A Suitable Bride (4 page)

Collins had spirited away all the horses from the stud during the night, and had twenty guineas to pay for his and the horses expenses. Her parents had entertained the night before and not retired until the small hours which meant they were unlikely to be up before noon.

‘I’ll not be sanguine until we’re a distance from here, Aunt Sarah. I keep thinking my father will appear and prevent me from leaving.’

‘Annie is already outside waiting for us. I’m glad the journey is no more than five hours for I fear that travelling in this warm weather with your three dogs inside with us might be rather unpleasant.’

‘The boys will be on their best behaviour, and I told Peterson not to feed them this morning. We are stopping at a hostelry for refreshments at midday and they can…’

‘Please, my dear, I’ve no wish to hear any more about those dogs of yours. I cannot imagine why you wished to keep them after you found them abandoned in that ditch two years ago. You could have given them away quite easily for despite their unpleasant habits they are all handsome animals.’

‘Ginger, Buster and Toby must have spaniel and terrier in their ancestry. They have a spaniel’s coat and a terrier’s build and I think they are the most beautiful dogs in the county. Not the best behaved, admittedly, but certainly intelligent and affectionate.’

Her team of matched greys had never looked better and the unfortunate groom who was riding Rufus was having difficulty staying in the saddle. Immediately Grace went over and took the stallion’s bit. ‘That’s quite enough of that, my boy, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to stretch your legs later. If you don’t behave yourself I’ll leave you behind.’ The horse calmed at her touch and the groom touched his cap and grinned his thanks.

The three men who were coming with her knew they were unlikely to return to DuPont Manor but were all happy to accompany her on this adventure – none of them had ties to the neighbourhood and were eager to be employed by her future husband, whoever he might be.

It was no secret that she was going in search of a partner. The staff she was bringing with her were totally loyal and would not gossip and reveal her lack of pedigree.

The journey to Silchester Court was accomplished without mishap and a little after three o’clock they turned between massive granite gateposts and onto an immaculate, weed-free drive.

Grace hung out of the window hoping to catch a glimpse of the place she was to live for the next few weeks, but the drive was more than a mile long and the house hidden from view.

‘It has occurred to me, Grace, that by coming a day before your sponsor you’ll draw attention to yourself. With hindsight I think it might have been better to have stayed overnight somewhere and arrived at the same time as Lady Peabody – after all, she is supposed to be your godmother.’

‘Far too late to worry about that as we’re in view of the house now and I swear I’ve never seen anything so palatial in my life. I thought that DuPont Manor was big, but this is twice the size. We shall need a map to find our way about the place.’

The dogs, who had been curled up in the well of the carriage sleeping peacefully, woke up and began to wag their tails and sniff excitedly at the door. Despite their lack of manners, they knew better than to jump onto the squabs.

The carriage swung in a slow circle and rattled to a halt in front of an impressive portico. There were several immaculate footmen in dark green livery and demi-wigs waiting to attend to them. The dogs were becoming frantic, scratching at the door and whining.

‘Very well, I shall let you out, but don’t get lost.’ Grace opened the carriage door and the animals shot through. She watched in horror as they flung themselves at the gentleman who had come to greet them. He lost his balance and tumbled backwards. This was not an auspicious start to her visit.

Chapter Four

Bennett was returning from the stables when he saw a smart carriage turn into the drive, he scarcely looked at that, what caught his attention was a magnificent chestnut following along behind. Who the hell was this? He could hardly greet the newcomers smelling of the stable. He ran through the list of today’s expected guests and, as far as he was concerned, everybody on that list had already arrived – so whoever this was they weren’t expected today. His curiosity was piqued and he decided to remain despite his appearance.

It took a further fifteen minutes for the cavalcade to arrive and in this time he’d had ample opportunity to study the stallion in detail. There was no doubt about it, this horse if ridden by a competent person, might well beat Lucifer.

He strode forward, waving the footmen away, intending to open the door of the carriage himself. At the precise moment he was leaning forward to grasp the handle the door flew back and three dogs hurtled out sending him sprawling backwards.

Not content with knocking him over the wretched animals then proceeded to jump all over him and cover his face with their wet, pink tongues. As he lay there a girl jumped from the carriage and attempted to remove the dogs from his chest.

‘Get off you stupid animals. The gentleman wishes to get up.’ As fast as she removed them they returned obviously thinking this was part of the game.

He’d had quite enough of this. ‘Off. Now.’ His sharp command did the trick and the three instantly removed themselves and not waiting for further scolding they raced towards the shrubbery where a cacophony of bird call followed as they put up a small flock of pheasants.

He sprung to his feet and brushed the dirt from his clothes. The young lady was watching him nervously, and well she might.

‘I do beg your pardon, my dogs are usually very well mannered.’

Her voice was well modulated and pleasant and if he hadn’t been so angry he might have been more conciliatory. He stared at her and her hopeful smile faded. ‘I am Lord Sheldon. Who, might I ask, are you? Have you missed your way as I don’t believe you are expected here?’

‘I am Miss DuPont, Lady Peabody is my godmother. I apologise for arriving a day earlier than my sponsor.’ She met him glare for glare and this didn’t improve his temper.

He didn’t bow – far too late for the civilities. ‘Then I suppose you had better come in, Miss DuPont. However, your animals may not.’ This was not only uncivil it was downright rude and he was about to apologise when she closed the gap between them. To his astonishment she poked him in the chest and he almost lost his balance a second time.

‘If you are Lord Sheldon then I’m not surprised you’ve been unable to find yourself a suitable bride and have had to resort to inviting all and sundry...’ Her words trailed away as she realised her colossal breach of etiquette.

His eyes narrowed and he towered over her determined to give her the set down she so richly deserved. He was drawing breath to speak when someone shouted a warning, before he could react he was hit from behind by half a ton of angry stallion.

There was nothing he could do to prevent the accident. He was hurtled forward and cannoned into the unfortunate Miss DuPont who fell backwards into the carriage wheel. The hideous sound of her head hitting the metal rim before she collapsed unconscious would remain with him forever.

He ended up on his knees but was on his feet in seconds and spun to face a horse with barred teeth and flattened ears. He didn’t hesitate; he stepped in and punched the animal squarely between the eyes. This was enough to distract the horse whilst he grabbed the trailing reins. ‘Enough, old fellow, you’ve caused sufficient damage for today.’

A terrified young groom appeared from behind the carriage, his face blood-streaked and one arm hanging uselessly by his side. Then one of the coachmen tumbled from the box and took the stallion from him.

Bennett turned to the prostate form of Miss DuPont to find that a lady of middle years was already there. He dropped to his knees and tore off his neckcloth. ‘Here, madam, we need to stem the bleeding before we do anything else.’

‘I daren’t move her, sir, I fear she might have broken her neck.’

‘Let me examine her, I spent years as a military man and have picked up a deal of medical knowledge on the way.’

The blood from the gash at the back of the girl’s head had already soaked into her gown and showed no sign of stopping. He put his fingers at the juncture of her chin and neck and was relieved to feel a steady pulse. Then he carefully ran his hands from her neck to her hips and sighed with relief. ‘I’m certain her neck and back are uninjured – however she’s taken a nasty blow to the back of her head and will require the immediate attentions of a physician, but first we must attempt to stop the bleeding.’

He didn’t need to ask; she immediately tore off a strip from her petticoat and handed it to him. Deftly he folded his neckcloth into a pad and secured this across the wound. ‘That will have to do for the moment.’

With her help he rolled the unconscious girl against his chest and regained his feet. There was no need to send word to the house, his brother and sisters were running towards them. Beau arrived first.

‘I’ve sent for Doctor Adams. This is a damnable thing, not a good way to start the summer party. Who is she, do you know?’

They were now halfway to the house. ‘Miss DuPont, she’s Lady Peabody’s goddaughter and wasn’t expected to arrive until tomorrow.’

Fortunately the entrance hall was empty of visitors and Bennett suspected that his sisters were responsible for this. The housekeeper was waiting to escort him to the designated chambers and he was dismayed to find this new arrival had been placed in a small room which would better serve for a governess or companion.

‘This won’t do. Miss DuPont will go elsewhere.’ Anderson didn’t argue – nobody did when he used that tone.

The fact that some other young lady would now be banished to the small room didn’t bother him at all. His concern was for the young lady he’d inadvertently injured so seriously.

*

Grace was heartily sick of being carried about like a parcel, but thought it prudent not to reveal she’d regained consciousness and was perfectly fine. Lord Sheldon was not a gentleman to toy with and she’d already caused more than enough excitement for one day. Her desire to remain in the shadows would no longer be possible. She kept her eyes closed until, to her relief, she was placed carefully on a bed.

‘I’ll leave you to take care of her; I’ll wait next door for the physician.’

She remained still until the door closed and then risked a peep through her eyelashes. Good – he’d gone. There was a swish of material and Aunt Sarah and Annie were at her side.

‘Thank the good Lord you’re awake, my dear. You gave us quite a fright. Your head made a dreadful crack when it hit the carriage wheel.’

‘Apart from a dull ache at the back of my head, and the fact that my gown is now covered in blood, I’m perfectly well, thank you and I’ve no wish to remain on this bed. Please help me to a chair.’

Her abigail carefully removed the ruined dress. ‘We would have been here before you, miss, but Lord Sheldon didn’t like the room you’d been given and brought you here instead. This is ever so smart, nearly as grand as the one you had at the Manor.’

‘I only have a vague recollection of how this accident occurred – tell me what happened.’ When she’d heard how Rufus had attacked Lord Sheldon she was horrified. ‘This is worse than anything I could have imagined. First my dogs knocked him from his feet and then my horse did the same. Thank goodness I was injured and he was forced to act as my saviour otherwise I fear we would have been sent packing.’

They had been conversing in little more than whispers as they were aware this formidable gentleman was lurking in her sitting room. ‘You will need stitches in that head wound, Grace, and we mustn’t touch this makeshift bandage until the doctor’s here. You lost a prodigious amount of blood and mustn’t make matters worse.’

At this point Grace began to wonder why none of the Silchester staff were present. Surely there should at least be a chambermaid on hand to fetch what might be needed. The only explanation for this omission could be that her being moved to these rooms had offended the housekeeper.

‘As soon as the doctor has put in the sutures I’ll move from here to the room I was allocated. Annie, make sure my trunks are taken there and you can begin to unpack. Have you any idea where you’ll be sleeping, Aunt Sarah?’

‘None at all, but I’m not worried. They weren’t expecting me to accompany you, so I’ll be happy to sleep in the servants’ quarters if necessary.’

‘You’ll do no such thing – I shall insist that you share with me if there’s nothing else available.’ She looked down at her petticoats, they were in little better case than her gown. ‘Annie, would you find me some clean clothes. I’ve no intention of remaining here and can hardly parade around the place as I am.’

‘I’ll do that right away, miss. I’ll be back in a jiffy, that’s if I don’t get lost.’

‘Here, I think you should drink this lemonade unless you feel unwell?’

‘I’m not going to cast up my accounts, if that’s what you mean. I don’t have a concussion. I think having fallen from a horse so many times my constitution is able to cope with these small mishaps.’

She watched the dressing room door anxiously hoping that her maid would return with fresh garments before the doctor arrived to examine her. She wished to be respectably dressed and make it quite clear she was unharmed apart from the gash in her scalp.

‘Aunt Sarah, could I ask you to do me an enormous favour? Would you go next door and inform Lord Sheldon that I’m quite well and there’s no need for him to remain? I don’t wish to draw any more attention to myself than I already have.’

‘I should be happy to do so, my dear. Although the circumstances of your meeting was a trifle unfortunate, I couldn’t help but notice he’s an attractive gentleman, not at all what I’d expected.’

Grace couldn’t hear the conversation through the closed door and hoped the message would be enough to send him away. The longer he spent attending on her the greater the risk that the other hopeful debutantes and their mamas would take a dislike to her because she was monopolising the gentleman they’d come to ensnare for themselves.

Annie returned at the same time as Aunt Sarah and, despite her assurances to the contrary, Grace did feel a little unsteady and was grateful for their assistance as she stepped in and out of her garments.

Once she was safely clothed she asked what Lord Sheldon had said. ‘He thanked me kindly for my message but has refused to move.’

‘Good grief! Are you saying that he’s still ensconced in the sitting room? This won’t do – this won’t do at all. He’s been up here for almost three quarters of an hour and you can be very sure this will be noted by the guests who arrived ahead of us.’ She stood up and took a few tentative steps around the room until she was sure her balance was restored. ‘I shall go in and speak to him myself. He can hardly remain when he sees me freshly garbed and perfectly well.’

‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. He’s not the sort of gentleman who takes kindly to being told what to do.’

Undeterred, Grace paused to check in the overmantel mirror that she didn’t look too much of a fright. ‘Apart from the makeshift bandage I look quite respectable. Would you mind accompanying me, Aunt Sarah, I think it best if I don’t speak to him unchaperoned.’

She took a few steadying breaths and then walked briskly into the sitting room. Who was the more astonished by her sudden appearance she couldn’t say – but her jaw dropped as low as his. He had been slumped in an armchair the picture of dejection as if a member of his family was at their deathbed and not a complete stranger only slightly injured.

He was on his feet and moving towards her before she had recovered her wits. ‘God’s teeth! What the hell are you doing on your feet? You should be in bed waiting for the doctor to attend you.’

His less than obliging comment had the desired effect and her tongue was loosened. ‘I’m sorry to inform you, my lord, that despite your best efforts I’m perfectly fine. When the doctor arrives please have him sent to my original chamber – not here – I’ve no wish to occupy rooms meant for someone else.’

He stopped a scant yard from her. For a moment the matter hung in the balance but then he smiled and something unexpected happened. Her anger vanished to be replaced by an emotion she didn’t recognise.

‘I apologise, Miss DuPont, I was under the erroneous impression you were at death’s door. I’m delighted that I was wrong in my assessment of the situation. However, whether you like it or not this is now your accommodation. You will not remove yourself elsewhere.’

She was about to protest but something made her bite her tongue. She curtsied. ‘In which case, my lord, I shall do as you bid and remain in these luxurious surroundings. I hope whoever has been ousted is not too disappointed with the inferior accommodation she must now occupy.’

His bow was suitably low. ‘I can assure you, Miss DuPont, that you will hear no complaints from anyone on this score.’

No one would dare to quibble if he looked as fierce as he did right now. She was saved from making further inflammatory remarks by the arrival of the doctor. By the time he had put four stitches in her head she was heartily sick of the whole episode.