“Perhaps you might show it to us, Your Lordship. That is, if you have the time.” Miss Bingley batted her lashes at Oliver.
“Only if Mr. Hodge will be our guide,” Oliver replied. “He knows the area better than anyone.”
The plan was soon settled that their party, led by Mr. Hodge, would make an excursion of visiting the falls the following day.
As they left Fairclough, Theo said to Oliver, “What are you playing at, volunteering me as guide?”
Oliver shrugged. “The ladies are in need of a guide, and I know there is no one better than you. Besides, how can you observe Miss Bingley if you are not there?”
Beaujean joined the conversation. “I noticed it did not take Miss Bingley long to latch onto ‘Lord Connally’. Did you see the way she flirted with you, Hodge? I am telling you, she is like a shark, that one!”
Chapter 5
Caroline hardly recognized Mr. Hodge, dressed as he was, and not in the rough attire of a worker. He looked well, for a gardener’s son, she decided. His attire was simple, but neat. She had been surprised to learn that the man she had taken for a servant was in fact a gentleman, although a poor one of low birth. Mr. Beaujean, she discovered, was of no consequence to her. Although a gentleman by birth, his estate in Birmingham was practically bankrupt and he was already engaged to a cousin of significant fortune. Her impressions of Lord Connally ought to have excited more interest, given his fortune and social standing.
Lord Connally was handsome, but decidedly a coxcomb like Mr. Beaujean. The pair were nearly identical in style, their hair perfectly coiffed, their dress immaculate. They wore bright colors cut in the latest fashions, with high collars that bordered on the ridiculous. Lord Connally, especially, seemed a buffoon. He walked and spoke with an affected air, and used the phrase “I say” altogether too many times in conversation.
She hoped his mannerisms would not grate on her during their outing. The following day, at half-past twelve, they gathered at Raven’s Cliff to begin their adventure. Mrs. Gilbert Hurst did not join them, but she bid them all to give her an excellent description of the falls when they returned, before settling herself down on her sofa to take a long nap.
Lord Connally’s barouche landau was waiting in front.
“I say, what a fine day for a drive!” Lord Connally exclaimed, coming out to greet them. Today, he was dressed in a bright pink striped waistcoat with a burgundy coat over it and a tall, fashionable hat perched on his head. He strode over to shake the hands of the gentlemen and kiss the hands of the ladies.
“I hope you are all having a pleasant day. I promise to do my best to make it even better!”
Lord Connally was to drive the barouche landau himself, leaving plenty of room in the carriage itself for four passengers, and a seat beside himself on the driver’s box for one more. A servant was to accompany them on the rumble seat.
Their party organized itself. Mr. and Mrs. Hurst joined Mr. Beaujean in the barouche. Caroline prepared to sit with her sister when Lord Connally called to her.
“I say, Miss Bingley, would you not rather sit here on the barouche box beside me? The view will be rather better up here.”
Caroline glanced at Louisa to see whether she minded, but her sister was all encouragement.
“Do not mind us! We shall do well enough without your company, Caroline.”
Caroline accepted Lord Connally’s assistance in climbing up on the seat and then they were off.
To Caroline’s surprise, Lord Connally did not direct the horses along the lane, but once they left the gates, he turned them south down a narrow dirt road, one which she presumed was mainly used by the local farmers. The road skirted the farmland on one side, with the sea-cliffs on their other side.
Lord Connally pointed. “All this farmland belongs to me, Miss Bingley. Now, what do you think of that?”
“With so much at your disposal, you must have many people who depend on you for their livelihood. Do you intend to be at home much, now that you have returned from your tour?”
“Well, who can say? A man of fashion, like myself, has many demands on his time. Many places to go, many people to visit. Who knows but that I may be here one day, and then gone for a twelve-month the next? But for the present, there is nothing to draw me away.”
Caroline noticed the scenery had gradually changed from cultivated farmland into open moors, much like the ones she had crossed returning to Fairclough from Lord Connally’s orchards. “You must enjoy the wilderness of this country when you are here.”
“Yes, indeed! In fact, these moors will become quite pretty. If you are here through August, you shall see them bloom with heather. Do you intend to stay long in this area?”
“Alas, I do not think I shall be here long. A few weeks- a month, perhaps- and then my sister has promised to take me down for the remainder of the Season.”
“Well, should you return afterwards, perhaps you may see it.”
“Perhaps,” Caroline nodded.
The road narrowed as they made their way down the coastline. In some places, it grew so narrow that the servant was obliged to climb down and walk the horses slowly, so as not to upset them. Despite these slow-downs, they reached the stream called Hayburn Beck in under an hour.
“Here, we must leave the carriages behind and walk,” Mr. Hodge told them.
