Chapter Five
Eliza Mountjoy was far from pleased to see Anna Jessington. She knew her to be a shallow creature with a vicious tongue; she was fashionable, sought-after, and influential, mostly on account of what she might say if she weren’t flattered and indulged. Eliza suspected that she had at one time had a tendre for Lord Mountjoy, as so many women had.
But Eliza put a smile on her face and went down to greet her unwelcome guest with every appearance of delight, saying mendaciously that of course she was enchanted to see her.
Mrs. Jessington kissed the air beside Eliza’s face, exclaiming, “So happy if I can stay for a night or two.”
Thank goodness she did not have a longer visit in mind. Eliza took her into the morning room, rather than her own sitting room, and settled down to make polite conversation. “Where did you lie last night? You say you are on your way to Yorkshire, to Harrogate; do you plan to take the waters? Are you not quite well?”
Mrs. Jessington had a particularly irritating laugh, and it rang round the room now. “Oh no, I am perfectly well. I am always well, as you know. I have an aged aunt who lives in Harrogate, my late father’s sister, and I feel obliged to see her two or three times a year.” Another tinkling laugh. “Such a dull place, Harrogate, so dowdy. And my aunt, I assure you, is as dull as the town she lives in. You will understand the necessity of my visits when I tell you that she is extremely rich, and it is always best to keep in well with one’s rich relations, don’t you agree?”
“Since I, dear Mrs. Jessington, have no rich relations, I can only take your word for it.”
Anna Jessington wasn’t at all abashed at the rebuke. It was a constant irritant to her that Eliza Mountjoy, born plain Eliza Harvill of no particular breeding, a mere country squire’s daughter with a trivial fortune of a thousand pounds, had managed to capture the heart and hand of Lord Mountjoy. Apart from the fact that he was a shocking rake who was bound to make any wife miserable, Mountjoy was considered a most eligible bachelor. Now, as she looked out of the wide window and across the extensive and well-kept grounds, Mrs. Jessington resented anew the fact that Eliza Mountjoy was chatelaine of the historic and beautiful Mountjoy Castle.
“Well,” Mrs. Jessington went on once the servants had brought in refreshments and withdrawn, “I am sure you will have heard recently from Mountjoy, because of course the whole world is all agog to know who is the young woman who has taken up residence at Mountjoy House.”
Eliza Mountjoy strove to wipe any display of emotion from her countenance at this startling news, delivered with a sharp look and a note of venom in her guest’s voice.
“Has a young woman taken up residence at our house in London?”
“Ah, so you have not heard the news? It should have been obvious to me that you had not heard from Mountjoy or someone else, otherwise you would not be so calm. Were I in your shoes, I would have posted directly to London to turn the hussy out. It is outrageous that a man in Mountjoy’s position should behave in this way, but I suppose it is only to be expected.”
Lady Mountjoy said, “My dear Mrs. Jessington, you must not abuse my husband to my face, you know.”
“It is all over town that the reason Mountjoy is in London and you stay here at the castle is because there is some estrangement between you.”
“Mountjoy went ahead of me to London to attend to business. There is a bill coming before Parliament with which he is closely concerned. I shall spend the season in London, as I generally do, and intend to travel up to town within the next week or so.”
“I always say that it is very unwise for a woman to leave a husband to his own devices.”
“Yet you yourself have left Mr. Jessington to the temptations of town while you travel to Harrogate.”
“Oh, in my case, it is completely different. Never was a man so faithful and uxorious as Jessington; I have no fears on that count.”
Eliza Mountjoy silently agreed, for Jessington was a man who held no appeal to the gentler sex except for his extraordinary wealth and a certain position. He had little personal physical presence; he was not a good sportsman, nor a wit, nor possessed of any great intellectual facilities. So, however much she must restrain her wish to snap at Mrs. Jessington, Lady Mountjoy could take solace in the fact that her guest must endure the day-in, day-out purgatory of life with such a husband.
Eliza also knew that although Mrs. Jessington’s family had been delighted at the match, a good one in the eyes of the world, they nonetheless had their doubts about whether it would prosper in the long run. Anna Jessington was a woman of strong passions, while Arthur Jessington was something of a prude and almost Presbyterian in his moral code. Only his stupidity had prevented him from noticing his wife’s adulterous escapades.
Eliza silently rebuked herself: it was not for her to pass judgment on her fellow human beings. But what was Mountjoy up to? It was inconceivable that he would have brought a mistress of whatever age and attractiveness into his house; it would be such a dishonourable thing to do. But it was a mystery, and one which must be solved.
Which it quickly was. Almost as soon as Mrs. Jessington had gone to her chamber to wash off the dust from her journey, a servant came to tell Eliza that there was an express come from London. She swiftly scanned Mountjoy’s letter, penned in his strong, unmistakable hand. So much for rumours and gossip. It might be enjoyable to have a young lady to introduce for the season, and she hoped that Miss Welburn wouldn’t turn out to be a pale, characterless girl with failed seasons in India behind her, desperate to find a husband—any husband.
She rang for the butler and told him that she would leave for London the following day, then greeted Mrs. Jessington again with a pleasant smile and a flow of apologies that she would be unable to entertain her for more than a single night. “Mountjoy has summoned me to London to take care of his goddaughter, Miss Valentine Welburn, and so I must go at once.”
“Valentine,” said Mrs. Jessington in a discontented voice. “What an extraordinary name, and how odd that you should not have been aware that she was to pay you a visit.”
“Miss Welburn is recently arrived from India, and it is never possible to know exactly when any vessel may come in from such distant parts,” said Eliza, not wanting to let Mrs. Jessington suspect that she herself had not, until just now, been aware that any such creature existed.