Regency High Society Vol 1: A Hasty Betrothal / A Scandalous Marriage / The Count's Charade / The Rake and the Rebel

Feeling enormously pleased with the whole effect, Harriet took the fan and reticule Rose was holding and thanked the smiling girl for all the effort she had made on her behalf, determined that she would find some way of rewarding her for her loyalty before she left.

‘You’re to go and see the master,’ Rose reminded her, as she handed Harriet a dark green velvet cloak. ‘He’ll be wanting to see you in your finery, I expect.’

Both Lady Caroline and Sandford were waiting in the earl’s room when Harriet arrived. The old man’s eyes lit up when he saw her and he beckoned her to him.

‘Just like a little sea-nymph,’ he chortled, beaming with pleasure and nodding at his wife. ‘See, my dear? I was right. Hand me the box, please.’

The countess, smiling, passed him a flat leather case from which he lifted a glittering necklace of tiny emeralds strung on a gold chain. Harriet gasped as Beldale passed the necklace to Sandford and bade him fasten it round her neck.

The viscount, whose senses had been considerably affected by Harriet’s appearance, found his fingers trembling as he battled with the clasp.

‘Oh, Lord William!,’ breathed Harriet, as she leaned over to kiss the earl’s cheek. ‘I promise I shall take the greatest care of it! I shall return it to you personally first thing in the morning.’

‘It is not a loan, my dear.’ His lordship patted her hand. ‘It is but a small token of thanks for the many hours you have devoted to my recovery.’

‘But I cannot possibly accept such a gift,’ she protested. ‘And you know perfectly well that I, too, have enjoyed our tête-à-têtes.’

‘Which is why you cannot possibly refuse my gift, I think,’ said his lordship gently. He looked at his son. ‘Isn’t there something else, my boy?’

Sandford cleared his throat. ‘Father was concerned that Judith’s guests would be sure to mark the absence of an engagement ring,’ he said, reaching for the small box which he had previously selected from the assortment on the side table.

‘These jewels are all part of the Beldale collection, my dear,’ said Lady Caroline conversationally, as Harriet removed her glove. ‘They belonged to Lord William’s grandmother,

the third countess. She was very fond of emeralds, we are told. I myself prefer the sapphire and our girls have always regarded the green stone as unlucky …’ She hesitated. ‘Oh dear, I trust you have no such qualms, my child?’ She looked anxiously at Harriet, who let out a ripple of delighted laughter.

‘Not at all, ma’am—it is, in fact, my birthstone so I believe that to me it must be lucky …’ She stopped, as the box Sandford was holding fell from his grasp and bounced across the floor. Chegwin bent to retrieve it and handed it back to the viscount, who was looking at Harriet with an incomprehensible glint in his eyes.

‘Perhaps you would do us the honour of wearing this tonight,’ he said, executing a stiff bow and handing her the box. ‘Certain people are sure to comment—will it suffice?’

Harriet opened the lid and beheld a flawless square-cut emerald, surrounded by diamonds and mounted on a gold ring. Her lips trembled as she slid the jewel on to her finger and, holding up her hand for all to see, ‘It fits perfectly,’ she observed, in shaky surprise.

‘I hoped that it might,’ murmured Sandford impassively as, somewhat shaken himself, he picked up the box and returned it to the pile.

‘And just one more,’ interposed the countess, holding out a bracelet she had selected. ‘This matches the necklace, I believe—now you will do us proud.’ She clasped the bracelet around Harriet’s wrist and stood back to admire the result. ‘Your grandmother would have loved you so—I can hardly wait to see the effect you have on Ramsey!’

‘I shall be sorry to miss seeing the effect she has on Judith’s male guests,’ chuckled Lord William, bringing a deep blush to Harriet’s cheeks. ‘I shall expect to hear all about it tomorrow, so don’t disappoint me.’

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

‘Oh, I shan’t, I promise—and thank you so much—all of you. I swear I have never looked so grand!’

Sandford’s lips twisted in a wry smile as he turned to pick up his cloak. ‘A vast improvement on certain of your outfits, I am bound to agree,’ he said, failing to register either Harriet’s crestfallen expression or the look that passed between his parents. ‘Shall we depart, ladies?’

Chapter Six

The August evening was warm and still. Judith had thrown open the doors of her largest drawing-room to allow her guests to walk on the rear terrace, should they desire to take the air. She had also arranged for the carpets to be taken up, determined to encourage ‘a little dancing’ in spite of Lady Butler’s sighing disapproval.

Groups were already assembling around the room when the Beldale party was announced. Conversation ceased as all heads turned to scrutinise Sandford’s betrothed and more than one hopeful mother of unwed daughters heaved a sigh of regret at the charming picture that Harriet presented.

About a dozen families had accepted Judith’s invitation and Harriet was quickly presented to the most senior of these, amongst whom were the local vicar, the Reverend John Taylor, with his very pleasant wife and two daughters, and Squire Bevans accompanied by his prodigious family. Also present were the earl’s family physician, Sir Basil Lambert, along with his wife Patricia and their son Cedric. This youngster considered himself a very bang-up, dashing man-about-town and lost no time in claiming Harriet for one of the sets, which started a minor flurry as other young men jostled to be included in her favours, and Sandford found himself having to take a back seat during these proceedings.

‘Making quite a mark, dear coz,’ came Ridgeway’s amused voice next to him. ‘Trust you to win such a prize. Every man in the room is full of envy.’

Sandford forced a smile. He had been studying Harriet’s bright and animated expression and wondered how it was that he always seemed to manage to quench her natural liveliness. Other young ladies of his acquaintance had always conducted themselves with elegant composure and dignity, but this one seemed to have little respect for convention—even laughed at it—and yet everyone was drawn to her. His father was obviously entranced and his mother adored her and yet he, himself, constantly found fault with her and could not explain the sometimes violent irritation she aroused within him—especially at this moment, surrounded as she was by laughing admirers.

Harriet lifted her eyes and caught his frown and her eager expression vanished as she excused herself from her court and came at once to his side, acknowledging Ridgeway with a polite and conventional smile while Sandford inwardly cursed himself.

‘Oh, I see Eugenie is here,’ said Lady Caroline, taking Harriet’s arm. ‘Do come and meet her, my dear. Charles, do your duty.’

Ridgeway bowed to his aunt and presented Harriet to his mother. Again that lively look of real interest appeared on Harriet’s face and in no time at all she was deep in friendly conversation with the earl’s sister as the countess brought Lady Eugenie up to date with Beldale’s progress. Harriet had been as fascinated by Sandford’s aunt’s history as Lady Eugenie quickly became with hers and they were soon immersed in a cheerful debate concerning some charitable organisation or other with which Lady Eugenie was involved.

Sandford, all at once discovering a growing hatred of himself, interrupted their laughing exchanges to point out to Harriet that he supposed the company might expect them to dance together at least once. She handed him her card and invited him to take his pick.

‘Not a lot of choice, I see,’ he said, scribbling his initials in the few blanks that remained. He desperately wanted to tell her how lovely she looked and to compliment her on her success but, realising that he had missed the moment, could think of nothing that sounded neither flippant nor contrived. ‘I shall take you in to supper, of course.’

‘Of course, my lord,’ she replied, without enthusiasm.

He hesitated and was about to begin his speech when one of her young admirers arrived to claim her for the reel that was presently assembling.

Harriet threw herself into the dance with relief, skipping around the circle, changing partners as the movement required and clapping her hands in time to the sprightly tune being executed on the piano by Lady Eugenie, who had been happily persuaded to perform that task.

Judith, looking radiant in her ruby silk gown, mingled gracefully with her guests, ensuring that no one was ignored or left without a partner for a set. She was sad that Philip was not with her to enjoy the success of his brother’s betrothal party, but equally determined that she would not shun society because she had been widowed. She had the children’s future to consider and knew that Philip would want her to see that they grew up with the same standards and expectations that he would have given them. He himself had not been fond of high-society occasions but had always entered wholeheartedly into the many country dances and musical evenings which had been held at Westpark and Judith was delighted to find that she had not lost her touch.

His vigilant sister-in-law had paired Sandford off withone of the vicar’s daughters, still in the schoolroom, and it required all of his social skills to put the girl at her ease and to rescue her from her many foot-faults. When he was finally able to return her to her parents, having brushed away her stumbling apologies with a melting smile, he looked about the room for Harriet and, as he could not immediately locate her, he strolled outside along the terrace, fearful of being collared once more by his zealous hostess.

Couples were forming for the next set and Harriet had promised this to Charles Ridgeway but, finding herself slightly out of breath from the Circassian Circle she had just thrown herself into, she begged him to take her outside for some air instead. Laughing, he admitted that he was not the most practised of dancers and would be glad of the respite himself.

Lady Caroline, holding court beside the doors, waved to them as they went through and Harriet was embarrassed to overhear her own virtues being extolled at some length as Ridgeway led her down the terrace steps into the garden.

‘—even won Cook over by begging to be taught to make almond tartlets and three hours later I discovered her sitting on the table regaling the entire kitchen staff with her tales!’ This was received with peals of delighted laughter from most of her ladyship’s listeners, but one or two ladies raised their eyebrows at one another.

Harriet glanced up at Ridgeway. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t have done that?’ she said mournfully.

Charles laughed. ‘Why not? You are something of an original, to be sure. Robert must be delighted that you have everyone’s admiration.’

His own eyes travelled across the room to where Judith Hurst was standing. ‘Not that he would care if they took you in deep dislike, I’ll be bound,’ he continued, absent-mindedly.

‘Does she know that you’re in love with her?’ Harriet asked bluntly.

With a shocked expression, Ridgeway swung to face her. ‘What are you saying?’ he said, as a dull flush crept up his cheeks.

‘Well, it is pretty obvious,’ said Harriet cheerfully, motioning him to the seat at the foot of the steps. ‘You never take your eyes off her. She speaks very highly of you, you know.’

‘As her estate manager,’ Charles said bitterly. ‘What could I possibly offer her? She even pays my salary!’ Involuntarily his eyes homed in to their target once more and his shoulders slumped. ‘I should leave,’ he said. ‘I have tried, but I cannot.’

Harriet put her hand on his sleeve. She was desperately sorry for him, realising how keenly he felt the hopelessness of his situation.

‘Judith is still young and so beautiful,’ she said awkwardly, ‘but she is also very lonely and she still has a lot of love to give—someone. Why should it not be you? Do you mean to stand by and watch her turn into an embittered old harpy like—well, you know …’ She bit her lip and looked around anxiously.