Love by the Lake Page 7

  “Uncle James says he has a pony coming for me tomorrow and I’ll learn to ride it.”

  “Have you not ridden before?”

  “I rode one of Papa’s horses sometimes, but when he died we lived in London and there were no horses.”

  He sounded sad about it which Lolita thought was a good sign and she was sure it was very important that Simon should enjoy riding like his father and his uncle.

  She had not forgotten that Lord Seabrook had said that she could ride too. She was looking forward to it eagerly, but at the same time she was very conscious that she had not brought a riding habit with her.

  It had been a long day and she put Simon to bed early and he was asleep almost before she left him.

  When she went into the schoolroom it was to find Mrs.Shepherd waiting for her.

  “I was hoping to see you,” said Lolita, “because his Lordship said you might have some clothes for Simon. He only has what he stands up in, and I had to buy a new shirt for him as his was so stained with blood.”

  “I’ve been hearing how wickedly that woman treated him,” Mrs. Shepherd answered. “I could not believe anyone who calls herself a lady would behave in such a manner.”

  “I agree with you it was appalling and that is why it is very important for Simon to have new interests so that he will forget what he has suffered.”

  “It’s nice for us to have him here,” said Mrs. Shepherd, “and I hope it’ll take his Lordship’s mind off the lady who seems intent on staying for ever.”

  Lolita thought this was a rather strange remark, but she wanted to keep Mrs. Shepherd’s mind on what she required.

  “His Lordship was gracious enough to say that I might ride with Simon, but you understand that as I came away in a hurry I have no riding habit.”

  Mrs. Shepherd laughed.

  “I can find you one right enough. And as you’re so slim there’ll be no difficulty.”

  “That is very kind of you.”

  “I tell you what we’ll do. We’ll go and find one now,just in case his Lordship wants you to ride tomorrow morning. He usually goes out early.”

  Lolita thought this was unlikely, but equally she was anxious to locate a suitable riding habit.

  Mrs. Shepherd took her up to the third floor and the attics and she said that as the castle was so big they were used only for storage.

  “My housemaids are very comfortable in the West wing,” she told Lolita, “and Mr. Barty has plenty of room downstairs for his footmen.”

  There was a note of pride in the way she spoke and Lolita sensed she was not only fond of the castle, but felt she belonged to it.

  Her mother had often told her how servants in an ancestral house often think of it as their own home. It belonged to them hardly less than it belonged to its owners.

  “That is why, dearest,” her mother had said, “we always had such wonderful servants at home.”

  “It must have hurt Papa to have to sell Walcott Priory.”

  “It made him very unhappy,” her mother had replied. “But there was no money and as it is so large, it was quite impossible for us to keep it up.”

  She gave a little sigh before she added,

  “Your grandfather left a great number of debts which had to be paid.”

  In the attic there were many wardrobes and numerous clothes on hangers suspended from the walls and covered with white sheets.

  Mrs. Shepherd knew exactly what she wanted and eventually she found a large amount of boy’s clothes for Simon which Lolita was sure would fit him. There were also riding boots and a smart suit he could wear on important occasions.

  Mrs. Shepherd laid them all out on chairs and said she would send one of the footmen to bring them down to the schoolroom.

  “Now Mrs. Bell,” she turned to Lolita, “we must think about you,” as they moved into yet another attic room.

  There, Lolita found, were a variety of clothes which had been handed down over the generations. There were wedding dresses which had been worn up to two hundred years ago and a number of fancy dresses which had clearly been a sensation at some special ball and never worn again.

  Mrs. Shepherd next went to another wardrobe and when she opened the door Lolita saw it was filled with ladies’ riding habits.

  Some were pretty but quite out of date as habits had become more tailored and not ornamented with as much braid as they had been earlier in the century.

  The one which Lolita liked the most was dark blue and she was sure it would fit her.

  She tried on the coat and found she was right as it fitted her almost as if it had been made for her and looked as if it had hardly been worn.

  “That one belonged to his Lordship’s mother,” Mrs. Shepherd informed her. “She was very extravagant where clothes were concerned and I understand his Lordship, her husband, complained that she cost him more than his best horses!”

  “I expect she must have been very beautiful,” sighed Lolita.

  “You’ll see pictures of her in the castle, and then you’ll know when you see the portrait of his Lordship’s father where the young ones gets their looks.”

  “Simon will be just as good-looking when he is grown up.”

  “What he needs,” remarked Mrs. Shepherd, “is children of his own age to play with, but I thinks they be few and far between in this part of the country.”

  “Perhaps his Lordship will soon have a family,” added Lolita lightly.

  To her surprise Mrs. Shepherd made an exclamation of horror.

  “I hope not indeed,” she said, “not with that lady as is downstairs doing her best to march him up the aisle.”

  “Do you mean Lady Cressington?”

  “Who else?” spluttered Mrs. Shepherd. “She comes here uninvited and his Lordship’s too kind and hospitable to tell her she’s overstayed her welcome!”

  “Perhaps he enjoys having her to stay,” suggested Lolita.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Then as if Mrs. Shepherd felt she was saying too much, she suddenly closed the wardrobe door and said,

  “We’ll take that habit down for you to try on, Mrs. Bell, and if it doesn’t fit, I’ll come back for another.”

  Lolita realised from the way Mrs. Shepherd spoke that even discussing Lady Cressington made her feel angry. Again it seemed strange but she was too tactful to press the subject.

  They talked about other things and Lolita had another look at the fancy dresses before they went back to the schoolroom.

  She peeped in at Simon and saw that he was fast asleep with a faint smile on his lips.

  She thought that tonight it was unlikely he would have another nightmare, although she had not told him a story. Just the same, as their rooms were not next to each other, she left his door into the schoolroom open.

  There was another door on the other side of the room which opened into her bedroom and she knew that if he cried or was unhappy she would hear him.

  She was very tired after such an eventful day, but she could not resist trying on the riding habit before she went to bed and found that Mrs. Shepherd had been right. It fitted her as if it had been made for her.

  She thought too she looked very smart in it and there was a hat to go with it and riding boots which had been brought downstairs for her.

  ‘How could I have been so lucky?’ Lolita asked herself as she climbed into bed.

  It was a large bed and very comfortable.

  She thought God had been very kind in bringing Simon into her life when she had run away.

  It never struck her, looking as she did, that she might have been dangerously involved with men. She had only thought that it would be difficult for her to find anywhere to go and even more difficult to secure employment.

  It was only now she remembered that she should have written herself a reference, but if she had gone to an agency, they would have thought she was far too young to be a governess or even a teacher in a school.

  As she said her prayers she tha
nked God for looking after her and not letting her suffer for being rather stupid.

  ‘I should have thought it all out more carefully,’ she told herself.

  Then because she was really very tired she fell into a dreamless sleep.

  *

  She was woken by the sun coming through the sides of the curtain.

  Remembering where she was and how beautiful the lake had been, she jumped out of bed and looked out of the window.

  Ullswater Lake was even lovelier than it had seemed yesterday when it had been a little misty over the mountains. Now the sun was shining brightly on the water and the birds were flying below in the garden.

  ‘I must go out,’ Lolita decided. ‘I cannot waste even a moment of this glorious day.’

  At that very moment there was a knock on the door and when she crossed the room to open it she found a housemaid outside.

  “Excuse me, ma’am,” she said. “His Lordship asks if you’d like to ride with him. He says he’ll be ready in twenty minutes and there’ll be a pony for Master Simon.”

  “Please tell his Lordship I would love to ride with him and Simon,” replied Lolita effusively.

  She ran into the schoolroom and into Simon’s room. He was awake and just as she had done he was gazing out of the window in delight.

  “There are no boats,” he complained as came in.

  “It’s too early for them, but your uncle has just sent a message that there is a pony waiting for you in the stables.”

  Simon gave a hoot of joy.

  “Hurry up and dress,” Lolita urged him, “and I will help you as soon as I have put my clothes on.”

  She ran back to her own room and then she heard the maid, who Mrs. Shepherd had told her had been allocated to the schoolroom, come in through the other door.

  She asked her to help Simon, while she dressed herself as quickly as she could.

  Not only did the riding habit fit her, but so did the riding boots which were short as had been fashionable thirty years earlier. Lolita knew that some of the ladies who rode in Rotten Row now wore higher boots like the men.

  The pair that had belonged to Simon’s grandmother were comfortable enough, if just a trifle large, which was far better, Lolita thought, than if they had been too tight.

  She was dressed and her hair was tidied under her hat as she went next door to find that the housemaid had dressed Simon and he was jumping about with excitement.

  “I want to see my pony,” he piped up as Lolita joined him. “It’s so thrilling to have a pony all of my own!”

  “You must thank your uncle very much for being so kind,” Lolita told him.

  “I’ll not forget. He’s a very nice uncle.”

  “Very nice indeed,” agreed Lolita.

  They walked downstairs hand in hand.

  It was actually a few minutes before the time his Lordship had asked for them and he was in the hall as Lolita and Simon reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “You are very punctual,” he said with a hint of surprise in his voice.

  “How can we be anything else when it is all so exciting, my Lord.” Lolita replied.

  “Lolo says you have a pony for me, Uncle James,” said Simon, “and I am to say thank you very, very much.”

  “Better wait and see it first in case you don’t like it.”

  “I have always wanted a pony of my own, but Papa died before he could give me one.”

  “Well, let’s go and see what your pony looks like.”

  Lord Seabrook walked towards the door with Lolita and Simon following him.

  When they went outside the horses were coming from the stables each one led by a groom.

  Lolita saw that Lord Seabrook was going to ride the big stallion she had admired yesterday and the horse intended for her was an elegant bay that she could see at a glance was exceedingly well-bred.

  Behind them there came a piebald pony and Simon gave a cry of joy and ran towards it.

  “How could you have found one so quickly, my Lord?” asked Lolita.

  Lord Seabrook smiled.

  “As a matter of fact its owner has been badgering me to buy it for some time. It has won several prizes for its appearance and style, but he now wants to move South and hoped I would take over this pony and two other horses in his stable.”

  “It is exactly what I wanted Simon to have,” Lolita told him. “If anything will make him forget what he has been through, it will be having a pony of his own.”

  “I thought that too and he must also have a dog. If there is anything which prevents a man of my age from thinking about himself, it is having an animal to care for.”

  Lolita thought this was a very intelligent remark.

  “I think,” she said, “it is wonderful of you and I cannot tell you how grateful I am.”

  “You talk as if Simon is your own son.”

  “I wish he was, my Lord. I hope one day I shall have one just as nice and as handsome.”

  Lord Seabrook’s eyes twinkled and he lifted her onto the saddle of the bay.

  He did not ask her if he should do so and as he put his hands on her small waist, Lolita felt a strange feeling run through her.

  It was certainly not the revulsion she had felt for Murdock Tanner and she told herself it was because she felt rather shy.

  Simon was already astride his pony and Lord Seabrook mounted his stallion and led the way.

  Behind the castle there was a field of grass and at the far end a small copse and they all three rode slowly across it.

  The groom who was leading Simon was almost running as he held the leading rein.

  Lolita was delighted to see that the little boy seemed quite at home in the saddle and was obviously not in the least nervous.

  As they reached the copse at the end of the field, Lolita could see the way through the trees and there were more fields on the other side.

  Lord Seabrook reined in his stallion that was bucking a little to show his independence and was clearly very fresh.

  He led the way through the woods and as they reached the field beyond he said to Lolita,

  “I suggest, Mrs. Bell, we give our horses their heads. Simon can follow us more slowly, or rather as fast as the groom leading him can run.”

  Lolita smiled because she had already heard Simon say he wanted to go faster and faster.

  “I think that is an excellent idea, my Lord,” she replied. “Let me just explain to Simon what we are doing.”

  She turned her horse round.

  “Simon, your uncle and I are going to gallop our horses because they are fresh and need a good run. When you have had more practice, you will be able to gallop with us. Today you cannot go so fast, but we will be coming back with you.”

  “I want to go as fast as you,” called Simon.

  “I expect in a short while you will be going faster still,” Lolita told him, “but you must understand that you have to get to know your pony first.”

  “I like him very much and he likes me!”

  “Then just take him gently and talk to him as you do so. Then he will understand what you want.”

  She rode back to Lord Seabrook and was aware that he had overheard what she had said.

  As she reached him he commented,

  “I see you know a great deal about horses and even more about small boys.”

  “I think both are very lovable and I can see, as I am sure you can, my Lord, that Simon will in time become as good a rider as his relatives.”

  “Which of course delights me. Now are you ready?”

  Lord Seabrook smiled at her before he touched his stallion gently and he was off immediately at a gallop.

  Lolita’s horse was not to be outdone and in a few seconds they were racing each other.

  While Lolita knew he was bound to win, she was determined to give him a good run for his money and her horse felt the same.

  When they had ridden for over a mile and Lord Seabrook pulled up, Lolita was only just a whisker behind
him.

  “I was right,” he said, as she drew her bay to a standstill.

  “In what way?”

  “You not only ride exceptionally well, but you look very lovely on horseback.”

  Lolita’s eyes widened with surprise and then she laughed.

  “You are very kind, my Lord, and I know that few people would be so hospitable to a governess.”

  “Let me say,” he remarked, “that few governesses look like you or ride like you!”

  “I do not believe, my Lord, that you have met many governesses, not having any children of your own.”

  “When I do have them, I hope they are like Simon, who I think is an exceptionally charming little boy.”

  “He is so exceptional,” agreed Lolita, “that I was very frightened before I came here that you might not understand.”

  “And now I do?” Lord Seabrook questioned.

  “I am so very grateful, my Lord, and I never thought I should be so lucky as to ride such a marvellous horse as this one.”

  She bent forward to pat her bay as she was speaking.

  Watching her Lord Seabrook thought that no one would believe for a moment that she was a governess unless they were blind. Nor that she had ever been forced to earn her own living.

  ‘There is some deep mystery behind all this,’ he thought. ‘I must persuade her to trust me and tell me the truth.’

  He knew, however, that to press her would be like jumping a fence too quickly, so he just remarked,

  “I always enjoy riding before breakfast because the air is fresh and there is something very magical about a new day.”

  “Everything here is magical,” Lolita enthused. “When I first saw the lake yesterday I thought I must have stepped out of a dream.”

  “I have often thought that myself and it was certainly very sensible of my ancestors to build their castle here on Lake Ullswater.”

  They rode back to collect Simon.

  They were then approaching the castle from another direction when Lolita asked,

  “What is that building I can see to the North which is rather higher than the ground around it?”

  “Oh, that is Walcott Priory. With the exception of the castle it is the oldest building in the County. For hundreds of years it was a Priory for Benedictine monks.”

  Lolita gasped inaudibly beneath her breath, staggered that she had at last found her father’s ancestral home, and she could see that it looked most impressive and was sure that because it was so old it would be even more beautiful if one was closer to it.