Page 15 of The Duke’s Bride (The Duke’s Alliance #6)

Beau had never travelled post-chaise. In his normal existence he would have sent his own horses ahead of him and not had the necessity of sitting in a vehicle that had been used by members of the public.

No doubt it had been scrubbed clean but he was still aware of the lingering aroma of the previous occupant.

When the postilion pulled into the second inn, in order to change the horses, Beau decided to disembark himself and stretch his legs before the next, and he hoped final, stage of the journey. Bishop descended after him. ‘Shall I order you coffee in a private parlour, sir?’

‘I had not thought to stop that long, but yes, coffee would be most acceptable. Then inform the postilion I shall be remaining here for half an hour so that the horses are not harnessed too soon.’

This establishment was busy so he was obliged to stand around ignored in the vestibule whilst the landlord dealt with others who were ahead of him.

It was a salutary lesson to experience what others did on a daily basis.

He had become too used to being treated differently and he vowed that when he returned to his old life he would be more considerate of others less fortunate than himself.

Bishop beckoned him from the doorway and Beau was yet again impressed with his new employee’s efficiency. Somehow the young man had bypassed the queue and there was already a jug of coffee, sandwiches and pasties waiting in a private room.

‘Make sure that you have something yourself.’

He had given his valet a purse full of coins to pay for incidental expenses on the journey and he was certain that some of them had been slipped into a willing hand as a bribe in order to achieve this miracle.

He had no wish to be seated once he had finished his refreshments so wandered about the place and ended up staring out of the window that overlooked the yard. His attention was drawn to a crowd of people in a corner. His curiosity aroused, he decided to investigate.

He arrived at the same time as Bishop. What he saw astonished him. Greedily drinking from the horse trough was Brutus, the dog that he had left shut up in the stables several hours ago. How the hell did he come to be here?

‘Excuse me, that is my dog. He has followed me here.’ The crowd parted to let him through and as he approached the hound left the trough and bounded over, almost knocking him from his feet with his enthusiastic greeting.

‘Well, old fellow, you are an amazing animal. Let me see your paws.’

‘Let me look, Mr Sheldon; he is so muddy you will ruin your garments.’

After careful inspection it was obvious Brutus could not continue to run behind the carriage, as his paws were cracked and bleeding.

‘We have no option, Bishop; the wretched animal will have to travel inside with us. I would suggest that you return to Elveden with him but I doubt he would stay there. For some extraordinary reason he has decided to adopt me as his new owner.’

‘I’ll give him a quick bath, take care of his feet and dry him off before he comes in with us, sir.’

There were various offers from stable boys and ostlers to help with this procedure and Beau returned to the inn to wait. It was far too cold to stand about outside. His mouth curved as he imagined the reaction of his family if they were to hear what he was about to do.

The dog was as reluctant to climb into the carriage as Beau was to have him inside.

‘Come along, my boy, the sooner we get on our way the sooner you will be out again.’ He snapped his fingers and pointed at the door.

The huge animal slunk inside and sprawled in the well of the carriage, leaving neither Bishop nor himself anywhere to put their feet.

They were obliged to rest their boots on the opposite squab, which no doubt would add even more to the cost of the journey. He shuddered to think how much conveying Brutus to London was going to cost him. Although a wealthy man he had always been careful not to waste the family funds.

Whilst the dog sulked on the floor it was hard not to smile at his antics. ‘Have you any suggestions as to what we should do with him in Town? I cannot imagine the hotel you have reserved for me will take kindly to having him inside.’

‘I’ll keep him with me, sir. I reckon he’ll be content with that. He’s a clever dog. He knows what’s what.’

‘I am still finding it difficult to credit that not only did he manage to escape the confines of the stables, but he was able to follow us for hours.’ Beau leaned down and stroked the dog, who was still ignoring him.

‘You are a splendid fellow, Brutus, and even if I am not delighted to have your company I am certain that Thomas and Elizabeth will be pleased to see you.’

The animal recognised these names and his tail thumped twice but he did not raise his head or interact in any other way.

After a while Beau was able to doze and did not rouse until the vehicle pulled into The Saracen’s Head hours later.

They must have stopped to change horses, but he had been unaware of it.

This was where they would disembark, pay their dues and find themselves another vehicle to convey them to the hotel.

‘We need a collar and leash, Bishop. Is there anything we can use in our luggage until you can purchase the proper items?’

‘If you keep him inside with you for a few minutes, Mr Sheldon, I’ll soon find some rope we can use.’

His man jumped from the carriage before it was quite stationary and slammed the door shut behind him. The dog deigned to sit up. He was so huge he could see out of the window without difficulty. His tail began to swish from side to side.

‘Yes, you will soon be out. You must just remain with me until Bishop returns with your lead.’ Why the hell was he talking to a dog as if the animal understood every word he said? Brutus might be intelligent – but he was not human.

The dog whined and then pushed his head into Beau’s chest. ‘I know, old fellow, you would much prefer to be in the countryside, as would I.’

When the dog was safely restrained he came to a decision. ‘It is not more than a mile to the Tower from here. I will walk with Brutus. Hopefully his feet will cope with this. I rely on you to transfer our luggage and give the hotel fair warning of what to expect.’

Once they were moving the dog settled and began to take an interest in his surroundings. His enormous size and apparent docility attracted a lot of attention from other pedestrians and Beau was obliged to stop half a dozen times for the animal to be petted and admired.

The hotel was everything Bishop had said and he had no complaint about its cleanliness or the size of its rooms. The owner, not unnaturally, refused to allow Brutus inside.

‘He can come with me if you are agreeable to me staying away overnight, sir.’

‘I can manage perfectly well on my own for a few nights. Enjoy your free time. However, you must report here at least twice a day in case I have errands for you. If you have extra expenses I can…’

‘You gave me more than enough, sir, for my short stay. The chef here is excellent; you will not be disappointed if you dine here each night.’

His man departed with the dog, leaving Beau to go in search of the piano emporium in Cheapside.

* * *

The children thought the first overnight stop an exciting adventure. Her mother reminded her that by the time she was their age she had travelled all over the country.

‘I could not take them anywhere without Rupert’s permission and that he would not give under any circumstances in case I did not return. Since he died I have had no inclination to go anywhere and until now I had not realised how I had deprived them of interesting experiences.’

The children were to sleep with her but her mother had her own chamber next door, which had a communicating door to their room. Their maids had arrived in advance and had unpacked the necessities for the night.

‘Mama, I saw a row of shops as we were coming down the main thoroughfare. Can we go and look at them?’ Thomas asked eagerly.

‘It is still relatively early and will not be dark for another hour, so I see no reason why not. Why don’t you go next door and ask your grandmama if she wishes to come with us?’

Elizabeth knocked politely and when they were bid to enter the children vanished and closed the door behind them so Viola was unable to hear the conversation. A few minutes later they returned.

‘Grandmama is going to have a rest so we must go alone,’ Elizabeth said.

‘Then we had better do so immediately as I have no wish to be out in a strange town when it gets dark.’

They joined like-minded pedestrians on the pavement and her children stopped every few minutes to gaze into the shop windows, even when what was purveyed was no more interesting than ladies’ hats and gloves.

There were no shops in the village closest to them and she had never taken them to the market town of Ipswich. This was remiss of her and she would remedy that as soon as the weather improved.

The fifth emporium they came to was a baker and confectioner’s. The twins looked imploringly at her and she could not resist. ‘Very well, we shall go in. You may choose two small items each and then select something to take back for your grandmother.’

There were two other women, each with a large basket over their arm, and three children about the same age as her two. The girl, smartly dressed in a cherry-red bonnet and matching cape, smiled at Elizabeth and beckoned her over to the display.

‘If you are allowed to purchase something, these are the most delicious things in the shop.’

The items she pointed to were sugar mice in a variety of colours. In a pretty glass bowl next to this tray was a selection of boiled sweets and fudges. On the other side of the shop there were cakes and pastries, but her children were only interested in the sweet treats.

‘Grandmama is partial to fudge, children, so I should get her a few ounces of that.’