A Woman of Honour

Chapter 28

April 1820

Hidcote Manor

It was a beautiful spring day in the middle of April. The spring flowers had produced a riot of colours in the beds surrounding the spacious lawn at Hidcote Manor. It was such a lovely afternoon that Helen had decided to sit outside on the terrace. She was now in the latter stages of her confinement, and she was looking forward to giving birth to her child. She was much larger than she had been when she had been pregnant with George. And she was already finding walking and going up steps difficult. She had picked that particular spot on the terrace because it was shaded from the warm spring sunshine. A large glass of refreshing lemonade rested on a table next to her. It was the perfect day to sit outside and enjoy some fresh air.

Lord Brentford had died less than a month after Hepworth's death at Torrington Place. Haverstock had been true to his word. Before the news of Brentford's death had been made public, he had put the legal cogs into motion. As soon as Brentford had been buried, she had been installed as the new mistress at Hidcote Manor and her son's legal guardian.

It had not been a smooth transition. When she had first arrived her son, George, as he liked to be called, was wary of her. Over the years, Brentford had told him all kinds of untruths about his mother. She had to, slowly but surely, gain his trust. It had taken months of patience and love to eventually win him around. All her hard work was beginning to pay off, and she was now enjoying a loving relationship with him.

It had also been difficult to fit in with the local community. Most of them remembered her as a young girl when her father had been the rector at the local village church. They had disapproved of her marriage to Harry and had believed Brentford's propaganda that she had tricked his son. Her pregnancy had not helped improve her already beleaguered reputation. In fact, it only confirmed their opinion of her as a woman of no morals.

She was actually quite glad that they had given her a wide berth. She was happy living the life of a recluse and only having to please herself and George.

Brentford's extended family had not been at all happy with her taking over the reins off Hidcote Manor and George's welfare. They had tried to launch a legal challenge to her authority, but thanks to Haverstock, their case had been thrown out of court. There was now nothing his family could do to challenge George's guardianship or her position as mistress of his estate.

George was now eleven years old, and it would not be long until he would leave her and attend Eton. Again, Haverstock had helped her secure a place for George at the prestigious school. It was only right that the new Lord Brentford would attend a school with his peers. However painful it would be to lose him temporarily, she would have to let him go so that he could make his own way in the world.

She was watching him play cricket with some of the servants he had roped into his game. He was charming like Harry, his father, but he lacked the duplicity that had marred his father's personality. He had charmed Edwards, the elderly butler who was a stickler for etiquette, to allow the younger footmen to have an hour away from their tasks. He had also beguiled the head gardener to allow some of his lads to join in as well.

There was quite a crowd on the lawn, enjoying the spring sunshine, and the atmosphere was good-natured but surprisingly competitive. The indoor servants had challenged their outdoor rivals to a match, and neither side wanted to lose.

Helen had a chair and a footstool set up on a shady part of the terrace that overlooked the lawn. She sat back and relaxed as she watched the game, and she was pleased to see George thoroughly enjoying himself. She suspected that these lighthearted interludes had been few and far between when his grandfather had been alive.