Lord Ilchester's Inheritance (4 page)

He pushed himself to his feet waving away her offer of assistance. ‘I can manage perfectly well, thank you. The more I exercise my legs the stronger they will become, so the physician tells me. How are your driving lessons coming along? I’m not surprised that you are already an excellent horsewoman, your mother was a bruising rider.’

‘I am proficient with the pony and cart, and have now moved on to driving the barouche and the gig. Ned and Billy are thrilled to have charge of a stable full of prime horseflesh. Our two old carriage horses have been retired and are now living a life of luxury in the back pasture.’

‘Do you like the little mare I got for you?’

‘Starlight is everything one could wish for in a mount. Now, if you will forgive me, I must go up and read to the boys. I doubt they will sleep much tonight, they’re far too excited.’

The next morning dawned as bright and sunny as the previous three weeks had been. Sapphire now had Jenny as her dresser and was beginning to enjoy the luxury of having her ensembles chosen for her. ‘I shall be back to change into my swimming garment after the boys have seen their ponies and puppy, and I shall wear my new primrose muslin morning dress until then. I do not wish to wear more than one petticoat.’

‘An excellent choice, miss, yellow complements your lovely, chestnut-coloured hair perfectly.’ Jenny held out the item designed for swimming. ‘I’m not sure this is quite decent, miss, when it is wet it will cling to your form in a most revealing way.’

Sapphire agreed. ‘You are probably correct, but as there will be nobody to see me apart from my uncle and brothers it is of no matter.’

‘What about the outside men? They will be gawping from somewhere behind the hedges.’

‘Ned will make sure that doesn’t happen – he is as concerned for my decency as you are.’ Sapphire glanced quickly in the full-length mirror and was quite satisfied with her appearance. She too had gained weight and no longer looked like a beanpole with a mass of russet curls. Even her eyes were brighter and more green than brown nowadays.

She had intended to collect her brothers on the way past but she could hear them running about downstairs and Uncle John was also up and about far earlier than usual. She rather thought breakfast would have to come after the visit to the stable yard.

‘Happy birthday, David and Thomas. It is a spectacularly beautiful day today – perfect to celebrate with a picnic and a swim. Good morning, Uncle, I had not expected to see you just yet.’

‘I am as eager as the boys to begin this day of celebrations. I think I should like a breath of fresh air before breaking my fast. Boys, would you be kind enough to fetch young Jarvis and my bath chair?’

Her siblings scampered off to return moments later. ‘Can we climb in too? Having a ride with you is ever so good for a birthday treat,’ David said eagerly.

‘Absolutely right, young man. Now, allow me to get myself settled and then you can scramble in between my legs.’ He looked at his assistant. ‘I think I should like to perambulate to the stable yard this morning, are you feeling strong enough to push us over the cobbles?’

‘Fighting fit, sir, and these little chaps weigh no more than a feather.’

The journey around to the stables was accompanied by shrieks of laughter and at one point David toppled from the bath chair much to his brother’s amusement. Undeterred he jumped to his feet and dived back on again.

Sapphire was surprised the boys hadn’t realised there was a reason for their visit to the stables. When Jarvis pushed them through the archway even she was silenced. Standing side-by-side were two matching Exmoor ponies, immaculately turned out and with ribbons plaited through their manes and tails.

‘Are these for us, Saffy? Our very own pony each?’ Tom was out of the bath chair, closely followed by his brother, and was about to rush at the ponies.

‘Quietly now, boys, you will startle them if you are too noisy and brash,’ Uncle John said firmly.

Immediately they obeyed and waited to be given permission to advance. ‘Come along, lads, let me introduce you to Merry and Bruno,’ Ned said and beckoned them over.

When the puppy was brought out they were rendered speechless once again. Sapphire watched them with a full heart and thanked God for bringing her here. They decided to call the dog Silly as he was indeed a little clown. They agreed that until he was house-trained he would remain outside.

By the time they had received their first riding lesson and returned to the house for a very belated breakfast it was almost midday – time to go to the lake and change into their swimming suits in the boathouse. There were already tables and chairs set out under a handsome willow tree, plus rugs and cushions on the grass as her brothers would be more comfortable eating their picnic there than sitting at a table.

Meg helped the boys change into their costumes and Jenny assisted her. With the pretty mob cap covering her hair and the pantaloons down to her ankles, she was fairly sure there was less of her on view than when she was dressed normally.

‘I am ready now, boys, are you?’

They appeared from behind the screen giggling and shoving each other. They looked as ridiculous as she, and she felt they would have been better served to enter the lake in their birthday suits. She smiled at her thoughts and led the way to the steps at the end of the boathouse.

‘Now, boys, you must listen very carefully to my instructions. The water at the edge comes only up to your waist, but if you move away from there you will be out of your depth. Whilst I am teaching one of you, the other must remain close to Meg and Jenny who will be watching from the bank. Is that quite clear?’

They nodded solemnly. She took the hand of each child and together they stepped into the water. She had expected it to be cold, but it was surprisingly pleasant. David squeezed her hand.

‘What if we want to… you know … relieve ourselves? Do we have to get out and go into the house?’

‘I am sure nobody will notice if you do not, but I have no wish to be informed.’

They emerged into the bright sunlight and she gently steered David to the bank. ‘As David is the eldest, I shall begin my instructions with him. Why don't you hold onto the bank and kick your legs, Tom?’

After forty riotous minutes she had lost her cap and her hair had tumbled from its pins to hang in damp cascades around her shoulders. Both boys could now do a respectable distance in doggy-paddle and she was confident that with a few further lessons they would be competent swimmers.

‘I am so wet, boys, I am going to swim to the centre of the lake whilst you play in the shallows.’ She struck out strongly. As she reached the centre where the water was cool and deep she turned and began to swim back concentrating on keeping her stroke even, enjoying the sensation of ploughing through the water at speed.

When she reached the bank she stood up, shaking her head to clear the water from her eyes. To her horror she saw that they were no longer alone.

Chapter Four

Gideon enjoyed his cross-country ride to Canfield and was hopeful of arriving at the usual time for morning calls – that is, early afternoon. The directions he had received from his estate manager were exemplary and he had no difficulty finding his way.

The villages and farms he saw were in good repair and he received many cheery waves from children as he cantered past. The sun was at its zenith and, despite wearing his lightest jacket, he was feeling decidedly warm. As he turned into the drive of Canfield Hall he spied the shimmering water of an ornamental lake. This was a goodly distance from the house, but he decided nevertheless to make a short detour – the water looked too inviting to ignore.

It would be uncouth to ride across the immaculate grass so he slowed his mount to a sedate walk. Only then did he spy a small group at the side of the lake adjacent to the well-kept boathouse. There seemed to be some sort of picnic going on as there was an array of tables, chairs, rugs and cushions on the grass. Amongst the group he saw two maidservants, a footman and a smart, grey-haired gentleman who was sitting on one of the chairs shouting encouragement to two small boys who were splashing and paddling in the water.

They had not heard him approaching so he dismounted and hooked his mount’s reins over his arm before strolling towards them. He cleared his throat noisily and one of the girls almost toppled head first into the lake at the sound.

‘I beg your pardon for intruding, I am Ilchester, I have come to introduce myself.’

The old gentleman got to his feet and walked with the aid of a cane towards him. ‘Are you by God? I take it your father has kicked the bucket?’

‘He has, I thought I would come and inform you myself. He broke his neck in a riding accident in February.’ Gideon bowed, scarcely able to believe this sprightly person was Mr Bishop. ‘You are Mr Bishop I take it? I have been misinformed about your health, sir, and am delighted to find you looking so well.’

‘Not as delighted as I am, my boy.’ He gestured towards the two children perched round-eyed on the edge of the bank. ‘These are my great-nephews, Masters David and Thomas Palmer, and today is their fifth name day.’ He turned with a strange smile on his face. ‘And this, my lord, is my great-niece, Miss Stanton.’

Gideon could not believe his eyes. Arising from the waters was Aphrodite herself – a beautiful young woman with cascading chestnut locks, her womanly curves intriguingly displayed beneath her sodden garment. He had never seen anything so lovely, or so desirable.

*

For an instant Sapphire remained still, the shock of being ogled by this unknown gentleman rendering her immobile. Then common sense returned and she collapsed inelegantly, leaving only her head above the water. Who was this intruder? How dare he stand there with his dark blue eyes staring into her very soul?

She recovered sufficiently to speak. ‘I do not care who you are, sir, but you are
de trop
. Only a nincompoop would think himself welcome at such an intimate family gathering. Kindly remove yourself at once.’

She had expected him to take exception to her appallingly rude remarks, but instead she watched a tide of crimson creep above his casually tied neckcloth until his entire face was an interesting shade of beetroot.

Without saying a word he turned and vaulted athletically onto his bay stallion and cantered across the lawn and off down the drive.

Only then was she aware that her uncle was laughing helplessly and Jenny and Meg were trying to hide their smiles behind their hands. Her siblings were looking bemused, as well they might.

‘Who was that man? Why are you laughing, Uncle?’ David asked.

Sapphire was not amused. Her uncle spluttered to a halt and mopped his streaming eyes. ‘That, my dear girl, was Lord Ilchester come to pay his respects.’

Scalding heat travelled from her toes to her tips of her ears. He was the head of the family and she had sent him packing. Not only that, she had embarrassed him and it was hardly his fault that he had arrived at such an inopportune moment. Now she had time to think clearly she realised he would not have seen her swimming until he arrived at the edge of the lake.

No, Lord Ilchester was not to blame, her uncle was the person responsible for her humiliation. ‘I am most displeased with you, sir, you should not have introduced me and warned me to remain beneath the lake.’

Not waiting to see his reaction to her reprimand she scrambled nimbly from the water and ran to the boathouse. ‘Boys, you must stay here and enjoy your treat and I shall return in time for the picnic; I am going to try and undo the mischief your uncle has done.’

She tore off her wet garment and dragged her morning gown on over her wet body, and then with her slippers in one hand and her skirts in the other, she raced for the house. There were several interested spectators, but she ignored them, she must change into her riding habit and go after Lord Ilchester and make her apologies.

Robinson was hovering in the vestibule. ‘Have my mare saddled immediately, I shall be going out in ten minutes.’

She found her clothes and was half-dressed when Jenny puffed in. ‘Here, miss, let me put your hair up as it’s making your clothes all wet.’

In slightly over the allotted time Sapphire was out of the house and in the stable yard where her horse was waiting. Ned was ready to accompany her. ‘No, Ned, I don’t wish you to come with me.’ He tossed her into the saddle and, from his expression, was not happy with her instruction but had the good sense not to argue.

She had no wish for an audience when she accosted Lord Ilchester. She trotted out of the yard and urged the mare into a canter, then clicked her tongue and was galloping down the drive with scant regard to safety or decorum.

*

Gideon had never been so embarrassed in his life. Miss Stanton had been perfectly within her rights to dismiss him so rudely. As soon as he had seen her swimming towards him he should have removed himself – although young ladies took the waters in Bath, they did so without being stared at by fools like him.

He could not set off for home so soon, his mount needed fodder and rest after his two-hour cross-country ride. He would head for the village in the hope there was a posting inn of some sort where he could seek refreshment for himself and his mount. He would write a grovelling letter of apology and hope to be invited to return.

There was no urgency, his horse could walk the two miles whilst he enjoyed the countryside. After a few minutes he decided to dismount and let his horse graze on the lush grass that grew on the side of the lane. He propped himself against a sturdy farm gate and went through the embarrassing scenario in his head. Good grief! Mr Bishop had orchestrated the whole thing – he could have warned both of them – but he had deliberately set out to cause the maximum embarrassment.

Everything about today was a surprise. Mr Bishop was no more on his deathbed than he was, and he certainly wasn’t all alone in the world, as he had three young and healthy relatives. He had Sultan’s reins looped loosely around his wrist when the animal threw his head up, tearing the leather from his grip. Before he could snatch them back his stallion half reared and shot off in the direction of Canfield Hall.

He turned the air blue with his language and prepared to return to the scene of his humiliation. The lane had high hedges which curved so he was unable to see ahead of him. The sound of approaching horses made him increase his pace. Someone had caught his errant stallion and was returning it to him. Then to his shock the one person in the world he wished to avoid, arrived leading Sultan.

‘My lord, I hope you did not take a fall. You have been caused sufficient embarrassment for one day. I came after you in order to apologise.’

Miss Stanton leant from the saddle and handed him his reins. For some strange reason for a moment he was short of breath, unable to do more than nod. Then he recovered his aplomb and bowed.

‘Thank you for bringing him back to me. Miss Stanton, you have no reason to apologise to me. I should have sent word that I was visiting today, and when I saw you in the lake I should have retreated immediately. I offer you my sincere and humble apologies.’

‘In which case, my lord, shall we begin again?’ She smiled and he was rocked once more by her beauty and charm.

He remounted and placed his horse beside hers. ‘If you will forgive me for saying so, I believe the real culprit in this is Mr Bishop. Your great-uncle has a wicked sense of humour.’

‘Indeed he does, and I shall forgive him eventually. We were about to have a picnic by the lake, would you care to join us? If that is too informal for you, then we can remain indoors.’

‘I should love to join you outside, but before we do so there are one or two things I should like to ask you.’

She explained how she and her brothers came to be residing at Canfield Hall but then hesitated as if she had something more serious to impart. ‘My lord, my uncle seems to be of the opinion that, as head of the Bishop family, my brothers and I are now your wards. Even if this is the case, I want to make it perfectly clear I have no intention of living anywhere but at Canfield Hall. My brothers will inherit the house and the estate one day and they must learn how to become good landlords. They cannot do this living elsewhere.’

Until she pointed this out he had not considered this fact. The last thing he wanted was to inherit more responsibility – he had enough to cope with at home already. He shook his head. ‘I suppose that might be the case in law, Miss Stanton, but I can assure you that as far as I’m concerned Mr Bishop is your legal guardian and I have no intention of interfering in any way.’

Her look of relief was unmistakable. ‘I thank you for your understanding. I know that my uncle and your father were not good friends, that until we appeared your family would have stood to inherit his fortune, I hope that this change of circumstances will not be a problem for you.’

*

No sooner had she spoken than Sapphire realised she had offended him. His eyes flashed and his lips thinned and her heart thudded uncomfortably. He viewed her down his aristocratic nose and an unwelcome heat suffused her cheeks. She would not remain at his side to be given a set down however well-deserved.

She dug her heel in and clicked her tongue and Starlight responded immediately. They cantered off before he could say what he was thinking about her impertinence. She must learn to curb her tongue, she had no wish to anger him for he might rescind his previous remark and start taking an active interest in her life as was his legal right.

His huge stallion was quite capable of overtaking her, but for some reason he did not do so but allowed her to return alone. She was unused to dealing with prickly, toplofty aristocrats – was more at home talking to less elevated gentlemen. She sincerely regretted inviting him to join them for the picnic, he was bound to say something to upset her and her family.

When she clattered into the stable yard Billy was waiting to take the mare. ‘Lord Ilchester will be here in a moment; you must make sure his stallion’s fed and watered so he is well rested before he has to return.’

Billy tugged his forelock and grinned. ‘He’s right behind you, miss, and don’t look none too pleased about it neither.’

This was sufficient impetus to cause Sapphire to fling herself from the saddle and scamper off into the house. A clock struck one; this whole debacle had taken place in less than an hour. She was tempted to remain hiding in her room until the autocratic stranger departed, but this would ruin her brothers’ name day and she had no intention of being so selfish.

Jenny was waiting for her and it was a matter of moments to step into a fresh gown, this one of pale green dimity with matching slippers and a pretty chip straw bonnet. She tied the ribbons of her headgear over her damp hair satisfied she looked her best.

She paused on the landing to glance through the window hoping to see Lord Ilchester sitting at the table, but only her uncle and her brothers were there. Two footmen and a parlourmaid were on their way with trays piled high with delicious food. Calling this meal a picnic was really a misnomer – it was just a meal served in the fresh air.

An impulse made her take a secondary flight of stairs and exit through the garden room. She had no wish to be confronted by their unwanted guest as she had no doubt he would have something extremely unpleasant to say to her. If he was indeed lurking in the vestibule in the hope of catching her, he would be disappointed.

Her brothers saw her approaching and waved and called out in excitement. ‘We have been waiting ages, and we are as hungry as a horse, aren’t we David?’

She stooped to kiss both of them on the top of their fair curls and then took an empty seat beside her uncle. She noticed there was an extra place set and glanced towards the house. Sure enough his lordship was striding towards them, but instead of looking fierce, he was smiling. He really was a handsome man when he smiled. If she was to be asked her preference, it would be for a man with fair hair and the romantic look of a poet. However, this gentleman was broad-shouldered, stood at least two yards high and had dark brown hair. That his eyes were cerulean blue, and not brown or hazel, made his appearance even more remarkable.