When It Rained at Hembry Castle Chapter 6

The American Girl

D

aphne Meriwether’s arrival at Hembry Castle had been a shock to her system, to say the least. It was wet the day she arrived, the dark skies sprinkling moisture all around. As the stately gray carriage and four drove down the tree-lined path she thought she had fallen into someone else’s fairy tale. She had never seen a house so grand. Her father had been telling her about Hembry Castle her whole life, but nothing had prepared her for seeing it for the first time. The carriage stopped in front of the Palladian-style façade with the mismatched gables on the roof, and a handsome young footman in gray livery helped her down the carriage steps while a second footman held an umbrella over her head and followed her to the front door where a stoop-shouldered, gray-haired man with wire-rimmed spectacles bowed.

Eclectic. That’s what Daphne thought during her first glance around Hembry Castle. Above her was a hammer beam ceiling, and she remembered her father telling her that the third Earl had it installed to resemble the one at Hampton Court Palace. The walls were dark-paneled wood while marble Roman arches held the walls upright. The floors were covered in Turkish rugs, and the large windows let in a panoramic view of the peaks and valleys of the countryside. To her right, to her left, straight ahead, everywhere Daphne looked was some new treasure to behold.

“Those are the galleries,” her father said. Daphne marveled at the paintings, the portraits, the bronzes, the Greek and Roman statues. Frederick waited, giving her a moment to take it all in. “What do you think?”

“It’s incredible, Papa. It’s like a museum.”

“It is very much like a museum.” Frederick handed his hat and coat to the silent footman. “And you are?”

“Colin, sir.”

“Thank you, Colin.” Frederick nodded at the butler. “There are many new faces here, Ellis.”

“Yes, Mr. Frederick. It’s been too long since you’ve been home.”

“That it has. How is my father?”

“Mr. Hough has just been to see him. His lordship isn’t any better, I’m afraid.”

“Take us to him.”

Mr. Ellis led the way, down that hallway, through this passageway, into the other room, up those stairs, across one more hall. Daphne wondered how anyone remembered their way around. She thought of asking her father for a map of the house, but then they were with her grandfather and the thought of anything else escaped her. Her grandfather died the next morning surrounded by a loving family and well wishes from villagers, farmers, and many others besides. At least we had a chance to say good-bye, Daphne thought.

After the funeral, after the well-wishers had gone and the curiosity seekers drifted away, Daphne had time to acquaint herself with the old house, to wander its vast hallways, admire the paintings, inspect the bronzes. While there was much to love about Hembry, and about England, she thought it rained too much. Her father had warned her about the rain, but he tried to frame it in a positive way. After all, he said, without the rain there wouldn’t be the bountiful gardens, so it couldn’t be all bad. Daphne, watching the dripping wet through the vast windows, wasn’t convinced. The rain prompted her to stay inside, so she had hours to wander the halls. She was never sure which direction she was headed, but even when she was lost she discovered yet another treasure, like the music room with the gold harp and the Erard piano which she could play a little, or the nursery, now empty, where generations had been raised at the hands of nannies. How strange, Daphne thought as she handled the toy soldiers, the jigsaw puzzles, and the rosewood rocking horse, thinking how her father had been raised by a nanny and not his own mother.

It took two weeks for Daphne to learn the way to the sitting room and the library, where she spent most of her days, reading or needlepointing or helping her father with editing and other newspaper duties. At home in Connecticut, she would have been bored with so little to do, but this quiet lifestyle was only temporary, she knew. She would return home soon. She wanted to get back to her own house, her own people, her own life, her own ways without feeling like an oddity to be examined through a monocle.

She was distracted from her thoughts by the giggling of two young girls in long calico dresses, white aprons, and white caps, neither of whom could have been more than 16 years old. When they saw Daphne watching them they vanished. Daphne sighed. She didn’t think she would ever get used to the movement everywhere around her. Yes, the servants were silent, most of the time, but something about the proximity of so many strangers unnerved her.

It was her grandfather’s greatest wish that she should visit Hembry Castle. He ended every letter to her with, “Won’t you come see my castle, my most darling granddaughter?” And Daphne, being young and thinking she had all the time in the world, made excuses. Her father never seemed too keen on the idea of returning to his homeland, and Daphne never pressed him. It was her grandfather’s illness that prompted them to make the journey across the ocean. The first thing the 8th Earl said when he saw her was, “Finally, you have come to see my castle.” She knew he would have taken great joy in showing her around his ancestral home, and he would have told her how to get from the sitting room to the drawing room without getting lost.

Daphne was startled when Mr. Ellis peeked around the open door.

“Miss Daphne, his lordship wishes to speak to you.”

“Of course, Mr. Ellis. Where is he?”

“I’m here.” Richard stepped into the room. “Would you like some tea, Daphne?”

“I’m always ready for tea.”

The Earl winked at his butler. “See, Ellis. I told you she was English at heart.”

Richard sat on the blue settee and leaned back against the cushion. He was always handsome, Richard, leaner than her father, his chestnut hair showing only a shimmer of silver at the temples. His cat-like blue eyes, the same shade of aquamarine as her father’s, left him looking more youthful than his 48 years. There was always a quickness to Richard, though since Daphne had arrived at Hembry his quickness had slowed. Of course he’s feeling overwhelmed, Daphne thought. His beloved father has died and now he’s inherited a vast estate with great responsibility. I’d be overwhelmed too if it were me.

“How are you, Uncle Richard?”

“Quite well, my dear.”

Daphne sat next to her uncle. “I know you’re expected to maintain a certain appearance, but you don’t have to pretend for my sake. I’ve seen the sadness in your eyes since Grandpa died, and I don’t think it’s all from mourning. Is there anything I can do?”

Richard’s long face brightened with a boyish smile. “You’re a sharp girl, Daphne. Sharp young woman, I should say. I knew you had grown older, of course, but it didn’t sink in until you arrived. Here was this lovely young woman standing before me, and how surprised was I to realize she was my own most darling niece.” Richard looked toward the window to see the sunlight breaking into golden spirals. “Do you remember the first time I visited you in Connecticut?”

“How can I forget? I think I was seven at the time. We were sound asleep, and it must have been four in the morning when there was this banging on the door. I remember Mama and Papa coming out of their room, Mama hiding behind Papa, and Papa was nervous about answering the door because he couldn’t think who it might be at that time. I’ve never been so surprised and so happy as I was when I saw you there holding your arms toward me. You never told us you were coming.”

“I wanted to surprise you. The journey from New York took longer than we thought so we arrived later than we hoped. I couldn’t wait to see you so I went to your house straight away. I had to bang on the door because no one heard me when I knocked.”

“I remember having so much fun visiting New York City with you and showing you my little girl toys and my childish paintings. What a fuss you made over them, and what silly games we played. I always wanted you to come swimming in the lake with me but you insisted you couldn’t swim.”

“Still can’t, I’m afraid.” He pointed to the half-moon scar by his left temple.

“That happened when you were a boy. Really, Uncle Richard, you can’t let a childhood accident keep you from swimming for the rest of your life.”

“I did nearly drown.”

“It was a long time ago.”

Richard looked aghast. “Not that long ago, I hope.”

“Of course not. You haven’t aged a day. Those are my favorite memories, you know. Whenever you came to visit is one of my favorite memories.”

“They’re my favorite memories too. I never wanted to leave.”

The sitting room was a Georgian vision in blue and white toile wallpaper with matching blue and white curtains swinging in the breeze from the open windows. Mahogany Queen Anne chairs with their knobby feet and a cream-colored chaise lounge were set just so over the Turkish rug. Blue and white Wedgwood vases filled with white peonies sat on the mahogany side tables, and decorating the walls were portraits of the same black spaniel in various poses. When the sun was out, as it was at that moment, it was a pleasant place for Daphne to read and write letters to her family and friends at home. Daphne tried to see the room through her uncle’s eyes, and she wondered if the room was as pleasant to him after 48 years.

“Papa was always trying to talk you into staying in Connecticut with us.”

“Which is what I wanted.”

“It’s what I wanted too.” Daphne snapped her fingers when she remembered. “When you came to visit us that first time you came with a friend. When I was introduced to Mr. Hough I thought he seemed familiar. Was it Mr. Hough who came with you to visit us?”

“One and the same.”

Richard looked as though he wanted to say more, but Mr. Ellis appeared with the tea, poured the drinks, and disappeared again.

“How do you like Hembry Castle, Daphne?”

“I like it very much, though I still get lost.”

“You can always ring for help when you can’t find your way.” He gestured to the tasseled rope hanging in the corner. “Every room in the house has one. Pull the rope and Ellis or another one of the staff will come.”

“Everyone who works here seems so nice. It’s just…”

“Is everyone treating you well?”

“Oh, yes. In fact, many times they bring me what I need before I know I need it. It’s strange to me, having so many people everywhere all the time. Sometimes I feel like I’m never alone, like there are servants hiding behind the curtains or under the beds, aware of everything I do and say. Sometimes I feel a little paranoid, like I’m being spied on. That’s silly, isn’t it?”

Richard pulled the curtains aside, revealing only a blue and white toile wall. “There’s no one hiding in the sitting room, at least. However, it is fair to say that when there are servants around the walls do have ears. It’s also fair to say that the staff knows more about us than we know about them. The servants may be standing silently by, but you can guess they’re listening to every word we say, and they report everything downstairs. If you ever feel as though you don’t have any privacy, tell Ellis and he’ll shoo them away. Remember, their job is to make you comfortable, not uncomfortable. Or you could always hide in the smoking room with me.”

Daphne laughed. “I wondered where you disappeared to every night. Papa never liked the lifestyle here, did he, Uncle Richard?”

“You’re right. He didn’t.”

“It’s why he needed to get away, and how he ended up in America. I always wondered if he ever regretted leaving the splendor of Hembry Castle for an ordinary life in Connecticut. He never complained about it.”

“And I never will.”

Frederick stepped into the room and kissed his daughter’s cheek. “I didn’t want any part of this life. Besides, it had been made quite clear to me when I was still very young that no well-born young woman would want to marry me since I was merely a younger son and would inherit nothing. I was expected to go into the military or become a clergyman. But I didn’t want to be an officer or a clergyman. I loved reading and writing.” Frederick shook his head at the memory. “Your grandmother hated all my books.”

“I guessed that at luncheon,” Daphne said.

“She was convinced that all that reading put odd notions into my head, and one time she threatened to light a torch first to my library, then to Father’s. Well,” Frederick snickered, “she threatened to have a servant light a torch to the library. The funny thing is, she was right. It was because of all my reading I knew there were other worlds, other ways of being. I learned that the way we lived here at Hembry wasn’t my only option. I didn’t want decisions made for me. I wanted to decide for myself what my life should be.”

“And you did that,” Richard said. “You studied literature and poetry at Oxford and not theology as Mamma wanted.”

“I was fortunate. I had Father’s support.”

“And then you made the Great Escape across the sea.”

Frederick took Daphne’s hand. “Yes, I did, and it was the best decision I ever made. I married the most intelligent, most compassionate, most beautiful woman, and we had an intelligent, compassionate, beautiful daughter, and we were so very happy together.”

“Do you ever regret it, Papa? Leaving all this behind?” Daphne gestured at the Georgian antiques. “I was telling Uncle Richard it feels a little close sometimes with the servants everywhere, but it’s still lovely.”

“Yes, it is lovely. It just wasn’t for me.”

“It’s strange.” Richard sounded far away. “I always felt as you did, Freddie, but I didn’t have the courage to leave.”

“You leave quite frequently, from what I understand,” Frederick said.

“Ah, but I always come back. Father was born to his role, and he understood innately what he needed to do and how to do it.”

“You’re born to it too,” Daphne said.

“I wonder.” Richard poured Frederick a cup of tea. “Father tried to teach me everything, the business, the farming, how to handle the tenants, my other responsibilities, and I listened, I did, but somehow nothing ever sank in. Now I don’t know where to start. It’s just as Mamma and Pappa always said, Freddie. It was an accident of birth that made me Earl and not you. They believed you would have been so much better at it than me. I agree. You should have been the first born.”

“Nonsense. I was the one who ran when he had the chance. I’m the wayward, remember? What good would I have been?”

“But I know you, little brother. You have a cleverness about you that allows you to see what needs doing, figure out how to accomplish it, and get it done with great ability. You’re far more like Father than I’ll ever be. Your astuteness. Your empathy. Father was just the same. It’s why he was so beloved. You’re the one with the courage, Freddie. I can’t even help myself. How can I help anyone else? Do you know how many people are depending on me?”

“You’ve had a great responsibility set before you, Richard, but I know you’ll rise to the challenge.”

“I could always count on you, Freddie. You’ve always believed in me.”

“Pappa believed in you too.”

“Yes, he did. He wanted me to make the best of the situation. He knew the role wouldn’t come naturally to me, but he believed I could make it work.”

“You’re one of the most capable people I know,” Frederick said. “You can make this work.”

The cold wind that was Lady Staton blew into the room, her ear trumpet swinging behind her. “I hope you’ve been talking sense into your brother, Frederick.”

“And what sense might that be, Mamma?” Lady Staton shook her head and held the trumpet to her ear. “What sense, Mamma?”

“Need I say it again? He needs a wife. Now. Yesterday. Twenty years ago. Tell your brother he must marry. Tell him he must sire a string of sons.”

“Should I tell him how as well? I would have thought you’d have had the talk with him by now, Mamma. Or at least you’d have ordered Ellis to have the talk with him.”

Lady Staton dropped her ear horn as though it had grown hot. “Don’t be impertinent, Frederick. Your brother is Earl now, yet he has no wife, no children. What has he done with the last twenty years? Your father is dead and Hembry needs an heir. It’s time for him to stop gallivanting about and grow up.” She turned her gaze onto her eldest son, who gripped the windowsill as though he would rip it away, then pressed her ear trumpet back into place.

“You know I travel across the country to attend the Prince of Wales’ social gatherings,” Richard said. “You’ve never had a problem with that.”

“I was hoping you’d find a wife among his acquaintances. Besides, when the Prince of Wales becomes King he’ll need to grow up as well.”

Richard looked at his brother, then his mother. “I was just reminding Freddie of what you’ve always said, Mamma, that this is all an accident of birth. Freddie is the one most suited to the running of this estate.”

“It doesn’t matter who is most suited. You are the eldest, Richard, therefore the task is yours. Now is not the time for you to complain of it.”

Lady Staton’s arm must have grown tired because her ear trumpet had fallen to chin level. Frederick shouted to be heard. “What if Richard simply doesn’t want to be married? He’s too old to be lectured about his marital state. Isn’t that his right to make that decision for himself?”

“It is absolutely not his right. I told your father time and time again that we needed to get Richard married. Your father made excuses, saying that Richard would figure things out when the time was right. With all the young ladies coming out every year you’d think he’d find one to his liking.” She shook her ear trumpet at her eldest son. “You only need to find one, Richard. One girl to your liking. I was a grandmother at your age. You cannot escape your responsibilities.”

“I’m perfectly aware of the fact that I won’t be released from my responsibilities until I’m in the grave.” Richard pulled his watch from his waistcoat pocket. “I have to go.”

“Where are you going?” Lady Staton’s ear trumpet was down to her throat.

“Sandringham House.”

“Surely that isn’t necessary,” Frederick said. “There must be matters here that need your attention.”

“You can tend to them, Freddie. I have all the faith in the world that you can handle whatever needs doing. I’m leaving for Norfolk in an hour.”

“When will you be back?” Lady Staton asked.

“Friday in time for dinner.”

The Countess waited until the door closed behind her eldest son. “You must talk to your brother about seeing to his duties, Frederick.”

“I’m not sure I’m the best one for that, Mamma. I think Jerrold would be better suited.”

“True enough. Though I know you and Richard have always been close, and it might be better coming from you. You know him better than the rest of us.”

“And yet I really don’t know him at all. He’s always been an enigma, even to me.”

Daphne saw the stately gray carriage pull in front of the house, and the two footmen appeared with several bags of luggage. Her father noticed it as well, and he watched the preparations with a long expression. The Countess pointed her ear trumpet at her middle son.

“Richard needs your help, Frederick. The family needs your help. With Richard unwilling to assume his responsibilities, we need you to keep Hembry strong. We shall all be left with nothing if Hembry falls apart.”

“Mamma, I’ve heard some things about Richard, worrying things. Please tell me they’re not true.”

“You must tell me what you’ve heard first.”

“That he goes round with the Prince of Wales spending money like he hasn’t a care in the world. And I’ve heard…” Frederick closed his eyes. “I’ve heard that he has a…friend in London. One he gives money too. And there may be a child?”

“Frederick!” Lady Staton squinted at Daphne. “Not in front of the girl.”

“I’m not a girl, Grandma. I’m 20 years old, and Papa and I have talked a lot about Richard since we’ve been here. This isn’t news to me.”

“It should be news to you, hearing such things about your uncle. But I can only tell you what I know. Yes, there has been gossip about Richard’s involvement in what you just named, but that’s all it is—vile gossip. I have never seen anything in the way of proof. Whatever he does or does not get up to, he needs to understand that he has a duty to maintain the family line.”

“If there is a child…” Daphne said.

“From marriage, Daphne. Richard needs a son from marriage.”

“Just because someone gets married doesn’t guarantee sons, Grandma. Not everyone has three boys like you did.”

Lady Staton pressed her trumpet more firmly against her ear. “What about you, young lady?”

“What about me, Grandma?”

“Come here, child.” Daphne allowed her grandmother to examine her as though they had never set eyes on each other. “Yes, I believe we can make something of you yet. I know several eligible young men from fine families who would be delighted to be introduced to the niece of the Earl of Staton. And the fact that your father has made a fortune of his own investing in American what-have-yous…”

“Bridges, Mamma.”

“Midgets, that’s what I said. The fact that your father has made a fortune investing in American midgets adds quite a lot to your value.”

“My daughter doesn’t need any help with her value.”

The Countess grasped Daphne’s arms and spun her around. “Yes, she’ll do well enough, though she laughs too much. Why do Americans laugh so much?”

“Because we try to see the positive side of things as much as possible. A sense of humor helps make the days pass more pleasantly.”

“You have the oddest notions. What do you mean by the positive side of things? Things are what they are, and it doesn’t help to sugarcoat them. Still, despite your uncalled for mirth I know the first-born sons of three baronets, two earls, and one future duke who haven’t found wives yet this Season. You haven’t been presented yet, and that could pose a problem.”

“Grandma, I don’t think…”

“Most likely it’s too late to have you presented this Season. We are still in mourning, after all. It would seem disrespectful to your grandfather, though he hated mourning, so perhaps we could say it was his wish that we only observe the wearing of black for six weeks.”

“Grandma…”

“I believe I could make this work. Even if it is too late for you to be presented this Season, we must have the niece of the Earl of Staton presented at Court. If we have to wait until next year, then wait we must. After the dates of the Court Drawing Rooms are announced I’ll write to the Lord Chamberlain to suggest your name for presentation. Then you could do the London Season and I’ll be certain to extend invitations to the eligible young men you should meet. Daphne…” the Countess clasped her hands together “…what if you were to marry a duke!”

Frederick walked across the room, putting some space between himself and his mother. “Mamma, I know you mean well, I do, but Daphne wasn’t raised to this way of life. I don’t believe she would want to marry a man simply because of his position.”

“Because you raised her as an American girl.”

“I raised her as an American because she is an American. I married Daphne’s mother for love, and Daphne will marry for love as well. Besides, I doubt the eldest son of any peer would be interested in marrying an American girl, as you call her, when the idea is to propagate future generations of noble English families.”

“Frederick, one would think you were living under some sort of rock. What about all those American heiresses taking London by storm? There haven’t been any matches yet, that I’m aware of, but there are a number of possibilities. Apparently our young men like the American girls’ toothiness.”

“You mean their smiles?” Daphne asked.

“And their Worth dresses from France are always noted by the most fashionable. Do you have any Worth dresses from France, my dear?”

“I have two. Papa bought them for me last year. I haven’t worn them since we’re still mourning Grandpa.”

The Countess tugged on her own black sleeve. “Very true. But we’ll need to get those dresses aired out so they’re ready after your presentation to the Queen.”

“To the Queen?”

“Does she not even know about being presented to the Queen? What do you do with your daughters over there?”

“We tie them up in sacks and let them out when they’re one-and-twenty.”

Through the window Frederick saw Richard and John Hough climbing into the carriage that would take them to Norfolk. The driver pulled the horses’ reins, and the vehicle lurched toward the tree-lined path. Frederick turned to his mother. “This isn’t why I brought Daphne to England, Mamma. She’s been raised to make her own decisions, and it sounds as if you haven’t the slightest care about her feelings in all this. You’re already planning to auction her off to the highest bidder.”

Daphne looked at her grandmother. “That’s not what you mean, is it, Grandma?”

The Countess dropped her ear horn and patted the settee. Daphne sat next to her grandmother. “Don’t you want to marry a marquess or a duke? You’d be the darling of Society. The most superior houses in England would be open to you. You’d be invited to the finest balls attended by the best people. Don’t you want that?”

“I’d only be interested in marrying an earl, or a duke, or any man, if I loved him. I don’t need a title, Grandma. Uncle Richard has a title and that’s enough for me. Hembry Castle is the only English house I need. As long as I have my family and friends, I’m happy.”

“I don’t know why I bother.” The Countess glided across the room, leaving a whoosh of cold wind behind her.