A Country Miss in Hanover Square (12 page)

He must go, of course! Hazledeane must be in desperate straits and his sister was younger. If she truly had no one, Harry was duty bound to help her as best he could. He sighed because this was a duty he could well have done without, but there was nothing for it. He sat down at his desk and began to write a note to Mrs Hampton, telling her that he was called away on business and would hope to see her in Bath in no more than two weeks from now. That would surely give him enough time to complete his business in Cambridgeshire!

Susannah had felt some misgiving when her mother read the short letter to her. It had sounded abrupt, as if Harry had been in a hurry, and it caused a cold shiver to run down her spine. She did not know why it should have made her feel so apprehensive—after all, it would only be a matter of a few days longer before he came to Bath. Besides, they had been so taken up with saying goodbye to their friends, returning books to the library and picking up packages that had been ordered from various shops that the time had flown.

The day for their departure to Bath arrived and they set out on the journey in good spirits. Susannah could not help looking for ward to Harry’s visit and the letter that might spell the beginning of her hap pi ness.

However, she had determined that she would carry on as usual, and it was a pleasant surprise when Toby Sinclair came to call the day after they arrived in Bath.

‘How nice to see you, sir,’ Mrs Hampton said when he was shown into the parlour where they sat together. ‘We did not know that you intended to come down, Mr Sinclair.’

‘Oh…I posted down to visit some friends,’ Toby said airily, but his eyes were on Susannah. ‘Mama asked me to call on her, which I shall, but I think I shall spend a few days in Bath first. My visit to Mama is not urgent. I wondered whether Miss Susannah would care to drive out to see some of the sights—ma’am—Miss Royston? I have another seat in my curricle if you wish?’

‘I think we may trust her to your care, sir,’ Mrs Hampton said. He was a pleasant young man and his attentions to Susannah had become more particular of late. Nothing was settled with Lord Pendleton yet and there was no certainty of anything. ‘I trust you have your groom with you?’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ Toby said, his eyes never moving from Susannah. ‘Would you care for a drive, Miss Hampton? It is pleasant out today.’

‘If you will give me a moment to collect my parasol and pelisse,’ Susannah told him, ‘I shall be happy to drive with you, sir.’

She was pleased to be on such good terms with Harry’s nephew. If she had not liked Harry Pendleton so very much, she might have thought Toby a very good sort of husband.

‘Lord Pendleton has offered to teach me to drive when we visit his estate,’ she told Toby when he handed her into his curricle. ‘I am looking forward to it so much.’

‘Harry is one of the best whips I know,’ Toby said. ‘However, I shall be happy to give you a few lessons myself. It would be too difficult for you on the road, but I shall be visiting with Lady Pendleton and Harry next month, and it will please me to give you a few pointers.’

‘Show me how to hold the reins as we drive,’ Susannah said, giving him such a brilliant smile that a passer-by grinned to himself and thought he had seen a pair of young lovers. ‘I should be pleased to know a little before Harry takes me driving.’

‘Well, you hold them in one hand like this,’ Toby said. ‘That gives you a free hand for the whip. Not that you need it often with well-trained cattle. I only use it if I have to get somewhere in a hurry, but you will drive at a sedate pace. It wouldn’t be fitting for a young lady to race, of course. Not done at all.’

‘Oh…’ Susannah looked at him wistfully. ‘Would it not, sir? I am disappointed. I should have liked to race—when I am able to drive well enough, and on a private estate, of course.’

‘Dashed if you ain’t a girl of spirit,’ Toby said and chuckled. ‘We might manage it some time—once you are safe behind a pair. You would have to keep it to yourself, of course. People talk so much, you know.’

‘Do you really mean it?’ Susannah’s eyes lit with excitement.

‘Yes…’ Toby knew a moment of disquiet, for he had spoken on impulse. ‘It would have to be our secret, of course. I do not think Harry would approve and your mama certainly would not.’

‘No, she wouldn’t,’ Susannah agreed. ‘However, neither of them need know. We cannot do it until the moment is right, but I should so like to do some thing exciting—an adventure. It could not harm anyone and if it were in private it would not be scandalous at all, would it?’

‘Lord, no,’ Toby assured her airily and then wondered if he had been wise to encourage her. It did not seem that way to him, but he could not vouch for his uncle’s opinion. Harry could be stern at times. However, he did not want to take the glow from Susannah’s lovely face and it might never happen. It was probably just a piece of nonsense and she would forget all about it.

‘Lord Pendleton should return soon,’ Susannah said. ‘We are being spoiled! A visit to London, now Bath and then Pendleton—I do wish it might go on for ever.’

‘Well, perhaps it may,’ Toby told her and grinned. ‘I tell you what—we’re coming to a quiet spot now. Would you like to hold the reins for a bit?’

Susannah’s smile was all the reward he needed. She was a beauty and a good sport too. Toby wasn’t sure if his uncle meant to offer for her or not, but she was certainly a dashed pretty girl!

Harry watched as the sick man signed what amounted to his last will and testament, making Harry his sole executor and the temporary guardian of Hazledeane’s sister Jenny. The inn keeper and the scribe added their names and the inn keeper departed, clutching the small purse of gold that paid his debt in full. Harry looked at the solicitor’s clerk.

‘Tell your master that I will call tomorrow and discuss Mr Hazledeane’s estate.’

‘Yes, sir,’ the clerk said and accepted the guinea Harry offered for his pains in answering the summons. ‘Mr Humberston will expect you in the morning.’

Harry turned back to the dying man. Hazledeane’s breathing was growing more laboured. Time was short now. ‘You under stand that I shall hand the care of Miss Hazledeane over to Lady Pendleton? I am not the right person to care for your sister, Hazledeane. I shall rescue what I can from this mess, though by the sound of it the sale of your estate will scarcely pay your debts. What possessed you to play so deep when you knew you had mort gages on the land? You must have known it meant ruin?’

‘They draw you in, Harry. You have no idea what kind of men they are,’ Hazledeane said. ‘I’ve known for some months that my chest was weak, that I had consumption. It was desperation, I suppose—’ He broke off as a fit of coughing overtook him, the cloth stained with bright crimson. Harry gave him water and after a moment he fell back, exhausted. ‘Nothing matters but Jenny. He wanted her, Harry. He said he would pay my debts if I gave Jenny to him, but he would use her and desert her. She deserves better even if I have let her down.’

‘Save your breath,’ Harry told him. ‘You speak of these men—and of one in particular—but you have not named them.’

‘It was him…Northaven…’ the dying man gasped. ‘I swear he cheated me in the hope of getting her, but I wouldn’t…’ His body arched, a bubble of blood issuing from his mouth as he twisted in pain for some minutes, then he fell back.

‘You must rest and then tell me all of it—all their names,’ Harry said, but as he bent over the man he saw that it was too late. Hazledeane had spoken his last, and he had named Northaven as the architect of his downfall. Harry closed his eye lids and placed copper coins over the lids, then made the sign of the cross over the dead man. ‘God rest your soul. May He pity you and give you peace.’

Glancing around the room, Harry picked up the few things of value Hazledeane had possessed and pocketed them, together with the deed of Hazledeane’s will. He would make arrangements with the landlord for the vicar to be fetched and return for the funeral as soon as it could be arranged. For the moment he must make a journey of some fifteen miles to Hazledeane’s estate, where he hoped to find Miss Jenny Hazledeane. She might wish to be present at her brother’s funeral. Hazledeane had refused to have her fetched to his sickbed, saying that he did not deserve her for give ness. Harry had respected his wishes, but he was not sure how Miss Hazledeane would feel about the prospect of being under his guardian ship.

He sighed as he realised his business would take him a little longer than he had imagined, for he could not travel with Miss Hazledeane unchaperoned. If she had a suitable maid it might be accomplished, but otherwise he must find her one. The sooner he could deliver her to his mother, the better—and he was not sure she would thank him for it! However, he knew her well enough to believe that she would not refuse him. He prayed she would accept the burden, otherwise he would have to find either a school or a com pan ion for Hazledeane’s sister.

All he wanted was to drive to Bath to renew his relationship with Susannah, but he had been unable to refuse a dying man’s request to care for his sister. He must do what he could for her and hope that his mother would take responsibility for her quite soon.

‘Lord Pendleton sends his apologies,’ Mrs Hampton said as she finished reading her letter that morning in the elegant parlour of Amelia’s house in the Crescent. ‘He will not be able to come for another day or so and…’ she turned the page ‘…Lady Elizabeth Pendleton is to accompany them.’ She looked puzzled. ‘I did not know that Lord Pendleton had a ward called Miss Jenny Hazledeane, did you, Susannah?’

‘No. He has never mentioned her to me,’ Susannah said. She had been poring over a copy of the
Ladies’ Monthly Journal
, but she laid it aside. ‘But I see no reason why he should…do you?’

‘No, I suppose not,’ Mrs Hampton frowned. ‘He says they will spend a few days here in Bath and then his mother and Miss Hazledeane will go ahead to prepare for guests. He says he shall visit us as soon as he arrives.’

‘Oh, that will be nice,’ Susannah said and smiled. ‘I am sorry that he is not to come tomorrow as he thought, but it will not be so very long…’ She turned her head as she heard the rattle of wheels on cobbles outside the house. ‘Ah, I think that must be Toby Sinclair. He has come to take me driving.’

‘Again?’ Mrs Hampton lifted her brows. ‘That is the third time this week, Susannah. He is paying you a great deal of attention, dearest.’

‘Oh, it is nothing—mere friend ship,’ Susannah replied. She did not wish her mother to know that Mr Sinclair was teaching her the first stages of driving a curricle and pair, because she might not approve. They had, after all, been driving in public places, though Toby was careful to choose very quiet spots, and he kept a strict eye on the horses. He was a patient teacher and she had formed a strong bond with him these past few days. ‘Excuse me, Mama. I must not keep the horses standing for it is very warm.’

‘Run along then, dearest,’ her mother told her. ‘Do not forget we dine with friends at six this evening.’

‘No, Mama, I shall not forget,’ Susannah said. ‘I promise to be home on time.’ She went hurriedly to meet Toby, for she was looking forward to a little longer lesson today. He had promised that they would drive out of town and she might take the reins as soon as they reached a quiet road.

It was an hour later when the accident occurred. Susannah had been driving at a steady pace in a quiet country lane for some minutes. Toby was praising her skill with the ribbons when they heard three shots in rapid succession just to the right of the road. They had come from within the woods, and were probably someone hunting for game, but the horses took exception and bolted for their lives. Susannah was jerked forward and quite unable to hold the terrified creatures. Toby made a grab for the reins, but it was some minutes before even he began to get them under control—and it was at that point that a farm cart came out suddenly from a concealed entrance, causing him to swerve to avoid the collision. As it happened, the wheels of the cart scraped the side of the curricle, causing it to sway violently. In that moment, Susannah was thrown to the ground and everything went black.

It was a while before her senses cleared enough to discover that Toby was bending over her, his face ashen. He was patting her face and begging her not to die, which struck Susannah as rather amusing, for she was clearly not dead.

‘Toby, pray do not look so worried,’ she begged and sat up. Her head went round and round for a moment and then cleared. ‘I am not so very much hurt. I think I can stand if you would help me.’

‘Of course.’ He gently pulled her to her feet, putting an arm about her waist. Susannah swayed for a moment, but he held her steady and she leaned against him until the faint ness passed again. ‘Forgive me, Susannah. You might have been killed and it was all my fault….’

‘Nonsense,’ Susannah told him. ‘You could not have known the horses would bolt. Besides, we should have been all right if that cart had not come out so suddenly.’

‘I should have taken more care of you,’ Toby said, looking rueful. ‘Please forgive me. Had you been badly hurt, I should never have forgiven myself.’

Susannah took a step forwards and winced. ‘I think I may have sprained my ankle. It hurts a little.’

‘I shall carry you,’ Toby said solicitously. ‘If you will permit me?’

‘No, no I can manage to hobble to the carriage. What of your horses and curricle?’ Susannah said. ‘Are they much hurt?’

‘The curricle has sustained some slight damage, the horses are merely blown, which they must have been after that mad flight. However, we shall go slowly to the nearest hostelry and I shall hire a pair to get you home. I think it best if we wait for your mama to call a doctor—unless you are in such pain that you cannot go on?’

‘I should be a poor dab of a thing if I let such an accident upset me,’ Susannah said. ‘If you could help me to the curricle and take me to the nearest hostelry. I am a little shaken—a glass of wine, perhaps, while they change the horses?’

‘Anything you wish,’ Toby said fervently. ‘I am much at fault, Miss Hampton. I cannot bear to think what might have happened…’