At the inn he said, “Would you like some tea?” Beth agreed that shewould. He arranged it and left her alone.
When she had finished and made a brief toilette, he escorted her to thecoach, mounted his horse, and they were off.
Beth contemplated a lifetime of such arid courtesy and shuddered. Amarriage like that would be death in life to her, but it doubtless wouldonly be an inconvenience to him. What was needed, after all, to produce aclutch of children? A few brief, soulless encounters. For the rest of thetime he would be able to continue with his present life undisturbed.
Her determination to pursue her plan was reborn and strengthened. Toescape this kind of life she would do anything, face any threat.
Not during this journey, however. All too soon the groom on the boxmade a long blast on his horn and they swept through magnificent, gilded,wrought-iron gates. They were in Belcraven Park. The gatekeeper and hisfamily doffed their caps or dipped a curtsy as appropriate. Beth turnedher face away. It was not right that these people pay her homage.
The carriage rolled along the smooth drive between ranks of perfectlime trees. In the meadows to either side, speckled deer raised theirheads to watch them pass. She saw a lake with what appeared to be aGrecian temple in the middle. She heard the shriek of peacocks ? thoseuseless living ornaments of the rich.
Then the curve of the driveway presented Belcraven. Beth gaped. In thesetting sun it was a mountain of golden stone decorated with carvings andcrenelations and set with the glimmering jewels of hundreds of windows. Itwas enormous, the largest building Beth had ever seen, and the mostbeautiful. This was to be her home?
Impossible.
When the coach stopped beneath the great curving double steps which ledup to massive gleaming doors already open, Beth wanted to huddle in thecoach. It, after all, was of a scale much more to her liking. The door wassoon opened however, and the steps let down. The marquess stood waitingfor her.
With trembling fingers she set her bonnet on her head and tied theribbons, then ventured out. Hand on his arm she climbed the thirty steps(she counted them) and hoped no one could tell how her knees wereknocking.
Inside the doors there seemed to be a great many people, all servants.A portly gentleman of awe-inspiring dignity bowed, then divested themarquess of his outerwear. “Welcome home, my lord.”
“Thank you, Gorsham. Miss Armitage, this is Gorsham, our Groom of theChambers.”
Beth knew this meant he controlled the running of this enormousestablishment, and he certainly looked capable of it. She received a bowall for herself. “Miss Armitage. Welcome to Belcraven.”
Poor, speechless Beth was hard pressed not to curtsy but contentedherself with a little nod, hoping it to be appropriate.
“How long to dinner, Gorsham?” asked the marquess as he strolled into amassive hall. Beth followed quickly after. For the moment he was her onlyconnection in this place. She rather feared if they were separated, she’dbe thrown out like the interloper she was, or wished she was ...
She looked around in awe.
Spiral marble pillars banded with gold marched ahead over a tiled floorwhich seemed to stretch to infinity. Marble busts and statues of classicaltype were set about the chamber, and the walls were hung with ancientbanners and weapons. Forcing herself not to gape, Beth looked up overthree tiers of ornate balustrades and realized the room went all the wayto the roof where there was an octagonal skylight which let in theafternoon sun. The whole of Miss Mallory’s school could have fit in thisone chamber.
“An hour, my lord,” said Gorsham in answer to the marquess’squestion.
The marquess turned to Beth. “Perhaps you would like to go to yourapartments, my dear, and meet my parents when you have refreshedyourself.”
Apartments? Beth wanted a hidey-hole and agreed to his suggestion.Gorsham’s raised finger brought forward one of a small group of maidsstanding ready.
“This is Redcliff, Miss Armitage,” he said as the middle-aged womancurtsied. “If agreeable, she will show you to your room and act as yourmaid.”
Beth nodded, and when the maid turned to lead the way, she followed.She needn’t have bothered with the exercise at their last stop. Theywalked halfway down the hall and mounted wide stairs railed in gildedwrought iron which took them to the next floor. They then followed onewide carpeted corridor after another, all casually set with valuablesculptures and paintings, and dotted with elegant furnishings. They passedthree powdered and liveried footman simply standing. It seemed at leastten minutes before the maid opened a door and stood back to allow anoverwhelmed Beth to enter.
“Apartments” had apparently been exact. She was to be housed in a suiteof rooms.
This first one was a large sitting room, comfortably appointed withvelvet-upholstered chairs, small inlaid tables, and a zebrawood desk.There was a chaise to act as a daybed near which two vaguely Egyptianfigures held hanging oil lamps for evening light. There was a fireplacewith marble bas-relief decoration and a fire already cheerfully burningthere, even though it was mild for late April. Graciously arranged springflowers were placed on two tables, and their sweet perfume floated throughall this elegance.
With some trepidation, Beth stepped onto the beautiful silky carpet ofjewel-like blues and yellows and went over to one of the two long windowshung with blue damask curtains. It gave a view from the back of the housedown over breathtaking grounds to the River Cherwell.
Beth turned to see the maid waiting by an adjoining door. It proved tolead into a dressing room. Quite modest, she supposed. Only twice as largeas her bedroom, her only room, at Miss Mallory’s.
This room was paneled in some rich, golden wood but was quite spartanin comparison to the other. The floor was bare apart from three smallrugs, and the appointments consisted of two chairs, two large armoires, awashstand, a mirror, and a very large chest. There was a fireplace whereyet another fire burned. How very wasteful this all seemed.
The maid must have noticed her frowning consideration, for she opened apanel above the fireplace to show a metal tank. “It’s to keep the waterwarm for a bath, miss. The fires are only let out in the hottest weather.You could bathe now if you wish, miss.”
The woman flipped back the lid of the chest to reveal a large bathtubready and waiting. Beth couldn’t resist going over to peer at this marvel? it was even decorated with pictures of fish.
This was the first luxury of the day which tempted Beth. At MissMallory’s a proper bath was a rare treat requiring much planning, and thethought of just being able to order a bath and have one was delicious. Andtempting. She suspected, however, that the maid would want to be part ofthe process, and she was not ready for that as yet.
