Lord Ilchester's Inheritance Read online

  When she reached the bank she stood up, shaking her head to clear the water from her eyes. To her horror she saw that they were no longer alone.

  Chapter Four

  Gideon enjoyed his cross-country ride to Canfield and was hopeful of arriving at the usual time for morning calls – that is, early afternoon. The directions he had received from his estate manager were exemplary and he had no difficulty finding his way.

  The villages and farms he saw were in good repair and he received many cheery waves from children as he cantered past. The sun was at its zenith and, despite wearing his lightest jacket, he was feeling decidedly warm. As he turned into the drive of Canfield Hall he spied the shimmering water of an ornamental lake. This was a goodly distance from the house, but he decided nevertheless to make a short detour – the water looked too inviting to ignore.

  It would be uncouth to ride across the immaculate grass so he slowed his mount to a sedate walk. Only then did he spy a small group at the side of the lake adjacent to the well-kept boathouse. There seemed to be some sort of picnic going on as there was an array of tables, chairs, rugs and cushions on the grass. Amongst the group he saw two maidservants, a footman and a smart, grey-haired gentleman who was sitting on one of the chairs shouting encouragement to two small boys who were splashing and paddling in the water.

  They had not heard him approaching so he dismounted and hooked his mount’s reins over his arm before strolling towards them. He cleared his throat noisily and one of the girls almost toppled head first into the lake at the sound.

  ‘I beg your pardon for intruding, I am Ilchester, I have come to introduce myself.’

  The old gentleman got to his feet and walked with the aid of a cane towards him. ‘Are you by God? I take it your father has kicked the bucket?’

  ‘He has, I thought I would come and inform you myself. He broke his neck in a riding accident in February.’ Gideon bowed, scarcely able to believe this sprightly person was Mr Bishop. ‘You are Mr Bishop I take it? I have been misinformed about your health, sir, and am delighted to find you looking so well.’

  ‘Not as delighted as I am, my boy.’ He gestured towards the two children perched round-eyed on the edge of the bank. ‘These are my great-nephews, Masters David and Thomas Palmer, and today is their fifth name day.’ He turned with a strange smile on his face. ‘And this, my lord, is my great-niece, Miss Stanton.’

  Gideon could not believe his eyes. Arising from the waters was Aphrodite herself – a beautiful young woman with cascading chestnut locks, her womanly curves intriguingly displayed beneath her sodden garment. He had never seen anything so lovely, or so desirable.

  *

  For an instant Sapphire remained still, the shock of being ogled by this unknown gentleman rendering her immobile. Then common sense returned and she collapsed inelegantly, leaving only her head above the water. Who was this intruder? How dare he stand there with his dark blue eyes staring into her very soul?

  She recovered sufficiently to speak. ‘I do not care who you are, sir, but you are de trop. Only a nincompoop would think himself welcome at such an intimate family gathering. Kindly remove yourself at once.’

  She had expected him to take exception to her appallingly rude remarks, but instead she watched a tide of crimson creep above his casually tied neckcloth until his entire face was an interesting shade of beetroot.

  Without saying a word he turned and vaulted athletically onto his bay stallion and cantered across the lawn and off down the drive.

  Only then was she aware that her uncle was laughing helplessly and Jenny and Meg were trying to hide their smiles behind their hands. Her siblings were looking bemused, as well they might.

  ‘Who was that man? Why are you laughing, Uncle?’ David asked.

  Sapphire was not amused. Her uncle spluttered to a halt and mopped his streaming eyes. ‘That, my dear girl, was Lord Ilchester come to pay his respects.’

  Scalding heat travelled from her toes to her tips of her ears. He was the head of the family and she had sent him packing. Not only that, she had embarrassed him and it was hardly his fault that he had arrived at such an inopportune moment. Now she had time to think clearly she realised he would not have seen her swimming until he arrived at the edge of the lake.

  No, Lord Ilchester was not to blame, her uncle was the person responsible for her humiliation. ‘I am most displeased with you, sir, you should not have introduced me and warned me to remain beneath the lake.’

  Not waiting to see his reaction to her reprimand she scrambled nimbly from the water and ran to the boathouse. ‘Boys, you must stay here and enjoy your treat and I shall return in time for the picnic; I am going to try and undo the mischief your uncle has done.’

  She tore off her wet garment and dragged her morning gown on over her wet body, and then with her slippers in one hand and her skirts in the other, she raced for the house. There were several interested spectators, but she ignored them, she must change into her riding habit and go after Lord Ilchester and make her apologies.

  Robinson was hovering in the vestibule. ‘Have my mare saddled immediately, I shall be going out in ten minutes.’

  She found her clothes and was half-dressed when Jenny puffed in. ‘Here, miss, let me put your hair up as it’s making your clothes all wet.’

  In slightly over the allotted time Sapphire was out of the house and in the stable yard where her horse was waiting. Ned was ready to accompany her. ‘No, Ned, I don’t wish you to come with me.’ He tossed her into the saddle and, from his expression, was not happy with her instruction but had the good sense not to argue.

  She had no wish for an audience when she accosted Lord Ilchester. She trotted out of the yard and urged the mare into a canter, then clicked her tongue and was galloping down the drive with scant regard to safety or decorum.

  *

  Gideon had never been so embarrassed in his life. Miss Stanton had been perfectly within her rights to dismiss him so rudely. As soon as he had seen her swimming towards him he should have removed himself – although young ladies took the waters in Bath, they did so without being stared at by fools like him.

  He could not set off for home so soon, his mount needed fodder and rest after his two-hour cross-country ride. He would head for the village in the hope there was a posting inn of some sort where he could seek refreshment for himself and his mount. He would write a grovelling letter of apology and hope to be invited to return.

  There was no urgency, his horse could walk the two miles whilst he enjoyed the countryside. After a few minutes he decided to dismount and let his horse graze on the lush grass that grew on the side of the lane. He propped himself against a sturdy farm gate and went through the embarrassing scenario in his head. Good grief! Mr Bishop had orchestrated the whole thing – he could have warned both of them – but he had deliberately set out to cause the maximum embarrassment.

  Everything about today was a surprise. Mr Bishop was no more on his deathbed than he was, and he certainly wasn’t all alone in the world, as he had three young and healthy relatives. He had Sultan’s reins looped loosely around his wrist when the animal threw his head up, tearing the leather from his grip. Before he could snatch them back his stallion half reared and shot off in the direction of Canfield Hall.

  He turned the air blue with his language and prepared to return to the scene of his humiliation. The lane had high hedges which curved so he was unable to see ahead of him. The sound of approaching horses made him increase his pace. Someone had caught his errant stallion and was returning it to him. Then to his shock the one person in the world he wished to avoid, arrived leading Sultan.

  ‘My lord, I hope you did not take a fall. You have been caused sufficient embarrassment for one day. I came after you in order to apologise.’

  Miss Stanton leant from the saddle and handed him his reins. For some strange reason for a moment he was short of breath, unable to do more than nod. Then he recovered his aplomb and bowed.

  ‘Than
k you for bringing him back to me. Miss Stanton, you have no reason to apologise to me. I should have sent word that I was visiting today, and when I saw you in the lake I should have retreated immediately. I offer you my sincere and humble apologies.’

  ‘In which case, my lord, shall we begin again?’ She smiled and he was rocked once more by her beauty and charm.

  He remounted and placed his horse beside hers. ‘If you will forgive me for saying so, I believe the real culprit in this is Mr Bishop. Your great-uncle has a wicked sense of humour.’

  ‘Indeed he does, and I shall forgive him eventually. We were about to have a picnic by the lake, would you care to join us? If that is too informal for you, then we can remain indoors.’

  ‘I should love to join you outside, but before we do so there are one or two things I should like to ask you.’

  She explained how she and her brothers came to be residing at Canfield Hall but then hesitated as if she had something more serious to impart. ‘My lord, my uncle seems to be of the opinion that, as head of the Bishop family, my brothers and I are now your wards. Even if this is the case, I want to make it perfectly clear I have no intention of living anywhere but at Canfield Hall. My brothers will inherit the house and the estate one day and they must learn how to become good landlords. They cannot do this living elsewhere.’

  Until she pointed this out he had not considered this fact. The last thing he wanted was to inherit more responsibility – he had enough to cope with at home already. He shook his head. ‘I suppose that might be the case in law, Miss Stanton, but I can assure you that as far as I’m concerned Mr Bishop is your legal guardian and I have no intention of interfering in any way.’

  Her look of relief was unmistakable. ‘I thank you for your understanding. I know that my uncle and your father were not good friends, that until we appeared your family would have stood to inherit his fortune, I hope that this change of circumstances will not be a problem for you.’

  *

  No sooner had she spoken than Sapphire realised she had offended him. His eyes flashed and his lips thinned and her heart thudded uncomfortably. He viewed her down his aristocratic nose and an unwelcome heat suffused her cheeks. She would not remain at his side to be given a set down however well-deserved.

  She dug her heel in and clicked her tongue and Starlight responded immediately. They cantered off before he could say what he was thinking about her impertinence. She must learn to curb her tongue, she had no wish to anger him for he might rescind his previous remark and start taking an active interest in her life as was his legal right.

  His huge stallion was quite capable of overtaking her, but for some reason he did not do so but allowed her to return alone. She was unused to dealing with prickly, toplofty aristocrats – was more at home talking to less elevated gentlemen. She sincerely regretted inviting him to join them for the picnic, he was bound to say something to upset her and her family.

  When she clattered into the stable yard Billy was waiting to take the mare. ‘Lord Ilchester will be here in a moment; you must make sure his stallion’s fed and watered so he is well rested before he has to return.’

  Billy tugged his forelock and grinned. ‘He’s right behind you, miss, and don’t look none too pleased about it neither.’

  This was sufficient impetus to cause Sapphire to fling herself from the saddle and scamper off into the house. A clock struck one; this whole debacle had taken place in less than an hour. She was tempted to remain hiding in her room until the autocratic stranger departed, but this would ruin her brothers’ name day and she had no intention of being so selfish.

  Jenny was waiting for her and it was a matter of moments to step into a fresh gown, this one of pale green dimity with matching slippers and a pretty chip straw bonnet. She tied the ribbons of her headgear over her damp hair satisfied she looked her best.

  She paused on the landing to glance through the window hoping to see Lord Ilchester sitting at the table, but only her uncle and her brothers were there. Two footmen and a parlourmaid were on their way with trays piled high with delicious food. Calling this meal a picnic was really a misnomer – it was just a meal served in the fresh air.

  An impulse made her take a secondary flight of stairs and exit through the garden room. She had no wish to be confronted by their unwanted guest as she had no doubt he would have something extremely unpleasant to say to her. If he was indeed lurking in the vestibule in the hope of catching her, he would be disappointed.

  Her brothers saw her approaching and waved and called out in excitement. ‘We have been waiting ages, and we are as hungry as a horse, aren’t we David?’

  She stooped to kiss both of them on the top of their fair curls and then took an empty seat beside her uncle. She noticed there was an extra place set and glanced towards the house. Sure enough his lordship was striding towards them, but instead of looking fierce, he was smiling. He really was a handsome man when he smiled. If she was to be asked her preference, it would be for a man with fair hair and the romantic look of a poet. However, this gentleman was broad-shouldered, stood at least two yards high and had dark brown hair. That his eyes were cerulean blue, and not brown or hazel, made his appearance even more remarkable.

  Her uncle pushed himself upright and walked across to greet their guest but they spoke too softly for her to overhear. They both seemed satisfied with the exchange and came to join them for the party luncheon.

  The boys behaved impeccably, Uncle John and his lordship seemed to be the best of friends, and the conversation ebbed and flowed around the table as if they had been acquainted for years and not just met this day. When they were replete she expected Ilchester to depart, instead he suggested they play a game of rounders.

  ‘I believe we have the necessary equipment in the boathouse, my lord, but I have not the slightest notion exactly where. Boys, why don’t you take our guest and see if you can find what we need?’ Uncle John beckoned to Jarvis who had been sitting in the shade with his back to the boathouse. ‘Young man, see if you can round up some more lads to play this game; there must be stableboys and garden boys who can be spared from their duties for an hour or so.’

  The boys skipped around his lordship in their eagerness to find the items necessary to play the game and she watched them vanish into the boathouse.

  ‘As long as I do not have to play, I shall be content. Uncle John, I am not sure this is a good idea, my brothers have never played the game and they are far too small to face a hard ball bowled by an adult.’

  ‘I am sure that Ilchester will devise a game that is suited to their age. You must join in, my dear, it would seem churlish not to.’

  ‘It would seem foolish to do so, in my opinion. I am severely disadvantaged by my gown, I cannot run and neither can I bat. I know that some intrepid young ladies play cricket, but I am not one of those and I shall sit out and watch.’

  He accepted her decision with good grace. ‘I shall be the umpire. Good, half a dozen extra players are arriving. I think we should have some sort of competitive games at your party, Sapphire. You do not need to participate yourself, but I’m quite sure others will wish to do so. A tug of war is always popular.’

  He wandered off to greet the youngsters and explain what was required of them. By the time he had done so Ilchester had emerged carrying an armful of wooden posts, Thomas and David had a bat each and were almost beside themselves with excitement.

  With so many willing hands posts were soon placed correctly and a marker put where the bowler and the batsmen must stand. To her astonishment the gentleman she had thought arrogant and supercilious discarded his jacket and neckcloth and rolled up his shirtsleeves. He looked across at her sitting grimly at the table and instead of coming over he roared across the grass at her. ‘We insist that you join in, Miss Stanton, David and Thomas will be devastated if you do not. How can you refuse them on their anniversary?’

  Although she was an excellent horsewoman and prepared to turn her hand to any sort of phy
sical activity, she was hopeless at anything that required coordination. She was as likely to hit the ball as she was to fly to the moon – but he was quite right to chide her, she must put aside her imminent humiliation for the sake of her brothers’ enjoyment.

  Reluctantly she stood up and went to join the eager throng of players. She had a horrible feeling this was not going to end well for her.

  Chapter Five

  The miscellany of participants joined in the game with gusto. Even though neither of the boys managed to catch or hit the ball, they had great fun running from base to base. Her attempts at scoring a rounder were pathetic and the first time she ran she put her slipper through the skirt of her dress and fell flat on her face.

  His lordship had her back on her feet as if she weighed no more than a bag of feathers. ‘I can see why you had no wish to play, Miss Stanton. You have ruined your gown and it is entirely my fault.’ He looked so contrite she forgave him at once for his insistence that she join in.

  ‘For all your faults, sir, and I’m sure they are legion, I cannot hold you responsible for tearing my gown.’ Her brothers, who ran in tandem, were running round a post oblivious to her problems. ‘If you will excuse me, my lord, I shall return to the house and see what can be done to repair the damage.’

  As Meg and Jenny, their skirts hitched up in a most unflattering way, had opted to play, she could depart knowing her brothers were well supervised. Uncle John had abandoned his position as umpire and was snoozing comfortably in his bath chair.

  ‘I have no wish to shout across the grass to my brothers, so would you be kind enough to tell them why I have gone inside?’

  He grinned, making him look less austere and far more approachable. ‘It will be my absolute pleasure, Miss Stanton. I give you my word the boys will come to no harm in your absence.’

  As he was presently the bowler the game could not proceed until he returned to his position. Billy was waiting patiently to receive the ball and she hurriedly removed herself from the field of play. On her return to the house she examined the tear in her gown and was relieved to see that a few stitches would be sufficient to repair it.