Lady Alexandra's Hunt Chapter 7, a pride and prejudice fanfic

LFU, your comment made me realise something that puzzled me for decades.

According to my research, during the Regency period (and probably before and after) young ladies were not supposed to go anywhere unaccompanied. At a ball they were supposed to be accompanied by their chaperone between dances, even to visit the ladies retiring rooms. I ignored that of course for my story. (OK, when I wrote that chapter originally about 18 months ago, I did not know about this.) But this might explain why many women still visit the Lady's rooms in pairs. There is safety in numbers.

~~H~~

London Seasons 1803

1803

The following year, Lady Beatrice, the Countess of Marven was pleased to present Lady Alexandra Hunt to London society.

The beginning of the season coincided with Lady Alex's eighteenth birthday and the end of Lady Beatrice's official guardianship of her niece. Because Lady Beatrice had no other commitments and the two ladies were very fond of each other, she remained in residence with her niece. Since Alexandra needed a companion due to the demands of propriety which claimed that a young woman could not live on her own, the presence of her aunt served a double purpose. It also gave the impression that Alexandra was still under the guardianship of her aunt.

After Alexandra's presentation at court, which had been arranged in a private audience to minimise awareness of her independence, they called on select friends and were invited to attend a variety of soirees, dinners and balls.

~~H~~

As a counter to all her social engagements, Alexandra loved to go riding early in the morning. Even though she took a groom with her, the man's taciturnity was most welcome, as it allowed her thoughts free rein. Since most members of society slept late, Rotten Row, which was usually crowded at noon, was only sparsely populated in the early hours.

One morning, she had just arrived at Rotten Row, when she spotted a very small rider on a large horse cantering a short distance ahead of her. She was just in time to see an urchin throw something at the pair, which must have hit the horse, as it suddenly reared, before taking off at a frantic gallop, leaving the rider unbalanced and clinging to the saddle.

Without even thinking, Alexandra urged Pegasus after the bolting horse. As she sped along, she was grateful of the smooth sandy surface of the road, and that it was deserted. As she came closer, she saw that the white-faced rider was a young boy.

Alexandra manoeuvred Pegasus closer to the sweating horse. When she was withing range, she leaned over and managed to get hold of the reins, which the boy had dropped. When she gently pulled, the horse which was starting to calm down after its fright, responded by slowing down. By the time they reached the end of the road, the horse was willing to stop.

Keeping hold of both sets of reins, she patted both horses. Pegasus accepted the pats as his due, tossing his head and snorting gently. The other horse was still a little skittish, preventing his rider from calming down.

'I hope that you do not mind my saying so, but I believe it would be advisable if you picked a mount closer to your own size,' she commented with an encouraging grin. 'Although I suppose you would have done well enough, if that urchin had not spooked your horse.'

'Thank you, my lady,' the boy at last found his voice. 'Usually, Hermes is much better behaved. I did not expect him to suddenly take off like that.'

'Do you often ride Hermes?' Alexandra asked curiously.

The boy blushed. 'Ah… no… ah… this was the first time,' he blurted out.

'Why do I get the impression that this was an unauthorised outing?'

The boy hung his head, and whispered. 'I was tired of having to ride my pony.'

'So, you had to try the biggest stallion in your father's stable.' Alexandra laughed. 'I can understand the temptation, but recommend that you work your way up to it.'

'All would have been well, if he had not been spooked,' the boy now raised his head and defiantly defended his action.

'True, but you cannot count on everything going well. You therefore need to be able to control your mount, even in difficult circumstances.'

Alexandra turned to the groom, who had accompanied her, and had just caught up with them. 'Larkin, would you please check that the young man's horse has not come to any harm from his adventure.'

Larkin dismounted and exchanged his reins with that of Hermes. As he led the horse a few steps, he noticed a slight limp. 'I think it would be best if the young master dismounted, to minimise the strain.'

The boy looked crestfallen. 'My father will kill me,' he mourned as he dismounted.

'Who is your father?'

'William Molyneux, the Earl of Sefton,' the boy responded, still worrying about his father's reaction to his favourite stallion being injured.

'And that would make you…'

'Charles William Molyneux, Viscount Molyneux, at your service.' The young Viscount remembered his manners. 'May I know your name, my lady?'

'I am Lady Alexandra Hunt, the Countess of Herne. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, My Lord.'

'I am honoured to meet you, My Lady.' He bowed. Charles looked embarrassed as he requested. 'Countess, is it asking too much, if I request that you accompany me home. Perhaps hearing that Hermes was injured due to an urchin, might mitigate my father's… ah… displeasure.'

'Where do you live?'

'Our house is in Arlington Street.'

'Very well, I shall come along and explain in glowing detail the nefarious actions of that urchin.' Alexandra grinned at the look of relief on the face of the young viscount. 'Larkin, would you assist his lordship to mount behind me. Then you can lead Hermes.'

Once they were on their way, Charles noticed something. 'You are riding astride,' he exclaimed. 'I thought that ladies only rode side-saddle.'

'You cannot gallop when you are perched in such an insecure position. I have a strong preference for not breaking my neck, just to satisfy conventions.'

The young Viscount sighed. 'I am most grateful that you do not follow conventions, and I must thank you for your aid.'

'You are welcome. But tell me, how old are you?'

'I am seven years of age,' Charles drew himself up to his full height, trying to look impressive.

'You are?'

'Well, almost,' he admitted, as his shoulders slumped a little.

They chatted pleasantly, while they rode at a slow walk, until they arrived at the house in Arlington Street.

~~H~~

As soon as Charles slid off Pegasus' back, the front door opened and a man in his early forties exited the house. 'Charles, where have you been? And why is Hermes being led?'

Alexandra dismounted and greeted the gentleman, 'good morning. Lord Sefton, I presume?'

Charles, desirous of averting his father's displeasure as long as possible, spoke up. 'Father, this lady is Lady Alexandra Hunt, the Countess of Herne. Lady Alexandra, may I introduce my father, Lord William Molyneux, the Earl of Sefton.'

After their greetings, Alexandra suggested, 'there has been a small accident, and Hermes could do with some attention. He has suffered a small strain, after being pelted with a stone by an urchin, and taking off in fright. I must congratulate Lord Molyneux for being able to stay mounted during this episode. Many a lesser rider would have been thrown. Since I was in the vicinity, I was able to offer my assistance by escorting them home.'

Lord Sefton looked a little dubious, at her carefully edited retelling of the event, but decided to accept it for the nonce. 'I am grateful for your assistance to my family, Lady Alexandra. Might I offer you refreshments and introduce you to my wife?'

'I would be delighted to meet Lady Sefton. I have heard many complimentary things about her.'

Lord Sefton offered her his arm, as he told his son, 'off to the schoolroom with you, young man. We will discuss this later.'

Charles was only too happy to escape his father's potential ire for the moment, and followed the instructions, after expressing his thanks once more to Lady Alexandra, and noting that staff had arrived to take the horses to the stables.

~~H~~

Lord Sefton led Alexandra to the morning room, where Lady Sefton was pacing. The gentleman introduced the ladies and gave his wife the gist of what had occurred.

'I must thank you for bringing our son home, Lady Alexandra. I was most concerned when I discovered that Charles had snuck out with Hermes. That boy is simply smitten with horses.'

Her husband gave an indulgent chuckle. 'He comes by his passion honestly. I too cannot resist a good horse.' Once their guest was settled with a cup of tea, Lord Sefton asked, 'what did really happen to Charles? While the story you recounted sounded quite plausible, I suspect that there is more to the story.'

'Everything I told you is what happened,' Alexandra prevaricated.

Lord Sefton still looked unconvinced. 'Please, Lady Alexandra, tell me all. Do not be concerned that Charles will suffer unduly, since Hermes' injuries are only slight.'

'Very well, since you insist and will not punish him excessively. When Hermes reared, he dropped the reins, and during that frantic gallop, he was unable to reclaim them. Fortunately, Pegasus lived up to his name and I was able to catch up with Hermes and bring him to a stop. But as I said before, Lord Molyneux did well not to be thrown.'

Lord Sefton shook his head in mock despair. 'Although it seems to much like rewarding him for his unauthorised ride and endangering himself and my horse, I suppose I had better get him a horse to replace his pony.'

'It might be best. That way he will not be tempted to embark on excursions on his own.'

Now that the events of the morning had been settled, Lady Sefton commented, 'I have heard of your presentation at court, and was hoping to meet you. It is highly unusual for a woman to inherit a title. All London is abuzz with the news.'

Alexandra looked somewhat chagrined as she said, 'I could almost wish that I had a brother, then I would not have to deal with all that bother.'

'You do not like being a countess?'

'Please, do not misunderstand, I like it well enough, but I dislike being treated as a curiosity, like some kind of a five-day wonder.'

Lady Sefton laughed. 'Do not trouble yourself too much. Even though you are a nine-day wonder, after ten days the novelty will wear off for the members of the ton. Then someone else, or a new scandal will replace their interest in you.'

The two ladies continued their chat, and even though Lady Sefton was about a dozen years her senior, Alexandra found her remarkably easy to talk to. But soon she recalled herself to the time, and took her leave.

Lady Sefton promised to call on Alexandra very soon.

~~H~~

A few days later, Lady Beatrice was pleased to welcome Lady Sefton, who came to call in company of a few of her friends. Those friends just happened to be the patronesses of Almack's.

At the end of the call, Lady Beatrice was even more pleased. With a personal invitation by those ladies to attend a ball at Almack's, Alexandra could no longer demur visiting that institution.

~~H~~

Lady Alexandra attended various events with mixed feelings. Like many young ladies, she enjoyed the company of interesting people, good conversation and she loved to dance. This enjoyment was tempered with the warnings of her guardian and her good friends that most young men would be more interested in her wealth and position than in her as a person.

Her aunt even provided her with a list of gentlemen, detailing their background and information about their character. There were warnings against any number of names, such as gambler, rake, drunkard, spendthrift and some even claimed a vicious temper.

She found out that she had been spoiled by the company she had enjoyed most of her life. The gentlemen who paid attention to her made her doubt the fitness of the human race, and it made her curious about her aunt's sources of, apparently very accurate, information.

Some of the gentlemen and conversations stood out in her mind.

~~H~~

'Young woman,' wheezed the Viscount of -. 'How dare you style yourself as Countess of Herne. Countess is a courtesy title reserved for the wife of an Earl, not the unmarried daughter of one. You shame your family by putting on airs.'

'My Lord, you are obviously not as well informed as you ought to be,' Alexandra gritted her teeth at the old bore's ranting, who had been trying to put her in her place for the last ten minutes. She suspected that his main problem was the fact that her own rank was higher than his. 'As the heir to my deceased father, I am the Countess of Herne suo jure.'

'Women cannot hold titles in their own right,' the old Viscount insisted. 'That is against nature.'

'It is surprising you never heard of Henrietta Godolphin, the second Duchess of Marlborough, who still lived when you were born. And, I believe, she was almost a neighbour to you.' Alexandra added her parting shot with a raised eyebrow, while the Earl still spluttered behind her.

~~H~~

Then there was Randolph Stone, the nephew of her great-aunt Felicity, who insisted on pestering Alexandra on the strength of family connections, no matter how tenuous they might be.

'Cousin Alexandra, when I am the Earl, you will not have to worry your pretty little head about business. I am certain it will not be long before I will have everything back to running properly.'

'Cousin Randolph, pray tell, why do you think that Herne Hyde is not running as it should be?' she asked in a deceptively pleasant tone.

'My dear cousin, an estate never runs properly without a master overseeing it. Your steward may be excellent, but there are decisions only the master of an estate can and should make. I am convinced your steward does his best but an estate needs a master.'

'My estate has a master,' corrected Lady Alexandra. When Randolph looked puzzled, she added, 'I am the master.'

He smiled patronisingly. 'I am certain you are a wonderful Mistress of Herne Hyde, but no woman can be Master. Their minds are not capable of dealing with the intricacies of business.'

'How could you possibly know how to run an estate, since you have never done so.'

'Uncle Durham has done me the honour of instructing me on estate management, and has been instrumental in my training.'

'Oh dear, that does not bode well for your future. From reports which I have had, great-uncle Durham has yet to learn that an estate is supposed to be managed in such a way that it is profitable. Running it further and further into debt, is generally frowned upon.'

Randolph blanched. Uncle Durham must not be aware that Lady Alexandra was very well informed about the state of his finances. Durham had sponsored his nephew for the season, in the expectation that Randolph would be able to secure Alexandra, whom he expected to be an inexperienced young girl; and more importantly her wealth, which Randolph would share with his uncle.

He received a further shock when Alexandra continued. 'You also labour under another misconception. I already pointed this out to Aunt Durham more than a year ago. I am the Countess of Herne, but the man I marry will never be the Earl. That title will eventually go to my oldest son.' Alexandra smiled sweetly. 'No mere male will ever be able to usurp my position.'

She had the satisfaction of seeing stunned disbelief and chagrin on her cousin's face, before she turned her back on him and walked away.

~~H~~

Mr Newton was not interested in her title, only her wealth.

'Why do you concern yourself with such menial tasks as running an estate. That is why you hire a steward. You should stay in town and enjoy everything that society has to offer.' Mr Newton suggested.

'Because unlike you, I do not enjoy drinking to excess and suffer the aftereffects, which will eventually give you jaundice. I also have no interest in gambling. I prefer to use my money for more appealing pursuits. I am fully aware that you need a bride to cover your gambling debts with her dowry. I should warn you, that ploy only works once.'

The gentleman gaped at her. 'How…' he spluttered.

'Are you asking how do I know about these things or how do I know these things about you?' Lady Alexandra asked sweetly. 'You should know that my guardians have made enquiries about all potential suitors. You may wish to spread the word amongst your friends, wastrels need not apply.'

~~H~~

'How did you get on with Cousin Randolph last night?' asked Lady Beatrice at breakfast the next day.

'Would you believe he tried to convince me that he could run the estate better than I can.' Alexandra chuckled. 'Do not worry your pretty little head about it. Women are incapable of understanding the intricacies of business.' She mimicked her cousin's tone.

'I presume you disabused him of that notion?'

'Naturally. I also disabused him of the notion that my husband would be the Earl. He was not happy about either of my arguments.'

'Mr Newton wanted to show me the delights of town living, and I cannot remember all the other inane topics of conversation.' Alexandra sighed, 'you were correct once again, most men are only interested in me for my money and of course as a broodmare.'

~~H~~