A Country Mouse Page 2

  She knew little of the man, apart from he was four and twenty years old and already a respected diplomat. She also knew that he lived in London, so must suppose he was a member of the ton, a Corinthian, and a man of taste and wealth. After all he had been living on his expectations for years as both his father, and grandfather, had predeceased the Earl of Westerham.

  She smiled ruefully at her faded grey gown, twice made over, and sadly in need of renewal. Whatever would a fashionable man about town see in such a country mouse as she?

  She stopped dead, clutching the banister for support as an appalling thought occurred to her. What if her cousin found her not to his taste and refused to marry her? Would they all be sent packing? Be returned to live in Glebe House? Fervently she prayed, as she stood frozen halfway up the stairs. 'Oh God, please do not let him refuse me. It would kill Mama if she was to be restored to her family home and then rejected for a second time.' She felt a chill run down her spine at another unwelcome thought.

  Her mother had been so ill these last two years, spending most of her days lying unseeing and uncaring on her day bed. Her nights she spent in a laudanum induced sleep. How would the man, hard enough to have rejected his only daughter for marrying against his wishes, react to her changed condition?

  They couldn't go to Westerham until her mother was more herself. She determined to persuade her mother to try and return to the real world; Emily continued her journey upstairs, the light of battle in her amazing hazel eyes.

  Edwards, Lady Althea's dresser, had succeeded in rousing her. 'Come along now, my lady, up you get. There's a letter here for you. It's a long time since we had a letter isn't it?' Edward's mention of the letter had been the key.

  'What is that, Edwards? A letter did you say? Hand it to me, please.' Lady Althea Gibson pushed her stringy hair back from her pale forehead, quite unconcerned about her appearance. In her youth she had been in the forefront of fashion but nowadays she scarcely noticed what she wore or how she looked. She just did not have the energy to cope with life without her beloved Peter. But a letter? Now that was worth waking up for. That her daughters were lost without her had long ago ceased to be a concern.

  She was ineffectually struggling to pick of the impressive blob of sealing wax when something about its shape and imprint caused her to pause. 'It is from Papa! Edwards, this is from my Papa.'

  With shaky fingers she unfolded the stiff paper and began to read. For a moment the heavy black scrawl she knew so well danced before her eyes. With a supreme effort she focused and began to read.

  My dear daughter, Althea,

  It has been far too long since we are on good terms. I admit the fault has been mine and wish to make amends, if you will allow me to. I have sent a carriage to collect you and your three girls. I would like you all to move to Westerham and live with me.

  Your father,

  Richard Lessing.

  Althea felt her stomach roil and was glad she had not eaten. She raised her head and her eyes were full. 'Edwards, I am to go home. He has asked me to come home. At last, I shall have back the life that I lost.'

  'I'm delighted, madam. That's good news indeed. But if we're to travel sixty miles you'll need to feel well. At the moment you're not strong enough to stand the journey.'

  Before Lady Althea could answer Emily entered, her pale serious face for once animated and her remarkable eyes sparkling. 'Mama, have you read your letter yet?'

  'I have, my dear. Your grandfather has invited us to make his home with him. Are you not pleased?

  'I am, of course I am. But there is much to do before we can depart. The carriage and staff that accompanied it are going to put up The Bull, in Misham. We're to send for them when we're ready. I have told them that we'll need several days. Is that going to be sufficient, for you, Mama?' This was addressed at her mother but it was at Edwards that she looked. Her mother's devoted dresser nodded and Emily's smile became broader.

  'I should think it would do, my dear. But I must have some new gowns before we leave. It will not do for Papa to think me dowdy.'

  'I have already sent to Misham and Mrs Simpson will be here later. Jenny's upstairs in the attics at this very moment collecting the last of the Indian materials we have been saving for such an occasion as this,' Emily told her.

  Her mother frowned. 'I will require at least three gowns; you and the girls must make do with one. I doubt that there will be enough material left for you to have more.

  'It's of no matter, Mama. I'll be content to have one new gown, I can assure you.'

  Emily hoped that it was true that first impressions were what mattered. She would wear her new gown to make her first curtsy, after that she would have to return to her meagre wardrobe, and she knew nobody would be impressed by that.

  Lady Althea watched the play of emotion across her eldest daughter's face. 'I shall ask Mrs Simpson to make you and the girls two dresses each; it is essential that we all have at least one change of raiment.' Exhausted she sank back on her pillows. She opened her eyes again with difficulty, and reached over to take her daughter's hand. 'I shall try harder, my love. I shall not be like this any longer. I will be your old mother again presently. Wait and see.'

  Emily returned the squeeze and bent to kiss her mother's cheek. 'I know you will, Mama, and I will help you. But it's going to take time to restore you to your former health. You must not expect to be back to normal in a week or so; you have been ill for two years, and it could be months before you're feeling quite well. But for the moment you must think about eating again and getting up and moving around your room. You have been lying still for far too long.'

  But her mother was once more asleep, and had not heard her. Emily turned to Edwards, her eyes hard. 'Give me the laudanum, Edwards. There will be no more.'

  'But, Miss Emily, her ladyship cannot sleep without it. She'll be in desperate straits if you take it away.' Emily continued to hold out her hand and reluctantly the elderly woman went to retrieve the three small bottles of black, noxious fluid from their hiding place. 'Whatever you may think, miss, your dear mother would not be alive today without that.'

  'I know you're probably correct and I'm sorry Edwards. It's not your fault. But I hate to see her this way.'

  'Leave me a little then, miss, for when she becomes too restless; it's best to stop it gradually, you know.'

  Emily hesitated, unwilling to give the evil liquid back. But Edwards was right; her mother would have died from grief without the pain being dulled by opium. She examined the three small bottles. 'You may have this, it's half full. But it's to be the last, be very sure of that.'

  'Once Lady Althea is back home she will not need it anymore. Wait and see, Miss Gibson, madam will regain her former spirits in no time.'

  'I pray that you're correct. Try and get her up and dressed; the girls will wish to see her later on. They're bursting with questions about Westerham.'

  * * * *

  The intervening days were filled with feverish activity. Trunks were found and packed with favourite books and leisure items. Mrs Simpson and her team of seamstresses snipped and sewed with enthusiasm and produced the required garments in record time. Their arrival was greeted with speechless admiration. Lady Althea, although still too weak to remain on her feet all day, was making a valiant effort. It was she who broke the silence.

  'Mrs Simpson, you have surpassed yourself. The gowns are beautiful. I had no notion that the

  Indian silk would make up so well in that new high waisted style.'

  The mantua maker bobbed a curtsy, beaming happily at her customer's delight. 'Yes, my lady, such delicate material is perfect for the long flowing skirts. There was sufficient left over to make matching shawls and even trim your bonnets.' Her assistants held up the items for their inspection.

  'Mama, you'll look wonderful in that gown. Burgundy and gold are a perfect combination,' Emily exclaimed, pleased her mother was taking an interest in her appearance once more. 'And I like the long sleeves and high ne
ckline. Your old burgundy pelisse is an exact match and now that it has been taken in, it will complete your outfit perfectly.'

  Serena and Amelia examined the dresses made for them from a length of blue and white muslin. They even had new pinafores and stockings. 'Thank you, Em, I love my dresses.' Millie ran the material of one through her fingers enjoying its softness. 'And your lilac and silver gown is beautiful too.'

  'I know, Millie. I was not sure such a colour combination was entirely suitable for someone my age, but it does look lovely. I think this new fashion is very flattering, especially for someone who is as tall and thin as I am.'

  'The colour is very becoming, my dear,' Lady Althea said, noticing for the first time how much weight her eldest daughter had shed.

  The outfits to be worn on the journey were hung ready for the following day and the others carefully packed, in tissue paper, in the waiting trunks. Glebe House was to be closed down; Holland sheets covered all the furniture and the shutters were locked. Cook and her husband Potts, the sole outdoor man, were to remain behind to act as caretakers.

  As all their horses had been sold there were no grooms or stable boys to find employment for.

  Mary, the girls' nurse, and Jenny, Emily's Abigail and Edwards, her mother's dresser, were obviously to accompany them. Sally, the one remaining live in servant, had found employment locally. The daily women, who came to do the heavy cleaning and laundry, had been given a guinea as compensation.

  Everything was as it should be. Emily was still concerned that her mother was too frail to cope with the rigours of a two-day journey but Lady Althea assured her she was stout enough to travel.

  Five days after the luxurious coach had first appeared at Glebe House it returned to collect the Gibson family. Their baggage had departed the previous day; it would be waiting for them when they arrived at Westerham. Now the moment for departure had come the family was silent. The girls stopped their excited chattering; Emily felt her chest constrict, but Lady Althea was only worried that her beloved father would not welcome her as she hoped. The house she had spent half her life in was no longer somewhere she wished to be. It held too many sad memories, and was a daily reminder of her insurmountable loss.

  Foster would ride on the box with the coachman. It would be unseemly for him to travel inside even if there was sufficient room. He had been obliged to hire a second carriage to transport the three servants. He had expected them to travel with the baggage but Miss Gibson had refused to agree to this. She had insisted that they could not manage a two-day journey without their personal maids.

  The steps were folded back and the carriage door slammed shut. Foster sprung up on to the box and the coachman gave the four handsome matching bays the office to start.

  'Well, we're off. I can hardly believe we're leaving Glebe House for ever.' Millie said, quietly. Emily shivered. She could not bear to consider the possibility that she would be found wanting by Viscount Yardley and they would all be sent back.

  Lady Althea fell into a fitful doze and Amelia and Serena were happy watching the blaze of autumn colour pass by their window. Emily was allowed to sit undisturbed and contemplate the future. What did Sebastian look like? Was he handsome? Would he be a considerate husband? She smiled as she remembered how happy her parents had been. She wanted her union to be a loving relationship like that. She swallowed as bile rose in her throat.

  Her marriage would never be the same; it was to be one of convenience; Viscount Yardley needed to set up his nursery before he left for the continent and she was marrying to provide security for her family.

  Exactly what was involved in 'setting up a nursery', she had only the vaguest notion. Whatever it was, she knew, she was not looking forward to it. These unpleasant thoughts were interrupted by her mother, who had woken.

  'Are you quite well, Emily, my dear? You have gone very white? I hope you are not feeling travel sick?'

  'No, I'm fine. Just a little apprehensive about starting a new life. You're going home, Mama; Westerham is entirely new to us.'

  'You are all going to love it; I was so happy there. In some parts it dates back hundreds of years, you know. My grandfather had a new wing built in the modern style and it is in this part that we shall reside.' She closed her eyes and her mouth curved as she thought about her childhood home. 'It has bathing rooms attached to the main suites where one can take a bath whenever one wishes. Only the hot water has to be fetched up; the dirty water escapes down a pipe.'

  The two younger girls looked at their mother in astonishment. 'But where does the water go to, Mama?' Serena asked.

  'I have no idea, darling. I only know it disappears.'

  'I expect it is directed outside,' Emily told the girls. 'We shall have to investigate when we arrive.'

  Foster had arranged for them to break their journey for nuncheon at The Bell, a prestigious posting house. The food provided was the best they had eaten for more than two years. Replete and happy they all snoozed the afternoon away. The overnight stop was equally enjoyable, for only Lady Althea would ever have experienced such fawning and bowing as they were offered.

  The best of everything had been bespoken and they were given the attention such expense merited. Serena and Millie were almost sorry when the carriage turned into the impressive stone gates and began the final stage of their trip down the three miles of impeccably tended drive.

  The length of this, and the splendour of the park, silenced even the girls. Lady Althea's head turned eagerly, noting changes and recognizing landmarks she had not seen for twenty-two years. Emily sat, staring straight ahead, feeling more nauseous by the minute. She wished that she could vanish from the silk-lined coach and miraculously return to Glebe House.

  She realized that her decision to sacrifice her own happiness to provide security for her sisters was not going to be easy. The nearer they got to their destination the more frightened she became. She wished she had not eaten so heavily at breakfast.

  'Stop; please -- stop.' She banged frantically on the coach roof and the vehicle lurched to a standstill. Not waiting for the steps, Emily threw open the door, jumped down, and ran for the privacy of the bushes where she cast up her accounts; she was watched with concern by her mother, amusement by her sisters but disgust by the man, mounted on a magnificent chestnut stallion, his presence hidden by the overhanging branches of the yew trees.

  Chapter Three

  Jenny, seeing her mistress's distress, scrambled down from her place in the following carriage. Emily finished her retching and wiped her mouth on the damp cloth Jenny handed to her. Her head was spinning and her knees weak. 'Thank you, Jenny. I am recovered now.'

  She stepped away from the bushes and stood whilst her maid attempted to restore order to her appearance. She glanced up to see three anxious faces watching from the carriage. Pinning a smile to her pale face she walked back and climbed slowly up the steps that had been lowered in her absence by one of the postilions.

  'I'm so sorry, Mama. I do believe that something I ate at breakfast must have disagreed with me.'

  'And I am sorry, my dear. I should have got down to assist you. But I am no use in such circumstances, as you well know.'

  'Please do not apologise, Mama. I'm quite old enough to vomit on my own.' She heard a smothered giggle. 'It's quite permissible to laugh girls. I'm not so stuffy as to object.'

  Amelia grinned. 'You were very sick, Em; I'm so relieved that you got out of the carriage in time.'

  Emily joined in the laughter. 'Amen to that, Millie.' She reached up tapped, gently, on the roof, and the carriage resumed its stately process down the drive.

  Whilst the girls exclaimed in wonder at the extent of the rolling parkland and the handsome trees both Emily and Lady Althea sat silently, immersed in their own thoughts. Lady Althea had no reservations about her return to Westerham. It was where she belonged now that her husband

  was no longer alive. She had accepted her reduced circumstances happily when she was sharing them with her be
loved Peter. Without him the misery of her penury had quite overwhelmed her.

  She knew that now she had returned she would get well again and be able to take her place in society. Lady Althea glanced down at her new dress and her thin lips curved in appreciation. Soon her father would replenish the whole of her wardrobe and she could start re-establishing herself in the ton. The season had barely begun; in a few weeks she was certain that she would be strong enough to enjoy escorting Emily to the balls, soirees, and musical evenings on offer in London.

  Emily's thoughts were not so sanguine. Her mother's happiness, maybe her very life, was dependent on her fulfilling her grandfather's wishes. She had no doubt that his benevolence was linked to her marriage to his heir, the Viscount Yardley. If he had truly wished to restore their fortunes he could have done so two years since, when he received the first letter asking for help.

  She looked across at her mother, so thin and frail, but at least she was smiling. Edwards had assured her Lady Althea was no longer taking laudanum every night to help her sleep. Everything rested on Emily's shoulders. Well, they were strong enough; she had been running Glebe House, and educating her sisters, for the past two years. She doubted that many 19-year-olds could do as she had done. Compared to that, persuading her cousin Sebastian to make an offer should present no difficulty .

  'Em, Emily, look, look at the house! It looks just like a castle.' Serena tugged at her sister's

  sleeve to gain her attention.

  Sorry, Serena, I was wool-gathering. Are we there?' Emily leaned forward and peered out of the window. 'Good heavens, it's huge! And you never said it was half castle, Mama.'

  'Did I not, my dear, I must have forgot.' Her mother joined them at the open window. 'It is exactly as I remember it. I am so glad that I am back here at last. I have missed Westerham every day I have been away.'

  Emily's brow creased a little. Was her mother's enthusiasm unnatural? Surely all young woman understood they had to leave the familial home when they embarked on matrimony? Was this obsession with Westerham a sign that she was still unwell after her prolonged period of mental instability?