Page 12 of The Duke’s Bride (The Duke’s Alliance #6)
Beau turned towards the side door, but she shook her head and walked straight to the front. Sure enough both horses were waiting at the bottom of the steps. He tossed her into the saddle of a pretty bay mare and then mounted himself.
She gestured with her whip. ‘There is a direct route through the woods and across the home pastures. It is no more than three miles and we should complete the journey in no time at all. Dee, short for Desdemona, might be shorter than Titus but she is excellent over the country and clears hedges and ditches taller than herself.’
‘Devil take it! There will be no jumping anything of that height today. We will find a gate if necessary.’
‘Time is of the essence, sir, so you have no option but to follow at whatever speed and in whatever direction I take us.’ She touched her heel to the mare’s flank and was away, moving from extended canter to gallop in seconds.
He had no option but to follow and she was right: for all her lack of size, Dee covered the ground at such a pace his horse was obliged to gallop also.
They covered the distance in less than the time it had taken him to ride from Elveden to Fenchurch Manor. She reined back and he drew alongside. ‘Is that the house ahead of us? The owner obviously does not take as much pride in his estate as you do in yours.’
She did not respond to his comment. ‘We must walk the horses from here so they will be cool when we arrive. Do you see that gap in the hedge? If we exit the field through that we will be adjacent to the entrance to the drive.’
‘Although I have accompanied you, my lady, I am at a loss to know exactly what my role is to be. I cannot see Sir Frederick taking heed of anything I might say to him. If he has had your dog shot…’
‘Oh, please do not say that. I am praying it was only a threat and that he would not actually carry it out. It is impossible to keep Brutus confined; he is always able to persuade one of my servants to let him out even though they know they must not.’
‘This problem would be solved if he lived in a kennel and was not allowed to wander around the place as if he were a lapdog.’
‘Believe me, sir, I have tried that. Initially he did live outside but either climbed over the fence, dug himself out or knocked over the unfortunate boy sent in to feed him and escaped through the door. The bigger he got the harder it was to keep him safe. That is when I agreed to allow him to live in the house because at least then I knew where he was.’
Their approach was noted and he could see two surly servants waiting in the turning circle. ‘I think it might be wise to avoid the welcoming committee and go directly to the kennels.’
‘I thought I might call Brutus. If he hears me and is free to do so he will come at once to my side.’
‘I can do better than that.’ Beau dropped the reins, pulled off his gloves with his teeth, and then put two fingers from each hand into his mouth and whistled.
The piercing noise sent the rooks nesting in the trees, which presumably gave the house its name, flying into the air cawing in protest at being disturbed so rudely.
Viola was suitably impressed by his prowess and it had the desired effect.
How the dog knew the whistle was directed at him he had no idea, but the huge beast appeared from the undergrowth wagging his long feathery tail and looking delighted to see them both.
‘Good boy, you must come home at once with us. You must not come here again. Is that clear?’
‘One might think he actually understood you. He was certainly listening. I suggest that we make a hasty retreat.’ The two men were approaching and he had no wish for a confrontation that would draw attention to himself.
In tandem they turned their horses and cantered back down the drive with the errant dog loping beside them. They kept up the pace until they were safely in the fields once more and could rein back to a walk.
‘You must show me how to whistle in that way, Mr Sheldon, as it seems to have the desired result where this dog is concerned.’
‘I shall do no such thing, my lady; it would be highly unsuitable for someone like you to do it.’ They exchanged smiles and no more was said on the subject. As the horses had been hard-pressed earlier they decided it would be sensible to remain at a walk, at least for the remainder of the journey.
‘There is something I wish to talk to you about, sir, and now is the ideal opportunity as we shall not be disturbed. I intend to buy Thomas a new piano and I am taking the children to London, as soon as the weather clears, in order to do so. Obviously, I know nothing about such instruments and we will need you to accompany us.’
He answered without thinking. ‘I should be delighted to do so, my lady. I think a piano made by Graf would be ideal. The instrument I have was made by him and is of recent construction too. When I bought the estate I had no idea the piano that was included in the inventory would be of such high quality.’
‘Is there somewhere in London I can purchase one of these? I believe I should like to see what else is available before I make a final decision.’
‘Then Thomas can try out what is available before you purchase. I shall make enquiries before we depart.’
‘We have a house in Grosvenor Square, which I have not used since my marriage. It is rented for the Season but will be vacant at present. We can stay there.’
At the mention of Grosvenor Square the enormity of what he had just agreed to registered.
He had been carried away by the thought of spending time with this charming and delightful young woman and her children.
He could not possibly do this as his own town house was in the same place and he would be immediately recognised.
‘I could not possibly stay under the same roof as you, my lady; it would give rise to speculation and unpleasant gossip. I shall find my own accommodation and meet you at the appropriate place.’
She was not at all put out by his refusal.
‘Of course, how stupid of me to suggest it. We cannot go until the roads are clear, which might not be for another week. I shall have to contact my agent in London and make sure my house will not be occupied by then. If it is…’ She stopped mid-sentence and her expression changed.
‘In fact, I have changed my mind. I shall ask my agent to find me somewhere I shall not be recognised or run the risk of meeting acquaintances of my husband.’
His hands unclenched at her words. It might just be feasible to remain incognito if he found lodgings in Cheapside or somewhere like that.
He was sure that Longman and Heron had premises at 131 Cheapside and they were purveyors of modern pianos.
He thought it might be sensible to suggest this was the best place to go and avoid places in a part of Town more likely to be frequented by people who would know him.
‘I shall find lodgings in the vicinity of the Tower. I think that the children would enjoy visiting the menagerie.’
‘That is an excellent suggestion, Mr Sheldon. It is so far from the better part of Town there would be no danger of my being accosted by any of Rupert’s old cronies.
’ She frowned and then continued. ‘When the period of mourning was over I was bombarded by invitations from acquaintances of his hoping to pick up where he left off.’
‘You are a young, wealthy and beautiful widow; it would be more surprising if you were not pestered by hopeful gentlemen. One day you will meet someone that you wish to marry, as I hardly think you will wish to remain alone for the remainder of your life.’
‘I shall do no such thing, sir. I have no intention of marrying a second time. Why would I give up my freedom and run the risk of being mistreated?’ She raised her hand as he was about to respond.
‘I know what you are about to say, but I disagree. I will never trust a gentleman again. The moment I have spoken my vows to him he would change and there would be nothing I could do about it.’