An Indelicate Situation (The Weymouth Trilogy) (13 page)

The house itself looked quite modern. It was not especially large but
Maggie could see that
it was beautifully proportioned, with columns of Portland stone supporting an elegant porchway u
p a short flight of steps to a magnificent
front door
. It was through this that, a
fter a kind greeting from their host and hostess
,
they
were
escort
ed
straight
away
to enjoy a glass of
wine
in
the coolness of an elegant saloon
. It had
tall
windows on two sides, overlooking the gardens to the front and into an orangery to the side, filled with tropical plants
.
Mrs Staveley was already in residence there, drinking some lemonade
in company
with Mr Brewer
and another elderly lady
or two
. She had
the
distinctive
air of someone
who was
harbouring a great secret. Maggie caught her eye for a second. ‘
They are taking my life away
,’ mouthed
Mrs Staveley
as she passed
, ‘they are
taking my life away from me and
bleeding me quite dry.’
Maggie wondered whether perhaps
the old lady
had
indulged herself with a little
too much
wine and brandy in
he
r
lemonade and decided
that
, on balance,
it might be
politic
to avoid her.
So, k
nowing none of the other
guests there at all
– even Mrs William was not to be seen
-
and acutely conscious of
the barbed gla
res
of Miss Brewer
,
who was standing nearby
,
sh
e
therefore dec
ided that it might be
a good idea
to look out of a
window
and pretend to take an interest in the view
.
Indeed, it turned out
there was no need for any pretence
-
it was easy to take an interest in the view, for Belvoir House was blessed by such extensive and beautiful grounds, and such an enviable position overlooking the sea, that it would have required an onlooker of much
more steely a disposition
than Maggie
’s was
to a
ffect an indifference towards it.
So rather than simply stand
ing
in the
window
,
which was cut
down to the ground,
and look
ing
out
of
it
,
she immediately
found herself stepping through it
into the bright August sunshine and taking a little tour of the gardens on her own.

Her meanderings took her down a steep pathway
away from the house. The path was hot and dusty. All around her were the drones of buzzing insects, flying lazily from plant to plant, and the occasional startled cry of a songbird as she disturbed the undergrowth with her gown. Everywhere were features to delight – smart terraces, little hidden valleys, unexpected vistas opening up to the sea
. There were
stands of
timber and
flowering shrubs,
and
l
arge lawned area
s
, dotted
with tropical trees and plants
,
which dropped
gently down towards the deep blue seas beyond. A little stream, linking a series of small ponds surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, babbled delicately as it caressed the stones and rocks in its path. The slight splash of the water merged with the mewing of
the
gulls and the faint rhyt
hmic lapping of the sea way
below to provide a musical backdrop to the
whole landscape
. M
aggie took a seat close beside
t
he stream
, in
the
shade
of some large leafy plants
, and stared
dreamily
out
over the waters
.
What a magical place!
She could hardly believe that it was real. A deep sense of calmness
was
all around her.
She felt so
warm
and still
and tranquil
that she
found her eyelids growing heavy. It would have been the work of only a moment for her to
drop right off to sleep.

Deciding that this was probably not a suitable thing for a young lady to do at a garden party
,
however,
Maggie reluctantly roused herself and made her way up some stone steps which led back
up the slope
towards the house
. She
came across
Mr
and Mrs
Berkeley
, who
w
ere now on a lawn in front of their
drawing room
teaching
some of
t
he
i
r
guests
how to play pell
-
mell
, and
stepped
o
ver
to watch them
for a while
.
As she did so she heard the crunch of gravel on the driveway behind her. An elegant curricle
had just appeared. It was being driven
in flying style
by a single young gentleman who was now screeching to a halt to the accompaniment of flaying hooves. Mr Berkeley went across to greet him.
Mrs Berkeley
remained on the lawn and
invited
Maggie
to share the lesson
but before she had a chance to
give her a response
Maggie spotted
Mr Wright
in the distance
. He was
extricating himself from a group of acquaintance who were standing in the shade and
walking casually but apparently intentionally in her direction
.

Now, a young woman
of Maggie’s
intelligen
ce
might
have
be
en
expected to take a moment to reflect on this sit
u
ation, and to determine that, on balance, it might be wisest to remain in Mrs Berkeley’s kind company
rather than
to
quit it and attach herself to her employer instead
. After all,
Mr Wright
was a married gentleman and his intentions in seeking her out
so obviously must therefore be thought – well, a little suspect, to say the least. So a wise young lady might well
have
be
en
expected to remain with Mrs
Berkeley on the lawn. But for whatever reason – maybe the wine
or the heavy sunshine
had gone to her head, maybe she was
just
feeling a little reckless, or alone – Maggie decided to forego
any chance of thinking
about what she was doing and
thereby of reaching
a mature and sensible decision.
S
he
simply
smiled
at Mrs Berkeley
,
declined
her
invitation
,
and walked casually but intentionally towards
Mr Wright
in her turn. The
ir route
s met
just by a little path
way
leading into the shrubbery. Glancing quickly arou
nd
and apparently satisfy
ing himself that no
-
one was watch
ing, he looked pointedly at the little path and, once
they were both
upon it,
turned to
Maggie
and offered her
his arm.

Mr Wright
had looked about him before disappearing onto the pathway but his movements – and hence those of his companion – did not go entirely un
seen
. Two people, at least,
happened to spot his
rather surreptitious activities, and wonder. The first was Mrs Berkeley who, having been just a little surprised that Maggie should decline her overture, was maybe attuned to seeing what she was intending
to do
. The other was Mrs William Wright herself.

Maggie, blissfully unaware that anyone had spotted them at all, was conscious of a most pleasant sensation which appeared to be stemming from
the pit of
her stomach – a sensation which so closely resembled that of her first foray into
the boudoir of
her best friend’s mama when they were both just eleven years old
,
there to try out all the powders, p
aints and diverse ointments which
they discovered awaiting exploration on her siz
ea
ble dressing table by the window,
that just for a moment she
felt
almost like a child again. It was a pity that this particular foray had led to some unintended consequences in the form of a supperless evening in solitary confinement
and an early retreat to bed
. Had it not been for this
unfortunate conclusion
the sensation would surely
have
been even more delightful
than it was
.

‘Did you put on that gown especially for me, Miss Owens?’ were
Mr Wright
’s opening remarks. ‘
It is certainly
most becoming.’

If Maggie thought this a little forward she
certainly
did not mention it.

‘Now why should you think that I would do such a thing, Mr Wright?’ she asked him,
demurely
. ‘After all, I am only your governess and you are a married
gentle
man.’

Mr Wright
felt more than equal to a rejoinder such as this one.

‘All the more reason for you to do so, then, I should say,’ he replied, squeezing her arm a fraction as he held it. ‘Perhaps I am in a position of power over you. It would
therefore
be
most
important to please me – do you not think?’

Maggie gave him a sideways glance.

‘I should always hope to please you, sir,’ she said, de
corously
. ‘I trust that Will and Augusta a
re progressing as you would hope
. After all, I am most anxious to do whatever you might wish.’

Mr Wright
laughed a little.

‘Well,’ he said. ‘I wonder if you know what I wish for at this very moment?’

‘No indeed. How could I? Perhaps a discussion on
the children’s next lessons? Or maybe to plan for Perry’s introduction to the schoolroom?’

‘Do you know, Miss Owens, I had thought you a particularly intelligent creature, with those deep brow
n eyes and thoughtful gaze
. I had put you down as a most intelligent young woman indeed yet I find
that
you have not guessed my desire at all.’

‘Then perhaps you should tell me, sir. Perhaps my education has been sadly lacking in the art of divining a gentleman’s desires?’

They had reached the thickest part of the shrubbery by this time and perhaps it was the lack of sunshine that made Maggie shiver as
William stopped
in
his
tracks,
tilted her chin with his finger, took her in his arms and kissed her long and hard on her lips. She could feel his ha
nd
as it
stroked her neck
. She could feel a swell of excitement as the other hand
slid down her back caressingly
. But just as she was wishing that the moment could continue for ever, just as she was wishing that the embrace would never
end
,
end
it did, and abruptly, as she suddenly became aware of the sound of footsteps
coming towards them
, crackling on some lying twigs nearby
. They were treading stealthily from the direction that
she and
Mr Wright
had t
hemselves
come from
only a very few moment
s
before
.