ONE MONTH LATER
“I can hardly believe almost a full year has passed since we arrived here,” said Ivy staring out at darkened parkland beyond the window. “I didn’t know any of you, and now I can’t remember life without you.”
“I feel the same way,” said Sophia, slipping an arm round her friend’s waist.
Gemma, who had married Cam only a few days after the incident with Lord Paley on the cliffs, sat with Daphne at the library table where they’d spent many happy hours in quiet study punctuated by the occasional laughter and sometimes tears.
“I can,” Daphne said dryly, “and it was much less pleasant.”
“And we hadn’t met Serena either,” Gemma said. “I hope she’ll be amenable to our scheme. Without her, it will be difficult. Not impossible, of course, but I’m not sure I could trust anyone as I do her.”
It was hard for Gemma to believe that it was nearly time for them to go their separate ways.
They could come and go as they pleased, of course. The house belonged to all of them equally. But marriage meant that their comings and goings couldn’t always be dictated by their wishes. And once children came, even with the best intentions, they would not be able to live in one another’s pockets. Not as they had here at Beauchamp.
In the month since Gemma and Cam had discovered that it had been Lord Paley who murdered Sir Everard and stole the Beauchamp Lizard, the four Beauchamp House heiresses had been hard at work on a scheme that would see to it that even once they were all departed to live with their husbands, the house itself would remain a haven for lady scholars.
“You did ask Serena to meet us here, didn’t you?” asked Sophia with a frown. “I haven’t seen her since luncheon.”
The four heiresses and their husbands had spent the holidays in the house together, along with their chaperone, Lady Serena, and her son, Jeremy.
“Of course,” Gemma said. “I think she’s tucking Jeremy in. She said she’d come up to see us as soon as she was finished.”
“I still can’t believe you managed to find the Beauchamp Lizard,” said Ivy with a shake of her head as she stepped over to one of the other chairs at the table. “With only an unfinished letter from Lady Celeste and those odious men trying to steal it from you.”
Gemma had been sad, at first, that she alone of the four heiresses hadn’t had a full letter and quest from their late mentor. But the truth of the matter was that she felt as connected to the bluestocking leader as she would have if she’d left her a whole trunkful of personal letters. Because she alone knew the same excitement Lady Celeste had when she saw the fossilized skull emerge from the chalk cliffs only a few hundreds of yards from where she sat now. And she’d been able to restore it to its rightful place in Lady Celeste’s collection.
“It wasn’t easy,” she said aloud. “But I had help from Cam, and I feel a certain degree of satisfaction knowing that Lord Paley wasn’t able to enjoy the fruits of his evil deeds.”
Once he’d recovered from his gunshot wound, Lord Paley had been taken to London to await his trial by the House of Lords, which wouldn’t happen for another month or so. But Gemma had little doubt that even if they didn’t sentence the man to hang, he would, at the very least, spend the rest of his life in gaol.
“I was a little surprised we were able to tear you away from polishing the Lizard,” said Sophia wryly. “I don’t believe any of the other pieces in the collection is afforded that kind of treatment.”
“It’s a very important find,” Gemma protested. “Once I hear from Cuvier in Paris I’ll know more, of course. But I am fairly certain this fossil will shed some light on how life developed in this part of England. In fact—”
She broke off when she realized her sister had been teasing her. “Well, it’s important,” she ended lamely. Then spoiled her vehemence by sticking out her tongue at Sophia.
“Ladies,” said Serena as she came into the room. “Must I remind you what constitutes good behavior? One does not stick out one’s tongue, no matter what the provocation.”
Her wide smile took any sting from her words, and the four heiresses welcomed their chaperone for the past year into the room by offering her a chair at the mahogany table and putting a glass of brandy in her hand.
“You were all so secretive about this little gathering,” she said after she’d taken a sip. “I couldn’t even persuade Maitland to tell me, and you all know my poor brother is hopeless at keeping secrets.”
“It’s one of his most admirable qualities,” said Daphne with a grin. “I was able to winkle every last one of my Christmas gifts from him.”
“But in this case, he held firm,” Serena said with a shake of her head.
“You don’t have the same sorts of persuasive tactics at your disposal,” Gemma said dryly.
“There is that,” Serena said with raised brows.
“Now,” she continued her blue eyes sparkling, “you’d better tell me what you’re plotting before I die of curiosity.”
Ivy looked round at the other three and with their nods of agreement, she said, “First of all, we would like to know if you’ve decided where you’ll go once you’ve decided to leave Beauchamp House. Or, rather, if you truly wish to go at all.”
Serena looked from one to the other of them. “I had thought to return to the Maitland estate,” she said carefully. “Though if that is no longer agreeable to you, Daphne—”
“If you wish it,” Daphne said carefully, “then I am agreeable. But we have another offer.”
“We, the Beauchamp heiresses,” said Gemma with a smile.
“For you, and Jeremy if you wish it,” Sophia added.
“We-would-like-to-turn-Beauchamp-House-into-a-school-for-bluestockings-and-we-would-like-for-you-to-run-it,” said Ivy in one long breath.
When the other three heiresses stared at her, the classical linguist shrugged. “I made up my own compound word.”
Serena blinked. “What did you say?”
“In a slower fashion,” said Gemma wryly, “we would like to turn Beauchamp House into a sort of haven for lady scholars like ourselves, and we would like you to serve as chaperone to them. And perhaps oversee a few scholars we employ to live here and instruct them. Like a school, but without all of the strictures and silliness that are emphasized at ladies’ schools. More like university learning for ladies.”
“You wouldn’t need to interact with them on a daily basis if you didn’t wish it,” said Sophia hastily. “Since I’ll be only a few miles away at the vicarage, I can come and manage things for you from time to time if you become overwhelmed.”
“Or we could hire someone to be the headmistress,” said Ivy quickly. “You needn’t do it at all if you don’t wish it. I know being forced to stay here for the past year must have been tiresome at times, when you wished to visit friends, or see family. We simply thought that since you’d done such a good job of it with us. And there’s no one we’d trust to protect Beauchamp Hall than you.”
At that Serena began to laugh. And laugh. Until tears were streaming down her face.
“You needn’t make fun of us,” said Daphne stiffly. “If you don’t want to do it, you need only say so.”
“Oh my dears,” said Serena, wiping her eyes, and reaching across the table to take Daphne’s hand with her free one. “I’m not making fun. Truly, I’m not. It’s just that, I think I can say unequivocally that I have been the most inept chaperone ever to hold the title.”
“Of course you haven’t,” Ivy protested. “You were quite cross when I had to marry Quill after only a few days’ acquaintance.”
“And you were most firm when you overheard Maitland and me in the wine cellar,” Daphne added with a nod.
“You looked properly upset when you caught Benedick coming into the breakfast parlor that time,” said Sophia solemnly.
Gemma shrugged. “I think by the time I disappeared overnight with Cam you were used to misbehavior. But you did call the magistrate when Lord Paley tried to shoot me, which cannot be overlooked.”
“My dear girls,” said Serena beaming at all of them. “You cannot think I am the right person to head up this endeavor. I cannot believe it.”
“But you’re the perfect person,” Ivy protested. “You are kind, you are a paragon of good behavior yourself and therefore a good role model.”
“And you never fail to say and do the right thing,” said Daphne. “I know, because I’ve watched hoping you would fail, but you never do. It’s most frustrating.”
“But I know nothing about running a school,” Lady Serena protested.
“That’s the perfect part,” Gemma said with a smile, “it wouldn’t be a school as we all understand schools to be. It would be more of a house of learning where the female scholars we choose—we’ve decided they needn’t come from the gentry or the aristocracy, because why should education be only for those with money—would be afforded the tutelage they need to become proficient in their fields of study. They could go on to become teachers or governesses themselves, or time in Beauchamp House would give them the propriety and manners they need to rise in society.”
“But that sounds like a finishing school,” Serena argued.
“A finishing school with scholarly learning too,” Sophia said. “And the arts, of course. I would be happy to come once a week and teach painting, for instance.”
“And what is the mission of this endeavor to be?” Serena asked. “To turn out intelligent wives?”
“To turn out educated women,” Gemma corrected her. “Who can mix in whatever society they like, and pursue their scholarly endeavors with the confidence needed to hold their own in a world of men.”
“I’m not a scholar, though,” Serena insisted. “I’ve only ever been a wife and mother. I haven’t one ounce of the scholarly learning the four of you have.”
“You’re a scholar of society,” said Daphne. “You know more than I ever will about the rules of precedence. Or how to properly address the wife of a baronet’s younger son.”
“You know what month it’s best to air out the linen closet, and what dishes might be made from a goose,” said Ivy.
“Your needlework puts all of ours to shame,” Gemma said wryly.
Serena couldn’t argue with any of that. Because she’d found almost as soon as the four heiresses arrived at Beauchamp House that what they knew about household management paled in comparison with what they knew about their fields of study.
“Even if one knows all there is to know about maths,” Daphne said, “it is still necessary to speak to the housekeeper about the dashed menus.”
Menus were a particular trial to Daphne now that she’d spent some time at the ducal estate.
“I have been wondering if it might be possible to remain here,” Serena said slowly, and knowing they’d won, the heiresses cheered.
“You won’t be sorry!” cried Ivy as she clapped her hands.
“I knew you would agree,” said Gemma as she pulled Serena into a hug. “You’ve enjoyed this year, admit it.”
Tears shone in Lady Serena’s eyes as she welcomed the hugs of her former charges. “It’s been the happiest year of my life, you scapegraces, and well you know it.”
“I say this calls for a toast,” said Gemma, suddenly needing to pay tribute to the woman whose brilliance and generosity had brought them all together.
Raising her brandy glass, she waited until the others had done the same.
“To Lady Celeste Beauchamp,” Gemma cried with a glance toward the portrait of their benefactress, which hung above the fireplace. “May we never forget her generosity of spirit.”
And almost at the exact moment they touched glasses the candles in the chandelier flickered.
The quintet were silent for a moment, exchanging wide-eyed glances.
“You saw that too, did you not?” Daphne asked, her blue eyes wide.
“I believe my aunt approves of your toast,” Lady Serena said with a nod toward the portrait.
Gemma lifted her glass again. “Thank you, Lady Celeste. Thank you for everything.”
The candles didn’t flicker that time, but Gemma was quite sure she saw the portrait wink.