Prudence and the Romantic Poet (The Three Graces #3)

Chapter 21

21

It was fortunate that the funeral arrangements could be made quickly, for Prudence had no wish for Mr Sealy’s body to remain above a few days in the house.

Ladies did not attend funerals, but Prudence would not let the grieving Jack Pickering follow his master’s last journey to the churchyard alone. She insisted on following the undertaker in the carriage kindly supplied by Mr Shelbourne.

She waited inside the carriage while Pickering braved the wintry showers to remain with his master until the first spadeful of earth was cast upon his casket. Amos stood a little way off in case Pickering needed a strong arm to lean on. There was no gathering after the funeral, but the household shared a dinner together later that day, and raised a toast to the memory of Mr Sealy.

The past days had been a blur of activity as Prudence made hurried arrangements. She explained her plans to Pickering after dinner that evening.

‘Mrs Smithyman will reside here with her three children until Claverton House is repaired and made fit for habitation. She will undertake the housekeeping with Sophy to help her, and her son Charlie shall leave service and likewise assist his mother. You may ask them for help with sorting through Mr Sealy’s belongings. I know you do not wish for things to be altered in his rooms, but I beg that you will let Mrs Smithyman give the room a clean.’

Pickering was so vehement in asserting that no one should touch his late master’s room but himself that she relented, on condition that the windows be opened to air the room for at least an hour a day, and the furnishings be laundered. He agreed reluctantly to this.

There were accounts to be settled and arranged with local tradesmen, there was a small trunk to be packed, and there were notes of farewell to be written to her Bath acquaintance, for she had not the time to visit people.

It was well that she was kept occupied, she thought, for without so much to attend to the days would seem interminably long until she saw Sir Robert again. She was eager to see her sister Charity, she missed her sisters acutely. She had written to tell them of Mr Sealy’s death, and had mentioned receiving an inheritance from him in his will, but she had not told them of the great fortune he had left her. She wished to tell such extraordinary news in person.

But although she missed her sisters, she ached more for the sight of that stern, beloved face and the strong, decisive voice of her dearest friend. She hoped he was not delayed, for Charity was coming for her the day after. She longed to talk over with him all that happened, and all her hopes and plans for the future. It was his opinion more than anyone, more than her sisters even, that she most wanted.

Only two more days and she would see him .

‘They’re here, miss!’ Lizzy bellowed from the doorway the next day.

Prudence was writing in the sitting room, and looked up, startled. ‘Who is here?’

‘Mrs Hart!’

‘But they are not due for another two days!’

Prudence put down her pen and hurried down the hall. Pip was already at the door, barking excitedly.

‘Pru!’ cried Charity, bursting into the house and tossing an enormous muff on the hall table that she might envelop her sister in a hug. A handsome man with an equally handsome child in his arms followed behind, limping slightly as he too gave her a hearty hug.

‘So good to see you!’ greeted Prudence, her voice muffled by her brother-in-law’s shoulder which she was crushed up against. ‘But I was not expecting you so soon!’

‘There wasn’t time to write,’ gushed Charity. ‘But I knew you’d like the surprise! We have come to rescue you from the dreadful time you’ve had.’

‘Alex, my darling,’ said Prudence, when released. She held out her arms to the child Leon carried. ‘Come to Aunt Pru and kiss me. Why are you crying, my love?’

‘He’s crying because Hannibal is going on ahead with Nurse and Talbot,’ said his father.

‘You brought Hannibal with you?’ queried Prudence, coaxing her little nephew to look at her. ‘Is he still a naughty puppy, or has he learned some manners?’ She had met the rambunctious, overlarge and over-friendly St. Bernard some months earlier.

‘They are inseparable,’ said Charity. ‘Which is why we had to bring him. He takes up half the carriage and drools over my boots. Don’t cry over your Aunt Pru.’

‘What’s this?’ said Leon, trying to escape Pip’s attempts to catch the tassels on his boots. He bent down and took up the little terrier by the scruff of the neck holding it aloft, saying, ‘I’ll thank you not to scratch my boots, little fellow. And who are you?’

‘Is that the stray you found?’ exclaimed Charity. ‘Dear me, you weren’t exaggerating when you said it was a scrap of a thing. Pipsqueak is exactly the right name.’

‘I will put you down, sir, if you promise to stay away from my feet,’ said Leon to the protesting Pip.

Pip was released, and Alex wriggled to be let down that he might run after him. Lizzy began a lively exchange of news with Charity, and there was a deal of noise and chatter as everyone talked over everyone else and Pip barked and three-year-old Alex shouted. Prudence coaxed them into the sitting room urging her sister to sit by the fire and asking Lizzy to bring refreshments.

‘You look so well,’ Prudence told her sister, admiring Charity’s deep green carriage coat of velvet. Her sister had always been a head-turner with her red curls, shapely figure and her ready laugh.

‘I wish I could say the same of you!’ was Charity’s blunt reply. ‘My poor girl, you look fagged to death. You must have had a dreadful time of it. I was amazed that Connie would let you stay here alone.’ Charity ran her hazel eyes over Prudence’s plain gown. ‘The first thing we shall do when we get to town is get you some new clothes. Are your boxes packed? We shall go directly after a quick cup of tea.’

‘Go directly?’ said Prudence in alarm.

‘Yes, indeed,’ said Charity. ‘We have had one night on the road, and what a fuss the landlord made over Hannibal. You would think we had asked to bring an elephant into the inn, and it was not his fault that the silly woman fell down the stairs, she should not have screamed like that, and there was no real harm done, for Leon caught her.’

Prudence had not time to enquire as to who the woman was or what had happened for Alex and Pip began a noisy game of chase around the sofa and it took Prudence several attempts to make herself heard, until finally she raised her voice declaring loudly, ‘Chari, I cannot go!’

Charity looked at her in surprise. Prudence never raised her voice. ‘Cannot go where?’

‘With you, to London—’ She was about to clarify the matter, but her words were enough to cause little Alex to cease running and begin wailing that he wanted Aunt Pru, so she had to comfort him, saying, ‘I will come, my darling, I am coming, I promise, don’t cry,’ and then she straightened up to say to Charity, ‘I don’t mean I cannot go at all, only that I cannot go today . I am so sorry, there was a mix up at the post office and I did not even know of your arrival until a few days ago, and I did not expect you so early, and there was no time to write and tell you that I have an important interview tomorrow that I cannot miss.’

‘Interview with whom?’

‘A-a friend.’

‘What kind of interview?’

Prudence suddenly felt shy of saying out loud that she was expecting a marriage proposal, for what if he did not come, or had changed his mind? And there would be so many questions, and she felt too drained of strength at present to answer them all, and it would be so very awkward if Sir Robert were to walk in and have Charity looking him over as a prospective brother-in-law and meantime cast a lively, gleeful tone over something that Prudence wished to be held as sacred and private.

‘I should not have said interview, that makes it sound formal,’ she backtracked. ‘A friend who has been of the greatest support to me in the days of our uncle’s sickness had to go away on a trip, and I assured this friend that I would still be here on his return that I might not leave Bath without saying goodbye to him, and I wish to keep my word.’

‘ Him ?’ said Charity, throwing a glance at her husband. Her eyes lit up and Prudence’s heart sank a little. She was not going to get away without a teasing after all.

‘He is a friend ,’ she said firmly. ‘A very kind friend to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. I understand if you do not wish to stay the night – I can travel to London by stage a day after you with Lizzy and Amos. I am very sorry for any inconvenience, Chari, but only let me have my way in this one thing.’

Leon stepped in, saying, ‘I’ve no objection to putting up at the White Hart for a night.’

‘There are plenty of bedrooms here,’ said Prudence. ‘We can make them up in no time.’

‘With an outhouse and no bathroom and stew for dinner?’ protested Charity. ‘You told me all I need to know in your letters. I don’t object to putting up at the White Hart if it means so much to you to say goodbye to this especial friend , but we shall not stay here, and nor shall you! Leon, darling, bespeak a room for Prudence also.’

Prudence tried to dissuade her brother-in-law from this unnecessary step, but she was overruled. Leon left directly to go and secure rooms.

‘You look as though you could do with a hot bath and a good night’s sleep,’ said Charity, glancing at Prudence’s wan face. ‘And a proper supper. Oh, Pru, whatever possessed you to insist on staying here all this time running yourself ragged?’ The question was rhetorical, for she did not wait for an answer, but leaned forward conspiratorially to say, ‘Now tell me all about this friend . ’

Lizzy came to the rescue by coming in with refreshments, and as she set the things out she said, ‘Oh, Mrs Hart, what do you make of the news?’

‘What news is that?’ said Charity.

‘Why, the money!’ Lizzy looked between the sisters. ‘Lawks, miss! Never say you haven’t told of it yet?’

‘Told me what?’ Charity was eager to hear. ‘Is it connected to a certain gentleman?’

‘I wouldn’t call him a gentleman,’ said Lizzy, then clapped her hand over her mouth before saying, ‘Sorry, miss. I ought not to speak ill of the dead, but he were a hog grubber, and no one could deny it. But he did right by you in the end, didn’t he?’ Lizzy beamed round.

‘Who are we talking of?’ demanded Charity.

‘Why, Mr Sealy,’ said Lizzy. ‘Who else?’

‘Mr Sealy? Money?’ said Charity. ‘You said he left you something. I guessed it might be all of twenty pounds, he being so poor.’

Lizzy laughed heartily. Prudence opened her mouth to relate the news, but Lizzy in her excitement blurted out, ‘Lawks, Mrs Hart, if the old miser didn’t turn out to be as rich as Croesus and leave every penny to Miss Grace! Near a quarter of a million pounds !’

Charity gaped, rendered speechless, which was a rarity for her.

Alex, who had been sampling the biscuit plate, repeated in the same tone of excitement, ‘ Corter a millun pands!’

That made them all laugh. Prudence was glad to have the conversation diverted away from Sir Robert, and began to explain all that had happened with regards to Mr Sealy’s will as she poured out the tea.

‘I can hardly believe it!’ marvelled Charity, sitting back with her cup and staring at her sister. ‘You are a rich woman! You can do anything you like! What shall you do?’ Her eyes gleamed with thoughts of all that she would do if such a fortune came her way.

‘I feel very uncomfortable receiving such a sum,’ said Prudence. ‘I think it should be divided three ways between us.’

Charity dismissed this. ‘You were the only one who nursed him in his last months. I never even met him. If he wished to leave it all to you, that was entirely his right to.’

‘All the same,’ said Prudence. ‘When I get to London, I will speak in depth to the lawyer handling the matter and ascertain what I can and cannot do with this inheritance. The will had all kinds of clauses and conditions, and it did stipulate I could not give any part away, but I do not see why you and Constance should not have a claim on it.’

‘Connie is very well off with Finn, and Leon and I are likewise comfortable. The money is yours, Pru. Though what you will do with a tenth of such a sum I cannot imagine! I could spend it easily enough – set up a hunting stable, improve the house, a new wardrobe – goodness, never mind a hunting stable, one might buy a race course with such a fortune! But you!—you do not ride, and you care little for fashion or jewels.’

‘I have some ideas,’ said Prudence. ‘But they are not fully formed yet. It does not all seem quite real. I shall make no decisions until I have spoken to the lawyers and had a little time to think.’

Pickering wandered in, so Prudence made the introductions, and he bowed awkwardly to Charity and wandered away again.

‘What shall you do with him?’ Charity asked.

‘He will stay here. Do you recall Mrs Smithyman, the seamstress? She will come tomorrow and take up residence for a time and manage the house. ’

‘Of course!’ exclaimed Charity, looking about the room, ‘the house is yours now!’

Prudence nodded. ‘And some other properties.’

‘Other properties?’ Charity gaped again. ‘A quarter of a million and properties!’

‘And various shares and bonds and all manner of things,’ said Prudence, embarrassed to admit to so much. ‘I do not really know the full extent of it all. That is why I must have a proper consultation with the lawyer. For now, I feel somewhat overwhelmed.’

Leon soon returned to announce that Nurse and Talbot had already set off from the White Hart with the fresh horses, so he was unable to bring Nurse, but as it happened, there would not have been room for them all at the inn, for they only had two bedrooms left. He had booked a private parlour for supper and breakfast, he informed them as he down beside his wife, pulling out his handkerchief to wipe biscuit crumbs from his son’s small face.

‘Nurse and Talbot will be in a taking,’ said Charity. ‘For they will expect us tonight, but there is no way of getting word to them that we will not arrive tomorrow.’

Prudence felt a pang of guilt at hearing this, but the pang was not stronger than her desire to see Sir Robert.

‘The last of the rooms is only small,’ Leon said apologetically to Prudence. ‘It would be a squeeze to get your maid in.’

Prudence considered this. Would it be awkward to leave Lizzy here with only Amos and Pickering in the house? Perhaps she could send word to Mrs Smithyman to come tonight instead of tomorrow, as planned? She took up the teapot saying, ‘I shall get more tea and biscuits,’ and disappeared to the kitchen that she might discuss this with Lizzy. As she left the room she heard Charity saying excitedly – ‘Leon, what do you think has happened to Pru? Old Mr Sealy has left her a fortune!’

Lizzy assured her that she would manage very well for one night, and Pip would be looked after, and she’d make sure Pickering ate a meal. There was plenty of food in the larder, and she’d finish up the packing while Miss Grace was gone.

Prudence had to be satisfied with this, and made Lizzy promise that if Sir Robert should call early on the morrow before she had returned, he was not to go away again, but word was to be sent to her that she might come directly.

‘Do you like him, miss?’ Lizzy asked in reply to this request.

‘Sir Robert? Yes. He has been a very good friend to me. I would be very disappointed not to see him before I leave.’

‘Is he going to come up to scratch, miss?’

‘Lizzy! That is not… quite the thing… that is…’

‘No need to raise a blush, miss,’ said Lizzy in a kind voice, as though Prudence was again the fifteen-year-old girl that she had first met. ‘If us women can’t speak of such things, what’s the world come to? I wouldn’t speak a word to no one but you about it, even if I have got a potato trap for a mouth at times. I hope you do marry him, miss. He’s almost good enough for you, and that’s saying something.’

‘He is far above me,’ said Prudence, with an embarrassed smile.

‘He is not. Lawks, miss, I’ve known you since you were still in the schoolroom, and there’s not a kinder, better lady in the world than you.’

Prudence looked at her in surprise, for Lizzy’s voice had cracked at these last words, and suddenly she burst into tears .

‘Lizzy, what is wrong?’ Prudence put her arm round her.

‘Nothing, miss,’ sobbed Lizzy. ‘Nothing’s wrong. It’s just…’

‘Yes, dear? Don’t cry.’

‘It’s just that everything feels like it’s changing. It’s not that it’s bad… it’s just…’

‘I know,’ soothed Prudence, allowing Lizzy to cry on her shoulder, though Lizzy was the taller of the two and Prudence had to stretch up to reach her. ‘Change is unsettling. But if you mean that my life is to change, well, that is not a certain thing. Until Sir Robert does me the honour of offering marriage, there is nothing certain.’

‘It’s not just you going and marrying,’ said Lizzy, pulling free that she might wipe her nose and compose herself.

‘ If I marry,’ emphasised Prudence.

‘Oh, you’ll marry someday, miss.’ Lizzy forced a smile and her usual buoyant tone. ‘If Sir Robert proves to be a wet dishrag who won’t wed the best lady he could ever hope to meet, then he’s not worth a ha’penny, and now you’re as rich as a duchess you’ll have men falling over themselves to win you.’

Prudence also forced a smile, though in truth she felt depressed by the idea of Sir Robert disappearing from her life while fortune hunters assailed her in his place. She was sure there was something more to Lizzy’s unusual outburst of tears, but there was no time to pursue the matter, for the sound of pattering footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. Little Alex was come to see what she was about.