Banishment (Daughters of Mannerling 1) Read Free Page A

Beverley, standing beside her husband, said, to Isabella’s embarrassment, ‘We expect our daughter to marry the highest in the land.’
    ‘But of course,’ said Lord Fitzpatrick easily, seeming not in the least put out. ‘Shall I call for you, say, at two o’clock on Monday, Miss Isabella?’
    ‘Thank you,’ said Isabella. She could not quite believe that her stately and elegant mother had been so, well, blunt.
    The ball proceeded to its elegant end. Guests who were staying went off to their respective rooms, guests who were leaving got into their carriages and bowled off down the long drive.
    Isabella was glad to retire to her room and allow her sleepy maid to prepare her for bed. Most ladies chatted after a ball to their servants, but not Isabella. She had been surrounded by so many servants since the day she was born and considered them part of the furniture; and besides, had been influenced by a father who expected all servants to be seen and not heard and even to turn their faces to the wall as he passed. To her surprise there was a scratching at the door. She sent her maid to answer it, thinking it might be one of her sisters come for a chat, but it was a tired and worried Mr Ducket, the secretary, who walked into the room.
    ‘I crave your pardon for disturbing you so late, Miss Isabella,’ he said, ‘but Sir William is leaving directly for London and wishes to take all the jewels to be cleaned.’
    Isabella looked at her tiara and necklace, still lying on the toilet-table where the maid had placed them when she had taken them off. ‘They were cleaned before the beginning of the Season, if you remember,’ she said. ‘Pray leave them.’
    ‘Sir William is anxious to depart and was most insistent that I collect all the jewels.’
    ‘Oh, very well,’ said Isabella.
    Mr Ducket snapped his fingers. Two footmen entered carrying a large iron-bound box. They threw back the lid and Mr Ducket put the tiara and necklace into it.
    ‘And all the others,’ he said apologetically.
    Isabella felt too tired to question him further. She nodded to her maid, who went to fetch Isabella’s jewel box. The contents were added to those in the chest.
    But when they had gone, when a weary Isabella climbed into bed, a bright image of the jewels in the chest came into her mind. She remembered seeing Jessica’s ruby necklace, the twins’ pearl sets, bit and pieces of her mother’s collection poking up amongst the others. How odd that her father should decide to get them all cleaned at once.
    The sisters all felt rather flat and low after the excitement of the ball. They talked of beaux but without much enthusiasm. Isabella’s invitation to go riding with the viscount did not interest them. The Beverleys did not judge men by looks and character but by fortune and rank. But Isabella found herself actually looking forward to the outing. It was all very safe. He knew the Beverleys considered him unmarriageable. The Beverleys were of higher rank because of lineage and wealth and they were
English
.
    On the Monday when Isabella went out with the viscount she was mounted on a placid white mare with a broad back.
    ‘That must be like riding on a sofa,’ he commented, looking down at her from the height of his stallion. ‘Do you never wish to ride something speedier?’
    Isabella patted the mare’s neck. ‘I thought we could ride about the grounds and I could show you some of the features of our estate.’
    ‘And I think we should ride to my place where I can find you a mount and then we can go for a proper ride.’
    As he said this, they had ridden a certain distance from Mannerling and it was almost as if the spell the house normally cast on her was losing its hold as Isabella said, ‘Are you so sure, my lord, that I can ride anything more exciting?’
    ‘I think you would tell me you could not.’
    ‘Very well. But is it conventional to go to your estate?’
    ‘My aunt is in residence. We shall be going to the stables,