“I’m sure you will agree, ma’am, in the event of Sophie being unseated on the hunting field, such a habit would be more decorous than a skirt.”
“Uncle Tom!” Sophie was outraged. “I almost never take a tumble nowadays.”
“Do you not?” he said with a smile. “I felt sure preserving your modesty was your main reason for wanting the design.”
With that, she had to be satisfied.
The finished outfit effected a remarkable change in Sophie’s demeanour. With the training in horsemanship and improvement in her appearance, all trace of the clumsy, inept child of early years disappeared, and someone determined to be the best emerged.
Her real character showed when she was on the hunting field. She flaunted her divided skirts, showing contempt for women using a side-saddle. She was always happiest out in front with the leaders, taking her fences like a man, challenging her brother and Joshua to keep up with her. And they tested her to the limit.
Tom could see it was a matter of honour, for they could not afford to have a girl beat them, particularly one who was younger. If she fell at a fence, she cursed profanely, but was back on the horse in an instant.
There was no doubt her riding style commanded respect, and he noticed even Joshua agreed when Charlie said,
“Sophie’s a good ’un.”
1798
Charlie’s voice broke first. At fourteen and a half, he was the eldest. Joshua’s tone deepened a few weeks later and he was easily the tallest and leanest.
Tom heard the news of the gruff voices in a letter that Jane sent to London. Although she made light of the event, it was obvious the lads were growing up and he knew before long that they would be kicking up all kinds of larks if they stayed at Linmore.
It was a good thing Matthew went straight from university to a tour of Italy; otherwise, there would have been confrontations – and might still be on his return home. The question was how to avoid it.
If it had not been for Sophie, they would have gone to boarding school. Another option was some kind of tour. As a young man, Tom travelled through much of Europe with his younger brother, and he wanted them to have the same opportunity to broaden their outlook.
It would be a wrench to send them away, but with their avowed ambition to be soldiers, the natural progression was something with a military slant, and Tom knew the erudite Dr Hawley was passionate about history. Before he could set plans in motion, something else took precedence.
In the previous spring season, a bout of influenza caused the cancellation of Caroline’s presentation at Court. To delay her coming out further was unthinkable, which was why, a few weeks into the new year, the family from Linmore travelled to Cavendish Square, to stay in the Pontesbury household.
Tom’s sister, Winifred, offered to bring Caroline out with her eldest daughter, Leticia. Then she extended the invitation to Lord and Lady Cardington for their daughter, Henrietta. Rather than leave the younger members of the family at home, Tom decided it was time they visited London.
Joshua and Charlie had no interest in presentations at Court or attending select dancing assemblies. They heard mention of Almack’s Club until they were heartily sick of the name. It seemed a fool’s errand for any girl to go there, simply to find a husband. From what they could see, it was an excuse to spend a vast amount of money on fancy frocks and frippery things of no value to anyone.
The house in Cavendish Square was in a state of flux, with three branches of the family in residence, and three young ladies preparing for their Court presentation. Nevertheless, Mrs Pontesbury was equal to the task of launching them into society – not least because when she requested attention, the world of milliners and modistes beat a path to her door.
Although considered eccentric by her contemporaries, every tradesperson who performed a satisfactory service for the lady knew they were assured of prompt payment. It was a powerful incentive.
For the young folk of the family, encountering the situation for the first time, it was a nightmare. The brass doorknocker on the black front door was never still, No sooner did the footman close the door on one visitor, leaving a calling card, than another arrived to make a morning call.
Below stairs, a porter was stationed by the tradesman’s entrance to take delivery of clothes and hatboxes, which came several times an hour. Even worse was the profusion of floral offerings, inscribed with inane sentiments from a host of admirers. These were a source of amusement. Having read some of the ill-spelled sonnets and odes to the young ladies’ relative blue, grey or brown eyes, Joshua and Charlie decided the writers of such nonsense must be touched in the head. Either that or they were bosky.
Aunt Winifred’s youngest son made fun of everything, and thought it a great wheeze to swap the name cards around to cause confusion. When his mother demanded an explanation, Joshua and Charlie pushed him forward to receive his punishment. It was nothing to do with them.
The following day, Teddy Pontesbury retaliated by making an outlandish comment, which deprived Joshua of breath.
“D’you know chaps?” he said, including Sophie in their numbers. “I bet old Josh could write a better ode to Sophie’s smile than this tripe.”
Joshua froze at such a thought, and Charlie’s brow puckered as he heard the words. Then he grinned and tapped his fingers to his head. Joshua nodded agreement. Pontesbury was a duffer.
“What d’you mean, Sophie’s smile?” he said. Only a half-wit would suggest that. How could you pay tribute to something that did not exist? Everyone knew Sophie glowered most ferociously, and grimaced like nobody else – but she never smiled.
There was no peace for anyone. The lads watched the goings on in a state of bemusement from the upper floors. How glad they were not to be involved in what seemed a predatory occupation, which they likened to a foxhunt.
When Sophie curled her lip at such activities, they were in full agreement. They could only hope three determined females seeking a husband would not set their hopes on one unfortunate fellow and tear him limb from limb. Although the families purported to be friends, the degree of competition between the young ladies was beyond comprehension. If it were not for the risk of injures, they might just as well have let a prize fight decide the matter. It would be more interesting for the menfolk to watch.
It was a joy to learn that Lord Cardington’s second son, Frederick, a Captain in the Life Guards, was on furlough. The sight of his military uniform made them restive. They wanted time to go faster, but were more than happy when he offered to take them to Horse Guards Parade. The visit was an outstanding success. They questioned him incessantly about his duties; and hung on his every word as he told them action-packed stories.
Most evenings, Fred and Augustus Pontesbury went off on the town with their friends or to social functions with the family, leaving the younger members at home. Teddy Pontesbury taught them to play cards. He was even more of a slow top than before, and had an irritating habit of waggling his eyebrows when he was talking, which amused Sophie. They were soon firm friends.
While Joshua and Charlie struggled to understand Teddy’s version of Whist, which fell short of the original rules, Sophie grasped the essentials and was quickly engrossed. When she asked Teddy to show her how to play Loo, he was happy to explain.
“The general idea, Sophie, is that any card player who fails to take a trick has to pay a forfeit into the pool. In this case, we’ll use tokens, so you won’t be out of pocket.”
“No,” she said in disgust, “they’re worthless. Why can’t we use pennies?”
Being only a girl, Teddy decided to humour her, but he underestimated her aptitude. Sophie had a quick eye for detail and ruthlessly played to her own set of rules. When they exchanged cards for dice, she exhibited a deft turn of the wrist. By the end of the evening she clutched a handful of coins. No doubt a beginner’s luck.
After the third such evening’s occupation, Teddy Pontesbury viewed her balefully and asked, “Have you played before?”
Sophie glowered at him and went on counting her winnings, which left Charlie to speak in her defence. “Leave her alone, Pontesbury,” he said. “She beat you fair and square.”
“Too many times for a beginner,” came the surly response.
Afterwards in the bedroom that they shared, Charlie said to Joshua, “I didn’t say anything to your cousin, but I have a feeling that Sophie learned to play cards and handle dice with our pa. She was always pestering him when he was at home.”
The following day she was in alt, when Fred Cardington offered to take them to the horse sales at Tattersalls. Girls did not normally go there, but nobody questioned her presence, when Sophie appeared wearing a pair of her brother’s buckskins and boots.
With the military visit behind them, Joshua and Charlie felt honour bound to take Sophie to see the circus at Astley’s Amphitheatre. Although they pretended it was for her benefit, they secretly revelled in the skills of the horseback riders, were spellbound, watching the acrobats and fell about laughing at the clowns’ antics. The wild animals at the Royal Exchange intrigued them at the time, but after a couple of weeks, they were again suffering from ennui.
On the evening of the Pontesbury Ball in Cavendish Square, Joshua and his cousins escaped to the upper floors. Teddy led them along corridors to the back stairs, and thence through a door leading to a darkened balcony overlooking the ballroom. The room below was ablaze with lights and glistening crystal chandeliers.
Surrounded by the sound of a fine string orchestra, they watched guests dancing and milling around the reception hall en route to the supper room. The thought of food made everyone feel hungry, so Teddy summoned the servants to bring food and drink to the schoolroom.
While everyone else trooped away, Joshua stayed to watch his family gathered in the ballroom below. Even his mother was there, which surprised him for she was decidedly antisocial at Linmore.
All thoughts of the family elders receded when he entered the schoolroom. A bowl of fruit punch took pride of place on the table, surrounded by plates of delicacies; hors d’oeurves, potted meats and fish in light pastry cases, jellies and small cakes. On other platters were wafer-thin slices of ham and poultry, with a side of salmon.
Charlie looked up as he appeared. “Where have you been, Josh? You’ll miss the food if you don’t hurry.”
“He’s been wenching below stairs, I’ll be bound,” Teddy Pontesbury said with a leer. “Better not let my mater see you, coz, or you’ll get a taste of her special birch.”
“Just as you do, Pontesbury,” Charlie growled.
They were disgusted with Teddy’s habit of luring housemaids into dark corners. Sophie treated it as a joke, but she was too young to understand.
“Take no notice of him, Josh. Try some of the fish, it is particularly good.”
Teddy handed him a goblet of punch, and said with a wink, “Have some of this special fruit cup to go with it, coz.”
Joshua took a cautious sip, and almost choked as the liquid burned his throat. Teddy threw back his head and roared with laughter.
“It has a little addition of my own… which grows on you,” he chortled, pointing at a bottle of his father’s brandy.
Sophie giggled, and held out her glass for a refill. It was obvious the mixture suited her palate.
That night sleep came quickly. In the morning, Joshua and Charlie were up at dawn, dressed ready for riding. Parties or not, Sophie expected them to escort her to the park, and not knowing their way around, it was necessary for a groom to guide them through the bewildering amount of traffic.
This was the best part of the day, feeling free to gallop along the almost empty rides in Hyde Park. Then they made their way back for a hearty breakfast, before the rest of the family were awake.
After a month, Joshua, Charlie and Sophie were ready to return home. They went in one coach, while Aunt Jane and Joshua’s mother travelled in another, accompanied by Martha, the nurse, who attended his mother’s needs and carried her medicine.
Caroline stayed in London with Aunt Winifred and her family. Tom Norbery remained there as well, and however much Joshua wished otherwise, he knew that it was necessary for his father to attend debates or whatever it was that politicians did during the Parliamentary Session. Maybe he would even attend some of the social events.
Aunt Jane told him that Caroline and her cousins had taken well – whatever that meant. Realisation came after they returned home, and he learned his sister had received an offer of marriage from Richard Shettleston. It was the silliest thing he had heard.
“He lives within five miles of Linmore,” he said to Charlie. “She didn’t have to go through all this, just to meet him. Just think how much money they could have saved.”
“You’d never catch Sophie doing that to find a husband,” Charlie said with a grin.
Joshua looked at him, bemused. The thought of Sophie Cobarne one day having a husband almost made him fall about laughing. He stopped himself just in time, in case Charlie was offended.
September 1798
Having congratulated himself on the successful outcome of Caroline’s wedding, Tom Norbery resumed his planning for Joshua and Charlie’s tour. Knowing that the state of war in Europe would decide everything, he considered the options on how they would travel and where it was safe to go. Then, he spoke to the lads.
“Dr Hawley and I have decided you would benefit from some foreign travel. Not the kind of Grand Tour on which Matthew is engaged, but one with a military connection.”
Joshua and Charlie looked delighted at the prospect.
“I am sure you are aware of Dr Hawley’s interest in military history, so I will leave it with him to tell you the destinations. We were thinking sometime in March would be a good time to set out, so between now and then, you will continue your language studies.”
That would be a few weeks before Joshua’s sixteenth birthday.
“What about Sophie, sir?” Charlie asked the inevitable question.