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Hebe found herself ruthlessly tucked up in bed by Anna who demanded, ‘Qué pasa?’ the moment she was sure they were alone. ‘The Major cannot surely want to snatch you away from your family so quickly, and in your condition?’
‘I think he is afraid I will manage to escape him somehow, and it touches his honour that he has ruined me,’ Hebe said wearily. ‘He has assured me that he would not dream of touching me.’
‘Until you are well,’ Anna said.
‘Why, yes, I assume so,’ Hebe replied, startled. ‘I mean, I know he is in love with Lady Clarissa, or whatever she is called now, but he is a man, after all. And beside
anything else, he must want heirs.’
‘And this you do not mind?’ Anna asked.
‘Of course I mind,’ Hebe said sadly. ‘Do you think I like the idea that my husband is in love with another woman and only making love to me because he has to, or because I am…handy?’
‘Handy?’ Anna worked the expression out. ‘Oh, I see, you are to hand. But you are in love with him, so you would like him to make love to you? No?’
‘Of course.’ Hebe was trying not to blush.
‘And you are not afraid of him? After what happened? It cannot have been a pleasant experience.’
‘No, I am not afraid of him, and, yes, it was not pleasant. But you know, Anna, because it was Alex, and I love him, there was something…’ She broke off, the blush getting the better of her.
‘Ah ha! I thought so,’ the older woman said with a smile. ‘It will be all right, querida, you let him make love to you as soon as possible, and he will soon forget that other silly woman.’ She added something crisply in her own language.
Hebe smiled. ‘You are very Spanish this afternoon, Anna.’
‘That is because we are planning a wedding. It brings out the duenna in me.’
Hebe suddenly thought of something that she had not considered. ‘Anna, you will come to Tasborough Hall with me, will you not?’
‘But surely, Hebe, you do not want me there? You will just be married…what will the Major say?’
‘I am to be a Countess,’ Hebe said firmly, ignoring an hysterical desire to laugh at such a ridiculous thought. ‘And I imagine no one would think it odd that I have a lady companion. I must find a maid, and I expect Aunt will say I should have a dresser as well, but I don’t think I want to deal with one of those very superior servants just yet.’
‘I will remind Señora Fulgrave, then. Are there places in London where one can find maids?’
‘Yes, Registry Offices. Would you be very kind and remind Aunt Emily that we need to put that on the list?’
Anna went out and Hebe fell into a doze, too worn out to lie awake worrying about what was happening to her.
Dusk had fallen before she woke to find her aunt sitting beside the bed, a chamber candle lit, waiting for her to wake.
‘Oh, I am sorry, Aunt Emily, have you been there long?’
‘Twenty minutes or so, dear. I just wanted to make sure you were all right after all the excitements of the day.’
‘Yes, thank you.’ Hebe sat up against the pillows. She did, indeed, feel much better: less tired, with no discomfort and even the sharp attacks of misery that had kept piercing her when she least expected it had settled into a quiet melancholy regret at the back of her thoughts. The events since she had landed at Portsmouth were beginning to take on the aspect of a dream.
She realised that her aunt was looking uncomfortable and said, ‘Is anything wrong, Aunt Emily?’
‘No, dearest. It is just that with your mother not being here—’ She broke off, then said more firmly, ‘Is there anything you would like to ask me, dear? About men and…er…marriage?’
‘Oh. Oh, I see.’ Hebe smiled reassuringly at her aunt. ‘Thank you, but I…I mean, before I left Gibraltar…’
Her aunt leapt immediately to the conclusion she had hoped. ‘Of course, your mama took the opportunity to have a little talk. Well, if there is anything else you would like to ask me, you must not hesitate.’
She left a short while afterwards, reassured. Hebe closed her eyes and wondered what her aunt’s reaction would be to the news that her well-brought-up niece needed no instruction at all as to what happened between a man and a woman.
Chapter Twenty-One
