“Your intentions were good,” Papa said, “but I could not entrust the care of my children to a woman of such dubious morals.”
“No, I quite see that,” Lady Esther said. “It was very foolish of me. Mr Franklyn will be so cross with me.”
On the third day of travel, they caught up with Lord Embleton’s carriage, which contained the two valets and a quantity of luggage. They had left Melton no more than twohours behind Lord Embleton and Mr Franklyn, but had fallen steadily further behind, owing to a shortage of funds. Both had assumed that the other would be well supplied with the readies, and so they had been forced to eke out what money they had, and could only afford a pair of horses at each change. They fell upon the new arrivals with smiles of relief, and readily joined their little procession.
Shortly thereafter, they entered Yorkshire, which ought to feel like home to Olivia, except that it seemed they would drive straight through and on towards Scotland. The weather turned against them, too, becoming cold and drearily wet, and Lord Ramsey allowed the footmen to ride with the valets in Lord Embleton’s carriage.
Olivia might have been rather despondent at this point had it not been for Robert. There was something about him, some sympathetic twinkle in his eyes which seemed to say that he knew exactly how she felt. Whenever he was around, her spirits were distinctly lifted, even when he was not particularly paying attention to her. There was something immeasurably reassuring in his presence, just like Papa when he was himself… no, not really like Papa. Papa’s presence never made her oddly self-conscious, or caused her heart to speed up in the most unaccountable way, as Robert’s did. And when he turned his full attention on her, pressing this dish or that on her at dinner, or ensuring that she was not too hot or too cold, or relating little anecdotes that he thought might amuse her, well… the way she felt then was nothing at all like her regard for Papa.
After dinner, Lady Esther was inclined to retire early, and Lord Ramsey liked to talk to Papa about politics and people that Olivia had never met, so as often as not she ended up playing cribbage or piquet with Robert, and that was the most comfortable thing imaginable. Sometimes he teased her gently and sometimes he talked about Strathinver or his other estatesand sometimes they ended up talking about the strangest things — shooting stars and why autumn is both the most glorious and the most depressing season and why it always rains when one is feeling dismal and the strange shapes that clouds make as they race across the sky. And some nights she retired to bed wondering what on earth they had talked about that had absorbed them until close to midnight.
On the fourth day, they had a long wait at Leeds for sufficient horses and postilions for their three carriages to get them to Ripley. Lord Ramsey took a parlour for the ladies to wait in, but Lady Esther, who had an aching head, retired to a bedroom to rest with her maid in attendance. Olivia found herself alone in the parlour with Robert.
“Shall I send for your maid?” he said.
“No, no. Let her attend Lady Esther. I do not need her just now.”
“No, but… then perhaps I should withdraw. It is not proper for us to be alone here, Olivia.”
“Oh, pooh to that. Papa will be here at any moment, I am sure. I am glad of a moment alone to tell you how grateful I am for offering us the shelter of Strathinver. You are so kind, Osborn. I do hope your mama will not be too inconvenienced by our arrival.”
He smiled and said, “Do not worry about that. I have written to tell her of our intentions, and the place is big enough to house us all comfortably, have no fear.” He hesitated, an odd look on his face. “Olivia… I expect… I hope that Embleton will be there, too, eventually, whenever he has caught up with his sister. Perhaps… well, it will be an opportunity for you to get to know him better. That is what you want, is it not? And… and you will get to know me better, too.”
“I should like that,” she said in a low voice, for her words caught in her throat rather. What was he suggesting? That heand Lord Embleton were rivals? He had talked of marriage once, but it was so casual that she had assumed he was merely teasing her.
Something flashed in his eyes, before he became serious again. “You see, it is all my fault, this business with Grayling and Lady Euphemia.”
“Oh no! That cannot be!”
“It is, I assure you. I have been playing games, trying to keep you away from Embleton, so I set Grayling to… to distract you, and that made him ripe, I think to fall into Lady Euphemia’s hands. That day at Grayling Hall, when we were all chasing round after each other… that was the result of my stupid, stupid interference. That was the mistake I made with Izzy, you know, trying to best the other suitors for her hand instead of trusting her to make the best choice for herself. Well, I shall not make the same mistake with you, trying to bounce you into a decision. You must take the time to know your own mind, and if Embleton is the man to make you happy, then… then…”
Olivia felt as if she had been floating gently along a quiet stream which had now turned into a raging torrent, tossing her this way and that. Whatever did he mean? He seemed to be saying that he wanted to marry her himself, but he would not stand in her way if Lord Embleton was her choice. Was all Osborn’s teasing and flirtation actually something more serious? And what did Lord Grayling have to do with it? And why on earth did he talk about Lord Embleton as if she had any choice in the matter? He had never shown her more than gentlemanly courtesy, at best, and the edge of his temper sometimes, too.
It was all too difficult, and she was relieved when Papa came in and broke up the tête-à-tête.
***
Late on the fifth day, their little train of carriages arrived at Thirsk, and as they turned into the market square, Olivia cried out in excitement.
“Look! Look! Lady Esther’s carriage!”
Lady Esther, who had been leaning against the squabs with her eyes closed, sat bolt upright. “Where? Where?”
“In the yard of the inn we just passed. We must stop! Lord Ramsey, we must stop at once!”
He was already knocking on the roof of the carriage, and almost before it had drawn to a halt, he was fumbling with the window to reach the handle and open the door. Leaping out, he strode back down the street, leaving the three carriages almost blocking the way for following traffic.
In a very few minutes, he returned with Mr Franklyn. Lady Esther gave a little cry, and scrambled in haste out of the carriage to throw herself into her husband’s arms.
“There, there, my love. All is well now,” he murmured into her elegant bonnet, as she shed tears of joy onto his immaculate coat. Olivia was delighted with this romantic reunion. Having only ever seen the placid surface of what had seemed to be no more than a pragmatic marriage, she was thrilled to discover the depths of affection lurking beneath.
There was a little argument with the postilions, who had arrangements with a different inn, but Lord Ramsey quickly disposed of this problem by decreeing that the postilions may do as they pleased but he and his party would put up at the same inn as Mr Franklyn and Lord Embleton. Mr Franklyn laughed, and shepherded the ladies back down the road and into the inn yard, which was as lively as a spring fair. Horses, postilions and ostlers scurried about, while a number of chambermaids and scullery maids stood at the kitchen door, eyes agog, and several farmers and tradesmen, tankards in hand, watched from the inn door.
“It is even worse inside,” Mr Franklyn said, with a chuckle. “You would imagine Thirsk had never seen a marquess before. Mind you, Embleton is in the most towering rage. This way… we have a very pleasant parlour, very snug.”
“He might feel better if he knows that we have Hoodley with us,” Olivia said.
“His valet? And is Eastwood with you, too? I confess, I shall be very glad to have properly starched cravats again,” he said. “I only packed for an overnight stay, and this has turned out to be very much longer, and now Grayling and Lady Euphemia have disappeared.”
