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‘I am not a ninny.’ Her hat had fallen off and her hair had come down. She was acutely conscious of the picture she must present and struggled to sit up but, overcome by dizziness, she collapsed back into his arms.
He looked down at her, torn between scolding her and comforting her. ‘Are you hurt? Any bones broken?’
It was strange how warm and comforting his arms were and how safe she felt, even though the tumult still raged about them and they were in grave danger of being trampled underfoot. ‘No, I do not think so. My head aches.’
Robert put his hand gently behind her head. ‘I am not surprised. There is a bump the size of an egg here and it’s bleeding.’ He looked about him, wondering how to get her safely away. The furious fenmen were out of control and he did not think it would serve to appeal to their better nature, especially if they recognised him. The encounter he had had with them earlier that day had been enough to convince him they meant business.
There was an inn across the road which had only minutes before been swarming with rioters but, having drunk it dry, they had now moved on. It was hardly the place to take a delicately nurtured young lady, but there was no help for it. He scrambled to his feet and retrieved her hat, which he put it into her hands, before stooping and picking her up in his arms as easily as if she were a child. Kicking the door of the inn open, he carried her inside and sat her on a settle, seating himself beside her. ‘Better rest here until the furore has died down.’
It was a dingy, low-ceilinged room, its paintwork blackened by smoke and with an all-pervading smell of stale beer, which caught in her nostrils and made her choke. No one came to serve them, which was not at all surprising, but a young lad of eleven or twelve stood in the doorway of the back room, staring at them with curiosity. ‘Sixpence if you catch the grey horse and bring it here,’ Robert said. ‘And another for bringing the black stallion you will find tethered in the yard of The King’s Head.’ The boy disappeared with alacrity.
‘He might bring the rioters back with him,’ Bella murmured.
‘No, they are too intent on what they are doing.’ He left her and returned with a glass of water. Sitting beside her, he helped her drink it. Then he took the glass away and fetched a bowl of water. ‘I couldn’t find a clean cloth,’ he said, taking a linen handkerchief from his coat pocket and dipping it in the bowl. ‘Let me see how bad that injury is.’
Robert’s fingers were very gentle as he washed the blood from her hair and the back of her head. ‘It’s not as severe as I first thought,’ he said, moving his hand from the back of her head and stroking her cheek with his forefinger. ‘My poor Bella, you are as pale as a ghost.’
She tried not to think of what his gentle touch was doing to her, making her go hot and cold all over. Or was it the shock of being thrown from her horse? How fortunate it was that he had been on hand or she would have been trampled to death. ‘I am only a little shaken,’ she said. ‘I shall be right as ninepence by and by, thank you.’
‘My pleasure.’ He was smiling, which made the purple swelling below his eye more pronounced. She wondered if it hurt him as much as her head hurt her. She supposed it did, though he gave no indication of it.
‘Robert, what are you doing here?’
‘Looking after you.’
‘No, I do not mean that. I meant in Eastmere.’
‘I came to see if I could be of any use to James. They were talking about him in The King’s Head where I had my dinner. It seems they think he is the most likely to hand over money without putting up too much resistance on account of his children.’
‘Do you think he is in danger?’
‘Hard to tell, but he would be well advised to give them what they want.’
‘Or they will give him a taste of what they gave you.’
He smiled ruefully, touching his bruised cheek. ‘Something like that.’
‘Did it happen in Ely, after I left?’
‘Ely, Eastmere, what’s the difference?’ he said enigmatically. It would not help the situation if she felt she ought to be grateful to him. Gratitude was not what he wanted. ‘The whole countryside is in ferment.’
‘You don’t think the Comtesse is right, do you? About revolution, I mean.’
‘No, I do not. But as soon as I have seen you safely home, I will go and see James. I might be able to help.’
‘I am not going home.’
‘No? Where were you going?’
‘I was on my way to Downham Market to find Miss Battersby.’
‘Old Batters? Why?’
‘I need her advice.’
‘Oh, I see.’ He knew what she meant and questioned whether the elderly servant would offer wise counsel, but he did not say so. He grinned impishly. ‘Riding into a riot and being knocked senseless was preferable to choosing a husband, is that it?’
‘It is no laughing matter.’
‘The riot or choosing a husband?’
‘Both.’ Bella paused, wishing she did not feel so dizzy. ‘I don’t know what to do about it. Grandfather is not at all well, and if I defy him he might have a seizure. I am very fond of him…’
‘Of course you are, my dear, but he has been excessively unkind to you. While other young ladies of your age are being taken to Town for a Season, going to balls and soirées and picnics, you are stuck in the country with an old skinflint who thinks more of preserving his lands and estate than the sensibilities of his granddaughter.’
‘He is not a skinflint,’ she said, staunchly defending the Earl. ‘It is just that he is getting old and plagued by gout, which makes him crotchety. And he is worried about what will become of me when…’ She could not bring herself to end the sentence.
‘Loyal as always, my dear. I would not blame you if you damned the lot of us.’
‘It is not your fault.’
‘No, nor Edward’s either. Fond of old Teddy, aren’t you?’
She looked up at him, startled by his tone. ‘Yes, of course, but I am fond of you, too…’
‘Nice of you to say so,’ Robert said laconically as the sounds of rioting faded. It was now uncannily quiet and he assumed the men had moved on. Soon it would be safe to leave and he would have to take Bella home. It would be the end of their delightful tête-à-tête. ‘But I am persuaded there is a difference. He is the rightful heir and I do believe his lordship is being perverse just to amuse himself.’
‘I do not find it amusing.’
‘No, of course you don’t. But stands to reason that he expects you to choose Edward. There is no alternative.’
‘Edward is engaged.’
‘No, he has not yet offered.’
‘You do not mean he would repudiate it? Oh, Robert, I cannot believe that of him—he is an honourable man.’
‘A title and great wealth are powerful arguments. I am glad I do not have to make the choice.’
She said nothing for a minute while she thought about what he had said, which only served to convince him he had been right—it was only Edward’s previous attachment which was holding her back. ‘You should think of yourself sometimes, you know,’ he went on. ‘Why don’t you ask his lordship to give you a Season in Town, see you launched properly? You might meet someone else more to your liking. Someone eligible.’
‘Oh, that would be wonderful. But how could I go? There is no one to bring me out.’
‘Mama would do it,’ he said. ‘She is taking a house in Town for the Season.’
‘Grandfather would not let me go. He will not let me go anywhere until I have said which one of you I will marry.’
‘Then we are at a stand.’
Her head was clearing rapidly and she was suddenly possessed of an idea which was so audacious and yet so simple that she wondered why she had not thought of it before. ‘There is something you could do for me,’ she said slowly.
‘Anything, my dear Bella. Anything in my power.’
‘If Grandfather could be convinced I had made my choice, he would drop the subject.’
‘Naturally he would.’
‘Then, please, offer for me.’
‘Me?’ He could not believe his ears.
‘Oh, do not look so shocked. I do not mean it to be a real engagement, but if we could only pretend…’
He was puzzled and intrigued, too. ‘And what purpose would that serve?’
‘What I need is time and it would give me that and…and a little freedom to be myself for a few weeks. If we told his lordship we had come to an understanding, he would agree to let me pay a visit to your mama, wouldn’t he? If Cousin Henrietta would be so kind as to invite me. I truly cannot think properly while I am at Westmere. Being away might help.’
‘Bella, I do believe that knock on your head has addled your brains. Have you thought about how you will bring it to an end, even if I should agree? I’m not the sort to make and break engagements, you know. It’s just not the done thing. The whole ton will cut me dead as soon as it is known. I will not be received in any respectable hostess’s drawing room. And Lord Westmere will be furious, not to mention Edward.’
‘Why should he mind?’
‘Bella, think about it. He knows he should be the heir and we both agreed we would not play his lordship’s game.’
‘Please, Robert. We do not need to make a public announcement of our engagement, then your pride will not be hurt when it comes to an end.’
‘Then what is the point of it?’
‘To satisfy Grandfather.’
‘To gull him, you mean.’
‘There is no one else I can ask. James would certainly not take me to London. He wants a housekeeper and mother for his girls, nothing more. And if I went to London on the arm of Louis…’
‘Yes, I see your point,’ he said, smiling a little. ‘Be taken for one of his ladybirds, I shouldn’t wonder. Not the thing, not the thing at all.’
‘Then you will do it?’
‘Bella you are a dear girl but…’ He paused. The temptation to gamble with his own happiness was there, but he could not take it. He was sure the Earl meant Bella to marry Edward and that was only right and proper. Edward could give her so much more than he could and ensure that she remained at her beloved Westmere. It was simply the Earl’s way of bringing the two together. He would not consider Miss Mellish an obstacle. ‘Do you think you can ride now?’
She felt immeasurably saddened. For one brief moment she thought she had seen a way out, but he was right—it was a hare-brained scheme. ‘Yes, I think so.’
‘I will go and see if that boy has brought our horses.’ He took his arm from about her shoulders and left her to her muddled thoughts. And they were muddled. How could she have made such an outrageous suggestion? It had put Robert in an invidious position, and after he had been so kind to her, too. He was right, of course, it would not answer. But why could she not let it go? Why did she long to get away, to have a little enjoyment?
She stood up and wandered round the room. At the window she stopped and looked out. The street was quiet; there was no one in sight except Robert and the boy, who was leading Misty and the black stallion towards the inn. Robert was lucky it had not been stolen, she thought as she watched him give the boy a coin and take the horses from him. She went to the door as he approached. She was suddenly aware of how tall and muscular he was, how ruggedly handsome with his tanned face and laughing brown eyes. It unnerved her.
‘Is the riot over?’ she asked.
‘The boy says they’re all in the market-place, listening to the magistrates, but if they don’t get what they want they’ll be up in arms again, you can be sure. The sooner you are on your way home the better.’
‘But Miss Battersby and James…’
‘I will go and see how they are after I have seen you safely back at Westmere,’ he said, helping her to mount.
‘Thank you, Robert, but I do not need an escort,’ she said more sharply than she intended, though she was more angry with herself than with him. How could she have been so forward as to ask him to offer for her? It was enough to give him a complete aversion to her. ‘It is more important for you to find out what has happened. Fetch Ellen home. Bring her sister, too, if she wishes to come.’
‘Nevertheless, I insist. There is no knowing what you will meet up with on the way.’
‘Fustian! I have been riding these roads all my life.’
But it was only a token protest and they rode side by side in silence until they reached the outskirts of Westmere village. Here, the northernmost wall of the estate ran alongside the road. ‘I am almost home now, Captain,’ she said, stopping at a small gate. ‘I can take a short cut through the wood. Thank you for your timely rescue.’
It was a definite dismissal and Robert thought about arguing but changed his mind. Bella was an excellent rider and he was confident that she would come to no harm on Huntley land. Besides, he did not fancy going back to the leaden atmosphere of Westmere Hall and her silent reproaches because he had not seen fit to accede to her wishes. Secret engagement, indeed!
He dismounted and opened the gate for her to ride through. She smiled and bowed slightly from the waist as she passed him. He had no hat to remove but, instead, doffed an imaginary one, making her laugh. He watched until she was out of sight among the trees, then shut the gate and remounted. He did not think Ellen Battersby would leave her sister, but he would try to persuade her for Bella’s sake. And there was James, who might need his help. Suddenly, with the prospect of a little action, he felt more cheerful than he had done since he had left the battlefield at Waterloo.
Chapter Three (#uadc00bc7-64db-51a1-a135-8c845db5ca69)
The Westmere wood was the only substantial stand of trees in the area. It was here the Earl’s gamekeeper raised pheasants and partridges for his lordship’s sport, though he had not been out shooting for some time. Bella suspected that much of the game found its way into the local poachers’ capacious pockets. If the birds went to feed the hungry poor then she, for one, did not begrudge them. Primroses grew in abundance in the early spring and there might still be a few late blooms under the shelter of the trees where the ground was less soggy. She would gather a few for her room—perhaps their sweet new growth would cheer her.
She had dismounted and was stooping to pick a few of the delicate blooms when she became aware that she was bring watched. She looked up sharply. A tiny old woman in a ragged black cloak, green with age, stood watching her. She had, Bella noticed, the clearest, bluest eyes she had ever seen, incongruous in such a brown, wrinkled face.
‘Who are you?’ Bella demanded. She was about to add that the woman was trespassing on Huntley land but decided she was doing no harm and was probably, like her, out to gather flowers.
The woman ignored the question. ‘Want your fortune told, my dear?’ she asked, holding out a bony hand.
‘No, I do not think so, thank you.’
‘You should. You have a decision to make…’
Bella gasped. ‘How do you know that?’
‘I have the gift of second sight.’ In spite of her unprepossessing appearance, the old woman’s voice was surprisingly cultured. ‘Don’t you want to know what the future has in store for you if you make the right choice?’ She paused. ‘Or the wrong one…?’
‘I don’t know…’ She was wavering. What harm could it do?
‘Come with me.’ The old lady pointed to a tiny hovel which had once been a woodman’s dwelling, but there was no woodman now that Bella knew of.
‘You live there?’
‘I do.’ She held out her hand again. ‘Come, you can rest awhile before you return home.’ Without waiting for a reply, she took Misty’s reins, tied the horse to a tree and led the way to the cottage, which was surrounded by a patch of well-tended garden.
Bemused, Bella followed her, ducking her head under the low lintel of the door. Inside was a single room, with an earth floor and a tiny window. It was furnished with a table, a couple of chairs and a bed in a corner covered with a multicoloured quilt. A dresser against the wall held stacked crockery and also rows of jars containing she knew not what. Bunches of herbs hung from a beam to dry. There were more on the tiny window-sill. Everywhere was surprisingly clean.
‘Sit,’ her hostess commanded. ‘I will give you a herbal drink which will soothe you.’
It did not occur to Bella not to obey and she sat and watched as the tiny woman flitted about the room, picking up a bottle of this, a jar of that and adding some of the contents to a glass of clear water, stirring it with a thin stick. She had a kind of restless energy which defied her age. But how old was she? Fifty? Sixty? Seventy? More perhaps. She looked as though she had never had a square meal in her life, she was so thin. But her eyes! They were mesmerising.
‘Who are you?’ Bella asked. ‘How long have you been living here?’
