‘Because it cost me a great deal of money.’
Grandfather and grandson had had a good day out in the fields with their guns.There were not many birds in these parts but hare was plentiful and Matt’s cousin had been over with his dogs. They had deposited their bag on a stone slab in the outside larder.
The master of Hill Top House had glanced into the kitchen window and noticed the womenfolk eating their tea.‘We’ll talk in my study. I’ve taken delivery of a case of sherry wine. Adam Harvey says it’s better for my health than spirits. Try a glass with me.’
As they stretched out their feet to the fire the mud on their boots began to dry and crack in the heat.
‘What do you want to do, Hesley?’
He sipped his wine appreciatively. ‘This is rather pleasant. A case, did you say?’
‘Well?’ Old Hesley was not to be distracted.
‘Travel. Do the Grand Tour. Italy is the country to visit, these days.’
‘Can’t be done, I’m afraid. The pit is still losing money. You need a profession. What about Parliament?’
‘Good God, no! I’d rather run the mine for you.’
‘Would you, by heaven? Do you think you’d make a better job of it than I can?’
‘It can’t be that hard.You don’t spend much time there.’
‘No, but I can do the manager’s job if I have to!’ he snapped. ‘Besides, I have other interests to deal with. The plantation, for example.’
‘Olivia’s trust, you mean? When does she inherit?’
‘Not until she is five-and-twenty.’
‘But the revenue comes to you until then. It’s safe, isn’t it?’
‘It’s dwindling, Hesley. I cannot have you wasting your time.’
‘I can occupy myself well enough.’ Young Hesley grinned and refilled his glass.
‘Not on my doorstep with my servant. I will not have it.’
‘Very well. I’ll find my women in the town.’
‘As long as you stay clear of Mexton.You will not be welcome there.’ Old Hesley became impatient. ‘Don’t you understand? The plantation is our future and now that the slave trade has stopped, emancipation will follow, mark my words.Then I shall have to pay the slaves as free men.What do you think that will do to our income?’
‘I heard that freeing the slaves will benefit the plantation owners. The government is to give compensation.’
‘So they say. But with such upheavals and uncertainties I need a man out there I can trust.’
‘
Out there?
I hope you’re not thinking of me!’
‘Of course I am. You are one-and-twenty and you need occupation.’
‘Good God, Grandfather! Not the West Indies. I will not go there.’
‘You will do as I say.’
There was a silence as both men reflected on this difference. Then the elder spoke again. ‘Where’s your sense of adventure, Hesley? Your father would have welcomed the chance to leave Hill Top.’
‘My father died because he did as you demanded of him.’ The younger man choked into his sherry.
Again there was a short silence.
‘You forget that he was also my son. His death was an accident and his loss to me is as great as it is to you.You were just a babe in arms at the time and I have kept what is left of this family going since then. You have not wanted for anything, Hesley. It is time to repay.’
‘There must be someone else more suited than I.’
‘Who? Where? You and Olivia are the only family left.’
‘There’s your half-sister,’ his grandson added, and was silenced by his glare.
‘You are our future, Hesley, and I have made my decision. You’ll sail in the spring and we shall speak of it no further until after the Christmas feast.’
Young Hesley grimaced, but was cheered by the thought of festivities. ‘Are we invited to Swinborough Hall this year?’
‘No. We shall stay here for a family party.’
‘What family?’ he demanded petulantly.
‘Aunt Caroline’s.’
‘God, no! We haven’t seen them for years.’
‘Tyler’s lawyer talks to mine. His forge is one of the few that have survived this banking catastrophe. I need some of his capital.’
‘But do we have to put up with all of them?’
‘Apparently your aunt Caroline heard rumours about Olivia’s wild ways and consulted the lawyers.’
‘What for?’
‘She wanted to help. Tyler’s a family man and shares her concern. One day and one night, Hesley, is all it will take to bring them both to my side and stop them meddling. I am Olivia’s guardian and I have plans for her.’
‘So that was why you employed a governess. A good choice, Grandfather.’
‘I have warned you to keep away from her, Hesley. Surely there are enough women in the town to satisfy you?’
Young Hesley contemplated the idea.The hunting had excited him and the sherry wine was warming his blood.An innkeeper’s daughter had caught his eye . . . His loins stirred. He stood up quickly and the caked mud on his boots fell to the floor. ‘I shall go out, Grandfather. Take one of the hunters for a gallop. Don’t expect me back for supper.’
His grandfather smiled indulgently. They were cast in the same mould. His son, Hesley’s father, had not been. By tradition Mexton men should be strong and vigorous, with the means to indulge their capacity for drinking, gambling and women.Where his son had failed his grandson would succeed. He was a Mexton, through and through.
While the master ordered his grandson’s future, Olivia’s mind had been on more domestic affairs. From the kitchen window she had seen the hunting party tramp across the yard. ‘They’re back,’ she exclaimed.
‘Looks like a good bag. They’ll be ready for Sunday dinner,’ Mrs Cookson commented.
‘I don’t like hare,’ Olivia moaned. ‘Do you, Miss Trent?’
‘Yes, with redcurrant.’
‘I’ve a few jars of jelly in the pantry. And I expect they’ve a rabbit or two for you, Miss Olivia.’
‘Perhaps you would care to taste roast hare this Sunday,’ Miss Trent suggested. ‘You are a young woman now and you should try all the dishes.’
‘I don’t see why,’ Olivia replied rebelliously.
‘One day you will be mistress of a large house like this one and you must learn when hare and other game are at their best.A good mistress should know more than her servants about domestic affairs.’
Olivia wrinkled her nose. ‘Do you mean that, one day, I would give orders?’
‘Yes, indeed.’
Olivia considered the notion of being grown-up and running the household at Hill Top. She liked the idea and wondered how she would learn to be a good mistress.
‘Can you teach me?’ she asked.
‘Of course.There are books in the library and I shall ask the master to take out a journal subscription for you.’
Mrs Cookson looked up from her faggots and gravy. ‘She can help me in the kitchen. The master’s so much more work now he doesn’t go into town. And young Hesley will keep having card parties, needing supper for his friends.’
‘We shall both help you, Mrs Cookson.’ Miss Trent reached out for Olivia’s hand. ‘I learned much about prudent domestic management at Blackstone.’
‘Aye, well, the master won’t be wanting too many of those economical ways. We have two barrels of ale in the scullery and the carter delivered sherry and brandy with the provisions.’
‘Cousin Hesley has a new saddle for his horse, too,’ Olivia said, ‘and a new gun. I saw him cleaning it in the gun room.’
‘The master must have paid his suppliers, then,’ Miss Trent observed. ‘Finish your tea, Olivia, then go to the schoolroom for paper and ink. With your permission, Mrs Cookson, we shall make an inventory of all the household linen and china this very day.’
Olivia mopped up the last of her gravy with a crust of bread. This was different, she thought. Miss Trent was always thinking of new tasks for her to tackle. At first she had resisted such intrusion into her days. But not the nights: when she woke from her nightmare, cold and alone, her governess always stayed with her until she went back to sleep. And many of her schoolroom exercises interested her. Although she missed the freedom to roam on the moor or hide in the old garden, she liked her hair and clothes to be clean and pretty and she loved reading. On the whole, she was pleased that Miss Trent had come to Hill Top House.
Mrs Cookson stood up.
‘
Well, the gentlemen will be wanting their supper after all that hunting.’
Olivia sniffed the air. ‘It’s duck.’
‘Aye, I’m doing it slow in the bake oven. That’s your first lesson, Miss. Don’t put duck on the spit because the fat splatters in the fire.’
‘I’ll clear the tea things,’ Miss Trent volunteered.
Olivia went upstairs for writing paper, and Miss Trent drew hot water to wash the pots. When she returned, Olivia helped her governess by drying the plates. They were stacking clean china on the kitchen dresser when she saw Cousin Hesley cross the yard to the stables and later gallop away towards the track down to the town.
Minutes later Uncle Hesley came into the kitchen.‘Cookson, a word.’
Mrs Cookson was checking the duck. She turned smartly. ‘Yes, sir?’
‘We are having house guests for Christmas this year. See to it.’
Olivia inhaled quickly. House guests! She wondered who they might be.
‘And help Matt to clean the carriage,’ Uncle Hesley went on. ‘We shall be using it for our visitors.’
Olivia put down a plate, unable to contain her excitement at this news. ‘The carriage! Oh, Uncle Hesley, please may I ride in it?’
He frowned, first at her and then at her governess, who had stopped what she was doing as soon as he had entered the kitchen. Now she urged Olivia to be quiet.
Uncle Hesley did not smile much, but his face took on an odd twist, which, Olivia had noticed, he seemed to reserve for Miss Trent. She thought it was more like a sneer than a smile.
‘The child needs a gown, a fancy affair for the festivities. Mrs Cookson will advise you.’
Olivia’s eyes widened. A proper grown-up gown. Like those she had seen in the journals. Uncle Hesley was going to let her join the party. Her first Christmas with the adults! Oh, she was impatient to know more and had to clench her fists to stop herself asking questions.
She felt Miss Trent’s hand take hers and glanced up into her face. Her eyes were bright and she was smiling at Uncle Hesley. Olivia could not remember seeing such pleasure in her face before.
‘Of course, sir,’ Miss Trent replied.
Chapter 9
For Olivia, the past six weeks had been a whirlwind of pleasure. A dressmaker had called at the house with journal illustrations, materials and ribbons for her to choose from. She was measured for her gown. And a corset! She could scarcely wait for Christmas to arrive. Miss Trent curled her hair and dressed it elegantly in coils around her head, determined she would be a perfect lady for Aunt Caroline’s visit. And now the day she had looked forward to so much had arrived.
Miss Trent straightened her blue silk skirts, twisted a curl over her ear, then opened the schoolroom door. Olivia was feeling very grown-up in her beautiful gown, but her stomach was filled with butterflies as she stepped out onto the landing - and jumped.
Then she collected herself. ‘You’re Jared, aren’t you?’
Miss Trent was watching from the doorway: Olivia’s half-cousin from the town had come to take her downstairs for Christmas dinner.
‘That’s right. And you are Olivia?’
Olivia nodded. ‘Do you like my gown?’ She twirled, lifting the full silken skirts and petticoats to show matching slippers. Underneath, she wore the new corset, which drew in her waistline and made her small breasts swell above the low neckline.
Jared tried not to show his reaction. He hadn’t seen her for years and was surprised by how much she had grown. He had thought she would look much the same as his sisters, but she was taller - and prettier. She was almost a young woman in that gown, with her fair hair done up in coils. She wore jewellery, too, at her throat and in her hair, and long lace gloves.
He had expected her to be shy as he knew they rarely had company and the poor child never went out anywhere. But she didn’t seem to be a ‘poor child’ any more. She was confident with her appearance. It must be the governess, who had already retreated into the schoolroom and closed the door. Olivia was his responsibility for the evening.
‘Last night Hesley said I looked charming. He’s my cousin.’
‘Second cousin,’ he explained. ‘His father and your mother were cousins.’
‘Are you my cousin, too?’ Olivia hoped he would sit next to her through Christmas dinner. She thought he was handsome, especially when he smiled. She so much looked forward to meeting her half-cousins that she had watched them arrive in Uncle Hesley’s carriage from the schoolroom window.They were beautifully dressed, neat and tidy, perhaps a little plain but undoubtedly elegant, and they behaved in a mannered, orderly way that was unusual at Hill Top House.
Jared had climbed out first to lower the step for his father, and the two gentlemen had helped their womenfolk down, then straightened their cloaks and bonnets for them before they came into the house. Olivia thought that was a nice thing to do. Both gentlemen wore trousers and long jackets instead of the breeches and stockings her grandfather preferred. His mother and sisters looked very nice too, in their fashionably full skirts that easily escaped the confinement of their cloaks.
‘A sort of half-cousin,’ he answered. ‘My mother is your great-aunt.’
Olivia decided to ask Miss Trent about that later. ‘How old are you?’ she said.
‘Seventeen.’
‘I’ll soon be fourteen,’ Olivia announced, feeling important.
He thought her birthday wasn’t until August but didn’t argue. ‘Come,’ he said, and offered her his arm.
She laid her hand on his and fell into step beside him. ‘Are you at the university?’ she asked.
‘I work at Kimber Deep.’