A long, dismissive sniff showed exactly what Mrs Wellbeloved thought of this slur on Stanclere Hall.
‘But now it’s like a palace, they say, and you’ve got Princess Sophie coming to stay!’ she continued, her eyes gleaming. ‘Ooh, if we had Prince Hugo and Princess
Chloe visiting the Hall, I think I’d die happy that night. Do you think . . . ?’
She looked hopefully across the table at Brianna Jade, who opened her mouth to say that she had no idea, that Lady Margaret had been the motor to bring Princess Sophie to Stanclere Hall, but
burped instead.
‘Oh
dear
!’ Mrs Wellbeloved exclaimed, as Abel stifled a laugh. ‘She’s in no state to get back, is she? You can see the young lady isn’t used to drinking
much, can’t you?’
‘I’m
not
,’ Brianna Jade agreed seriously. ‘That’s Mom. Mom can hold her liquor, but I can’t. I feel all wobbly.’
Mrs Wellbeloved tutted. ‘She needs to lie down and then have some nice strong coffee,’ she said to her grandson. ‘I’d say she should do it here, but they’ll be
worrying about her back at the Hall, I shouldn’t wonder. And it’s not really proper, is it, the Earl’s fiancée sleeping it off under your roof, Abel.’
‘Isn’t proper having her get drunk on cider here either, Gran, come to that,’ Abel observed, grinning. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get her back safe and sound. Come
on, miss.’
He put one huge hand under Brianna Jade’s elbow and guided her gently to her feet; she stumbled, her head still dizzy from the strong cider, and was very grateful for Abel’s close
presence as he walked her from the kitchen, manoeuvred her through the little hall and outside. The fresh, chilly air helped, and she took in deep breaths, but then that made her feel dizzier,
which made her stumble against Abel again and giggle, and she felt him shake his head above her.
‘She’ll never walk it, not if we’re in a hurry,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Gran, take her arm while I go and get the wheelbarrow.’
‘
Abel Wellbeloved!
’ his grandmother positively screeched. ‘You can’t take the Earl’s fiancée back to the Hall in a wheelbarrow like a drunk sleeping
off a night at the pub!’
‘Thought you might say that,’ he said, bending down and sweeping Brianna Jade into his arms as easily as if she were a child. ‘Nothing for it then. I can’t take her on
the motorbike, can I? For a start she can’t hold on properly, and then I’d have to loop all around the roads when it’s ten minutes back to the Hall on foot. I’ll carry her
back and say she turned her ankle walking in her little slipper shoes if anyone asks.’
‘Oh
dear
,’ Mrs Wellbeloved wailed. ‘Well, it’s better than a wheelbarrow, and that’s all that can be said for it. It was a real treat to meet you, miss,
and congratulations on your engagement . . .’
Brianna Jade’s eyes were closed; after the momentary surprise of being swept off her feet, she had almost instantly relaxed into Abel’s arms. She was very tired, she realized. It was
blissful to shut her eyes and let someone else look after her. And she much preferred this to a wheelbarrow. There was something so reassuring about Abel, such a sense that he could cope in a
crisis, that she didn’t make the slightest protest about him carrying her back or how heavy she must be. The only thing she did mumble, her eyelashes fluttering up as his strong frame jounced
her along, was: ‘Abel, you called me “miss”, and we said . . .’
‘Couldn’t rightly call you by your name in front of my gran,’ he said simply. ‘She’d’ve raised the roof.’
That was more than reasonable. Brianna Jade nodded, closed her eyes and actually dropped off to sleep for a little while. Her nose was smooshed into the cotton of his undershirt, which smelt of
soap powder, pig and himself, maybe not quite in that order, and was a little scratchy:
he needs to use fabric conditioner
, she thought as she dozed off.
But I guess men never think to
buy it.
Abel maintained a steady pace, his rubber-soled work boots quiet even on the stone of the bridge, and it was as reassuring as being driven home in the back seat of a car after a party
when you were small, falling asleep knowing your mom would get you home safe – though actually Abel’s arms were more comfortable than the bouncing suspension of Tamra’s ancient
Hyundai, and his regular breathing considerably more peaceful than the rickety turnover of its engine.
I must remember to tell him that, he’ll think it’s funny
, she thought drowsily, suspended in slumber, hearing him murmur over her head that the young Countess-to-be had
slipped out walking and might have turned her ankle, so he was carrying her back just to be on the safe side, the background buzz of the Bluetooth earpiece an indication that Abel was addressing
one of the protection officers.
The backgrounds of all the Stanclere employees who lived on the grounds had of course been cleared well before Princess Sophie’s arrival, so the officer already knew Abel’s identity.
He could be heard muttering the information into his neck mike to his colleagues as Abel cleared the shrubbery and took a looping path around the edge of the lawns, pretty much hidden from the Hall
by the massive oak trees; he was making a circuitous route so that he could deposit Brianna Jade at a rarely used side door and, hopefully, conceal her tipsy state from its inhabitants. And dusk
had fallen now; they were quite unobserved as he reached the door, shifted her weight to free one hand, and checked that the door was unlocked.
‘Here we are,’ he said, tilting her down to the ground and holding her by her waist to steady her. ‘Back home safe. You’d best take a nap, if there’s time, and then
get Mrs Hurley to make you a good strong pot of coffee.’
‘Thanks, Abel.’ Brianna Jade flashed him a gorgeous smile, and though he was used to these by now, the wattage had never been at such close range; instantly, he dropped his hands and
took a step back as if she had burnt him. ‘I can’t believe you got me drunk!’ she went on. ‘That’s so bad of you!’
She reached out to slap his arm playfully, missed and wobbled dangerously: Abel had to catch her again to steady her. She giggled tipsily, rocking back on her heels; the giggle turned into a
yawn, her perfect teeth sparkling white, the ribbed roof of her pink mouth showing as she tilted back her head, arching her spine, the points of her breasts pressing against the blue sweater,
almost touching his dungarees.
‘I feel all woozy,’ she said, sounding surprised. ‘Ooh, Abel, you’re so
naughty
to get me drunk!’
Abel writhed; still holding her with one hand, he reached out to push the side door open.
‘You should get some coffee,’ he said urgently. ‘And have a cold shower.’
‘And you carried me all the way back,’ she said, still slurring her words. ‘Oh hey, was I real heavy?’ Her eyes opened wide with the classic exaggerated panic of someone
under the influence. ‘All the way from your cottage! Your arms must be so sore!’
‘Don’t you worry about that,’ Abel said quickly. ‘I’m used to carrying pigs around. Oh, I didn’t mean—’
Brianna Jade giggled so loudly at this that he actually stepped forward and put a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.
‘Ssh! Everyone will hear!’ he hissed. ‘Look, go inside and get yourself into a cold shower, fast as you can.’
Nodding, eyes owlishly wide, Brianna Jade turned and went inside, steadying herself with a hand on the corridor wall. Abel closed the door behind her, but didn’t walk away: instead he
stood, staring at the closed door with its glass panes at eye level, watching her go down the corridor. Only when she had vanished from sight did he turn and retrace his steps back to his cottage,
quite unaware that Milly, whose room was on the floor above, had been having a cigarette out of the window, curled up in the embrasure seat, and had heard the entire exchange.
There was no way Brianna Jade was ready to greet Princess Sophie and her small entourage of friends when she arrived. But mercifully for Brianna Jade, Tamra had already decided
that lining up everyone to meet the princess would look over-needy and self-conscious. Instead, she and Lady Margaret were sitting by the fire in the Great Hall, drinking cocktails and listening to
the pianist play a witty medley of the latest R&B hits arranged into easy-listening lounge music versions when Sophie, her friends Lady Araminta Farquhar-Featherstonehaugh – known as
Minty – and Dominic de Rohan, Edmund’s best man, swept in, followed by Sophie’s two protection officers. The new arrivals promptly stopped dead and oohed and aahed at the amazing
transformation Tamra had effected at Stanclere. The candles flickered in their silver branches, their golden light reflected in the huge mirror over the fireplace, and in others carefully
positioned around the walls, even managing to pick out interesting details in the enormous and rather boring tapestry of a hunt that hung opposite the fireplace. Behind Tamra and Lady Margaret, as
they rose to their feet, the fire itself crackled in welcome, and the pianist, on strict instructions, only rose for a second in protocol before reseating himself and continuing to play the lounge
arrangement of Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’.
‘You should
totally
come and redecorate Buck House!’ Sophie said to Tamra, kissing her on either cheek. ‘My God, it looks simply fabulous! What does old Ed think of
it?’
‘
Old Ed?
Good Lord, Sophie, he’s only thirty-four,’ Lady Margaret said indulgently to her adorably pretty goddaughter.
‘He always seems so much older to me!’ Sophie, in her mid-twenties, said irrepressibly. ‘
Awfully
mature. Oh, hi, Ed!’
‘Hi, Soph,’ Edmund said, grinning at her as he came lightly down the stairs. ‘I left my cane down here – do let me know if you happen to see it, or my false teeth.
I’m getting so senile, I took them out and can’t remember for the life of me where I put them.’
A maid appeared carrying a silver tray of frosted whisky sours and lemon drops: Sophie, Minty and Dominic took off their coats, handed them to a waiting footman – a real one, not a
protection officer in disguise – and fell on the drinks with gusto.
‘God, this is bliss!’ Sophie said, toasting Tamra. ‘I can see you’re going to spoil us rotten. We obviously need
way
more Americans coming over here and
smartening us up! Honestly, if I weren’t so keen on Chloe I’d be telling Hugo to divorce her pronto and snap up Brianna Jade instead.’
This was clearly so kindly meant that even Lady Margaret, who knew perfectly well how vile Sophie had been to her sister-in-law before the wedding, smiled at Sophie as Edmund greeted Dominic, an
old schoolfriend of his, with a hearty man-hug and a slap on the back.
‘Congrats,’ Dom muttered to his host, his eyes never leaving Tamra’s glossy golden figure. ‘My God, I can’t wait to start charming your ma-in-law into bed.
I’m ready for some hot cougar action!’
‘Honestly, Dom! Show some respect!’ Edmund hissed back. ‘I’m taking Dom off for a quick game of billiards before dinner,’ he said more loudly for public hearing.
‘We’ve got time, haven’t we? I know Brianna’s running a little late.’
He cast an apologetic look at Tamra: they had both been horrified when they realized that Brianna Jade had fled the scene of their fight, had apologized to each other and promised formally to
reach some sort of compromise between Tamra’s lust for society glory and Edmund’s for a quieter life. Edmund had pointed out that he was going along without a murmur with Tamra’s
lavish engagement and wedding party plans, including the fact that Jodie Raeburn from
Style
was arriving tomorrow to organize both a photo and a video shoot of the engagement celebrations
for
Style
’s extremely successful website, which meant that Edmund would have to spend most of the day dolled up in designer tweed posing on the bridge with his fiancée or
recreating the proposal in the gazebo. Tamra in return had given him credit for not only submitting to all that, but doing it uncomplainingly.
So now Tamra’s glance back at him was just as apologetic. Edmund, of course, didn’t know that his fiancée had accidentally got drunk on cider with her pig-farmer friend and
his grandmother; that was a secret that certainly shouldn’t be shared with Edmund. But Tamra blamed herself even more than Edmund for upsetting her daughter so much that she’d run to
the piggeries for comfort.
‘Brianna Jade’ll be down in a little while for cocktails,’ she said faux-casually, ‘but yes, there should be plenty of time for a quick game of
billiards—’
‘You really are the most fantastically gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen in my
life
!’ interrupted Dominic, taking her hand and kissing it theatrically, quite eclipsing
Edmund behind him. The two men were the same height, with very similar builds, but Dominic was as dashing and flamboyant as Edmund was quiet and buttoned-up in his sober dark suit. Dominic had a
showiness possessed by some posh men, a dashing dandy style that the unfamiliar might confuse, from a distance, with being gay. But the sheer intensity of the look Dominic was directing at Tamra
made his sexual preferences more than clear. Tossing back his curly black hair in a way he knew made him look like a sexy pirate, he narrowed his sparkling dark eyes and then winked at her to
boot.
‘Steady, tiger,’ Tamra said dryly, detaching her hand. ‘Keep your powder dry.’
‘Rrrr!’ Dominic growled like a tiger, shaped both his hands into claws and dragged them through the air in Tamra’s direction. ‘I’m in love!’
Edmund, rolling his eyes, hooked his fingers through the collar of Dominic’s shirt and dragged his friend away, mouthing, ‘Sorry!’ to Tamra, who smiled back at him:
Lord,
that smile said,
men have been hitting on me since I was fourteen, don’t you worry about him. And honestly, he’s pretty cute.
‘Dom’s always had a thing for older women,’ Lady Araminta said in a nasty pinched voice which came from a ribcage equally constricted by the tightness of her bodycon dress:
Minty certainly had an enviably thin figure, if you were going for the heroin chic look, but perpetual starvation did not have a good effect on what was already a fairly unpleasant personality.