7 #2
Jane glanced at her cousin’s beautiful face. She looked thoughtful, as if pondering a difficult problem.
“When you are living here as the Colonel’s wife, I am sure you can persuade him to involve himself in other, less muddy, hobbies.”
“What? Oh yes, yes, indeed I shall. And, of course, it will be very cold in Greece during the winter.”
Puzzled at this odd remark, Jane just nodded politely and led the way indoors to order tea to be served at once, trusting that that would bring the gallant gardeners indoors.
Overnight the wind increased and rain clouds began to gather from the west. The sunny days were obviously over and Jane was glad she had thought to ask Tabitha to pack warmer dresses and coats.
No visitors arrived at Deerwood that day—they were all to meet up at Robyns for dinner that evening.
There was a mood of quiet anticipation throughout the house; Celeste, in particular, was very excited at the thought of the outing, insisting that Jane inspect her wardrobe and advise on which of her many dresses she should wear.
“The dear Colonel has allowed me to have, how you say, credit at a shop in Dorchester,” she said, proudly displaying a silk and satin dress in emerald green, with huge, diaphanous sleeves in paler green gauze, embellished with many frills and flounces.
Jane thought it far too grand for a simple country dinner, but the girl was so pleased with it that she didn’t have the heart to pour cold water on her choice.
“I long to see Robyns and meet Lady Goddard. The Colonel does not go out into company nearly enough for a man of his consequence. This will hopefully be the first of many such dinners. Lady Goddard’s friends in the neighbourhood will hear of our attending and ask us in return.
And I am determined to persuade the Colonel to give a great dinner, with dancing.
It would be very agreeable to hold such an affair before Dr Moore leaves for Greece. ”
She laughed. “He is such a charming young man but assures me he cannot dance. That he has, how he puts it, two left feet! But surely that cannot be the case. We shall see. I shall speak to the Colonel and insist on a dance here at Deerwood.”
Jane would have liked to have given a word of warning, that she must not arouse the suspicion of the local population by acting as the chatelaine before a formal announcement of her betrothal was made. But Celeste was like a child in her excitement and could not be calmed.
Eventually she escaped back to her own room where Tabitha was waiting to style her hair.
“Which dress will you be wearing this evening, Miss Jane?” the young girl asked as she brushed and braided and twisted the long fair hair up into an intricate pattern, leaving just one tendril to curl down around each ear.
“I thought the pale pink.” Jane glanced up into the mirror and realised the maid was frowning. “No? You do not approve?”
Tabitha blushed. “Oh Miss Jane, it isn’t for me to approve or disapprove. The pink’s pretty right enough, but oh Miss, I do love to see you in the cream silk.”
Jane hesitated; she wasn’t even aware that she had brought the cream dress with its wide sleeves and heavily embroidered bodice to Deerwood.
She thought she had bundled it up and thrown it to the back of her wardrobe because she had been wearing it in London when dancing with Digby.
She could only imagine that Tabitha had found it, and thought it had been discarded for washing.
She had to admit, once the dress was on, that it suited her better than the pale pink, not that she was bothered about how she looked.
She was quite certain that old Lady Goddard would disapprove of her on principle, because she wasn’t Anne.
And as for the two gentlemen—she pushed her thoughts away.
What did it matter if Archer Maitland approved of her dress?
Surely her thoughts and ideas were more important than what she was wearing?
“Miss Jane—” Tabitha was holding out her dark brown velvet shawl, obviously hesitating to speak but anxious to do so.
“Yes, Tabitha.”
“Miss Jane, I’ve heard from some of the other servants that there is a sort of village celebration tonight at the Green Man Inn, because the harvest is all collected and good. It happens every year, they do say. I know it isn’t my day off, but …”
“But I am going out and all you have to do is sit in your room, sewing on all my missing buttons and ribbons!” Jane smiled. “It sounds a jolly affair. Why, there might be dancing, you’d enjoy that, Tabitha.”
“Oh, I couldn’t dance with farm boys, Miss Jane. That would never do. But I’ve never seen a harvest celebration and …”
“Of course you can go. But please be back at the house by ten o’clock and make sure you do not walk alone though the woods. Stay with the other servants.”
Tabitha curtsied. “Thank you, Miss Jane. I’ll do just what you say.
” She crossed her fingers behind her back as she spoke, because everyone knew that meant you weren’t really telling a lie.
She wasn’t sure if the other Deerwood maids were going to the village—and she certainly wasn’t going to ask that irritating Luisa to go with her—but she was so bored here in the country and any sort of celebration must surely be exciting.
By six o’clock, with the wind gusting around the house, rattling the old window panes, Jane, Susannah and Celeste were sitting waiting in the drawing room.
The housekeeper had, indeed, had the fire lit and the flames gave a welcome heat to the chilly room.
A footman had reported that the carriage was outside but the Colonel had not yet appeared.
“What can be keeping the dear man,” Celeste said, jumping up and pacing across the room in a rustle and flash of emerald green from beneath her evening cloak.
“Cousin, sit and rest. You will overtire yourself.”
Just then the door opened and the Colonel appeared, but he looked pale, was still wearing his day attire and was leaning heavily on the arm of his valet, Dixon. The three women started forward in alarm.
“My dears, pray do not fret yourselves, but I fear I will not be able to accompany you tonight. My leg—the one that carries the wound I received—I am afraid I wrenched it whilst gardening.”
He smiled across at Susannah. “You did warn me to be careful, Miss Courtney, but I was so determined to place the fountain in the right place myself!”
“But Colonel, surely if you sit very still and do not walk about, a meal will be of no hardship? Will Lady Goddard not think it rude if we do not go.” Celeste looked appalled, her plans for the evening in ruins.
“I am sure Lady Goddard will understand perfectly. She would not want you to sit at her table in pain.” Jane threw a cross glance at her cousin. Surely she should be thinking of the pain her loved one was suffering, not what a neighbour would say?
“Celeste, my dear, wipe away that frown. Indeed, you must all go. It would distress me to think I had deprived you of such an outing. You will enjoy seeing Robyns and I know Lady Goddard is most anxious to meet you all, especially you, my dear.”
“How kind of you, Colonel!” Celeste was suddenly all smiles again, the scowl that had for the moment wiped away all her prettiness, now banished by his words.
“And you can have a quiet evening here in peace. Come Jane, Miss Courtney, we must not keep the carriage waiting. It is bad for the horses, so I have been told.”
Susannah stepped forward and took off her cloak.
“I shall stay here with the Colonel,” she said firmly.
“Lady Goddard knows nothing about me and I am sure will not miss my presence in the slightest.” She motioned Dixon to help his master to a comfortable chair by the fire.
“There are many interesting books here on the shelves. I will read out loud for a while and then we can order a light supper before retiring.”
Jane hesitated. She wanted to go to dinner at Robyns as much as Celeste, but surely it was her duty to stay with her godfather. “But Susannah …”
“Run along, Jane. Celeste is quite right. You must not keep horses waiting. All three of my brothers have given me that piece of information many times over the years!” And she settled herself into the chair on the other side of the fire, picked up a large, leather-bound tome and gave them a kind smile of dismissal.