They found Aunt Lucy lying on the floor below the step, clutching her ankle, which was twisted away from her leg.
Mr. Hatton was immediately decisive. “Mrs. Jones, please tell one of the grooms to ride to Beaminster immediately, to fetch Dr. Bulman, and bring him here directly.”
She ran to the front door as Mr. Hatton called to the footman to help him move Aunt Lucy to a chair in the drawing room, whilst Julia found a housemaid and asked her for a cold compress to apply to the ankle until the doctor came. Her aunt was looking very pale, and Julia was not happy with the way the ankle, now resting on a stool, was swelling up to much larger than its normal size even as she watched. She asked the housemaid for a glass of brandy for her aunt, which Mrs. Jones brought with a message that the groom had left for Beaminster as instructed.
Aunt Lucy tried to refuse the brandy, but Mr. Hatton and Julia insisted, and she lay back on the cushions as Julia held her hand to comfort her. Within the hour, the groom returned, closely followed by Dr. Bulman.
Mr. Hatton and Julia withdrew, and waited outside whilst the doctor examined his patient. After about ten minutes, he came out to speak to them in the hall.
“I understand that you are Mrs. Harrison’s niece, Miss Maitland? Fortunately, the ankle is not broken, but it is badly twisted and sprained, so your aunt must rest and not walk on it for at least a week.” Turning, he said, “I hope that Mrs. Harrison’s remaining here for that length of time is no problem, Mr. Hatton?”
“Of course not, she is welcome for as long as it takes for her to recover.”
“Then I will return in a few days’ time to see how she does. But Mrs. Harrison should not plan to go home until at least next week.” And doffing his hat to Julia, and shaking Mr. Hatton’s hand, he went out through the front door and rode away.
They found Aunt Lucy in the drawing room, with her ankle tightly bandaged, and sufficiently better to be deeply apologetic about the trouble that she was causing to her host.
He brushed her protestations aside, assuring her that his servants would be only too pleased to be kept busy looking after Mrs. Harrison. He added that he would be happy to keep Miss Maitland company until Mrs. Harrison was sufficiently recovered to join them.
Her aunt agreed readily to this suggestion and was soon settled in the drawing room with refreshments and books to hand, Mrs. Jones and Martha sitting near her, and a bell at her elbow ready to summon help whenever she needed attention.
“Now, Miss Maitland,” said Mr. Hatton, “we have the opportunity to do whatever you wish during the next few days. Do you have any preferences?”
“That is a very wide invitation, sir,” she said, smiling. “As the weather is looking rather grey now, perhaps we should stay indoors this afternoon, and that would also enable me to keep an eye on my aunt to make sure that she is not trying to walk anywhere for the moment.”
“But of course, that is a very practical suggestion and I agree that we should not go too far for the next day or two.”
“Then may I see your ballroom now, Mr. Hatton?” she said, remembering their conversation in the Assembly Rooms at Bath.
“Of course. Please come this way.” And he led Julia across the house to a pair of handsome panelled doors set in a recess at the side of the entrance hall. As he pushed them, the hinges creaked and it took all his strength to open the doors.
“I can see that there is a job to be done on these,” he said ruefully, as he held one of the doors aside for her to enter the room.
She looked around her and, as he had said, the ballroom was not large; perhaps big enough for about forty people including about half that number dancing in the centre. As with the library, the tall windows were covered by faded drapes keeping out the light and giving the room a rather depressing air.
As though reading her mind, Mr. Hatton said, “This room needs quite a lot done to it, don’t you think? But it could be quite delightful with lighter colours on the walls and new curtains on the windows.”
Julia agreed. They went across together and pulled some of the drapes away from the windows. Despite the greyish light outside, the ballroom immediately took on a more pleasant aspect.
“Perhaps, when we know each other better, Miss Maitland, you may allow me, with your aunt’s permission, to teach you how to dance the waltz?”
Julia hesitated for some few seconds before replying. “It is not, sir, that I do not wish to dance with you, but that particular dance—I believe that I would prefer us to be better acquainted before you show me how we should do the steps together.”
There was a long silence before he spoke again, and she expected him to disagree with her, but he did not.
“Let us make a pact then, Miss Maitland. When I know you better, and when I have your aunt’s permission to call you by your Christian name, then shall we dance the waltz?”
It was with such relief that Julia considered his answer. It was so pleasant, first, to contemplate having the time to get to know Mr. Hatton better than she did now and, second, that they might be on intimate enough terms that he could use her own name.
“Mr. Hatton, the only thing that really worries me at this moment is that something is going to prevent either of us doing as we wish in the future. But I suppose that I should stand back from that idea, and enjoy the opportunities during the next few days.”
“Thank you for that. Now, perhaps we should go and see how your aunt is faring with Mrs. Jones to look after her.”
As they walked back across the house, Julia asked him, “Are you enjoying being the owner of a large house, Mr. Hatton?”
“I’m not sure yet, Miss Maitland. I had absolutely no idea, you see, until after Mrs. Hatton’s death that I was to inherit the house and the land attached to it. Indeed, my godmother’s attorney told me that, until two years ago, the estate was to go to her nephew by marriage. He was the son of her husband Henry’s younger brother, but he died young, and he was the last in that family line.”
“I have often thought,” Julia observed,” that inheritance depends so very much on chance, and so very little on merit.” Then noting his expression and suddenly remembering Jack Douglas, she added with some embarrassment, “I had in mind the heirs to great families who take it for granted that they should inherit whether they are suitable or not.”
“And not either of the sons of a self-made businessman, Miss Maitland?”
Had she not seen the humour in his face, she might have taken him more seriously.
“I am sure that merit can be earned, Mr. Hatton. Do you have some plans for that, now that I can tell that you are becoming so very grand?” Julia could see her aunt watching them from her chaise longue as they entered the room, wondering perhaps what was the source of the amusement that they were sharing.
“Aunt Lucy, would you like to play a game of cards with us? You are going to get very bored just sitting there without some occupation from time to time.”
This suggestion commended itself to her aunt and, by various means, the two young people entertained Aunt Lucy for the rest of the day until it was time to go to bed.
On the following morning, Mr. Hatton made some suggestions after breakfast as to how he and Julia could occupy their time during the next few days.
“Mrs. Harrison, I have various ideas as to what we could do. My godmother established a small school some years ago near the village church, and I’m sure that the teacher would welcome a visit from both of us there. Then I would like to take the opportunity to drive Miss Maitland in my curricle around the grounds and, if you will permit, to give her the opportunity to take the reins.”
He looked at Julia and, encouraged by her smile, continued.
“If the weather becomes better, we could walk up the hill that you can see out of the window to the crest, where there is a view of the sea. At some point, I need to have a discussion with my factor, Mr. Whitaker, about the management of the farm; I believe that Miss Maitland has some knowledge of the methods being used at Holkham in Norfolk, which may be of interest to him. And my last idea is that there are a few shops in Beaminster, or perhaps Bridport, that Miss Maitland might like to see and, if you have any personal needs, she could make some
