Chapter Eight #2
He paid her marked attention and she could see very well that he liked her.
She liked him. What could be more delicious than that?
Oh, perhaps one thing could. Lord Burkhart had looked very frowny at the baron when that gentleman spoke of finding a wife.
Whether or not she ought to have felt flattered by that was beside the point. She was flattered by it.
Pansy was determined not to think about the only not so happy aspect of becoming acquainted with Lord Burkhart.
The ongoing Roses War argument between him and Mr. Lelander.
And now the new added argument from the baron about the House of Normandy.
She and her sisters had still not devised a cure for this disagreement.
She had really thought the dispute was the most absurd thing possible, until she recalled the enmity between Chemsworth Hall and Holby House.
That ancient history had begun long before she was born.
Mrs. Ravencraft had been going round the neighborhood hinting that the viscountess was mannish for riding her horse astride.
This had necessitated the viscountess to ride to Holby House, in state and astride.
She refused to dismount her horse and Mrs. Ravencraft was forced to come out on the drive to attend her as she demanded an explanation.
There had not been an explanation. That had led to icy relations forevermore.
The matter of the viscountess riding astride was not quite as significant as who ought to be king, so she supposed that was why the argument had lingered.
Even if they were set in their ways, she longed for Lord Burkhart and Mr. Lelander to give it up. The how of it was still a mystery, though.
Poppy and Mr. Lelander had been playing backgammon. Or pretending to play so they might have a conversation. Now her sister and Mr. Lelander had walked over to the pianoforte.
Pansy noticed Mr. Lelander stood on the baron’s side of the pianoforte. He refused to even stand next to Lord Burkhart. She would like to shake both of them.
“Pans,” Poppy said, “I was telling Mr. Lelander that I am worried for Miss Millthorpe.”
Pansy looked up from the keys. “I have thought it too when we were at dinner.”
“We are determined to find a way to check on her on the morrow and bring some foodstuffs in case she has run low.”
Pansy was rather delighted with the casual use of “we” to mean Poppy and Mr. Lelander. “We could use the sleigh,” she said.
“Do you have the horses to pull it if I attend you?” Lord Burkhart said.
“And I will attend too,” Mr. Lelander said.
“That is not the least worry. My father has a stableful of Suffolk Punches,” Pansy said.
“And the Vis-à-Vis sleigh will fit four,” Poppy said. “Certainly, the coachman could be considered a duenna. Papa trusts Johnny Johns entirely.”
“Lord Montachet,” Poppy said, “you might sit up with the coachman. It would be a very tight squeeze, but it could be done and the horses can easily pull the extra weight.”
“No, no! Not at all necessary to include me,” the baron exclaimed. His face had gone rather pale at the idea. He took a deep breath and said, “Do give my best to this lady you visit.”
Pansy thought he’d seemed almost frightened by the idea of being included in the plan. She did not at all mind that he did not wish to go, she’d only asked out of courtesy. It really was for the best, as she was certain Johnny Johns would have been aggravated to be squeezed in his seat.
“It is settled, then,” Mr. Lelander said. “We will gain the viscount’s permission to use the sleigh and travel to the rescue of Miss Millthorpe.”
“I will assure the viscount of his daughters’ safety,” Lord Burkhart said.
“I will further assure him,” Mr. Lelander said.
Pansy began to hit the keys a little sharper to interrupt what could be another debate between them.
As she looked down, she did notice out of the corner of her eye the baron’s hands fidgeting.
He seemed to have a rather nervous sort of disposition that had not been apparent on first acquaintance.
Perhaps his adventure in the snow this day had begun to take a toll.
In any case, he finally wandered away to admire their ormolu clock on the mantel and the porcelain figurines of the viscountess’s collection. He moved on to examine the paintings on the wall, bypassing Poppy’s landscape with barely a glance and settling on the Patinir.
She began to think him a bit strange, though she could not positively point to anything. In any case, he would not be here long and she wished him the best of luck with his journey to London and his search for a wife.
“How far is Miss Millthorpe’s house?” Lord Burkhart asked.
“The cottage is not at all far,” Pansy said. “We walk there all the time, and she walks here despite my father offering to send her a carriage. In the daytime, we can see her roof from the top floor.”
“I would urge the ladies to wear very warm clothing to avoid a chill,” Lord Burkhart said.
“I have already discussed that matter with Miss Poppy,” Mr. Lelander said. “She is very sensitive to the cold.”
“Pops,” Pansy said, “you would have positively died today it was so cold.” She had purposely ignored the two gentlemen’s one-upmanship regarding how warmly they ought to dress.
“Miss Poppy was even chilled from our short time in the garden,” Mr. Lelander said. “She did not complain of it, but I could see it very well.”
“It might have been the shock of almost falling,” Poppy said. “Before Mr. Lelander caught me.”
Pansy bent her head and smiled at the keys lest she laugh aloud. The shock of almost falling in the garden, indeed.
“Did you give the lady your coat?” Lord Burkhart asked.
“I did not wear a coat. I do not feel the cold as Miss Poppy does.”
Pansy swallowed a sigh. These two men were irascible.
Burkhart had mostly recovered from his adventure in the snow the day before. When he’d finally got back to the house it had taken a deal of time in front of the fire to warm up his feet. Nevertheless, Miss Pansy remained most impressed so what were ten frozen toes compared to that?
When he’d risen in the morning he could see the storm had abated.
The day was overcast but he hoped they were done with the snow for now.
They ought to be able to make their way to Miss Millthorpe’s house.
It was annoying that Lelander would accompany them, but at least the strange baron would stay behind.
He would do his best to ignore both of those gentlemen while he had the company of a genial lady.
Smith had attempted to take the coat Miss Pansy had worn through the storm for a brushing and cleaning, but he’d told him to leave it where it was.
It smelled faintly of roses and he would keep it nearby for now.
The last thing he’d expected at dinner was for a strange baron to turn up as the storm raged out of doors. There was something odd about this man. He did not understand why the fellow was not traveling in a carriage. Did he not have his own?
If that was the case, if his household could not afford him a carriage, then surely he went to London on a dowry hunt. How convenient that he knocked on Chemsworth’s doors, rather than another door nearby that did not house two ladies who were well funded.
But even that supposition did not sit quite right.
If he did not have a carriage, why did he not simply hire a post-chaise?
Or if he could manage the discomfort in favor of speed, get on a mail coach?
He might suppose the fellow was determined to get his horse to Town, but if he were short of funds that did not seem likely. Stabling would be expensive.
Burkhart could not accuse the man of anything in particular beyond eccentricity, and yet, he had an uneasy feeling about him.
He was more and more certain that the fellow was on his way to London to make a match that came with a suitable dowry.
There was nothing shameful in that, many estates needed infusions.
However, he was not doing it in any usual fashion.
Where were his clothes for a season? He only carried panniers.
Where was his valet? Again, it might be plausible that his valet had gone ahead with his clothes.
But that just circled back round to the idea that the man traveled in a fashion that did not quite add up.
He wished the baron to set off for his destination as soon as possible. Whatever and whoever he was, there was no reason he must pause overlong here.
After he was dressed, Burkhart waited for Smith to leave the room, smelled his coat scented with roses again, and went downstairs.
Fortunately, the viscount was in the breakfast room. Last evening, they’d had no moment to gain his permission for the plan to take the sleigh, as the gentleman had promptly fallen asleep in his chair after dinner.
As Burkhart sat down at table, Miss Pansy smiled at him and said, “Now we are all here, Papa, we would wish to take the Vis-à-Vis sleigh today to visit Miss Millthorpe. We are very worried that she might not have sufficient food or fire. Poppy and I looked out the nursery windows this morning and we did see smoke from her chimney—”
“But it was a very thin stream of smoke,” Miss Poppy said. “We feel as if she must be rationing wood.”
The viscount appeared thoughtful. “I would not like Miss Millthorpe to suffer in any manner. Perhaps we have been careless in not fetching her while we could yesterday. I had not considered that her stores will not be as extensive as our own. Who is planning to go out on this adventure?”
“Poppy and I,” Miss Pansy said, “and Lord Burkhart and Mr. Lelander, with Johnny Johns acting as duenna.”
“Johns is to act as duenna, is he?” the viscount said, laughing. “He will be delighted with that, I’m sure.”
“Papa,” Miss Poppy said, “you know you could trust Johnny Johns with our lives. He will take us directly there, and then Miss Millthorpe will be present as a companion.”
“True, true.”