Regency Romance Collection From Christina Courtenay (8 page)

‘
I say, why don’t you have a regular dinner party?’ put in Justin, who had by now managed to consume a considerable quantity of cake.

‘
Don’t be a sapskull, my boy,’ his mother told him roundly. ‘I’m sure her ladyship needs some time to settle in before entertaining on a large scale. You’re just trying to get yourself invited for dinner, aren’t you?’ Shaking her head, she added to Amelia, ‘Honestly, I don’t know where he puts it all. He’s forever eating.’

‘
Perhaps he leads a very active life?’ She smiled at Justin again.

‘
Well, I ride a lot and hunt of course. I say, do you ride Lady Demarr? Would you care to go for a ride with me one morning? I could show you the countryside hereabouts, there are some lovely views, you know.’

He looked so hopeful, Amelia didn’t hav
e the heart to disappoint him. ‘Perhaps one morning,’ she replied hesitantly, ‘although I do have a lot to do at the moment.’

‘
Now don’t go pestering her ladyship, Justin,’ his mother cut in. ‘Of course she doesn’t have time to go junketing about with you.’

‘
It would only be for a short while,’ he cajoled, looking at Amelia with puppy-like adoration.

‘
Very well,’ Amelia capitulated. ‘You may escort me on a short ride tomorrow morning, Mr Briggs. Would ten o’clock suit you?’

‘Splendid!’

‘I hope you don’t regret your kindness, Lady Demarr,’ his fond mother muttered darkly. ‘But now we had better leave your ladyship in peace.’ She rose and beckoned to her son with an imperious finger. ‘Oh, there was one more thing, Lady Demarr. Would you mind very much honouring us with a small impromptu concert at the fête? A voice like yours should be heard singing more than hymns.’

‘
Well, I would have to ask my husband. I’m not sure he would approve.’ Amelia was unwilling to risk putting James in a temper again. ‘But I will see what he says.’

And with that Lady Briggs had to be satisfied.

Justin Briggs proved to be an amusing companion, full of youthful high spirits, and Amelia h
ad an enjoyable ride with him. If she found his frequent adoring gazes a bit of a trial, she did not let on, but simply chatted about the scenery until his thoughts were diverted in another direction. They found that they had many opinions in common, but although he told Amelia he was two years older than her, she felt much more mature than him, perhaps because of all the trials she had been through. Nevertheless, they parted the best of friends, and now that she knew she had his support, and that of his mother, Amelia felt much better about going to church again the following day.

As she readied herself on the Sunday morning, Amelia had to suppress a
slight flutter of excitement. She was looking forward to seeing James again, and although she told herself this was silly, she couldn’t help it. It was obvious that he was not in a hurry to see her, since he had stayed away all week, but she still hoped to persuade him otherwise one day.

He was standing at the foot of the stairs, waiting to ha
nd them all into the carriage. To Amelia’s surprise, he jumped in after them, saying, ‘I have decided to travel with you. It will present a better picture for the neighbours, don’t you think?’

‘
Why yes, to be sure.’ Amelia was more disturbed by his sudden nearness than she cared to admit and felt slightly breathless. As he was sitting next to her, with the girls facing them, their thighs brushed against each other as the carriage bumped along. Amelia couldn’t understand why his simply being close to her should have this strange effect on her. It was positively indecent the way she kept remembering how wonderful his kisses had been. How she wished he would do it again …

Had she but known it, James’s thoughts had been running along the same lines and he was feeling thoroughly frustrated. A week away from his wife had not given him the perspective he had craved, and he was no nearer to solving the problem of whether to trust her or not. He wanted Amelia to be his wife in every sense, but he knew he must first find a way of establishing her innocence once and for all.

‘
Are you ready to face the dragons?’ he asked, striving for some light conversation to relieve the tension.

‘
With you for protection, I can face anything, Sir Galahad,’ she replied with a smile. James felt himself nearly drown in her violet blue gaze and turned away abruptly. This was not going at all well.

The church service was a penance as he struggled to ke
ep his emotions under control. It was a relief when it was over, and he was pleasantly surprised when a few people actually came up to speak to them afterwards. He realised that Amelia had worked her magic on the neighbours as well and had broken the ice. When Sir John and Lady Briggs greeted them loudly, he knew that his wife had achieved an absolute miracle in a very short space of time.

‘
Did dear Lady Demarr tell you about our little fête?’ Lady Briggs demanded without preamble.

‘
I haven’t had a chance to speak to my husband about that yet,’ Amelia put in quickly.

‘
Oh, but really, my lord, you must help me to persuade your wife to sing for us, I’m sure everyone would enjoy it immensely. Such a lovely voice. Do say you will add your entreaties to mine?’ Lady Briggs was obviously nothing if not determined when she was on a quest.

James, who could guess why Amelia had been reluctant to broach this subject with him, hastened to put her at ease.
‘But of course she must sing for you if she wishes. I’m sure you’ll be only too happy to oblige, won’t you, my dear?’ He looked at Amelia and smiled so that she would understand that it was his way of atoning for his actions in London. She nodded almost imperceptibly.

‘
I can only give in with good grace, Lady Briggs. Let us discuss it in more detail at my tea party.’

James stared at Amelia in surprise, but refrained from asking any questions until they were back in the carriage.

‘Tea party?’ he enquired with raised brows.

‘Oh, it is nothing really.
I’ve invited a few of the local ladies in order to become better acquainted with them. Lady Briggs was kind enough to give me a list of names.’

James nodded appreciatively.
‘That was very clever of you, my dear. With Lady Briggs on your side, you’ll soon win everyone over.’

‘That was my intention.’
Amelia smiled. ‘Would you care to come?’

‘Me? Good lord, no!
A room full of women taking tea and chattering like hens is not my idea of fun. I will leave that to you.’

James turned to his daughters and
began to chat to them instead. He felt altogether too happy with his wife’s achievements and decided he was at risk of forgetting his misgivings if he talked to her for much longer.

‘
Tell me what you two have been up to this week,’ he invited.

‘
We’re doing lessons with Amelia,’ Mathilde informed him, looking very proud. ‘I can read some words already and Amelia says I’m a fast learner.’

‘
Me too,’ put in Chloe, not wanting to be outdone. ‘C-A-T,’ she pronounced the letters in an exaggerated fashion.

James smiled.
‘I’m glad you’re all getting along. What’s this about lessons?’ He looked to Amelia for an answer.

‘
I decided it was time the girls learned their alphabet and such things, and with Miss Downes no longer there, I thought it best if I gave them lessons myself.’

‘
Miss Downes is gone?’ James remembered Amelia’s comments about the nanny and wondered if he had given Amelia too much power since she had seemingly dismissed the nanny straight away. Chloe’s next words made him think again.

‘
She hit me,’ the little girl told her father, her eyes big and grave in her tiny face. ‘Lots of times. And shouted at me. But Melia told her to stop and go away.’

‘
Yes, and all because Chloe fell down. It wasn’t even her fault,’ Mathilde added.

‘I see.
Well in that case, I’m glad she is gone. So who looks after you now?’

‘
Eliza and Melia,’ Chloe said.

‘
Eliza was the nanny’s helper,’ Amelia explained hurriedly. ‘The girls told me she was kind to them, so I thought in the circumstances …’

‘
That sounds like an excellent solution.’ James only vaguely remembered employing the young girl, but if Amelia thought her suitable, then no doubt she was. ‘But will you want to continue teaching the girls?’

‘
Well, I was thinking that they probably need a proper governess, and as it happens, I heard recently that my old governess Miss Keyes is available. Would you consider her for the position? She was very kind to me, but firm.’

‘She sounds ideal.
By all means, write to her.’

‘Thank you.’

James could see that Amelia had everything in hand, but he could not shake the thought that she was too good to be true. It was a relief when he could finally take his leave and go back to Westfield, where he could think clearly again without Amelia’s nearness disturbing his senses.

He simply had to find a solution to his problem, and soon, or he would go mad.

CHAPTER TEN

James had his worst fears
confirmed only two days later. Riding through the woods of his estate, he spotted a pair of riders in the distance at the top of a ridge. As he rode closer, he realised that one of them was Amelia and she was leaning over to whisper something in the ear of her rather handsome escort, a young man with sandy-coloured hair and a blindingly green jacket. The two of them appeared to be alone, with no grooms in attendance for the sake of propriety.

James saw red.

Spurring his horse into a gallop, he soon reached the laughing pair, and skidded to a halt next to them.

‘
I say, watch out, sir, or you’ll have us all over the precipice,’ the young man protested, his horse having taken exception to James’s abrupt arrival. James ignored him and scowled at Amelia.

‘
Hello, James,’ she said, looking at him with a slight frown. ‘Is something amiss? It’s not the girls, is it?’

‘
Perhaps if you were at home, instead of gallivanting around with your beau, you would know the answer to that yourself,’ James replied, his voice hard. He saw Amelia flinch, a look of hurt entering her eyes.

‘
They were perfectly fine when I left for my
short
ride with Justin,’ she said. ‘They were playing games with Eliza.’

‘
Justin, is it?’ James turned to the young man and fixed him with a glare. He had no idea who he was, but vaguely recalled seeing him at church the previous Sunday. The man bowed in the saddle.

‘
Justin Briggs, at your service, my lord.’

‘
And my wife’s, it would seem,’ James murmured. He did not bow back, but turned pointedly to Amelia instead. ‘I was coming over to see how you were getting on, but I see you’re doing just fine, so I’ll take my leave. Good day to you.’

He turned and galloped off in a flurry of hooves, and it was only later, when he had calmed down slightly, that he realised he had almost run down one
of his own grooms on the way. A groom who was obviously there to chaperone his wife.

She hadn’t been alone with young Briggs after all.

Damnation!

Amelia had decided that the girls may as well eat their meals with her when they had no guests, to save the servants the trouble of taking food up to the nursery. She thought it would be good for them to learn some table manners as well. Consequently, the three of them had just sat down to lunch one day when there was a great commotion in the hall. Amelia ignored it at first, but the voices became louder, and eventually she went to see what was happening.

A frail looking elderly gentleman stood in the middle of the hall, arguing wit
h his valet and with Jamieson. His face was rapidly turning puce as he became more and more agitated, and Amelia thought it best to intervene.

‘
Can I be of assistance, sir?’ she asked. ‘I’m Lady Demarr. His lordship is not at home at the moment.’

The old man looked her over, then seemingly decided that he liked what he saw, smiled and said,
‘Yes, my dear, you can most certainly be of assistance. Tell these two fools to go about their business and leave me alone. I’m not yet in my dotage. I don’t need coddling at every turn and I most definitely do not wish to lie down for a nap, having come all this way to see my grandson’s new wife.’

‘
Oh, you must be the Earl of Holt then. Welcome to Marr Place, my lord. I’m afraid that no one informed me you were coming, or I would have had everything ready for you.’ Amelia curtseyed to him, but he reached out for her hands and kissed each one in turn in a rather old-fashioned way, which she found charming.

‘
Don’t worry your pretty little head about that,’ said Lord Holt. ‘If these two would just get on with their duties instead of bothering me, I’m sure they’ll have a room ready for me in a trice. I decided to visit on the spur of the moment, since I felt quite well this week. With the gout, I never know how matters will stand from one day to the next, you see.’ He took a deep breath. ‘And since my scamp of a grandson hasn’t seen fit to bring his bride to me, I had perforce to come and see for myself. An old man can’t wait forever.’

Amelia couldn’t resist a smile at this and, ignoring the pleading glances from Jamieson and the valet, she invited his lordship into the morning room to partake of lunch.

‘Excellent idea,’ he said. ‘And who have we here then?’

Mathilde was staring at him curiously, while Chloe jumped off her chair to run and hide behind Amelia’s skirts.

‘These are your great-granddaughters, my lord, Mathilde and Chloe. Make your curtseys to Lord Holt girls, please.’ This they did, but continued to stare in fascination at the old man.

‘
Oh, sit down, do,’ he waved a hand at them. ‘I shan’t eat you, you know.  I’m much too old for that. And anyway, I don’t have enough teeth left.’ Mathilde giggled and Chloe’s eyes grew round as saucers. ‘I’m glad to have met you at last. I have been ill for a long time, or I would have come to see you before.’ He winked at the girls and they began to relax.

He allowed Amelia to serve him with ‘a few choice morsels’ as he put it, which, had he seen it, would
probably have given his doctor a fit, consisting as they did of all the things he had expressly forbidden his lordship to eat. Amelia suspected this might be the case, but was tactful enough not to argue. The old man seemed more interested in talking anyway, and didn’t actually eat very much. He regaled them with tales of all the pranks Lord Demarr had got up to as a boy and soon had them all chuckling, even Chloe.

‘
And now I had better retire for a rest,’ he said at last, ‘else I’ll have no respite from the nagging of my servants. Perhaps you could all join me in my room for an early dinner and we can chat some more?’

‘
Oh, yes please, great-grandfather,’ the girls chorused. Amelia agreed.

The evening meal was even merrier and his lordship’s valet was shaking his head at such goings-on, but it seemed to be doing Lord Holt a deal of good. When the girls were lead off to bed by Eliza, he asked Amelia to stay on for a game of chess, and she willingly obliged.

‘
I have to warn you though, I am not a very good player, as my father was wont to tell me.’

‘
As to that, we shall see, but tell me about your father. He was Colonel Ravenscroft, I understand. I knew him a little, and have heard many good things about him.’

‘
Many bad ones too, no doubt.’ Amelia made a small face. ‘Although he adored his life in the Army and was very conscientious in his duties and well liked, illness forced him to retire prematurely and then after my mother died, I’m afraid he succumbed to the lure of the gaming tables a little too often. He … shot himself just over a year go now.’

After a slight hesitation, Amelia told Lord Holt the rest of her story and how she had met his grand-son, leaving nothing out, not even the
misunderstanding at the opera. The old man was so perspicacious, she thought he would find out anyway and as she liked him a lot already, she wanted to be truthful with him.

‘
And where is James now?’ Lord Holt asked when she had finished.

‘He’s at Westfield.
He said we needed time apart to get used to our marriage. To be honest, I think he is regretting it already, but it is done now and to my mind, we have to make the best of it.’

Lord Hold nodded.
‘Indeed, and you seem to have made a good start. Don’t think I didn’t notice the changes in this house – all for the better – and those little girls have obviously taken to you.’

‘
Oh, I haven’t achieved much yet, but I do wish he’d come back. Mind you, after his rudeness to me and our neighbour the other day, I should be wishing him at Jericho, but somehow I don’t ...’ She shook her head. ‘You must think me a complete ninny, my lord.’

‘
Not at all. I’m glad you can see past James’s outburst, which was probably just jealousy talking.’

‘Do you think so?’ The possibility of James being jealous of Justin pleased Amelia. It would show that he cared and she had come to realise that was something she wanted him to do.

‘Yes, I do. And don’t worry, James will return and he’ll soon see that he’s made an excellent choice of wife.’

‘
You’re too kind.’

‘No
, that I’m not. And I am neither stupid nor blind yet and I’m very glad James found you. Just give him some time. He’s always been a stubborn boy, but he’ll see sense in the end, don’t you fret.’

They parted on very good terms and Amelia thought wistfully that she seemed to get on we
ll with all of James’s family. The only one she couldn’t please was him. It was a lowering thought, but Lord Holt seemed to think there was still hope, and that bolstered her courage.

Somehow, she would make this marriage a success.

James felt like a fool for jumping to conclusions
yet again. For two days he had stayed away, knowing he owed Amelia an apology once more, but unable to decide how best to approach the subject. If he told her that he had acted out of jealousy, which he now realised was the case, it would be tantamount to admitting that he wanted their marriage to be much more than one of convenience. However, he still felt it was too early in their relationship for him to trust her fully, and for him to admit such a thing would give her the upper hand.

What he really needed to know, was whether she was indeed pr
egnant or not. As yet, he had seen no sign of this, but he knew that on some women it need not be visible for quite some time. He was loath to ask her again outright, but neither could he find out in any other way. Besides, she had already denied it and if she had lied before, why would she be honest now?

He finally decided to tackle the problem head on and to that end, he took himself off to Marr Place
once again. Upon his arrival, however, the house seemed deserted and he had to search for quite a while before he found even a footman.

‘
Everyone’s outside, m-my lord,’ the youth stammered. ‘On the terrace.’

James headed for the back of the house and stepped out through the French doors, then stopped dead at the unexpected sight of his wife and daughters havi
ng lunch with his grandfather. To James’s further amazement, Lord Holt was sitting with little Chloe on his lap, telling a very amusing story, judging by the gales of laughter coming from all his listeners. The whole scene was one of contentment and togetherness. James was annoyed to find that he felt left out.

‘
Grandfather, it’s been a long time since we had the pleasure of your company here,’ he said, somewhat stiffly as he went over to make his bow.

‘James, my boy, there you are.
I had to come over and entertain your family since you were off gallivanting about goodness knows where.’

‘
I am very pleased that you were able to make the journey. Had I known, I would have invited you sooner. I trust you are not too fatigued? Should you not be resting?’

‘Bah!
Go and join those other two kill-joys in there,’ Lord Holt waved a hand vaguely towards the house. ‘They don’t want a body to enjoy himself, now do they, my sweet?’

He addressed this last to Chloe, who giggled and said,
‘No, they bully you awfully, don’t they.’

James blinked in surprise as Lord Holt laughed and said,
‘You see? Out of the mouths of babes …’

James had to smile
as the entire scenario was too fantastic for him to take it in. When pressed, he consented to take lunch with them all, protesting vigorously when his grandfather embarked on yet another tale about his youthful misdemeanours. He joined in the laughter, however, and glanced at Amelia from time to time. She looked happy and content and the sight of her like that made him feel warm all over. He wanted her to look like that always.

‘
You look very charming today,’ he commented. She was wearing a pretty morning dress of lilac sprigged muslin, which matched her eyes and complemented her silver-blonde hair. She gave no sign that she was annoyed with him for his rudeness to young Mr Briggs and this gave him hope that they may come to some understanding.

‘
Thank you.’ A slight blush stained her cheeks, but she seemed pleased with the compliment.

The afternoon passed and James decided to stay at Marr Place for the night so that he could spend more time
with his grandfather. He thought it best to put off his chat with Amelia until the next day as he didn’t want to spoil the mood.

‘Could you spare me a moment, please? I’d like a word with you in the library.’

Amelia looked up from the flower arrangement she had been finishing off and nodded at her husband.
‘Of course.’ She followed him across the beautiful hall, so light and airy in the spring sunshine, wondering what he wished to talk to her about.

‘Please, sit down. This won’t take long.’

Amelia waited while he collected his thoughts, pacing back and forth in front of her.