A Principle of Honour

Chapter 6

As Melrose described in painful detail, his plans for Verity's future, she felt numb. It did not take her long to realise that she would soon lose everything that she valued most; her pride; her precious independence and, most importantly of all, her family. Every aspect of her life would be controlled by him; the clothes she wore; the people she met and even what she would say.

Eventually, the conversation drew to a close, and Melrose stood up and walked over to the fireplace. Once he had rung the bell to summon a footman, he picked up her cloak, walked over to her and placed it gently on her shoulders. After smoothing the cloak, he buttoned it around her neck and deliberately arranged her loose hair around the collar. As he touched her neck, ever so softly with his fingertips, Verity's blood ran cold.

'There you are, my dear,' he said, almost tenderly, 'I will give you one week to organise yourself and put your own affairs in order. It will also give you a little time to get used to my proposal.' He then bent down and brushed his lips against hers. 'I shall look forward to seeing you next week when we can complete our business transaction in a more intimate setting.'

As soon as he had stopped speaking, there was a knock on the door. 'Ah!' he said, as he took her arm and guided her towards the door, 'Reynolds is here. He will show you out.' Once they had reached the door, he took the key out of his pocket and unlocked it. 'Until next week, my dear,' he said, as he slowly kissed her hand.

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As soon as Verity was outside the front door of Highfields, she began to run. All she wanted, was to get away from that place and from the memory of Melrose's proposal. The bright sunshine, she had enjoyed that morning, had been replaced by a thick curtain of drizzle. She was not aware that the fine mist of water in the air, had caused her loose hair to become damp, and it was now beginning to stick to her face and neck. As she ran, she barely noticed the hot tears, she had managed to keep at bay throughout her meeting with Melrose, were now flowing down her cheeks.

The ground became uneven and caused her to stumble. As she tried to steady herself, she felt a stabbing pain in her side, that made it almost impossible for her to remain upright. It was at that moment when she realised how exhausted she really was that she sunk to her knees. As she knelt, in the middle of a sodden field on that miserable afternoon, the gravity of her situation overcame her, and she began to sob.

She did not know how long she had knelt in that muddy field, but the water was beginning to seep through the material of her cloak. However, amid her despair, she felt someone gently touch her shoulder. 'Miss Stanford,' she heard a steady voice say, 'you cannot stay here.'

✽✽✽

It was late in the afternoon when James after he had spent several hours riding by himself, decided he had better return to the house. The house party, including the guests, were not at all to his taste, and he had been regretting his decision to attend. On the first day, he had been asked by Ellington to play cards. He sensed that Ellington, and his cousin, had an ulterior motive for his presence at Highfields. Since arriving, he had won a good deal of money, and it seemed a little strange that Melrose and the other guests, did not seem to mind his good fortune. They were all quite happy just to play him, even if they lost heavily.

When he had begun his ride, it had been a beautifully crisp, but a little breezy, Autumn day. However, over the past hour, the weather had suddenly changed, as it often did in the West Country, and the clear blue sky had been replaced by a blanket of mist and drizzle.

He was approaching the stables at Highfields when he saw, in the distance, a woman running across a field. He would not have seen her if it had not been for her long red hair that seemed to be the only colour visible on that dreary afternoon. James immediately recognised her; it was Miss Stanford. What was she doing running across a muddy field in this weather? She must be in trouble, he thought to himself. He then encouraged his already exhausted horse to go in her direction. As he approached her, he saw her fall to her knees, in exhaustion.