The Seventh Suitor
Chapter 16
Harriet was disturbed by her
sister's actions towards Wolverton, even as she was warmed by his continued
avoidance of Belle. Her sister had insinuated more than once that she and her
former fiancé were at the verge of resuming their closeness -- and taking it
further. Harriet, who was the one who spent her nights in his arms, though,
knew better.
Wolverton hadn't said he loved
her, and she was still afraid to confess her own growing affection for him, but
she knew from comments of his own that he had no longer had any deep feelings
for her sister. If he ever did.
Still, Belle continued to visit
and to attempt to wreak emotional havoc in her sister's life. Harriet was tired
of it, and said so one afternoon to Anjelica during the weekly visit to Danvers
Hall.
"I can put up with her snide
remarks, you know. I've had a lot of practice. But the children and Uncle Oscar
... they are not equipped to deal with her.
"What is she doing to upset the
children?"
"It is more what she says than
what she does, really. The other day she told Sidney that her pony was a horrid
color, and called the kitten ‘mangy.' She made comments about the tree house at
breakfast today, and how it ruins her view of the countryside." Harriet made a
rude noise in the back of her throat. Belle had never glanced out a window to
enjoy a view in her life. "She said if she were countess, the tree house would
have been torn down ages ago."
Anjelica was angry, but curious.
"What did you say?"
"I said this countess happened
to like tree houses." She didn't add that Belle had made a snide comment about
hoydens who played in trees, but Harriet hadn't minded. She had been on the
receiving end of a warm look from Wolverton just before he allowed that his
countess could play in as many trees as she wished.
"There must be some way to get
rid of her," Harriet fumed, then colored, concerned that she had said too much.
Her comment started her thinking, though, and she finally sat down that evening
and wrote to Aunt Phoebe, asking for Mr. Richardson's address.
What no one counted on was Aunt
Phoebe getting a bee in her bonnet, imagining her family having a wonderful
time in Hertfordshire without her. When she showed up on their doorstep a week
later, Harriet was more irritated than pleased. Just when she was trying to get
rid of a houseguest, another one appeared. She put on a welcoming face and came
out to greet her aunt.
"I just knew you children were
having the best time," the spinster gushed. "And aren't you the pretty little
lady?" she asked Zoe, tweaking her cheek. Obie, behind his aunt, cast his
friend a worried glance, but Zoe took it all in stride for once.
Jessabelle made a big show of
introducing Aunt Phoebe to the dowager, but they disliked each other on
meeting. Uncle Oscar, however, caught her attention, and she his.
"I am so pleased to finally meet
you, Miss Frost," he said smoothly when they were introduced. The two quickly
became engaged in their own private conversation, leaving Harriet and Wolverton
to smile indulgently and the dowager and Belle to make comments about old
fools.
Even though she was less than
thrilled at her aunt's arrival, the occasion prompted Harriet to propose a
picnic outing to introduce her to the neighbors.
"We could invite the Hawthornes
and Middletons," she suggested, "In addition to Sir Marcus and Jellie."
Collecting houseguests and
entertaining them was not quite what he had in mind as a newlywed, but if
Harriet wanted a picnic, who was he to stand in her way? He knew one guest he was
eager to be rid of, and with that in mind, he had taken the liberty of writing
to Mr. Richardson.
"Did you get the address?" Zoe
whispered as she met Obie out in the garden late one evening.
"I'm sure whomever is writing to
Belle's husband won't mind if we borrow it and send a note of our own," Obie
said with an evil chuckle.
"We should not leave it out for
Uncle Gerald to frank, though," Zoe suggested. "He will start asking questions,
especially since she never writes to her husband."
In the nursery, the three
younger children were supposed to be sleeping. Instead, they were holding a
council of war.
"I don't like her," said Sidney
with a pout, petting her kitten with lavish strokes.
"She wants to tear down the tree
house!" Ian added.
"She won't!" Rory insisted.
"Aunt Harriet says so." The other two nodded. If Aunt Harriet said something,
it was true.
"But she has to pay," Ian said.
"For those remarks, and for picking on Aunt Harriet and hanging all over Uncle
Gerald. Everyone knows he don't like it above half."
"It's going to have to be at the
picnic," Rory said. He had been allowed to dine with the adults that evening
and this picnic was the main topic of discussion during the meal. "There will
be a lot of people around and no one will notice us."
"More people to watch pay, too!"
Ian piped up.
The three of them grinned and
began making plans.
The picnic was planned for the
following Thursday, giving Harriet a week or so to get everything arranged to
her satisfaction, and she was glad for the time -- everyone had accepted their
invitation for dining al fresco in a grove less than two miles from the manor.
As honored guests, Belle and
Aunt Phoebe were in the head carriage. Aunt Phoebe was escorted by Uncle Oscar
and Harriet sat next to her sister. Belle had tried to cajole Wolverton into
being a member of their party, but he politely said he would ride. As most of
the gentlemen attending the event were doing the same, it appeared
unexceptional to everyone else. Harriet was pleased.
In the next carriage were Mr.
and Mrs. Poston, Lady Danvers, Lady Millington and Miss Millington. They were
followed by Squire Bailey, the vicar and the Bright sisters, with Mr. Hawthorne
driving his mother. Nanny was to bring the children out later in the pony trap.
Obie and Zoe were on horseback, and they whispered together as they brought up
the rear.
"Fine weather we are having,
isn't it, Lady Hawthorne?" Zoe finally said, seeing that lady eyeing them with
disapproval. It was well-known that her ladyship wanted Zoe for her son in a
couple of years -- or Zoe's dowry, at any rate -- and she did not take kindly to
anyone else poaching on what she considered her son's property.
Zoe thought the entire situation
rife with humor. Everyone but Lady Hawthorne knew Alan Hawthorne was heels over
head in love with Miss Millington, whose dowry was considerably less than
Zoe's, but not inconsiderate. Zoe wondered if she couldn't persuade Mr.
Hawthorne and Miss Millington to take a little walk together after luncheon --
it might move that romance along. She pulled her mount back and filled Obie in
on that little scheme.
"You are amazing," he replied,
all admiration for her plots and machinations.
"You haven't seen anything yet."
When the last of the picnickers
reached the grove, everyone else had begun milling about, tethering horses,
choosing the best cushions and ottomans and accepting glasses of chilled wine
from the attending servants.
There was a marquee set up in
case of rain and a smaller one housing the food and preparation space.
Everything else was scattered about under the oaks. Archery targets were
arranged in one corner and pall mall wickets were in formation off to one side.
Harriet sighed with contentment
as she surveyed it all.
"You are an excellent organizer,
my lady," Wolverton whispered in her ear. She blushed but accepted the
compliment gracefully, something she was sure would not have happened even a
month ago.
"I was thinking of taking you
for a walk later to tell you more concerning my admiration for your many
skills."
"Oh? What might those be?" she
asked coyly and then could not believe she was flirting with her own husband,
in broad daylight, in plain view of so many people.
"I'll tell you later," Wolverton
promised. "Right now I can see the Brights are heading for a fight over that
pillow." He went to smooth things over between the sisters.
Harriet walked serenely through
the rest of the guests, ensuring refreshments with the flick of a hand, tilting
Aunt Phoebe's sunshade back over her face as she sat with Uncle Oscar on a
blanket, and ignoring the area where Belle had managed to surround herself with
the vicar, the squire and Alan Hawthorne. She directed Zoe to sit with a
forlorn Miss Millington and pulled Obie off to one side for a quick
consultation.
"Would you do me a favor?"
"Anything for my darling sister,
the organizing queen."
"Obie!"
"All right, all right. What do
you want me to do?"
"Keep an eye on Belle."
"I was afraid that would be my
task." Secretly, though, he was laughing. This was going to make his plan all
the easier.
"Aunt Phoebe won't."
"And she's much too
preoccupied," he said with a wink.
"And I have too much else to
do," Harriet continued, ignoring his comments.
"Aye, aye!" Obie saluted smartly
and went to sit with Zoe and Miss Millington.
Miss Clementina Bright, now
effectively separated from her sister, had been invited to sit with Jellie and
Mrs. Poston, while Miss Eleanora was escorted over to Ladies Millington and
Hawthorne.
"...but the sister! Such a tart.
Did you see the gentlemen ... Why, Wolverton, this is a lovely picnic!" Lady
Hawthorne said as he approached with Miss Bright. "Now, Eleanora, you sit right
down here and we will all have a comfortable coze."
That situation dealt with,
Wolverton looked about for his wife. The men not clustered about Belle were in
a group discussing horses; Jellie, her mother and Miss Clementina were talking
about the weather; and the other ladies were gossiping about everyone else.
Then he saw Harriet and smiled. She was directing the footmen to pass out
plates and cutlery, and he wondered how he could ever have considered her
sister as his wife.
Because she was a beautiful
creature. But his Harriet was beautiful, inside as well as out. Now, if Mr.
Richardson would only arrive and order his wife home, Wolverton could get as
much peace and quiet as a house-full of children allowed. Harriet called for
him to come sit with a group of their guests and he joined the gentlemen, who
were now discussing their summer crops.
After a repast of cold meats and
cheeses, fruit, bread and plenty of wine and lemonade, little pastries were
passed around for dessert. Everyone sat about, pleasantly sated and trying to
decide which activity to indulge in later -- perhaps after a nap or two.
Zoe, however, pulled Obie,
protesting, to his feet and said she wanted to go for a walk. That was his cue
to insist Miss Millington join them. Lady Hawthorne, taking the bait as
expected, said if Mr. Frost was going to escort Miss Millington, Alan could at
least offer his arm to Miss Witherspoon.
Zoe simpered for Lady
Hawthorne's benefit when Belle agreed it was a good idea. "Miss Witherspoon has
often proved herself in need of a keeper," she told the vicar and the squire as
if it were the greatest joke. They laughed as if it were, too. Zoe only smiled
and took Mr. Hawthorne's arm, following Obie and Miss Millington off into the
woods.
Soon after, a pony cart arrived
with the children from Wolverton and Danvers Court. Sidney and Belinda went
immediately to Jellie and Harriet with their dolls and the boys asked if they
could explore. Receiving permission to do so, they quickly disappeared.
Everyone else was persuaded to
try their hand at archery, with the squire unexpectedly offering to assist the
Bright sisters with their bows. That was Belle's chance to ask the vicar if he
would go with her for a walk.
Zoe and Obie led Miss Millington
and Mr. Hawthorne a little ways into the woods before Zoe pretended to turn her
ankle. She very prettily suggested the couple continue the walk, that Mr. Frost
would kindly help her back to the grove. The other two went off happily enough,
leaving Zoe and Obie to grin at each other in their wake.
"So far, so good," Zoe said with
some satisfaction.
A friendly archery tournament
had been organized in the meantime, with even Belinda and Sidney being allowed
to try their hand at the game. The adults were distracted by the two little
girls, with Sidney smiling widely every time someone offered to help her. She
was doing well in the job her older brothers had set to her.
Elsewhere, Belle had pulled the
vicar off the trail and into a shady clearing, declaring she was tired and
needed a rest.
"Perhaps you could take off your
coat, Mr. Singleton?" she suggested. He stripped it off without hesitation and
set it on the ground. "Won't you join me?" she asked, patting a small portion
of the coat next to her.
As soon as the majority of the
party settled down to archery, and pall mall teams were being formed, Wolverton
asked Jellie to keep an eye on things.
"I'm going to take Lady
Wolverton for a stroll," he whispered.
"I'll handle things until you
return," she said with a wink.
Wolverton held his hand out to
Harriet and she took it with a smile. They headed toward the main road, and if
Harriet noticed they were moving in the direction of the house, she didn't say
anything. Approximately ten minutes later, they were met by a large, florid
gentleman asking where he might find the Wolverton picnic.
"That way, sir," Wolverton
instructed him and then continued their walk.
"Whom do you suppose that was?"
Harriet wondered.
"Unless I miss my guess, that is
Mr. Richardson."
"Then he got my invitation!" she
said with delight.
"Your invitation? But I wrote
Mr. Richardson and suggested he come order his wife home!"
Harriet laughed. "You didn't!"
"I did!"
"Well, with intelligence like
that, no wonder I ..."
Wolverton's expression sobered.
"No wonder you what?"
Harriet colored. "No wonder I
love you," she whispered.
Wolverton's only reply at the
moment was to pull her off the road.
The three boys ran, jumped,
shouted and climbed a few trees before walking a little more sedately through
the woods. They started to enter a glade when they heard voices. Rory stopped
the other boys with a hand.
"Shhh! Let me see who is there..."
He peered through a shrub and saw Mr. Singleton kissing Mrs. Richardson and he
laughed softly. "Guess who?" he said to Ian.
"No! I want to see!" Rory
silently stepped aside and let his brother have a look, and then it was
Elliot's turn. Knowing Jellie would probably rather her son not see this, Rory
only gave him a quick peek and they circled the clearing instead of heading
straight through. When they were far enough away, they all collapsed into
helpless laughter.
Zoe and Obie headed back to the
picnic, but only long enough to make a fast head count without being seen.
Belle and the vicar were missing, which was promising, but so were Wolverton
and Harriet, Obie noted with chagrin. Zoe saw only the two girls, but didn't
worry about the boys. If they got into any mischief, it could only help her
little plots.
Mr. Richardson reached the
grove, perused the company much as Zoe and Obie had done only moments before,
and then spied those two as they disappeared back into the woods. What he saw
was a blonde heading off with another man, and he saw red, charging after them.
Zoe was the first to hear
someone else on the path, though, and she pulled her friend out of the way.
They hid until the large, red-faced man went by and then Zoe looked at Obie
with a satisfied smirk.
"Mr. Richardson?" he asked.
"I certainly hope so!"
Miss Millington and Mr.
Hawthorne were in their own little world, lost in an embrace, when the stranger
happened upon them.
"What do you think you're doing?"
he roared, causing the lovers to jump apart quickly. As soon as Mr. Richardson
discovered this was not the lady he sought, though, he apologized profusely and
moved on.
"I can't believe you really love
me!" Harried whispered when Wolverton finally allowed her time to breathe.
"I've loved you for a long time
-- even before we were married," he admitted. "And your brother said..."
"My brother said what?" she
demanded.
"Er, he said you would not be
adverse to my suit. But then your sister eloped and we had to move more quickly
than I would have liked..."
"So you two had this all worked
out? I am such a fool!" she said bitterly.
"Now, Harriet ... don't you think
the end justifies the means in this instance?"
Harriet was silent for a moment.
"What was the original plan?" she finally asked.
"To get myself unengaged from
your sister, wait a decent amount of time and then to begin to court your favor
in a perfectly acceptable manner."
"Oh. That would have taken such
a long time," she concluded, even as she fingered the buttons on his coat.
"A very long time," he agreed,
reaching over to cup her face in one hand, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
Harriet responded by putting a
hand behind his neck and pulling him forward. "How can I be angry at two
gentlemen who only had my best interests at heart?"
"I'm very much interested in
your heart," he assured her, right before she kissed him.
The boys would have run into the
stranger if Rory hadn't seen him just as they were running across the path. He
had been looking for Zoe to tell her where to find Mrs. Richardson.
"You, lad!" the stranger said to
him. "Have you seen a blonde lady by the name of Mrs. Richardson anywhere?"
Rory nodded. "She's in a glade
not too far from here."
"We can show you," Ian innocently
suggested. "For a small fee."
Mr. Richardson looked at the boy
shrewdly and then laughed. "I'll pay you lads four shillings each if you do."
Elliot was not allowed a lot of
pocket money, and his eyes widened at the thought of money. Rory agreed with the
man but knew the fee was just going to be icing on the cake. Forgetting Zoe for
the moment, he led the way back; he didn't know she and Obie were not very far
behind.
"Oh, Mr. Singleton..." Belle
cooed. She had managed to divest the vicar of most of his clothes and he was
slowly working on hers. "I've never seen a man like you..."
It was the truth -- the men she
had been with were all tall and broad, not doughy and white like this one.
Still, an eager man was an eager man in her book and she began kissing him
again as he finished unfastening the buttons on her gown and managed to get it
down around her waist.
"I think it's time to get back
to our guests," Wolverton said a short while later. Harriet gave a little pout,
but she agreed. They had the rest of their lives to express their love for each
other.
"I know a quick route through a
glade, if you don't mind tramping a bit through the woods."
"Lead on," she told him with a
smile.
Mr. Singleton and Belle were
getting very intimate by the time Mr. Richardson and the boys reached the
clearing.
"What the hell are you doing
with my wife?" Mr. Richardson roared as he came crashing into the opening.
Ian gaped and Rory had the sense
to cover Elliot's eyes. But not before the seven-year-old had seen a few private
parts of the vicar and a goodly portion of Belle's generous anatomy. Rory only
hoped the lad would not be scarred for life.
"Thomas!" Belle squealed in
dismay and attempted to cover herself. She did so with Mr. Singleton's shirt,
leaving him to fumble for his breeches as best he could.
Onto this scene stumbled Zoe and
Obie. They gaped as openly as Ian and then looked at each other in triumph.
Belle was scrambling now to get
back into her gown, but she was still clutching the shirt, rendering the vicar
unable to fully dress.
"What is going on here?"
Wolverton demanded as he led Harriet into the glade. He raised an eyebrow at
the couple caught in flagrante delicto and immediately took charge.
"Frost, you escort the ladies
and boys back to the picnic, please. I'll leave Mrs. Richardson to her husband
and I'll deal with Singleton myself." He looked at Mr. Richardson to see if he
approved of this, and the man nodded.
The vicar smiled. Wolverton was
known for his fairness. What he hadn't counted on was Harriet.
"When you escort Mr. Singleton
home, Gerald, you might want to discuss a certain matter with him." She
whispered a quick tale of what had happened the day the vicar had made improper
advances, mindful of young children with big ears.
"He didn't!"
Harriet nodded. Guessing Lady
Wolverton's comments to her guardian, Zoe went to their side.
"It's true, sir. I heard
everything. He's even..." She, too, whispered how the vicar had placed her in an
uncomfortable position.
"The devil you say!" Wolverton
exclaimed. Zoe shrugged. "Go with Mr. Frost, ladies," he urged them, glaring
now at the vicar. Mr. Singleton quailed.
Elliot Danvers was the first to
reach the picnic site, and he immediately ran to his mother and blurted out
what he had just seen.
Everyone else stopped in the middle of their pall mall game and became all ears.
Harriet didn't think she would
ever forget that picnic or its aftermath.
Elliot, of course, was the hit
of the event after Jellie insisted he tell her exactly what he had seen.
"It was white and looked like a
slug and the lady has these big..."
"That's enough, I think," Jellie
said, before her son became too detailed in front of the other ladies.
Harriet felt sorry for Miss
Clementina Bright when she fainted during the story, but did not connect that
incident to the vicar until a month later when it was rumored she was
increasing.
Miss Eleanora tracked down Mr.
Singleton, who was gone by then, and made him marry her sister. The Singletons
lived in Bath and had eight children.
The vicar never made advances to
any other female ever again, having been too humiliated in front of the
neighborhood that day when Wolverton paraded him half-dressed through the
picnic area. Harriet had been vastly diverted, knowing Gerald could easily have
taken his shortcut. Fortunately, Miss Clementina was still out cold at the
time.
A week later, the bishop
arrived, had a lengthy conversation with Wolverton and then left with Mr.
Singleton in tow. A new vicar -- and his wife and three children -- arrived soon
after.
Miss Millington and Mr.
Hawthorne, having come to an understanding that day in the woods, announced to
their parents that they were engaged. Lady Hawthorne protested violently, but
when her son gave her an ultimatum -- approve or they would get married over the
anvil -- she came to her senses and joined a happy Lady Millington in planning a
large wedding for their children.
After Miss Eleanora got her
sister settled elsewhere, she returned to her cottage in time to accept a
proposal from Squire Bailey. Their first child was born prematurely and Harriet
was sure he was the only ten-pound child she had ever seen born a month early.
Unfortunately for them all, it
was suddenly the end of summer and time for Obie to head off for Cambridge.
Zoe bore his leave-taking well,
knowing he would return. They had made no promises to each other and had only
declared undying friendship. But someday... She knew he would visit time and
again, though, because Harriet had made an interesting announcement the day
before his departure and Obie was looking forward to being an uncle.
Aunt Phoebe, upon hearing she
was to be a great-aunt, decided to stay at Wolverton. She never returned to
London. Instead, she bided her time, and when the dowager died that winter, she
cheerfully, but quietly, became Lady Oscar Worth. The two honeymooners moved
into the dower house and lived there happily for a number of years.
Their garden became a
battlefield until 1815, when it was turned into a faithful and permanent tribute
to Waterloo. Phoebe was given the honor of placing the miniature Wellington and
Napoleon figures. After her marriage, she never fainted again, saving everyone
the expense of flowers, water and vases.
As for Jessabelle, her husband
continued to have a difficult time reining in his wife, and when she was
diagnosed with a disease picked up from one of her lovers, he had her
institutionalized so he didn't have to deal with her as she slowly went blind
and insane.
Young Viscount Worth was born in
the spring and was followed at various intervals by Lady Phoebe, Lady
Evangeline and Lord Phillip, giving Harriet leave to be glad that her sister's
seventh suitor was the only husband for her.
The End
© 2003, 2004 Copyright held
by the author.