Lady Esther coughed discreetly. “I believe Lord Kiltarlity is correct, ma’am. Olivia woke to find a note on her dressing table.” She flushed uneasily as she spoke.
“Indeed,” Robert said, rather enjoying himself. “Mr Franklyn arrived with the note while I was with the marquess. Was there no note left for you, Miss Bucknell? Well, these young girls canbe so thoughtless. Mmm, these buns are delicious. Pray send my compliments to your cook. Those chops Mr Bucknell is enjoying look most tempting. I wonder… would there be any left?”
Miss Bucknell rushed away, muttering under her breath. The footman obligingly heaped a plate for Robert and he tucked in with gusto. Lady Esther sipped her coffee, eyeing him thoughtfully, while Olivia, her face anxious, crumbled a bun on her plate. The others at the table had finished eating, and although they lingered hopefully in case of further revelations, when none were forthcoming they began to drift away.
After a little while, Miss Bucknell returned, saying fretfully, “Well, Lady Euphemia has taken her maid and footman, but most of her clothes are still here. What a strange start, to simply up and leave without a word! And she must have been up very early, for no one saw her go.”
“I believe it was very early,” Robert said, to avoid Lady Esther having to answer and perhaps admit that Effie had left in the middle of the night. “Such an impulsive girl! I suppose she has been indulged all her life, and thinks she can do as she pleases. Whoever she marries will have a fine time of it, trying to control her waywardness. Is it not pleasant to see the sun after so many overcast days? What a pity there is no hunt today. We shall just have to find some other occupation, shall we not?”
Lady Esther set down the empty coffee cup she had been cradling. “A perfect day for a walk in the garden, would you not say, Lord Kiltarlity? Olivia and I thought to take a little exercise and explore the shrubbery, if you would care to join us?”
“That sounds most agreeable,” he said affably.
It took some little while for the ladies to array themselves in garments sufficiently warm, for although the sun was shining, the air bore a distinctly autumnal chill. However, they were eventually ready, and the three of them sallied forth into the gardens of Briar House. These were not extensive, and muchof the surrounding grounds were taken up with the stables, kennels and kitchen garden, but there was a small terrace, a few gravel paths between forlorn, windblown shrubs, and a pretty little round temple overlooking a stone-edged pool. Lady Esther led them to the far side of the pool, where a marble bench accommodated all three of them.
“So you know the truth of it?” Lady Esther said without preamble. “Lady Euphemia has run off with Lord Grayling, if you please. Her father will not care forthat!And Lord Embleton has gone after them?”
“He has, with Mr Franklyn, and in your carriage, Lady Esther. He would not even wait for his own carriage, or his luggage. His man is to follow on as best he can.”
“The invitation to Strathinver was your idea, I take it? That was quick-witted of you. If they are indeed gone to Scotland, the situation might still be rescued. Foolish girl! What a ridiculous thing to do! She did not strike me as being swept into indiscretion by passion. That she liked him was clear enough, but no one suspected an elopement, although I suppose he is excessively handsome.”
“Effie described him as an Adonis,” Olivia said tentatively.
“Even so, they have barely known each other a week… ten days at most,” Lady Esther said. “I never saw any cause for alarm, but you were closer to her than any of us, Olivia. You must have seen some sign that suggested the attraction was more serious.”
“There was nothing at all. In fact, Effie talked ofplayingwith Lord Grayling, and having some fun. I imagined she meant flirting and such like. If I had thought for one minute there was anything more to it, I should have told you, Lady Esther.”
“I hope you would,” she said, but she sounded dubious.
“Of course she would!” Robert said hotly. “Lady Olivia would never condone such an action, and cannot be blamed for the wilfulness of Lady Euphemia.”
“No, no, I did not mean…” Lady Esther began, raising one hand to her forehead. “Forgive me, Olivia, I am not myself this morning. Lady Euphemia was in my charge, and although I do not know how I might have prevented her running off in that way, I still feel that I should have done. Lord Kiltarlity, do you think Lord Embleton will be able to catch the runaways? How will he know where they have gone?”
“He will ask at the turnpikes,” Robert said at once. “The gate keepers will remember a carriage passing through in the middle of the night.”
“What will happen to Miss Grayling?” Olivia said in a small voice. “Has her brother abandoned her, do you think?”
“And she has no companion or chaperon,” Robert said.
“Ohhh!” Lady Esther moaned. “That thought had not even occurred to me. The poor child! And I cannot even go there to enquire, for Mr Franklyn has taken the carriage.”
“Now there I can help,” Robert said, springing to his feet. “I have my horse here. I can ride over to Grayling Hall to enquire, and be back in under an hour.”
It took him a little more than an hour, but he returned with a grin on his face. He found the ladies huddled in a corner of the terrace, sheltered from the wind by a statue of Athena.
“This is the strangest elopement I have ever heard of,” he said, chuckling. “Miss Grayling is gone with the lovers, accompanied by her maid, his valet and a footman, in two carriages both emblazoned with Grayling’s baronial arms. The grooms told me they took only a pair of horses to each carriage, for that was all that was in the stables, but Grayling planned to hire two pairs for each carriage at the first change.”
“Eight horses all the way to Scotland! That will empty his purse,” Lady Esther said, her elegant eyebrows lifting a fraction.
“Is it known that they are gone to Scotland?” Olivia said, her face so anxious that Robert’s heart was wrung. If only he had the right to comfort her! Even to take her hand would be something. All he could do was to tell her everything he had learnt.
“They are certainly gone north, for I went to the nearest toll gate to ask,” he said. “As for the cost, I imagine it will be Lady Euphemia’s purse which will be emptied.”
“Very likely,” Lady Esther said. “Well, I cannot like it, but at least the marquess may be comforted by the thought that his sister is well chaperoned, if Miss Grayling is with her. An elopement is very bad, but taking one’s future sister-in-law is not quite so ruinous.”
“We do not know that they are eloping at all,” Robert said.
“That is true,” Olivia said, her face brightening. “The note said nothing about elopement or Scotland.”
