52. Mine For Ever

CHAPTER ONE 1889-1

CHAPTER ONE

1889It was a warm spring afternoon as Robert, the sixth Earl of Sherborne, arrived at Abbotsbury Hall, the home of Lilliana Parker.

A groom took hold of the reins of his horse.

“Is Miss Parker at home?” asked the Earl anxiously as he dismounted.

“Yes, my Lord. Is she expecting you?”

“No, she is not. I came over hoping I would find her in.”

The truth was that the Earl had some grim news to impart to her.

He had been wooing Lilliana for three months since the evening they had been introduced at a dinner party in London.

Lilliana’s father, Sir William Parker MP, was at the House of Commons for an important debate, so his wife, Eleanor, and their daughter had dined with friends.

It had been a simple affair – no more than a dozen guests and from the first moment that the Earl had set eyes upon Lilliana’s lovely face, he had known she was the only woman in the world for him.

Lilliana was tall and slender with jet-black hair and eyes the colour of russet chrysanthemums.

The Earl had been stunned by her innocent beauty and determined to make every endeavour to acquaint himself with her.

In turn she had been utterly charmed by the dashing Earl in military uniform that perfectly set off his fair hair and blue eyes.

The fact that they lived within a few miles of each other in Downleigh, Hampshire, was a happy coincidence.

When at the end of the evening, he had asked if he might call upon her, Lilliana was thrilled.

Being a well brought up young lady, she made a polite show of reluctance before telling him that she was accustomed to receiving visitors every Thursday afternoon between two and four o’clock.

From that moment on they saw each other as often as they possibly could.

Most of their friends expected an announcement to be imminent.

And now the Earl was the bearer of bad news that would cause Lilliana a great deal of sorrow.

Striding to the front door, the Earl noticed that the butler, Holmes, was holding it open, ready for him.

“Good afternoon, my Lord. This is an unexpected pleasure.”

“I have come to see Miss Parker, I believe she is at home?”

“She is indeed, my Lord.”

“Would you please tell her that I am here and wish to see her?”

“Very good, my Lord.”

The Earl waited anxiously in the comfortable small drawing room. Over the past months, he had often sat and waited for Lilliana in this very room and now he tried to imprint each and every last detail of it in his mind so that he would not forget how it looked.

Lilliana appeared at the door of the room.

Her long black hair was in loose plaits caught up at the nape of her neck and she was wearing a russet-coloured dress with a bustle that matched the colour of her eyes.

“Darling!” she cried, running into his outstretched arms. “What a wonderful surprise!”

The Earl took her in his arms and they embraced.

He adored how she felt so soft and small and the affectionate way she threw her arms around his neck.

“Darling, shall we walk outside? I long to see the gardens!”

Lilliana took his hand and led him out into the large garden. The house was blessed with considerable grounds and her father employed a whole team of gardeners to keep them immaculate.

“How lovely the lilac is,” the Earl commented.

“It’s early this year,” said Lilliana, “come and see the new arbour that Papa has had built. When the summer comes, it will be covered in roses.”

Like an excited child, she led him to a far corner of the garden where a seat just large enough for two nestled under a wooden arch.

“Darling, just think, this will be the place where we can hide from the rest of the world,” she sighed, holding his hand whilst looking deep into his eyes.

The Earl grunted and pulled away from her.

“I wish it was going to be like that, but I am very much afraid that I will not be here in the summer to share its full beauty with you.”

Lilliana looked at him in horror.

“What do you mean?”

A long moment passed by as he tried to summon up the courage to explain himself. He could not meet her gaze as he thought of the words he would say to her.

Finally he spoke – his voice cracking with emotion.

“Lilliana, you know I adore you. There is no other woman in the world I could love as much. But my duty to Queen and country has to come first. I am in the Army and my fate is not always mine to decide. So, when I tell you that only yesterday I received orders to move my Regiment out to India, you will know that I go only because I have to.”

“No!” cried Lilliana, tears springing into her eyes. “You cannot leave me!”

“Darling, I really have no choice,” he faltered, wiping his hand across his brow before straightening his back and continuing, “there has been a rebellion in Bombay that is too large for the units out there to quell. We are being deployed to help keep the peace and to ensure that the Russians, who are threatening invasion to the North, do not succeed.”

Lilliana sat down on the new arbour seat and wept.

“Do you know how long you will be away?”

The Earl shook his head, hardly able to look at her in case his emotions overcame him.

“I am very much afraid that I do not know, but I am hoping it will only be a short posting.”

“And you only discovered this yesterday?”

“Yes. As you know, I was summoned to Buckingham Palace for an audience with Her Majesty the Queen. I was not informed of the purpose but, on arrival, I was told it was a briefing on ‘The Great Game’.”

“The Great Game?” asked Lilliana looking puzzled. “What is that?”

“Well, it’s the name one of our intelligence Officers gave to the conflict between the British and Russian Empire in Central Asia, and it seems to have stuck. For years now the Russians have been trying their best to take a slice of Her Majesty’s Indian Empire. Occasionally, their troops push into Afghanistan and there are skirmishes on the border, but this time they have been stirring up trouble all along the North-West coast, which is seen as a direct threat.”

“And so, you have been asked to go to India?” Lilliana responded, her face unable to hide her pride despite her sadness.

“Yes, by Her Majesty herself. Lilliana, you should have seen her! She is tiny but so very Regal! She fills the room with her presence and her mind is like a razor! I had heard that grown men tremble in her presence and now I can understand why.”

“Did she speak to you?”

“She singled me out for special attention because the General mentioned that I would be leading reinforcements into Bombay. As you know, India is the jewel of the British Empire and of great importance to the Queen. She said that she expected great things of me because she knew my father!”

Lilliana gazed at him in awe.

“So you have caught the eye of the Queen and she will remember you! There are not many who can say that, Robert!”

The Earl blushed and looked down.

“You over-elevate my importance, my darling, and I dare say she has forgotten me already.”

“How could anyone ever forget you?” she murmured lovingly, stroking his face with her hand.

“She meets so many grand people – I am a mere soldier in her Army! Think of the many Princes and Kings trooping through the halls of Buckingham Palace!”

“None would ever be as handsome or dashing as you, my darling!”

The Earl took both her hands in his and kissed them gently. How he loved the slender fingers and pearly nails that reminded him of tiny shells.

He kissed each finger in turn before finally pressing his lips lovingly against hers.

Lilliana swooned in delight – she could not imagine life without Robert and yet, here she was about to face an uncertain future.

“Will you wait for me, darling?” he asked, as they pulled apart, breathless and intoxicated with the headiness of their love.

Lilliana hesitated.

Although she did love him so very much, could she endure the torment of being apart?

The Earl, panicking at her silence and believing her to be about to tell him that she could not possibly wait for him, suddenly dropped to one knee.

“Robert, what are you doing?” enquired Lilliana, a little puzzled.

“I cannot bear the idea that, in my absence, some other fellow might woo you and win your heart. I will not rest while I am in India unless you promise me that the day I return, you will be my wife!”

Lilliana gasped – she had not expected a proposal and, without even pausing to think, said,

“Yes, darling! I will!”

“My dearest wonderful girl!”

They fell into each other’s arms and kissed.

“This conflict will be over by Christmas,” said the Earl, reassuringly as she nestled against him. “We will be able to marry on St. Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh, my dearest – shall we now run and tell Mama and Papa? They will be so pleased – ”

A shadow passed over his face and his expression changed.

“I want you to promise faithfully not to tell anyone about our engagement, not even your parents. I am sorry that we cannot share our happiness, but the General is most strict on the marital status of his men – he does not allow engaged men to go into action. In his eyes, if a man is married, then that cannot be helped, but if they are not already wed, then they must remain single and unattached until such time as their Commission is discharged.”

Lilliana pulled away and turned to face the garden wall. She did not like the sound of this one bit!

“But, how would he know? I will ask Papa not to put a notice in The Times. He will not discover it, surely?”

“I am very sorry, Lilliana, but I must insist that our engagement remains a strict secret from everyone – even loved ones! One careless slip could ruin my reputation.

“This is the last commission I will undertake before I retire from the Army and I want to perform my duties with an unblemished record! The men of my family have served successive Kings and Queens and I just cannot be the first to throw in the towel before my time is up!”

Lilliana tried hard not to show how upset she was, but she could not prevent her tears from flowing freely.

Surely if he loved her, he would give up everything for her?

‘I would give up everything to stay with him,’ she thought, as they sat in silence.

The famous poem by Byron sprang to her mind –

“Love is to man a thing apart,

’tis woman’s whole existence.”

She smiled as she reminded herself that men were not like women. Love always took a second place when there were matters of great importance at stake.

It was not as if she was refusing him or saying that she would not wait. So he did not have cause to worry.

“Come, my darling, the time will fly past! It is now April and there are only eight months to wait until we can be together again. Think of how thrilled your parents will be if we announce our engagement on Christmas Day!”

Lilliana nodded and dried her eyes. He was right – as always. She was so weak and swayed by her emotions, whereas Robert was wise and level-headed in all things.

Their peace was suddenly disturbed by the sound of dogs barking.

“Papa!” whispered Lilliana, getting to her feet. “He has returned from London!”

Sure enough, across the garden strode a tall figure with dark hair just touched with grey at the sides.

William Parker was a handsome man and he carried himself with a noble air.

Two young Dalmatians, Spot and Bang, followed him at heel, leaping up and barking delightedly.

“Lilliana, are you out here?” called her father, as he played with the two dogs.

“I must go to him – wait here,” she said to the Earl.

“Do not forget, Lilliana – you must not tell him of our engagement!”

Sighing, she ran to her father and kissed him.

“Papa, you are home early!”

“Yes, but I am afraid that I cannot linger out here. I have brought some colleagues with me, but I wished to see you first.”