They murmured their thanks and promises that they would, certainly, call very soon.
‘And in the carriage house, right at the back, I found a gig,’ he added. ‘Just a one-horse carriage, of course, but in very good condition and eminently suitable for a lady to drive in the country. The terms of the lease do not include any vehicles other than the farm carts, so, of course, I will send it round to you. I thought perhaps you had overlooked it.’
‘I had no idea it was there,’ Antonia said. ‘As you say, it will be just the thing.’ Then she recalled their circumstances. ‘But it would not be practical. We have no horses, and to purchase one simply for this purpose would be far too extravagant.’ Beside her Donna sighed, no doubt as disappointed as she was.
Then Mr Blake’s expression brightened. ‘l believe I may have a solution, ma’am, if you would not object to performing a favour for me. I shall be bringing up my riding and carriage horses from London, and Sir Josiah is most willing to stable them for me as I shall be here so much in future. However, I have one carriage horse for which I no longer have a use as I only drive a team these days. I am reluctant to sell him, for I have had him for many years and I confess a sentimental attachment. I would not want to risk selling him to some less caring home, yet I do not feel I can pension him out on Sir Josiah’s land. He is a gelding and most suitable for a ladies’ carriage. If you could give him pasturage, I would be delighted for you to have the full use of him.’
Mr Blake leaned back in his chair, clearly pleased with his tactful solution. Antonia had a momentary fantasy of long summer afternoons driving along the lanes, perhaps finding picnic spots, places to sketch from. ‘How very generous and thoughtful,’ She began, then reality asserted itself. ‘But we have no groom.’
‘But,’ Donna interjected, ‘Did we not agree yesterday that we needed a man to help with the heavier work about the place? Jem is too young and Old Johnson too infirm for many tasks. There must be someone suitable and honest in the village looking for employment and many of the men will have some experience with horses.’
‘In that case, if you will permit me, ladies, I will speak to the estate manager and ask him to recommend a reliable man and send him over for your approval.’
When Jeremy Blake left Antonia waited for him at the front steps while he rode round from the yard. He reined in, doffed his hat and leant down when he realised she wished to speak to him.
‘Mr Blake.’ She held out her hand and he took it, keeping hold of it as he looked down at her. ‘l must thank you again for your kindness. We would be happy if you would call again. Please do not stand on ceremony.’
She smiled up at him, her hand feeling safe in his. He seemed so uncomplicated and honest and his admiration warmed her chilled heart. Not all men were schemers and nor did she have to look on every male acquaintance as anything but a friend, she told herself.
At that moment, another rider passed the gate, slowing almost to a standstill. Jeremy’s mount tossed its head at the presence of another horse and they turned to see who it was. Marcus, sitting tall and erect on his rakish hunter, regarded them coldly for a moment, every inch the Duke. Then he touched his heels to his horse’s flanks and cantered off.
‘His Grace appears out of humour again,’ Mr Blake remarked.
‘Indeed, yes,’ Antonia agreed with a small sigh then made herself smile and look unconcerned as Jeremy’s gaze sharpened.
‘Forgive me asking, but is he making you feel uncomfortable, Miss Dane? I am not suggesting any impropriety on his part, of course, but he might not realise how two ladies alone might feel. I could have a quiet word with my aunt, Lady Finch. Without daughters of her own, she would be charmed to take you under her wing, I know.’
‘Goodness, no. It is a very kind thought, but the Duke is perfectly the gentleman and I would not have Lady Finch believe otherwise for the world.’
He nodded and rode off leaving Antonia thoroughly unsettled. The sight of Marcus was enough to disturb her equilibrium without the fear that the neighbours might think that something was going on.
She drifted back into the house, wondering what Marcus had intended. Was he just passing or had he been intending to call and been deterred by the presence of the other man? Jeremy Blake’s concern unsettled her. She might be Miss Dane of Rye End Hall, Hertfordshire
, but she was still dowerless and unprotected – and doubtless she had been very naïve.
Marcus had proposed for her lands, expecting her to be a complaisant Society bride, willing to overlook his mistress, and no doubt his gambling and sporting entertainments, in return for a title, status and an establishment. Like any foolish village girl, she had expected love and fidelity.
Well, foolish she might be, but she was not willing to settle for less. Better to have discovered this now than to have married Marcus and faced humiliation and disillusion when she had no escape. She was an independent single woman now, she told herself and there was no shame in planning for a lifetime like that.
Resolve stiffened, Antonia went to find Donna and found her arranging the battered roses in a pewter jug in the small parlour, a frown on her face.
‘Was that the Duke I saw just now riding past?’ she asked bluntly.
‘It was.’ Antonia fiddled with a discarded stem, rolling it between her fingers, unwilling to discuss him.
‘Antonia, what is going on? I thought the man was coming to propose to you.’ Donna regarded her beadily. ‘Is he playing fast and loose with you? Because if he is…’
Antonia knew she had to stop Donna’s speculation. Her companion was more than capable of confronting Marcus and demanding to know what his intentions were.
‘He proposed to me and I have refused him,’ she announced flatly.
There was a moment’s shocked silence, then Donna repeated slowly, ‘You have refused him?’ She subsided into a chair, apparently too amazed to stay on her feet. The scissors dropped unheeded to the floor. ‘But why, Antonia? He is the most eligible man imaginable, and I was certain you were in love with him. When you came in from the terrace the other night, your happiness was almost palpable.’
Antonia swallowed down the lump in her throat at the thought of that happiness, of how, so painfully, she still loved Marcus. ‘I have discovered that his moral character is not such as I could tolerate in a husband. I must be able to respect the man I marry.’
As she had expected, this completely persuaded Donna. Moral instability was one thing she would never tolerate and one subject on which she would never question Antonia further.
Donna got to her feet and began to pace the room, her small frame a-quiver with indignation. ‘Well, my dear, it is indeed fortunate that you discovered how deceived we were in him. We will cut him, of course. He will not be welcome in this house again, that is for sure. It is a lesson, is it not, in how one may be taken in by a handsome face and an air of breeding?’