be there. They are probably on the road north. Do not worry. I shall punch Bremmer’s head and bring her back. She can have Bremmer if she wants, but in church and properly. The devil! I was to take Miss Andrews driving. Send a footman with my apologies.’
After he had left, the sisters sat looking stricken. ‘Can he be mistaken?’ said Effy at last. ‘Lady Felicity must know what this means. Not only will Lady Baronsheath be furious, but no one in society will ever want our services. Oh, Amy. Back to the days of cold rooms and stewed scrag-end of mutton.’
‘I hope she breaks her neck,’ said Amy savagely. ‘Of all the cruel and spiteful little minxes . . . Oh, why did we have to advertise for difficult girls. I didn’t like that Miss Andrews, but now she seems like all that is good and worthy in comparison to Felicity.’
All went well with the eloping couple. It was another fine spring day. Great fleecy clouds sailed overhead as they sat up on the box of Lord Bremmer’s travelling carriage. Lord Bremmer had no regrets. Every time he turned to look at Felicity she gave him a soft, glowing smile. He felt ten feet tall. He was sure his parents’ fury would be short-lived when they learned he had had the good sense to elope with a titled heiress.
Confident that no one would be looking for them for some time, as the review was expected to last for over two hours, they broke their journey at a posting house in Barnet. They had been sitting amicably side by side in the coffee room, drinking coffee and eating cake, when Felicity excused herself.
‘Where are you going?’ asked Lord Bremmer.
‘To the Jericho,’ said Felicity calmly.
Lord Bremmer blushed painfully. He felt it was very unwomanly of Felicity to be so graphic. She should have said she was retiring to straighten her gown or something like that.
When Felicity had left, he picked up an old copy of the
Morning Post
and idly studied the advertisements on the front.
The Tribbles’ advertisement seemed to leap out of the page at him. Felicity had confided in him that her misguided mother had answered an advertisement in the
Morning Post
. But surely it could not be this one – ‘If you have a Wild, Unruly, or Undisciplined Daughter . . .’
He put the paper down and shook his head as if to clear it. This could not be the one. It must have been some other advertisement.
He sipped his cooling coffee and waited, and waited. At last, fearing something might have happened to Felicity, he sent a maid to the privy in the inn garden to see if she was still there. But before the maid returned, Felicity erupted into the coffee room, her eyes shining.
‘Such luck,’ she cried. ‘I have bespoke a couple of hunters for us.’
‘Gad! Hunters? Why?’
‘The hunt, man. The hunt. They are already off and running.’
‘You cannot mean to join a hunt in the middle of an elopement.’
Felicity stamped her foot. ‘No one will be after us for hours. It is a perfectly splendid day and the scent is high. Here! Give me that parcel. I must change.’
She seized her brown paper parcel and ran out.
His mouth in a firm line of disapproval, Lord Bremmer went out into the inn courtyard to cancel the order for the hunters. But the landlord had been impressed by Felicity’s forceful personality and said he would not do anything until he had the lady’s permission.
Felicity appeared dressed in the men’s clothes the chambermaid had bought her, but minus the greatcoat and whiskers.
Lord Bremmer closed his eyes at the sight of his beloved in breeches, top boots, and padded coat. She looked like an effete and shoddy Dandy, fallen on hard times.
‘Don’t fall asleep,’ laughed Felicity. ‘Up and away, Bremmer, or we’ll lose them.’
When Lord Bremmer opened his eyes, it was to see Felicity leaping into the saddle.
‘I – I say,’ he called desperately. ‘Gad, Lady Felicity. Oh, Gad.’
With a turnip grin on his face, the landlord was leading a hunter
After he had left, the sisters sat looking stricken. ‘Can he be mistaken?’ said Effy at last. ‘Lady Felicity must know what this means. Not only will Lady Baronsheath be furious, but no one in society will ever want our services. Oh, Amy. Back to the days of cold rooms and stewed scrag-end of mutton.’
‘I hope she breaks her neck,’ said Amy savagely. ‘Of all the cruel and spiteful little minxes . . . Oh, why did we have to advertise for difficult girls. I didn’t like that Miss Andrews, but now she seems like all that is good and worthy in comparison to Felicity.’
All went well with the eloping couple. It was another fine spring day. Great fleecy clouds sailed overhead as they sat up on the box of Lord Bremmer’s travelling carriage. Lord Bremmer had no regrets. Every time he turned to look at Felicity she gave him a soft, glowing smile. He felt ten feet tall. He was sure his parents’ fury would be short-lived when they learned he had had the good sense to elope with a titled heiress.
Confident that no one would be looking for them for some time, as the review was expected to last for over two hours, they broke their journey at a posting house in Barnet. They had been sitting amicably side by side in the coffee room, drinking coffee and eating cake, when Felicity excused herself.
‘Where are you going?’ asked Lord Bremmer.
‘To the Jericho,’ said Felicity calmly.
Lord Bremmer blushed painfully. He felt it was very unwomanly of Felicity to be so graphic. She should have said she was retiring to straighten her gown or something like that.
When Felicity had left, he picked up an old copy of the
Morning Post
and idly studied the advertisements on the front.
The Tribbles’ advertisement seemed to leap out of the page at him. Felicity had confided in him that her misguided mother had answered an advertisement in the
Morning Post
. But surely it could not be this one – ‘If you have a Wild, Unruly, or Undisciplined Daughter . . .’
He put the paper down and shook his head as if to clear it. This could not be the one. It must have been some other advertisement.
He sipped his cooling coffee and waited, and waited. At last, fearing something might have happened to Felicity, he sent a maid to the privy in the inn garden to see if she was still there. But before the maid returned, Felicity erupted into the coffee room, her eyes shining.
‘Such luck,’ she cried. ‘I have bespoke a couple of hunters for us.’
‘Gad! Hunters? Why?’
‘The hunt, man. The hunt. They are already off and running.’
‘You cannot mean to join a hunt in the middle of an elopement.’
Felicity stamped her foot. ‘No one will be after us for hours. It is a perfectly splendid day and the scent is high. Here! Give me that parcel. I must change.’
She seized her brown paper parcel and ran out.
His mouth in a firm line of disapproval, Lord Bremmer went out into the inn courtyard to cancel the order for the hunters. But the landlord had been impressed by Felicity’s forceful personality and said he would not do anything until he had the lady’s permission.
Felicity appeared dressed in the men’s clothes the chambermaid had bought her, but minus the greatcoat and whiskers.
Lord Bremmer closed his eyes at the sight of his beloved in breeches, top boots, and padded coat. She looked like an effete and shoddy Dandy, fallen on hard times.
‘Don’t fall asleep,’ laughed Felicity. ‘Up and away, Bremmer, or we’ll lose them.’
When Lord Bremmer opened his eyes, it was to see Felicity leaping into the saddle.
‘I – I say,’ he called desperately. ‘Gad, Lady Felicity. Oh, Gad.’
With a turnip grin on his face, the landlord was leading a hunter
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