Arlington Hall sat in an undulating valley, surrounded by acres of grounds. There were woodlands behind the house, but the view from the front was of manicured lawns, roses, lilies, and all manner of other English flowers, as well as some of the more exotic plants, with vistas over a wide stretch of the river. As the coach drew up on the circular entrance, under a wide, sheltering portico, Tina could smell lavender from a central bed where a fountain played.
It was lavish indeed. Sir Thomas had spoken of Sir Henry Arlington’s wealth, but Tina hadn’t really understood just how wealthy Sir Henry really was. Until now. She stared up at the elegant red Georgian house, with its chimneys and the gleam of many windows, and tried to imagine living in such a place.
Servants came out to help with the unloading of the luggage, and Tina, Horace, and Charles were ushered inside by the Arlington housekeeper, who showed them upstairs to their rooms.
“Sir Henry and Lady Isabelle are in the salon with their other guests,” she informed them, as they followed her around the curve of the grand staircase toward a bank of stained-glass windows.
“Many arrived yet?” asked Charles, who was never intimidated by anyone.
“You are the last,” the housekeeper said, making it sound like a failing on their part.
Horace and Tina exchanged an amused glance. They’d always shared a sense of the ridiculous, and surely that was a good thing, if one were to marry? And yet these three days in the coach with Horace hadn’t soothed her concerns as she’d hoped they might. She needed time to think when there was no time at all. She was being bustled along by her family and fate toward something that in her heart she did not want.
Tina’s room was beautiful, the walls covered in hand-painted rose wallpaper and the furnishings light and feminine. There was a window seat under bay windows overlooking the vast gardens, which she saw were terraced all the way down to the river.
“Lady Isabelle chose this room especially for you, miss,” said the housekeeper haughtily. “It’s one of the nicest rooms in Arlington Hall.”
“It is beautiful. I will tell Lady Isabelle so.”
Her obvious pleasure seemed to pacify the housekeeper, who announced she’d send a servant to show Tina to the salon in half an hour.
Maria and the luggage arrived a short time afterward.
As they rushed about, changing Tina’s traveling clothes for something more in keeping for a visit to the salon, and Maria brushed Tina’s hair and arranged it into a loose knot with a profusion of ringlets, there didn’t seem to be time to enjoy the peace and quiet of the country.
Tina stood in front of the looking glass, turning this way and that. “Will I do, do you think?” Tina asked her maid, suddenly uncertain. Perhaps it was the grandeur of the house or the haughty housekeeper, but she felt like an imposter. A young lady with very few prospects and no dowry, on the hunt for a rich husband.
“You look beautiful, miss,” Maria reassured her. “Mr. Eversham is here, and Archie,” she added, sounding breathless. “I passed him on the servants’ stairs, on my way here.”
Tina continued to examine her reflection, which seemed even less impressive than before.
“Did you hear what I said, Miss Tina? Archie and Mr. Eversham are here.”
“I heard what you said,” Tina said quietly, and left it at that.
After a servant girl had come to collect her and take her to the salon, Maria tidied up and began to put things away in their proper places. She felt a little shaky herself after meeting Archie on the stairs. He’d given her a wink, as if they were conspirators in a plot, and she couldn’t help but smile back at him.
He had that effect on her. Life would never be dull with Archie if she chose to follow that road, but as yet she wasn’t at all sure that she would. All these years, she had dreamed of saving up and returning home to Spain, and now she had enough to go. There was nothing stopping her, apart from Miss Tina and the Smythes, but that would not be forever.
No, Maria told herself decisively, there was nothing stopping her at all.
Charles and Horace were already in the salon with Sir Henry and Lady Isabelle and several other guests. Tina was relieved to see the familiar faces of both Anne Burgess and Margaret Allsop among them.
“Ah, Miss Smythe,” boomed Sir Henry. “There you are. So pleased you could join our little party. The men are shooting tomorrow, if the weather holds. As for the women, I believe my wife has something planned, haven’t you, my dear?”
Lady Isabelle had come over to greet Tina, her color a little hectic, her eyes a little bright. “Tina, here you are. I do hope you like your room?”
“It’s delightful, Lady Isabelle. That wonderful view—it’s as if the very walls are perfumed with roses.”
Lady Isabelle was delighted with Tina’s enthusiastic response. “Thank you, Tina. When I decorated the room, I thought it would be for my daughter . . . well, I am so glad you like it.” Sadness drew down her mouth and doused the glow in her eyes.
“Time yet, my dear,” her husband said bracingly. “Plenty of time.”
“Of course there is,” she agreed, rallying. “I am being maudlin again. I promise to be the life and soul of the party from now on.”
Sir Henry looked as if he thought that was a worse idea, but he gave a dutiful smile.
Just then Anne and Margaret came to join her, and Tina engaged with them in some lively conversation about the journey. “Charles is here, somewhere,” she added, looking about.