A Teacher of Love

CHAPTER ONE - 1873-1

CHAPTER ONE

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1873Tasia walked into the house and handed her riding whip and gloves to Yates, the butler.

“Did you have a nice ride, Miss Tasia?”

“Delightful, thank you, Yates. Any sign of Papa yet?”

“I don’t think his Lordship will arrive much before dinner, Miss Tasia.”

“Then I have plenty of time to change.”

Tasia ran up the stairs, thinking how much she had enjoyed riding in Rotten Row, although it would have been even more enjoyable if she had been in the country.

Her father, however, had insisted on her coming to London.

She had reluctantly left the horses she adored in the country. The horses were extra special to her because for the last two they had been almost her only companions.

When she was eighteen, Tasia, the daughter of Lord Salwicke, had been about to make her debut in the London Season.

She had inherited her mother’s good looks and was exceedingly beautiful with her glorious golden hair.

Her father had thought it only needed the expensive wardrobe he had purchased for her for Tasia to become one of the beauties of the London Season.

She would certainly eclipse, he thought proudly, all the other young debutantes who were being presented at Court at the same time.

Tasia had been christened ‘Anastasia’ after one of her Godmothers, a Russian Princess, but from the moment she could speak she had called herself ‘Tasia’.

Her father and mother finally gave up the effort of attempting to make people call her by her longer and more distinguished name.

Everything was arranged for her ball at their large house in Grosvenor Square and already her many friends had begun to invite her to the Season’s balls and parties.

Then unexpectedly, just six weeks before they were to move to London, Tasia’s mother, Lady Salwicke, was taken seriously ill.

The doctors found it difficult to diagnose her illness but she needed nursing both day and night, making it impossible for her husband and Tasia to leave her.

Tasia adored her Mama and was at her bedside every possible moment.

Sadly, Lady Salwicke died after a year’s illness and her husband and daughter had been heartbroken.

As they were now in deep mourning, it meant that it was impossible for Tasia to join in the London Season.

So she remained in the country and rode her horses daily on her father’s estate.

As the family home was in a rather isolated part of the country there were few neighbours and she seldom saw anyone of her own age.

But even though she spent most of her time alone, she was never lonely. She was most content being with her father, who was an extremely intelligent man.

An ardent reader with an inquisitive mind, their huge library, that had been added to by generation after generation, was a constant source of delight for her.

Tasia had been a prize student at her school for young ladies in Florence and had a natural aptitude for languages.

She had come away with many prizes and the Head Mistress had said proudly that she was undoubtedly one of their most outstanding pupils.

But now it was the end of April, and after quietly celebrating her twentieth birthday in the countryside, her father finally said that they must go to London.

He declared that he would give the ball he had always promised her, but she could hardly call herself a debutante at twenty.

“I think it is an advantage,” Tasia said adamantly. “I was always convinced that I should find myself surrounded by giggling girls fighting amongst themselves to capture the best title. Now I am past that, and can enjoy the ball without fear.”

Her Papa had laughed.

“That is so true. At the same time, my dearest, you have missed the opportunity of entering the Social world in which you mother was such a successful hostess.”

“I could never be as good as Mama at anything, but I will certainly try.”

“What you have to do is to find yourself a charming and influential husband,” her father had answered.

Tasia had chuckled.

“Perhaps they don’t make them in your image any longer, Papa, but I do hope that my dream man will turn up sooner or later!”

Her father had not said anymore.

When they moved up to London, it was to find the arrangements he was making for her were more difficult than he had expected.

First of all he invoked the assistance of his female relatives.

They were very frank with him, making it clear that Tasia was now too old for debutante balls and too young for the parties given for married ladies, who disliked having to compete with unmarried females.

Dismayed, Lord Salwicke found that whilst everyone was delighted that he was giving a ball, they made excuses not to invite Tasia to dinner parties and the more intimate dances that took place afterwards.

He had, however, not told Tasia this – he merely said that he was opening the London house in Grosvenor Square on April 25th.

They would move, taking three of Tasia’s favourite horses so that she could ride in Rotten Row every day.

He thought to himself that, as she was so attractive, it would be only a short time before she became a huge success. He was sure that there would soon be hordes of adoring young gentlemen at her feet.

But Tasia had other ideas.

She was thrilled to be in London and anxious to visit every museum and art gallery, although she was sure that they could not compare with those she had seen in Florence.

In addition she enjoyed buying expensive clothes at the shops her father had suggested that she should patronise.

She discovered, however, that her outfits made the other women feel envious of her and they certainly did not please the young debutantes.

After three weeks of attending parties she did not particularly enjoy, she found that she had made very few new friends.

Disappointed and unused to hostile women, she told her father one evening that she would rather dine with him and his friends at home.

“What is wrong with you? Why are you not the huge success I expected you to be?” her father asked her almost abruptly.

“The truth is, Papa, I am too old for the young bright things and too young for the old married couples – and that is it in a nutshell!”

“I have never heard such nonsense,” he replied.

Equally she knew that he believed her.

Her father was not a fool and he understood the ways of the world. He had enjoyed a most interesting career in more than one field, having travelled all over the world and even undertaking special commissions for the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

This was a particular achievement and due to his intelligence, diplomacy and loyalty rather than him being a professional diplomat or spending a great deal of time in the House of Lords.

He often felt that it was extraordinary how many men far older than himself asked his opinion and that they invariably found his advice wise was an even bigger feather in his cap.

At the same time like his daughter, he preferred the country life and enjoyed hunting, shooting and fishing.

Now that his adored wife was no longer with him, he had no desire for the large house parties they had given when she was alive.

On one thing he was determined though – that his daughter should have a happy life of her own – which meant, in his opinion, that she should be married.

*

Tasia changed out of her riding clothes straight into a beautiful evening gown, the one she enjoyed wearing when she and her father were alone. Although it was only early, it seemed rather pointless to change first into an afternoon dress, as etiquette demanded, and then change again for dinner.

Her father was unlikely to have returned home just yet, so dressed for dinner she went into the library.

She wanted to locate a reference book on a subject she was particularly interested in.

It had become fashionable to study the development of mankind and to probe into the spiritual world.

So many different religions had arisen all over the world and Tasia was particularly interested in those of the East. She had studied Buddhism in considerable detail and the even more complicated religions of China and Japan.

She found the teaching of Ancient Wisdom far more interesting than the chatter of the Mayfair boudoirs.

She took down the book she was seeking and then sat in front of the mantelpiece to read it.

She became so absorbed in her book that she had no idea that her father had arrived home.

He entered the library in his evening dress.

Tasia looked up and gave a cry.

“Papa! I had no idea you were back.”

“I have been back for nearly two hours. Yates told me you were busy, so I had my bath and changed before I came in search of you.”

He gave a little laugh.

“I might have known you would be in the library!”

“I have just found something thrilling that I want to discuss with you later, Papa.”

“What you should be doing is discussing it with a charming young gentleman – not your poor old father!”

“A charming young gentleman would not have your brains, Papa. And if he was like most of the young men I have met in London, he would not have the slightest idea what I was talking about!”

Her father chuckled.

“Now you are flattering me, Tasia. Come into the drawing room. There is a glass of champagne waiting for us there and I have brought you a present.”

“Oh, how kind of you, Papa, but the best present I can possibly have is you.”

“I hope you will always think so, my dearest.”

Tasia slipped her hand into his and they walked together into the drawing room.

As he had said there was a bottle of champagne on ice and pâté sandwiches as well.

Tasia did not care too much for champagne, but she knew her father liked her to have a drink with him, so she took half a glass and sipped it slowly.

“What happened while you were away, Papa?” she asked. “You said you were going North on business, but I was not sure what that entailed.”

“Actually I was staying away with an old friend,” he replied slowly, “and the business I was having with him concerned you.”

“Concerned me? How could that be?”

Her father did not answer at once and she knew he was feeling for his words.

Impulsively she demanded,

“What is it, Papa? I know that you are upset and worried about something. You must tell me what it is.”

“Actually it is you, Tasia.”

“Me? Why me?”

“I have been realising for some time now how you have missed out on that which is most important to every young lady – your debut in the London Season.”

“Oh, that,” Tasia said scornfully. “How can you worry about anything so stupid? You know we both had to be with Mama! Honestly and truthfully Papa, I don’t miss all those traditional debutante dances and competing with girls of my own age for some silly young man puffed up with his own self-esteem!”

He laughed as if he could not help it.

“That is not what you should be saying and those ‘silly young men’, as you call them, are important because they are the husbands with whom a girl sets up her family. Nothing is more crucial in a woman’s life.”

“Not in mine! I can assure you I am perfectly content to be with you, Papa, so don’t worry about me, please.”

“But I do worry,” he protested, “and that is why I went to see a very special friend of mine who I particularly want you to meet.”

Tasia looked at him suspiciously.

“Are you saying in a roundabout way that you want me to marry him?”

Her father hesitated a moment.

“Actually he wants to marry you.”

Tasia stared at him.

“How could he possibly do so when he has never met me?”

“He has heard you talked about – and because you are my daughter he is very anxious that our families should be joined together in an unbreakable union that I am quite certain will make us all happy.”

Tasia just stared at him, incredulous.

“I cannot believe what you are saying, Papa,” she replied at last. “Are you really expecting me to consider this man as a husband before I have even met him?”