107. Soft, Sweet & Gentle Read online

  “We will have to be fair and ride the other horses sometimes,” she said to Alister. “We don’t want them to be jealous if we take Sunlight and Firefly out every time.”

  He laughed.

  “Do you think they really notice?”

  “Of course they do. Papa always taught me to talk to my horse and I am sure that he understands every word I say.”

  Alister laughed again.

  He thought that she was quite right and they would have to exercise the other horses and he was certain that the grooms would not do it as well as they did.

  They rode over the fields and called at one of the farms. The farmer and his wife were delighted to see the new Earl.

  They showed him proudly how well the crops had sold the previous year, also their lambs which were already arriving and they felt that they would have a larger number than in previous years.

  Georgina had already told Alister that this was the most successful farm on the estate. He congratulated the farmer warmly and Georgina thought that he had a very good way with the people of the estate.

  She had been a little nervous in case he was too haughty or did not speak to them as if he understood what they were doing.

  She need not have worried.

  He was, she observed, as friendly and as interested as she had hoped he would be.

  They rode on to another farm, which was not quite so prosperous and the farmer and his family told Alister they had had a bad crop last year, but hoped for a much better one this year.

  He spoke to them encouragingly and she thought he was certainly making himself popular and the word would go from farm to farm and cottage to cottage that he was the right person to take her father’s place.

  They spent some time riding over the fields and, when they returned for luncheon, Alister asked,

  “How much of the estate have we already done?”

  “Very little really,” Georgina replied. “In fact there are many, many more acres for you to see and at least three very large farms.”

  “I had no idea I had inherited such an enormous Empire,” Alister sighed.

  “You will soon get used to it,” Georgina promised. “I hope you will understand when I congratulate you on being splendid this morning.”

  His eyes twinkled as he enquired,

  “Did you expect me to be anything else?”

  “I was a bit apprehensive that, having lived abroad for so long, you would have forgotten that English people are very proud and take umbrage very quickly if people condescend to them.”

  “So that is what you thought I might do!” Alister protested.

  “I was afraid of it,” she answered. “Because I love these people so much, I would not want them to be hurt or in any way have cause to criticise their new owner.”

  She spoke as if it really mattered to her and Alister thought that in all his long acquaintance with women he had never known anyone who cared so much about the ordinary people working in the fields.

  Because he was curious, he could not help asking,

  “Does it really matter to you so much, Georgina?”

  “Of course it does. I have known everyone round here since I was born. I know how much they respected my father and believed that he cared as much for them as they did for him.”

  Alister was silent for a moment and then he said,

  “When I heard that I had to take your father’s place, my first impulse was to refuse to return to England. Then, because I felt it was my duty, I came, but was determined as soon as it was possible to return to the East.”

  Georgina gave a cry of horror.

  “But how could you do that? How could you leave all these people to suffer because you are not here? The family, even if you provide for them, would not feel it was the same as if they could not turn to you in their troubles and ask your advice on anything serious.”

  “Like what?” Alister asked sharply.

  Georgina thought for a moment and then she said,

  “They used to come to my father if their children were in trouble. They asked his advice as to which schools and Universities their sons should attend. They relied on him to help them when their daughters were debutantes.”

  “In what way?”

  Georgina smiled.

  “He usually lent them the house in London so that they could give a large ball. I remember hearing about two balls that were held here and everyone in the County came. Although I was too young to remember them, I was told that they were huge successes.”

  “What did he do for you?” Alister enquired.

  There was silence and Georgina looked down at her feet.

  “I am waiting for an answer,” he said after a few moments had passed.

  “Well, it was rather difficult. Papa was not very keen on taking me to London because there was so much to be done here. Quite frankly I did not want large parties.”

  She was thinking as she was speaking that that was a reasonable answer to his question.

  Of course the real answer was that, as her father had treated her as if she was a boy, there was no reason for her to be presented at Court – or to be a debutante as other girls were when they were seventeen.

  “So you just stayed here in the country? Surely that was extremely remiss when you should have been meeting young gentlemen who would propose to you. You would then have a chance of having another estate that, of course, would be inherited by your children.”

  Georgina thought that this was dangerous ground, so she asked,

  “Are you going to spend time in London? After all it must be very different now from when you went away.”

  “No! Definitely not!” he exclaimed. “From what I have seen, I will have plenty to keep me occupied here.”

  Georgina smiled.

  “That is what I hoped you would say. It reminds me that Mr. Benson is coming today and he will give you the accounts of what the estate made last year and – ”

  She paused for a moment and then she went on almost bravely,

  “ – also he will tell you how much Papa gave all the relatives who, as I have told you, relied on him.”

  Alister did not answer and she knew that they were back on delicate ground. She therefore said,

  “Now where I am going to take you this afternoon is, I think, particularly interesting. I know that you will be thrilled with the black sheep this farm has concentrated on. They have been a great success locally.”

  “Why?” Alister enquired.

  “You will hardly believe it, but the people believe that a black sheep brings luck to the whole flock.”

  She smiled at him as she continued,

  “It’s true that our sheep have done extremely well at the markets. Buyers from other Counties have been coming to us as they want to increase their own flock.”

  “Do you believe that black sheep bring them luck?”

  “I think actually their luck has been in themselves,” Georgina replied “because they work hard and believe in their own animals.”

  She paused for a moment before she added,

  “I think even sheep know when they are loved.”

  “Perhaps you are right,” Alister agreed. “When I heard you speaking to Sunlight, I thought that he pricked up his ears and was listening to everything you said.”

  “Of course he was. Papa gave him to me for my seventeenth birthday. I think that I have loved him more than any other horse I have ever owned.”

  Alister sat back in his chair.

  “So you expect me to love my horses, my sheep and presumably my pigs and anything else that is bred on the estate.”

  “Yes,” Georgina replied almost defiantly. “I want you also to love The Castle, its contents and every member of your large and delightful family.”

  Alister held up his hands.

  “You frighten me,” he told her. “I don’t feel like that towards animals or people and I have no wish to be pushed by you into feeling it.”

  Georgina was silent. S
he thought that perhaps she had asked for too much too quickly.

  It was he who must tell her what to do, rather than for her to tell him.

  She gave a little sigh.

  It was difficult after being treated by her father as a man to quickly appreciate that as a woman she should be subservient and let her Lord and Master do all the talking.

  The silence between them was broken by Dawson providing them with an excellent cheese that he said came from one of the local farms.

  “It’s been sent, your Lordship, as a present,” he informed him. “I know they’d appreciate it if you’d send them a short letter of thanks.”

  “I will naturally thank them,” Alister replied in a hard voice and Dawson realised that he had pushed too far.

  “It’s an exceptionally fine cheese, my Lord, and it’s just beginning to be known outside the County, so the farmer hopes your Lordship’ll like it.”

  He left the room before Alister could reply.

  Because Georgina thought that the atmosphere was somewhat awkward, she ate in silence.

  When luncheon was over, they went to the study where Dawson usually served coffee.

  “Why do we have it here,” Alister asked, “instead of the dining room as is usual?”

  “I think it was because Papa was always anxious to go back to his writing desk,” Georgina told him. “Or else to read the newspapers which usually arrive about twelve o’clock. In fact you see they are already there arranged on a stool in front of the fireplace.”

  Alister did not answer. He merely picked up one of the newspapers and opened it out.

  Because he obviously did not want to talk to her, Georgina sat on the sofa and sipped her coffee in silence.

  Then Alister gave an exclamation.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “You would hardly believe it,” he replied, “but there is a long article here about your father’s death and reporting that I have inherited from him.”

  “I hope that they have not said too much about the house,” Georgina said quickly. “Papa was always afraid that if they mentioned too much about the pictures and the other treasures we have here, it would invite a burglary.”

  “Very likely I should imagine,” Alister answered. “This is certainly written by someone who knows what The Castle contains.”

  Georgina gave a cry of horror.

  “Papa always said that was dangerous. When the newspapers asked him to describe what was in The Castle, he always said there were just pictures of his ancestors and furniture that had been here for years.”

  “Well, they have given a very concise list of the best pictures in the Gallery,” Alister declared. “They have mentioned as well the French furniture that was brought over at the time of the French Revolution.”

  Georgina sighed.

  “In which case we will not only have to be careful of burglars but of people who are sight-seeing who think that everyone who has a castle like this should open it to the public.”

  “Which it will never be as long as I am alive,” Alister said positively. “There are many burglars in every country and the mere idea that we have a large number of classic pictures here would bring them running.”

  “Oh, don’t say that,” Georgina begged, “it frightens me! But the doors have special locks on them as you may have noticed and the windows have been provided with shutters that are supposed to be closed every night.”

  “Supposed?”

  Georgina smiled.

  “As you can imagine as there are so many windows some always get forgotten and Papa used to go round last thing at night to make sure that they were all closed.”

  “Are you suggesting that I should do the same?”

  “No, of course not. Now you are here we can have more footmen and, of course, a nightwatchman which Papa felt was unnecessary when just he and I were alone and there were no disclosures in the newspapers.”

  Alister was frowning and Georgina was wondering what she should say.

  After a moment’s silence Alister said,

  “I am going to walk around the house and look for myself to see if it is properly protected.”

  He did not ask her to go with him and, when he left the room, she picked up the newspaper he had been reading and read it herself.

  The article had obviously been written by someone who had visited The Castle and knew the details of a great number of the pictures.

  It also described the French furniture and made a special reference to the beauty of the private Chapel and the Master bedroom.

  Georgina read it from beginning to end and she wondered who on earth could have made such an enticing story out of The Castle.

  Of course the local people had come from time to time, but she could not believe that the Lord Lieutenant or anyone like him would have written in the newspaper.

  But, whoever it was, it was someone who actually knew The Castle, someone who was aware that Alister, as the new Earl, had been abroad for years.

  ‘Whoever has done it has made mischief,’ Georgina thought. ‘Now things might not be quite as easy as they have appeared.’

  She was afraid that before Alister had really settled down and had learnt all she wanted him to know about the estate, they might call on him and somehow interfere.

  Her suspicions were to prove only too true.

  Two days later, when she hoped that Alister had forgotten the newspaper article, they had a visitor.

  They were having a late tea, having gone to the furthest Northern part of the estate.

  Alister was interested in a herd of milking cows that the farmer had bred for some years. They were indeed fine-looking beasts and the proud owner claimed that they gave more milk than any other cows in the vicinity.

  There were also some pretty calves that Georgina found delightful and the farmer had shown them his geese.

  It had been a very successful afternoon, Georgina had felt, as they were riding home and Alister had seemed more at ease with her than he had been since he arrived.

  Tea was in the study because Alister had ordered it to be sent there rather than to the drawing room.

  Georgina was just pouring the tea for both of them when Dawson announced,

  “Lady Lawson, my Lord.”

  Georgina looked up and saw with annoyance one of their neighbours that she had always disliked and her father too had found Lady Lawson almost intolerable.

  They had managed to refuse the invitations she sent them and had deliberately not invited her to The Castle.

  She was a well-known hostess in London and her husband, Sir Albert, had never been popular in the County.

  Her father had described him as ‘an intolerable bore and the worst type of Social climber’.

  Georgina had thought that his wife was very much the same except that she was noted for running after every young man in the County and there were quite a number of people who considered her both fast and somewhat vulgar.

  As she entered the room, Georgina wished that she had been sensible enough to tell Dawson that they were not at home to the Lawsons if they called.

  But she had, in fact, forgotten about her.

  She had been so busy showing Alister around the estate she had forgotten that he would be of great interest to others in the County.

  Distinctly overdressed for the country with heavily mascaraed eyes, Lady Lawson then sailed into the room smiling and held out her hand to Alister.

  “I have been waiting to welcome you,” she cooed, “and I had no idea that you had already arrived until I read about it in the newspaper.”

  Alister murmured something non-committal under his breath and Lady Lawson rambled on,

  “It’s so wonderful you are here. You must allow me to introduce you to so many other people in the County who will be thrilled to meet you. In fact my husband and I want to give a dinner party for you on Wednesday night or perhaps you would prefer it to be at the weekend when, of course, more people will be arriving from London.�
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  “I am afraid,” Alister replied, “that, as I have just arrived, I am very busy. Although it is very kind of you to invite me, you can understand I am still finding my feet. There is so much to do here I hardly have time to breathe.”

  He spoke so sincerely that Georgina thought he was being very clever, but at the same time she wished she had warned him that Lady Lawson was a menace.

  Lady Lawson gave a little laugh.

  “I am sure you are busy,” she murmured. “But you cannot be too busy both by day and night for ever. We are determined to give a party so you can meet the charming people who are longing to meet you.”

  “It’s so very kind of you,” Alister managed to say, “and I will let you know about Wednesday night when I have looked at my diary. But I am sure that my cousin Georgina and I are booked up for at least a week ahead.”

  As he spoke her name, Georgina realised that Lady Lawson had not been aware that she was there as she was sitting on the sofa by the door,

  “Georgina!” Lady Lawson exclaimed. “Is it really you? I find it hard to recognise you, oh, my dear, what a transformation and all for your dear cousin.”

  Georgina drew in her breath.

  She realised as Lady Lawson spoke that, of course, no one local had ever seen her except dressed as a boy.

  For the past few days while she had been showing Alister around, she had almost forgotten herself that she looked different and she was behaving differently too.

  Lady Lawson walked towards her.

  “It’s certainly a change. I suppose we must thank your cousin, who has done what none of us dared to do and tell you to look as God made you and not as you distorted yourself into being.”

  There was nothing Georgina could think of to say.

  Without waiting for an answer Lady Lawson turned back to Alister.

  “I don’t wish to disturb you,” she told him. “I only dropped in to tell you how delighted we are that someone so young and so handsome should be at The Castle. My husband remembers your father and mother and is longing to talk to you about the old days when your mother was undoubtedly the belle of every ball.”

  She paused for a moment and then carried on,

  “If you cannot come on Wednesday, then we must arrange another date.”