father’s will at last?’ Lady
Weatherby demanded, fixing Philip with her penetrating glance. ‘Never one to be
led by the nose, were you, boy?’
‘I take too much after you,’ Philip said dryly.
Lady Weatherby gave a cackle of laughter. ‘A hit, boy. A
palpable hit! And so,’ she went on, turning her shrewd glance on Madeline, ‘this
is your new bride?’
‘Yes. This is Madeline,’ said Philip.
‘Come closer, girl,’ said the dowager, beckoning with
one bony finger.
Madeline took a step forward, and felt the dowager’s
eyes on her, scrutinising her. ‘So. Married m’nevvy, have you girl?’
‘Yes, my lady.’
‘Pretty manners, anyway,’ she said judiciously. ‘Pretty
face, too. You’ve done us proud, m’boy,’ she said to Philip. ‘A lovelier
Countess there’s never been, not even your great-grandmother, and she was one
of the great beauties of her day.’ The dowager turned her attention back to
Philip. ‘Well, no use sitting here all afternoon, not when there’s sunshine
outside. Ring the bell, Matty. Tell Crookshank we’ll take tea on the lawn.’
The old lady rose to her feet and Philip offered her his
arm. Then, offering Madeline his other arm they went outside, settling themselves
beneath a spreading chestnut tree that grew in the middle of the well-kept
lawn.
So far, the meeting had gone smoothly, thought Madeline.
But remembering Philip’s caution, she kept her wits about her. Although Lady
Weatherby was being charming there was a sharp intelligence behind her eyes,
and it was impossible to know what she was thinking.
Matty soon followed the small group with a pile of
cushions which she arranged on the chairs that had been set under the tree, and
tea was brought out. A silver tray was set on a wooden table spread with a
snowy cloth and the beverage was poured from a silver teapot, fresh and hot.
To begin with, the time passed pleasantly. Lady
Weatherby set herself out to entertain, and once they had finished their tea
she regaled them with tales of her youth.
‘D’you know what this reminds me of, Matty? This
marriage of Madeline and Philip’s?’ she said, with a sly glance at Philip. ‘With
all the ruckus it’s created it reminds me of the time Lady Caroline Lennox ran
away with Henry Fox. You remember it, don’t you Matty, old girl? It was the
talk of the town.’
‘Don’t I just!’ exclaimed Matty as she arranged Lady
Weatherby’s cushions. ‘I was in the schoolroom at the time, but my nurses were
full of it. How romantic it sounded! And how daring! Imagine, defying the Duke
of Richmond!’
‘Duke of Richmond to you and me, but just her father to
Lady Caroline,’ snorted Lady Weatherby. ‘Girls never have minded their fathers,
and never will, I’ll be bound.’
Madeline was startled. She had led an isolated
childhood, and she had not realised that other girls defied their fathers. She
had never even thought of defying her own father, but then, he had been such a
bully that it was not surprising. As she listened to Lady Weatherby’s tales she
realised she knew very little about normal life. Perhaps, over the next six
months, she would have a chance to learn.
‘Still, it all turned out well in the end,’ said
Matterson, drawing Madeline’s thoughts back to the present. ‘Mr Fox became Lord
Holland and Lady Caroline became Lady Holland. And she was reconciled with her
family in the end.’
‘Should think so, too,’ snorted Lady Weatherby. ‘No good
breaking up a family just because of an odd hiccup here and there. And
marriages do cause hiccups, as I should know!’
‘My aunt married a man ten years her junior and
scandalised the neighbourhood,’ Philip explained to Madeline. ‘He was just out
of Oxford , and Aunt Honoria was
an old maid.’
His eyes twinkled as he said it, and Madeline guessed he
was teasing his aunt.
‘Old maid!’ snorted Lady Weatherby, clearly delighted to
be given a chance to contradict. ‘I was in my prime! Old maid,
Weatherby demanded, fixing Philip with her penetrating glance. ‘Never one to be
led by the nose, were you, boy?’
‘I take too much after you,’ Philip said dryly.
Lady Weatherby gave a cackle of laughter. ‘A hit, boy. A
palpable hit! And so,’ she went on, turning her shrewd glance on Madeline, ‘this
is your new bride?’
‘Yes. This is Madeline,’ said Philip.
‘Come closer, girl,’ said the dowager, beckoning with
one bony finger.
Madeline took a step forward, and felt the dowager’s
eyes on her, scrutinising her. ‘So. Married m’nevvy, have you girl?’
‘Yes, my lady.’
‘Pretty manners, anyway,’ she said judiciously. ‘Pretty
face, too. You’ve done us proud, m’boy,’ she said to Philip. ‘A lovelier
Countess there’s never been, not even your great-grandmother, and she was one
of the great beauties of her day.’ The dowager turned her attention back to
Philip. ‘Well, no use sitting here all afternoon, not when there’s sunshine
outside. Ring the bell, Matty. Tell Crookshank we’ll take tea on the lawn.’
The old lady rose to her feet and Philip offered her his
arm. Then, offering Madeline his other arm they went outside, settling themselves
beneath a spreading chestnut tree that grew in the middle of the well-kept
lawn.
So far, the meeting had gone smoothly, thought Madeline.
But remembering Philip’s caution, she kept her wits about her. Although Lady
Weatherby was being charming there was a sharp intelligence behind her eyes,
and it was impossible to know what she was thinking.
Matty soon followed the small group with a pile of
cushions which she arranged on the chairs that had been set under the tree, and
tea was brought out. A silver tray was set on a wooden table spread with a
snowy cloth and the beverage was poured from a silver teapot, fresh and hot.
To begin with, the time passed pleasantly. Lady
Weatherby set herself out to entertain, and once they had finished their tea
she regaled them with tales of her youth.
‘D’you know what this reminds me of, Matty? This
marriage of Madeline and Philip’s?’ she said, with a sly glance at Philip. ‘With
all the ruckus it’s created it reminds me of the time Lady Caroline Lennox ran
away with Henry Fox. You remember it, don’t you Matty, old girl? It was the
talk of the town.’
‘Don’t I just!’ exclaimed Matty as she arranged Lady
Weatherby’s cushions. ‘I was in the schoolroom at the time, but my nurses were
full of it. How romantic it sounded! And how daring! Imagine, defying the Duke
of Richmond!’
‘Duke of Richmond to you and me, but just her father to
Lady Caroline,’ snorted Lady Weatherby. ‘Girls never have minded their fathers,
and never will, I’ll be bound.’
Madeline was startled. She had led an isolated
childhood, and she had not realised that other girls defied their fathers. She
had never even thought of defying her own father, but then, he had been such a
bully that it was not surprising. As she listened to Lady Weatherby’s tales she
realised she knew very little about normal life. Perhaps, over the next six
months, she would have a chance to learn.
‘Still, it all turned out well in the end,’ said
Matterson, drawing Madeline’s thoughts back to the present. ‘Mr Fox became Lord
Holland and Lady Caroline became Lady Holland. And she was reconciled with her
family in the end.’
‘Should think so, too,’ snorted Lady Weatherby. ‘No good
breaking up a family just because of an odd hiccup here and there. And
marriages do cause hiccups, as I should know!’
‘My aunt married a man ten years her junior and
scandalised the neighbourhood,’ Philip explained to Madeline. ‘He was just out
of Oxford , and Aunt Honoria was
an old maid.’
His eyes twinkled as he said it, and Madeline guessed he
was teasing his aunt.
‘Old maid!’ snorted Lady Weatherby, clearly delighted to
be given a chance to contradict. ‘I was in my prime! Old maid,
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