Page 33 of Scandal at Greystone Manor

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In the crush of people leaving at the end of the concert, Jane became separated from her companions. She wandered round for several minutes trying to find them and was beginning to think her best plan was to make for the exit and wait there for them to find her, when she encountered Mark. ‘Where are Mr Ashton and Isabel?’ she asked. ‘I have been looking for you all for ages.’

‘I don’t know. I thought they were with you.’

‘No. I lost sight of them soon after everyone started to leave. Where can they have got to? If they have been separated, Issie will be frightened; she never liked the dark.’ She did not add that if they were together, it was one more indiscretion on her sister’s part.

‘Our best course is to go to the carriage lines and see if they have made their way there, before we do anything else.’

‘Then I will stay here and continue looking.’

‘No, Jane, we stay together. I don’t want you to become lost, too.’

They went to where the carriages waited, but Jeremy had not seen Mr Ashton or Miss Isabel. They returned to the gardens, now in darkness because almost everyone had left, and began a systematic search of all the paths, taking one of the lanterns from the pavilion to light their way. ‘They must have missed their way trying to find the exit,’ Jane said. ‘Though how that could be when almost everyone was making their way out and they had only to follow, I do not know.’

They walked down one path after another, with Mark swinging the lantern to and fro and in the process managing to disturb more than one pair of lovers to their dismay or indignation, but there was no sign of Drew and Isabel. They turned back towards the pavilion and here they encountered Drew. He was alone.

‘Where is Issie?’ Jane’s anxiety made her speak sharply.

‘I have taken her to the carriage. She is waiting there for you.’

‘She wasn’t there half an hour ago.’

‘No. She fainted and fell among the crowd. I picked her up and carried her back into the pavilion to recover, then I escorted her to the carriage and came looking for you.’

‘Then let us make haste and take her home,’ Mark said. ‘That is twice today she has felt unwell. I do hope she is not sickening for anything.’

They returned to the carriage where Isabel sat waiting for them with Jeremy standing by. Jane rushed to join her. ‘Issie, what happened?’

‘There was such a crush of people, all pushing and pulling, and I could not move and you all left me and I fainted and would have been trampled underfoot if Drew had not seen what happened and rescued me.’

‘Then we are indebted to him,’ Mark said, taking his seat opposite her. Drew joined them and they were driven at speed back to Mount Street. The gentlemen did not stay long after delivering the ladies safely into the care of their aunt, who fussed round Isabel and suggested the physician should be called, but Isabel would not hear of it. ‘I am perfectly well now,’ she said. ‘It was the heat and the crush of people made me faint, nothing more than that. I am going to bed. Tomorrow we are going riding in Hyde Park. I would not miss that for the world.’

Jane went to her own bed, but she could not sleep. Her sister had a robust constitution and had never fainted in her life, so what was happening now? Was she deliberately throwing herself into the path of Andrew Ashton? Did she really wish she had not accepted Mark’s proposal? It would cause the most dreadful scandal for her to back out now. It would break Mark’s heart and he would be tainted by it, too. He was too good a man to be treated in that fashion.

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Mark was occupied with his lawyer all the following morning and Jane spent it writing more letters, while Isabel and their aunt went shopping. They did not return until it was almost time for the gentlemen to bring the riding horses to the house. Jane went to her room to change into her riding habit, which was the one she always wore for riding at home. It was plain and serviceable in a dark-green grosgrain. She heard the men arrive as she was slipping into her boots. After fastening a green hat on her dark hair with a hat pin, she went downstairs to greet them.

They were standing in the hall, when Isabel came from her room and down the stairs. She was wearing a new riding habit in mauve velvet, cut in the military style with lines of braiding and gold-fringed epaulettes. Her head was crowned with a tall beaver hat with mauve feathers curling round the brim and touching her cheek. Her feet were encased in kid half-boots. Jane could only stare at her.

‘Here I am, gentlemen,’ she said cheerfully. ‘How do I look?’ And she twirled to show off her ensemble, though the very long skirt hampered her.

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