Charlotte rose and faced the man in front of her. He was tall and muscular, with broad shoulders and wavy brown hair worn the old fashioned way, pulled back and tied at the neck. His face was exceedingly handsome with hazel eyes and a slight cleft in his chin. His tanned features proclaimed he spent a great deal of time outdoors, and the creases at the sides of his eyes suggested he laughed frequently. He had a straight patrician nose, and an air of easy authority. His tight fitting biscuit colored pantaloons and shiny top boots outlined muscular legs. His waistcoat was cream colored and his navy blue jacket was obviously of the best tailoring.
Charlotte bobbed a quick curtsey.
“Thank you, sir, for returning Will. I am most obliged to you. I should have been paying more attention but I had a caller and…”
“Let me guess…Mrs. Greenfield?” Tenbury asked with a smile.
“Why yes! How could you know, sir?”
Will tugged on Charlotte’s dress.
“Not sir, Aunty, you must say my lord!” the child corrected in a stage whisper. “This is Lord Tenbury.”
Charlotte blushed and made a deeper curtsy. “I beg your pardon, my lord. I did not know.”
Tenbury studied the young woman. She could not be above twenty. What was the story here? He removed his hat and bowed to her.
“And you are Miss Bishop, I presume? My steward told me of your arrival, but he did not mention Will’s youth. I must confess, Miss Bishop, that when Will spoke of his aunt I had also imagined someone a bit older. Is anyone else to join you two here?” He was not at all sure he wanted such a young pair to live in the cottage alone. It was inappropriate. Perhaps Miss Bishop was not aware of this? Her speech branded her a lady and surely she would be familiar with the conventions.
Before he could probe further, Charlotte responded stiffly, “No one else will be joining us. I shall soon be one and twenty, so I am not so very young. I am not just out of the schoolroom, my lord.”
An amusing thought! Only some one who was almost one and twenty could think that she was not so very young, but perhaps this was not altogether untrue. Misses as young as seventeen made their come out, found a husband, and were married a short time later. He stared silently at her. She was not at all what he had expected. From her speech and the way she held herself he could tell she was gently bred. She was slim, to the point of thinness, but with a well endowed bosom, he noted appreciatively. Oval face, full pink lips, a rather pale and wan complexion, and those same incredible eyes as the child. They were fringed with long sooty lashes and the color defied description. He was reminded of the Mediterranean on a sunny summer day. Her raven hair was caught up in a knot, but a few curls had escaped down the back of her neck. She wore no bonnet, having rushed out from the house. Her dress was older, somewhat worn, and covered with a large soiled apron. She stared back at him and he quickly averted his eyes and cleared his throat.
“Where is your maid?” he asked.
“I have no maid, my lord.”
Hmmm!
“Please send the child into the cottage,” he said.
When she hesitated he said, “Our conversation is not for his ears. Please send him into the cottage.”
She turned Will around to face her. “Will dear, you may have some bread and that lovely jam that Mrs. Greenfield brought us. Would you like that?”
“Oh yes, Aunty!” he replied, his eyes shining at the thought of the treat.
“Then go inside and put everything on the table. I shall be in shortly to cut your bread. Can you do that for me?” He tore toward the cottage without bothering to answer her. Charlotte turned back to face this tall, stern man, who was tapping his crop against his leg. She waited for him to speak.
“I cannot countenance you and the child living here alone. You have no father or brother to protect you. You do not even have a maid! I cannot allow it.”
“My lord, the rent has already been paid to your steward. You need not fear that we would be a burden in that respect. I do not anticipate that we will be here overlong… a few months at the most. I ask you, as a gentleman, to allow us to stay until I can make other arrangements. I will need to write some letters…”
He had been watching her face as she spoke. Her voice was firm, but there was panic in her eyes and her hands had been clenched in a tight ball. Her complexion paled even more.
“The payment of the rent does not concern me. I am concerned about the appropriateness of these living arrangements. You and your child have no man to protect you. Haverhill and Demming are reasonably safe places, but if word should circulate that you are here all alone…” It was unnecessary for him to complete his thought.
“Will is not my child, my lord. He is my nephew, the son of my sister Pamela and the David Smythe-Davies, the Earl of Hambleton from Yorkshire.” He could tell the next words from her lips were very difficult for her to say.
“I am not at the moment in possession of the funds to purchase accommodations at the local inn. Please allow us to remain here until I can make other arrangements. I would be most grateful.” The last words were spoken so quietly he almost missed them. He took a deep breath and expelled it slowly from between his lips. A decision must be made. He had no wish to evict this odd pair, but…
“I shall send a maid from the house to stay with you. You will have a month in which to make other living arrangements. It is the best I can do.” Then, more gently, “Is there no one else upon whom you may call for some assistance?”
He watched as her shoulders sagged in relief and some color returned to her face. She shook her head in response to his query.
“Not immediately, my lord. There is one person, but it will take some time. I shall write immediately. Thank you for allowing us to stay. The maid is really unnecess…”
“That is not negotiable, Miss Bishop. I shall have someone here before the day is over.”
She nodded and asked, “How did you know who my caller was?”
He grinned and she was amazed at the change in him. Gone was the cold, autocratic aristocrat. In his place was a most handsome man with an engaging smile and twinkling eyes.
“When you said you had a caller, I knew it must be Mrs. Greenfield. She is a one woman welcoming committee at Haverhill. She and her husband are most estimable people. I have known them all my life. You may rely on them in case you are ever in need of anything. Their home is but half a mile down the road in that direction,” he said, pointing with his crop.
“Thank you, my lord. Mrs. Greenfield was kindness itself and I look forward to seeing her again.” She smiled shyly and he caught his breath. Despite her gaunt features, she was beautiful. What had brought her to such circumstances he wondered?
The little boy raced out of the house demanding his bread and jam.
“I cannot cut the bread myself, Aunt Charlotte and I am so hungry. Please hurry!”
“I do beg your pardon, my lord,” she said curtseying and backing away. “I really must see to Will. Thank you…for everything.”
“It was my pleasure. Will and I had quite a nice chat while he was floating his boats down the ‘river’. I shall leave you to your meal.” Tenbury bowed and mounted his horse. Will turned and called out, “Please do come again my lord. I would be happy to exercise Dandy with you.”
Tenbury turned the horse around and saluted the child. “I shall be back, Will. You may depend on it.” Then he urged the horse into a cantor and rode off.
