The Chateau on the Lake Read Free Page A

can say anything, there’s a quiet knock on the door and Henry’s nurse enters. ‘I came to see if Master Henry would like to go for his walk now?’ She has a broad country face with a smattering of freckles on her nose.
    Henry scrambles to his feet. ‘Can we feed the ducks again, Betty?’
    Sophie is smoothing down her sleeve, hiding the bruises again. ‘But you must take care not to fall in the water.’ She kisses Henry and he runs off hand in hand with the nursemaid, chattering excitedly.
    ‘Betty has been with us for four months now,’ Sophie says as soon as the door has closed behind them. ‘Henry adores her.’
    ‘Sophie, never mind the nursemaid! Why did Charles do this to you?’
    ‘He’s taken another mistress,’ she says, her voice devoid of expression. ‘My dressmaker let it slip. It seems that I share her services with my husband’s new fancy piece. You can imagine the humiliation of it; the beastly girl was sticking pins into my hem and darting spiteful little glances up at me from under her eyelashes to see if I knew.’
    ‘Oh, Sophie!’ But I’m not surprised since it’s well known that Charles Levesque is a philanderer. What does surprise me is that for such a thick-set man with eyebrows that meet over his nose and little small talk, he appears to have no difficulty in finding women who are happy to climb into his bed. Four years ago I begged Sophie not to marry him but her family and the Levesques had common business interests and she succumbed to familial pressure.
    ‘Of course, I pretended that it doesn’t concern me,’ says Sophie unhappily. ‘It’s not that I care that he has other women… well, not particularly as we’ve never pretended it’s a love match… but he always becomes so wretchedly fault-finding with me when he has a new mistress.’
    Anger makes me speak sharply to her. ‘And so he hurts you and soothes his conscience by persuading himself you drive him to it.’
    ‘That’s it exactly!’ Sophie wipes away a tear. ‘It’s not as if I’ve ever refused him in any way…’ Her voice trails off as her cheeks blossom scarlet. ‘But now that I’ve given him the son he wanted, I’m of no further use to him.’
    ‘Change your dressmaker at once and keep out of Charles’s way until his passion for this strumpet wanes, as it surely will.’
    Sophie sighs. ‘Still, Charles is so preoccupied with her that he did agree to commission Mr Fielding to paint my portrait.’
    I say nothing but there’s something about Jack Fielding that makes me uneasy.
     

     
    Children’s voices call to each other across the garden and the evening sun slants through the lime trees, highlighting my mother’s hair with gold.
    ‘An evening such as this is a gift,’ she says, threading her needle with vibrant turquoise silk for the kingfisher’s wing that adorns the waistcoat she’s embroidering for my father.
    I rest my book on my knee. ‘September is always a poignant time. It’s hard to imagine that it will soon be winter.’
    There’s a footfall on the gravel and Mama moves her sewing basket so that Papa can squeeze between us on the bench.
    ‘I have been to Harold Jephcott’s chambers,’ he says, ‘to further our discussions. I am inclined to consider his proposition favourably but since we would all be working closely together, I suggested that he should meet you both. He has invited us to be his guests at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens next week. There is to be a masquerade and fireworks.’
    ‘A masquerade!’ A thrill of excitement runs through me.
    ‘Philippe!’ Alarm makes Mama grip my father’s sleeve. ‘You know how wickedly licentious these affairs can be.’
    ‘I promise not to leave your side,
chérie
.’ Amusement glints in his eyes.
    ‘But what about the rakes who might make improper suggestions to Madeleine?’
    Papa raises his shoulders and turns his hands palm up. ‘Our daughter will stand no nonsense from any young man. Mr Jephcott will bring his