Mistress of the Hunt Read Free Page B

Wakefield’s son—Edward, you know—who renamed it. When he was small, it seems there was a slight misunderstanding about where his papa was going when he said he was going to ‘chase Charley.’ Hunters refer to the fox, any fox, as Charley, of course, but Edward did not know that, for he had never been here himself then. His mama did not enjoy the solitude.”
    “But you did?”
    “Indeed, I had my books, my own horses to ride, and my music. To be sure, despite my lord’s numerous guests, I was generally the only female in the house who was not a servant; however, we visited Belvoir Castle several times, and the duchess and her mama-in-law are delightful hostesses, I promise you.”
    “I have known Isabella for years, of course,” said Miss Pellerin, referring to the Dowager Duchess of Rutland, “but although I have encountered the young duchess from time to time, I know little about her, except of course that she is Carlisle’s fifth daughter. I have heard it said that she prefers to spend most of her time at Belvoir.”
    “Yes, but despite a near-eight-year difference in our ages, we have more in common than both of us being daughters of earls,” Philippa said with a laugh. “Her eldest child—called Elizabeth after herself—is with Jessalyn in Bath at Miss Blandamore’s Seminary for Young Gentlewomen. The duchess and I, as a result, enjoy a somewhat haphazard correspondence, exchanging views on the proper rearing of young ladies.”
    “It is devoutly to be hoped that the Lady Elizabeth Manners is not such a romp as your harum-scarum stepdaughter,” said Miss Pellerin with a grimace.
    Philippa managed to smile again, but her companion had unwittingly struck a nerve. There had been no word from Miss Jessalyn Raynard-Wakefield for more than a month, despite the fact that Philippa had made a point of keeping that young lady apprised of her frequent movements. That she had likewise received no word during that same period from the thirteenth Baron Wakefield did not weigh so heavily with her. Edward was an indifferent correspondent at the best of times, and being heavily engaged in his first year at Oxford, he would no doubt have found better use for his time than to waste it writing to his stepmother. Jessalyn was another matter. If a letter did not arrive from her within the week, Philippa knew she would no longer be able to put off sending a letter of inquiry to Miss Blandamore, and she was quite certain that Jessalyn would prefer that she do nothing of the sort.
    She did not speak of these concerns to her companion, however, and the conversation drifted to household matters. There was, despite the fact that the pair of them had now been at Chase Charley for nearly a week, still a good deal to be done. The skeleton staff had done an adequate job of keeping the place habitable during their mistress’s long absence, but there were still many chores that must be attended to before the beautiful house would meet the high standards of such a stickler as Miss Pellerin. Philippa had no qualms about turning most of the household management over to her companion and the excellent Mrs. Bickerstaff while she dealt with matters of business with her late husband’s bailiff, Mr. Weems, and it was to his office in the stable pavilion that she repaired an hour later.
    Lord Wakefield had chosen his servants well, and she had quickly discovered that everything about the Leicestershire estate was in good trim. The rents were up again, and her tenants were a contented lot. Mr. Weems’s only concern seemed to be that the hunting season reach its peak as quickly as possible, giving Philippa to assume that he wanted the sport over and done so that spring planting might begin as early as the weather would allow. She submitted today to an explanation of his system of bookkeeping, knowing full well that while he was flattered to have her attention, he would firmly resist any suggestion she might be foolhardy enough to make to