Regency High Society Vol 1: A Hasty Betrothal / A Scandalous Marriage / The Count's Charade / The Rake and the Rebel. Mary Brendan

Harriet nodded. ‘So it is up to you to show him how much you depend upon him—how you can’t manage without him, in fact. Gracious me, but aren’t you lucky to have all these fellows crazy in love with you—it makes me positively green with envy!’

      She got to her feet and began brushing the bits of grass from her habit, thereby failing to see Judith’s look of puzzlement at her final remark.

      ‘Now we really must get back,’ she said, leading Clipper to the mounting block. I told them ‘I would return for breakfast.’

      ‘Oh, dear,’ said Judith, scrambling to her feet. ‘I promised Mother I would bring you back to have breakfast with the children.’

      Harriet paused for a moment to consider this invitation.

      ‘Well, I dare say I could stay just for the veriest minute—it is still very early and I could do with a drink, couldn’t you? All this heart-searching is very thirst-making!’

      Laughing together, they made their way back down the hill and on to the lane that led back to Westpark.

      The two children were waiting with their grandmother on the rear terrace of the house and jumped up excitedly when they saw their mother bringing Harriet through the archway which led from the stables. Lady Butler frowned her disapproval as Christopher bounded down the steps to take his new aunt’s hand and sharply instructed her granddaughter to remain in her seat.

      ‘Aunt Harriet, Aunt Harriet,’ the boy squealed breathlessly. ‘Uncle Robert has bought me a new pony—a real goer, he says, and he’s having jumps set up in Top Meadow—and he’s going to teach me himself!’

      His eyes shone with the wonder of it all and Harriet was enchanted with him once more. She allowed him to lead her up the terrace steps into the conservatory where she could see a small table laid for a nursery breakfast.

      ‘You won’t mind the informality, Harriet, I know,’ said Judith, removing her gloves. ‘The children and I often have our breakfast out here in the summertime and Mother was keen to join us today—as you were to be our guest.’

      She handed a little silver bell to Elspeth and bade the little girl ring for Jemima. Harriet watched in delight as the child crossed to the house door and, with great dignity, solemnly and carefully shook the tinkling instrument. Almost immediately the smiling housemaid appeared, carrying her tray of glasses and milk jugs. It was clear that the sound of the bell could not have brought her so swiftly, but that Elspeth believed it had was evident by the stately pride with which she marched back to her seat and took her place at the head of the table.

      Judith smiled at Harriet, without apology.

      ‘It is we who are taking breakfast with the children, you see,’ she explained. ‘Philip and I liked to think that this was the best way to teach them.’

      ‘Piffling nonsense, in my opinion,’ sniffed Lady Butler. ‘The place for children’s meals is in the nursery with Nanny.’

      ‘Oh, no! It’s charming,’ breathed Harriet, ready to enter into the spirit of the idea. Passing her cup to Elspeth, she requested her small hostess to pour her a cup of milk and graciously accepted a slice of buttered sponge from young Master Christopher. Judith thanked her wordlessly with her eyes and, once more, Harriet felt deep pangs of regret at the deception in which she had become entangled.

      After the meal, during which Harriet had managed to smile her way through several biscuit and cake offerings, she was persuaded to pay a visit to Polly, the new pony, to discuss the best tactics of taking fences. The pleasant minutes slipped swiftly by until she suddenly recalled her promise to return to Beldale for breakfast! Hurriedly making her farewells to her hostesses on the terrace and fairly scooting back to the stables to collect her mount, it was not until she turned for a final gay wave to the two children that she found, to her annoyance, that she had mislaid her gloves. No time to go back for them now, she decided, spurring Clipper into a gallop across the meadow to the Beldale bridleway. Luckily, no one would see her on this private path, but she laughed out loud as she visualised Martha’s shocked expression had that stickler for propriety been privileged to see her in such a state of undress!

      As the dew-fresh scents of the morning rose about her Harriet breathed deeply in appreciation. She would be almost sorry to leave this glorious place, she mused, as she leaned down to secure the gate behind her and started along the ride back. She wondered if Sandford would be joining

      Lady Caroline and herself for breakfast. Until yesterday morning, he had usually sought to quit the room before her arrival, thereby avoiding the strained atmosphere that had prevailed at the dinner table during the previous week. Since yesterday afternoon’s eventful ride, however, he had been all attention and she had to admit that she was looking forward with an inexplicable eagerness to their next encounter. Why, the very thought of it was making her feel quite giddy, she laughed to herself, and endeavoured to turn her mind to more sober topics.

      The thickets of trees on either side of the path shaded both horse and rider from the heat of the rising sun and, almost drowsily, Harriet slowed to a gentle trot, allowing her mount to make its own pace along what had by now become a well-recognised route. They had not proceeded far in this leisurely manner when, to her irritation, she noticed that the dappling of the sun through the trees on one side of the path seemed to be causing her some sort of problem with her vision and she attempted to pull her hat down to lessen the effect. As she did so she became aware of an insistent thrumming in her ears that grew louder and louder as she desperately tried to maintain her balance. Clipper, ever sensitive to her mistress’s touch, tossed her head as the reins loosened and at that sudden movement Harriet lost her grip and felt herself sliding from her mount. She seemed to have no control over her limbs and her head was filled with a swirling mist as she felt her body collapsing into someone’s hands! Somewhere in the mist she could hear the mare whinnying and a man’s voice, which seemed to came from far-away, was saying: ‘Whoa, girl! Well, get her foot out of the stirrup, ninny! Come on! We haven’t got all day!’

      In a trance-like state Harriet felt herself being half-dragged, half-carried deep into the copse between clumps of briar and gorse. She could offer no resistance owing to the waves of nausea and blackness that were drowning her senses. She was aware of being pushed into a shallow depression in the ground and felt her skirts being bundled about her as branches were heaped upon her body, but her voice could make no protest. As she felt herself falling deeper into the roaring abyss of unconsciousness she heard the man’s voice once more.

      ‘The ring! Cripes, man! We forgot the ring—where’s her hand?’

      With a supreme effort Harriet eased the emerald ring from her finger and feeling for her boot, she pushed the jewel under the front fastenings. Then she passed out.

      The cold, dank smell of the earth pervaded her senses. For some moments she remained still, trying to break through the cloying mists of her brain. Her temples were pounding and her mouth was dry and foul-tasting. Cautiously she sat up, pushing aside the mound of twigs and branches that covered her and, after peering carefully about, she saw that she was quite alone. Steadying herself against the tree trunk, she managed to stand. Her assailants had gone and Clipper was nowhere to be seen! Surely she had not been the victim of horse-theft? Apart from some rough handling she had not been hurt and she had nothing of value … !

      Gasping, she thrust her hand down into her boot and felt the hard ridge of the precious stone against her fingers and almost wept with relief. That was what they were after! They were just common foot-pads after all—but what were they doing on Beldale property? Gradually, it began to come back to her—they must have been waiting for her—but had they actually pulled her from her horse—what had caused her sudden dizziness? Her head ached so, she was covered in bracken and mud and her hat and cravat were both missing!

      As she shaded her eyes against the piercing glare of the summer sun she was suddenly transfixed as she registered its position in the sky. It must be past noon! She had been in the copse for hours! Casting about her for a sign that might help to guide her back to the path, she was eventually able to locate the trail of flattened grass along which she had been dragged