Sussex Summer (16 page)

The sisters were quite satisfied with the appearance they presented until they went downstairs and saw Lady Juliette, who looked ravishing in a striped blue silk walking dress with a gathered flounce, the darkest of the stripes matching the blue of her eyes. Jane looked at Fanny and gave an almost imperceptible shrug. They could never hope to rival Lady Juliette's beauty and style.

However, Lord Blackwood and Jamie seemed to find nothing wrong with the appearance of the sisters, and complimented them sincerely on their looks. Lord Blackwood was looking quite elegant himself, in fawn-coloured pantaloons and blue coat. Jamie, as always, was dressed to the nines, this time in pantaloons with a military braid down the side and a tight canary coat.

The group left the house and walked down to the Steyne, where they joined the other fashionables in their daily promenade. It was quite a colourful parade, particularly with all the military uniforms in evidence, their bright blues, yellows, reds with the plumed helmets and shakos adding an exotic touch.

After they had walked a short way down the Steyne, they came to a view of the east facade of the Royal Pavilion, the Prince's preferred home.

"How beautiful!" Fanny exclaimed involuntarily, stopping to admire the unusual building, and Jane silently agreed. The Pavilion stretched across an expanse of lawn, looking, with its ornate decoration, like something straight out of a fairy tale. Delicate spires, minarets and onion domes rose into the sky, and the rounded archways below were surrounded with filigreed arabesques.

A tinkling laugh interrupted Jane's contemplation of the Pavilion.

"How charming Miss Fanny is," Lady Juliette said, her tone implying the opposite. "Such freshness to be so impressed by the Pavilion."

Lady Martin sniffed, turning to look in the other direction as if the very existence of the building offended her. "It can only be impressive to those from the provinces who have not an educated taste. It is far too overdone."

Fanny flushed and Jane looked at Lady Martin angrily, as did Jamie and Christopher. Jane wondered, not for the first time, why Edward seemed not to notice the acid comments of Lady Martin. He seemed not to notice, at any rate, for he never said anything in their defense.

"The Prince would be flattered by your admiration, Miss Fanny," Lord Staplefield said with a smile. "Would you care to see the inside?"

"Oh, yes, may we?" Fanny breathed, Lady Martin's unkind comment forgotten. "Do you know the Prince?"

"I am not one of his intimates, but as I have been living here in Brighton the past year, I know him well enough. I had arranged for all of us to tour the Pavilion, but as Lady Juliette and Lady Martin don't care for it, I am certain Lord Blackwood and Mr. Tremaine or Mr. Archer will stay and bear them company."

Lord Blackwood, Christopher, and Jamie agreed to stay with Lady Juliette and her aunt while the other four toured the Pavilion. Jamie and Chris had no real interest in it, being far more fascinated with the fashions exhibited by the gentlemen parading by, and Lady Juliette let her brother know, by the look she sent in his direction, that she expected him to remain and bear her company.

Jane and Fanny took their leave from the others and began to stroll up the curving drive to the Pavilion with Lord Staplefield and Captain Tremaine.

"It is not yet finished, you know," Lord Staplefield said as they walked up the expanse of lawn past beds of brightly coloured flowers. "The Prince keeps coming up with new ideas for decorating it, and I rather doubt it will
ever
be done to his complete satisfaction, but I think you will enjoy it."

Once inside the Pavilion, Lord Staplefield spoke to the Prince's secretary, and they were allowed to wander through many of the rooms at will. Jane and Fanny were fascinated, finding the interior even more enchanting than the outside. The Prince had given his imagination free rein, and had furnished the rooms in various styles, from the French to the Oriental.

Jane was particularly impressed with a corridor decorated in the Chinese style. The walls were covered in exquisite hand-painted Chinese wallpaper, the colours of which were also found in the thick Oriental carpet beneath their feet. Large niches in the walls held statues of Chinese gentlemen clad in long robes and displaying sweeping mustaches. Beautifully carved benches upholstered in silk brocade lined the hall, and gaily coloured tasselled lamps hung from the ceiling.

"It is like travelling to China without the trouble and expense," Jane said as she inspected one of the statues with interest. "I think it is most wonderful."

Edward, who also had not been inside Brighton Pavilion before, agreed. "The Prince has an unmatched imagination and an artist's eye," he declared.

"Yes, and something else, more rare, which is an ability to recognise talent in others," Lord Staplefield added as they left the Chinese corridor and passed into a large room with pillars in the shape of palm leaves and marble stairs flanked by wrought-iron balustrades in the shape of bamboo. "The architect, John Nash, is assisting the Prince in carrying out his ideas for the design and decoration of the Pavilion. Mr. Nash was a relatively unknown architect when Mr. Repton, the landscape artist the Prince had hired to design the Pavilion gardens, had him design a conservatory for the Pavilion. The Prince was very impressed with Mr. Nash's design, and made his interest in the architect known. Now Mr. Nash is not only assisting the Prince here at the Pavilion, but is also helping him with other architectural plans the Prince hopes to carry out."

"I have heard the Prince also encourages artists by giving them his patronage," Fanny commented.

"Not only artists, but also writers and musicians," Lord Staplefield corroborated. "So often a talented person is jealous of others with greater talent, but the Prince has no such meanness of spirit."

Jane was sorry when they completed their tour and exited into the breezy weather to find the rest of their party. The outing was much more enjoyable without the presence of Lady Juliette and her aunt. Jane hoped they might miss the others and be able to continue as they were, but she was not in luck, for they discovered the rest of the party not far from the Pavilion.

Jane wondered if Fanny regretted finding the others as much as she did. During the tour of the Pavilion both Edward and Lord Staplefield had been attentive to Jane and Fanny, but now the attention of both shifted subtly to Lady Juliette. Jane was certain Fanny liked the earl, and was puzzled as to why his attentions to Lady Juliette never seemed to trouble her. It certainly upset her to see Edward so attentive to Lady Juliette, but Fanny hardly seemed aware of the earl’s notice of Lady Juliette.

Jamie insisted they all go down to the beach to observe the bathing machines on their way back to Lord Staplefield's town house. The party stood together and watched interestedly as the small wooden chambers on wheels were drawn into the sea by patient horses until the floor of the chamber was level with the water. Then the attendant switched the horse to the other end and knocked upon the door of the compartment, which was facing seaward.

"Now the people in the compartment can open the door to the sea and get into the water without being seen," Jamie explained to Fanny.

"I should like to try it," Fanny observed. "I am certain the sea water must be beneficial."

"Many think so," said Lord Staplefield. "And you could be seen by the Prince." He pointed to a hill where the ray’s rays glinted off an unseen object. "He and his friends often go there with spyglasses to watch the ladies bathing. So, you see, the bathers are not as unseen as they might think."

Fanny laughed. "I wonder why—the bathing dresses are very concealing."

"Perhaps he looks through the windows of the machines into the compartments," Lord Blackwood said to Jane,
sotto voce.

Jane felt herself flush at this improper comment and looked askance at Lord Blackwood, who smiled at her mischievously and dropped his right eyelid in an improper wink. Unable to help herself, Jane smiled back. Lord Blackwood had not attempted to kiss her again since the dinner at the Archers', but Jane felt some of his looks and words were almost more suggestive than actions. She was not quite sure how she felt about him. She was attracted to Lord Blackwood, but at the same time she was not insensitive to the dangers of the attraction. She sensed, more than Captain Tremaine realised, the risks of associating with such a man.

Christopher proposed the group lunch at one of the inns near the sea, and Jane seconded the proposal, grateful for the interruption to her thoughts.

After the lunch, the friends walked slowly back to Lord Staplefields's town house, arriving just in time for tea.

"Perhaps tomorrow we shall be able to go shopping if you and your sister have finished gawking," Lady Juliette said to Jane in a low voice as she joined the sisters on a long sofa.

"I am sorry we kept you from your shopping," Jane replied equably, but Fanny looked at Lady Juliette resentfully.

A maid wheeled in the tea service, and Lady Martin presided over the teapot. As she handed a cup to Fanny, who sat on the far side of Lady Juliette, Fanny seemed to falter and sloshed a little into Lady Juliette's lap.

"You clumsy fool," Lady Juliette said, leaping up and looking down at the stain on her blue silk dress.

"Please forgive me, Lady Juliette," Fanny said, her large eyes filling with tears. "I fear I have overexerted today. I find I am quite shaky. I must not yet be as robust as I thought."

"I cannot think that it is beyond your strength to hold a teacup," Lady Juliette said caustically.

Jane saw the disapproving looks on the faces of the others, except Lady Martin and Lord Blackwood, whose expression was purposely bland.

"I say, Lady Juliette, it was not Fanny's fault. She is not fully recovered from her illness!" Jamie was moved to exclaim.

Lady Juliette, realising the sentiment was in favour of Fanny, modified her tone, but soon left the room, followed by Lady Martin. Jane looked at Fanny in puzzlement. For a moment she had thought Fanny's action deliberate, but seeing her tear-filled eyes, Jane found it was difficult to believe. Fanny appeared quite crushed by her clumsy action. Perhaps she had not regained as much strength in the past weeks as Jane had thought.

"Why do we not go upstairs as well, and you can rest awhile before dinner," Jane suggested quietly. Fanny acquiesced, and the sisters left the room, followed by expressions of concern from the others.

* * * *

The next morning, Lord Staplefield and Edward excused themselves from the planned shopping expedition, claiming business they had to attend to. Lord Blackwood, Christopher and Jamie professed themselves willing to act as escorts, and they set out with the four women for the shops of Brighton. Their party soon lost two of its members, for Jamie and Chris disappeared into the tailor's to order some of the new trousers they had seen the day before, determined to be the first in their district of Sussex to wear the most current fashion, and it was Lord Blackwood who ended up as their sole escort.

They stopped first at the haberdashers. Jane and Fanny, used to the limited selection in Staplefield, were much impressed by the availability of fine yard-goods, and even the presence of Lady Juliette and her aunt did not dim their enthusiasm. There were pastel foulards, rich-looking
gros de Naples,
delicate jaconets, fine valencias and exquisite tulles. The sisters’ enthusiasm did dim a little at the prices, but Lady Juliette spent freely, ordering brightly coloured fine silks for her costume. She would not reveal what her costume was to be, but said her maid was going to make it up so that she could be sure it would remain a secret until the night of the masquerade.

Jane and Fanny accepted that they could not purchase much, but they did buy some jonquil-coloured jaconet for new frocks. Fanny also bought a new shawl of fine wool, and Jane allowed herself to be persuaded to buy a length of pale pink sarcenet that Lord Black-wood insisted would flatter her complection.

Lady Juliette was in her element among the fashionable shops, and the sisters were surprised to find themselves actually enjoying her company as they went from the haberdasher's to the milliner's and finally the jeweller's, returning to Lord Staplefield's house laden with parcels and having left even more to be delivered.

* * * *

Edward and Lord Staplefield had set out together after parting from the women, but Lord Staplefield parted from Edward to return to the Royal Pavilion. As a titled member of the aristocracy, he was expected to pay his respects to the Prince when in Town. Edward walked on into Brighton where he had an appointment to meet Sir Howard at a coffeehouse to discuss Sir John Moore.

Edward knew instinctively who Sir Howard was when he saw a distinguished-looking gentleman of about five-and-thirty at a table by a window.

"Captain Edward Tremaine, at your service," Edward introduced himself with a bow.

"Sir Howard Douglas," the man responded, standing and grasping Edward's hand firmly. He invited Edward to sit and ordered more coffee.

"I understand from Colonel Fisher that you are concerned with the traducement of Sir John Moore," Sir Howard began after they had exchanged more civilities.

"Yes, I served under him on the Peninsula, and cannot as an honourable man accept the calumny being heaped unjustly on my former commander."

"It's a sentiment that does you credit, but not one shared by many, I am afraid," Sir Howard said with a sigh. "Have you seen the most recent articles?" he asked, handing Edward a newspaper.

Edward read the article Sir Howard indicated, and a wrathful expression clouded his face.

"Bonaparte-struck! They dare to say that Sir John was Bonaparte-struck!" Edward cried, bringing his fist down upon the table in his anger and frustration.

"It is not only what's being written in the papers," Sir Howard informed him. "Why, the only monument that's been put where he fell was erected by the Spanish commander. Country's gone Wellesley-mad and blaming all that's wrong on Sir John. Not that Wellesley isn't a fine general, but if he hadn't inherited the situation he did from Sir John he'd not have been as successful."