The Unaccomplished Lady Eleanor (11 page)

‘
Couldn’t make it a hundred
could you?
’
asked Lovell, continuing to glare at Eleanor. 

James
turned to look at
his friend and shook his head in mock despair. 
‘
You
don’t change do you, Lovell
?
’
he
huffe
d, drawing out a roll of bill
s and handing one to the man. 
‘
Just make sure you have a bit more luck than last night,
’
he adde
d, as Lovell
snatched the note from him, muttered
some
words of thanks and
left
the room
, his face dark with fury
.

‘
If I’m not mistaken, I think you may have
upset the man, Lady Eleanor,
’
chuckled James
.

‘
Yes,
’
muse
d Eleanor
, as a
sudden
stab o
f foreboding pierced her
. 
‘
I
do
believe I have.
’

As she moved the last
chess
piece of the fifth game, Eleanor was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.  

‘
T
hat is three
games
out of five, sir
.  I have won your
challenge
which means
you must now r
etract your earlier derogatory statement.
’

James
regarded her with a
strange look in his eyes
- a
look which even she
,
as perspicacious as
she was
,
could not
read
. 
‘
Hmm, I’m not sure
.’
 

‘
But that was the agreement,
’
countered Eleanor indignantly.

‘
Actually,
’
said James,
his twinkling
eyes fixed on hers
,
‘
I
h
ave no recollection of that being the agreement.
’

Eleanor could
no
t believe the arrogance of the man. 
H
ow she could possibly have enjoyed playing chess with him for a single second
, was
now
beyond her. 

‘
Forgive me then,
’
sh
e snapped, thrusting to her feet. 
‘
I mistook you for a gentleman who keeps his word.
’

  A smile hovered around James’s lips as he continued to regard her strangely. 
‘
Or perhaps you j
ust mistook me for a gentleman,
’
he remarked
,
as Eleanor stormed out
of
the room, slamming the door behind her. 

Four days later
the weather changed
dramatically – the sky swapping its menacing
grey for
brilliant
blue
,
broken only by the occasional wisp of a lonely cloud.  And the weather wasn’t the only thing that was showing an improvement.   Thanks in no small
part to Milly’s secret
tuition, Eleanor was now able to perform a
passable waltz, much to M.
Aminieux’s delight.

  He puffed out his
rounded chest, clad in a
frilled
orange
shirt. 
‘
Ah, I am not one to do the blowing of the trumpet, but see how she is coming along,
’
he boasted to the
d
owager
.

 
‘
Indeed, M.
Aminieux.
  I must congratulate you on such a goo
d job.  T
h
ere is a way to go yet
,
but I
believe we will have her dancing around the ballrooms of London very
soon
.
’

  Milly had jumped up and down with excitement when Elea
nor had informed her of
the dancing master
’s praise.

Not
coming along quite so well
were Eleanor’s
musical accomp
lishments.  Practising a
mo
urnful sonata on the pianoforte
that evening, she started
a
s she became aware of a noise
in a
darkened corner of the room
and
an eerie feeling of being watched.

 
‘
Who’s there?
’
she snapped, swivelling around on her stool
.

 
‘
I
s that a hint of fear I detect, Lady Eleanor?
’
came the nasally reply.

  A seed
of apprehension took root as Eleanor
recogniz
ed the voice.  She i
nstantly brushed it away
.  She
refused to be
bullied by the likes of Derek Lovell. 
‘
I
am sorry to disappoint you, Mr Lovell
,
’
she replied, turning back to the pianoforte,
‘
but there is very little of which I am afraid.
’

 
‘
Is that so?
’
e
nquired Lovell, walking
out of the shadows
towards her
.
‘
Not even being
alone in a room with a man
about whom you know very little
?
’

 
‘
I am more than capable of looking after myself, sir,
’
she replied stoutly,
flicking
over the pages of her music.

  Lovell reached the pianoforte and rested his elbows upon it so that his face was level with hers and much too close for Eleanor’s comfort.  Not giving him the satisfaction of appearing perturbed by
t
his
unwelcome proximity
, Eleanor
nonchalantly carried on leafing through the sheets.  

 
‘
You play quite
…
dreadfully
,
’
he remarked with his usual sneer.

  Eleanor flashed him her most gracious smile. 
‘
A fa
ct of
which I am well aware
,
’
she declared, before
turning her attention back to the music.

  He did not reply
, b
ut Eleanor was aware of
his eyes wandering
over her body. 

 
‘
Your
dreadful
playing does
fortunately
not detrac
t from your other charms
, Lady Eleanor.  I wondered perhaps if you would be interested in adding another much more worthwhile accomplishment to your bow
… o
n
e which involves pleasing a gentleman.
’

  Eleanor quailed inwardly as
his gaze came to rest on
her bosom.
Still r
e
fusing to be intimidated
, she merely
uttered
a distracted
,
‘
Hmm,
’
as if giving the matter
due
co
nsideration.  Then she
rose from her stool and
,
looking him directly in the eye
,
said
,
‘
I am afraid I shall have to decline your
…
kind
invitation, Mr Lovell.
No
w if you will excuse me.
’

  She
took a few steps away from him
, but
Lovell was beside her in a flash.  Grasping her tightly by
t
he upper arms, he turned her toward
s him.  With his face
only inches from hers
, Eleanor detected the strong smell of
whisky on his breath. 

 
‘
I am quite unaccustomed to having my offers declined, Lady Eleanor
. 
Perhaps if I were to oblige you with a little demonstration of what I had in mind, you would not dismiss the notion quite so readily.
’
  He pulled her closer
to him
, his eyes fixed on hers. 

  Eleanor did not flinch
.  She
met his gaze coolly. 
‘
I should inform you, Mr Lovell,
that if you do not remove your h
ands from me this instant,
I shall scream for all I am worth.
’

  Lovell sneered insidiously.
‘
Then
perhaps that would suggest that
you are afraid of something after all, Lady Eleanor.
’

 
‘
Not afraid, sir,
’
replied Eleanor stoutly
. 
‘
Merely repulsed.
’

  Lovell sniggered and released his hold of her.
‘
Oh, d
on’t flatter yourself,
’
he
puffe
d, digging his hands into his breeches pockets and sauntering over to the fireplace. 
‘
I was merely seeking to amu
se myself in this draughty old c
astle.  Not much else for a chap to do stuck out here.
’

  Eleanor smoothed down her skirts and
marched purposefully towards the door. 
She paused with her hand on the knob and turned back to
him
. 
‘
May I suggest, sir, that if the standard of accommodation is not to your liking, you consider making alternative arrangements.
’

  And with that, she flounced out of the room,
recoiling at the irritating sound of D
erek Lovell’s laughter following her. 

FIVE

‘
E
leanor, I am to take a trip into Rich
mond this afternoon and should like
a little company.  We will leave immediately after luncheon,
’
informed the
d
owager
at breakfast that morning. 

  Giving no thought at all to their destination, Eleanor, with a m
outhful of toast, had
immediately
nodded her acquiescence
, grateful for the chance to
es
cape yet another afternoon with her wretched embroidery tambour.   Her enthusiasm increased dramatically
,
however, as they approached the
charming
town.  The
d
owager
, relishing the opportunity to provide her goddaughter with a history lesson, instructed the coachman to include on their route the famous Richmond Palace – an old favourite of Elizabeth I; Ham House – an outstanding example of Stuart architecture; the stunning parkland - favoured by Charles I as a hunting ground; and Marble Hill House – the former residence of the late George II’s mistress, Henrietta Howard. 

 
I
n the town centre
,
full of
imposing
contemporary h
o
uses – the
d
owager
made her purchases of shortbread and lace
, before announcing
that she should like to take
coffee
.  Leading Eleanor to a beautiful
coffee
house on the banks of the river
, they had just
taken
their seats on the
terrace when a familiar unpleasant
voice drifted over to them.

 
‘
Coo-ee! 
Lady Ormiston.
’
 

  
They
turned t
heir heads simultaneously to find
Cynthia Carmichael bustling toward
s
them, followed by her equally bustling daughters, Felicity and Gertrude. 

 
A look of
disbelief spread over the
d
owager
’s countenance. 
‘
Heavens above
,
’
she muttered. 
‘
Is nowhere safe?
’
 

  Eleanor bit back a smile.

 
‘
Oh
goodness,
’
flustered a beaming Lady Carmic
hael as she reached their table
,
‘
I can scarce believe it.  The girls and I so wanted to make the most of this beautiful day and where better than Richmond, I said t
o them this morning.  I
t would appear that we were quite of the same mind, Lady Ormiston,
’
she gushed before adding, as she flopped down into one of the wrought iron chairs
,
‘
You don’t mind if we join you do you?
’

  The
dowager’s lack of reply did not
affect Lady Carmichael’s enthusing in the slight
est.  She gestured impatiently to
her two daughters to sit down in the remaining seats. 

 
‘
I cannot tell you, Lady Ormiston,
’
she continued, fiddling with the ribbons of her bonnet,
‘
how much we are
looking forward to the garden party at the weekend.  Felicity has scarce been able to contain her excitement.
I take it that
…
James will be present?
’

 
‘
Of course,
’
sniffed the
d
owager
impatiently
, attempting to catch the eye of a waitress.

  Lady Carmichael beamed satisfactorily and flashed Felicity a knowing smile. 
‘
H
ow very delightful.
’

  By the e
nd of the very long hour
they had spent in the
coffee
house, E
leanor considered herself
quite
well
-
informed on the feeding habits of
the
swans
which were dotted about the river banks
.
Indeed
,
she had been studying one of the birds
quite intently the entire time.  It had
proved markedly more interesting than lis
tening to the
Carmichaels
’ twittering
. 

  As Felicity and G
ertrude ordered another
cake
, Eleanor and her godmother bade their farewells
.  They
were
in the process of making a
hasty retreat when the honking of the swan she had been observing caught Eleanor’s attention.  Hoping it wasn’t anything threatening
that
was exciting the bird so, she turned her head in the direction of the river, just as s
he reached the corner of the coffee
house. 
What she did not foresee
, was that someone else should be coming around the corner at exactly the same time.

 
‘
Oops
!
’
grimace
d
Eleanor
apologetically
, as she found h
erself face-to-face with a beautiful dark-haired woman, dressed in a
graceful
gown
of pure white
with
a matching c
rowned bonnet.  Taking
a
step back, the woman
looked
disapproving
ly down her button nose at Eleanor
, before picking up her skirts and
walking
around her.   

 
‘
Really, Eleanor,
’
tutted the
d
owager
,
‘
y
ou simply
must
learn to
look where you are going. 
I dread to think what the Duchess of Swinton
would have
said if she
had
landed on the grass in
that
gown.
’

The following week
,
the c
astle was a hive of
activity, with the team of gardeners working
night and day
to ensure the extensive grounds looked their
best. 
Eleanor, desperate to escape
the tedium of her
‘
accomplishments
’
and engage in
something much more enjoyable and worthwhile, was
itching to help
.  But she did not
, ac
utely aware that such unconventio
nal behaviour would be classed as
‘
unbecoming
’
by her godmother.

 
W
hile
the activity of the gardeners was
of great interest to her
, the forthcoming party was not.  Indeed
,
she would have gone as far as to say that her feelings towards the event were those of complete indifference.  Milly, on
the other hand, was
bursting with excitement and did not even attempt to hide her disappointment at Eleanor’s  lack of enthusiasm – in particular her admission that
‘
she really didn’t mind at all what she wore to th
e party
’
.

 
‘
Don’t you know, miss, that Lady Ormiston
’s garden party is one of the most
top-lofty events of the Season?
  All them grand lords and ladies coming and you not giving so much as a by-you
r-leave about what to wear. 
I ain’t never heard the likes of it.
’

  In the end, amidst much protesting from Elean
or, Milly
had insisted on taking one of her old summer dresses so she could
‘
do it up a bit
’
.  So
strongly had the girl
felt about the matter, that
Eleanor had not dared
resist. 

The morning of the
garden
party dawned clear
and
bright,
resulting
in a collective sigh o
f relief from all those in the c
astle.

  As Milly dressed Eleanor’s hair
she was practically dancing with excitement. 
‘
Ooh
, miss
,
what a rare treat me being able to see it all.  We don’t get to see nothing stuck down in them kitchens.
’
  With the l
ast curl in place, she
stepped back to admire her handiwork. 
‘
Now if you ain
’t the prettiest one there
,
’
she declared, reaching over to
pinch Eleanor’s cheeks
,
‘
then my name’s not Milly Maguire.
’

  Eleanor gazed at her reflection in the mirror.
She had to admit that she did look quite… well…
pretty
.  Milly had dressed her hair in the fashionable Grecian style
, threading
t
he soft curls with a green silk ribbon
.  Her old round sprig muslin
gown had undergone
something of
a transformation with a new green tiffany sash and green trimming ar
ound the puff sleeves.  T
he shade
accentuated Eleanor’s
emerald eyes and c
omplimented her peachy skin
perfectly.

 
‘
Gosh, Mill
y, you’ve done a marvellous job.
’
     

 
‘
Well off you go then, miss,
’
beamed Milly
, gesturing to the door. 

 
‘
W
ell … actually,
’
said Eleanor, rising to her feet
.
‘
I thought we might just w
atch from the window for a while.
I have no wish to stand around making hideous small talk for a moment longer than I have to.
’

  Milly rolled her eyes and shook her head. 
‘
W
hat I wouldn’t give to go to such a fine affair and there’s you doing all you can to stay up here with me.
’

 
‘
Oh
,
believe me,
’
giggled
Eleanor
,
‘
it is
much
more fun up here with you, Milly.
’

  The two of them hung out of the bedchamber window, observing the proceedings.  A steady stream of town coaches, barouches, landaus and phaetons made th
eir way up to the gates of the c
astle where their exquisitely dressed occupants disembarked and made their leisurely way into the grounds
.  On the lawns, an
array of refreshments had been laid out on long trestle tables, covered with gleaming white cloths.  A
swarm of immaculately dressed,
overheated waiters flitted about the rapidly increasing throng with trays
of
c
hampagne.

  T
he first person Eleanor recogniz
ed as she surveyed the crowd was Derek Lovell, chatting
animatedly to a pair of
serious-
looking gentle
men.  Thankfully, she had seen little of the odious creature
since the incident in the mu
sic-room
.  James was standing a little way f
rom Lovell, dressed impeccably
, as usual, in biscuit-
coloured pantaloons, white shirt and stockings, gleaming Hessians a
nd an exquisitely tailored dark-
blue jacket.  He was surrounded
by a giggling group of
debutantes
, who were
all obviously hanging
,
doe-eyed,
on
to his every word.