Oh, I am losing all patience with you, child. When we go to Linwood Park next month, it is to be hoped you will have come to your senses and realised you cannot let such a chance slip through your fingers.
I wonder if Mr Gorridge is being told the same thing, Lucy mused.
Very likely, her mother said.
There didnt seem to be any answer to that and Lucy sat back and mused on what her mother had said. She did not think she was truly ready to commit herself to marriage and she was afraid of making a terrible mistake. It was all very well to talk of the man of her dreams, but who was he? How was she ever going to meet him? And what about Mr Gorridge? Why could she not oblige her mama and take to him? Was she doing him an injustice calling him a cold fish? Perhaps, in the surroundings of his own home, he might improve.
Its been a long day the Countess broke in on her thoughts and not over yet. I would much rather have travelled in the old way and stopped for a night somewhere. We could have stayed at a good hotel or put up with Cousin Arabella in Hertfordshire and arrived home feeling fresh. I am exhausted.
You will be able to stay in bed until luncheon tomorrow if you want to.
The Countess laughed. I might very well do so, seeing that your father is not due back until tomorrow evening. I do not know why he could not have done his business days ago and returned with us.
The Earl had escorted them to some of their social engagements, but much of the time was closeted with bankers and lawyers on business; as he did not consider it necessary or desirable to acquaint his wife with the nature of the business, she had no idea what it was all about.
They fell into silence as the heat of the day cooled and the shadows lengthened. The clip-clop of the horses hooves and the rumble of the wheels were soporific and they were almost dozing when the carriage turned off the main road on to a lane that wound uphill. When they topped the rise, they could see down into the valley where Luffenham Hall nestled, shielded from the prevailing east wind by the hill down which they were descending and a small stand of trees.
Lucy roused herself to look out of the window as the carriage turned in at the wrought-iron gates. Ahead of her, at the end of a long drive, was the imposing façade of the house, with its redbrick walls covered in generations of creeper. At each corner of the building was a white stone turret with glazed slits for windows. Lucy always supposed her fathers forebears had been undecided whether to build a warm country house or a castle. The result was an incongruous mix, which she was happy to call home.
Before the carriage came to a stop on the wide sweep of gravel at the front entrance, the door was flung open and a small figure in a nightshirt dashed down the steps to greet them. He should be in bed, the Countess said, but she was smiling because Johnny had wrenched open the door before the coachman could do so and clambered inside to embrace his mother.
Oh, Mama, Im so glad to see you. Youve been gone ages and ages and I wanted you to see me riding Peggy. I jumped him over a fence and Collins said Id make a huntsman yet. The little pony had optimistically been named Pegasus by Johnny, who was convinced he was a flyer, but the name had been shortened to Peggy.
Ill see you ride tomorrow, his mother said, pushing him off her lap. Do let us go indoors.
They trooped into the house, the inside of which was an eclectic mix of old and new, some large airy rooms, but many smaller rooms that had, over the years, been designated for particular purposes, which in a more modern house would have been included in the overall plan. The hall itself was large and covered in black-and-white marble tiles. Here they were met by the butler and Miss Bannister, who had come looking for her charge. Im sorry, my lady, but he would come down.
So I see, but take him to bed now. And in answer to her sons wails of protests that he wanted to hear all about their trip to London, she said, Tomorrow will be time enough for that, Johnny. I am very tired after my journey, so run along, theres a good boy.
He went reluctantly. Lucy could not help comparing the way he was treated by their mother with the way she and her sisters had been brought up. They would never have had the courage to defy Miss Bannister and come downstairs after they were supposed to be in bed and would certainly not have dared to argue with their parents about it. But it was understandable, she supposed. After having three daughters, her mother had given up hope of a son, and then Johnny had arrived, eight years after Esme, so was it any wonder he was the apple of his parents eye and they could not bring themselves to punish him when he was naughty?
Annette, the maid, followed the governess and the boy upstairs to take off her bonnet and make sure there was hot water for her mistress in her room and her nightclothes were put out in readiness. Sarah, the most senior of chambermaids, would have done what was necessary for Lady Lucinda.
Miss Rosemary and Miss Esme are in the small saloon, the butler told them. They have waited supper for you.
Oh, dear, and I thought I would have supper in my room and go straight to bed, her ladyship said, not to the butler, of course, but to Lucy, as they made their way past an anteroom that served as a cloakroom and, ignoring the doors that led to the large reception rooms, proceeded down a gallery lined with pictures to one of the smaller rooms towards the back of the building where they sat when they had no visitors. I really do not think I have the energy for their chatter.
Then go to bed, Mama. I am sure they will understand. I will tell them all they want to know.
I think I will, she agreed, joining her other daughters.
Rosemary, at seventeen, was as tall as Lucy, but her hair was darker and piled up in loops and ringlets that had taken the maid who looked after her ages to produce. She was wearing a yellow-and-white striped dress with a cream lace bertha and tight sleeves ending in a fall of lace. Lucy, who was not so particular over her appearance, except when Annette was helping her to get ready for an important function at which she was expected to shine, had often thought that her sister was more in tune with what their mother expected of a daughter than she was. Lucy did not have the patience for elaborate hairstyles, preferring to tie her hair up and back and let the light-brown tresses fall in ringlets where they would. After her long journey, she yearned to brush it out.
Fourteen-year-old Esmes hair was lighter and was worn very simply tied back with ribbon. She had not yet lost her puppy fat and had plump, rosy cheeks and blue eyes. Her dress was a pale cream colour with a wide green sash. She was sitting on a stool beside the window, but jumped up when her mother and sister entered.
The Countess stayed long enough to receive a dutiful peck on the cheek from each girl and a murmured, We are glad to have you home, Mama, before leaving them.
As soon as she had gone the girls launched into quizzing their sister. What was it like travelling by train? Did you meet the Queen? Did you see Prince Albert? Is he as serious as they say he is? Did you go to many balls? What did you wear? Did you have all the beaux falling at your feet? Did you get a proposal?
Hold you horses, I cant answer all your questions at once, you know. Ill tell you all about it while we have supper.
She hurried to her room, washed and changed into a light sprigged muslin and brushed out her hair. Feeling fresher, she rejoined her sisters in the smaller of the two dining rooms. Lucy was ravenous, having eaten only a light repast at the inn two hours beforeand that had been the first food to pass her lips since they had set out from London before eight that morning. The meal was a cold collation and, once it was on the table, they were left to serve themselves.
She hurried to her room, washed and changed into a light sprigged muslin and brushed out her hair. Feeling fresher, she rejoined her sisters in the smaller of the two dining rooms. Lucy was ravenous, having eaten only a light repast at the inn two hours beforeand that had been the first food to pass her lips since they had set out from London before eight that morning. The meal was a cold collation and, once it was on the table, they were left to serve themselves.
Now come on, Lucy, dont keep us in suspense, Rosemary chided her as she filled her plate. We want to know everything, dont we, Esme?
Lucy indulged them with a description of her first ride in a train, which had had her heart in her mouth until she became used to the speed, of tales of the balls she had attended, the picnics she had enjoyed, the rides in Hyde Park, the people she had met.
Did you really meet the Queen? Rosemary asked.
I was presented in a long line, if you can call that meeting her. Shes very tiny and quite pretty, but I could see she was determined to stand on her dignity. I imagine Prince Albert has his hands full, though she seems besotted by him. Its funny, isnt it? Mama was only telling me today that one could not expect to fall in love with the man one marries until after the wedding. It seems to have happened to Her Majesty.
What about you? This from Esme. Did you fall in love?
No.
Why not? Did no one express undying love for you?
No.
Oh, how disappointing.
Not at all. Theres plenty of time. I did meet one young man Mama and Papa seem quite keen on.
But are you?
I dont know what to think. Hes pleasant enough, I suppose.
Pleasant? Is that all? Who is he?
Mr Edward Gorridge, heir to Viscount Gorridge.
Of Linwood Park! Rosemary exclaimed. Oh, Lucy, thats a palace. Just think about being mistress of all that. Did he propose?
No, he did not. Its much too soon. We have to get to know each other better, so Mama says.
How are you going to do that? Esme asked. Is he coming here?
No, Mama and Papa are taking me to Linwood Park at the invitation of the Viscount. We are going to visit for a few days next month.
Oh, how I envy you.
Lucy smiled at her younger sister. At fourteen she was not yet out of the schoolroom. Your turn will come.
Not before Ive had mine, Rosemary said. And you can be sure I shall not turn my nose up at someone like Mr Gorridge, simply because he is merely pleasant. Pleasant will do for me if a place like Linwood Park comes with it.
Rosie, how can you say that? Esme said. That would be asking to be miserable. Wealth is no guarantee of happiness.
Rosemary laughed. No, but I could be miserable in comfort. Love is all very well, but it cannot survive in a garret. I certainly should not like it.
Its a good thing we are not all alike, Rosie, Lucy said. Or no poor man would ever marry.
Like marries like, Rosemary said flatly. Its the way it is. A lady cannot marry a labourer, any more than a princess would marry a pauper.
Well, I am determined not to wait until after Im married to fall in love with my husband, Esme put in. Supposing you married someone and then met someone else and fell in love with him, it would be too late, wouldnt it? I would rather not risk it.
It was a sentiment with which Lucy concurred. She would give herself a chance to fall in love with Mr Gorridge and she hoped it would happen because, if she refused him, she did not know what her parents would say or do. Did the labouring classes have these problems? she wondered. Did their parents dangle prospective partners in front of them and expect them to marry on the slightest acquaintance? What incentive would there be to do that? They were not encumbered by titles and wealth and the need to marry well. Sometimes she regretted her fathers rank and the need for her to conform. On the other hand, Rosie was right; she would not like living in a garret at all. If garrets were anything like the servants rooms on the top floor of Luffenham Hall, they were too small to swing the proverbial cat and where would she keep all her clothes? There wasnt much chance of that happening, considering she was unlikely to meet a labourer socially. How else did couples meet and fall in love? She resolved to try very hard to love Mr Gorridge and the best way to do that was to concentrate on his good points and ignore those she found less attractive.
As soon as they had finished their meal she told her sisters she was tired after her journey and, dropping a kiss on the cheek of each, went up to bed.
She woke early next morning to the sound of birdsong and, without waiting for the chambermaid, hurried out of bed to draw the curtains. The window looked out on the stable yard; beyond that was a paddock and on the other side of that the park that made up the grounds of the Hall. The village of Luffenham could not be seen from the house because of the screening of trees, but the top of the steeple was visible against a clear blue sky. It was going to be another scorching day. She washed in the cold water left on the wash stand, scrambled into her habit, tied back her hair with a ribbon and pulled on her riding boots. Grabbing her hat, she hurried downstairs to the kitchen.
My, youre about early, Miss Lucy, Cook said. Ive only just started preparing breakfast.
A glass of milk and a piece of toast will do, Mrs Lavender. Ill have it here, like I used to when I was little. I want to have a ride before it gets too hot.
Miss Lucinda, you are not little any longer. You are a young lady who is well and truly out, and I am not sure your mama would approve of you eating in the kitchen.
Oh, dont be so stuffy, Mrs L. Besides, Mama is still fast asleep in bed. It was said with an engaging smile. If I wait to have breakfast in the dining room, the morning will be half gone. And with that she put her hat on the table and sat down, knowing she would have her way. The cook sighed and poured her a glass of creamy milk, just delivered from the cowshed, and pushed a toasting fork into a slice of bread. Ill do it, Lucy said, taking it from her. You get on with whatever you were doing. She sat on the fender in front of the range and opened its door to toast the bread.
Youll spoil your complexion sitting so close to the fire, Cook said. Her own cheeks were rosy from working in constant heat. Hold something in front of your face.
Lucy laughed and ignored her. What has been going on while Ive been away? Has Sally-Anns young man proposed yet? Sally-Ann was one of the maids who was walking out with a groom. Has your sister had her baby? Have they started haymaking on Home Farm?
The cook laughed. You dont change, Miss Lucy. Still as full of questions as ever.
How can I learn if I dont question?
And thats another one. In answer to your first, yes, Andrew has proposed, but theyve decided to wait a year before naming the day, and you are burning that toast.
Lucy hastily pulled it off the fork and turned it over before holding it to the fire again. And the rest?
My sister has had a boy, but it was touch and go. It was a difficult birth and she lost a great deal of blood and the infant was weak She stopped suddenly, remembering her audience was an unmarried and carefully nurtured young lady. But I should not be telling you such things. Suffice to say he is beginning to put on a little weight now and is to be called Luke after his father. And I forget your last question.