Anne Herries - The Rake's Rebellious Lady

‘You gave him money,’ she said. ‘That was kind of you, sir.’

‘It was an easy task.’ He gave her a severe look. ‘May I recommend you to be less impulsive, Miss Holbrook. You could easily have been injured just now.’

‘You are good to be concerned for me,’ she replied with a toss of her head. ‘I assure you that I was aware of the wagon and felt that I was quite able to avoid it. I am not one of those fragile young ladies who faint at the slightest thing, sir.’

‘Indeed you are not, but your behaviour is sometimes reckless in the extreme,’ he said severely. ‘If I may say so, Miss Holbrook, you are far too pretty to end your life crushed beneath the wheels of a heavy-goods wagon. But before you grow cross with me again, I believe I had just asked if I might lend you a book you wished to read?’

Caroline hesitated, for he had seemed critical, but her desire to read the novel overcame her pique. ‘Thank you, I should like to read it for it has been recommended to me by a friend.’

‘I shall send it round to your aunt’s house,’ Freddie said. ‘In the meantime, may I walk you home?’

‘You are kind, sir,’ Caroline replied, ‘but I am but two streets from my home and I dare say you have other things to occupy you.’

‘Then perhaps we shall meet again soon.’

Freddie tipped his hat to her and set off down the street.

Caroline successfully managed to slip back into the house without being discovered by her aunt, though Mrs Holbrook had been to her room to inquire for her and was a little upset that she had been out alone that morning, even though it was merely to the lending library.

‘It will not do for you to visit these places alone in town, my dear,’ she scolded her daughter, though without malice. ‘I am not sure it is safe, for who can tell what might happen to you, dearest? You might be snatched from the street and then I should never see you again.’

‘Oh, Mama!’ Caroline laughed. ‘I do assure you that I was quite safe, and the only person I met was Sir Frederick, who had been out riding.’

‘Oh, well, I suppose it was perfectly respectable,’ her mother said. ‘But I know that your aunt would not approve, my dear.’

‘Aunt Louisa does not approve of anything I do.’

‘Caroline!’ Marianne reproved her daughter with a shake of her head, and then sighed. ‘But do you know, I do not believe Louisa approves of much I do either.’

‘Oh, Mama!’ Caroline said and went into a fit of giggles for she had never expected to hear her mother say such a thing. ‘Do be careful or she will give us both the most frightful scold.’

‘I dare say she may,’ Marianne said. ‘Do you know, I think I shall accompany you this afternoon. You are going to visit some friends, I believe?’

‘Yes, Mama. Mr Bellingham has asked me to take tea with his sister, Mrs Fairchild, and her daughter, Julia, and I have agreed. If you come with me, Aunt Louisa need not, and I know she had another appointment for she spoke of my going with just my maid.’

‘If I come with you, there will be no need for a maid to accompany us,’ Marianne said. ‘Now, my dearest. The reason I came to look for you was that I have received some silk I ordered from the merchant a few days ago, and the seamstress is coming later this morning to discuss styles and fashions. Do come and look at the fashion plates she left for me to peruse. I need your advice.’

Caroline followed her mother obediently to her bedchamber, where various bales of silk were spread out on the bed. She was delighted to find that her mother had purchased some colours as well as grey, and there was not even a black ribbon to be seen.

During the next hour before the seamstress arrived, they had a pleasurable time discussing the styles that would most suit Marianne, and the colours she ought to choose for each ensemble.

Caroline left her mother when the seamstress arrived, retiring to one of the small parlours overlooking the garden at the back of the house to read her book. She returned to her bedchamber before the bell sounded for nuncheon and she was joined by her aunt and her mother, to partake of a cold meal.

After they had eaten, Caroline went up to change into an afternoon gown of pale green. She put on a bonnet tied with matching ribbons and a pelisse of creamy white, adding a pair of white gloves and a green reticule. She had hardly reached the bottom of the stairs when Mrs Holbrook joined her and they went out to the carriage.

‘Well, this is nice, my dear, just the two of us,’ Marianne said. ‘Perhaps we should do this more often.’

Caroline forbore to answer that they might do it as often as she chose. It was nice to see her mother looking better and to know that she seemed to have begun to throw off her grief at last.

Mrs Fairchild welcomed them to her At Home, and invited Mrs Holbrook to sit opposite her, while Caroline shared a small sofa with Julia. There were only three other guests: Mr Bellingham, Mr Milbank, a gentleman of mature years, and also a gentleman Caroline had not particularly noticed before this day. She was introduced to him as Mr Farringdon, a man of some thirty-odd years, attractive but not as gentlemanly in his manners as Mr Bellingham in Caroline’s opinion. He seemed to her to be ill at ease, and she disliked the way he spoke to her, as though trying to claim an intimacy that did not exist.

When Julia got up to help her mother by serving tea and cakes, Mr Farringdon came to sit beside Caroline. He began by being very complimentary to her, remarking on her dress and asking if she was enjoying her stay in town. Caroline replied politely, but did not smile or allow her tongue to run away with her as she so often did. She was glad when Julia looked at him expectantly, and he was obliged to relinquish his place to her. He took his leave soon after, and Caroline was pleased that he had gone. The tea party now became more intimate, and she was entertained by Mr Bellingham, who was relating a saucy tale that was going the rounds of London’s drawing rooms.

‘Well, you can imagine what Prinny made of that,’ George said. ‘He asked the lady to remove herself if she could not control her excess wind and she went off with her cheeks the colour of puce.’

‘Oh, how embarrassing for her,’ Caroline said. ‘We should not laugh, for it must have been awful for her.’

‘Think of poor Prinny. He was seated next to her, you know. I think it must have been just a little unpleasant for him.’

‘Oh, my dear,’ Mrs Fairchild said. ‘I am not sure you should repeat that tale in mixed company. You may have offended Mrs Holbrook.’

‘Not offended,’ Marianne said. ‘Surprised might be a better word—for I had not thought the Regent would mind his words to that extent…’

Silence greeted her sally, and then they all laughed. It was unlike Marianne to make a jest, but she had certainly attempted it and was given generous approval for her efforts.

‘There, you see, it was quite acceptable,’ George said and turned his attention to his niece. ‘I am glad that you did not encourage Farringdon, Julia. I have every reason to believe that he is hanging out for a rich wife. From what I hear, he is all but done up.’

‘Oh, I need no warning against that gentleman,’ Julia declared. ‘He asked me if I would take the air with him at Mrs Peterson’s musical evening, but naturally I refused.’ She laughed, a look of unusual naughtiness in her eyes. ‘In any case, I believe he has turned his attention to Caroline—so I shall not receive a proposal after all.’

‘Oh, dear, I do hope not,’ Caroline said and gurgled with laughter. ‘If he has hopes of me, I fear he will be sadly disappointed on two counts. I do not care for his manner so very much—and I am not the heiress he needs.’