A Suitable Bride (22 page)

Traipsing all over the countryside for days no longer appealed to her. Bennett would be searching in Essex not Oxfordshire, and by the time he realised his error her trail would have gone cold. She might as well live here as anywhere else – it made no difference to her. What was important was that her dearest friend was comfortable and her people safe.

There was little point in retiring until Peterson got back from his errand. He was bound to come up to speak to her on his return.

Annie had remained next door taking care of Aunt Sarah and had been told not to return until nine o’clock. Grace was dozing in a chair when she was roused by a sharp knock.

She scrambled to her feet and hurried over to open the door and as expected Peterson was outside. From his expression she knew he’d been successful.

‘The property belongs to Squire Roberts and has been empty for a year or more – it seems the last tenant died and he’s not been able to find a replacement until now. He’s delighted to let us have it, and for a reasonable rent too. I’ve paid up front and he’s sending people to give the place a clean and tidy up before we move in.’

‘Then we shall remain where we are until that’s done. Is the place furnished or do we have to do that for ourselves?’

‘Furnished right enough, but I ain’t sure how good it’ll be.’

‘We’ll manage with whatever we’ve got. Is there decent stabling and pasture for the horses?’

‘There is, I was able to look at that and it’s in good order. There’s even hay and straw in the barn. The shutters were closed so I couldn’t see inside the house.’

‘Never mind, the news is better than I dared to hope. What’s the name of our new home?’

‘Drummond House, miss, a fine name for a fine house, if you ask me.’

Long after Annie was snoring quietly at the foot of her bed Grace lay awake considering her future. The outlook was bleak even with the prospect of her funds becoming available next year. She would never marry, never have the joy of holding her own babies, never spend a night in the arms of the man she loved.

Hopefully Bennett would abandon his search after a few months and get on with his life. She prayed he wasn’t as miserable as she was and that he understood why she’d had to leave him and break both their hearts.

Chapter Twenty-two

Bennett headed for the study where he knew his brother would be waiting to speak to him. He was greeted with congratulations for both his win yesterday and his engagement – obviously the information his brother had was not yet known by the rest of the company.

‘Come in, do you have the most damnable headache? I apologise for applying you with alcohol last night, but I had no choice.’ Beau looked as wretched as he felt.

‘Before you tell me why you sent my future wife away, you’d better know that there’s nothing in this world that will keep me from marrying her. I’ve sent my man to get a special licence and as soon as I have that I’ll find her and we’ll be married.’

His brother gestured to a chair and Bennett took it reluctantly. There was naught he could be told that would change his mind. When the sorry tale was finished he was shocked, but still adamant that it made no difference to his plans.

‘How long will it be before this information is known by everyone here?’

‘I’m sure others must have made enquiries as I did. I’m only surprised that Lady Peabody and her family don’t appear to be privy to this news.’ Beau rubbed his eyes and tried to hide his yawn. ‘This is a wretched business, Bennett, but you must accept her decision. Marrying Miss DuPont will ruin your life…’

Bennett was on his feet and slammed his hands down on the desk making his brother recoil. ‘What you mean is that you don’t want this family name tainted by association. I’ll never marry anyone else and neither will she – we will not be parted by your machinations.’

He stormed from the room with eyes blurred. He needed to get out – get away from this place and clear his head.

He set off at a brisk pace into the woods hoping the tranquillity of the trees would calm his rage. By the time he returned he understood why Grace had believed she had no alternative but to leave him. However, he doubted he would ever forgive his brother for separating them.

Good God! He must stop the DuPonts from turning up expecting to see their daughter married. He raced inside and scribbled a quick note explaining the situation and then sent the letter express. With luck this should overtake the invitation and prevent an embarrassing confrontation.

As he walked past the stables he could hear an unusual amount of hubbub. Damnation? He’d quite forgotten he was to take part in the final race at midday. If he was going to make the start he had no time to change into something less restricting and would have to ride in his smart topcoat.

Lucifer was saddled and waiting and if he raised a few eyebrows by his sartorial splendour he wasn’t aware of it. He would win this race for Grace and make sure everyone was aware the betrothal still stood as far as he was concerned.

With luck he’d have word of her whereabouts on the morrow and the licence would also have arrived. As soon as he had this he would set out and however long it took he would convince his darling girl that they should be married regardless of the circumstances, he wouldn’t give up until she capitulated.

If his powers of persuasion failed to move her then he’d make love to her and she’d be left with no option but to marry him, or risk producing a bastard child. His mood lifted at the thought and he began to feel a little more optimistic that everything could be resolved.

The race was won without difficulty but he got no joy from it. Grace should have been here, she should have been the one to see him receive the winning ribbon and the accolades of the spectators. He didn’t wait to be congratulated but rode directly to the stables and handed over his sweating stallion to a groom.

His jacket had split at the seam, and for some reason this mishap enraged him. He returned to his apartment and his valet wisely remained quiet whilst he assisted his master to change.

He should be out looking for Grace himself, not leaving this to his minions. He would leave at first light tomorrow and head for Essex – if he travelled post he could catch up with his men and assist with the search.

There was no need to inform his brother of his plans – from this point forward he would live his life apart from his family. If he’d enjoyed being a member of the
ton
he wouldn’t have joined the army and spent the past ten years fighting the French. Did Beau not know him at all?

His younger brothers and sisters revelled in being members of a prestigious family and all that entailed. If they were in his position and discovered the person they’d fallen in love with was beyond the pale they would break the connection immediately. He was certain even the girls would rather be without their chosen partner than without their position in society.

Tonight he wouldn’t dine in company but have a tray sent to his sitting room. He intended to be up with the lark and travel without his valet or any other servant. Abbott had already packed a clean shirt and other necessary items in an overnight bag, he checked he had sufficient money for any eventuality, and retired early confident that by the end of the next day he would be reunited with his beloved.

*

Grace was pleased with her new home. It was old-fashioned compared to DuPont Manor, but the furnishings were acceptable and after the spring clean that it had been given she was content she would be as comfortable here as anywhere else.

The thought of spending the remainder of her life apart from the man she loved was almost too much to bear. She had to be strong – she’d made the right decision and must live with the consequences. After all, she’d only known him for two short weeks so putting him from her mind should be easy enough.

Her companion had taken over the organisation of the household and for that she was profoundly grateful as for some reason she just didn’t have the energy to make decisions.

Although it was past midday she was still not up and had been unable to eat her breakfast. When her friend joined her she barely managed to lift her head from the pillow.

‘How are you progressing with our search for indoor staff, Aunt Sarah?’

‘As I am to act as your housekeeper, my dear, we only require a cook and scullery maid and two other girls to take care of everything else. I’ve already appointed the cook and she’s bringing the kitchen maid with her. I don’t think there’ll be any difficulty finding the other servants we need to run this house. Peterson is happy to manage the outside and will employ journeymen when necessary.’

‘Good, then I shall leave everything in your capable hands. Have we sufficient funds to tide us over until you receive your money?’

‘We have indeed, my dear. There’s no need to pay our staff in advance and Peterson has discovered there is an excellent, if a trifle overgrown, kitchen garden with more than enough to feed our small household. Your dogs will be in their element, I’m certain there will be no rodents in the stables or outbuildings by the end of the week.’

‘I thought I heard a cockerel crowing this morning – do we have fowl as well?’

‘Yes, there are more than a dozen chickens and several cockerels. They have managed to survive on their own for the past year and the pond also has a plentiful supply of plump ducks. We have fresh eggs and meat already available. Our expenses will be minimal.’

This conversation had exhausted Grace and she wanted to be alone. ‘Grace, you mustn’t lie about in bed like this. You are made of sterner stuff – I’ve never taken you for a girl who would give up at the first setback.’

‘I’m sure I’ll feel more the thing in a day or two. Please leave me to grieve in my own way. I give you my word I’ll get over this before long.’

‘Very well, I’ll leave you alone today. However, I’ll expect you to be on your feet and downstairs tomorrow morning.’

The door closed quietly and Grace closed her eyes hoping that sleep would claim her again. At least if she was asleep she didn’t feel the weight of her misery pressing her into the bed.

What was Bennet doing at this very moment? Would he be in Essex and have already discovered she hadn’t taken that route? Tears seeped from beneath her lids and she didn’t have the energy to wipe them away.

She rolled onto her side and drew her knees up so she was curled into a ball. She wanted to howl and scream, to throw things, to let the world know that her heart was breaking but she couldn’t do this. Instead she sobbed quietly into her pillow and prayed that Bennett wasn’t feeling as wretched as she was.

She awoke a few hours later to see the early evening sun filtering in through the closed shutters and making a pattern on the boards. As requested she’d been left on her own and her stomach rumbled loudly. She also needed to relieve herself urgently.

Once she was on her feet she felt a little better and decided to wash in the cold water from the jug in her dressing room and get dressed. There were no bells to ring and she’d no idea where Annie was so would have to complete this task without assistance.

The trunk had been unpacked and her many garments were carefully hung on hooks or folded onto the shelves in the closet. She selected a simple muslin that required no buttons to be done up. Within a quarter of an hour she was dressed, had put her hair up in a coronet of braids around her head, and was ready to go downstairs in search of something to eat.

The front door stood open and sunlight poured onto the polished floor. There were flowers in a vase and these raised her spirits a little. She’d barely looked in the main reception rooms and hadn’t visited the kitchens and other offices at all.

The drawing room was modest compared to what she was used to but perfectly adequate and she was delighted to see a harpsichord in the far corner. There was only one dining room and a study-cum-library on the ground floor and then she discovered a flight of stairs that led to the basement where presumably she would find something to eat.

She was halfway down when Aunt Sarah appeared. ‘Well done, my dear girl, we thought if we left you without sustenance you would eventually come here of your own volition. I’ll take you to the dining room and a delicious repast will be brought up to you right away.’

‘No, I prefer to eat in the kitchen without any fuss. I would like to meet the staff you’ve appointed. Do we have the other two maids in residence yet?’

‘They are already at work. We shall be a small but select company at Drummond House and none the worse for that.’

The kitchen was frighteningly old-fashioned without the modern closed grate that she was used to seeing, however, those working there seemed happy with their situation.

Grace managed only half a slice of bread and a few mouthfuls of soup before her appetite deserted her again. ‘I’m going to wander about outside for a while. I want to see how my horses have settled and if the dogs are happy.’

‘Do you wish me to come with you, my dear?’

‘Thank you, Aunt Sarah, I would prefer to be alone.’ She pointed to the back door. ‘I presume this leads to the stables?’

‘Indeed it does, my dear, the laundry and vegetable store are on your left, the kitchen garden straight ahead and to the right you will find the coach house and stables.’

Rufus was in the meadow behind the stables accompanied by the four carriage horses and he too was content with his lot. There was no sign of her little dogs.

‘Peterson, where are they? I expected to have them around my feet as soon as I appeared.’

He scratched his head. ‘I don’t rightly know, miss, we’ve not seen them since yesterday when we arrived.’

‘You must send someone out to look for them – I couldn’t bear it if anything had happened to my pets.’

‘The lad has been looking all day but not found them. I’ve sent him into the village to ask if they’ve been back to the inn we stayed in.’

Grace was obliged to turn away as she didn’t wish her groom to see her tears. She no longer wished to explore outside and almost ran back to the house. There must be a side door she could use and avoid going through the kitchen a second time.

She dashed through the house and stumbled upstairs to her chamber where she flung herself onto the bed. Something terrible had happened to Buster, Ginger and Toby – she just knew it. They hadn’t left her side since she’d rescued them two years ago and they would never willingly stay away from her.

Her head was full of catastrophic scenarios. They could have been killed by a diligence, poisoned by a neighbour or abducted by villains who wished to use them as ratters. Her pillow was sodden by the time she fell asleep.

*

After a fruitless few days Bennett returned to Silchester Court just before dinner on the third day without having found Grace. She hadn’t gone to DuPont Manor or to the farmhouse where the horses were being kept. He was at a loss to know in which direction to search next.

Beau greeted him with an unexpected embrace. ‘No luck? I guessed you’d gone in search of her and I don’t blame you for trying. You must reconcile yourself to the situation for it cannot be remedied. Miss DuPont left of her own accord knowing that by marrying you she would ruin your life.’

He shrugged off his brother’s arm. ‘It’s you that has ruined my life, brother. Without your interference we would have been married by now. Do you honestly think I care if I can no longer parade around in fine clothes and mix with the cream of society? I’ve always hated it – why do you think I joined the army at the earliest possible opportunity?’