It was another half-hour before the carriage passed beneath the battlemented gateway marking the beginning of Polwithiel Abbey’s vast park. Through the trees to the left Bryony could see Polwithiel Creek sweeping toward the Helford estuary, which the day before she had seen from the deck of the Molly K. Oh, how long ago that seemed now. She gazed into the distance where the two flows of water came together, and saw on a headland overlooking the confluence what appeared to be a ruined castle, or at least the only remaining tower. She asked Delphine what it was and was informed that it was a folly which, like the gateway they had just passed, and like Polwithiel Abbey itself, had been built by her grandfather, the third Duke of Calborough. The only truly old part of the whole estate was the ruined abbey from which the house took its name, and those remaining few walls formed one side of the quadrangle before the main entrance, as she would soon see.
Through the other window of the carriage Bryony at last saw the great house, and her breath caught in wonderment at its beauty. It was a truly splendid Gothic building, half-castle, half-cathedral, and it could have been taken directly from the pages of Mrs. Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest, except where that lady would have imbued it with an air of brooding menace, Polwithiel Abbey was simply a beautiful jewel set in surroundings of unrivaled loveliness.
From its hilltop it gazed over the park toward the distant sea, and it was quite the most perfect house Bryony had ever seen. She gazed at it, her eyes moving slowly over the ivy-covered walls, the stained-glass windows with tracery which would not have shamed Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals, the mock battlements stretching up toward the flawless blue sky, and then the gardens, sweeping down the park to the right of the house. They were not formal and precise like at Tremont; they contrived to look natural, although the line of fountains, each one playing into a pool which overflowed into the next one slightly below it, had a strange formality which did not look at all out of place. As the carriage approached an arched entrance in the curtain wall to one side of the house, Bryony just caught a glimpse of a little summerhouse at the head of the fountains, a place from which one would have a magnificent view down through the gardens and then across the park toward the distant sea.
The hooves and wheels rattled beneath the gateway and then they were in the cobbled quadrangle of which Delphine had spoken. Overlooked on one side by the house, one of its other walls was a curtain wall like the one they had just passed through, while the fourth was indeed formed by the ruins of the ancient Benedictine abbey which had occupied this site all those centuries before.
Glancing back at the wall beneath which they had driven, Bryony saw the conservatory in which Felix, Duke of Calborough, had his salle d’armes. It was a lofty erection, built against the wall and stretching from the arched gateway right to the corner joining the second curtain wall. She had expected the entire glasshouse to be set aside for the duke’s pleasure, but it seemed that that was not so, for she could see the thick, almost tropical foliage inside, the leaves pressing vigorously against the gleaming glass panes.
The steward was waiting as the carriage came to a standstill before the jutting porch which guarded the door into the house itself. The porch reminded Bryony of the porch of Liskillen church, and she felt suddenly homesick.
The steward was a sturdy Cornishman dressed in serviceable brown, his unfashionably long hair tied back with a black ribbon. He bowed low to them both. “Welcome home again, Lady Delphine. Welcome to Polwithiel, Miss St. Charles.”
Delphine nodded. “Has the duchess left on her morning calls yet?”
“Yes, my lady, she left an hour ago. She instructed me to tell you that she would be taking luncheon at Tremont Park and would return at approximately five o’clock this afternoon. She wishes to interview Miss St. Charles then.”
“Very well. And the duke?”
“Is in his salle d’armes, my lady.”
“That will be all for the moment.”
“Yes, my lady.” Bowing, he withdrew.
The coachman urged the tired horses forward again, crossing the quadrangle and passing beneath another arched gateway into the stables beyond.
Delphine turned to Bryony, smiling. “Well, at least you are spared the awful moment of coming face to face with Mother, for which you must be very grateful after all the dreadful things I’ve been saying about her. It will be some time before luncheon is served. Would you like to meet Felix now?”
“But he is engaged in the salle d’armes.”
“My dear Bryony, Felix is always at his wretched swordplay, and if one waited for an opportune moment before speaking with him, one would wait a very long time indeed. Come, I will introduce you.”
She led the way to the conservatory. Fuchsias nodded over the sunny steps by the doors, their dainty frilled skirts of magenta, purple, and pink trembling a little in the light breeze. Inside there was no breeze; the air was stifling and humid, smelling of damp earth and citrus leaves. The dense vegetation seemed to press all around, except for a brick path which led farther in between the overhanging branches. At the far end of this path Bryony could see a raised wooden floor and she could hear the swift metallic clash of steel upon steel.
The floor was built against the wall of the quadrangle itself, and arranged on this wall was an impressive array of weapons, from swords and rapiers to cutlasses, sabers, and fencing foils. Tall mirrors had been set around to afford clear views from all angles, and to one side there was a small table and a single chair. On the table there was a crystal decanter of port and a half-filled glass. A costly beige coat, a brown-and-white-striped waistcoat, and a starched muslin cravat had been casually tossed onto the chair.
In the center of the floor two men were fencing with guarded foils, their faces protected by masks. It was easy to
I tell which of the two was the valet and which the duke, for whereas the shorter man wore the clothes of a servant, the taller was clad in a silk shirt and close-fitting buckskin breeches.
Felix, fifth Duke of Calborough, was lithe and supple, moving with superb grace and speed. His frilled shirt was undone almost to his waist and the cut of his breeches revealed to perfection his slender hips and long legs. The mask hid his face completely, but his hair was very dark like his sister’s. He was by far the superior swordsman, the shielded tip of his blade time and time again breaking through his opponent’s guard to press against his heart.
At last they called a halt, saluting each other and removing their masks, and Bryony saw immediately that Felix was very handsome indeed, with dark brown eyes and sensuous lips. His skin was pale and his profile romantically perfect, with maybe just a hint of something mysterious in his half-smile. He was, she thought, just the sort of master one would wish for a splendid Gothic house like Polwithiel Abbey, but for all that there was something cold about him, something which made her feel instinctively uneasy.
He did not seem to have noticed the two women yet, for he went to pick up the glass of port, glancing at the perspiring valet. “You’re not fit enough, Frederick. You’ll have to do better than that.”
“But, your grace, I was doing my very best!” protested the valet.
“Then you are a poor specimen of humanity.” Felix seemed suddenly to become aware of the two women, for he turned quickly, his eyes momentarily sharp before an easy smile touched his lips. He thrust the mask and glass into the valet’s hands and approached them, bowing first over his sister’s hand. “So, my wayward sister returns to the fold without making an ill-advised bid for freedom.”
“Still as disagreeable as ever?” she murmured, drawing her hand away.
“Still as determined as ever to see that you do the right thing,” he replied lightly, turning his attention then to Bryony. His glance moved lazily over her and she was painfully aware of the contrast between her clothes and those worn by his fashionable sister. “Welcome to Polwithiel Abbey, Miss St. Charles. I trust you will enjoy your stay with us.”
“I am sure that I will.”
“Are you?” He seemed to find this amusing. “Then you cannot yet be aware of what dear Mama has in store for you. She intended all along to be strict with you, but the arrival of a certain letter from a certain gentleman in Ireland has made a positive tyrant of her.”
‘‘Felix!” gasped Delphine. “How could you!”
Bryony lowered her eyes quickly, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.
He laughed a little, not at all abashed. “Come now, ladies, I’ve hardly said anything which no one knew anything about! It is quite obvious that you, Miss St. Charles, know all about the letter from Mr. Carmichael, which either means that you knew he would write it or that you’ve been informed of it by my sister. At a guess, I would say that the latter is the case. Am I right?”
Still flushing, she nodded. “Yes, sir, you are.”
Delphine looked angrily at him. “Yes, I told her, and I’m glad that I did, for it seems that the whole story is trumped up and Mr. Carmichael has greatly maligned her. She is quite innocent, Felix.”
“How glad I am to hear it,” he murmured.
Bryony felt suddenly provoked. “And how glad I am to hear you say so, your grace.”
A light passed through his eyes at this unexpectedly spirited response. “So, my cousin is to espouse a tiger and not a kitten. How surprised he will be, to be sure.”
Delphine continued to be angry. “How very gracious you are today, Felix, but then, it is evidently because you had so much difficulty overcoming poor Frederick, whose swordplay has improved no end since last I saw.”
“Difficulty?” he replied sharply. “I had no difficulty.”
“Oh, come now,” she murmured. “Admit that you were struggling and that that is why you are being so disagreeable and ungallant to poor Bryony.”
“You are mistaken,” he said coldly.
She knew her barbs were taking effect. “What a thing, to be sure, for it seems that the valet will soon be the master and he will be the one to return to Town for tuition from Mr. Angelos.”
Whether it was his sister’s taunts or whether he simply did not have a sense of humor where his swordsmanship was concerned, Bryony could not tell, but there was no mistaking the icy fury which settled over his handsome face.
“You know nothing of the matter, dear sister, and so I suggest you hold your rattle until such time as you do. And that time will never come, when you apparently have so much else of dizzying importance on your scheming mind at the moment. Confine yourself to learning wisdom before you bleat in future, Delphine, for it is certain that wisdom is a commodity in which you are sadly lacking if you are able to see redeeming features in the likes of Toby Lampeter.”
Delphine’s cheeks were flaming and her eyes very bright. Her lips moved as if she would deal him a blistering retort, but then she changed her mind, turning on her heel to hurry away along the brick path toward the doors.
Bryony felt uncomfortable at being witness to such a bitter exchange between brother and sister, and she hesitated, not knowing whether to run after Delphine or remain to take her polite leave of Felix.
He turned to her. “Forgive us, Miss St. Charles, I am afraid that there is a little ill feeling between us at the moment.”
“There is nothing to forgive, your grace.”
He smiled a little then, his dark eyes thoughtful as he studied her. “But there is, Miss St. Charles, for we were very impolite, and I was guilty of even more impoliteness a little earlier. I trust that you can find it in your heart to disregard my previous behavior and consider our acquaintance to have begun from this moment.” He took her hand suddenly, drawing it to his lips. “Welcome to Polwithiel Abbey, Miss St. Charles.”
She felt the urge to draw her hand away. “Thank you, your grace.”
He smiled a little, turning to go back to the patiently waiting valet. She watched for a moment as he put on the mask and then the two men took up their positions on the floor. The blades clashed together and she hurried away along the brick path and out into the sunny quadrangle where Delphine was waiting.