LITMIR.BIZ

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the side of the road. ‘He’s a beauty, isn’t he?’

      ‘Top of the trees. I bought him for stud, but I think I might give him a race or two. You should have seen him gallop down the road. Scattered everyone, except the lad.’

      Dominic turned towards Teddy. ‘Mr Woodhill, I am happy to make your acquaintance.’

      ‘Oh, I am sorry,’ Emma put in, suddenly remembering her manners. ‘Lord Besthorpe, allow me to present my brother, Edward. Teddy, this is the Marquis of Cavenham.’

      ‘Marquis?’ Teddy’s expression was almost comical. ‘I say, Em, that’s a turn-up, ain’t it?’

      ‘What is?’ demanded the owner of the horse.

      ‘Why, that we should have bumped into his lordship three times in less than a se’ennight,’ Teddy said. ‘First on board the ship from India, then at Grillons. And I said to Em…’A look from Emma silenced him, for she was sure he was going to say something indiscreet.

      ‘Teddy, his lordship has been kind enough to give me a position in his household.’

      ‘Has he? Oh, that’s capital!’

      ‘Are you looking for work, young man?’ The query came from the man Dominic had addressed at Bertie.

      ‘Yes, sir.’

      ‘Are you as good with horses as you say you are?’

      ‘Course I am. Ask my sister.’

      ‘Then I’ll give you a trial in my stables.’

      ‘A stable lad!’ said Teddy in tones of contempt. ‘I ain’t so sure…’

      ‘Teddy, don’t be so ungrateful!’ Emma remonstrated.

      ‘Mr Cosgrove doesn’t have your ordinary kind of stable,’ Dominic put in. ‘He’s one of the country’s foremost racehorse owners and breeders.’

      ‘There’s more like this one?’ Teddy queried, patting Nelson’s shining black neck.

      ‘Yes, several,’ Bertie said. ‘You’d have to come down to Newmarket and live in with the other lads. If you come up to the mark, you’d be able to exercise the horses of a morning.’

      ‘That’s no problem at all,’ Emma put in before Teddy should be foolish enough to turn down the offer. ‘He really is exceptionally good with horses. Why, I’ve known him break the most skittish pony and had him trotting around as docile as you please in no time at all.’

      ‘Let us go back indoors to discuss it over a glass of something,’ Dominic suggested. ‘We can hardly do business on the road.’

      So they all went back inside and the details were arranged to everyone’s satisfaction over claret wine for the men and ratafia for the ladies, as Lucy soon joined them. By the time they left, Emma and Teddy felt as if they had known the Marquis and his friend, Mr Cosgrove, all their lives.

      ‘There’s a turn-up and no mistake,’ Teddy said, as they made their way home, having been persuaded to take nuncheon at Bedford Row. ‘It’s fate, that’s what it is.’

      ‘What is?’

      ‘Why, meeting Lord Besthorpe again. I knew he was top of the trees when I first set eyes on him at Grillons. And to think you saw him before that and never said a word.’

      ‘Why should I? We simply passed each other when I was disembarking and he was coming on board.’

      ‘But he took the trouble to discover your name, didn’t he? It must have been more than that.’

      ‘Well, it wasn’t,’ she said, thoroughly annoyed with him. ‘Now, if you please, we will not say another word about the gentleman.’

      ‘I think he’s a real out-and-outer,’ he continued, ignoring her plea to drop the subject. ‘Now you are likely to see him every day, he cannot help but notice you.’

      ‘Teddy, if you do not hold your tongue this very minute, I shall never speak to you again.’

      He laughed and skipped out of the way of her upraised hand. Not that she would have struck him; it was a meaningless threat. ‘Had you forgot I am going to Newmarket tomorrow?’ he said. ‘You will not be able to speak to me for a long time.’

      It was perfectly true and the reminder saddened her. Because their father had frequently been away from home, they had fallen on each other’s company more than most siblings, which perhaps accounted for Emma’s ability in what might be considered masculine pursuits like shooting, fishing and riding hard. Only when Teddy was at school had they been parted. But he was right to say that he was no longer a child and must make his own way. She must learn not to mind.

      ‘I am going to spend the rest of the afternoon shopping,’ she said. ‘Do you need anything?’

      ‘No, thank you. Nor do I wish to be dragged round town looking at fripperies. I am going to Bullock’s Museum to see Napoleon’s coach. I believe there are other memorabilia from the Waterloo battlefield. Very gory, some of it. I shall see you this evening.’ And with that he sauntered off, leaving her to make her own way to Pantheon’s Bazaar.

      A visit to that establishment had been suggested to her by Lucy when she had ventured to ask where she could buy ready-to wear clothes at a reasonable price. The name made her think of India, but the emporium, when she found it, was nothing like an Indian market, for it was a large store.

      She spent some time wandering through its departments bewildered by the array of garments and accessories for sale and carefully enquiring the price of everything. The Marquis’s advance had been generous but she was determined not to spend it all at once. One good day gown and something for evenings should suffice, together with a pelisse, a good pair of half-boots, and a bonnet and gloves. These, together with the clothes she had brought from India would, she decided, make up an adequate wardrobe. After all, she would not be going on the town herself. When it came to choosing style and colour, she found herself wondering what Lord Besthorpe would prefer, which was very silly and did not help her make up her mind.

      In the end she chose a round gown for day in a green and cream striped jaconet with a cream lace pelerine collar and puffed sleeves. The evening gown was more difficult; there was a bewildering display of materials: silk, satin, net, gauze, some of it almost transparent and in every colour imaginable, trimmed with beads, pearls, ribbons and feathers. The temptation to buy one of these gorgeous creations would have been almost impossible to resist if they had not been above her means.

      She was not a giddy schoolgirl going to her first ball, she told herself, she was a mature woman who was expected to watch over the morals and well-being of her young charge. She must blend into the background. On the other hand, she must not be a dowd for that would reflect badly on the Marquis. She must be a credit to him.

      She had been excessively cross with Teddy for his teasing, but that did not alter the fact that his lordship’s good opinion was very important to her. He had believed every fib she told him, and that made her feel distinctly unworthy. It behoved her to prove to his and her own satisfaction that she deserved the chance he was giving her.

      The shop assistant was looking at her with a degree of impatience and there were others jostling behind her, clamouring for attention. She seized upon an open gown of amber crepe over a pale lemon satin slip. It had short puff sleeves and was decorated under the bosom with a cluster of silk primroses and floating velvet ribbons.

      After that, buying accessories was a simple matter and having given instructions for her purchases to be delivered to Bedford Row, she made her way back to her lodgings for a last meal with Teddy. Tomorrow was the beginning of a new life. Whether it would be difficult or easy, happy or sad, she had no way of knowing, but whatever it was, she was determined to meet its challenge with good humour and fortitude.

       Chapter

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