Prue Phillipson - Hordens of Horden Hall (4 page)

Madeline gave him a haughty stare over her fan. Then in a wheedling tone she turned to her grandmother.

“Is it so very dreadful,
Grandmere
, as he suggests? You were the grand lady of Horden Hall for many years. Could you have endured it if it had been so
dull
?”

Lady Maria straightened up and looked away into the distant past before she answered.

“I was a few months younger than you, Madeline. I came as a new bride from the Chateau Rombeau. Sir John Horden was a good man and loved me. He also loved the Horden lands. He loved the Hall where Hordens had lived for generations. I lived many years there until the count wanted his grandson to marry my Henrietta. Then I returned to France with your mother and for our faith we were forbidden to return. Now I am back. I wish to see the place again. My son Robert died there – thrown from his horse. I have never seen his grave or my husband’s. I should see them before I go to my own.” She turned and swept down the terrace steps to join the others.

Daniel almost laughed aloud at the girls’ faces.

“So you are to be dragged there,” he teased them, “because our grandmother wants to look at two graves. I have seen them often. The Hordens have an old moss-grown stone between carved pillars above a vault in the churchyard at Nether Horden. My Uncle Robert’s name and Sir John’s are the most recent. Maybe if the journey on our rough roads proves too much for her, our grandmother can be buried with her husband and son.”

Madeline slapped his arm. “Why, Daniel, you delight in tormenting us. I thought we could teach you courtly manners – such as we are used to – but I believe there is no hope of that. You are a brute.”

“Very well. I am a brute. And you are charming young ladies. I think we’ll leave it at that.” He bowed and left them and re-entered the house with an idea of seeing Eunice but she was not in the dining room nor, when he ran upstairs, was she in the drawing room. Exploring the upper landing he opened a door and saw another stair but when he descended it he found himself outside a kitchen with servants staring at him. A footman pointed him to a passage which led back to the front hall at the very moment that there came a loud banging at the outer door. The same footman darted past him with, “Excuse me, sir,” and Daniel paused in the hall out of curiosity.

A black-coated figure with a tall hat stood outside and, ignoring the footman’s bow and indication that he should enter, he stared straight at Daniel.

“You must be Arabella’s son!” The voice was harsh and angry.

“And you are?” Daniel demanded, half-guessing.

“William Horden. I have come for my daughter.”

CHAPTER 3

A great commotion followed, drawing everyone from the terrace through the dining room into the hallway.

Celia, her cheeks wobbling and her little eyes wide with fright, was defending herself to her ferocious son.

“She said you gave her permission. I would never have kept her if I’d known she’d run away. I was sure you knew she was here for she sent back her maid to tell you she had arrived safely.”

“Maid!” cried William. “She has no maid. Do you suppose we pay anyone for work we can do ourselves?”

Celia absolutely wrung her hands. “There was a girl with her whom she dismissed when we let her in.”

“She has been lying to you then, Mother, for which as her father I am deeply ashamed. Fetch her hither that she may show her contrition.”

Celia looked desperately about her and, seeing the French girls with their surprised eyes riveted on the newcomer, murmured, “Dear souls, run up to that little room next to yours. She must be there.”

Daniel was aware of his father’s distress at the scene, while his mother’s face showed only amusement at the transformation of her one-time silent suitor. Daniel studied the man who had once been betrothed to her. He had the thin Horden face like Clifford’s and like the portraits of Daniel’s grandfather and ancestors before him that decorated the walls of the Hall. His hair must be very close cropped because it scarcely showed under his hat which he had kept on. His eyebrows made a thick dark line above his eyes. The whole effect with his black clothing and tall hat was of a doom-laden statue, so rigidly did he stand with his eyes fixed upon his cowering mother.

Daniel was seized by an urge to play the knight in defence of a maiden in distress. If that poor little girl has run away from this sinister figure she shall not, he resolved, be dragged away again.

He bit his lip and kept glancing up the stairs as Celia tentatively laid a hand on her son’s arm and pleaded, “William, be calm. Madeline and Diana have gone to seek Eunice in the room we gave her. I wanted her to stay for a change while they were here. They are all of an age and I thought a little female com –”

Clifford, who had taken no part so far, pushed her aside. “Be silent, wife, or you provoke him further.”

William’s face had indeed gone from unhealthy pallor to fiery red. “You would company her with Daughters of Satan?”

“Celia, pray take our guests up to the drawing room.” Clifford brought the words out of the corner of his tight lips. “This is a most unfortunate family matter.”

But Daniel could tell that both his grandmother and his Aunt Henrietta were eager to see the end of the dispute and remained with their backs to the panelling, ignoring Celia’s gesture towards the stairs.

Now his mother actually stepped forward with her hand outstretched to the black pillar.
She
was not going to be intimidated.

“Come Cousin William, will you not greet me?
I
cannot be a daughter of Satan for you were willing to marry me less than twenty years ago.”

He turned his eyes on her with obvious reluctance.

“You were a rebellious child, Arabella, and I – I had scarce begun to live at all. My eyes have been opened since and I have found the way to the strait gate. You have no part in my life.” He glared round at them all. “None of you. Take your fine raiment and your jewels out of my sight and bring me my daughter or I will have to invade this house of riches and drag her forth myself.”

Madeline and Diana were now hovering in their blue and pink silks and abundant lace on the upper landing tittering behind their fans.

“Maman, elle ne veux pas venir.”

“The Lord has set me over her,” William roared. “She shall obey me.”

No one notices me now, Daniel thought. Here is my chance. He slipped along the passage and found the back stair again. He sensed clustering servants agog to hear all but he darted up two flights, his ears alert to any noise of crying. There was none but, obeying his sense of direction out of the servants’ quarters, he opened the door onto the landing. He recognised the door of his own front bedchamber because there was a Chinese vase in an alcove next to it. The young ladies’ rooms must be overlooking the river so he began trying doors at random until he heard a small shriek and darting in he closed the door behind him and called out, “Don’t be afraid. It is I, Daniel.”

Eunice’s little face, all puckered up, peeped round the bed curtain.

“Get out. I can’t be alone with you.”

Daniel pressed his back against the door which he saw had no bolt. He spread his arms out across it to bar her way. “It’s your father you’re afraid of. You don’t need to fear me. I’ll save you if I can. He shan’t take you home against your will.”

She pushed open the curtain and set her feet to the ground. She had already wrapped herself in a grey cloak as if ready to leave but she stayed seated. He thought of a bird perched on a twig. You watched it wondering if it would stay or fly. She let her eyes gaze upward at his with a look of wonder for what seemed like a whole minute. Then all at once that gave way to a violent head-shaking, a frown of anger and at last hopelessness.

She stood abruptly and stepping forward made to thrust him out of her way. He moved of course. What could he do?

There was a small cloth bag down by the wall next to the door. She snatched it up and went out. Above the main staircase she turned and met his eyes again.

“Cousin Daniel, can you not see? I am his possession.”

She had addressed him. She had used his name. He was her knight. He must save her.

She was already descending.

“Eunice, stop. You are no one’s possession.”

She made a dismissive backward gesture with her free hand and carried on to the next floor where the gallery before the drawing room looked over into the hall. She was now visible to all the upturned faces below. Daniel realised he had already been sighted following close behind as if he had driven her back to her father. Ashamed and angry he wanted to sink through the floor.

She walked steadily down as they all watched, seeming to hold their breaths. They parted to let her walk up to her father. Oh if I could rush between them, he thought, if I could be a wall about her, if I had a sword to draw! But the days of chivalry were gone. He saw her hold up her bag towards her father.

“I was putting my things together. I hoped to stay with Grandfather and Grandmother but I am here now.”

William drew his brows together and his eyes were like steel points.

“You have been telling lies. What you have just said to excuse your dilatoriness is also a lie. All your lies proceeded from your first evil thought that you would leave our home without permission and proceed to a forbidden place. First you will turn around to your grandmother and ask forgiveness for lying to her.”

Eunice turned and sought Celia’s face where tears were running down her podgy cheeks.

“I am sorry for lying to you, Grandmother.” It was said in a flat voice as if repeated by rote.

“Oh my poor little cherub.” Celia made a movement as if to clasp Eunice in her arms, but checked herself. She is terrified of her son, Daniel thought.

William took hold of Eunice’s upper arm. “Now we will remove ourselves.” He turned to the door.

Daniel took a step forward. “Will no one speak up for Eunice? Do we stand by and let her be taken back to prison?”

Eunice stiffened and then rounded on him. “Keep out of this. You don’t know what you are saying.”

Her father had opened the door himself, the footman having discreetly retired at the beginning of the scene. She frowned at Daniel, yet he was sure he saw a pleading in her eyes. But in a moment they were outside and the door was closed on them. He ground his teeth. He had failed miserably and made himself look a fool.

“Well,” cried old Lady Horden as everyone drew breath and the tension subsided. “I grieve with you, Cousin Celia, that your son has become a monster.”

Clifford flashed back at her. “I beg your pardon, my lady, but the child had been disobedient and deceptive. A father is no monster who reproves conduct like that. I do however apologise to you all that this should have occurred during your stay with us.”

“Ah but you requested us to withdraw.” Lady Horden gave a short laugh. “And we too were disobedient.
We
apologise to
you
.” And she inclined her head and began to mount the stairs to the drawing room as if the whole matter was finished and forgotten. Henrietta and her daughters followed. Celia looked divided over which of their guests needed their company, but a glance at the Northumbrian family huddling together decided her and she and Clifford climbed the stairs.

Daniel exchanged glances with his father and mother.

“None of
them
care a whit for that poor girl. Surely
you
do?”

His father sighed. “Unfortunately what William said was true. As soon as one wrong is thought or committed many others – especially lies – follow, compounding the first error.”

“Oh Nat,” said his mother, “if I had been in her shoes I would have run away long before.”

“I wanted her to,” Daniel cried. “I tried to stop her but she said she was his possession.”

“Do not mistake me,” his father said gravely. “I have great compassion for the poor girl and she is not William’s
possession.
She is entrusted to him to be guided and watched over with love but she also has a duty of obedience to him.”

“Even if he commands her to do what is wrong, Father? For how can it be right to forbid her to visit her grandparents?”

“He has a fear of Catholic influence from her French cousins and also it seems of the corrupting power of wealth.”

Bel stamped her foot. “It is an insane fear. I looked into his eyes. Twenty years ago they were almost without expression and now they are quite mad. She should be relieved of any duty to obey him. I tell you, Nat, you can be too – what shall I say – conforming. But come, we mustn’t lurk down here. They will think it discourteous.”

She picked up her skirts and scurried up the stairs.

Differences of opinion like that between his parents were common enough and went no deeper than the moment, but Daniel stored away in his memory that William had said his mother was a rebellious child. She was my age when the betrothal was made between them, he remembered her saying. I have her rebel blood but I am not a
child
. I am a man and want action. I will rebel and not go to the University. I have seen my King and I will serve him. I could join the army or better still the navy.