more tolerant.”

“I think it is because of his experience that he is strict,” Anne said. “Papa was perfectly iron-handed with my eldest brother, and said it was because he knew from his own experience what mischief Harry could get up to if he were given the chance. He was strict with Bernard, too, but is much more lenient with Stephen, having seen that neither of the elder two was ever tempted to step far beyond the line of what Papa would tolerate.”

Before Lady Hermione could reply, a lad ran up to the carriage and said, “Beg pardon, me ladies, but his lordship said ter tell ye to come help with the lady what hurt her foot, if ye please. I’m ter hold the horses fer ye. He gimme a shilling, he did,” he added with a grin.

Getting down and making their way to the center of the group of people, the two found a harassed Lord Ashby, trying to give orders and talk with Andrew and Mrs. Flowers at the same time. He greeted their arrival with exasperated relief.

“Take these two away from here, will you?” he said sharply. “I’ve sent a pair of lads running to the village to keep a lookout for the wagon, and I’ve got a couple of others helping to gather up the bag, but I dare not leave it for an instant, lest some of these folks try to tear off bits of it for souvenirs. Here, you,” he called to one of the men helping with the balloon, “don’t snatch at the silk like that! If it gets caught on a branch, disentangle it gently. Wait, I’ll show you. Andrew, if you don’t mean to help, at least keep out of the way and stop striding back and forth like a maniac.”

“But you don’t seem to care that she’s hurt,” Andrew snapped. “All you care about is your damned balloon.”

“Watch your tongue, lad. Ladies present.”

Andrew glared at Anne and Lady Hermione, then turned on his heel and went back to Mrs. Flowers, who was seated on the ground, looking windblown and ill at ease. When Andrew realized that Anne and Lady Hermione were following him, he turned back and glared again, saying in a voice that trembled, “Take care what you say to me or to my intended wife, for I’ll not have her offended. I have not changed my mind, you know, and though I daresay you think you can stop me, you cannot. I know my own mind, and I won’t be ordered about like a commoner any longer.”

His attitude and the fact that Anne was well aware of the number of ears cocked to hear their conversation made her understand perfectly Lady Hermione’s desire to box his ears, but before he had finished his declaration, she had detected both fear and frustration in his voice, and the sparkle of unshed tears in his eyes. Remembering that he was still young and had been badly spoiled, she said with her customary composure, “Your Grace, I think Mrs. Flowers would be much more comfortable a little away from this crowd. I do not think she should attempt to climb into the curricle, but perhaps she would prefer to sit on a rock instead of flat on the ground which is, I believe, a trifle damp. Do you think you can help her move toward the stream I see at the bottom of this hill? We can make cold compresses for her ankle there, you know.”

At first, she thought he would refuse, but then he seemed to realize that Mrs. Flowers was anything but comfortable where she was. When he spoke to her, she nodded quickly and with his help got awkwardly to her feet. Anne moved to her other side to help, and took comfort from the fact that the woman seemed unwilling to look at her. She had feared for a moment that Mrs. Flowers might prove to be as huffy and stubborn as Andrew.

Her ankle was clearly giving her a great deal of pain, but she bore it stoically, and Anne was grateful when none of the villagers tried to follow them, for she suspected that Andrew wanted the whole business over as much as anyone else did, but she knew he would not easily admit as much, and would not be at all reasonable if he were taken to task before an audience.

Glancing at Lady Hermione, she saw that the older woman was looking thoughtful, and hoped she would not make the mistake of scolding the boy. Evidently she had not given in to her temptation to do so before, however, so Anne was hopeful that she would continue to keep her vexation to herself.

When they reached the tumbling stream, and Mrs. Flowers had been assisted to a position some little distance from the water, where two boulders formed a semblance of a chair, Anne took her handkerchief from her reticule and said to Andrew, “Go and soak this in the stream, if you please, sir, whilst we help her to remove her shoe.”

He made no objection to performing the service, and when he walked away, Anne said quickly in an undertone, hoping the noise of the stream would keep him from overhearing, “Mrs. Flowers, I depend upon you to help me. You must know that he cannot be allowed to marry you.”

“Lord, my lady, I’ve known that from the outset, or as near as makes no difference. To be sure, it did sound like the answer to a prayer when His Grace stepped into my parlor this morning and said he wanted to make me a duchess. Well, I ask you, ma’am, wouldn’t anyone’s head be turned? And for a woman finding herself in the bleak position I’ve been thrust into this past week—Well, the fact is my mind was affected and I didn’t think proper, and that’s the truth of it. But what’s to be done now?”

“I don’t know precisely,” Anne said, “but I’m very relieved that you will not aid and abet him more than you have.”

“I’m as sorry for the lad as I can be, for I can see he’s got it into his head that by marrying me he will solve all his problems, which of course, ain’t the fact at all, but he’s that set on it, and he’s at that age where youngsters must be treated like men if they’re to grow into men. His father treated him like a pet who amused him; his mama seems to have treated him like a lord, and now here’s Lord Michael choosing the worst time of all to treat him like a child at last. What’s more, he’s got no friends to speak of. It’s a pity, and I did think that I would be helping him, but I can see that I was all about in my head to think any such of a thing.”

“You can serve no good purpose by berating yourself,” Anne said. “We must think what to do to convince Andrew.”

“What I say now,” Mrs. Flowers said, unfastening her shoe and wincing as she did, “is that we must get him out of this coil, but without his dignity being overset, my lady; and how that can be managed, I don’t know, I’m sure, for it’s as fragile as can be, as you must know. But here he comes now, and this blessed shoe still ain’t off. I thank you, Your Grace,” she said when Andrew held out the wet handkerchief. “I’ve been dawdling, as you see, for the very thought of pulling off my shoe makes me queasy. Moreover, I’m as cold as I can be, what with being blown about like we were and then sitting on the ground like I did.”

“You should have told me,” Andrew said, frowning.

“Ah, but there was such a dust-up, what with all those folks descending on us, and Lady Hermione’s making you help catch the balloon before it floated away, once we’d got out of it, that I didn’t like to make a nuisance of myself by complaining.”

“Well, I wish you had told me, that’s all,” he said, sounding this time more sulky than annoyed.

Anne said calmly, “There ought to be a lap rug under the seat of the curricle, sir. Perhaps you would extend your kindness by fetching it for her, or finding someone else to do so, although I’d as lief not be overwhelmed by helpful villagers now that we’ve managed to escape them for a few moments. If there is no blanket in the curricle, perhaps one of the women who lives nearby would lend us one.”

“I’ll find something,” he said, turning away at once. His relief at leaving them was unmistakable.

“There, you see,” Mrs. Flowers said, watching him stride up the hill as she tried to pull off her shoe. “He wants to be safe out of this, but he don’t want to admit it to a living soul.”

“Then just tell him you’ve changed your mind,” Lady Hermione said bluntly as she bent to help the woman.

“Well, but I don’t know if that will answer,” Mrs. Flowers said thoughtfully, sitting back to let Lady Hermione pull off her shoe. “I’ve said I would marry him, you see, and I don’t know that he won’t just think I’ve abandoned him to his uncle’s brutality through deciding he’s too young, or just through having given in to your entreaties or my own fear of Lord Michael—which I don’t mind admitting is considerable at this point,” she added with a grimace. “He’s not a man one wants to cross.”

Handing Lady Hermione the wet handkerchief, Anne said, “Do you know him, Mrs. Flowers?”

“Not to say
know,
exactly, but I’ve heard enough to make me right wary of bringing myself to his notice, my lady.” She shifted her attention to her swollen ankle, fixing her gaze on the handkerchief that Lady Hermione was wrapping around it.

Recalling the duchess’s note, and realizing she might never have a better opportunity than this one, Anne said quickly, “Lady Hermione, would you give me a moment alone with Mrs. Flowers?”

“Certainly,” her ladyship said promptly. “I’ll just go and ask Ashby how much longer he means to keep us here. If you hear an explosion, do not be alarmed. It will just be that he has decided to shoot me to put himself out of his misery.”

Anne smiled but waited only until her ladyship was beyond earshot before saying, “You will think me ungracious to mention such a topic just now, Mrs. Flowers, but from what Jane Hinkle told me, and from other information I have received, I believe you may know something about that boat on the river beyond the village, something I want to know.”

“The
Folly,
they call it, ma’am.” She did not look up, and her voice was so low that Anne had to strain to hear the words.