A Lady Of Rare Quality

‘In that case, we would be foolish to suppose that he will manage to call here. Furthermore, he would be very foolish to make the attempt, as the snow is falling harder than ever now. Which brings me to the matter concerning me most at present, Miss Greythorpe. I took it upon myself to remain here until your return, and sent my hired carriage back to town. I very much fear I must take advantage of your kind hospitality by seeking refuge under your roof until the weather improves and my maid and I can be conveyed to the posting-house,’ Annis explained, a moment before the door unexpectedly opened.

She then watched a girl, not long out of the schoolroom, she judged, slip shyly into the room, thereby denying Miss Greythorpe the opportunity to respond, and obliging her reluctant hostess to make known the identity of the new arrival.

Although initially Sarah Greythorpe might not have been altogether happy about being compelled to house two complete strangers for an indefinite period, by the time the evening was well advanced, the slight misgivings she had once harboured had all but disappeared, and she was surprisingly experiencing, given the traumatic events of the day, a feeling of rare contentment as she paid her second visit to her brother’s apartments in the west wing.

The surprising feeling of well-being that had increased with the passing of the hours was given a further boost the instant she entered the master bedchamber to discover the head of the family awake this time, and propped against a mound of pillows, sombrely contemplating the bowl of weak broth set before him on a tray.

As Annis had correctly judged, Viscount Greythorpe could never be accused of being light-minded. None the less, Sarah did not allow that inscrutable expression he invariably maintained to deter her from approaching the bed, for she above anyone knew that her brother was a master at concealing his emotions, and that it was nigh impossible to judge his moods.

‘How are you feeling now, after your long sleep? Better, I trust?’ she asked, showing a deal more animation than she had been wont to display in many a long year.

His lordship regarded her in silence, while he depleted further the contents of the bowl. ‘I’d feel a good deal better if I hadn’t been experiencing the increasing conviction that, during the past hours, my household had been taken over by a perfect stranger, and one who, moreover, I strongly suspect, is a very managing female withal.’

‘Oh, no, no, not managing!’ His sister was all delightful confusion, an attitude he had witnessed all too frequently over the years. ‘I’m certain she has only your best interests at heart.’

He smiled grimly. ‘I am pleased that you retain sense enough not to attempt to deny it, my dear. I should never have believed you had you tried. I know you too well. You would never have had the temerity to insist I drink only water, nor present me with only a bowl of weak broth, after I had fasted for most of the day.’

‘Oh, well…Annis…Miss Milbank assured me it would be necessary to keep your diet light at least for today, as there was just the slight risk you might become feverish,’ Sarah explained in what his lordship considered an unnecessarily coaxing voice, as though she were trying to reason with some unruly child.

‘Doctor Prentiss has not called,’ she continued, when he made no comment. ‘Which is in no way surprising, my dear, in view of the fact that it has snowed for most of the afternoon and evening. And I’m reliably informed by Dunster that there are drifts hereabouts now of six feet and more. If it hadn’t been for Annis’s presence of mind, Louise and I might well have found ourselves stranded at Nanny Berry’s cottage. I really ought not to have considered walking over to see her after luncheon.’ She paused momentarily to make a little helpless gesture with her hand. ‘But you know how difficult I find it, keeping our cousin Louise amused. I thought it would pass the time. And I cannot be sorry that I did so now, for Nanny Berry sustained a fall this morning and twisted her ankle rather badly. It was Dunster who informed me that it was Annis who suggested he send the carriage to collect us.

‘She is such a capable person,’ she went on hurriedly, when he maintained a stony silence throughout this recital of random snippets of information. ‘I cannot tell you what a relief I have found it having her here. We have passed such a very jolly evening, too. Why, I’ve never seen little Louise so animated! Except for those initial few minutes, when they were first introduced, she has not shown the least shyness in Annis’s company.’

His lordship took pity at last. ‘That being the case, I do not imagine that it was your enterprising Miss Milbank who had the temerity to present me with this meagre repast in person a short time ago?’

‘No, I expect that was Dish…I mean Disher, Miss Milbank’s companion and personal maid,’ Sarah explained. ‘It was she who sat with you for most of the evening. But it was Annis herself who took care of you earlier in the day. It was, in fact, she who discovered you in the road, and took it upon herself to return you safely home.’

‘Yes, so Flitwick informed me not so long ago,’ his lordship responded, after his mind’s eye had successfully summoned up a clear image of chestnut curls framing a highly pleasing, if not conventionally beautiful, countenance. ‘I did not recognise her. She is not, I think, from around these parts?’

‘No, Deverel, she is not,’ Sarah confirmed, appearing slightly troubled again. ‘She has lived all her life in the Shires. In point of fact, it was with the very intention of seeking you out that brought her here.’

He betrayed a marked degree of interest now. ‘Indeed?’

Unfortunately the slight edge of disapproval in his tone was not lost on her, and was more than sufficient to assure Sarah that he was not altogether pleased to learn this; and although she fully appreciated his policy of not admitting perfect strangers to the house, she found herself instantly coming to their unexpected guest’s defence.

‘I would be the first to admit that Miss Milbank is not what one might consider a…er…conventional young woman, Deverel. In point of fact, I think it would be fair to say that she is quite out of the common way. But let me assure you there is absolutely nothing in her manner to suggest that she is anything other than a very proper person. Why, even Dunster took it upon himself to order her baggage placed in the green bedchamber, would you believe? And as I have heard you remark on several occasions, you can rely on our butler to know what’s what.’

‘The green bedchamber, eh? Approval, indeed!’ his lordship was obliged to concede, raising a brow.

Sarah quickly nodded in agreement. ‘I cannot tell you the precise reason why she wishes to see you, Deverel, and I feel fairly certain that she wouldn’t have satisfied my curiosity if I’d had the temerity to ask. But what I can tell you is that Lady Henrietta Pelham is none other than her godmother. So I can only assume her business with you must have something to do with Helen.’

If she had expected this information to reassure him, she soon realised her mistake when the line between his jet brows grew very much more pronounced, a clear indication that his initial curiosity had been overshadowed by a strong feeling of annoyance. Those who knew the Viscount well could testify to his being a fair and, for the most part, tolerant man. The one thing he would not countenance, however, was interference in his personal concerns.

‘In that case, Sarah, you had best go and assure our unexpected guest that she shall be granted the interview she desires directly after breakfast tomorrow.’ The smile that curled one corner of his mouth was neither pleasant nor of long duration. ‘Whether she enjoys the experience or not is a different matter entirely.’

Chapter Three

W hether or not it was having enjoyed a good night’s rest in possibly the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in in her life that had resulted in a feeling of utter contentment, Annis wasn’t perfectly sure. She only knew she felt not a whit disturbed at the prospect of being obliged to remain at the Manor at least for a further day, and possibly a good deal longer. In fact, she was very much looking forward to spending more time with those two charming females whose delightful company she would never have been privileged to enjoy in the normal course of events.

All the same, Annis was nothing if not a realist. She was well aware that perhaps not everyone residing at Greythorpe Manor might be pleased to be housing an uninvited guest. Nor was she prepared to forget what had necessitated her visit to the county in the first place. Consequently, after savouring the rare treat of a leisurely breakfast in bed, she didn’t delay in answering the summons to join the master of the house in the library.

Seemingly content to maintain the role of personal escort, Dunster was on hand to show her the way to the handsome book-lined room on the ground floor, where the master of the house stood sentinel-like by the window, surveying his acreage of snow-covered park land.

For several moments, after his butler had announced his visitor and had withdrawn, his lordship didn’t move so much as a muscle. Then, very slowly, he turned, and subjected Annis to a prolonged stare, which was no less disturbingly direct than her own could be on occasions.

Just what flaws in her person his thorough appraisal had managed to locate, Annis had no way of knowing, for his expression remained quite inscrutable as he came slowly round the desk towards her, gesturing towards a chair by the hearth as he did so and inviting her to sit down.

‘Firstly, Miss Milbank, I must thank you for the singular service you rendered me yesterday. But for your timely assistance, my case might have become dire indeed.’

‘You do not appear to be suffering unduly after your unfortunate experience,’ Annis responded, having some difficulty deciding whether he was genuinely grateful, or merely adhering to the social niceties by offering his thanks.

‘But for your intervention, Miss Milbank, I might well be suffering a deal more than a few bruises and a sore arm.’

‘You make too much of it, sir,’ she responded, raising a hand and moving it swiftly through the air, as though attempting to rid herself of a troublesome insect.

‘Not according to what my sister and servants tell me,’ he countered, his voice, like his gaze, revealing nothing of what was really passing through his mind.

‘Then let us both thank Providence, sir,’ Annis suggested, all at once sensing that Viscount Greythorpe was a gentleman who favoured plain speaking. ‘The unexpected encounter has been as much to my benefit as yours. Had I not come upon you lying in the road, I might well have been denied, outright, the interview I’m being granted now.’

For an instant something that might well have been akin to approval flickered in the depths of deep blue eyes. It was gone too quickly for Annis to be certain. None the less, she considered it a modest victory. At least she had succeeded in piercing that inscrutable mask, if only briefly. Just what could lurk, hidden from the world at large, behind that impassive façade she might never be granted the opportunity to discover. There was one thing of which she was absolutely certain now, though—the master of Greythorpe Manor was not so coolly detached as he might wish to appear.

‘It wasn’t until last night,’ she began, ‘while I was lying in bed, that I began to appreciate, perhaps for the very first time, that any gentleman who places a high value on his reputation must of necessity remain on his guard. Females, of course, need to be extra-vigilant. But there are pitfalls for the unwary of both sexes,’ she continued, gazing thoughtfully into the fire, and thereby missing the quite different flicker this time that glinted in his lordship’s eyes. ‘Here am I, a complete stranger… How can you possibly be sure I am who I say I am, seeking you out for a legitimate reason, and not some designing harpy out to entrap you for personal gain?’

If his lordship was taken aback by the indelicate choice of language, he certainly betrayed no sign of it. ‘Be easy on that score,’ he said, his intense gaze not wavering for a second. ‘I have no doubt that you are Miss Annis Milbank of the Shires. And not, I am persuaded, come here for reasons of your own.’ If possible, his gaze grew marginally more searching. ‘Nor, I am persuaded, did you agree to come here altogether willingly, but at Lady Pelham’s personal request.’

She could not help but admire his perspicacity. Seemingly his sister had passed on what little information Annis had been willing to divulge the previous evening, and he had deduced correctly that she was here at someone else’s behest, though whether he was altogether pleased about it was a different matter entirely. She strongly suspected that he was not, and was doing his utmost to conceal the fact.

The suspicion did not, however, deter her from assuring him that he was perfectly correct. ‘Indeed, yes, sir, a circumstance I should now be in a position to prove, if I hadn’t foolishly overlooked the fact yesterday that I had, for safekeeping, placed my godmother’s letter of introduction in one of those bags now awaiting my arrival at the posting-house in your local town. Furthermore,’ she added when he made no response, ‘you are perfectly correct in your assumption. I did indeed undertake this mission most reluctantly.’

Curiosity evidently had managed to get the better of him, because he put in rather sharply, ‘Why so?’

‘Because I consider I’m not the most suitable person to adopt the role of emissary. I am on occasions too plain-spoken for some people’s tastes.’ She shrugged. ‘Lady Pelham, however, thought differently, possibly because her long and close friendship with my late mother resulted in my own extensive knowledge of her private concerns.’

‘Miss Milbank,’ he said after a further prolonged silence, during which she was yet again subjected to close scrutiny, ‘I do not boggle at plain-speaking. You may fulfil your designated role with impunity.’

Thus assured, Annis didn’t hesitate to reveal the dilemma besetting Lady Henrietta Pelham. She deliberately refrained from embellishing the reasons why her godmother considered it detrimental to visit Greythorpe Manor at the present time with explanations of her own. Yet, surprisingly enough, it was precisely her own views on the matter that he sought the instant she had revealed all.

‘Come, Miss Milbank,’ he urged, when she continued to regard him with just a hint of suspicion in what he considered a refreshingly direct gaze for one of her sex. ‘I do appreciate you were in Draycot’s company for a brief period only, and on that single occasion. Nevertheless, I cannot believe he departed from your godmother’s home without leaving an impression upon you.’

He detected just a hint of a smile playing about the sweet curve of her lips, before she turned her head to watch the flames dancing in the hearth. For several moments the only sounds he detected in the room was his own even breathing matching the steady ticking of the mantel-clock; and the strong suspicion that Annis Milbank was for the most part a very restful young woman passed through his mind a moment before she admitted,

‘My every instinct tells me my godmother isn’t very far out in her assessment of that particular person’s character, sir. I cannot imagine Mr Draycot would ever concern himself overmuch about the feelings of others.’

She turned her head to look at him, her gaze so prolonged that his lordship had little difficulty in detecting the flecks of green contained in the depths of her lovely grey eyes. ‘It is also my opinion that Lady Pelham has assessed the situation perfectly. It might indeed prove to be a grave error if Helen is forcibly removed from Draycot’s sphere at the present time.’

‘So, you too believe my sister might be persuaded to elope?’

‘I sincerely believe it’s a distinct possibility, yes,’ she answered, scrupulously truthful. Her sigh was clearly audible. ‘Yesterday evening, I found myself on numerous occasions comparing Helen with your cousin Louise. There is less than two years between them, and yet the difference is quite marked. Unlike Louise, your sister doesn’t lack self-confidence and is mature beyond her years.’

‘And yet, from what you tell me, she’s singularly failed to appreciate she has become the target of some gazetted fortune-hunter,’ he countered, rapier-sharp.

‘True. But I didn’t attempt to suggest she lacks any of those less favourable feminine attributes,’ Annis parried, with equal swiftness. ‘What female on the verge of womanhood would not feel highly gratified to become the sole object of a handsome man’s attentions? Draycot’s a veritable Adonis, sir! Why, even I found myself blinking several times when he walked into Godmama’s parlour! And you may be sure that a handsome face hasn’t caused so much as a fluttering in my breast for years!’

It could well have been a trick of the light, but Annis felt sure she detected what looked suspiciously like a twitch at one side of his lordship’s mouth, before he raised a shapely hand to massage his chin, as though giving due consideration to what he had just learned.

‘Sir, I wouldn’t dream of attempting to suggest your sister is so well adjusted that she doesn’t require guidance,’ she went on, when he continued to gaze meditatively at some imaginary spot on the hearth rug. ‘But what I do believe is that eventually sense will prevail and she will see Draycot for precisely what he is. Lady Pelham is wishful for Helen to attend the party here at the beginning of April, and become acquainted with her Greythorpe relations. What she’s endeavouring to do is not reveal her opinion of Draycot, and give the impression that she has any intention of removing Helen from his sphere by insisting they accept your invitation to spend several weeks here.’

‘Yet she is determined that Helen should spend those few days in Devon next week,’ he parried, but Annis wasn’t in the least discomposed by the sharpness of the response.

‘And very well it was managed too,’ she praised, determined to reveal her admiration for the method her godmother had so cleverly adopted. ‘You must remember, sir, that that particular invitation was issued and accepted long before Draycot’s arrival in Bath. And, incidentally, before your first communication was received by Lady Pelham,’ she reminded him.

‘Initially Helen had been overjoyed to think she would be present at her best friend’s birthday celebration. Quite naturally, after Draycot had crossed her path, and tried his utmost to persuade her not to leave Bath, she did begin to have second thoughts about attending the party. Cleverly, Lady Pelham didn’t attempt to remonstrate. She merely said she had no intention of changing her own plans, and that Helen was at liberty to remain behind, if she so wished, providing she stayed in the home of one of Lady Pelham’s close friends. Which resulted in Helen finally deciding herself to accompany her aunt into Devon, despite Mr Draycot’s opposition.

‘Furthermore, during my short stay in Bath, Helen herself revealed that during the time she was still debating on whether to attend her friend’s party, your invitation to stay here at Greythorpe arrived.’ Annis couldn’t suppress a half-smile. ‘Even Helen herself considered it most odd that a gentleman who, in one breath, had been professing himself heartbroken at the mere thought of being parted from her for so much as a long weekend should, in the next, be actively encouraging her to enjoy a protracted stay with relations in Hampshire. I’m as one with my godmother. There is something decidedly smoky about Draycot. And he definitely has a very good reason for not wishing Helen and Godmama to visit Devon.’

The long silence that followed was broken when the Viscount unexpectedly asked, ‘Okehampton is where this forthcoming party is taking place, I believe you said?’

Annis nodded as she watched him rise to his feet, his brow once more furrowed by deep lines of thought as he turned to take up his former stance before one of the windows. When he attempted to say nothing further, she took it to mean that he considered the interview at an end, and was not unduly sorry herself. She had completed the task for which she had been entrusted, and to press the matter further, she strongly suspected, would avail her nothing.

‘Be assured, Miss Milbank, I shall consider carefully what you have told me, and let you know my decision in due course,’ he announced, when the silence was once again broken by the rustling of Annis’s skirts this time, as she rose to her feet. ‘After all, there is no immediate hurry. You won’t be going anywhere for a day or two, I suspect.’

Still unable to decide whether or not he resented this, Annis went across to the door, as content as he appeared to be himself to bring the interview to an end. Then she be-thought herself of another matter, and delved into her pocket, capturing his full attention once again when she tossed the heavy purse down upon his desk.

‘Yours, I believe, sir. I removed it from your pocket when you lay unconscious in the road, and omitted to put it back.’ Annis found herself unable to resist a further smile as she watched his blue eyes focus on the filled leather pouch. ‘Whatever the reason behind the attack upon you, it certainly wasn’t robbery. A further mystery that requires solving, I’m thinking.’

His lordship watched her quietly leave the room before retrieving his property from the desk. ‘Yes, Miss Annis Milbank,’ he murmured, tossing the purse in one hand as though attempting to assess its contents. ‘And no less intriguing than the young woman who retained my property for safekeeping.’

Annis was not destined to cross the Viscount’s path again until that evening, when she joined the family in the small parlour just prior to dinner. Miss Greythorpe had once again proved to be a gracious hostess, keeping her entertained for the majority of the afternoon by taking her on a leisurely tour of the Manor. Louise in particular had proved to be lively company, chuckling constantly at Annis’s less-than-flattering observations about the portraits of the Greythorpe ancestors lining the walls of the picture gallery.

So it came as something of a surprise to Annis to detect a degree of constraint in the atmosphere the instant she entered the comfortable little room where she had spent part of the day plying a needle, while conversing about nothing in particular, or listening to Louise’s highly commendable efforts on the instrument in the corner of the room.

If anything, the atmosphere became a fraction more strained when they took their places in the small, informal dining room, and it wasn’t too difficult for Annis to appreciate why this should be. Although Sarah Greythorpe had been gracious in welcoming a stranger under her roof, there was a definite reserve in her character. Like his lordship, Sarah was not garrulous by nature, and Annis suspected that brother and sister had been content to pass their evenings together in companionable silence. Perhaps both had put themselves out to make slight adjustments in their lifestyle with the advent of Louise’s arrival, but even so it wasn’t to be expected that two such reserved characters would have much in common with a girl of Louise’s age, most especially his lordship, who was clearly finding his young cousin’s natural shyness in his presence somewhat difficult to overcome.

Seized by a benevolent whim, Annis decided to come to his rescue by addressing a remark directly at Louise, thereby forcing the girl to make conversation. ‘I believe you mentioned your parents are at present enjoying an extensive tour of Italy, Louise. When are you expecting them to return?’

‘Late spring,’ was the only response forthcoming.

‘And I seem to recall you mentioned earlier today that you have a brother up at Oxford?’ Annis persisted, determined to see at least a return of a semblance of the girl whose company she had enjoyed earlier in the day.

‘Yes, Tom. In his last letter he said he would try to get down to see me quite soon.’ If anything, she looked more forlorn than before. ‘But I do not think it will be this weekend.’