THE BARONET'S DAUGHTER

CHAPTER TEN

                                CHAPTER TEN

The Misses Pike were sisters of similar age to the Birkett girls and were to be brought out at the same time. Mr Jeffrey Warburton proved a great success at Thrupton Manor, but Eleanor felt out of the excitement.

    For once she found little patience in the general talk of Mantua-makers, and the balls and assemblies that the girls were looking forward to attending. Despite herself, her mind kept straying to Willington House and Major Ambrose Warburton.

    She was prepared to accept that soldiering roughened a man somewhat and that away from home and polite society, a man must take his comfort where he could.

    But Major Warburton had been home over a twelve-month. She would have expected him to conform to the moral standards of a landlord and gentleman, as she envisaged them.

    Her father, she was sad to concede, had been a sorry example of how a gentleman should not behave. In spite of everything, she loved her father still, yet she deplored his fallen values.

    She could never attach herself to a man who was in any way flawed in moral principles. Not that Major Warburton would ever look on her in that way, she reminded herself sternly. Was he not already entwined in the delights of the mysterious Mrs V?

    The Misses Pike insisted in accompanying Cecilie and Dorothea on the return journey to Willington House. Consequently there was no room in the Birkett coach for Eleanor.

    Rather than wait for the return of the coach, Eleanor decided to walk home, taking a path through woodlands which would shorten the journey by two miles. It had been a week since snow had fallen, and most of it had cleared away. Nevertheless, the going on the frozen ground was harder than she had anticipated.

    She was about a mile from the house and on the edge of the wood when she was startled by the appearance of a man loitering near a farm gate a little way along the lane.

    By his sudden appearance and position, she had the feeling that he had emerged from the woods behind her, as though he had been following her.

    She quickened her steps but could not help glancing back. He was of medium height and thinly built. That he was not a labouring man she could tell by his clothes, but neither was he a gentleman.

    Uneasiness made her hurry on. At the turn of the lane she ventured another backward glance. At least he was not advancing on her but was standing quite still and continued to observe her.

    Disturbed more than she understood why, she continued to hurry and was quite out of breath by the time she reached the carriageway to the house. Should she mention the appearance of the strange man to Lord Birkett, she wondered? Yet he had not approached her, or behaved in any way threatening, and she would not be able to explain her disquiet.       

    She was thankful to at last gain the sanctuary of her bedroom at Willington House by which time it was late afternoon.

    On entering she found that Lady Susan’s chamber-maid had laid out a royal blue riding habit on her bed. The spurt of excitement she felt on handling the fine woollen material put her strange encounter out of her head.

    Lady Susan had kept her word as to the loan of the riding habit, but would she ever have occasion to wear it?

    His sister had taken the Major at his word, but would he really remember that he had invited her to ride?

Eleanor did not see Major Warburton until dinner, when he hardly addressed two words to her. The dinner conversation seemed lively enough at the other end of the table, but Eleanor felt neglected and dispirited, and she was beginning to ache from the strenuous exercise of her long walk.