The Barefoot Baroness

Chapter Eleven

It was uphill work convincing Hettie Traemore that a trip of twenty-five miles was anything but an imposition. She was fully alive to the wonders of Lord Talman being the Duke of Castlefield's eldest son. It would be very fine to see Livvie a duchess, but still-twenty-five miles. Over four hours, and her back in agony every step of the way.

"We shall take the Turtle and your recliner," Olivia said. "We must go, Auntie. Lord Talman has a famous stable, and you know how bored I have been without proper riding."

It was not only the lure of the stable that had decided the baroness to accept Talman's invitation. A quick glance at the atlas in Lord Montford's study had confirmed what she already suspected. Gatwick, where Mr. Yarrow and his friends were visiting that weekend to attend a boxing match, was less than ten miles away. She would inform him this very night of the visit and arrange to meet him in the drapery shop in Gatwick on Saturday morning to set up a proper tryst, after she had got the lay of the land. A tryst would be possible, when she meant to spend the better part of her time on horseback. She would lose whatever horrid old groom they insisted on sending with her, and meet Mr. Yarrow, who was now "John" in her private thoughts. That would show him she was full of pluck.

"We can set a comfortable pace and still be there in one morning," Mrs. Harwood pointed out. "It would be a shame to do Livvie out of the visit. House parties are part and parcel of a Season. And Castlefield! Why, it is one of the finest estates in the country."

"I shall never have another Season," Olivia said, adopting a moue.

Her pouts won Hettie over, as they invariably did. "I daresay I can put up with it. I'll take my powders with me to ease the pain."

When Lord Talman had the inspiration of mentioning that his mama was also a martyr to her back and had an excellent sawbones to tend her, the ordeal became positively desirable. Hettie courted doctors the way other ladies courted eligible gentlemen.

The ladies remained at home that evening to prepare for the visit. Olivia had to resort to sending a note to Yarrow by her footman. Laura oversaw Olivia's packing to see that Fanny was including all the essentials. A few undesirable additions had been made to her toilette over the days. A set of gaudy paste buckles adorned her dancing slippers, and her fans were blossoming into vulgar prominence by an addition of ribbons and dangling beads.

"I wonder if Mr. Meadows will be attending," Laura said. He had deserted them that evening to visit an ailing uncle.

"Lord Talman didn't say," Olivia replied, with not the least concern.

Laura had mixed emotions. It seemed hard that he should be excluded when he had devoted so much of his time to escorting them. If Talman was seriously interested in Olivia, he was much the better match. On the other hand, Meadows would provide her with a partner, which was a matter of some concern. She was by no means sure of finding any agreeable acquaintances in such high company, and it would be useful to have someone to help her mind Olivia.

The Turtle, washed and polished for the journey, caused a great sensation as it lumbered through the streets of London, drawn by a team of six monstrous horses. Lord Talman's traveling carriage set a sedate pace before it to show them the way. By the time they reached the Chelsea Road, they had collected a gaggle of urchins and noisy bucks, who had nothing better to do than follow it. Certainly the pace of six miles an hour was too slow to outrun them, but at the edge of town, they abandoned their jeering and returned to find new entertainment.

The traveling party enjoyed a leisurely drive through the wooded countryside, dotted with villages famous for their greens, usually with a church on one side. At times the Mole River appeared as they drove south, always causing a sensation with the Turtle. Merchants left their shops and pedestrians stopped to stare at the bizarre rig. The marquis's crested carriage added to the stir. It was well known in these parts.

When the Turtle left the main road and followed Talman's carriage into a graceful park, even Olivia was impressed. A noble heap of stone soared skyward, half hidden by beaches and oaks and fir trees. As they drew nearer, the house was seen to be done in the French style. In front, a dome was surmounted by a balustrade, which in turn was topped with urns. A row of statues stood solemn guard from the roofline. Carleton House shrank into insignificance beside it.

Laura was half afraid to enter, and when she did, her fears were not lessened. There was so much gilt trim on every wall, so many painted ceilings and marble fireplaces and artworks that she felt stifled.

"Lovely!" Olivia said, smiling blandly at Lord Talman.

"I shall send for Mama," he said. "Papa has not come from London yet, but he will be here for dinner."

The duchess came hobbling forward, her weight borne by a humble black thorn walking stick. Lord Talman performed the introductions. The duchess's rheumy eyes gave Olivia a close scrutiny, then moved to Hettie Traemore's black cane, a twin of her own, and she smiled sympathetically.

"Another cripple like myself, eh? Show Mrs. Traemore to a chair, son, and order a cup of tea. Or would you like a lie-down after your trip, dear?"

Hettie said, "I would give my eye tooth for a nice cup of tea."

"Eye teeth! I wish I had never heard of eye teeth. I have one acting up on me and am afraid to have it drawn. The roots really do go up to the eye. It will be torture having it out. And imagine what a hag I shall look without my tooth."

She hobbled to a chair and nodded approvingly as Hettie's recliner was put in place. "Very wise," she said. "I could have provided you a board, but there is no saying when you are traveling. I spent the worst weekend of my entire life at Prinny's wretched pavilion in Brighton. The chairs and sofas were all so damned soft I had to have a local carpenter manufacture me a board. Between the heat and the agony of my back, I never want to see Brighton again."

The tea came, and the uninvalided company was subjected to a quarter of an hour's vying with horror stories of agonies endured from bad backs.

"But the youngsters don't want to hear this sad stuff. Their turn will come soon enough," the duchess said, and cackled maliciously. "Perhaps the ladies would like to go upstairs and refresh themselves before joining the others in the garden, son."

Talman had the servants take the ladies upstairs to chambers that matched the grandeur below. "Did you ever see such a house!" Laura exclaimed to her cousin. "Imagine being the mistress of all this," she added artfully.

"It is very fine, if you care for this sort of thing," Olivia replied. Her tone said that it meant nothing to her. "I shall put on my riding habit, for I mean to go to the stable immediately."

"You must meet the other guests first, Olivia."

"But I want to ride," she pouted.

"You shall, soon. It would be rude to ignore the other guests."

"Everything that is fun seems to be forbidden."

"Riding is not forbidden. Lord Talman especially mentioned there would be plenty of riding."

"I daresay his friends are all dull sticks like himself. They would not approve of what we younger folks like to do. Like attending the Pantheon, in London," she added, and looked slyly from the corner of her eyes to gauge Laura's reaction. Yarrow's mention of the light-skirts to be found there in such lively abundance gave her pause about going.

"Lord Talman is not an old stick. He is amusing and intelligent. No person of common sense would approve of that," Laura said firmly. "It is not to be thought of." Seeing Olivia's sly look, she added, "Is it Yarrow who suggested it?"

"He has been there. He says it is great sport."

"I daresay it is all right for a gentleman to go, but a lady must not even consider it. Why do you not wait till after lunch to put on your riding habit? Lord Talman may have something else planned for this afternoon."

"I shall ride, no matter what he has planned," Olivia said, but she did not change into her habit, so Laura said nothing more.

Talman was waiting at the bottom of the grand staircase to direct them to the garden. He led them down a marble-floored hallway, into a small sitting room, and out a set of French doors to a miniature Garden of Versailles. Laura had not seen that French marvel, but it was known by reputation as a wonder in the world of horticulture.

Even as this thought flitted through her mind, Lord Talman said, "It is the inverse of the Garden of Versailles. Whereas le Notre arranged a raised terrace with the land falling away on the sides, my ancestor devised this sunken terrace, with the ground rising all around." Grass and rock gardens formed the inclines above the terrace.

In the center of the terrace, a fountain threw water into the air. Statues and urns were strategically placed to delight the eye. Groups of guests wandered about, enjoying the sights and sounds and scents of this earthly delight. A broad avenue down the center was bordered with poplars. At its end, a tapis vert stretched into the distance.

"It is marvelous!" Laura gasped. "I have never seen anything like it."

Talman looked to the baroness for an echo of this sentiment. "Where are the stables?" she asked.

"They are west of the main building. We must have that ride soon. Let us go and greet some of the other guests now."

A few of them had spotted Talman and came forward. Some of them were known from London and smiled expectantly to see the baroness among them. Others were unknown, but all were from the very tip of the ton.

"There is someone here who is eager to see you," Talman mentioned a moment later. "Ah, there he is. He has spotted you."

Laura looked and saw the unmistakable form of Lord Hyatt quickly advancing from the direction of the fountain. The sun struck his golden hair, giving him an aura of romance. She knew he and Talman were good friends, yet she was surprised to see him here. She was especially surprised that he was eager to see her. But of course that was mere civility. She noticed, however, that it was herself he spoke to first.

"Laura, how delightful to see you again. I am happy you came. Baroness," he added, with a smiling bow. In the confusion of meeting, Olivia did not notice for a moment that he had called her cousin "Laura," when he had called her "Miss Harwood" before.

Olivia took his eagerness as a compliment to herself. "Now you must not ask to paint me again," she said coyly. "I am still recovering from those tiresome sittings. Though the garden would make a fine backdrop for me, would it not?"

"Very colorful," Hyatt agreed. He no longer expected any acumen from the baroness. His sole reason for doing her outdoors was that he wanted a touch of wilderness for her. This formal French arrangement was suitable for no one but a queen. "Shall we enjoy a stroll through these marvelous grounds?"

"I see what you are up to!" the baroness said, though Hyatt had directed himself to Laura. "You are looking for another backdrop for me. I told you, no more posing."

"I would not dream of subjecting you to that indignity again, Baroness," he assured her.

"Not this visit, in any case. I have come to ride. Lord Talman is going to show me the stable," Olivia said. "I shall be riding this afternoon."

She had not met more than half of the guests, but Talman was still infatuated. He welcomed the opportunity to get her to himself and agreed to go to the stables at once.

Hyatt offered Laura his arm. She smiled with becoming modesty and placed her fingers on it gingerly as they strolled toward the fountain. She glanced around, hoping to see Meadows.

"There is a lovely, refreshing breeze. I was just enjoying the spray on my face, imagining I was at the ocean," he said.

"This is a far cry from the ocean. So formal and rigid. Not that it is not lovely," she added hastily, lest he took the comment for disparagement.

He said, "It is not my preferred style, but of course a great showcase. One would not want to miss seeing it. It is one of the wonders of England."

"Is Mr. Meadows here?" she asked.

"What brought him to mind? Was it the words 'one of the wonders of England'?" he asked, with a teasing smile.

"Good gracious, no. It is just that Olivia is being a trifle difficult. He is a great help to me in watching her."

"He's not here. You may rely on Talman's vigilance. He won't let her stray far. How does it come you didn't know whether Meadows was coming? He is a great and good friend of yours, I think?"

"He often escorts us in the evening, but we did not go out last night, so we didn't see him."

His next question seemed irrelevant. "He does not call when you are remaining at home, then?"

"No, not usually." She pondered his remark. It almost sounded as though Hyatt was trying to discover the degree of closeness between Meadows and herself. Or perhaps he was trying to learn Olivia's feelings for Meadows, on Talman's behalf.

"I thought, as you two have been friends forever, that there might be a match in the offing."

"Oh, no! We initially thought he and the baroness-

but that was before she turned into a ninny-hammer." It was her he was curious about!

They reached the fountain and stopped. Hyatt said, "Just close your eyes and you will feel the spray from the fountain, carried on the breeze. It is more refreshing than ale."

She closed her eyes and felt the echo of water on her face. "Lovely," she murmured. Her lashes formed fans on her cheeks. In this romantic spot, she looked quite beautiful.

"I thought you would like it," he said in a soft voice.

She opened her eyes and said, "Oh, Lord Talman told me his mama has a copy of your Country Life folio. May I see it?"

Her eagerness appeared genuine. "I see the butler has just come to ring us to luncheon, but after lunch I would be happy to show it to you.”

"What will you paint next, Lord Hyatt?"

"Won't you call me Hyatt? I have already assumed a friend's privilege by calling you Laura."

"I hope we are friends. But you didn't answer my question."

"And you did not call me Hyatt," he said, with a quizzing grin.

"What will you paint next, Hyatt? You have already done high life and low life."

"What remains?"

"Middle life. You could do the bourgeoisie."

"That was my plan. We think alike, you and I, Laura."

The butler sounded his bell. Hyatt took a closer grip on her elbow and led her inside at a fast pace.

"You must be very hungry," she laughed, as they sped past less swift diners.

"I am, but it is not the food that causes this gallop. I want to rearrange the place cards."

He seemed to know his way around the mansion very well. With never a wrong turn, he sped down corridors and around corners until they came to the dining room. He went up and down the table, glancing at cards, and exchanged two.

"Is it some lady you want to cajole into posing for you?" she asked, looking to see what he was up to.

"Certainly not. The lady has already had the good sense to refuse. It is only her charming company I want. And I promise not to coerce you into posing."

She looked at the card and saw it was her own that he had moved to place beside his.

"Perhaps you shouldn't do that," she said. "The duchess might notice."

"She wouldn't notice if we all sat on the floor. Her butler makes the seating arrangements. Danson won't mind. I'll tip him the clue that this is your seat for the rest of the weekend. Do you mind?"

"No," she said, blushing up to her ears.

The other guests began straggling in, and the gentlemen drew the ladies' chairs. Soon they were all seated, with two empty places remaining near the head of the table.

"Where is my son?" the duchess demanded. "It is unlike him to be late for lunch. He knows I hate cold food. Find him, Danson, and serve the soup. We will not wait for him."

Laura looked up and down the table and noticed that the other empty seat was Olivia's. She cast a guilty look at Hyatt, who beckoned Danson and whispered in his ear, "The stable. Tell 'em to get a move on."

Danson nodded and left. The soup was just being removed when the tardy couple entered, flushed from their dash.

"Sorry, Mama, folks," Talman said, drawing Olivia's chair.

Olivia just smiled at the party and sat down without apologizing. It was an inauspicious beginning to what Laura feared was going to be a bad weekend.