The Husband Season Read online

  He joined Mark, who was standing a little to one side, making sure everyone was being looked after, ready to send for more dishes of food as those on the table emptied.

  ‘You haven’t lost your touch, I see,’ Mark said, looking towards the trio. ‘Three young ladies hanging on your every word. I fancy there will be three handkerchiefs thrown down ere long.’

  ‘I shall not stoop to pick them up, Mark. I collect I told you, I have no intention of marrying again.’

  * * *

  ‘I wonder how long he will be in town,’ Cassandra mused. ‘Do you think he will come to my ball if I invite him?’

  ‘Oh, so you are going to set your cap at him, are you?’ Sophie said.

  ‘Why not? He is not unhandsome and he has a title.’

  ‘And wealth,’ Lucinda put in.

  ‘How do you know that?’ Sophie demanded.

  ‘I asked Papa and he said he has a vast estate in Yorkshire and owns a woollen mill, as well.’

  ‘Yorkshire. I am sure I should never want to live there,’ Sophie said.

  ‘No doubt he would bring his wife to town as often as she wanted to come,’ Lucinda said.

  ‘You, too, Lucy?’ Sophie queried.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Both of you bowled over by a handsome face and a few compliments.’

  ‘Oh, so you are not, I suppose,’ Cassandra said.

  ‘Of course not. Anyone can learn to pay compliments. Besides he is too old and a widower and I will not play second fiddle to a dead wife.’

  ‘I didn’t know that,’ Lucinda said.

  ‘What does it matter?’ Cassandra was not to be put off. ‘She can’t hurt anyone, can she? I am going to ask Mama to invite him to my come-out ball. He will be duty bound to stand up with me.’

  ‘Then, I wish you joy of him,’ Sophie said.

  She knew she was being silly, but Viscount Kimberley disturbed her more than she was willing to admit. Her embarrassment at finding the man who had rescued her from the soldiers was her brother-in-law’s cousin was profound. She could not treat him like a stranger, could not dismiss the whole incident with a shrug of her shoulders, especially as he had afterwards seen her with Reggie in his phaeton. How much of that would he tell Mark? Mark might tell Jane and she would be fetched home in disgrace. If only tonight had been their first meeting, then she might have felt the same way as her two friends. She envied them. He was not laughing at them.

  She left them to mingle with Mark’s guests and talk to them about the Hadlea Home, praising the work her sister and brother-in-law were doing and holding out the velvet bag Mark had provided to contain donations. Her enthusiasm was catching, and resulted in people perhaps giving more than they intended. Adam noticed it and liked her for it. There was more to Miss Sophie Cavenhurst than met the eye.

  Chapter Four

  In the coming days, Sophie was half afraid to go out riding or in the carriage for fear of encountering Viscount Kimberley again. On the other hand, when she did go out and did not see him, she returned to Mount Street feeling a little jaded, though not for the world would she have admitted it had anything to do with that gentleman.

  She was spared the whist, but went with her aunt to tea parties and drawing-room gatherings, and Lady Cartrose hosted some herself, which Lady Martindale and Mrs Malthouse attended, along with others of her acquaintance. Sophie, Lucinda and Cassandra made a coterie of three who talked for hours and planned their social events in meticulous detail down to the last ribbon for their gowns and how they intended to purport themselves, confiding the hopes they had of the outcome. Cassie was determined to catch the eye of Viscount Kimberley and was deciding on her strategy.

  ‘I shall drop my fan or twist my ankle or something to make him come to my rescue,’ she said one day when the girls were sitting in the garden of Cartrose House enjoying the sun. The weather had at last warmed up and they were wearing muslin dresses and wide-brimmed bonnets. ‘Then I shall engage him in conversation and flirt a little.’

  Sophie laughed. ‘Do you know how to flirt, Cassie? I’ll wager he is master of it.’

  ‘What do you know of it?’ her friend asked.

  ‘Enough to know it is not the way to go about attracting a man like Viscount Kimberley.’

  ‘You have a head start,’ Cassie said. ‘You are related to him by marriage and can be more informal with him.’

  ‘I don’t want a head start,’ Sophie said. ‘I have no interest in the gentleman. His superior attitude annoys me. He has a way of looking down on you as if he would like to crush you underfoot, and when he’s not doing that, he is laughing at you.’

  ‘I have never noticed that about him,’ Lucy said.

  ‘Nor I,’ added Cassie. ‘He has always behaved like a perfect gentleman. Perhaps you have done or said something to make him like that towards you.’

  ‘Of course I haven’t.’ Sophie was adamant. ‘I was only introduced to him on the same evening you were. In any case he is a widower and by all accounts adored his wife. I have no wish to be a convenient replacement, even if he offers for me, which I am sure he will not.’

  ‘If you are not interested in him, who are you interested in?’ Lucy wanted to know. ‘Sir Reginald Swayle? Or Mr Fanshawe? I heard he was in town, too.’

  ‘You know very well, Lucy, that I rejected both of them, along with Lord Gorange. I told you so at the time. If he turns up as well, I shall wonder if there is some conspiracy afoot.’

  ‘Conspiracy?’ Cassie echoed. ‘What can you mean?’

  ‘I don’t know, do I? But I will swear not one of them has the least affection for me, and I certainly have none for them. Now can we drop the subject? I find it prodigiously boring.’ It was easier to pretend to be bored than to admit she was worried.

  They went on to talk about the subscription dance and whether they would be permitted to dance the waltz. ‘I don’t see why not,’ Sophie said. ‘I am told everyone is dancing it these days, and it is even permitted at Almack’s.’ The ladies who ruled the dances at Almack’s were sticklers for propriety and for a long time would not sanction the dance, deeming it improper. But when other notable hostesses were allowing it, they had given in.

  ‘Yes, but we are not yet out,’ Cassie said. ‘If Lady Rowland allows the orchestra to play for it, I do hope Mama won’t be difficult.’

  ‘I shall ask Papa,’ Lucy said. ‘He is always more indulgent than Mama.’

  ‘Aunt Emmeline is very easy-going and so is my brother,’ Sophie said. ‘He has been teaching me the steps.’

  ‘Dancing with one’s brother is very different from having another man put his arm about you,’ Lucy said.

  ‘Looking down your dress and breathing in your face,’ Cassie added, setting them all laughing.

  ‘Is your brother going to be there?’ Lucy asked Sophie when they recovered.

  ‘Naturally. He is my escort.’

  ‘I have always liked him,’ her friend went on. ‘Ever since we were children.’

  ‘Oh, so he is to be preferred to Viscount Kimberley, is he?’

  ‘At least he is easy to talk to. I shake all over when his lordship speaks to me.’

  ‘Silly! He is only a man, flesh and blood, the same as all the others.’

  ‘Sophie, I am persuaded you are very hard to please,’ Lucy said.

  ‘So my brother tells me, but marriage is a very serious business. If you are to spend the rest of your life with someone, you need to know he is the right someone, don’t you think?’

  ‘Yes, but how can you be sure?’ Cassie put in. ‘Mama says you have to listen to your elders who know best, take their advice and then work to be a good wife. That way lies contentment.’

  ‘Poof!’ Sophie said. ‘I shall listen to my heart. I want to be head over h
eels in love with the man I marry and to be sure he feels the same way about me.’

  ‘How will you know that?’ the other two asked in unison.

  ‘My sister Jane says I will know when the time comes and if I have any doubts, then he is not the one for me.’

  ‘I hope you may not be hoist on your own petard,’ Cassie said as a footman approached them from the house.

  ‘Ladies,’ he said. ‘Her ladyship asks that you join her in the drawing room for tea.’

  They rose and followed him back indoors, where they found Vincent and Teddy had joined Mrs Malthouse and Lady Martindale.

  ‘You have been gossiping long enough,’ Lady Cartrose told the girls. ‘Now greet Mr Malthouse and Mr Cavenhurst and sit down to have some tea.’

  They obeyed and then seated themselves in a row on a sofa.

  ‘Beats me what you find to talk about,’ Teddy said as the young men found chairs for themselves. ‘Empty-headed tittle-tattle, I’ve no doubt.’

  ‘And what do you find to talk about when you spend hours at your club?’ Sophie responded. ‘I will wager it is not the state of the country’s economy or the plight of the poor or anything of more import than the cut of your coat, the negligence of your valet or the state of your luck.’

  Vincent laughed. ‘She has you there, old man.’

  ‘We will have no quarrelling,’ Emmeline said. ‘Edward, you should be more polite to your sister.’

  ‘Oh, do not mind him, Aunt,’ Sophie said. ‘We are truly rather fond of each other, you know, and where would I be without him? Who else would I have escort me to the Rowlands’ dance?’

  ‘I would gladly be of service,’ Vincent said.

  Sophie looked at him in surprise. ‘Why, thank you, Mr Malthouse, but you are not family and can hardly chaperone me, as Teddy does.’

  ‘No, I realise that,’ he said. ‘But I hope you will save a dance for me.’

  ‘To be sure I will,’ she said, while Cassie giggled. Sophie shot her a quelling look.

  The footman returned. ‘Viscount Kimberley and Lord Wyndham, my lady.’ He stood aside for the two men to enter.

  Immediately the atmosphere in the room changed subtly; there was a tension in the air that had not been there before. Cassie smiled happily, Lucy blushed crimson and Sophie’s back stiffened as if to repel an attack.

  ‘We were passing, my lady,’ Mark said, addressing Lady Cartrose, ‘and decided to call. I hope we have not inconvenienced you.’

  ‘Not at all,’ her ladyship said. ‘We are pleased to see you. I will order fresh tea. Do sit down. We were just discussing the Rowlands’ dance. Will you be one of our party?’

  ‘I am returning to Hadlea the day after tomorrow,’ Mark said. ‘It is one of the reasons I called, to ask if Sophie has any messages for Sir Edward and Lady Cavenhurst. But I am sure my cousin will be pleased to join you.’

  ‘Will you, my lord?’ Cassie turned to Adam, eyes alight.

  He hesitated only a second before saying, ‘I will be honoured, so long as I have no other pressing engagements.’

  ‘It is to raise money to buy the new princess a gift,’ Cassie said as a servant brought in fresh tea. ‘But I shall think of it as a rehearsal for my come-out in July. Do you dance the waltz, my lord?’

  ‘My late wife taught me the steps, but I have not danced it since she passed away.’

  ‘Oh.’ Cassie was at a loss to know what to say. ‘I am sorry, I should not have mentioned it.’

  ‘Why not?’ he said. ‘You were not to know, and I do not mind you speaking of her.’

  He spoke lightly, but Sophie noticed the pain in his eyes and concluded he must have loved his wife very much. At that moment, her animosity towards him softened and she gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘Teddy taught me the steps,’ she said.

  ‘She didn’t need much teaching,’ Teddy put in. ‘My little sister catches on quickly.’

  The moment passed and everyone drank their tea and talked of the dance and how many people they thought would be there. Sophie sent messages to her parents and sister for Mark to deliver, and then Mark and Adam took their leave.

  * * *

  ‘You old rogue,’ Adam said to his cousin as they walked. ‘You let me in for that very neatly, didn’t you?’

  ‘Why?’ Mark feigned innocence. ‘Didn’t you want to go?’

  ‘Not especially. I have a feeling I am being set up for one of the young ladies, and that appals me.’

  ‘I am sure you can let them down gently, cousin. And an evening out will do you no harm. Chasing about town looking for someone who clearly does not want to be found must be very frustrating. Give it a rest.’

  He sighed. ‘It seems I must. Do you have to go back to Hadlea so soon?’

  ‘Yes, I must, but you are welcome to stay on at Wyndham House.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘But there is something that is bothering me. I fear Teddy is slipping back into his old ways, especially since he spends so much time with Toby Moore, and I shall not be here to keep an eye on him.’

  ‘You mentioned Captain Moore before, Mark. What is the story behind that?’

  ‘Captain Moore was in a card-sharping partnership with Lord Bolsover and together they made a great deal of money. They were very clever. No one was able to prove they connived to cheat. They swindled Teddy out of several thousand pounds, which he could not pay, and Lord Bolsover nearly ruined Sir Edward by buying up all his debts and then demanding payment with sky-high interest. Teddy went out to India to escape and made enough money to save the estate. Bolsover was eventually discredited and had to retire to the country, his face badly scarred by fire, which happened when he tried to abduct Jane...’

  ‘Your wife?’

  ‘Yes, but we were not married at that time. Moore is blaming the Cavenhursts for severing a lucrative partnership. I have no doubt he is intent on revenge. How he has won Teddy over, I have no idea, but most of the trouble with Bolsover happened after he had gone to India, and he may not have known of the captain’s involvement.’

  ‘That is quite a tale. Have you warned Cavenhurst?’

  ‘Yes, but he chooses not to listen.’ He paused. ‘I would deem it a favour if you could watch out for him and let me know if anything happens that requires me to intervene. I’ll come back at once if you send for me.’

  ‘Mark, it is hardly your responsibility, and it is certainly not mine, to oversee what your brother-in-law does.’

  ‘I know, but for Jane’s sake and his parents’, too, I would like to keep him out of trouble if I can. He is supposed to be looking out for Sophie, and if he falls by the wayside, goodness knows what she will do. She is not one to sit about meekly doing nothing. You will do this for me, won’t you?’

  Adam could easily imagine the lively Miss Cavenhurst getting into mischief if not carefully watched. The way she had been seen riding unchaperoned in Sir Reginald’s phaeton was an instance of it, but he did not know what he could do to stop her, short of squiring her himself and acting in loco parentis. He did not think she would stand for that, and he did not feel a bit like a parent. After all there were not so many years between them—ten at the most. On the other hand, Mark had been generous to him, letting him stay at Wyndham House, and Captain Moore sounded like a real villain. ‘I will do what I can, but I shall have to go back to Yorkshire myself before too long,’ he said. ‘George Harcourt, my mill manager, is very competent, but what he will do if there is trouble, I do not know.’

  ‘You won’t go without coming to Hadlea to meet my wife and son, will you? After all, you may be worrying for nothing and there will be no uprising.’

  ‘I hope you are right. Will you come and hear me speak in the Lords tomorrow? Perhaps that will persuade Hunt that I am not against him and he will come out of hiding.’

/>   ‘I wouldn’t miss it.’

  * * *

  The House of Lords was packed to hear the debate. Peers who had not attended in years arrived to listen and perhaps speak. Adam, not normally a nervous man, felt his whole raison d’être was on trial and, when called to make his speech, felt his notes fluttering in his hand. He knew what he wanted to say and abandoned them. ‘My lords,’ he began as the murmur of voices stilled to listen. ‘I am here to expound the cause of the workingman. Times are changing. The men who work in our mills and manufactories, who stand at their benches and looms, know that without them our businesses cannot survive. They are skilled men and hold the key to our prosperity, the prosperity of the whole nation, and they deserve to be adequately recompensed. Cutting their wages when profits are down is not the way to treat loyal workers, especially now with the price of bread so high...’

  ‘He would have us all in Poor Street,’ someone shouted.

  Adam ignored him and continued, ‘The Corn Laws ought to be repealed. They serve no useful purpose.’

  ‘Rubbish!’ another voice piped up.

  He smiled. ‘I hesitate to call a law of this country rubbish, but perhaps you are right and we should throw it out.’

  One or two people smiled at this, but most were too angry to see the humour.

  ‘We all have to live, and the world will be a better, more prosperous place, if we live in harmony,’ he went on. ‘To that end we must educate the men so that they understand about how business is conducted, a little of economics and how to express themselves succinctly. Educated men, interested men, well-fed men with healthy families, will work all the better for it. They will not impoverish the country. It is not in their interests to do so. They should have a say in how the country governs itself, to help decide the laws that will have a bearing on their lives...’

  ‘He’s spreading sedition.’

  ‘Revolutionary!’

  He waited silently for the booing and shouting to die down, which it did eventually when they realised he was not going to sit down. ‘Men who have reached a certain standard of education ought to have the franchise, an education which we must provide for all...’