Lady Ann's Excellent Adventure (A Regency Short Story) (2 page)

"Yes, I'd heard of it. I shall be pleased to escort you. Allow me to hand you up."  He helped her onto the footplate, and kept hold of her hand until she had stepped safely onto the floor of the curricle. While she seated herself and arranged her skirts, he went to have a quick word with Parker. It would not do for the tiger to by my-lording him every minute, for then she would surely want to know who he was.

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Ann wasn't at all sure this was a good idea. The man might be an axe murderer, for all she knew. But she did not think so. He was handsome, with dark hair that waved rather rakishly over his forehead, and dark eyes. He was well-dressed – his bottle-green coat fit him to perfection and his top boots had been polished to a high gleam. And he drove a very expensive-looking curricle along a very fashionable street. She guessed him to be a member of London's
ton
, but she was perfectly content not to know precisely who he was because she was determined not to give away her own identity. She doubted he would know of her, as she had spent much of her life in Europe, and most of the time she'd spent in England had been in the country during summers, closely guarded and chaperoned. But to be on the safe side, it was best not to allow this gentleman to know who she was. After all, she would soon take her place among the
ton
as Lady Evesham. She sincerely hoped Will, whoever he really was, would not have occasion to associate the Countess of Evesham with the hoyden perched in a tree, flashing her ankles for any passing gentleman to see.

"What a fine curricle you have, sir. It is very well-sprung."

The man fairly beamed with pride. She would never understand the love men had for their carriages.

"Thank you," he said. "I am glad you like it. I will confess to you that I have just this day driven it away from the coach-maker. Your adventure, Annie, shall be its maiden journey. Have you seen many balloon ascensions?"

"None. But I saw a balloon in Italy a few years ago as it glided so elegantly along the wind. Ever since, I have longed to see how a balloon gets up in the air. I have read a bit about it, so I do know how it is done. But reading is not the same as seeing."

"Indeed it is not. I am not certain where in the Park it is to be, but I have no doubt we can find it."

They found it soon enough. There was already a great crowd of carriages, horses, and pedestrians gathered at the site where the balloon was being inflated. Many eyes were drawn to Will's beautiful new curricle, but he did not drive it to the area where many other elegant carriages were parked. Instead he positioned it among a group of dog carts, elderly gigs, and other lesser vehicles. She was glad of it, for she had no wish to mingle among the upper classes today.

Will gave the curricle and team into the care of his tiger, and helped her down. They walked to the enclosure where the balloon was tethered, which was a marvel to see. Will pointed out the large casks of hydrogen that were connected to the balloon by means of a hose pipe. The huge silken bag of green and yellow stripes was not completely inflated, but as it swelled, it rose high above the crowd. Many among the spectators gasped in admiration.

"Oh, is it not beautiful?" Ann said. "I had no idea it would be so big. It's quite breathtaking, is it not?"

"Yes, it is," Will replied.

But when she turned to him, he was looking at her and not the balloon. Ann returned her attention to the rising balloon, but bit back a self-satisfied smile at the thought that Will might find her beautiful.

Ann was spellbound by the rising balloon when she heard a voice behind her.

"Well met, Ev-eeeeeeeeeeeeeee –"

Ann turned to find a gentleman sprawled on the ground beside Will, glaring up at him in confusion. "What the –"

"Always the clumsy devil, Denney, tripping over your own two feet. Let me help you up, old chap." Will pulled the man to his feet and began to help straighten his coat. Whispered words were passed between them, and Ann wondered what was being said.

"Allow me to introduce my clodish friend." Will brought the man forward. "This is Dennison, but you may call him Denney. Denney, this is Annie."

Mr. Dennison bowed over her hand and said, "Your servant, ma'am."

"I am pleased to meet you, sir. Are you interested in balloons?"

"He is bored to death by them," Will said, "and was just leaving."

Mr. Dennison looked bewildered and even a bit angry as he glared at Will. "Yes, I was just leaving. I hope to meet you again soon, ma'am." He uttered a grunt as Will apparently poked him in the ribs. "Enjoy the ascension."

Ann was about to ask about the gentleman and the whispered conversation when the balloon was untethered and soared upward with a loud
swoosh
. Two men stood in the gondola beneath the balloon, waving to the crowd below. She was astonished at how fast it moved away, carried up and eastward on the wind. It was the most glorious sight she'd ever seen. It was the embodiment of pure freedom as it rose higher, its beauty bringing a lump to her throat. How she wished she could be so free! To fly in whatever direction she wanted, whenever she wanted. But there was no point in getting wistful about things she could not change.

All at once there was a great deal of commotion as carriages and horses began to move quickly away from the enclosure. "What's happening? Where is everyone going?"

"They're following the balloon," Will said.

Her jaw dropped in astonishment as she watched the balloon rise higher and gain speed as it traveled east. "You mean … it could be followed?  It is possible to …?"

Will laughed. "Yes, Miss Annie, we can try to follow it, if you like. We should make good time in the new curricle."

"Oh, could we?  I never dreamed … Oh, yes, please. Let's follow it."

The new vehicle with its perfectly matched team served them well in the flight to follow the balloon. It soared over Mayfair in a straight line east, while Will was forced to turn into one street after another to keep pace, weaving through carriages and carts and pedestrians with a skill that could not entirely be attributed to the nimble little carriage. Will was a marvelous whip. Most people were smart enough to get out of his way.

When the balloon veered south, Will raced down the Strand with renewed speed, causing Ann to shriek with delight. She had never been driven so fast in all her life, and it was thrilling. She held her hat down with one hand and gripped the leather strap on the side panel with the other, and encouraged Will to go faster.

From Fleet Street they turned into New Bridge Street, a broad avenue that allowed Will to maneuver through traffic more easily. But he reined in the team at the entrance to Black Friars Bridge.

"Look." He pointed to the diminishing profile of the balloon. "It must have caught a new current as it's moving faster south. We'll never catch it, I'm afraid. Sorry, Annie."

Ann watched the tiny green and gold teardrop grow smaller and smaller against the clear sky. "Oh, I don't mind. It was a grand adventure while it lasted. What an excellent driver you are. I was forever thinking you might overturn us, or someone else, but you never did. Well done, sir."

"Thank you, ma'am. It was my pleasure. And it gave me a good excuse to see how this little cart handles. I confess I am pleased."  He turned to the rear seat. "What do you think, Parker?"

Good heavens, she had almost forgotten all about the tiger. The poor boy must have been holding on for dear life during that last run.

"It'll do nicely, my l—er, that is, sir. A real sweet goer."

"Good," Will said. "Think I'll keep it. And now, Miss Annie, what next? What other adventures had you planned?"

"Oh, I had nothing at all planned. I just wanted to explore London a bit."

"All right, then. We are near St. Paul's. We could start there. And there is St. James's Palace and Buckingham House and –"

She shook her head. "No, I don't want to go to palaces and such." She'd seen her fill of grand palaces. "I want to go where ordinary people go."

His eyes narrowed. "Ordinary people? Why?"

"Because ordinary people know best what is interesting or entertaining. And one can learn more about a place through its ordinary people than through its lofty aristocrats."

"Egad, you're not a revolutionary, are you?"

Ann laughed at the wary look on his face. "Of course not. I simply have a curious mind, especially in regard to ordinary, everyday things that most people take for granted but which I … Well, I have been rather sheltered, you know."

Will nodded and smiled. "As all respectable young ladies should be. So, you want to see what ordinary people do?  Look around you, my girl. Nothing could be more ordinary than these wharves. Parker, mind the horses. Annie and I are going for a walk."

After handing her down, Will led her to the bridge. They walked only far enough to get a good view of the riverbank. It was a busy warren of wharves and warehouses, bustling with draymen and costermongers, smiths and stevedores, clerks and carters, and countless porters hauling heavy loads on their backs. This was the business of London: rugged and dirty work amidst dust and mud and various pungent odors that were best left unidentified.

"You did ask to see ordinary people doing ordinary things." Suddenly, Will's mischievous demeanor changed and concern flashed in his dark eyes. "But this is not likely what you had in mind. It is a bit … rough. Perhaps we should leave."

"Not on my account. To the despair of all my fastidious relatives, I have never developed delicate sensibilities. I find all the hustle and bustle fascinating. I was always trying to sneak out to the docks in Copenhagen. There must have been merchant seamen or shipping agents on my mother's side of the family and I inherited their unnatural fascination with commerce. I've never quite fit in, you see."

Will studied her quietly for a moment, a frown creasing his brow. No doubt he disapproved of her. Then all at once he said, "Have you ever tried oysters?"

"No."

"No?  And yet it's the food of the ordinary people. Would you like to try them?"

"Yes, if you think I will like them."

"I cannot promise that. They are not to everyone's taste. But they are certainly ordinary here in London. There is an inn only a few steps away that serves delicious oysters. Shall we?"

Will led her past a small fishmarket where huge baskets were piled with oysters. Women carrying their own baskets eagerly filled them with oysters to take home. Others sat on barrels, opened the shells and swallowed the oysters whole. Ann thought they looked very odd, even a bit disgusting, but was curious as she watched so many people obviously enjoying them.

They entered a small inn where the lower floor was given over to serving oysters and other fresh fish. Customers sat at long communal tables, but the landlady took one look at Will and Ann, knew them to be Quality, and steered them to a private cubicle where they found a table covered in a neat white cloth, and wicker chairs. The landlady brought plates and knives, a fisherwoman brought in a basket of oysters, and a young girl brought bread and lemons.

Will showed her how to open the mollusks and eat them. It was a bit off-putting at first, but Ann discovered that, with a touch of lemon, she liked them very much.

And she had grown to like Will very much, too. Almost too much. No one had ever treated her like he did. All the men in her life had always been overly conscious of her rank and expectations, and had either treated her with kid gloves, or with strict regimens and rules. It was so unusual to have a man indulge her not because of who she was but just because he wanted to. The notion filled her with happiness.

But she must remember that she was bound to another.

"You enjoyed your first oysters?" he asked.

"I did. Thank you for another new adventure. Balloons and oysters. What a day!"

"You said this was to be your first London adventure. Where have your other adventures taken you?"

"I have spent much of my life on the Continent. I went to school in Switzerland, then lived for many years with my cousin in Denmark, and then with another cousin in Austria."

"Did you have to climb down trees to escape, or were your European cousins more accommodating?"

Ann laughed aloud to think of her cousin Sophie, the Queen of Denmark, as accommodating. "No, sir, my various cousins are all cut from the same pattern card of strict behavior. High sticklers, every one of them."

"But you managed to escape now and then?"

"Not often, but yes. I had a very resourceful maid, my dearest Lise, who was devoted to me. She helped me sneak out a few times. Some of my favorite adventures have been among the beer gardens of Vienna or the Dyrehavsbakken in Denmark."

"And because you are not ordinary – you cannot deny it, you know –you have been forced to sneak away to enjoy such ordinary places."

She looked at him intently. Had he guessed her identity?  If not precisely her identity as Lady Ann of Gloucester, surely as someone in the Duke of Gloucester's household. Most people tended to forget about the duke's youngest daughter, as she came along as something of a surprise when her parents were in their forties. By the time she was five years old, her parents had separated and her father ruled her education and upbringing, primarily by sending her to royal cousins in Europe. As royals go, she was fairly insignificant. It was highly unlikely that Will even knew that Lady Ann existed. But he was not stupid, and no doubt knew she was someone of high rank.

"It is true that I do not come from an ordinary family, as I suspect you have guessed. Important people sometimes endure a rather stifling existence. I have always yearned to escape, but I know my duty and I will never shirk it. Duty before self, I have been taught."