Regency Belles & Beaux Read online

  “Do you know where he is likely to be, my lady?”

  “He said he was going to his club. If not, try Jackson’s Boxing Saloon but hurry!”

  “At once, my lady.”

  Fortunately for Alice’s nerves, Sir Edward was easily found and it was well under the hour when he walked into her boudoir just as she was finishing her toilette. She immediately dismissed her dresser and threw herself into his arms.

  “Alice, my love, don’t distress yourself. Sit down and tell me all about it before I crush your dress.”

  “This horrible thing! I only bought it to go to Kirkmore, so that Mama should not call me fast and disrespectful to Papa’s memory.”

  He held her at arm’s length so he could survey the offending item. “Not just in your usual style, is it?”

  “Of course not. I may not be all the crack, but neither am I a mean bit yet.”

  “You always look lovely to me.”

  Alice laughed and sat down again at her dressing table. “Did James tell you that Mama has come here so that she can go to France with us?”

  Edward’s eyebrows shot up. “No, has she? James said that she had arrived, but he never mentioned anything else.”

  “Mama thinks that Philip won’t attend to me if I ask him to return. She says that it is her duty to bring him to a sense of his responsibilities and bring him back to England.”

  “He isn’t the schoolboy she remembers. I wonder what he will say to the proposal if we are able to find him.”

  “Edward, what can we do to prevent her coming with us?” Alice asked sharply and Edward smiled.

  “Why nothing, my darling, unless you wish to make a complete break with her.”

  “You don’t know what she’s like. Everything has to be just as she wants it to be and everyone must give up their own ideas and bow to her wishes. She’ll spoil our journey.”

  “No dear, she won’t. I won’t let her. Alice, dearest, your mother has recently lost both her husband and her eldest son. Despite her behaviour in public, her settled world has crashed down around her. No doubt she worries about her future. Be generous.”

  “But I wanted to be with you alone.”

  “There are years ahead of us to be alone together. Don’t be troubled. You are no longer under her roof or her control. I promise I won’t let her trouble your peace. We will still be able to do all the things we want to do in Paris and in Dauphiné. With luck, we may even find your brother.”

  “Are you ready yet, my love?” Edward Maitland stood tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for his wife. The carriage was standing at the door, their trunks were tied on behind, his valet and his wife’s maid were in their own vehicle with the other servants. The Countess of Kirkmore had been assisted into her lumbering travelling coach with her coat of arms emblazoned on the side. Miss Talbot climbed in after her, only to be obliged to climb out again to ascertain that her mistress had not left her reticule behind on the hall table. A prolonged search disclosed it in a corner of the coach floor hidden under the Countess’s skirts.

  Only one person was missing.

  “I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” Lady Alice apologised as she came down the stairs, working her fingers into a new pair of leather gloves. “A letter from Oncle Richard has just arrived.” She waved it at him before folding it carefully into her reticule. “Isn’t this exciting?”

  Her mother had overheard because she leaned out of the coach and demanded,

  “Show it to me at once. Why is he writing to you and not to me?”

  Alice looked down to hide her annoyance and fumbled with her reticule but Edward said abruptly,

  “Not now, ma’am. We really must get started or we will be benighted on the road. Later, when we reach the inn where we are staying overnight.” Edward turned and held out his hand to his wife. “Come, Alice.” He handed her up into his travelling carriage and climbed in after her.

  “Oh, Edward, that was not at all the thing!” Alice exclaimed with a laugh. “Whatever will Mama think?”

  “I don’t care a jot what she thinks. I could see that you did not want to show her the letter. What does Oncle Richard say?”

  “He does not have Philip’s direction but he is certain that his son, Victor, knows where he is to be found, if anyone does. Victor works for a silk merchant in Paris and he is a few years older than Philip. Oncle also suggests we inquire at the Foreign Ministry. Philip used to work there as a translator before the change in government and Oncle considers it likely that some of his former colleagues are still in touch with him.”

  “Let’s hope so. What is this cousin of yours like?”

  “I’ve never met him or any of that family. Mama has not been able to return home because of the Revolution and the war and neither could Oncle Richard come to England. Philip likes him; that’s all I know. He helped Philip to find employment in Paris. Oncle has sent us Victor’s address so that we can visit him as soon as we arrive.”

  “Is that what you want to do first when we get to Paris?” Edward asked.

  “Of course…”

  “You don’t seem certain?”

  Alice grinned. “I am. We must do that, once we are rested from the journey, but…”

  “But?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.

  “I’m a female as well as Philip’s sister and I have never been to Paris before. I want to do what any female does when she goes there, to visit the modistes and replenish my wardrobe! What a silly question to ask me!”

  Edward laughed. “When I consider the number of trunks we are carrying with us; I’m surprised you can think of adding any more clothes to our load.”

  “No female could possibly go to Paris and not think about clothes.”

  “You’ll run me into dun territory yet!”

  “Not I. You forget I am still in mourning. I have more than enough black dresses. When I was little, I used to think black was such a lovely colour, so grown up. I did not know what it meant then, of course. I was speaking to Lady Whitehead only the other day and she gave me the direction of the modiste she patronises herself, a Mademoiselle Céleste. Once we have spoken to Victor and hopefully have found Philip, I would like to go to her and order frocks for half mourning. Not that I’m fond of grey or white or purple, such dull colours, but at least they will be cut and trimmed in the latest fashion.” She smiled up at him.

  “My dear, you always look ravishing, whatever you wear, even black.”

  “Flatterer!” She became serious. “Shall we have a few weeks in Paris, see what is to be seen, find Philip and then go on to Dauphiné?”

  “If that is what you wish.”

  “I would like to visit the place where Mama grew up. We used to have an old groom called Jean-Baptiste who came with her from France. He told me how beautiful Dauphiné was with its snow-capped mountains and deep cut valleys. I have always longed to see it.”

  Silence fell for some time as the carriage threaded its way through the streets of London and rumbled across the river.

  “Afterwards, shall we go on to Switzerland? I confess it’s another place I’m curious about,” Alice asked. “Perhaps Mama will even choose to stay with Oncle Richard until we return there when it is time for us all to go home.”

  Edward laughed aloud. “My darling I did not know I had married a schemer! So, we shall have our honeymoon after all, shall we? How long have you been plotting our escape?”

  Alice had the grace to blush. “Ever since Mama told me she was coming with us to France. It would be nice to be by ourselves for part of this journey, wouldn’t it?”

  “It would and I imagine we can contrive to leave your mother with her relatives while we do so. If we do, though, we would be away for a long time.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Probably not. I have told Eastham not to expect me back for some months. I signed everything he needed me to sign and he is a reliable agent. Mama and the children are in their usual good health, so there is no need for us to hurry
home to England if you want to travel further.”

  “How delightful it will be. Just the two of us. Promise me you won’t get bored with my company?”

  “No fear of that. Once we are in Paris, you’ll hardly see me. While you visit your modiste, I intend to discover all the amusements that a city like Paris has to offer!”

  Alice giggled. “Edward, you wretch! Stop teasing me.”

  Chapter Four

  The journey across a windswept Channel was lively. As soon as she stepped aboard the packet boat, the Countess retired to her cabin with Miss Talbot in attendance. She dismissed her companion once the ship had cleared the outer harbour. Miss Talbot emerged, glanced at the waves sweeping past as she clung to a rope and tried to stay on her feet. Alice thought she looked rather green, an opinion shared by the first mate who advised her to lie down on her bunk and helped her to go below. Alice discovered to her surprise that she was a good sailor. The wind was, for once, blowing in the right direction and drove them straight towards France. She spent most of the short passage up on deck, wrapped up in a boat-cloak. She laughed as the prow cut into the rollers and sent showers of spray all over her.

  “You look like a mermaid,” Edward told her.

  “I would like to be. This is glorious.”

  “Where is the prim Lady Alice Sutherland now?”

  “Decently interred at Kirkmore. That is, if I ever was such a creature.”

  He chuckled. “So you enjoy venturing on the sea?”

  “I love it.”

  “Then when we go to Brighthelmstone in the summer, you won’t object if I hire a schooner and take trips along the coast?”

  “Not if you take me with you.”

  “I will, always provided you are a good girl.”

  “I’m always good.”

  “Prove it to me.”

  Sometime later, Alice and Edward disembarked at the port of Boulogne. A seasoned traveller ever since his service in the Peninsula War, Edward had sent a servant in advance to book rooms. Fortunately, the comfortable inn where they were expected proved large enough to accommodate the extra persons in the party and everything was arranged amicably. The innkeeper and his wife were delighted to find that the Countess was French and that both Alice and Miss Talbot spoke their language fluently,

  “Which not many English ladies are able to do, Madame.”

  Alice found their accent a little strange, since her mother came from the far eastern edge of France. Before long, however, her ear adjusted and she was able to converse on a variety of different subjects. Miss Talbot took longer, although she had been well taught and could bear her part in the conversations when necessary. Edward experienced more difficulty, having spent years in Spain; he was more comfortable in that language and occasionally used Spanish words.

  The ladies retired to their chambers to repair the ravages of their journey and the Countess decided to take a short nap before dinner. Alice and Edward walked around the town and found Boulogne to be an interesting place; a bustling fishing port with a myriad of different sights and smells. Some of which reminded Alice of her childhood, for her mother had kept a French cook for many years who sometimes cooked regional dishes from Dauphiné and the south. When they returned to the inn, they discovered that the Countess intended to dine in her room for she was not feeling quite the thing. The voyage and the sea air had exhausted her, so she sent a message to them making her excuses.

  Alice, Edward and Grace dined together in their private parlour. During the meal, Edward set himself to draw Grace out and Alice admired his skill. She said later that it seemed as if a statue had suddenly come to life. The prim Miss Talbot had a sense of humour and a fund of amusing stories about her time as a teacher. Soon the conversation became both general and entertaining. Alice felt as if she had found someone with whom she could engage and maybe even call a friend.

  The large feather beds they were given, following their exercise and the sea air, soon lulled them to sleep. They ate breakfast and left the next morning at an early hour, thanking their hosts and promising to return. The rest of the journey was not so pleasant. In winter, the roads were muddy and full of ruts. It took them nearly four days to reach Paris, by which time everyone had become heartily sick of travelling. When they alighted at a small hotel in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, Alice felt a little disappointed. Crossing Paris through a series of narrow winding streets, she had found the city to be not at all what she expected. It was not as well set out as London. Some new buildings and monuments were in the process of being constructed but it seemed, from a casual glance, that work on them had ceased. Edward commented,

  “No doubt the change of government is responsible. The King is unlikely to share the Emperor’s taste for triumphal arches.”

  The Hotel Neuilly did not compare with Mivart's Hotel in London which Alice had visited when her sister, Matilda, had stayed there recently. Edward smiled at her reaction but calmed her fears,

  “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ve been here before and I assure you we will be made most comfortable. They always air the sheets and never serve inferior wine.”

  He was proved right and even the Countess found little cause for complaint. Alice emerged the next morning well rested and ready to start the search for her brother. It had been decided between Alice and Edward that they would go alone to visit her cousin, Victor. Alice had confessed to her husband that her mother did not know Philip now used the alias of Louis de Vezey. Neither of them thought it wise to inform her at this moment and provoke another scene. So, Edward said to the Countess,

  “You must have friends and relations living here, ma’am, even if you have not seen them for many years. Far more than Alice and I do. One of them may know where Philip is and save us a prolonged search. If we are to find Philip quickly, then we should spread our efforts and perhaps we can locate him sooner.” He was surprised and Alice relieved when the Countess agreed without an argument.

  Victor’s apartment proved to be in a little street in the Marais district. The area had once been smart, but now it was falling into decline as people migrated to newer districts. The building was cleaner than some and possessed a concierge who was both helpful and well informed. This man told them that Monsieur Debord was out and not expected back until this evening after he had finished work. Alice had come prepared for such an eventuality and gave him a note for her cousin. It simply asked Victor to call on them at the Hotel Neuilly at his convenience because his cousin, Alice, had arrived in Paris and was eager to meet him. The concierge promised to deliver the note as soon as possible but, in the event, Victor did not appear that day.

  The rest of the time was taken up with strolls around the Palais-Royal and lunch in one of the cafés, which the occupying Russian troops had christened ‘bistros’. They discovered that bistro in their language meant quickly. The service was indeed quick but it was also good and the food was delicious. Afterwards Alice found the location of her modiste and arranged to call on her the following day when she expected to have time to discuss all her needs. Back at the hotel, the Countess had returned and told them that she had experienced a frustrating time. She had not found any of her friends in the city.

  “Only those people I particularly wished to avoid seem to be still here,” she sighed.

  “Did you try the British Embassy, ma’am?” Edward asked. “They should be able to tell you the direction of most of the noble families in Paris. No doubt some of them have been obliged to move from where they lived before due to all the upheavals.”

  This recommendation met with a tepid response. “It is inconceivable to me that I can’t find my friends without resorting to help from a foreign ambassador.”

  “I merely offer it as a suggestion, ma’am, to save you time and effort. You will do as you think right, of course.”

  The Countess grudgingly agreed. She spent the rest of the meal bemoaning the fact that so many of the fine buildings she had known as a girl had been damaged or destroyed.

&
nbsp; “The Revolution and that Corsican upstart, Bonaparte, changed everything and not for the better.”

  “Surely some of your acquaintances will be at the court, Mama?” Alice suggested. “You may find the people you are seeking amongst the king’s retinue and he is certain to receive the Countess of Kirkmore courteously.”

  “A good suggestion for once, Alice. I shall certainly consider it.”

  The Countess retired early, pleading a slight headache. Once she had left, Alice pounced on Grace.

  “Where did you and Mama go all day?”

  “We took a carriage through the city and visited places where your mother remembered her friends living. It was her intention to leave cards and then to visit them tomorrow.”

  “Did that happen?”

  “There was only one house where the owner was the same as before, but he was visiting his country estates. We left a card with the butler who told us he does not expect his master to return for some weeks.”

  “Poor Mama.”

  “It’s difficult to go back to a place after a long time away. I found London greatly changed and my sisters almost grown up in my absence,” Edward remarked.

  Alice laughed. “I remember you said ‘surely this is not little Lizzie and Kitty without her pigtails and torn dress’. Kitty in particular was most annoyed with you.”

  “She would be. What did you do for the rest of the day, Miss Talbot?”

  “We ate lunch and then continued our drive. I seem to have seen all the sights of Paris out of the window of a coach swaying over the cobbles.”

  “Not the best way to see them, I agree.”

  “I don’t have your mama’s constitution, I’m afraid. The motion made me quite queasy.”

  “Then we must try to persuade her to adopt a different solution tomorrow.”

  As it happened a different solution was not needed. Next morning the Countess’s headache was found to have worsened and she had no desire to leave her bedchamber. When Grace offered to stay with her, she sent her away saying that she wished to be alone and her maid was quite capable of looking after her immediate needs.