“Well, your ladyship,” that matron replied, “I always seem to be so cozy with my own company that I rarelythink of going out. It must be the laziness that comes withadvancing age. I always welcome visitors to my ownhome.” She took the seat that Maude indicated, loweringher considerable bulk into the comfortable upholstery.
Lord Holmes meanwhile was talking to the gentlemen while Ellen and Primrose hovered in the vicinity of theirelder brother, who was looking remarkably handsome indark blue satin evening coat and knee breeches and silverwaistcoat.
Primrose caught his arm and turned him in the direction of Rebecca. “Oh, Christopher,” she said, “You have notyet met Miss Shaw. She knew you before you marriedAngela. And she said that all the girls used to be in lovewith you because you were so handsome.” She giggled upinto his face.
Rebecca flushed hotly and curtsied. “Good evening, sir,” she said, resisting the temptation to deny hotly whatPrimrose had said.
“Brat!” Christopher said with a grin at his sister. “Miss Shaw is by far too well bred to have said any such thing.She might have told you with some truth, though, that shewas a remarkably pretty girl who attracted her own shareof admiration.” He turned his attention to Rebecca andbowed. “Good evening, Miss Shaw. I hope you did notexhaust yourself with your walk the other afternoon?”
“Oh, you have met before then?” Primrose said, pulling a face.
Mr. Carver too turned in her direction at that point, much to Rebecca’s relief. “G’d evening, Miss Shaw,” hesaid with the same polite smile he had given her at theirfirst meeting.
Her impression of him on that occasion, though, as a soft, fat man, was quite erroneous, she could see now. Hewas indeed an enormous man—a veritable giant, in fact.There was far more muscle than fat, though, filling out hislavender satin coat and gray knee breeches. His shirt pointswere as high and stiffly starched as those she remembered.
Harriet, Philip, and Mr. Bartlett all arrived in the drawing room at almost the same moment. Harriet’s big entrance, if indeed she had planned such, was certainly ruined. But Rebecca was relieved that she was releasedfrom the necessity of making further conversation withChristopher. She had been a remarkably pretty girl, he hadsaid to Primrose. It was a two-edged compliment. Had hereally thought of her as unusually pretty? But what did hiswords suggest about her now? That she was a faded creature, so far beyond that time when she had been pretty thatPrimrose had had to be told? Rebecca gave herself a mental shake and smiled at Mr. Bartlett, who had crossedthe room to her side as Christopher turned to greet Harrietand Philip.
It was an interesting evening, Rebecca decided later. Philip led her in to dinner and it was a relief to be seatedbeside him, where she felt perfectly comfortable and couldobserve the behavior of those around her. She was interested to observe that Christopher studiously avoided anycontact with Mr. Bartlett both during the meal and afterward. He behaved much as if the other man were notpresent at all. She had expected to see some evidence ofdiscomfort or guilt in his manner, but there was nothing.
For his part, Mr. Bartlett had made the effort to bow gracefully in the direction of both Christopher and Mr.Carver when he entered the drawing room. When he wasignored, he crossed the room and talked to Rebecca untildinner was announced, smiling at her in a rather painedmanner.
“I do hope no one else noticed the hostility of Sinclair’s manner,” he said. “I would not wish anything to spoil thepride Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair clearly feel in their son. I shallstay away from him, Miss Shaw, and then his lack ofmanners will not be observed by anyone else. I will concede that finding me here on close terms with his familyand neighbors must be something of a shock to him.”
Rebecca glanced, troubled, across to where Christopher was talking to Harriet, all courteous attention. Yes, it mustbe a shock for him to find someone who had known hiswife and his treatment of her. “I think you are wise, sir,”she said to Mr. Bartlett.
And Mr. Bartlett, to his credit, carried out his plan and seated himself as far away from his adversary as he couldduring dinner. Afterward, in the drawing room, he hastened to make up a table of cards with the baron, Mrs.Sinclair, and Ellen.
Rebecca could see throughout the evening that Mr. Bartlett well understood his man. He had been wise after all to speak to her. Christopher led Harriet in to dinner and satbeside her. They were seated across the table from Philipand her, yet the conversation never included all four.Occasionally Philip made the attempt to converse withthem, and Christopher always answered him, keeping hiseyes on Philip only. But always he turned back immediately to Harriet, to whom he devoted his whole attention.
Rebecca tried not to listen. She tried to give her attention to Philip on her right and Julian on her left. Yet she could not be unaware of the pair at the other side of thetable. His manner was not as bright and eager as it hadused to be. It was quieter and infinitely more charming. Inone swift glance across at him while he was answering oneof Philip’s questions, she was again made aware of thefirmness of his jaw and the sternness of his face. Therewas a new intensity in his blue eyes, she noticed, as heturned his gaze back to Harriet.
She had recognized him instantly on the road the day of his arrival, yet she was aware now that he was a differentman from the one she had known and loved seven yearsbefore. This was a man one would not want as an enemy.There was something almost dangerous about him. And hewas taken with Harriet; that was clear to see. There wasnothing necessarily bad about that, of course. If he reallyfancied her, there was every chance that he would behavehonorably. She was, after all, the daughter of an oldfamily friend. She was also pretty and wealthy and ofsuperior rank to his own.
But she was not at all sure that Harriet would be able to cope with a man of his obvious experience. For all herconfidence and headstrong behavior, Harriet was reallyjust an innocent, Rebecca believed. She could handle withease the attentions of a boy like Julian. But could shehandle the practiced dalliance of a man like ChristopherSinclair? Rebecca thought with misgiving about that failedelopement that she gathered Harriet had attempted duringher stay in London. She was not sure that the girl haddeveloped any greater maturity since that time.
Yes, she decided, Harriet would definitely need watching in the coming days and weeks.
The pair still stayed together when the gentlemen joined the ladies after dinner. He followed her to the pianoforteand turned the pages of the music while she played andsang to him. Her cousin was excited by his attention,Rebecca could see.
Her own attention was finally taken by Mr. Carver, who seated his bulk beside her and proceeded to engage her inconversation. “I understand that you have begun a schoolin the village, Miss Shaw,” he said, his head twistedawkwardly against the high points of his collar.
“Yes, sir,” she replied. “The Reverend Everett and I worked toward that goal for a long time. We consider it aworthwhile project.”
“Oh, quite so, quite so,” he said. “Reminds me of m’mother. Always up to something new. Last thing Iheard, she had all the tenants’ daughters coming to thehouse to learn needlework. We’ll have a town full ofdressmakers before we know it.” He laughed, a greatrumble of sound that seemed to come from deep insidehim.
“I do admire her efforts,” Rebecca said, smiling and warming to this young man. “I would so like to teach thegirls of the village, too, but Philip is wary. I suppose it isbetter to move slowly and get the boys’ school well established first.”
“Well, I’d press the point if I were you, Miss Shaw,” he said. “Never could understand why learning is considered unnecessary for females. I cannot abide a silly, empty-headed girl m’self.”
“Oh,” Rebecca said, turning to him and smiling mischievously. “I shall have to turn you loose on Philip, Mr. Carver.”
“No,” he said. “Would have to bring m’mother here to do that. Carries all before her like a tidal wave. That’swhat Sinclair always says, anyway. They get on like ahouse on fire, m’mother and Sinclair. Both strong-willed.Fortunately for m’peace of mind, they agree on most topics.”
“Indeed?” Rebecca said with some skepticism. She could not somehow see Christopher sitting in the midst oftenants’ daughters, applauding their efforts with the needle.
Philip was standing beside the table that held the tea tray, talking to Maude. She was flushed and looking up athim, great respect written large on her face. SomehowMaude had come to believe that Philip was next only toGod in holiness. Almost every Sunday she spoke admiringly of his sermon; she credited him with having been themain promoter of the school; she praised his efforts to treatthe poor and the sick with even more deference than heshowed the gentry; and she noticed when his surplice waspatched.
Rebecca could never understand why Philip seemed always to disapprove of Lady Holmes. It disturbed him that she had married the baron, though Rebecca had pointedout to him on more than one occasion that Maude hadprobably had no say whatsoever in the matter. He feltcontempt for the fact that she always played the lady,riding everywhere in a carriage, sitting in a padded pew atchurch, playing at visiting the sick once a month. AgainRebecca had tried to defend her aunt. She really had nofreedom to behave otherwise, she explained to him. Wouldhe have Lady Holmes be a disobedient wife?
