Sally James (8 page)

So saying he proceeded to turn the curricle, and there was nothing they could do but endure his company for the remainder of the journey to Priory Dene.

Lady Fordington accepted his inclusion in her party with apparent pleasure, but Lord Fordington eyed him rather sardonically and then, glancing at Isabella, lifted an eyebrow enquiringly. She coloured, then stared defiantly back at him, telling herself it was of no account what he thought of her and she did not mind in the least if he imagined she was encouraging Sir Frederick.

Wine and delectable small cakes were awaiting them in the drawing room, and they were introduced to Lord Fordington's Great-Aunt Selina, an ancient, formidable old lady who was very deaf but who had the disconcerting habit of hearing an occasional word of the conversation and interpreting it in her own way. She gazed at Georgiana intently while they sipped wine.

'So this is the gel that's caught your fancy, Fordington?' she suddenly enquired in a loud voice.

He laughed, no whit abashed, while Georgiana flushed in embarrassment.

'Isn't she lovely enough to have caught anyone's fancy, dear Aunt Selina?' he asked lightly.

'Thought it was a gel took you over to Woodings so often, whatever Augusta said!'

'I am buying two of Sir Roderick's farms,' he reminded her, but she cackled derisively.

'Augusta don't want you filling your nursery and cutting her boy out!' she declared, a malicious smile on her thin lips. 'Looks a chancy breeder, though, too narrow in the beam.'

Georgiana's blush deepened, Lady Fordington protested, horrified, while Lydia and Diana giggled nervously. Lord Fordington merely looked amused, while Great-Aunt Selina, having thrown the entire company into confusion, leaned back in her chair and appeared to go to sleep, her mouth slightly open and a gentle snore escaping from her.

Smoothly Lord Fordington turned to Sir Frederick with a remark about Brighthelmstone and Mark distracted the annoyed Lady Fordington's attention away from the scarlet-faced Georgiana, who turned to Isabella in relief when the latter drew her aside to look at a portrait by Van Dyke over the mantelpiece. Soon afterwards, prompted by his brother, Ninian led the younger members of the party off towards the ruins.

These consisted mainly of grassy overgrown humps where there had once been walls, but to one side there was a collection of better-preserved walls showing where several rooms had led off a passageway.

'This used to be part of the cloister,' Ninian explained. 'See these stumps? They are the pillars, and over here is a complete archway. Take care walking across the centre, there is an old well. Justin had it boarded up, but it is a very deep shaft!'

Lydia shivered and drew closer to Ninian.

'I don't mind these old places out in the open, in sunshine, but I would dislike it intensely at night, in the darkness!' she exclaimed.

'Then you do not wish to see the cellars?' Ninian queried teasingly. 'I assure you they are perfectly safe, for someone, possibly my grandfather, had them repaired not so long ago. I have some lamps to drive away the darkness. When I came here as a child I always expected to find some buried treasure left by the monks, hidden from Henry the Eighth's men, but all I ever found was a small cask of brandy. That is why I think they have at some time been used by the smugglers. It is safer to have a hiding place a little distance inland, the Preventives do not look so closely there.'

'What are the ghosts?' William asked. 'Is there a monk?'

'There are supposed to be three ghosts,' Ninian replied, 'but none of them are monks. One is a nun, or so the people who claim to have seen her say, for she wears long, full robes and a large headdress, and carries something which clicks together, like the beads of a rosary. There was a story in the village that one of the nuns was walled up for having a lover, and the villagers will have it that our nun is still somewhere in the walls which remain, and will not rest until her bones are found and given proper burial.'

'How odious!' Diana said, shuddering. 'I hope your other ghosts are not treated so badly. What are they?'

'They appear to be a pair. One is a soldier, dressed in doublet and hose and ruff as in Elizabeth's day, but he carries his head under his arm-'

Lydia gave a little shriek. 'Oh, no! I do not like these ghosts!'

Georgiana laughed. 'They are only stories, silly! Who is the other, Ninian?'

'A female. She wears clothes of the same period and appears to be carrying a baby. The story is he was beheaded for refusing to attend the new church services, and is seeking for his wife and child, but cannot see and will never be able to find her. She is deaf and dumb and cannot cry out to lead him to her, and so they wander through the ruins of what it is believed was their home, passing one another but never able to make contact.'

'That is horrible!' Lydia exclaimed.

'Some of the villagers claim to have seen them both together.'

'If he could not see because he was beheaded, then he would not be able to speak or hear either,' William said judiciously. 'It would not matter whether she could hear him or talk. I suppose she could see him?'

Ninian laughed. 'So one would think, but it is all so confused, and who is to say what ghosts can do? A headless man would not be able to walk about! Mother Weaver claims she has seen them frequently, the female chasing after the man, and heard the baby crying, but whenever the woman is within reach the man vanishes. But Mother Weaver tells so many strange tales no one knows whether to believe that or not.'

'Who is Mother Weaver?'

'And old crone who lives in a tumbledown cottage a couple of miles away. Because she is ancient, and lives alone, and talks in a strange fashion, she is called a witch. I know several of the village girls go to her for love-potions, and no doubt later, if they work, they – well, they may go again,' he concluded lamely.

'Why? Are her potions of no use?' Diana asked curiously. 'Or do they need more? I do not understand. I always thought one was sufficient.'

'I expect they want things to keep them young, and beautiful,' William said hastily. 'Surely you do not believe in them anyway? Are you going to show us the cellars, Ninian?'

'I will not go in them if the ghosts are supposed to walk there!' Lydia declared, her eyes round, and her cheeks flushed.

'No, they all walk in the main part of the ruins, where the cloister remains are,' Ninian reassured her, and took her hand to lead her towards the entrance. Before they reached it the rest of the party, having had their refreshments in a more leisurely fashion, had joined them and Lydia forgot her fears while Georgiana and Diana, disclaiming belief in the stories, related them to Isabella and Mark.

'I can assure you I have never seen a ghost!' Lord Fordington stated. 'Nor do I know of any reliable witness who has. The village lads come here occasionally, out of bravado, but they undoubtedly flee when a rabbit is disturbed and imagine they have escaped some dire peril!'

Lady Fordington refused to descend the rough steps into the underground apartments, saying she had seen them once and that was enough for her, but the rest of the party explored them. Lit by several lanterns, they were surprisingly spacious, a long central corridor off which a number of large rooms opened. But there was nothing there, and Georgiana expressed the general feeling of anticlimax when, as they reached the final room, she demanded to be told if that was all.

'I fear that you are disappointed?' Lord Fordington said with a laugh.

'Oh no!' Georgiana hastened to say, thinking she had perhaps offended him. 'It is simply that I did not know what to expect, and these are so – so
bare!
I think I expected lots of stones scattered about the floor, and bats flying about, and spiders and rats and things like that!'

Diana squealed and jumped.

'Oh, there are no rats, are there?'

'Of course not. Would you prefer ghosts?' Ninian asked, and Diana giggled nervously.

'Neither, thank you!' she replied, and turned to lead the way back along the passage and up the stairs into the open air.

When everyone, all somewhat relieved, though no one except the Westerson girls confessed it, had emerged into the bright sunshine, Lord Fordington pushed the heavy door back across the entrance, which was set between two of the halfbroken walls, and secured it with a large key, saying he did not expect it to keep out ghosts but had no intention of giving accommodation to smugglers.

* * * *

While they had been underground the servants had brought several hampers of food and wine, and a delicious meal of cold meats, salads, pies and fruit tarts awaited them, with a pair of giggling maids to hand round the food and pack the remains away when everyone had finished. Lady Fordington, saying she had spent far too long in the hot sunshine, bore a plainly reluctant Sir Frederick back to the house with her, and the others sat about talking until Ninian organised a riotous game of hide-and-seek with the three girls. Lord Fordington, who had been very attentive to Georgiana during the al fresco meal, was deep in a discussion of agricultural matters with William, whilst Mark, commenting that the heat was excessive, persuaded Isabella to walk with him under the trees which surrounded and in places grew amongst the ruins.

She wondered whether to convey a hint about Lydia's interest in Ninian, but it was unnecessary, for he asked her bluntly, as soon as they were out of earshot of the others, whether she thought his sister was behaving badly.

'No, not at all,' Isabella hastened to reassure him. 'I think she is excited, as any girl would be at the apparent preference for her company shown by a handsome, wealthy young man. She is lively, but by no means too forward. I am afraid for her, though, if she thinks he is serious, because I cannot believe he is. He is too young, and probably thoughtless, and accustomed, no doubt, to the manners of London and meaningless flirtations there.'

'Will you speak to her?'

'I? She would not regard what I said!'

'She would take it better from you than from me,' he replied. 'I fear she already regards me as one of the stuffy adults since my ordination, and since there is quite a difference in our ages we have never been especially close.'

'Your mother is the person to talk to her,' Isabella pointed out.

'Of course, and she will do what she can, but she does not wish to make it seem more important than it is. I do not want Lydia to be hurt and I would prefer to nip it in the bud before there is any great likelihood of that. I hoped a casual remark from someone she likes – oh yes, she admires you a great deal – would cause her to think. If my mother forbids him the house, or even warns her, she may very likely think herself ill-used and it would do harm rather than good.'

Isabella promised to do what she could when an opportunity arose and they began to talk of other matters until William and Lord Fordington found them.

'I believe there is an old cross set in the walls of the cloister,' Mark asked his host, and Lord Fordington immediately offered to show him the spot.

'I imagine Ninian is not interested,' he commented. 'He did ask me to beg you to join in his game, though,' he added to Isabella, 'they are now in the part of the woods that extends down to the lake. William can show you if you feel energetic.'

He and Mark went off towards the ruins and William led Isabella along a barely discernible path, saying that it led to the lake.

'Thank goodness Lady Fordington took that unbearable Sir Frederick to the house!' he exclaimed. 'The man has the most infernal impudence to join our party uninvited in that way. I trust he does not make a habit of driving over to Woodings! I shall not know how to be civil to him!'

'He is rather a nuisance,' Isabella agreed.

'Georgiana says he has been pestering you,' William said abruptly. 'You would not accept an offer from such an old bore, would you?'

Isabella flushed. 'You have no right to ask me that!' she began indignantly but William interrupted her.

'No right? When I love you and intend to marry you as soon as I get that inheritance? Oh, why could I not have had it when I was twenty-one, and then there would be none of the need for this intolerable waiting!'

'William, I have not said I will accept you, indeed I have grown tired of trying to make you understand I never will!' Isabella exclaimed angrily. 'I have no intention of accepting Sir Frederick either so you may make yourself easy on that score. But I beg of you not to make yourself ridiculous and me uncomfortable by persisting in persecuting me with unwelcome attentions! Since I cannot escape them by leaving your mother's house, and your father seems unable to stop you, I can only ask you to remember you are a gentleman and behave like one!'

She turned to walk away from him, annoyed that her anger had betrayed her into uttering sentiments she normally contrived to conceal, but William had been stung on the raw.

'I've been far too gentlemanly, and that's the rub!' he retorted. 'If you say I am not I will cease trying to behave like one, and see how you like that,' he concluded angrily and seized her from behind, pinioning her arms so that she was helpless to resist as he pulled her to him, holding her in a fierce embrace while he rained kisses on her face.

Isabella could not break free and so she attempted to kick him, but this merely caused her to lose her balance so that when William somewhat suddenly released her she instinctively clutched at his arms to steady herself. Before she could draw breath to vent her anger on him Lord Fordington spoke.

'I do beg your pardon. I followed to tell you that the footbridge across the stream is broken, and this path is no short cut after all. I am sorry I forgot to mention it earlier.'

Isabella, dishevelled, her curls escaping from the ribbons in which she had tied them, and her face flushed with fury and mortification, forced herself to glance up at him. He was regarding her with a frown and she read scorn in his eyes. William, caught at a disadvantage, spoke hastily.

'Fordington! You must not misunderstand! Isabella and I – that is, when I have my own money, I intend to marry Isabella. It is not public knowledge yet.'