Page 7 of The Duke’s Bride (The Duke’s Alliance #6)

Beau saw the butler holding Thomas’s coat and muffler and swore under his breath. He had been behaving as if he was the Duke of Silchester and not a humble commoner. Small wonder Lady Fenchurch had been so angry that her precious daughter had been manhandled by himself.

‘Have a horse saddled and waiting for me out front. I shall be there in ten minutes.’ He gave this command without any servant being visible but was confident someone would have heard him and followed his orders.

Upstairs Bishop tossed him his greatcoat and the other necessary items and he was still fastening buttons as he bounded down the outside steps that led to the turning circle.

There was no mount waiting for him. He had not thought to enquire when he had arrived yesterday if there was something up to his weight in the stables.

The sound of hooves on cobbles heralded the arrival of an animal equal to anything he had in his own stables at Silchester. The black stallion was magnificent and seemed an unlikely horse for an elderly man to have kept. No time to investigate this oddity; he would do so on his return.

He swung into the saddle, rammed his boots into the irons, and was away across the fields.

He took the direct route and thought he should arrive ahead of the carriage despite the fact they had left before him.

During the wild gallop he realised two things.

One, he intended to take this horse back with him when he returned to his own home and two, he was behaving like a lunatic.

The boy would have several outer garments and would come to no real harm during the short journey from being only in his indoor clothes.

A huge hedge loomed in front of him. He pushed his concerns aside and concentrated on remaining in the saddle and not breaking his neck. The stallion soared into the air and cleared the obstacle with a foot at least to spare.

He was committed to travelling as if his breeches were on fire so did not check his horse until he arrived.

Lady Fenchurch was standing in front of the house as if expecting him to come.

He dismounted with more speed than dignity.

Thomas was hiding in the stable somewhere and he ran through the arch, determined to find the child and take him in before he suffered any ill effects from the elements.

* * *

Viola’s son was out of the carriage ahead of her, not waiting for the steps to be let down, and vanished with his dog in the direction of the stables.

Good grief! In her hurry to leave she had neglected to collect her son’s outdoor garments and now he was unprotected in the treacherous February weather.

The carriage vanished to the coach house whilst she stood undecided in the turning circle. Would it be best to go after Thomas immediately and persuade him to come in and put on something warmer, or should she send Elizabeth with the necessary items?

As she dithered the sound of a horse galloping across the park made her turn so suddenly she almost lost her footing. Thundering towards her was Mr Sheldon. He pulled his stallion to a rearing halt and tumbled from the saddle.

‘Is Thomas inside?’ She shook her head but was unable to speak a word. ‘Where will he hide? I have his outdoor garments here. He cannot remain outside without them.’

Too shocked by his inexplicable and sudden appearance to do more than point in the direction of the stables, she watched him race away, unsure what to think.

How could he have arrived simultaneously?

When she had left him, he had been in the music room and yet here he was in his greatcoat.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by something heavy shoving her in the small of the back.

Then an enormous equine head rested on her shoulder and instinctively she raised a hand to stoke the nose of the magnificent horse. Sheldon appeared to have forgotten his mount in his hurry to find her son.

‘Well then, sir, it is I who must take you to a warm stable. Does your master often abandon you in this way?’

She reached up and took the reins and the animal did not object to her leading him.

For such an enormous horse he was remarkably docile.

She continued to talk nonsense to him as she led him through the archway to the stable yard.

Belatedly it occurred to her that one of her own grooms should have realised they were needed at the front of the house; Mr Sheldon could hardly have arrived so quickly on his own two feet.

* * *

Unfortunately, as the lesson had only lasted an hour, he had had little time to talk to the boy so had no idea whether he would be inclined to hide with the horses or find somewhere away from the stables.

Brutus appeared at his side and nipped him sharply on the thigh and then dashed off towards the barn in which the fowl were kept.

He followed the dog into the building, gagging at the smell. Why would anyone wish to hide somewhere so pungent? The dog had stopped at the rear of the barn beside a huddled shape in the far corner. This was not the time for sympathy, but for firm action.

‘Thomas, you will put on your coat and scarf.’ He handed them to the child who scrambled into them without complaint. ‘Good, now we shall return to the house. Do not look so despondent. I give you my word your lessons will resume. Maybe not tomorrow, but within a day or two at the most.’

‘When Mama makes up her mind she is like my sister – she will not back down. I have never known her to alter her opinion on a subject once she has stated it so positively as she did about the lessons.’

‘I am a very persuasive gentleman when I set my mind to it. Never in my life have I been gainsaid and I shall not allow that to happen this time. It stinks in here, my boy. Why on earth did you not take refuge with the horses?’

‘I do not like them. No one in the family has ridden since my father broke his neck when out hunting.’

‘God’s teeth! I abandoned my horse. I hope someone has gone to fetch him from the turning circle.’

‘Mama does not approve of such language, sir. That is because my father used a lot of bad words.’

The more he heard about this dead earl the less he liked him. ‘That’s as may be, lad, but as she is not present I cannot see she can object. Now, you must go inside and I must find my stallion.’

The boy obediently trotted away with his massive pet beside him, leaving him to go in search of the horse he had ridden across country, at breakneck speed, without even knowing the animal’s name, or how he came to be in his stables.

A groom greeted him cheerfully. ‘Her ladyship fetched your horse, sir. The beast’s warm and snug in a stall for the moment. He were too hot to water but will be taken care of when he’s cool.’

‘Excellent. I doubt I shall be long, but I will send word when I require him to be saddled.’ He looked around to see if there was a path that led directly to the house and saw it immediately. It ran between two immaculately clipped privet hedges.

He wondered who was now running the estate and was guardian to the children; whoever they were, they were doing an excellent job – at least with the estate.

As far as he was concerned the children were in need of more discipline, and less spoiling from their mother.

This might be true, but it was none of his business and he had no intention of interfering further.

As soon as he had persuaded the countess to allow him to continue to teach her son he would be on his way home. He was forced to admit it wasn’t just for the child’s sake but also for his own. He would gain as much from their interaction as the boy.

The side door was unlocked and he stepped through without announcing himself. He marched to the entrance hall and tossed his coat and other items to a somewhat startled footman. ‘Where shall I find the countess?’

‘Her ladyship is upstairs with Lord Thomas and Lady Elizabeth. I do not believe she is receiving at present, Mr Sheldon.’

Beau ignored the remark. ‘Inform her ladyship that I shall be waiting for her in the drawing room. First, I need somewhere to remove the mud from my person. I shall require coffee but nothing to eat.’

‘If you would care to come with me, sir, there is an anteroom where I can attend to you.’

Less than five minutes later Beau’s boots were restored to their previous shine and the worst of the mud brushed from his breeches. He returned to the main part of the house, leaving his caped riding coat in the capable hands of the footman.

Again, he did not knock but walked into the drawing room as if he had every right to be there.

The coffee was ahead of him. He poured himself a cup, drained it in one swallow and then refilled it.

The vista from the long windows at the far end of the room was impressive but did not compare with Silchester. His coffee slopped on his fingers.

What the hell was he doing? The person he was supposed to be would not have had the effrontery to take possession of this drawing room, make demands of the servants and insist that Lady Fenchurch come down to see him.

He should have accepted the footman’s comment, left a message, and departed, yet here he was strolling around her house as if he were a member of the family.

* * *

Viola was just stepping into a fresh gown when word came up that Sheldon had taken occupancy of her drawing room and was calmly drinking coffee and wandering about the place like a welcome guest.

‘Hurry up, Hughes. I have to be downstairs immediately.’

One of the two nursemaids who attended to her children had sent word that Thomas was safely indoors and reconciled with his sister; they were both happily engrossed in a game of soldiers in the nursery.

Elizabeth, who had been instructed to remain in her own bedchamber, had obviously ignored this order.

She would deal with her daughter’s disobedience when she had dispatched the unwanted visitor.