The Marriage Market (6 page)

She had removed her bonnet and a curl had worked its way loose from the others.  He reached toward it, hesitated, and then picked up the strand between his thumb and forefinger.  He caressed its softness and brushed it away from her face as he had seen David do just a few hours before.  Her skin felt soft and warm to his touch.  He watched her in the fading light, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, her lashes brushing rosy cheeks.  He leaned toward her, feeling the warmth of her breath upon his face.  Victoria sighed in her sleep.  Pausing for a long moment above her, the last of his resistance crumbled.  Bracing one hand on the wall behind her head, Wovington lowered his face and kissed her tenderly upon the mouth.

Victoria dreamt that she was under the fir tree in the garden with David again.  The air was cool, but she was warm in his arms.  He kissed her.  She wrapped her arms around him and returned his kiss, her body swaying with the motion of the carriage.  Sudden realization flooded her mind.  She was not in the garden with David.  She was in the chaise headed home to Eston House, and the man kissing her was not her husband!  Her eyes flew open and she arched back into the seat with a gasp.  Bracing her palms against Wovington’s shoulders, she pushed him away with all her strength.  He fell into a corner of the seat and remained there, immobile in the shadows.  Neither said anything for a shocked moment.  Only their ragged breathing was audible.

Regaining her ability to speak, Victoria said, “Mr. Wovington, are you mad?”

He responded in a hoarse voice, “Mad?  I do not think so, Mrs. Ladbrook.  I am the worst kind of scoundrel, but not mad.”

“Mr. Wovington, I don’t know what to say.  How could you behave so abominably?” Victoria pulled up the blanket to shield herself from any further advances.

“There is no excuse for my behaviour, madam.  I am gravely sorry for my transgression.  I never intended to upset you.  I apologize a thousand times.  But we are not very far from the house now.  Only let me borrow one of your horses, and you will be rid of my company tonight.”

The carriage wheels crunched upon the gravel laneway leading to the manor house.  “Tonight?  What, ride all the way back to Salisbury tonight, and with no moon?  Believe me, sir, I do not want you under the same roof with me, but it is too far to attempt safely.  Besides, what would David and Mother Ladbrook say if you turned up suddenly tonight?  What explanation could you possibly give for returning early?”

“None, Mrs. Ladbrook.  I will ride directly to my lodgings and stable the horse somewhere in town tonight.  I will not return the animal to your mother-in-law until tomorrow morning.”

“No, Mr. Wovington, that’s not good enough.  I am sure that Mother Ladbrook would hear of your return to town tonight.  You must stay overnight as planned, although neither one of us wishes it, and leave Eston House in the morning.”

All conversation ceased as they continued through the grounds.  Finally, the carriage arrived at the manor, and the driver jumped down to help Victoria alight.  She hurried up the stairs to the front door with Wovington trailing behind.  Morton, the butler, answered her knock.

Trying to hide her embarrassment, Victoria was very brisk with the servant.  “Morton, I am home a day early with Mr. Wovington, as you can see.  He will need a room for tonight, and will be borrowing one of the horses to return to Mother Ladbrook’s in the morning.  Please ask Cook to send something up on trays to our rooms as we are tired and hungry.”  Then she remembered the reason for her early return, and added, “And please let Mrs. Hunt know of my arrival and ask her to join me in my chamber.”

“Very good, madam,” Morton said, taking their things.

Victoria hurried up to her room and collapsed onto the bed.  She groaned.  She had still to deal with the kitchen maid’s predicament tonight despite what had happened.  Yet she could not calm herself; thoughts of Wovington’s outrageous behaviour roiled through her mind and replayed themselves over and over.  How could it have happened?  Mr. Wovington was a gentleman, was he not, and David’s closest friend.  How could he have betrayed David and insulted her like this?  What should she do?  Before very little time has elapsed, however, Victoria was roused by a rap at her door.  She rose just as Mrs. Hunt entered the room.

“Good evening, Mrs. Ladbrook.  You are home earlier than expected,” Mrs. Hunt remarked.

Victoria turned away from the housekeeper to prevent her countenance from betraying her.  She began to remove her gloves.  “Yes, Mrs. Hunt.  I heard that there was a problem at home that required my immediate attention.   Mrs. Greene led me to understand that Nan has committed some indiscretion that has resulted in her dismissal.  I wish to discuss this with you before she is gone in the morning.  Please explain what has happened.”

“Indeed, ma’am, I saw them in the kitchen myself very early this morning when Nan should have been emptying out the grate.  If I had not woken before my usual time and come downstairs to boil some water for a cup of tea, I would not have known what was happening here under my very nose.”

“And what were they doing, Mrs. Hunt?”

“Well, Toby Scott was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table and she was sitting in his lap.  They were kissing each other, and not in a very Christian way, if you understand me.”

“Was that the extent of the indiscretion, Mrs. Hunt – a kiss?”

“I do not like to talk about such things, but the top two buttons of her dress were undone, and his hands were on her where no decent girl would allow them.  No properly brought up girl would have allowed it, I’m sure.”

“So, Mrs. Hunt, Nan’s transgression consisted of allowing young Toby to kiss her and take certain other liberties when she should have been cleaning out the kitchen grate, is that it?”  Victoria knew she was making light of the situation, but she couldn’t help it.  Her anger with Mr. Wovington was spilling over into her interview with Mrs. Hunt.

“I will not have such goings on among my staff, Mrs. Ladbrook.  Once you have one bad apple, the whole works goes rotten.”

“But Mrs. Hunt, she is so very young, plus she’s living away from home for the first time.  I know that such behaviour is wrong and may land Nan in trouble, but her reputation will be ruined if you force her from the house.  What will she do after she leaves here?”

“If you ask me, ma’am, she should have thought of that before she let young Toby have his way with her.”

Victoria rolled her eyes.  “Well, Mrs. Hunt, I think that I had better speak with Nan myself and see what we can do to mend this situation.  But I will not dismiss the girl on the basis of stolen kisses in the kitchen, and you should not be firing a member of my staff without my permission.  I will not have you acting so presumptuously, Mrs. Hunt.  Mind that it doesn’t happen again.  Now, please go and fetch Nan, and we will discuss this together in the morning room.” 

Mrs. Hunt stiffened while receiving this reprimand, and left to get the maid with a sniff.   Calming down, Victoria blushed to think what the housekeeper would have said had she witnessed the scene in the carriage.  An involuntary giggle rose to her lips as she imagined the expression on the housekeeper’s sour face.  Really, the whole situation was preposterous!

Soon Victoria was subjected to an interview with a sobbing Nan and a stony-faced Mrs. Hunt.  It turned out that the young girl and the farmer’s son had been secretly courting since the summer.  Toby, who was only seventeen, had not had the courage to speak to his parents because the young couple would have only Nan’s wages to live upon were they to marry.

“I see, Nan,” Victoria said, “but is there nothing your parents can do to help you?”

“No, ma’am.  My parents don’t have much, and they got seven children besides me.  My ma and pa always told us that we have to make our own way in the world.”

“Do you love Toby?  Do you want to marry him?”

“I do terribly, and I know Toby wants to marry me, too.  Only, he’s the third son, and there’s no money for him, and he hasn’t been able to put anything by yet.  We’ve been waiting, but it is awful hard not to let him kiss me when he loves me so much.”

Mrs. Hunt harrumphed.

“There must be something that we can do about this.  Maybe if I visit Mr. Scott tomorrow, we could come up with a remedy between us.  I have heard from Mr. Ladbrook that one of Lord Eggles’ tenants finds the farm work too much for him now that his son has moved away.  Perhaps your Toby could help out Lord Eggles’ tenant?  If you continue to work for us, you might have enough money to marry on between you.  Let me see what I can do.”

“Oh, would you?” Nan asked, her eyes brimming with gratitude.  “It would be so good of you to help us – we’d be that grateful.  And I’d be happy to stay on here, if you’d let me.  I swear it won’t never happen again.”

“Just promise me, Nan, that you will have a talk with your Toby about being patient a little while longer.  You do not want to start a marriage with a baby, do you, and have to stop working just when you’re trying to set up a household.  It would make a big difference if you could save up a little first, don’t you think?”

“I know that what you say would be best, ma’am, and now that maybe me and Toby will not have to wait so long to get married, he might be more patient.  I will talk with him.  Thank you so much, Mrs. Ladbrook,” Nan said with a curtsy.

“You're welcome, Nan.  Now, go and find your young man and tell him that I will be dropping in tomorrow morning to talk with his father.  You are a practical-minded girl.  I think that you will do just fine.”

Victoria dismissed Nan and Mrs. Hunt and returned to her room to bathe her over-warm face and change her clothes.  Now that the moment was over, she was beginning to tremble from her confrontation with the housekeeper, but she felt that she had made the right decision.  She meant to look after the servants as she saw fit and not let Mrs. Hunt trample over her.  A plate of sandwiches and a glass of wine were waiting for her, and Victoria discovered that she was quite hungry.  She sat down at a table to eat, and tried to think what she should do about Mr. Wovington.  Her interviews with Mrs. Hunt and Nan had distracted her from her own troubles, and she did not feel quite as distraught as she had in the carriage. 

She decided to sleep on the matter and confront Wovington in the morning.  Maybe she would know what to say to him by then.  Heavens, she was going to need the wisdom of Solomon for that.  She sent a message asking that Mr. Wovington meet her for breakfast the next day, and went to bed.

When Victoria descended the stairs in the morning, she found Wovington waiting for her in the hallway outside the dining room.  He said nothing; merely bowed with a blank expression on his face and waited for her to precede him into the room.  A fire had been made up in the hearth and two places were set at the end of the table.  Wovington held Victoria’s chair for her before seating himself.  They helped themselves to food, quietly passing the dishes back and forth.  Johnson arrived with hot tea and left the room.

“How are you this morning, Mr. Wovington?  I hope that you slept well?” Victoria began in a cool tone.  She was going to treat this matter like the mistress of the manor should – with dignity, not with anger.

“Tolerably well to both inquiries, Mrs. Ladbrook.  I am anxious to be off this morning, of course, and will leave just as soon as we have eaten.”

“I will instruct Morton to alert the stable of your imminent departure, sir.”

“Thank you.  Shall I present your good wishes to your mother-in-law upon my arrival?” he asked in a sarcastic tone.

Victoria chose to overlook his manner.  “That is kind of you.  Thank you, sir.”

Wovington scowled, and Victoria twisted the linen napkin nervously in her nap.  He blurted out, “You are not very brave this morning, Mrs. Ladbrook.  I had expected better of you than this cold formality.”

Incredulity swept across her face, and Victoria gasped.  “Are you not the brazen one, to expect better from me after what you did last night?  How dare you criticize my behaviour when your own was so scandalous.”  She jumped to her feet, her breathing rapid, and Wovington rose as well.  She stared at him, and he coloured and looked away.  After a moment, she thought of her husband’s long friendship with this man, and sank back into her chair.  He continued standing, his head bent.  She asked more softly, “But will you not make some kind of explanation for your behaviour, Mr. Wovington?”

“Must I really say anything, Mrs. Ladbrook?  You have never been deficient in either observation or intuition heretofore.  Surely you have some inkling as to my feelings for you these many months past?”   His eyes rose to meet hers, and he frowned.  “I am sorry for the offence – truly, I am.  You have my word that it will never occur again.  Do you also require a promise that I shall never visit your home again?  I will understand, if you do, and make some excuse to David if you desire it.”

Victoria gazed at him for a long moment, and sighed.  She had once been flattered by his attentions, as any girl would have been from such a handsome and engaging young gentleman.  If there had been no David – well, things might have been different.  But James was so adept at covering his emotions with an urbane remark or a smile that it was difficult to judge how deeply he felt things.  His blunder in the carriage had been a revelation to her; she had not realized his attraction for her was so strong.  Perhaps she was partially at fault for letting her absorption with David blind her to James’ feelings. 

And there was something else to consider.  She and David had not been married long, while he and James were boyhood friends.  If she were to forbid James admission to the house, she would have to explain her reason to David.  She did not know how her new husband would react.  It was possible that he might challenge James and someone might be hurt, perhaps fatally.  David might also doubt her role in the matter, wondering if she had somehow encouraged James.  That would be unbearable.  All-in-all, it was probably best to keep the whole thing secret from David.