Edward smiled. He could not like all the changes in his brother, but he supposed it was his age, although he did not recall being like that himself at twenty.
"What is the new earl like?" he asked.
"We do not know," his father replied. "He has not been in residence at Bramleigh yet, although his uncle died over a year ago. Perhaps he has been contesting the will, or perhaps he simply prefers to reside in Town."
The ice broken, Lord and Lady Tremaine brought Edward current on the rest of the gossip of Staplefield. Only the Hamptons were left out of the news, and Edward was more determined than ever to find out why.
* * * *
Edward's chance to ask about the Hamptons came the next morning. Exhausted from his journey, he rose late and, after devouring a good-size breakfast, retired to the small salon upstairs where he found his mother working on some embroidery.
Edward kissed his mother affectionately and sat across from her in a comfortable wing-back chair upholstered in blue-and-ivory brocade.
"Did you breakfast yet, Edward?" Lady Tremaine asked, laying her embroidery aside and looking at him with renewed concern.
"Yes. I had four rashers, three eggs, a kidney, some wheat loaf and two cups of coffee."
Lady Tremaine smiled at this complete catalogue of his meal and realised she was being overly solicitous. "Very well, I promise not to worry you about what you eat. Or anything else," she added.
Edward sat forward in his chair and spoke to his mother reassuringly. "Do not fret about me, Mother. Despite my frightful appearance, I assure you I am fine. I only need to put some weight back on."
Lady Tremaine nodded her acceptance of her son's diagnosis of his state of health, and Edward leaned back into his chair.
"Where is Father?"
"He is closeted with the new land agent, Benton, and Jamie out is riding with Christopher Archer."
"I gather from what was said last night that Jamie was sent down from Oxford last term. If Christopher is here he must have been sent down as well. What prank did they pull?" Edward asked, remembering some of the jokes he and his friends had played on their masters.
“It was not a prank," Lady Tremaine said with a wry smile. "It was a matter of principle, or so Jamie maintains."
Edward waited for his mother to elaborate.
"He and Christopher began wearing pantaloons mornings. They declared that breeches as morning wear were quite exploded, and that they would not be caught in them before one o'clock. Unfortunately any students wearing pantaloons in chapel were marked absent. After several absences from chapel they were sent down."
Edward snorted, the sound between laughter and disgust. The story was of a piece with what he had seen of his brother since his return.
Edward remembered he wished to ask his mother about the Hamptons and decided to take advantage of their being alone to question her while there was little chance they would be interrupted.
"Mother, what is the mystery about the Hamptons? You all looked uncomfortable when I asked about them yesterday. Nor did you mention them when you were talking about the doings in Staplefield. Surely they are socially acceptable if Mr. Hampton is a former vicar and a scholar?"
Lady Tremaine folded her hands together in her lap and looked down at them a moment. Then she straightened her head with a sigh.
"I suppose I must tell you, although it does not reflect well upon Jamie. Of course the Hamptons are socially acceptable. We became well acquainted with them when they moved to Staplefield and quite enjoyed their company. Mr. Hampton is a genial man, if a little abstracted, but that is to be expected in a scholar. His daughters are exceptionally fine young women. Fanny, the younger sister, was particularly beautiful. She and Jamie spent a great deal of time together, and last year they became betrothed."
"Betrothed? No one ever wrote to inform me of Jamie's betrothal!" Edward exclaimed, surprised at this piece of information. He also wondered why Fanny Hampton's beauty was spoken of in the past tense.
"The reason we did not was that shortly after the betrothal, Fanny became quite seriously ill. We did not wish to worry you, so we did not tell you anything about it. Then..." Lady Tremaine faltered and looked past Edward through the window, staring at the cloudless blue sky. Edward said nothing, and in a moment his mother resumed her story. "Then Jamie broke off the engagement."
"Why?"
His mother looked more uncomfortable than ever. "Fanny had been extraordinarily beautiful before her illness, but the fever destroyed her looks."
"And that is why he ended the betrothal?" Edward was appalled. Such behaviour was inexcusable in a gentleman and reflected poorly upon the whole family. "You and Father allowed it?"
"Jamie did not consult us. When we heard what he had done we insisted he resume the betrothal, but Mr. Hampton was against it, quite understandably. We did agree that the engagement not be officially ended until Fanny was completely recovered, for the sake of both our families. Needless to say," she sighed, "our relationship with the Hamptons has become rather awkward. I tried to call upon Fanny once, but Jane told me she was not well enough to receive visitors. I gathered Fanny had refused to see me and did not call again. However, I must make another call soon, or the gossips will begin to wonder why the family of Fanny's betrothed does not visit her in her convalescence."
Edward was silent several minutes. No wonder Miss Hampton had looked at him so strangely when he had introduced himself. It was a wonder she had remained to speak with him at all. How painful it must have been to her family to have the betrothal broken in such a manner on top of their other troubles. He must try and think of a way to rectify the situation. It certainly could not be allowed to remain as it was. Perhaps he could speak to Miss Hampton and persuade her to discuss with her sister the possibility of another call from his mother. She had been friendly enough to him "I spoke to Miss Hampton for several minutes on my way home yesterday. I had stopped to admire her flowers. Perhaps if I were to call upon her again I might be able to induce her to speak to her sister on your behalf."
Lady Tremaine considered a moment. "Perhaps that would be best. As you are newly home from the war, Fanny might even be willing to see you. Despite her illness, she is a lovely child and will no doubt wish to welcome you home. And if she accepts a call from you, she will have to accept calls from the rest of the family, as well."
* * * *
Edward intended to call upon the Hamptons the next day, but the journey home had taxed his strength more than he had realised. He felt too tired and weak to go anywhere for several days, and when he did feel recovered his father required his presence so that he might be brought up-to-date on the affairs of the estate.
It was not until a week later that Edward was at last able to set out of a morning for the Hamptons'. He reluctantly ordered his recalcitrant bay to be saddled, realising that he could not yet handle his father's high-spirited cattle. Ariel might not mind his directives, but neither did he ever go faster than a trot.
Edward did not see Miss Hampton in the garden when he reached the cottage, so he tethered Ariel by the gate and walked through the fragrant garden to the cottage door. His knock was answered by a comfortable-looking woman of middle age who stepped back to allow him to enter.
"Captain Tremaine to call upon Miss Hampton," he explained.
"Please wait here, Captain Tremaine," the woman replied. "I shall inform Miss Hampton you are here."
Edward looked around the small entrance hall as he waited. It was neatly but not expensively furnished, with Sheraton-style chairs and a bench. A small cherrywood clock ticked softly on a wall bracket, and a portrait of a young woman with two children hung on the wall. Edward was examining the portrait when a door at the far end of the hall opened and he was joined by Miss Hampton. She was as fresh-looking as he remembered, although the white smock covering her blue muslin dress had a smattering of ink stains, and a smudge of ink marred her pink complexion. Her unfashionably long hair was piled atop her head and partially covered with a lace-trimmed muslin cap.
"Please forgive my appearance, Captain Tremaine," she said, looking down ruefully at her ink-stained smock and hands. "I assist my father with his studies when he requires it, and I was not expecting company. Nor," she added confidentially, "does the plan of our house allow me to escape upstairs and make myself more presentable without your seeing me."
Edward laughed with her and assured his hostess it was of no moment to him. Privately he thought her ink-smudged appearance quite charming, particularly when she smiled and a dimple appeared.
"I see where you acquired your scholarship, Miss Hampton," he commented.
"Yes, I suppose Father has turned me into something of a bluestocking," Miss Hampton admitted, and Edward thought if she were an example of a bluestocking, he had been missing something.
"I hope you are fully recovered from your journey?" Miss Hampton asked, the conventional question spoken with evident sincerity.
"Yes, I am feeling quite well, although my family finds that difficult to believe when they look at me." He smiled engagingly, his hazel eyes warm.
Jane smiled back, feeling at ease with her visitor despite being caught poorly dressed. She had wondered if Captain Tremaine would call again after hearing about the connection between Fanny and Jamie. She was sure either Lord or Lady Tremaine would have told him of the betrothal. Evidently the captain did not consider it a reason not to further their acquaintance, and she was surprised to feel relieved this was the case.
Jane realised she was being silent too long, but now that Captain Tremaine had called, she had no idea what to do with him. If she took him into the drawing room as manners demanded, she was not sure how Fanny would react. That was the trouble with living in a small cottage with only one drawing room, Jane thought regretfully.
Edward was beginning to wonder at Miss Hampton’s hesitancy when the door she had come through minutes before opened again, and a middle-aged man of slight build with silver hair and spectacles joined them.
"Captain Tremaine, may 1 present my father, Mr. John Hampton?" Jane said, feeling greatly relieved. If her father was the one who took Captain Tremaine in to meet Fanny, everyone would be more comfortable.
As the two men exchanged greetings, they took each other's measure, liking what they saw. Mr. Hampton opened the door into the drawing room.
"Please come and meet my other daughter and join me in a glass of claret, Captain Tremaine," he invited, and Edward entered a small drawing room furnished, like the entrance hall, in Sheraton-style pieces. Across the room, reclining on a settee before the window, was an obviously frail young girl. The high-necked, long-sleeved frock she wore did little to conceal her bone-thinness. Her head was covered by a large muslin cap that concealed her hair, and enormous dark brown eyes looked at him warily from a pinched face. Edward felt doubly ashamed for his brother.
"Captain Tremaine, this is my younger daughter, Fanny," Mr. Hampton introduced them, as he tugged a bellpull to order the claret. “Fanny, Captain Tremaine has returned from the Continent and come to pay his respects.”
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Captain Tremaine," Fanny said courteously but coolly.
Edward took no notice of the thinly veiled hostility. He seated himself near Fanny and smiled charmingly.
"It is I who am pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Fanny Hampton. I trust the close connection between our families makes it acceptable for me to address you as Miss Fanny?” Edward said without waiting for a reply. “I am happy to see that you are feeling well enough to receive a visit from me. Finding that is so, I am charged by my mother to inquire if you could sustain a visit from her next week. Lady Tremaine is most eager to assure herself personally of your continued convalescence."
Fanny hesitated, her eyes going to her father's face. What she saw there apparently moved her to respond civilly.
"Thank you, Captain Tremaine. Please inform Lady Tremaine I shall be very glad to receive a call from her next week."
Mr. Hampton gave Edward a glass of the claret Mrs. Reid brought in, and Edward noticed from the corner of his eye that Fanny was taking the opportunity to study him under half-lowered eyelids. Edward suspected she had been reluctant to see a member of his family, but her face softened as she took in his appearance. No doubt, Edward thought, Miss Fanny realised from his appearance that he had also suffered from illness. He hoped it would create a bond of sympathy between them, and in fact when he turned back to her she no longer displayed any hostility and conversed with him quite pleasantly.
After half an hour Edward rose to take his leave, not wanting to tire Fanny by staying too long. Mr. Hampton excused himself to return to his studies, and Jane accompanied Edward outside, walking with him to the gate.
Halfway down the garden path, Edward stopped and patted Thomas, who was sitting on a stone bench by the path, soaking up the warmth of the morning sun.
"Miss Hampton," he said, "may I speak to you frankly?"
Jane nodded, sensing he wished to discuss Fanny’s betrothal. “Yes, of course, Captain Tremaine.”
"My mother has told me about the circumstances surrounding the betrothal between your sister and my brother. I am pleased your sister agreed to see Lady Tremaine, for Mother was concerned there might be undue speculation if Fanny continued to refuse to see the family of her supposed fiancé. The fiction of the betrothal need not be sustained much longer, but I think it best for your sister's sake that it be continued awhile yet. And even more for ours," Edward admitted candidly. "It would do our consequence no good if it were to become generally known how shabbily my brother has treated Miss Fanny."
Jane frowned at the remembrance. "I believe you are correct, Captain Tremaine. The betrothal should appear to die a natural death after Fanny recovers and rejoins society. I realise that in order for that to happen it is necessary that relations between our families resume their normal aspect." Her frown cleared and her naturally pleasant expression returned. "And in truth,” she added with disarming frankness, “I have missed my association with Lady Tremaine, and I know my father has regretted his friendship with Lord Tremaine."