Spoiled (12 page)

‘As soon as possible,' Michael replied devoutly.

I
t might have been supposed that a diligent curate could expect to have such a wish granted, especially since it was made not simply because he would take pleasure in his sister's company, but also for the very virtuous reason that he would then be more adequately chaperoned. Unfortunately, however, he received a letter telling him that as Theodora had caught a severe chill, travelling would be out of the question for some days. The following Sunday, therefore, instead of looking down upon the reassuring figure of his sister seated in the vicarage pew, he was greeted by the sight of a number of ladies, several of whom had, with varying degrees of delicacy, expressed an interest in him.

The lovely Miss Granby, who made his senses reel, whether by chance or by design he could not be sure, was seated with her parents. Miss Leicester, who had recently taken to wearing a rather more frivolous bonnet, was also there. Miss Barclay and Miss French were sitting together, in between a lady and gentleman who could only be Miss French's parents. Sir Lyle Belton was present, along with his wife and daughter, and a gentleman in military uniform whom Michael did not recognize.

Apart from them, there were two young ladies from a farming family, who gaped at him, then whispered behind their hands. All of womankind seemed to have gone mad. The landlady of the Olde Oak appeared to wink at him, but that might just have been a trick of the light through the stained-glass window. Miss Belton even waggled her fingers at him as he ascended the pulpit steps to deliver his sermon! Theodora could not possibly come too soon as far as he was concerned.

After the service was over, Sir Lyle made haste to introduce the young man in military uniform who was with his party. ‘My nephew, Lieutenant Jeremy Fellowes. Jeremy, meet the new curate of this parish, Mr Buckleigh.' Barely had the two young men greeted one another than the baronet, remembering how he had been beaten off the mark on a previous occasion, invited Michael to dine.

‘Are you staying with your uncle, sir?' Michael asked the lieutenant, when he had accepted the invitation.

‘For a short time,' he answered. He was a handsome man, tall and slender, with golden hair that waved slightly. ‘I will have to rejoin my regiment eventually, but for now I am a man of leisure.' At this point, Mr and Mrs Granby came out of church. ‘What's more,' he added appreciatively, ‘one needs leisure in order to explore the beauties of the area.' Fellowes could not be blamed, Michael conceded silently to himself. Evangeline was indeed a picture in a white gown trimmed with gold, and covered with tiny golden flowers. Suddenly he felt like punching the young officer for no justifiable reason.

Despite his feelings, however, there was nothing for it but to introduce the lieutenant to Evangeline and her parents. After a brief glance between Sir Lyle and his lady, the party invited for dinner was extended to include the Granbys as well.

‘Is not my cousin handsome?' Amelia asked Michael, as they travelled in Sir Lyle's comfortable chaise a short time later. The lieutenant was on horseback and the Granbys were in their own chaise, so there was plenty of room for Michael to travel with the Beltons. ‘I have to admit that I am exceedingly partial to fair-haired men,' she added provocatively.

‘I am perhaps the wrong person to ask,' he replied, deliberately ignoring the second part of her speech. ‘It seems to me that ladies and gentlemen can never agree upon what constitutes handsomeness in their own sex.'

Amelia shook her head. ‘I cannot agree with you,' she replied. ‘I can see that Evangeline is excessively pretty and I am quite prepared to say so.'

‘Then perhaps it is merely gentlemen who are poor at recognizing good looks in other men,' Michael suggested.

‘I think you may be right,' Sir Lyle agreed, and went on to relate an amusing anecdote that had come into his mind. Meanwhile, Amelia sat with a little smile on her face, thinking, I have made him jealous. It had not been part of her plan to have Evangeline present, but upon reflection it occurred to her that it might not be a bad idea. She would
provide a useful diversion for Jeremy, leaving the field clear for her to pursue Michael.

Had the lieutenant been consulted, he would have confessed himself very ready to fall in with her plans. He had been struck by Evangeline from the very first and, having noticed the beauty of her face, had then gone on to take appreciative note of the luscious curves of her figure. He had not been unaware of the air of tension in Michael as he had made appreciative remarks about Miss Granby. A desperate flirtation was always to his taste. If it had the added benefit of making the curate jealous, then so much the better.

He had taken a dislike to the clergyman from the very first. He was rather inclined to dismiss men of the cloth as being unworthy of consideration. He was therefore annoyed with himself for sensing that there was something about Michael that meant that it would be very unwise to discount him in such a way.

They were a cheerful party at dinner. Michael was seated on Lady Belton's left opposite Mr Granby and with Amelia next to him on his other side. Evangeline was on Sir Lyle's left, and opposite her mother. On her other side was Lieutenant Fellowes, who seemed delighted to have the opportunity of getting up a flirtation with her.

Michael, for his part, resolved to take no notice of them and was soon deep in conversation with Amelia Belton, a fact that did not pass unnoticed by Evangeline, who immediately resolved to make herself even more agreeable to the soldier who was sitting beside her. ‘I am wondering, Lieutenant, how it comes to be that you and I have never met,' she said. ‘Amelia is your cousin after all, and I have lived in this vicinity for the whole of my life, as has she.'

‘It does seem strange,' the young man agreed, ‘but I can assure you that had we ever done so, then the encounter would have been graven upon my memory!' He laid his hand on his heart and sighed. Then, with a laugh, he abandoned his extravagant manner, noting with satisfaction that Michael had been glancing his way. ‘In truth, it isn't so very strange. Remember that whereas Amelia is an only child, I have an older brother and two sisters who are now married. It was much more common when we were children for the Beltons to visit us at our home. Do you have any cousins, Miss Granby?'

Evangeline nodded. ‘My father is an only child, but my mother's sister has two daughters. They are the bane of my life, I assure you.'

‘No doubt they are constantly complaining at being compared to you,' he suggested.

‘No no, quite the reverse,' Evangeline replied. ‘It is I who suffer from odious comparisons.'

‘I cannot imagine upon what grounds,' said the lieutenant gallantly.

‘You are too kind.'

‘Not at all. One does not complain about perfection.'

Evangeline found this compliment rather fulsome, but it made a welcome change to Mr Buckleigh's implied criticisms of her dress and conduct. ‘My self-esteem is now very thoroughly soothed,' she remarked.

‘Then my work is done,' smiled the lieutenant. ‘Do you ride, Miss Granby?'

‘Whenever I can get the opportunity,' she answered.

‘Amelia does not. What a shame,' he murmured, his eyes sparkling.

For her part, Amelia had no hesitation in drawing Michael's attention to this flirtatious conversation. ‘I can see that Evangeline is very taken with my cousin,' she remarked. ‘I find that a little surprising in a way.'

‘Indeed?' murmured Michael, trying not to sound particularly interested.

‘She is generally more partial to dark men,' Amelia told him. ‘Look at Lord Ashbourne. He has jet-black hair and Evangeline has been in love with him for years.'

After dinner was over and tea had been drunk, the party split up. Naturally enough, Mr and Mrs Granby offered to take Michael up in their chaise.

‘What a shame that you cannot stay for longer,' said Amelia to Michael as Mr and Mrs Granby were making their farewells and Evangeline and the lieutenant were continuing their flirtation until the last possible moment. ‘I have been making a collection of illuminated Bible texts, and was hoping that you might like to see them.'

‘It will be something to look forward to,' Michael replied, inwardly thanking the Almighty for his lucky escape. Why people always supposed that clergymen must only like religious art he could not imagine.

To his surprise, on their arrival at Granby Park, Mr Granby said, ‘I will hand the ladies down, then, with your permission, I will travel on with you to your home, Mr Buckleigh. I would like some further conversation with you.' Clearly Mrs and Miss Granby had not been informed of his intentions, for they both looked surprised. Michael readily gave his consent, and soon they were continuing their journey.

Mr Granby wasted no time in raising the matter that was on his
mind. ‘I needed to speak with you in private, Mr Buckleigh. I have a problem in which I would very much like your aid.'

‘Of course, sir,' Michael replied, glad of the opportunity to return some of the kindness that had been extended to him. ‘I shall do whatever lies in my power.'

‘I am obliged to go to London unexpectedly,' Granby said. ‘Had we not just arrived home from Sheffield, I would have taken my wife and daughter with me, but you have seen how a journey knocks my wife up. It takes her at least a week to recover. I therefore intend to leave them at home to look after each other. I shall not be gone much more than a week, I should think. In the meantime, I must ask if you will keep an eye on them and on Evangeline in particular.'

Michael hoped that he did not look as panic-stricken as he felt. Had Mr Granby asked him to give assistance in holding up the London stage, he could hardly have felt more horrified.

‘I am very much concerned about her,' Granby continued anxiously. ‘She is accustomed to having her own way. I freely admit that I am the one responsible for spoiling her, but my wife is not robust and should Evangeline subject her to a show of defiance, she would not be able to stand against her. In short, I would be exceedingly grateful if you would act as a kind of extra guardian for Evangeline.'

Michael could feel his heart sinking into his boots. The one young lady to whom he had acted as guardian from time to time was his sister, and she was obedient, unselfish, and sunny-natured. Miss Granby, though good-tempered when she chose, did not seem to possess either of the other qualities in abundance. Furthermore, the beauty of her face and the superb contours of her figure caused him to react to her in a manner that reminded him that he had been a man before he was ever a clergyman. He would be well advised to keep away from her as much as possible. To be obliged to advise her on her behaviour would be quite intolerable. Impossible to disclose all of this to her father! Nevertheless, for the sake of his sanity he attempted to make some protest. ‘But sir,' he exclaimed, ‘I cannot believe that she would be prepared to look upon me in such a way. I cannot be as much as ten years her senior. There must be someone else; Lord Ilam, for example.'

Granby shook his head. ‘Ilam is still from home and I have no idea when he will return. What's more, he is much the same age as yourself. Evangeline has known him for years and he is married to one of her closest friends. I do not think that she would take him seriously.'

‘Then what about Lord Ashbourne?'

‘That would never do. In view of her past infatuation with him, I would rather not encourage her to go anywhere near him. Besides, he is from home as well and, even if he were not, his wife is nearing her confinement.'

‘Sir Lyle Belton, then?' Michael suggested, growing desperate.

‘Miss Amelia and my daughter are rivals and have never dealt well together, I fear,' Mr Granby answered smiling ruefully. ‘Besides, there is now an additional danger. No doubt you noticed the attention that Lieutenant Fellowes was paying to Evangeline. I mistrust that young man. His family is quite large and he hasn't got a penny to bless himself with. I'm not wealthy, but Evangeline is our only child and she will receive a very respectable dowry and quite a pretty sum at my demise. She could easily become a target for a fortune hunter who wasn't over greedy. Now is not the time for me to go away leaving her unguarded.' Seeing that Michael continued to look doubtful, he went on, ‘Mr Buckleigh, it would ease my mind so much if you would do this. You may not be much older than she, but you have an authority by virtue of the office that you hold. I will not leave Illingham happily unless I can be certain that someone will watch over her.'

Michael wanted to refuse, yet how could he? He had been very grateful for all the hospitality that he had received since his arrival in the village. He knew that he might never be able to return it. He could not refuse this opportunity of repaying the other man's kindness. What was more, the reference to the office that he held reminded him that he had a duty to care for every person in the parish. Yet he feared that Evangeline might well turn out to be more trouble than all the other parishioners put together.