The Earl of Ice (7 page)

In Hampshire Rollo had also breathed a sigh of relief when the carriage of his departing guests moved off down the gravelled driveway of Brockwood Hall. His business with Viscount Westbury had concluded in a satisfactory manner and he had salved his conscience, to some extent, regarding his own lack of action that had resulted in the Viscount’s daughter, Diana, having her reputation sullied.

He was grateful that Diana, even though visibly distressed by the turn of events and possibly not thinking clearly, had not disclosed his own secret. A more scheming, less naive girl may well have done such a thing to distract attention from herself. He remained indebted to her.

When the carriage was out of sight, Rollo made his way back to the library and poured himself a generous measure of brandy, then took a seat in his favourite armchair. Yes, it was a good thing his guests had left. He found Diana, although only a young chit, most unsettling. She seemed immune to his cold demeanour, and her soft brown eyes had looked at him with such trust that he had found it hard to remain unmoved.
Good God, he had even kissed her!
Her horsemanship and her handling of the usually unmanageable Demon was impressive.
And she had felt wonderful in his arms
. Yes, it was definitely a good thing his guests had left.

The sound of the library door opening broke his reverie. Oliver entered the room and it was soon obvious that he, too, was pleased to see their guests leave.

“I say, can we all go back to the city now?” he asked. “There are still a few weeks of the season left for our enjoyment. It has been hard work here what with everyone being in the doldrums about the fiasco in London. No fun whatsoever.”

“The blame lies squarely with you and your friends for the situation those young ladies found themselves in, so do not complain to me if they are poor company. Lord Cotson should be thankful he was not brought to the altar at gunpoint over his behaviour. In fact, had he not fled the country like a coward, he may well have been.” Rollo had little patience with his brother’s moaning. “You and Mother are welcome to return to London. I, however, will remain here a little longer and ensure the horses Viscount Westbury has purchased are in good order for their journey to Yorkshire. The foal, Starburst, will be able to leave his mother by the end of next week to travel with them, and I will accompany them as far as London.”

Oliver grinned. He had had enough of the country and knew his mother would be only too pleased to return and reopen the London house. If Rollo wanted to tarry longer in the country, he was welcome to do so.

Lady Brockwood was more than happy to have her youngest son escort her back to London, and she and Oliver set off the following day. Rollo planned to leave for London a week hence and determined to spend the next seven days in a leisurely manner whilst catching up on estate business with his steward and eschewing any company or entertainment.

Rollo was soon to learn that this plan was not to bear fruition. The first morning the head groomsman asked for an audience. “Milord, that devil ’orse ’as thrown poor Paddy again, an’ this time I think Paddy may ’ave ’ad ’is leg broke. I’ve splinted it the best I can but t’other lads are not wanting to deal with t’animal.”

This was bad news. Rollo had secretly been hoping that Diana’s influence on Demon might have settled him. The animal was a fine specimen, but of little use if he was intractable. “Send for the surgeon for Paddy at once. Leave off exercising Demon. Just make sure his stable is cleaned—move him into another when you muck his out. I’ll come down tomorrow and take him out.”

True to his word, the next morning found Rollo standing in the stable yard waiting for a reluctant stable lad to saddle Demon. He planned to ride around the perimeter of the estate so he could check that all the boundary walls were in good order and at the same time give Demon a thorough workout.

“How long does it take to put a damned saddle on a horse?” Rollo yelled in the general direction of the stable block in frustration. He’d been waiting for the better part of twenty minutes. When he did not receive an answer, he marched into the stable to give the boy a tongue-lashing, only to stop in his tracks as Demon flew past him whilst a scruffy-looking stable lad lay on the floor, apparently unconscious, with a mark that looked very much like a hoofprint on his jerkin.

“I need some help here,” shouted Rollo, at which point several men came running. The lad on the floor was by now stirring and sitting up, and it seemed he would be no worse for his ordeal. It took four burly men to catch Demon and secure him back in his stable bay.

“Will thee now let me shoot the beast?” Thickett, the head groomsman, demanded. “He’ll not let anyone near ’im with a saddle since that young lady left; ’e was like a lamb with ’er, but I swear he’ll kill someone afore much longer.” Thickett shook his shaggy head. He had never in his considerable experience come across a horse as temperamental as this one.

“Leave him for today,” advised Rollo, reluctant to make a hasty decision. He did not like the thought of shooting a healthy horse, although he had to admit this horse’s temperament was unacceptable. “I will come back in the morning and attempt to saddle him and then decide what is best to do.”

The next morning brought no improvement in Demon’s behaviour. After several futile attempts to place a saddle on the gelding, Rollo conceded defeat and sat down on a bale of hay in exhaustion. He should never have let Diana ride such an unpredictable animal. What had he been thinking? The memory of Diana’s flying past him on Demon, her hair flowing in the wind, gave him an idea. He fetched the side saddle that Miss Wells had used and found that the wicked animal stood still as a statue and allowed it to be fitted.

“Well, Demon, you are going to be disappointed because the young lady is no longer here,” Rollo told the horse. “And I’ll be damned if I will ride side saddle. You truly are a single-minded beast and deserve to be shot.”
Really, what choice do I have?
Removing the saddle, he decided that he would have to speak to Thickett once he came to a decision.

For the rest of the day Rollo tried, unsuccessfully, to push thoughts of Diana from his mind. While checking that all was in order with the horses soon to be sent to her father, he considered how Diana’s ruin could affect her younger sister and if Diana had thought of these wider consequences. Young Cotson should be strung up for his actions—such a coward fleeing the country. His thoughts inevitably turned to the memory of the kiss he’d stolen from her and how good she had felt in his arms. Stamping his foot and shaking his head to clear it, he strode out of the stable block; he must put all thoughts of the girl from his mind. He had done all he could for her and she was back in her family home now. She had a father to worry about her. It was not his concern.

Rollo did not sleep well that night, the thought of putting down a fine, healthy (if bad-tempered) horse weighing heavily on his mind, but he could not see an alternative. He recalled the joy that riding the horse had given Diana and her smile of sheer happiness. Demon was certainly better behaved for her. Perhaps…

The first thing he did the next morning was inform the groom that Demon was to be included in the string of horses being taken to Viscount Westbury in Yorkshire. “Keep him in lead position at a distance from the others,” he advised. “I will accompany you as far as London and if there are any problems, I will agree to his being shot. This is his last chance.”

* * *

Rollo was reluctant to return to London society, but the season was not quite over and he must check on his mother and brother and take up his seat at the House of Lords. He would travel with his horses for the initial part of their journey, as far as London, to ensure all was in order.

The journey was uneventful, leaving Rollo feeling more confident that Demon could safely be included on the ongoing journey. This was, however, with the proviso that Thickett could make a decision to return or destroy the beast should the gelding’s behaviour at any time warrant this.

He penned a letter for Viscount Westbury to explain the addition of Demon to his order at no extra cost, at the same time wondering if he was being as irresponsible as his younger brother by giving such an unpredictable animal to the viscount for the use of his daughter, Diana.

Diana felt safe and secure at her family home, Caulder Hall. She spent time with her sister, and Pru, with her youthful exuberance for life, lifted Diana’s spirits. The gardens and greenhouses at Caulder Hall were calming and she enjoyed designing the flower arrangements for the main house. The well-stocked library also offered distraction.

Her parents were understanding. They allowed Diana time to recover and did not press her to go into company. One morning she was sitting in the window seat overlooking the drive when she heard a clatter of horse hooves. She ran out to the yard where her father was waiting to watch the arrival of his new animals.

“I’m sure I only purchased four mares and a foal,” Viscount Westbury muttered, one hand resting on his ample stomach and the other scratching his chin.

“Papa, look! It is Demon!” Diana cried, pointing to the horse at the front of the pack. She flung her arms around her father and gave him a big hug. “Thank you, thank you. What a surprise!”

“I think there must have been some mistake.” The viscount’s bushy eyebrows met in a frown as he tried to make sense of this. “I am sorry, my dear, but I am certain that I did not purchase that horse.”

They stood watching as the party of men and horses approached. The man in charge came over and handed Viscount Westbury a note and then followed the Caulder Hall head groomsman toward the stable blocks.

“Put Demon in the first stall,” Diana shouted after them. “The one on the left, and leave the second empty.” She grinned at her father. “He can be a bit temperamental.”

“I am beginning to understand that,” replied her father while reading the note. “Brockwood is giving this horse to us for your use, Diana, but warns that he can be difficult to manage and that I must deal with this as I see fit. He says he has had more than enough cause to shoot the animal, but hopes that he can learn better manners in our stables. Here, read it yourself.” He handed the note to Diana.

She quickly scanned it, then looked up, her eyes shining. “I will ride him every day, Papa, and then he will be too tired to cause any trouble,” she promised.

True to her word, Diana did ride Demon every day. Well, nearly every day—sometimes the weather was too wet. She covered many miles with a groom following at a safe distance. Sometimes Pru accompanied her and she would tell Pru about how fine Brockwood Hall was and how Demon had taken a liking to her. She explained how kind Rollo had been to her and that Pru had no need to fear the Earl of Ice
when she made her debut. She did not share Rollo’s secret with Pru, and she still said nothing about the kiss. Diana was saddened by the thought that she may never see Rollo again.

“Do you think the Earl of Ice likes you?” Pru asked innocently one day. “After all, he has given you that magnificent gelding.”

“He gave the horse to our father with the suggestion that I could ride him,” Diana said to put her sister straight. It would be most inappropriate for him to send her such a gift or for her to accept it. “I have written and thanked him for sending Demon for my use, and Papa wrote and acknowledged the gift.”

Pru, with her head full of romantic notions, wanted a happy ending for her troubled sister. “I do think the Earl of Ice favours you,” she insisted.

“Nonsense,” replied Diana firmly. “He does not favour any lady at present and certainly would not consider me after the incident at the Whittington Ball.” How she wished things were otherwise, but even had the incident not occurred, Rollo would never consider a match with her.

Demon remained a difficult animal for everyone but Diana. He injured a few of the stable lads and groomsmen in his first few weeks at Caulder Hall, and Diana had to intervene several times with her father to be allowed to keep him.

A solution to this problem came from an unexpected source. A new maid named Mary was employed at the house; she was the younger sister of Tilly, Diana’s personal maid. It had been agreed that the sisters would work together and Tilly would train Mary in the skills required for a personal maid. Mary could then be Pru’s maid when Pru she left the schoolroom the following year.

Mary, however, was not an apt pupil. She failed to return from errands and was often nowhere to be found when needed. Diana was ready to give up on her.

“Where on earth can your sister be?” she demanded of Tilly one day. “I sent her with a note to give Miss Bedford at the rectory over two hours ago and she still has not returned.”

“I’ll go find her. I am sorry. We were brought up on a farm and our Mary hasn’t taken to being indoors all day. I imagine she will be down at the stables again; she’s mighty fond of horses.”

“I’ll walk there with you,” Diana said. “Fetch me a carrot or two from the kitchen and we will be on our way.” Diana would take Demon a treat.

Mary was indeed in the stables when they arrived. To Diana’s surprise she was patting and cooing over Demon, who appeared to enjoy the attention. Mary jumped back when saw her mistress and sister coming toward her.

“I am sorry, milady, I must’ve lost track of time. Demon here likes me to come and fuss over him a bit, and sometimes I help the lads with him when he is being a bit angsty.” Mary knew that she was in peril of losing her position in the household, and her family couldn’t afford for her to be sent home. “I’ll never do it again, I promise.”

“Go up to the house and clean yourself up,” a frustrated Diana instructed a little sharply, while absentmindedly feeding Demon carrots. “You cannot be handling my clothes with those dirty hands.” What was the girl thinking, disappearing yet again? Demon, however, did seem to be getting on well with the young Mary and that was a rare sight.

As Mary ran off, her sister continued to apologize. “She just loves the horses, milady. Couldn’t get her away from the farm horses back home and she was always helping out with them. She just needs time to get used to work indoors.”

“Bring her to see me when we get back to the house and I will decide what to do with her.” Diana did not want to turn young Mary away, but her skills as a lady’s maid did not seem to be improving. She wondered if there was a way to make use of her skill with horses.

A short while later a very nervous Mary accompanied by her sister, Tilly, entered Diana’s room and bobbed a curtsey.

“Do you enjoy your work at this house?” Diana asked Mary.

“Yes, milady,” Mary answered. “I jus sometimes forget to come back when I am outside.”

Diana studied the girl silently for a few moments. She felt sorry for the young girl and she had realized over the weeks that she had not taken to the work of a ladies maid as her elder sister had. “Would you like to work outdoors if that were possible?”

“Oh, yes, but my mum sent me ‘ere to be a maid.” Mary was visibly shaking with fear that she was going to be sent home to the farm.

“I think,” said Diana slowly, “that we may be able to find something more suitable for you here at Caulder Hall.” She smiled as the thought formed in her mind.

From that day on, young Mary got up with her sister every morning, but instead of joining her sister in caring for Diana, she donned breeches and a jacket, pushed her hair under a battered wool cap and trotted down to the stables to take up her new post as a stable hand and Demon’s groom. This arrangement suited everyone. Demon behaved well for her and the stable lads were relieved not to have to go near him.

Diana truly believed that, had this arrangement not been made, her father would have been obliged to shoot the animal for the injuries he was inflicting on the groomsmen and stable hands. Diana kept her promise to her father and rode Demon almost every day. On the days she could not ride she was secure in the knowledge that young Mary would see he was well looked after.

* * *

Winter was late in making its icy presence felt, but by December it was cold enough to hint at snow, and Diana and Pru were once again at Ayreton Manor, where their family had been invited to spend Christmas. Lady Colpert was hosting a grand ball on the Friday before Christmas and this would be the first formal social occasion Diana had attended since returning from London.

Accompanying her family to Ayreton Manor had not been optional and Diana had mixed feelings. She was looking forward to seeing Caroline and her other cousins, but was fearful of attending the ball. What if some stranger approached her? Since the incident she had found herself avoiding any man who was not close family or well-known to her, for her heart would pound and her limbs would tremble in fear.

“How do I look?” Pru demanded on the night of the ball. She twirled around to show Diana the full effect of her diaphanous white muslin gown. Her first “grown-up” ball gown.

“You look enchanting,” replied Diana, smiling at her sister’s excitement. In her own gown of the palest green silk satin with sheer matching overdress, she felt almost sick with nerves. How could she face people? All would surely have heard about her disgrace in London. She was tempted to feign illness and stay in her room, but she knew her mother would not be fooled.

The ballroom thronged with guests as Diana and Pru entered behind their parents. Diana felt self-conscious and she thought she detected a slight hush, then whispers ghosting across the crowd when she entered. She felt certain that people were looking at her in disgust or pity, and she hung her head and did not make eye contact with anyone. Beside her, Pru was almost hopping with excitement and the contrast between the two sisters could not have been greater. Pru bounced off to talk to one of her cousins, and Diana, spotting Caroline seated under a large gilt mirror, almost raced over to join her.

Eventually Diana’s heartbeat and breathing returned to normal as she realized that no one was paying her particular attention. She began to wonder if she had imagined the crowd’s reaction when she had entered the room. Caroline, looking very pretty in a peach gown with white lace trimming the neckline, had her dance card in her hand and it was already nearly full. In contrast, Diana kept her card in her reticule and only the names of two of her cousins appeared on it. When Lady Colpert introduced them to a young gentleman who politely asked both cousins for a set, Diana was so alarmed that she broke into a sweat. Stammering nervously, she lied and told him her card was full.

“Silly goose,” Caroline said, patting Diana’s hand to calm her. “He will see you are not dancing and your lie will be obvious.”

Diana felt the blood rush to her face. “Goodness! I panicked. What have I done? Now my reputation will be further damaged.” The sick feeling returned to her stomach and Diana wished the evening was over.

But it was not, of course. It turned into a very long evening for Diana, who felt wretched throughout. She was tense when dancing the sets with her cousins, as this by necessity brought her into contact with other gentlemen who were dancing the set, and her nervousness caused her to lose her place in the dance. Her only solace was that Pru seemed to be having a wonderful time and did not appear the least disadvantaged by having a disgraced older sister.

With the ball over, Diana enjoyed the rest of the Christmas festivities, not in small part because only family members were present and they were not judgemental. On Christmas Eve a grand family banquet was held. Even the younger Colpert children were allowed to stay up late and join the family for the meal, swelling the number around the table to twelve.

The great hall was festooned with holly and ivy. On the table, ribbon-trimmed baskets of apples, oranges and spices gave the room an exotic fragrance. A large yule log was burning in the hearth.

Cook had provided both goose and venison, along with a variety of seasonal vegetables, followed by a sumptuous plum pudding. At the end of the meal everyone was full to bursting. As the youngest children went off to bed, the ladies retired to the drawing room, while the men remained seated at the table to enjoy their port and cigars.

When the gentlemen joined the ladies, it was time to play some games. Diana and Pru joined in the rather dangerous game of Snapdragon, where raisins and almonds were placed in a bowl of brandy. The brandy was set on fire and the players took turns picking out the fruit and nuts and eating them.

Although late to bed that evening, all the family were up and dressed in time to attend church on Christmas Day morning. The rest of the day was spent quietly at the house. On Boxing Day, everyone took part in, or at least followed, the Ayreton Hunt. The ride over the fields in pursuit of a fox was exciting, and both Diana and Pru rode in it.

When everyone gathered around the table for dinner the day before their departure, Diana felt that on the whole it had been a wonderful Christmas, and she was in excellent spirits. She idly wondered what Rollo had been doing this Christmas. Was he in London or at Brockwood Hall? Just the thought of him brought a small smile to her lips.

After the meal all were chatting comfortably in the drawing room and Diana’s mind was drifting once more to the Earl’s handsome face, when a turn in conversation caused her ears to prick up and her enjoyment abruptly disappear.

“We need to start planning for the London season next year,” Diana heard her mother saying to Lady Colpert. “We need to give Diana and Caroline every opportunity to make suitable matches before their younger sisters have their coming out the following year.”

Diana could feel herself tensing as Lady Colpert said, “I had such high hopes for Carolyn last year when Mr. Straw was so attentive—until all that nasty business occurred.” She sighed, her ample bosom heaving.

“It was a dreadful time all round and my poor Diana will never again be the carefree girl she was. That said, however, our girls do need to be settled and London is the place to secure them husbands.”

Diana stopped breathing, so great was the panic that welled up inside her. She could not, would not, go back to London. She could not bear the shame. She resolved to speak with her mother first thing in the morning, before they returned to Caulder Hall.

The next morning, Diana was in the breakfast room early, not having slept a wink the previous night. She nibbled on some toast and sipped her chocolate. Fortunately her mother was the next into the room. Diana barely allowed her time to be seated before approaching the subject of the London season.