Page 57 of Sunday's Child

‘And some mistletoe?’ Nancy added with a mischievous smile.

‘Of course. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without mistletoe. I just hope the Brocklebournes haven’t accepted the invitation. I can’t stand Lady Letitia. She makes me feel like an idiot, and my stammer comes back at the thought of her.’

‘Just try to avoid her, Freddie. You said there would be many house guests.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll try, but Mama will make it impossible. She has a way of organising people without them realising what’s happening. If she’d been born a man she would have made a great general. The enemy would not have known what hit them.’

‘Consider me your reinforcements. I’ll stand between you and the heiress.’

‘Let’s forget Letitia Barclay and concentrate on enjoying ourselves.’ Freddie handed Nancy into the gig. ‘We haven’t finished the tour yet and the weather is just about holding, so we’ll take advantage of that.’ He took the reins from the gardener with a smile. ‘Thank you, Brewster. How are the family?’

‘Right as a trivet, my lord. Thank you for asking.’

‘My regards to your father, Brewster. He used to allow me to push the wheelbarrow when I was a small boy. I thought I was very honoured.’

Brewster laughed. ‘I’ll remind him, my lord.’

Freddie climbed onto the driver’s seat. ‘Walk on.’

‘Do you know all your servants by name, Freddie?’ Nancy asked as the horse moved on eagerly, breaking into a brisk trot.

‘Of course. We all pull together to make Dorrington a good place to live.’

Nancy smiled. If only those who criticised Freddie in London could see him here, in his element, they would revise their opinion of Viscount Ashton. It was obvious that this was where Freddie belonged and was truly happy. Nancy settled down to enjoy the tour of what proved to be an enormous estate.

They stopped at the village inn at midday and Freddie received a genuinely warm greeting from both the landlord and the men who clustered around the bar. The landlord’s wife ushered them into a private parlour where a welcoming log fire blazed up the chimney. She brought them steaming bowls of mutton stew and a platter of freshly baked bread, with a generous helping of butter.

When they finished their meal the landlord saw them out, glancing up at the louring sky. ‘The weather is going to turn soon, my lord. I wouldn’t go too far if I were you.’

‘You’re right, Reynolds. I can feel snow in the air. We’ll be heading home.’

‘What a shame,’ Nancy said as she took her seat. ‘It’s been a lovely day, Freddie.’

‘What do you think of the estate, Nancy?’ Freddie joined her and took up the reins.

‘I think you have a wonderful home and I don’t wonder that you hate leaving here to go to London. If I were you I would never want to live anywhere else.’

‘I knew you’d understand, Nancy.’ Freddie urged the horse to walk on. ‘I’m sorry to curtail the expedition, but I think we’d better return to the house before it starts to snow.’

‘Maybe we could decorate the trees, or at least one of them. That is my favourite thing to do before Christmas.’

‘Of course. That’s a good idea, and don’t forget the servants’ ball is tomorrow evening. We like to get that done before the rest of the guests arrive, otherwise the staff are too exhausted to enjoy themselves properly.’

‘You really care about people, don’t you, Freddie?’

He gave her a lopsided smile. ‘Of course I do. What else is there in life if you can’t make people happy?’

A sudden vision of Gervase North clouded Nancy’s mind and she shuddered. At least they had left him in London to cast his gloomy spell over some unfortunate person or persons at Christmas.

‘Are you cold, Nancy?’ Freddie asked anxiously.

‘No, but, as Hester would say, someone walked over my grave. I’m fine, thank you, Freddie.’

They lapsed into companionable silence until they reached the carriage sweep at Dorrington Place. Freddie sighed heavily.

‘That’s the Brocklebournes’ carriage. I know the coat of arms only too well. They’ve arrived before the snow. Just my luck!’

‘They can’t make you marry the heiress, Freddie. Surely you have some say in the matter.’

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