Catherine Tinley - The Captain's Disgraced Lady

Juliana consulted her list. This, then, must be Mr and Mrs Wakely, for almost everyone else had arrived. There was a family of five—the Dentons—still to come, but the Wakelys were the only couple. The footman confirmed it and Juliana moved forward, the better to hear the conversation between Lord and Lady Shalford and this strange pair.

‘...so sorry for our tardiness, milady,’ trilled Mrs Wakely, with a false-sounding titter. ‘I said to Mr W. we needed to hurry, but he assured me we would be in good time!’

Her spouse looked less than pleased at having to shoulder the blame. ‘My lord! Lady Shalford!’ He made an obsequious bow. ‘We are so delighted to finally visit Chadcombe! We thank you for your kind invitation!’

The Earl glowered, but said all that was proper, as did Charlotte.

‘Lady Shalford,’ said Mrs Wakely, ‘you and I must have a comfortable cose! For we ladies know what it is like to run a household, though I confess Glenbrook Hall—our humble home—has nothing on Chadcombe. What pillars! What windows! And look, Mr W.! Peacocks!’

‘I had already noted the noble birds, my love,’ replied her spouse with a sickly smile. ‘We shall have to install some at Glenbrook Hall! Lord Shalford, how much would it cost to buy a pair of peacocks?’

Adam adopted an air of haughty indifference. ‘I’m sure I have no idea—my steward, however, may be able to assist you.’

‘Of course, of course,’ said Mrs Wakely busily, nudging her spouse hard in the ribs. ‘Lord Shalford would not concern himself with such things as buying peacocks! And, you know, my lady, we have more than twenty servants in Glenbrook Hall—including the grooms and the stable boy—so we can ask one of them to acquire peacocks for us.’

Charlotte seemed unable to speak. On the other hand, Juliana rather thought Adam was about to say something that he oughtn’t. As someone who had frequently found herself at a similar stand, she decided to rescue them. ‘Charlotte, if you will introduce me, I will gladly show your guests to the public rooms.’

Charlotte sent her a grateful look. ‘Thank you, Juliana.’ She turned to the Wakelys. ‘May I present my friend Miss Milford, who is staying with us at present. This is Mr Wakely, and Mrs Wakely.’

‘I’m pleased to make your acquaintance,’ said Mrs Wakely, with an insincere smile. ‘Any friend of Lady S....’

Mr Wakely took Juliana’s hand. His eyes swept over her body in a most disturbing way. ‘Charmed!’ he said, planting a wet kiss on her hand. Juliana shuddered slightly. He saw it and a hint of a cold smile gleamed momentarily in his tiny eyes.

Juliana swallowed hard. Then, squaring her shoulders, she indicated the hallway. ‘Please come this way. I am certain you are in need of refreshments after your journey.’

‘Oh, no,’ said Mrs Wakely, as if affronted by Juliana’s suggestion. ‘For we travelled only four miles to get here and we ate well before we left. We keep a good table at Glenbrook Hall, if I do say so myself. Why, at breakfast today, we had pork and beef!’

Juliana was at a loss as to how to respond to this. Mrs Wakely, though, continued without a pause, admiring every detail of the house and its contents—the ceilings, doors, door handles and patterned stone floors all came in for praise. She constantly advised her husband to look and he, too, exclaimed at every detail.

‘So, Miss Milford,’ said Mr Wakely, who was walking much too close to her, ‘is your family from this area?’

‘No,’ said Juliana shortly. ‘We are simply visiting Lord and Lady Shalford.’

He nodded as if satisfied. ‘I see.’

After leading them to the parlour set aside for refreshments, Juliana waited while they loaded their plates—Mr Wakely with a single cake and a peach, and Mrs Wakely with a generous selection of pastries, fruit and cheese. With some relief, Juliana made her apologies and returned to the hall to find Charlotte.

‘Juliana!’ Charlotte hurried towards her, taking both her hands. ‘Thank you so much for rescuing us!’ She glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then added, ‘What awful people!’ She bit her lip. ‘I know I should not say such a thing about my guests, but...’

‘They are awful and you’re perfectly right to say it to me,’ said Juliana reassuringly. ‘Who on earth are they?’

‘They’ve recently moved into Glenbrook Hall, a house and grounds not five miles from here. I had heard they are not at all the thing and have not been accepted into local society.’

‘I can understand it, having seen them,’ said Juliana with a grimace. ‘Will they be here for long—are they leasing Glenbrook Hall, or do they own it?’

‘I can’t remember.’ Charlotte frowned. ‘There is some story there that I cannot quite recall. I shall ask Adam later. For now, I must help with the events.’ She had a quick word with the footman, reminding him to be on the alert for any intruders who might stray beyond the public rooms or pilfer small items. She then linked her arm with Juliana’s and together they stepped out into the sunshine.

* * *

Five hours later, Juliana sank down on to a wooden chair with some relief. She had finally located her mother, who was sitting drinking tea with Adam’s great-aunt Clara, Miss Langley, outside the Orangery.

‘Juliana!’ Her mother reached out and took her hand. ‘You look exhausted! Would you like some tea?’

‘I should love some, for I have had nothing to eat or drink since breakfast. I had no idea how much work there would be on this Public Day.’

Miss Langley poured her a cup, her wrinkled face a study in concentration as she carefully poured the warm liquid into a delicate china cup. ‘Oh, my dear Miss Milford! Here, have some cake!’

Juliana thanked her, and bit gratefully into the sweet sponge. ‘Charlotte has not eaten either, I know, for we have been constantly moving around, from competitions to the parlour and back again. Thankfully some of the guests are beginning to leave. It has been a long afternoon.’

‘Well, if you are tired, Juliana, it must have been busy, indeed, for you are rarely tired.’

Juliana was not listening. Out of the corner of her eye she had seen a dark figure moving furtively through the bushes and trees on the edge of the garden. Moving towards the house!

The manner of his movement was so suspicious that Juliana’s sense of danger was aroused. She remembered Charlotte’s warning to the footman and had asked her about it afterwards. Charlotte had said that in years past, there had been reports of thefts during Public Days, with thieves seeing it as the perfect opportunity to sneak in and purloin some small, expensive items while everyone was distracted with the guests and events.

She thought quickly. The footmen had been charged with keeping an eye on the corridors and entrances nearest the guest areas. No one had anticipated someone might try to sneak in through the Orangery!

‘Excuse me, Mama, Miss Langley, I have just remembered something.’ Acting nonchalantly, Juliana stood and walked casually to the Orangery door, just behind the terrace where the ladies were seated. Once inside, she moved quickly among the fruit trees and exotic plants towards the other external door—the one on the west side. She peered through the glass, scanning for any sign of the intruder. There he was—much closer and still moving stealthily through the shrubbery.

What could she do? There was no time to get help—everyone, apart from Mama and Miss Langley, was at the far side of the building. She looked around quickly, then spotted some tools resting in the corner. Choosing a short spade with a stout wooden handle, she positioned herself behind an enormous fern and waited.