The Complicated Earl (6 page)

Isabelle allowed the statement
about confined society go without comment, she could see the reason behind the Earl’s thoughts. One thing she disagreed with him about was the level of affection towards James on Sophie’s part and now she wondered if Sophie was playing a more dangerous game than her brother realised. “I would suggest you are all politeness to the family and keep them very close to you during your stay,” she suggested.

“Why on earth would I want to do tha
t?” Tom demanded.

“That way Sophie may betray what she truly f
eels, as may Mr Arnold. It would be preferable than meetings going on without your knowledge.”

Tom
paused before speaking. “You are right, but I’d come to the conclusion that our trip to Bath was going to be enjoyable after all and now there will be little time for pleasure being in company with the Arnolds!”

Isabelle wondered if he
referred to her when he mentioned having an enjoyable stay, but chided herself on her vanity and the fact that it was becoming more important to gain approval from the man before her. Instead she offered reassurance, “Don’t worry I will support you whenever I can.”

“I insist on your su
pport to keep me sane!” Tom growled.

Chapter
5

Isabelle confided her worries to Mary the followi
ng morning over breakfast. It was one of the few times that she appreciated James being a late riser which gave her the opportunity of speaking frankly to her cousin. As Isabelle spoke, she did not know whether to feel reassured that her worries were not an overreaction, or even more concerned by Mary’s troubled expression. She finished her story and although she could not give any information about Sophie showing any decided preference to Mr Arnold, she had danced with him twice and they had all gone in for refreshments together. Sophie had sat next to James, but the chat had no longer looked like that of lovers, more of friends as the whole group took part.

“I
can understand why you would be concerned. It seems to be a very complicated situation and I imagine that the Earl would not have removed Lady Sophie from the company of the Arnolds without just cause. He does not appear to be a man who acts on whims,” Mary said quietly. “Poor James, did he notice anything amiss?”

“I think so
from his expression once the Arnolds had joined our party. We had spoken before going out though and I had told him to be brighter around Lady Sophie or she would soon get tired of his possessive moods. I did not realise he would be faced with a previous suitor, for whom we do not know the true extent of her affection. That would dampen anyone’s mood. All we can be sure of is that Lady Sophie knows her brother’s opinion of Mr Arnold and so will probably not show her true feelings. This means we can only guess where her affection really lies. Oh, this is a horrible situation!” Isabelle groaned.

“We have to keep on as normal
and try to make things as if Mr Arnold has not stirred up such feelings of concern. We don’t know after all if Lady Sophie told her brother the truth and does see him as a friend’s brother. We should give her the benefit of the doubt until there is opportunity to find out more,” Mary reasoned.

“I am trying to
give her credit for not treating James in such a manner, but I am worried about James in all of this because she could be using him. We don’t know her well enough to be sure she would not encourage James while her affections are already secured by another. I wish I did not doubt her, but I do not know her well enough to know her character fully. I feel shame that I would doubt someone of our acquaintance so much,” Isabelle said.

“That is
understandable. But let’s do our best to keep our concerns to ourselves; it will not help anyone if you voice your doubts. I feel our role is to support James and observe until we see something that would support or disprove your concerns,” Mary said firmly. They resolved to make sure James’s visit would continue to pass with as few worries as possible. Matters would only be made worse if James knew his sister and cousin had doubts about Sophie’s integrity.

James and Isabelle
had arranged to meet the Earl and Lady Sophie to walk in Sidney Gardens after breakfast. They had decided against horse riding; a decision which Isabelle regretted making the more she thought about Mr Arnold. She was concerned that they would meet the Arnolds on their walk preventing James spending time with Sophie. She managed to shake her worries away by the time James joined them and soon they were all walking through the gates at the end of Great Pulteney Street into the Gardens along with many other Bath residents.

The day was fine if chilly,
but there was much shelter within the gardens and they set a brisk pace. Sophie and James became separated slightly, of which Isabelle was glad to see and gave the Earl a little smile when she saw him glance at her after watching the pair for a few moments. He returned her smile and she was reassured that if her doubts proved to be unfounded James would eventually receive his approval.

Sophie approached Isabelle as they left the labyrinth. “Are you visiting the
Pump Rooms today, Miss Crawford?”

“Unfortunately not.
I need to make some purchases, so I’m afraid the pull of Milsom Street is greater than the Pump Room today,” Isabelle answered in her usual playful way.

“Oh, would you mind if I accompanied you? I’ve heard so much of the shopping in Bath, but hav
e not had chance to do any. My brother isn’t very patient when visiting shops.”

Isabelle laughed.
“I don’t think many men have the patience to shop, but yes, you would be very welcome. You can advise Mary and me on how to achieve the latest London fashions; it is some months since I have been to London, so I am sadly out of date.”

“I’m n
ot sure I could advise you I have had only a little experience of London society and I am afraid that although I did notice the fashions, with everything else going on I should not rely on me to be a definitive source of information. Instead I rely on you to restrain my impulse purchases. I am guaranteed to receive a scold every time I return from shopping,” Sophie grinned at her brother.

“Does he not like you spen
ding his money?” Isabelle asked a little surprised. She would not have thought that the Earl would be stringent with Sophie.

“More I do not like to see each piece of ribbon or lace that has
been purchased and given the in depth story of what lace or ribbon was rejected and why. That is when the scold occurs,” came the long suffering reply.

Isabelle smiled.
“I’m no longer surprised at you not wishing to take your brother shopping Lady Sophie, what a disobliging creature he is!”

Tom
opened his mouth to retort, but James intervened. “I would leave it Standish; I learned a long time ago that when women and shopping are involved, you will never win! Better to admit defeat and stay silent. It is far easier that way.”

Sophie smiled at James, “
I knew you would understand. Would you meet us afterwards? I should not wish to put you through standing outside every shop we enter.”

“I shall
and I may even buy you pastries or a Bath bun if you like,” James smiled at Sophie.

“Oh yes, pastries
would be lovely!” Sophie touched James’s arm and smiled up at him.

James returned the smile before turning to
Tom. “I was going to book a box tonight at the Theatre, would you both like to join us?”

“Yes, we are moving into
a house in Laura Place this afternoon, so a trip to the theatre would be an enjoyable escape for us both.”

“How long have you taken lodgings for?” Isabelle enquired. The usual period for Bath was for at least six weeks, but she had not thought it was the Earl’s intention to stay that long.

“I’m not sure yet, I have not made any firm plans. It will depend on when I’m needed back home. My steward is keeping me informed of estate matters regularly,” was the non-committal reply.

Isabelle assumed
that he was probably keeping any plans flexible because of the Arnolds, but she could not help feeling a little unsettled not knowing how long she would be in his company. She knew these were not healthy sentiments and tried to push them to the back of her mind. It unnerved her to think she enjoyed the company of a man like the Earl so much. She turned back to Sophie and concentrated on making plans for their shopping trip to prevent her dwelling on anything else.

I
sabelle and Mary joined Sophie later at the White Hart and walked into the town with serious shopping on their minds. They found that sharing the experience with a shopper as pleasant as Sophie made the trip even more enjoyable. Isabelle was able to put her concerns about Sophie’s attachments to the back of her mind as Sophie made her purchases. Her choices were directed because they were James’s favourite colour or because he liked feathers rather than flowers. By the end of the trip Isabelle was sure that Sophie thought a great deal about her brother.

They met
James outside the pastry shop in Milsom Street and entered the throng. The shop was always busy, but they managed to make themselves comfortable at a small table. James ordered a large selection of pastries and tea. He reported that he had secured a theatre box for the evening, so their time was spent discussing what they would wear, who may be at the theatre and how the performance would be.

They walked slowly back to their homes. Sophie was to leave them when they reached Laura Place
as the move to her new lodgings had been undertaken while she had been shopping. The other three would continue onto Isabelle’s house on Great Pulteney Street. It was very convenient for the two parties to be so close and Isabelle wondered if the Earl had purposely chosen the address because of that. True, Laura Place was one of the best addresses in Bath, but he could have easily chosen to stay in the Royal Crescent or the Circus, but Laura Place was closer to her own home, being a few moments stroll away.

As the group
walked over Pulteney Bridge they met the Arnold family coming from the opposite direction.  Sophie greeted Charlotte with a hug and the remainder of the party made their bows and curtsies.

“We have left our calling card at Laura Pla
ce. We were told at the White Hart that you had moved on,” Charlotte explained to Sophie.

“Yes, my b
rother needs to have his belongings and routine around him,” Sophie explained. “I enjoyed staying at the inn, there are always comings and goings to watch, but Tom disliked the noise. We are making our way there now you must return to take tea with us.”

Mrs
Arnold intervened, “Oh, I’m sure that won’t be necessary, we would not put you to any trouble. You surely need to rest; I can see you have been shopping. The shops of Bath are so accessible and so reasonable. I saw some lace only yesterday for half the price I had paid back home! Who would have thought? Such a bargain!”

Isabelle smiled to herself, all the time
Mrs Arnold had been speaking she had turned around and was walking back towards Laura Place, obviously determined to take up Sophie’s offer of tea, despite her words of refusal. Charlotte and Sophie walked with James; Mary joined Mrs Arnold and Cecily. That left Isabelle to bring up the rear with Mr Arnold.

“Are yo
u enjoying your stay in Bath Mr Arnold?” Isabelle asked out of politeness, but also wanting to try and see if she could detect any partiality on his part towards Sophie.

“So far, yes
I thank you, although I think my sisters enjoy it more. They have discovered the joys of shopping as it appears Lady Sophie has,” he replied pleasantly.

“I think every young girl enjoys shopping. Are you to stay long?”

“I believe mother intends to stay for a number of weeks, but I cannot. I shall need to leave next week I think. I have business to attend to that cannot be delayed for too long, so only a short visit for me I’m afraid.”

“Well I hope you will enjoy
the amusements on offer while you can.”

“I’m sure I shall. M
y sisters are determined to make full use of me while I am here, escorting them here, there and everywhere. They do wear mother out with their energy, so I will help as much as I can,” came the response of a considerate brother and son. Isabelle could not fault his conversation and had to be content with continuing to wait and see what developed.

“I’m sure your m
other appreciates it,” Isabelle smiled at him.

They had reached Laura Place and Sophie led the way into th
e drawing room. It was large and airy, decorated in reds and gold, elegantly furnished as would be expected of one of the best addresses in Bath. Mrs Arnold looked around her with a wide smile on her face, taking in the rich decoration and fine wooden furniture. Isabelle was pleased that the grandness of the room had stopped her chatter at least for a little while. Sophie rang for tea and busied herself with making sure everyone was seated comfortably and warm enough after being outside in the chilly air.

The group was disturbed after a short while by the entrance of the Earl. He had entered the room smiling, but when he had had a moment to take in the scene before him, his usual scowl had returned. Isabelle noted the atmosphere in the room stilled and looked with interest at the previously talkative occupants. Cecily looked terrified and seemed
to shrink into the side of her mother. Charlotte looked worriedly between Sophie and her brother as if hoping to receive support from one of them. Mrs Arnold and Mr Arnold both looked uncomfortable, but Mr Arnold met the Earl’s gaze with something of defiance in his manner.

Isabelle could not decide wheth
er she thought the effect the Earl had on a roomful of people amusing or mortifying. “We seem to have invaded your home, your Lordship,” she said with a smile as he approached her.

“So I see,” he muttered. B
ut he bowed over her hand with good grace and turned and bowed to Mrs Arnold and Mary. He nodded to the rest of the room. “Sophie, you seem to have been on a large shopping expedition.” The words were laced with meaning that Isabelle was sure they all understood.

“
We met Mrs Arnold and her family on our way back from our expedition. We were crossing Pulteney Bridge at the same time. They had already been directed here from the White Hart,” Isabelle explained, hoping her words conveyed more than they actually said.

The Earl approached James and Isabelle
saw him raise his eyes at her brother. It appeared the Earl saw James as an ally. Sophie poured the tea and Charlotte helped hand it out. Conversation between the gathered group was now strained with the Earl making it perfectly clear that he wanted to leave the room; it was obvious he wished himself far away from the company, or the company far away from him. Sophie did not seem to notice her brother’s discomfort while chatting to her guests but then was to add further to his annoyance by her next question.