Anne Ashley, page 6
‘After all, to whom else could I entrust such a fine piece of horseflesh as Vulcan?’
This succeeded in capturing Briony’s attention. ‘Would that be the stallion you’ve had brought to the Manor?’
‘It would indeed. Would you care to make his acquaintance?’
She didn’t need more persuasion than that and eagerly accompanied both men into the stable, which she saw at a glance had already been restored to good order after years of neglect, before her attention was well and truly captured by the magnificent creature pacing his large stall.
‘Part Arabian, part Irish-bred stock,’ he enlightened her, as his much-coveted possession stuck his head over the wooden barrier to receive his customary treat.
Briony couldn’t forbear a smile. ‘I see you spoil him. But I cannot say I blame you. He’s truly magnificent.’
‘He is indeed,’ her husband wholeheartedly agreed, a moment before his teeth flashed in the most wickedly provocative grin Briony had ever witnessed in a member of his sex. ‘And like most virile young males he behaves much better if offered a sweetener.’
Suspecting a double meaning, Briony flatly refused to be drawn and, for the second time that morning, wisely changed the subject by asking if the animal could be ridden.
‘Yes, but only by me and Ben here, who manages him remarkably well considering the stiffness in his leg,’ he responded; although he had spoken lightly, there was no mistaking the clear edge of warning in his voice.
‘Let me assure you I have no intention of attempting to do so,’ she declared with feeling. ‘I haven’t forgotten what happened the last time I rode one of your precious horses.’
He was totally bewildered, and it clearly showed. ‘Pray refresh my memory! What did happen?’
‘You tossed me in the lily pond upon my return to the Manor!’
Ben Carey’s shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter only served to ignite one of his master’s occasional lapses into devilment. ‘Upon my word! All I can say is I must have been in a rare good humour that day. You wouldn’t get off so lightly if you attempt the like again!’
This was hardly destined to act as a salve on a young woman’s bruised ego and it didn’t. Nor did the servant’s sudden loud guffaws help to lessen the feelings of ill usage she’d experienced all those many years ago.
A descendent of the famed Celtic warrior queen herself could not have looked more determined in her resolve. ‘You ever lay violent hands upon me again, Luke Kingsley,’ she warned, hands on hips and swinging round to face him squarely, ‘and I would strongly advise you not to sleep in your bed at night without securely locking both doors.’
Once again those white teeth flashed in the most infuriatingly goading smile. ‘Do I infer correctly from that that I might expect a visit from you, my love, should I attempt to play the heavy-handed husband?’ he enquired in an undertone, so that only she could hear. ‘Would that, perchance, lead to a better understanding between us and a—er—more pleasurable way of passing the night hours than in sleep? What a tease you are, to be sure! And after last night’s rejection, too!’ he declared, much to her further combined chagrin and acute embarrassment. ‘But then, I have ever heard it remarked upon that females are fickle and have a tendency to change their minds quite often.’
‘Well, this one does not!’ she hissed through clenched teeth, and swung away in high dudgeon, only to be caught the instant she had set foot outside the stable.
She refused to demean herself by attempting an undignified struggle and merely glanced down at the shapely hand that retained a firm grasp of her upper arm. ‘Unhand me at once, sir!’ She stared up at him, the look in her eyes clearly a challenge. ‘Or are you to prove once again that you are not a man of your word? You swore you would not come near me unless bidden to do so.’
He released her at once, letting his hand drop to his side, almost in a gesture of reluctant acceptance, or even defeat. He even sounded slightly despondent as he said, ‘I admit last night was a grave mistake on my part and I assure you it will never occur again. You’ve decided we’ll not be lovers and I shall respect that decision. But does that mean we may not at least be friends? The next six months shall be bleak, indeed, if we remain aloof strangers.’
All at once she felt ashamed of herself for overreacting to what had been nothing more than, she now felt sure, a bit of ribald teasing on his part. She wasn’t some pampered child who couldn’t take a little playful tormenting from time to time. She’d always prided herself on her sense of humour, for heaven’s sake! So why on earth did she react so negatively to this man’s gentle goading?
‘I—I see no reason why we cannot become…friends,’ she returned softly, and was rewarded with one of his most beguiling smiles. He really was the most attractive man, she decided, most especially when his waving brown hair flopped casually over his forehead, as now, and he was dressed for riding, clothes that suited his muscular frame so admirably.
‘Good. And you can prove you mean what you say by accompanying me to the local town. I need to engage some tradesmen to make necessary repairs to the lodge. Besides which, it will do no harm at all for the locals to see us about together.’ He cast a disapproving glance down at her attire. ‘But I have no intention of taking you about dressed in widow’s weeds.’
She wasn’t sure whether he was teasing her again or not. ‘But, Luke, Godmama has been dead a mere few weeks,’ she reminded him, but to no avail.
‘And the very last thing Aunt Lavinia would have wanted was for you to go round resembling a crow for a lengthy period,’ he returned, remaining firm in his resolve. ‘If you wish to be seen showing respect, then don that gown and pelisse you wore in church yesterday. In the circumstances, I do not imagine anyone will think any the worse of you for putting off your blacks so soon. People will consider it understandable as we are newlywed.
‘Now, hurry along and change,’ he added before she could continue arguing the point, ‘and I’ll meet you in an hour.’
Obediently she turned and left him to study her departure. Seeming to glide across the ground, she walked with all the natural grace of a professional dancer, moving from the hips with a gentle, almost seductive sway.
‘If I might be so bold, Major, you’ve gone and caught yourself a very pretty little woman there. And spirited, too, I’m thinking,’ Ben Carey opined, emerging from the stable in time to witness his young mistress disappearing from view between the trees.
And also an exceedingly desirable one, Luke reflected, experiencing anew the surprising surge of bitter disappointment and regret he had felt the night before at her rejection of a normal relationship between them. Yet he ought not to feel so, he reminded himself. A union in name only was what he had wanted, after all…wasn’t it?
In truth, initially, he had entered her bedchamber in the hope of catching the maid in attendance on her mistress still—a ruse, merely, on his part to convince the staff that all was well and as it should be between master and mistress. Then suddenly everything had changed. After that initial glance across at the bed to discover his young bride resting there, a prize that any red-blooded male would covet, with those lustrous chestnut locks of hers cascading about her face and shoulders, quite simply something within him had stirred. And it had been more, he realised now, than mere lust, a desire to explore the delights concealed beneath the virginal nightdress that had covered her from neck to toe. Had he been given the least encouragement to join her in that bed, one thing he would not be doing now was regretting his actions. Quite the contrary! He would no doubt be looking forward to a future with the young woman whom he was increasingly feeling would make him the perfect wife and mother of his children.
‘You’re the only one who knows the circumstances surrounding our marriage, Ben,’ Luke said, forcing himself to concentrate his thoughts on the present, ‘and I trust you to keep that privileged information to yourself…but, yes, she is an exceedingly pretty young woman who I’m certain possesses many fine qualities, which I have yet to unearth. I’ve already discovered all the servants are as devoted to her as they were to my late aunt. I also know she’s anything but light-minded. And, yes, she certainly doesn’t want for spirit.’
The hint of concern in his master’s voice was unmistakable. ‘You think she might prove to be a problem, sir?’
‘Having come to know her a little better, I would be foolish indeed to rule out that possibility. I’ve gained the distinct impression that she’s no longer inclined to dismiss me as nothing more than a feckless fribble. And in truth it is a role I’ve found increasingly difficult to maintain, most especially when around her, strangely enough. It is to our advantage, I suppose, that she rarely ventures here. I’m reliably informed shooting game is not at all to her taste. She’s more likely to be found on the west lawn practising her archery skills. So our activities here shouldn’t receive too close a scrutiny. All the same, it wouldn’t do for my young bride to get an inkling as to what I’m really about down here, now would it?’
‘That it wouldn’t, sir.’
‘So, for the time being we must remain very much on our guard,’ Luke announced, after casting an eye over the lodge, which was showing clear signs of neglect with its several missing tiles and peeling paintwork, not to mention broken window-panes. ‘Besides, we can do little with workmen about the place, putting it in order. When I travel to town later, I shall arrange for work on the lodge to be started as soon as maybe. That should set me in good stead with the locals. Leave it a few days, then see what you can find out from the workmen that might be of interest.’
‘’Course I will, sir. But I don’t want you to go to a deal of trouble or expense on my account,’ Ben urged him. ‘I’ve slept in worse places than this, as well you know.’
‘We both have. But this isn’t Spain,’ Luke pointed out. ‘And it wouldn’t do for my darling wife to become suspicious at this early stage. I’ve introduced you as my most loyal servant. She would think it odd indeed if I allowed you to dwell in a place where the roof leaks and the wind howls through broken windows. She might then insist you reside with the other servants back at the Manor. And that, my old friend, wouldn’t do at all!’
* * *
As Briony emerged from the house an hour later, dressed in the grey gown and bonnet she had donned for the wedding, her mind was completely empty of any suspicions regarding her spouse. If anything, she experienced elation at seeing the most up-to-date racing curricle awaiting her at the front entrance, with the tall figure of her husband in charge of those two beautifully matched greys she had glimpsed earlier in the stable.
‘Are we to travel to town in this, sir?’ she asked, taking no heed of the young groom whom she had also seen earlier in the barn.
Luke, on the other hand, was very aware of the lapse and cast her a frowning glance as he bent to lend her a helping hand to clamber up beside him. ‘You do not need to be so formal in front of the servants, my darling. None of them will take it amiss if you address me by my given name. And, yes, I do intend to travel in the curricle,’ he added, after she had acknowledged the blunder with an apologetic look. ‘You have no objections, I trust?’
‘None whatsoever,’ she assured him. ‘I’ve never travelled in a racing carriage before. And the day looks set to remain fine.’
Luke, none the less, betraying touching concern for her comfort, insisted she tuck a rug over her knees, before he instructed the groom to jump up on the back, then gave his horses their office to start.
Not for an instant did Briony feel in the least nervous, even though they travelled along at a cracking pace, overtaking other vehicles with inches to spare. Clearly Luke was no novice at tooling his own carriage. He handled the ribbons with effortless ease, hardly seeming to pull on the leather straps as he manoeuvred his horses safely along the road.
‘Have you always tooled your own carriage?’ she asked, appreciating anew how ignorant she was about the man beside her.
‘I tooled my first carriage at the age of ten. It was Aunt Lavinia’s groom, Sam, who taught me.’
‘I know he taught you to ride. He taught me, too, as it happens,’ she enlightened him. ‘I never rode at all until I came to live with your aunt. Mama couldn’t afford the expense of keeping a horse, you see. Now I ride as often as I can.’
She turned her head in time to glimpse a strange expression flickering over his strong features. She wouldn’t have described the look as pity, exactly—it was more like gentle sympathy.
‘You must think me incredibly gauche behaving like an excited schoolgirl being taken out for a treat,’ she suggested, when he didn’t offer to make conversation, ‘only it’s a novel experience for me. I expect racing curricles are commonly seen in the capital.’
‘Indeed they are,’ he enlightened her, frowning dourly. ‘And too many of ’em in the hands of crass young fools who aren’t capable of tooling a donkey, let alone prime horseflesh.’
He had sounded genuinely annoyed. Which was most strange, now she came to consider the matter, Briony mused. After all, since he had left the army, gossipmongers had vilified him as the very worst kind of pampered fribble, one with too much money at his command and little understanding.
That certainly wasn’t an accurate assessment, she finally decided a moment later. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his mental faculties. In fact, she would go further and say he was as sharp as a tack. And as for being a care-for-nobody…well that was grossly inaccurate, too. He cared a great deal about his horses. Any fool could see that. And he considered the well-being of his servants seriously too, all of whom, as far as she could tell, thought highly of him. The only flaw she had detected in his character thus far was a tendency to levity. He most certainly derived much enjoyment out of teasing her, at any rate! She favoured him with a sidelong glance from beneath her lashes. Or had she, perhaps, credited him with more high-mindedness than he deserved?
‘I am correct, am I not, in thinking you wish to visit the town for the sole purpose of engaging workmen to make good the lodge so that your servant may be comfortable there?’
‘Yes, but I don’t expect you to accompany me. I’m sure you can find a more pleasurable way of spending half an hour or so.’
‘Indeed, I can,’ she responded, feeling smugly satisfied that her judgement of his character, as far as it went, had not been grossly flawed. ‘I should be very much obliged to you, Luke, if you could deposit me outside the haberdashery in the main street. I ordered two dresses to be made some weeks ago, and have never returned for so much as a fitting. Mary must be wondering what has become of me!’
He slanted a mocking glance. ‘In a community this size, and with so many associations with the Manor, I would be astonished if she didn’t know precisely what has happened to you and was far too considerate as to plague you at a time when she knew you would be busy making arrangements for your wedding.’
* * *
Again Briony discovered that Luke’s judgement was sound when she entered the haberdashery some thirty minutes later to discover a very different Mary from the morose young woman she had seemed weeks before. She appeared almost buoyant as she ushered Briony into her private sanctum at the back of the shop, offering her sincerest congratulations on the recent marriage as she did so.
‘But I would never have expected to see you out and about so soon, Miss Briony—Mrs Kingsley.’
‘Briony will do very well. We have known each other long enough, after all.’
‘Well, if you say so, but not when there’s others around. It wouldn’t be proper for me to take such liberties, especially as I’m as good as working for you now.’
‘Oh, no, you’re not!’ Briony corrected. ‘You’re your own mistress, Mary, and have been since Lady Ashworth set you up in business. That was the way she wanted it and that’s the way it will remain, with you continuing to pay off the loan.’ She smiled at a sudden thought. ‘Not that I didn’t think at one time we might go into business together, as it were, with me joining you in the rooms above the shop. I’d be the first to admit that I cannot ply a needle anywhere near as well as you can, but I could have made myself useful in other ways.’
Mary was perplexed and it clearly showed, even before she said, ‘What on earth do you mean, Briony? You never considered coming here instead of marrying Mr Kingsley?’
‘Well, of course I did. It wasn’t love at first sight, you know.’
‘Perhaps not, but soon afterwards, surely? That was why I was so surprised to see you today, the wedding having taken place only yesterday. It’s quite usual for newlyweds to want to spend time alone together and it’s not that you can travel abroad to enjoy a honeymoon, what with all the goings-on across the Channel.’
‘Well, quite!’ Briony agreed, feeling that some explanation was expected of her for what in Mary’s opinion was clearly unconventional behaviour. ‘Only Mr Kingsley wished to engage some men to make necessary repairs to the hunting lodge and I thought it was the ideal time for me to come and see you. He’s strongly opposed to me going about in full mourning, you see, and I remembered those two dresses I asked you to make for me and thought they might prove suitable alternatives.’
‘Indeed they will. I followed the list of measurements from gowns I’d made for you in the past, so I’m sure they’ll fit very well. They’re both finished and already parcelled up,’ Mary revealed. ‘I intended to bring them over to the Manor myself, but I’ve been that busy of late. Lord Petersham’s niece is staying with him at present. She arrived a couple of weeks or so ago, bringing a party of friends with her. Several ordered new gowns to be made, all of which had to be finished before they left. It’s been so very hectic of late, I rarely get a free moment. I might even need to take on another girl if things carry on like this.’
She disappeared into a large cupboard and emerged a second or two later with two packages in her arms. ‘That bolt of silk you advised me to place in the shop certainly changed my fortunes for the better. You were absolutely right. I do need to cater for everyone. My increasing business has persuaded me to invest in several bolts of material I wouldn’t ordinarily have carried.’
