Mrs May took a chair that faced the front windows, crossing her feet and placing her reticule in her lap. Louisa sat opposite her, next to Lord Cheswick. He was not only handsome, he made her feel safe.
The parlour looked very tidy. The fine chairs appeared as if they had never been sat on. The walls were strangely bare, giving the room an austere feel. Louisa felt unaccountably cold and rubbed her arms with her hands.
Suddenly the housekeeper’s reticule moved, and Mrs May jumped in her seat. ‘Oh, goodness!’ she exclaimed.
Louisa watched as Mrs May took a deep breath and opened her small bag.
She shook her head and held it out for them to see. ‘Lady Helen must have put a snake in my reticule because I wouldn’t let her come.’
Lord Cheswick groaned and touched his head. ‘I am so sorry, Mrs May.’
Louisa couldn’t help but think that he was quite sweet and very attractive when he was flustered.
Mrs May closed the strings. ‘If I were afraid of snakes, my lord, I couldn’t work at the castle. Lady Helen is a veritable snake charmer.’
Louisa had to stifle her laughter. The Stringham sisters were irrepressible. She couldn’t help but wish she was more like them. They were strong and fearless. They stood up to their brother in a way that she had never been able to stand up to her aunt. Louisa hoped that Uncle Laybourne’s wife would be kinder to her than Aunt Rockingham. Mayhap she could even love Louisa, and help fill the void left by her mother’s death.
The door opened and Louisa saw a man with brown, grey-streaked hair and a red beard. His frame was tall and slender, verging on gaunt. He wore unrelieved black, except for his stark white collar. His eyes were green, like hers, but that was the only resemblance between them. His wife was on his arm and she also wore black. Louisa wondered if they were in mourning.
Her Aunt Laybourne was nearly two heads shorter than her husband, and her square frame was not flattered by the high-waisted gown. She wore a white frilly cap, under which her brown hair was scraped back into a tight bun, giving her round face a severe look. Not the warm, maternal expression that Louisa had been hoping for.
Lord Cheswick and Mrs May stood and bowed to her aunt and uncle. Louisa could only stare.
Her Uncle Laybourne brought a handkerchief to his nose, sniffing twice. ‘When Lady Rockingham came to see us yesterday, Louisa, claiming you had run away, I was naturally shocked by such disobedient behaviour. I did not think that the daughter of my sister would conduct herself in such a heedless and wanton fashion.’
Louisa felt her eyes fill with tears, and a pain at the back of her throat. She clutched her arms around her middle, hiding her palms. She felt as if she were a child again, standing before Aunt Rockingham and being chided for not being more obedient, for asking too many questions. Desperate to please, but unable to do so.
‘Now, see here, sir,’ said Lord Cheswick, stepping towards her uncle. They were about the same height, but the Marquess was twice as wide and more intimidating. ‘How dare you make assumptions about your niece without even hearing her side of the story?’
Her uncle sniffed again. ‘She is in the presence of a notorious young marquess—which is damaging enough without hearing what she has to say.’
Notorious?Louisa could well believe it, for he was achingly handsome and painfully sweet. She could not be the only woman in the world to have noticed it.
She watched Lord Cheswick’s hands curl into fists. ‘I would hardly compromise a young woman in the company of my three sisters. And my housekeeper, Mrs May, has proved to be a most efficient chaperone.’
‘A servant cannot become a chaperone overnight,’ her Aunt Laybourne said, touching her husband’s arm as if for support.
Louisa could have fainted on the spot. So much for making a favourable first impression on her relatives. She rubbed her face and felt her throat constrict. She feared that after all her scheming and the help of the servants she was going to end up back at the hall, underneath Aunt Rockingham’s thumb. She would never enjoy a London season. She would never see the Marquess or his sisters again.
That thought alone brought tears to her eyes.
‘Your home, I believe, is Hampford Castle,’ said her Uncle Laybourne. ‘Where my niece has spent two nights in your company without a suitable chaperone. You must marry her immediately or return Louisa to her guardians, Lord and Lady Rockingham, for appropriate punishment.’
‘Oh, no!’ Louisa couldn’t help but say it. It would be a poor way to repay his kindness to force Lord Cheswick into a relationship not of his choosing. Even if, for her, marrying him would be a dream come true. ‘The Stringhams have been nothing but kind to me. The Marquess should not be forced to do anything.’
Lord Cheswick glanced at her and gave her a reassuring look. ‘I have no intention of being browbeaten into marrying anyone. Now, sir, you can listen quietly to your niece’s side of the story, or I shall hold you down until you do.’
Her uncle sniffed into his handkerchief once more. ‘I would have you know I am a canon and the grandson of a marquess.’
‘Well, Iama marquess, and heir to a dukedom, with close connections with the royal family,’ Lord Cheswick said, stepping menacingly towards him. ‘And I won’t ask you again.’
Aunt Laybourne whimpered from the seat she had taken on the sofa, but she didn’t speak. Uncle Laybourne sat beside her and gave Louisa a cold stare.
She swallowed, and clutched at the sides of her new gown. Her head was lowered in deference, but her voice was clear. ‘My aunt, Lady Rockingham, is no longer my guardian. I turned one-and-twenty this week. I asked her for the names of my trustees, for I have never once seen a farthing of my yearly allowance. Aunt Rockingham refused to give me their names and said that my only choice was to marry her son, whenever they could persuade him. My clothes are practically rags. The boots on my feet are second-hand, given by one of the maids. I have no others. I decided to come to you for help. I set off to find you, but I did not know that you were no longer at the Frome vicarage. When I arrived there, I was told that I would find you and your wife here. I began to walk, even though it was getting late. By chance, the Stringhams happened upon me and kindly took me to their home. They even provided this dress that I currently wear. They have been nothing but souls of generosity and goodness. I owe them an irreparable debt.’
‘And what do you expect my husband to do?’ asked her Aunt Laybourne, her beady eyes narrowing on Louisa.
Louisa slumped a little in her chair. ‘I had hoped that my uncle would help me contact my trustees and find someone to present me to the Queen and chaperone me for a season. I wish to find a suitable match and therefore a home of my own.’