51. A meeting on Rotten Row

The weather in the early and middle parts of March was horrendous. Any time outside of Rogeringham House was generally spent in dashing from house to carriage and from carriage back to the house.

So, when at the end of March, Spring sought to regain its rightful place on the calendar with a number of fine days I had to get out.

All of the Rogeringham women were involved in dress-making or being fitted for dresses in some way, shape or form; Henry was busy with some accounts from our farms, so I exited quickly and took Naiad for a circuit of Hyde Park or two.

This was a day I had been waiting for. This was what all of the care and attention in the stable yard at Rogeringham Hall had been about. Everyone that was associated with Naiad's care was satisfied that she had fully recovered. When I asked Matthew, the boy that was most responsible for her tending and exercise - and who positively beamed when I asked his opinion on the matter, assured me that she was ready to be ridden out.

Matthew had brushed Naiad so that she gleamed like burnished copper in the sun. He had brushed her mane and her un-docked tail so that they draped just so. And when she walked about the yard, she had so much energy that she bounced. Naiad has a long, straight-legged stride and when she trots, she looks the perfect picture that I had imagined she would.

We entered Hyde Park and made our way towards Rotten Row, drawing admiring stares and spoken compliments. If I tipped my hat in acknowledgement of an admiring comment once, I tipped it a dozen times. Naiad appeared to be enjoying every second of it, her head was up and her ears forwards.

We had just begun our second circuit when I heard, "Your Grace! Your Grace!"

I looked to my left to see Arabella Dorrington, standing in an open landau, waving.

"Miss Dorrington!" I said when I finally brought the feisty mare to a stop. "Good morning to you!"

"Good morning, Your Grace."

The matched pair of greys pulling the landau set off at a walk and I walked Naiad alongside as we exchanged pleasantries.

"It feels such a long time since your excellent winter ball."

"Indeed!" I said, "I take it that you are keeping well?"

"Meeting Your Grace has made the day better. If I could ask you, would you care to ride with me for a circuit of the park?

"Pretend, Your Grace, that we are not two of the most eligible beings in London - I would have said the two most attractive, before I saw that magnificent lady you rode up on ..."

"Well, you and Naiad here, are certainly attractive, I would not include myself in such a list ..."

She leaned over and dabbed at me with her fan as a rebuke, then brought her head closer so that she could whisper, "Having the words 'duke of' in front of your name trumps any pretty boy looks, Your Grace, they easily make you the most handsome man in sight.

"But that aside," she said, in a more normal tone, "Let us forget all that, and behave as two friends out on a wonderful sunny morning should, and just ... gossip."

It was borderline scandalous for me to sit in the carriage with her, without a chaperone. However, with the landau's open top and the driver being present, I had no fears about propriety, so I gave Naiad's reins to Arabella's footman, who had gotten down from his seat to hold her for me, and mounted the landau with her. Arabella gathered her skirts and slid over to allow me to sit down.

"Edward!" She called to the footman, "We shall take a couple of turns of the park, look after His Grace's beautiful mare and we shall return for you."

The carriage set off at a walk and I almost felt sorry for the footman who had been marooned in the heat of the spring sunshine, until I saw him walking Naiad into the shade where there was a drinking fountain.

"Now!" Arabella said, "How are you finding life out of the army? Are you coping with the changes?"

For a moment I just looked at her. She laughed, it was a delightful tinkling sound, cultivated, of course, but artfully so for the best effect. "Don't forget, that I have observed you in uniform, Your Grace," again she leaned in, conspiratorially, "You were a soldier through and through, I imagine the change from that to ordinary life is something of a shock. I will freely admit that I have found the move from Portugal back to London, difficult."

"I am doing much better, thank you." I told her, "I find the urge to bark orders at people has diminished greatly, and I no longer rise in the middle of the night to go and check the watch. I find I am still busy but the concerns are very different now, thanks to being at home in the bosom of my family."

"Speaking of which, how is your dear mother? And those lovely sisters? Especially the beautiful Lady Charlotte?"

I looked at her, surely not?

"Arabella? What are you saying?"

"Nothing Your Grace, nothing at all, merely asking after them." She fanned herself rapidly.

"How are you then?" I asked. "You say that you are having problems with life here in England?"

"I miss Portugal," she confided. "Oh, there is so much more to do back here at home, but the young men - and the young women - lack the vitality of those about the army. It is almost boring.

"But then I see you, Your Grace," Her smile was radiant, and this time, I felt it was genuine. "And I am reminded of what fun we had there."

There was much that was artificial about Arabella Dorrington, her laugh and the way she comported herself, her artful grace, but it seemed that at times she opened up and I was allowed to see the real woman behind the curtain. If I am being truthful, I quite liked that person.

She is pretty without the simpering girlishness of many society women. She is astute, despite her youth, with a keen intellect and she is genuinely kind in many ways. She can also be very open, to me at least, which is another admirable trait.

"Tell me," She asked, "About the young man who is going to marry the lovely Hermione? I understand that the wedding is to be the event of the Season. What are his family like?"

"They are interesting people," I told her, "I think that they are the future." When she asked me what I meant, I explained about what I saw as the changes in society. To many women I think that this would have put them to sleep instantaneously, but not Arabella. Rather she asked questions, getting me to explain what I was thinking.

"So, you are saying that you think our life style will change?"

"Not yours, dear Arabella, a clever, handsome woman like yourself, will always make her way in life."

"Do you really think that I'm clever, Your Grace?"

Naiad whickered at me as we drove past them, the young man stood beside her in the shade.

"Of course I do, Arabella, and you know that." I laughed. "What changes will come I cannot tell yet. But they will, and I am determined to make the best of them that I can - for my family and the people that depend on me."

Arabella thought for a few minutes, it was a mark of how comfortable we felt together that we neither of us needed to fill the silence. Finally, she looked at me.

Speaking in a low voice, she said, "Your Grace. William. I wish to tell you something, because I think it is important that you know it, and I can think of no other way than to do it directly."

I nodded.

"I like women," she said, "I like men too, but mainly as companions, I have slept with very few. I prefer to be with a woman. I have slept with considerably more of them."

I nodded again, without commenting.

"And that is one of the reasons why I have so much regard for you, William. When I said very few men, you did not react. Obviously, you are one of them, you were my first, as you know, and I have no issue with saying that you are one of the best lovers I have encountered. And still, you do not react, or crow, or ... or ... whatever!"

"I am merely trying to comprehend what you are telling me, Arabella. No. Not the tribade thing. I am a devout believer in whatever gets us through the night hours, so that is neither here nor there. I was just wondering why you suddenly decided to tell me all of this."

"What I am trying to say, Your Grace, is that what you said about dealing with changes - confronting them - struck a chord in me. I struggled with my feelings for so long," she said. "That was why mother engaged you to sleep with me. She thought to get you to fuck it out of me, the old hypocrite!"

She laughed. "My mother is just as divided as I am, though I would say that she is more even-handed than me, she likes both men and women in even measures, as you may have noticed."

Arabella sat upright; her tone more conversational, but with some purpose now.

"When I said before that we are two of the most eligible beings in London, I meant it, Your Grace. I believe people see us as an obvious match - I just wanted to be clear regarding that for the future." Arabella laughed, making me think that, to her mind at least, that us being thrown together by public opinion was not what she wanted.

It wasn't what I wanted either, and I was curious as to where she was going with this.

It seemed as if she had come to a resolution. "I hold you in very great regard, Your Grace. You are a fine lover, but more importantly, from all I hear, you are a good man, and now, a friend. Once the Season gets underway, I think that many people will seek to push us together and marry us off because of who we are and what they want from us. We both have our own lives and wish to live them as we want to. Perhaps we can ... work together? Cooperate, to further our own best interests?"

"As we are exposing our secrets," I said, softly, "And for very much the same reasons - I am sleeping with my mother."

Arabella nodded. "One only had to watch you at your winter ball. To those that know these things, it was obvious."

"I have always loved her," I said. "I respect you greatly, Arabella, I hold you in great regard also - you and your mother - but it can never come near to the way I feel about Helena."

Arabella nodded once more, acknowledging my admission.

We were coming back round to where Arabella's man was waiting with Naiad. "You fool many people, Miss Dorrington, with your girlish manner and supposed empty-headedness ..."

I alighted from the carriage and she moved over to my side, so that only we could hear each other. "But I have seen the real you, and it is a person that I genuinely admire and I find my affection for you has grown. I am pleased that we call each other friend, and I think your proposal has merit. I will give it some serious consideration."

I kissed Arabella's offered hand, and went to remount, the footman holding Naiad's head as I did so. The mare had grown bored of standing, she was skittish and wanted a canter. "Please call at Rogeringham House, any time you wish, Miss Dorrington, you and your mother will always be welcome."

And so, throwing a sixpence to Arabella's footman, Naiad and I were off.