“May I introduce my niece, my sister’s eldest daughter, Miss Maitland?”
Her aunt did not appear to notice Julia’s confusion.
“Miss Maitland, I am delighted to make your acquaintance,” said the Master of Morancourt, bowing to Julia.
She did not know what to think. Did Kit Douglas want her aunt to believe that they were meeting for the first time? For the moment, it seemed best not to challenge this.
“Sir,” was all she said, curtseying to him.
He turned back towards Aunt Lucy.
“As you know, Mrs. Harrison, I am here to discuss Mrs. Hatton’s legacy. My godmother often mentioned you very warmly to me, and I know that you had had a very lengthy acquaintance—since your school days, I believe?”
“Please sit down, Mr. Hatton.” She gestured towards a chair and waited until he was seated before replying.
“Yes, that’s true; she was probably the friend that I had known for the longest. I’m very sorry that I did not know of her serious illness, for I would have liked to visit her.”
“I was there for the last week before she died,” he said, “but she was aware of very little for most of that time.”
She nodded and then pulled the bell cord. When he came into the room, Aunt Lucy asked the butler to bring some refreshments. Just as this was being arranged, they could hear the footman answering the door. The butler soon returned, looking rather flustered.
“Ma’am, there is a messenger at the door for you. I apologise for the interruption, but it might be easier if you could come and speak to him yourself.”
Aunt Lucy looked puzzled, but rose from her seat and, excusing herself, followed him out of the room.
Kit Douglas turned immediately to Julia.
“Miss Maitland, you must be surprised by the manner of my greeting to you?”
“Yes, sir.” She hesitated, then said, “Please explain.”
“I had a letter from my father last week. He passed on the news that you had gone away so that you could enjoy a change of scene and forget for a while all about your parents’ plans for you in Derbyshire. I had no idea that you were related to Mrs. Harrison, or that you were staying with her.”
“There is no reason why you should have done, Mr. Douglas.”
“My immediate reaction therefore on seeing you here was that you would prefer not to be reminded about Derbyshire at present, or for your aunt to know of our previous acquaintance.”
Julia smoothed her hands down the skirt of her dress, then again, then she composed herself and clasped her hands together in front of her with the appearance of calm, although her mind was racing. No one she had met in Bath had mentioned his family or Norton Place to her, and Emily had not met Kit Douglas, although she had heard of him.
Kit Douglas was looking at her intently. “You have reservations? I will do as you wish, of course.”
Julia paused. Perhaps a question could resolve her dilemma.
“Have you met many people of your own acquaintance here in Bath, sir?”
“No. On my visits to my godmother after the death of her husband, Mr. Henry Hatton, I had only passed through the city and not stopped here. And now, one of the requirements of my godmother’s will was that I should change my surname to hers. She had no children, you see. You will know that it is quite common with the bequest of an estate for the heir to be asked to assume the family name.”
Julia smiled to herself—a new name! Would she be able to remember that?
She could not realise what effect her infectious smile was having on him. He waited, regarding her gravely, admiring her neat figure, the way that her hair curled at the nape of her neck, and her clear grey eyes.
“How long will you be staying in Bath, sir?”
Suddenly, he smiled at her in return. “That depends, I suppose, on the company that I might keep, and what else I might find to do. Are you planning to be here with your aunt for long?”
Julia’s mood rapidly sobered.
“I don’t know. I am anxious for any news that comes about my father from Derbyshire. I am very concerned for his health, and only came to visit Aunt Lucy because he insisted that I should.”
They heard in the distance that the voices in discussion at the front door had ceased, and her aunt came back into the drawing room.
“Please excuse me, Mr. Hatton, for that unfortunate diversion—only a domestic matter. I really do think that my butler could have dealt with it himself. However, now, where were we?”
“I suppose that we were about to discuss how and when you might visit my godmother’s home to choose your gift. You will recall that Morancourt is more than a day’s drive from here. I have kept on her servants at the property, and I should be delighted to offer you hospitality for as long as you might wish to stay.”
“That is most generous of you, sir. I have my own travelling chaise, so I could use that for the journey. But at present I have Julia staying with me, and her friend Emily also. Julia was to return to Derbyshire with her. Do you have a particular date in mind?”
Julia could see that Kit Douglas—no, she should think of him as Mr. Hatton—was considering the options. Before he could speak, her aunt continued.
“Of course, sir, Julia could accompany me if you did not object to that.”
Julia said nothing, but he read her expression accurately.
“Miss Maitland may prefer to continue in Bath. I cannot offer her any comparable social delights at Morancourt, delighted though I would be if she were to visit.”
She was grateful for his thoughtfulness, and amused at the different levels on which his words were being received by her aunt and by herself.
Aunt Lucy, unaware of this, clearly considered that a visit to Dorset would be a pleasant diversion for her niece. She looked to Julia, but could see that for some reason she was not keen to accept the invitation.
“Let me leave you now, ma’am, and I can return when you have considered the matter further. There is no particular urgency, from my point of view, to have a decision now.”
The subject was pursued no longer and, after a few more
minutes of easy conversation, he left.
“What a most agreeable young man, Julia. So cultured and with such a stylish manner—so superior to some of the young men you will have met in Bath. I do appreciate that it was your intention just to visit me here, but a few days away in Dorset might be very pleasant as a change of scene.”
“I came to Bath to visit you, dear aunt, not to endure another long journey and spend my time in a dusty old house with someone I don’t know.”
Her aunt made a face but decided not to argue, and the matter was left until Emily came back from the dressmakers. Then Aunt Lucy told her all about the visit from the Master of Morancourt, how handsome he was, how pleasant, and about the suggested visit.
Emily could see that Julia did not agree with her aunt about travelling to Dorset, but it was not until later, when they were alone, that she asked her friend what the problem was. By this time, Julia had had the opportunity to decide on her reply.
“He was pleasant, certainly, but I don’t want to go down to Dorset when I could be here with you, enjoying the delights of Bath, which is what I came to do.”
“Very well, let us be as gay as we may, for certainly life back in Derbyshire will not be so interesting or as lively when we return there.”
Over the next days, the two young ladies made the most of the social activities available in Bath. They took the waters in the Pump Room and met friends for tea at both the Upper and Lower Assembly Rooms. Accompanied by Aunt Lucy, they attended a concert on the Monday and a dress ball on the Thursday evening, where they met several young gentlemen who had arrived just that week in the city.
One of these, Patrick Jepson, had been introduced to them by the master of ceremonies earlier in the evening, and he came across the room to speak to Aunt Lucy. The tails of his long dress coat fell well below the backs of his knees, and the padding on the shoulders of his coat jacket was so exaggerated that it rivalled the height of his intricately folded neck cloth. He had prominent and unusually shaped ears, and his hair was curled and overdressed in the latest style. The view of this apparition caused Emily to giggle behind her hand and Julia to turn briefly away towards the wall to compose herself.
Mr. Jepson inquired of Emily, “Miss Brandon, do you come from the family living at Cressborough Castle in Derbyshire?”
Julia observed with amusement Emily’s cautious reply, asking the reason for his question.
“Well, in that case I know your brother Dominic, he’s a friend of mine in town.”
He can’t know the family very well, Julia thought.
“Dominic is my cousin, Mr. Jepson, not my brother. How do you know him?”
“We go around together in London with some other fellows, visiting the clubs, playing cards, going to the races—things like that.”
Emily said nothing, but he went on. “Would you do me the honour of the next dance, Miss Brandon?” he said, looking at Aunt Lucy as he did so.
She nodded imperceptibly at Emily, who gave Julia a private smile before she inclined her head briefly to Mr. Jepson and allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor.
“I don’t like that young man,” said Julia.
“No, I agree, but Emily is well able to take care of herself with us nearby.” Then she pointed across the room. “Why look, Julia, there is Mr. Hatton.”
She turned and saw across the room that Kit Douglas—no, she must remember to say Mr. Hatton—was looking towards her with a small smile, and then making his way around the edge of the dancers in the centre of the room to reach them.
“Mrs. Harrison, Miss Maitland, I was beginning to think that there was no really pleasant company here this evening!”
“That is a little harsh, sir.”
“Maybe, ma’am, but you must agree that there are some very gaudy coxcombs on the floor, and some very overdressed young ladies.”
Julia could not conceal an involuntary laugh at her aunt’s expression.
Mr. Hatton himself was wearing a well-cut jacket in the latest fashion, with a neatly tied neck cloth matching his shirt. His long cream pantaloons above the mirror shine of his shoes made him look even taller than he was. His dark hair was properly dressed, but without the extremity of style exhibited by some of the other young blades in the room.
“Miss Maitland, if your aunt will permit it, will you do me the honour of dancing the next?”
Julia did not need to look at Aunt Lucy. “I should be delighted, Mr. Hatton.”
As they stood at the side of the room waiting for the dance to finish in the centre of the floor, Mr. Hatton said, “Have you heard of the continental dance—the waltz—Miss Maitland? I was introduced to it whilst I was in Spain last year.”
“I have heard only,” Julia smiled, “that the dowagers do not approve of it, for I understand that the couples dance very close together and almost in an embrace, and that the older ladies, and some mothers, do not agree with that?”
“Yes, that is true, but I have seen the dance myself, and the waltz is a most graceful spectacle if done well. I took a few lessons whilst I was in Spain and, now that my leg is mending, I should love to try the waltz again.”
“I have heard,” Julia said, “that the dance has been introduced in Almack’s in London. If that is so, perhaps we provincials may be allowed to try it out soon.”
He laughed as he replied, “True, it takes time for those of us who live outside town to learn new habits. But now that I have a ballroom of my own—”
“A ballroom! You must have a very large house in Dorset, sir?”
“No—not very large, but the wife of the gentleman who built the manor at Morancourt was very fond of dancing—so the house has a modest-sized ballroom.”
But then, before they could continue their conversation, it was time for them to take their places for the next dance.
Once they were out of earshot of others, he said, “Miss Maitland, I had been hoping to have the chance to speak with you privately before I visit your aunt’s house again. I know that you have doubts about making the journey to Dorset. I certainly do not wish you to think that I am trying to dictate what you should do.”
His words brought to mind his conversation at Norton Place a few weeks earlier.
“We share that view, sir, I believe.”
“Yes. But I would very much value your opinion if you were to be willing to come with her. The estate at Morancourt has been allowed to run down considerably. My godmother was very wealthy, and money was not a problem. But she did not have the energy in her last years to take any interest in renovating the house or the grounds. But now that I find myself in charge, and able to afford to do as I like, there are many things that I would like to alter. But I have had no experience in taking such a property in hand.”
Julia looked at him blankly, for he must know that she had no such experience either. It must be, therefore, that he sought to have her company, and that her aunt’s visit would be a good excuse for achieving that.
“Aunt Lucy has good taste, so I’m sure that she would be willing to help you.”
He looked at her warily, not sure whether that was intended to be a firm negative.
They continued in the dance for several minutes until the music came to an end.
Then he said, “I should be honest with you, Miss Maitland. I would particularly like you to assist me. It is very important to me that you should.”
As he spoke, they had been walking across the room towards the refreshments, and now they came upon Aunt Lucy and Emily, who were looking for Julia.
Before Julia could answer him, Emily interrupted.
“I had a very odd conversation during the dance with Mr. Jepson, Julia. He said that Dominic has been down here in Bath, and travelling in the West Country and further south near the coast on some kind of business venture. What kind of venture could that be? I don’t recall Freddie saying anything about it.”
“Well, there may be no truth in it or, more likely, Dominic doesn’t tell Freddie everything. Indeed, that may be just as well.”
And she introduced her friend to Mr. Hatton. Mr. Hatton gave a discreet cough. “Perhaps these are private family matters, Miss Brandon. If you will excuse me, I will go and fetch a glass of cordial for Miss Maitland, and some for you and Mrs. Harrison also, if I may.”
When he returned, he handed the glasses of cordial to the ladies, and then addressed Aunt Lucy.
“Mrs. Harrison, you have lived in Bath for many years, I believe? Now that the new canal is open between Bath and Reading, journeys by boat are being offered from the canal junction with the River Avon here in the city to the rear entrance to the Sydney Pleasure Gardens. Would you allow me to escort you and these two young ladies on such an expedition—perhaps later this week?”
“Mr. Hatton, that is most kind. I have been to the Sydney Gardens many times over the years, of course. I am not personally anxious to make a journey on the canal, but I am sure that Julia and Emily would be very delighted to accept your invitation. Is that not so, my dears?”
Emily clapped her hands together with glee, and Julia replied for them both.
“Mr. Hatton, that would an expedition that we could never have the opportunity to enjoy at home. I have not been on a canal, and I have heard a great deal about the Sydney Gardens. We really enjoyed our trip last month to the Vauxhall Gardens with Emily’s cousin.”
“Oh, I did not realise that Lord Brandon had taken you there?” He suddenly appeared very downcast.
“Not Dominic Brandon, we did not meet him in London. It was Freddie, his younger brother, who took time out from his regiment to take us to Vauxhall. That is a very much larger and busier place. I am sure that Sydney Gardens will be very different, but just as enjoyable.”
Mr. Hatton’s mood seemed to lift as quickly as it had fallen, and the arrangements were made for him to call at Aunt Lucy’s house later in the week to walk with them to the beginning of the canal. He continued his conversation with Julia’s aunt for a few more minutes before excusing himself.
Aunt Lucy watched him go, and then turned to Emily.
“I do not know your cousins, but I do think that it might be better if you were more discreet in discussing matters concerning them in front of strangers.”
“Mr. Hatton isn’t really a stranger to you, Mrs. Harrison, and anyway, it’s his own fault if Dominic chooses friends who go round telling anybody and everybody what he is getting up to!”
To prevent an argument developing with her guest, Aunt Lucy changed the subject quickly, and no further private discussion took place that evening.
The boat was full of excited passengers as Mr. Hatton and the young ladies set off on the boat to go through the canal locks at Widcombe. To begin with, they stood together on the stern, but then Emily walked towards the front of the vessel and fell into conversation with a party who was visiting from London.
Julia stood in companionable silence with Mr. Hatton as the horses on the towpath pulled the boat past the rear gardens of tall houses in golden stone on the eastern side of the canal and the view towards Bath Abbey and the centre of the city to the west. As she watched the houses go by, it seemed to Julia that at last there was an opportunity for her to find out what she so much wanted to know.
“Might I ask you a question, Mr. Hatton?”
He turned towards her and nodded, his eyes alert.
“The red shoes—why did you give them to me?”
There was a long pause before he answered her.
“At the time, I hardly knew. It was almost involuntary. And I need not have delivered them in person, of course. But I have had plenty of time since then to think about it, to remember your visit to Norton Place, and you, Miss Maitland.”
There was so much in his green eyes that spoke to her as he continued.
“Only since then have I been able to be honest with myself. I wanted to see your home at Banford Hall and to let you have something very personal to me. I had heard that your parents, perhaps in particular your mother, want you to marry someone quite above my social circle—Lord Brandon, perhaps—and I knew that I might never see you again.”
Her grey eyes looked at him without wavering for a moment.
Then she said, “Men have more freedom than women in such matters, Mr. Hatton, as I have been finding to my cost.”
“True, but I will always be the younger son of a self-made man who made his fortune in trade. The fact that my mother was the daughter of a baronet does not seem to compensate for that.”
“But your father made his fortune by his own efforts—surely many people would say that is praiseworthy?”
“Maybe, but not enough to make me or my brother respectable in the highest circles, removed as we are only one generation from a grandfather who was a small farmer.”
She looked out over the side of the boat, then back to face him.
“I appreciated your gift very much, Mr. Hatton, then and now, and I’m very happy to be able to thank you. I should have done so before. As to the future, so much depends on my father’s health. The doctor has told us that he has serious problems with his heart, and that there is little that can be done. As long as he lives, I should not be forced to marry someone I dislike or despise. But if anything happens to him, my mother might have very different priorities.”
“There must be an expert physician here who could help him? Or someone from London? Sir William Knighton treated my godmother successfully in Bath for her heart affliction for several years with a carefully measured dosage of digitalis, made from the leaves of the foxglove plant. He is very well recommended.”
“Bath and London are a long way from Derbyshire, Mr. Hatton. Papa is not well enough to travel any distance, and the cost of taking a doctor to him would be very considerable, even if that could be arranged.”
“Do you have the red shoes with you?”
“No, sir.” She saw his expression change and he turned his head away. Almost without knowing why, she added, “I could not risk losing them.”
The change in his face was wonderful to see as he looked back at Julia, and he was about to reply when Emily returned, saying that they were approaching the lock on the canal. She stood between Mr. Hatton and Julia as they watched with careful attention the raising of the water and the boat in the confined space of the lock up to the next level of the canal.
“You are interested in how things work, Miss Brandon?” he said. “It seems a very elegant solution to moving the boat around the contours of the hill, and that presumably means less work in digging the canal.”
“Julia would be more anxious than I to know the exact details, Mr. Hatton,” said Emily, smiling at her friend.
“Yes. It’s true that I am more interested in how problems can be solved, Mr. Hatton. So was my brother, for he told me that, without change, there can be no progress.”
He laughed. “Yes, that is very true, although not everyone would agree with you, Miss Maitland. And the next change lies ahead of us, for now we can see the Chinese bridge ahead.”
“Was that made of iron in the foundry at Coalbrookdale started by Abraham Darby? My father has told me about the factory there.”
“Yes, as well as the second and wider iron bridge beyond. And can you see the entrance to Sydney Gardens coming into sight between them, on the left?”
Once disembarked at the Gardens, the three young people followed the other groups of visitors around the gravel walk. Music was being provided by the Pandean Band—several exotically dressed musicians playing pan pipes together with percussion instruments, making sounds the likes of which Emily and Julia had never heard before.
On the other side of the path, there was a sign advertising the new Cascade, with water making a tinkling noise, and appearing to rush down a village street.
“That is powered by clockwork and, if you look closely, the ‘water’ is really moving bits of tin plate.”
“You are very knowledgeable, sir,” said Emily, impressed.
“Perhaps, Mr. Hatton, you might have read about it in this week’s edition of the Bath Chronicle,” said Julia, laughing at their host, and he had to acknowledge that she was right.
“It is very difficult to gain much personal credit with either of you ladies around, Miss Brandon! But let me divert you, for I understand that there is to be a balloon ascent in a few minutes at the other end of the Gardens.”
Julia and Emily walked across the gravel with Mr. Hatton, watching with amazement as the aeronaut lit the fire under the canopy and his passenger looked on as the assistants released the ropes securing the basket below to the ground. Then the balloon rose steadily above the upturned faces of the crowd as the fire roared, and it was blown southwards away from them above the city. Afterwards, they walked back together towards Pulteney Bridge and the centre of Bath, enjoying the view in each direction after they had crossed the river.
Aunt Lucy was highly entertained by their account of these events at the breakfast table on the next day, but refused to promise that she would take a canal trip herself, although they assured her that she would not feel seasick.
Over the next few days, Emily continued to encourage Julia to accept Mr. Hatton’s invitation to accompany her aunt.
“You have never been to Dorset, and I am told that it is very beautiful and quite different from Derbyshire. Why don’t you go? Your aunt would be delighted to have your company. I won’t be able to stay here much longer now that I need to go back to London, as I have had a letter to say that my aunt and uncle will be arriving at their town house soon.”
Julia promised to think carefully about what she should do. In fact, she realised now, she knew exactly what she wanted and, for once, she could not think of any reason why she should make a different decision.
The day came when the Master of Morancourt kept his appointment to visit Aunt Lucy. She had not pressed Julia any further, and so it was with some curiosity that she waited to hear what her niece’s reply would be.
Mr. Hatton repeated what he had said to Julia in private in the Assembly Rooms, that he would value her opinion on what he should do at Morancourt.
“Very well, sir, since you are so very persuasive, and Aunt Lucy has made it clear that she would like to have my company during her visit. My only proviso must be that, if I have any message about my father’s health, I might need to cut short my stay to return to Derbyshire.”
Aunt Lucy was delighted at this news, and smiled at Emily, who was sitting quietly in a chair on the other side of the room.
Julia was more interested in Mr. Hatton’s reaction, but that was only confirmed as he left. He took her hand in farewell and, as he did so, he whispered, “I shall be so delighted to have your company, Miss Maitland. Thank you.”
He was escorted from the room by her aunt and, as soon as they had left, Emily said, “Bravo, Julia, well done. I haven’t dared say so before, but he is quite the most agreeable young man that we have met during our stay here. But how will you return home, Julia, if you do not travel with me?”
“Aunt Lucy has said that she will take me home to Derbyshire herself. It is some time since she visited my parents, and so she has very kindly said that she will bring forward her next visit to the north.”
Julia could have added that she suspected Aunt Lucy of some curiosity to meet the heir to an earldom that Julia’s mama had in mind as a suitor for her niece, although they had had very little discussion about it.
However, her friend then changed the subject to quite a different matter.
“Do you remember, Julia, when we met Mr. Hatton at the Assembly Rooms, that I told you about my conversation with Mr. Jepson. But I didn’t tell you about everything that was said.”
Julia looked at her curiously.
“He said that Dominic is very short of money. That is despite the very generous allowance I know he gets every month from my uncle and aunt. If that’s the case, he must be spending a very great deal on Christina, or other young women, or on gaming, or must have very large debts of some other kind.”
“Well, Emily, that’s not unusual for young men of quality—they seem to think that it’s fashionable to waste as much money as they can in as short a time as possible.”
“Maybe, but why would he make a journey down to this part of the country, and what kind of venture would he get involved in? As far as I know, he has no business experience of any kind. After he left Oxford, he served for two years in the regiment, but he has done nothing else that I’m aware of.”
“Well, all we can hope for is that most of his friends are more sensible, and less stupidly dressed, than Mr. Jepson, not to mention those unusual ears.”
“I do wish that I thought you were right, Julia.”
That evening as she fell asleep, she thought to herself what a difficult situation she would find herself in if she agreed to marry Dominic Brandon. However keen Mama might be on the match, Julia didn’t want to believe that she would insist that her daughter’s future should be in the hands of someone who seemed likely to be unfaithful, profligate, and, by the sound of it, not very good at anything except spending money.
The next day Julia wrote to her parents to advise them of the change of plan, saying that Mr. Hatton, as the new owner of Morancourt, was going to be their host for several days. She doubted whether either Papa or Mama would be worried about the idea, but Aunt Lucy had advised her that they ought to know of it. Only a few days now remained before they were planning to go to Dorset.
“Mr. Hatton has told me that he is leaving for Morancourt tomorrow, Julia. I have invited him to dine with us tonight, I hope that you don’t object.”
“No, of course not, Aunt. And it will be a pleasant way of saying good-bye to Emily, too.”
The two young ladies asked that Aunt Lucy’s dresser, Martha Fisher, should help them both with their toilette for the evening. She was a local girl who had been working in the house for several years as a maid before Aunt Lucy had decided to promote her to a more responsible position, looking after her mistress and her clothes.
“If you please, Miss Julia,” Martha said, “my mistress suggested that you might like to borrow her sapphire necklace to go with your new dress? And for Miss Emily, there are several other jewels that you might like to choose from.”
“How very generous of Mrs. Harrison, and thank you, Martha. Perhaps you could bring the box to me so that I can choose something to go with the grey dress that I brought with me from the castle.”
It took the two young ladies nearly an hour to complete their toilette and all the details, but Aunt Lucy’s pleasure in their appearance when they arrived in the drawing room made it all worthwhile.
Mr. Hatton arrived at the appointed time, looking immaculate in his evening dress, and bearing a small gift for his hostess that was beautifully wrapped in silver coloured paper tied with a red ribbon.
“You are very generous, sir. Please take a seat. We shall be dining in about half an hour. In the meantime, perhaps you would be kind enough to tell us all a little more about Morancourt, for neither of the young ladies has been there.”
“Well, ma’am, I am a biased observer, but I will do my best. The house itself is looking tired and much in need of redecoration and new furnishings. You may remember that it is neither too small nor too large but, towards the end of her life, my godmother only lived in two rooms on the ground floor because of her heart condition. Her servants cared for her very well, in particular the housekeeper, Mrs. Jones. Her husband has been looking after the grounds around the house for my godmother, but had been given no instructions to do anything apart from keeping the grass cut with the help of the gardeners. Mr. Whitaker is a younger man who has been in charge of the farm stock and the rest of the land, which is generally in good condition, although there is a need for investment in new buildings.”
“How much land is there, Mr. Hatton?” asked Emily.
“About five hundred acres, Miss Brandon, plus the park immediately around the house, which has an area of about forty acres. Mrs. Harrison will remember that the manor house is about five miles from the sea, on one side of the Marshwood Vale, which is a very attractive rural area between Lyme Regis and Dorchester. I believe that you have not been in Dorset yourself, Miss Brandon?”
“No, although I am beginning to wish that I may have the opportunity sometime in the future.”
“I think you said, Mr. Hatton,” said Julia, “that your godmother was a widow with no children?”
“Yes, her husband, Henry, was given the house many years ago by an uncle who had been one of a large family. You can see that, in some of the bedrooms, the children’s toys are still stored in cupboards, as though they might come back at any time. When I visited the house with my mother as a child I used to play with some of them.”
Aunt Lucy was obviously charmed by this idea, but at that moment the butler entered the drawing room to announce that dinner was served. The rest of the evening passed with pleasant conversation before their guest took his leave.
The following day was Wednesday, the last day that the young ladies would have together before Emily had to leave for London. The Brandon’s carriage arrived early in the morning from town with Annette Labonne, the Countess’s maid. After luncheon, she was to pack Emily’s clothes for the journey back to London the next day.
Julia and Emily went out in the sunshine and spent most of the morning shopping in Milsom Street, where they paused at Mollands’ pastry shop for a few minutes to take tea and cakes. They were seated at a table inside the window, watching the crowds pass by, when Emily suddenly exclaimed to her friend, “Look, Julia, isn’t that Dominic on the other side of the road?”
They both peered through the glass and, between the various people passing by, saw that it was indeed Dominic Brandon, talking to Mr. Jepson.
“I wonder if Mr. Jepson will tell him that I’m here?” Emily leant back in her chair. “I don’t really want to know what Dominic is up to.”
“Nor I. We will not make ourselves known to him, for I am sure that I do not want to meet Dominic myself,” said Julia.
At that moment, they were amazed to see Annette Labonne approaching the two gentlemen along the pavement and, when they met, Dominic and his friend were clearly not surprised to see her. For several minutes, the three were engaged in deep conversation, oblivious to their surroundings and the two young ladies watching from the shop across the street.
At last Dominic and Mr. Jepson doffed their hats to Annette, and she walked quickly away in the direction of Aunt Lucy’s house. Emily and Julia looked on as the two young men then turned away and proceeded together down the road towards the Abbey.
“How extraordinary,” said Julia at last. “What can they have been discussing?”
“I have no idea, but I won’t say anything about it to her at present, or to the Countess when I see her in town. But nor will I forget, for Dominic and Mr. Jepson were not surprised to see Annette and must have arranged to meet her there. Something very odd is going on.”
“Well, Mr. Jepson was right about your cousin Dominic visiting the city. When Freddie is next on leave, Emily, try to speak to him about it. And please don’t tell my aunt anything.”
“Of course not.”
“I hope that I don’t see Dominic again whilst I’m here. I really do not want to think about anything to do with Derbyshire whilst I’m here in Bath.”
As soon as she had spoken, Julia realised that there was an exception to that. Mr. Hatton might not have been part of her life in Derbyshire, but Kit Douglas certainly had been.