The Countess Read online

  “Do not worry yourself over him, Cordelia. In a few years you will be married to a handsome lord and live on a grand estate. All of Fountain Abbey wards are married to the best gentlemen here and abroad. Have faith in the lord, and all will be well.”

  “All will be well, indeed!” Cordelia muttered to herself as she made her way to the garden. She kicked a rock and watched it roll into a nearby bush. What had she done to deserve her father’s disdain? He did not know her at all. She curtsied quickly in front of Sister Constantine, who was waiting for her.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, ,ister.”

  “I was informed of your father’s visit, Lady Cordelia. I hope it went well.”

  “It was as the lord wished it to be.” She gave her a weak smile and walked into the garden toward her flower beds.

  Sister Constantine knelt back over her vegetables and continued pulling weeds.

  “Your flowers are quite beautiful Cordelia. You have the gift of a green thumb, given to you from the Lord above no doubt,” the sister said, without looking up from her task.

  “They are my only constant friends,” she replied.

  “It looks as though you may have gotten a new friend, today,” the sister said, as she scratched the dirt around the tomato bushes.

  “I have it in mind to refuse the gift. Why does my father care if I know how to ride anyway?” Cordelia demanded, angrily.

  “Be careful that you do not cut your nose off to spite your face, Cordelia,” the sister said, smiling, entertained by her attitude toward the horse. She sat back on her knees and looked at Cordelia. “Riding can offer freedom, if one would look at it with the proper perspective. Besides, it is currently a very popular pastime amongst ladies of the ton.”

  “And how would you know what is popular currently?” she asked, sardonically.

  “The lord provides the knowledge we need to train you girls in the latest trends. After all, we must stay current to be a school for the elite.” The sister stood and slapped her hands against her thighs to remove the loose dirt from her gloves.

  “I am sure it is a priority to the good lord to provide us with the latest trends of the ton!” Cordelia said sarcastically, as she studied the sister for a moment. “It was you wasn’t it, Sister Constantine? You wrote my father and convinced him that I needed to learn to ride, did you not?” she accused, narrowing her eyes at her. The sister looked away to smile. After all, vanity and pride were sins after all. “Why?”

  “Everyone deserves a little freedom while they are young. I thought this might suit you.” She shrugged. “You cannot live in the garden all the time. You need to experience new things.”

  “But…how? How did you convince him to…?”

  “I wasn’t always a nun, Cordelia. Let us leave it at that.”

  Chapter 3

  A few days later Mother Superior insisted Cordelia learn to ride the animal. Convinced her father had sent it so she could acquire the skill for a purpose, she meant to fulfill his wish. They would never take the chance of angering her father and jeopardize the fifteen hundred pounds a year they received for her care. They even went so as far as to hire a stable boy to see the task done. He was the only male allowed within the Abbey walls other than the groundskeeper, Mister Leroy.

  Mister Leroy was as meek as a mouse, and as frightened as one, too. He hardly looked at anyone, especially the sisters. He kept so much to himself that he was almost invisible. The ladies in residence barely noticed the man that worked the fields and cared for the animals. But, when the new stable boy moved into the back room of the barn, the Abbey was a buzz!

  Robert Tully, Rob, he called himself, was five years older than Cordelia. At nineteen, he was tall, and to her, the most handsome boy in the world. Granted, Rob was the only boy who had ever been in her world but thought him attractive nonetheless. He had chestnut hair, gray eyes, and an easy smile. She must have been right about her assessment, because after her first lesson, over half the girls at the school cornered her and interrogated her about him.

  “How old is he?”

  “Where is he from?”

  “Is he here because he wishes to enter the church?”

  The questions came so fast and furious that she had to hold up her hand and whistle loudly to get their attention, using the very skill Rob had taught her at her first lesson that same day. It was intended to summon her horse from the pasture, not tame this unruly gaggle of girls. Her newly acquired skill was already proving to have multiple uses.

  "Write down your questions, and I will ask him at my next lesson," Cordelia placated. Why did they not ask for a horse of their own, she wondered? Then they could have lessons and ask him anything they wanted. She would never suggest it though. The last thing she wanted was these debutants distracting her Rob!

  Rob was quite the gentleman, despite his young age. He always kept a respectable distance from his pupil. It was no wonder with the Mother Superior watching his every move and clearing her throat at anything she felt was inappropriate, including teaching Cordelia to whistle.

  “You put your two fingers together like this…,” he pressed the tip of his thumb to the tip of his index finger. “Then you press them against your tongue, just so…”

  "Ahem…" Mother Superior shook her head in his direction. "It is not ladylike to put your fingers in your mouth, Cordelia."

  “Then how will she call her horse, sister?” Rob asked, politely. “She cannot be traipsing in the mud to catch the animal, which I doubt she could do anyway. Besides, it would be dangerous for her to be in the corral with the horses. It is safer for her to call the animal to the stall and bridle it for saddling.”

  Mother Superior narrowed her eyes at the young man, and he immediately looked contrite.

  “I only think of her safety, sister, but if you know another way…”

  “Fine,” she relented, but added sternly, “It is not a skill to be used in polite company, is that clear Cordelia?”

  “Yes, Mother Superior,” she answered with a curtsy.

  “You may continue,” she told Rob, condescendingly.

  “Thank you, sister,” he replied politely.

  He turned his back to the sister and caught Cordelia’s eye. Although he did not smile, she could see his eyes sparkle with laughter. He winked at her and she almost lost her composure. She knew right then and there that they were going to be the best of friends.

  "As I was saying, you press them against your tongue and blow. Hard.” Rob demonstrated, and an ear-piercing whistle erupted. Mother Superior jumped at the noise, while Cordelia thought it fantastic.

  “Can I try?”

  “Go on then,” he urged.

  Her first few tries were a slobbery mess. Appalled, Mother Superior walked to the gardens where some of the sisters were tending to the plants. She started a conversation with another sister, leaving Rob to continue unsupervised.

  "You can practice on your own. You'll sort it out. It’s about finding the right place on your tongue is all. Until you get it, I'll call your horse for you." He whistled a couple of times, and several of the horses came into the stalls on their own, including her gray. She watched the horse meander in slowly, until she caught Rob staring at her. He turned his head quickly when she noticed. It made her uncomfortable, her cheeks turned pink under his scrutiny. Nervously, he continued.

  "When they come, you must give them a treat every time. An apple is best, but in the winter, when there are none, use sugar cubes, if you can spare them. Oats will do nicely as a last resort. Before you know it, they will be clambering for their treats when you call." He pulled out several apples from a satchel hanging on a nail and handed her one. "Here, you give this one to your horse, so she thinks it was you calling her. Be sure to hold your hand flat, like this…" He gave an apple to the gelding Mr. Leroy used to plow the fields. “You don’t want her biting off any of those pretty fingers, now do you?”

  Her eyes snapped to his at the statement. He smiled, and she blushed a
gain. She looked around for Mother Superior. Luckily, she was preoccupied with the other sisters.

  "You cannot say such things to me, Mr. Tully. Mother Superior will not like…"

  “What she does not know, she can hardly like or dislike, I’m thinking. So, unless you confess or something…”

  “Confess?”

  “You are here to be a nun, are you not?”

  “No.” she whispered. “Why would you think that?”

  “You are the one that has lived at the Abbey your whole life, are you not?” he asked quietly, but it was clear he already knew who she was as he picked up a couple of brushes and handed her one.

  “Yes, that is true.”

  “To be a nun, like the other sisters, right? Your father gave you to God when you were a baby, that’s what they say. A waste, in my opinion.”

  She took the brush and copied him, brushing her gray just as he was doing.

  "That is not true. Who are they, anyway?”

  “Everybody. Well, everybody in the village anyway. They were right about everything else about you, so I figured…” He suddenly looked uncomfortable and turned away. When he turned back, he handed her a bridle and quickly changed the subject. “Now getting them to take the bit can be tricky…”

  "Wait…you cannot say something like that to a person and not explain," she hissed, and slapped the bridle away. The villagers were talking about her? Why? "Explain yourself."

  “Look, I need this job. I do not want to start any trouble. If you are going to run to Mother Superior every time I say something then I’m going to shut my mouth right now. I just wanted you to know I thought it a waste, is all,” he whispered, looking over his shoulder for Mother Superior. When he saw she was occupied, he stared into Cordelia’s eyes. “A real waste,” he whispered.

  Cordelia did not recognize the emotion she saw there but could tell it was a compliment of some kind. Butterflies swirled in her stomach, making her feel funny. The last thing she wanted to do was get Rob into trouble. How could she make him trust her enough to explain what he was saying?

  “If I were here to be a nun, do you think I would lie about it?” she queried. “What kind of nun would I be?”

  As he studied her, his expression changed from judgment, to relief, then to disgust.

  “Then you are here to be trained to be a rich man’s wife.”

  Ugh! The way he said it made it sound horrible. She looked away, embarrassed, and continued brushing her horse. This conversation was not going the way she wanted. She realized she did not know how to talk to boys, not at all!

  “Never mind.” Cordelia continued brushing her horse. “You were saying something about the bit?” She couldn’t hold back the tears that welled in her eyes.

  “Hey, I’m sorry, I thought…” Her eyes snapped to his once again.

  “I did not ask to come here, none of us ask to come here. Our parents send us here. Females do not have a choice where their lives go. We are at the mercy of others,” she snapped, defensively.

  “You should tell my mother that,” he teased, and chuckled nervously. Cordelia didn’t smile.

  “And your sister?”

  “Do not have one.”

  “Well, if you did, she could end up just like me.”

  “I said I was sorry. It’s just that…”

  “What?” she snapped angrily, narrowing her eyes.

  He looked around and saw Mother Superior approaching. He looked at Cordelia sympathetically.

  “I’ll tell you next time,” he whispered. Then, in a normal tone as the sister drew near, “Do not brush against the hair. It is best that you go in the direction it grows. Next time, I will show you how to put the bridle on.”

  “Time is up, Mr. Tully, I trust you can see things put away?”

  “Yes sister, and I would like to thank you for this opportunity.”

  “I’m sure you do, son. Remember, gossip is a sin. If you talk about what has happened here today, it will be a mortal sin against God.”

  “I would never do that, sister. To serve God in any way is a privilege, or so my mother has said,” he stated humbly.

  “Good boy. See you tomorrow.”

  Cordelia followed Mother Superior out of the stable, but snuck a few backward glances at Rob. He was busy putting away the things they had used for the lesson. He peeked up, caught her eye, and gave her a weak smile. Cordelia sighed when he turned and walked out of sight. He probably thought she was a naive, silly little girl. Oh well, she had acted a bit like a ninny, so she probably deserved it. As soon as she returned to the Abby, the girls surrounded her with questions which distracted her from her thoughts. For this, she was grateful.

  Cordelia was nervous about facing Rob the next day. She had worked herself up into quite a tizzy by the time Sister Constantine came to escort her to the stable. The moment Cordelia saw Rob she could tell he was nervous too, and instantly felt better. He was just as rattled by how they had left things yesterday as she was. She vowed to do better with him today.

  “I will be back in an hour. Stay within sight of the garden,” the sister ordered before she walked away. Cordelia faced Rob with her hands clasped in front of her so he couldn’t see them shaking.

  “Shall we start, my lady?”

  “Of course, shall I call my mare?’

  He smiled, and butterflies took flight in her belly.

  “You practiced?” He sounded surprised.

  “You did not think I would?”

  “Ahem, I…, yes please, my lady, call your mare.” He gave her a half bow and waved his hand towards the corral.

  Cordelia walked to the fence, took a deep breath, and whistled for her horse. Rob gave her an expression of approval.

  “Very impressive, my lady. Look! Here they come.”

  Cordelia giggled as she watched as the horses approached at a lazy pace.

  “They seem much less enthused than last time,” she observed.

  “They will soon learn it’s you. Right now, the horses are used to my whistle, which means mealtime.”

  They walked into the stable in silence. Cordelia wasn’t sure what to say. Should she apologize for yesterday? Rob finally broke the silence.

  “Did your father visit you today?” Rob asked jovially, as if it was supposed to be something she looked forward to.

  “I do not have a father. Just a man that made me with my mother and pays my tuition to the school. Nothing more,” she stated flatly, hoping he would drop the subject.

  “I hear he is a powerful nobleman and that Mother Superior is scared of him.”

  “Who told you that? They?” she asked sarcastically, unable to control her tone. Why did he have to ask about her father?

  “They were right about you.”

  Cordelia had had enough of this subject that so occupied him. Sister Constantine had meandered to the garden to work. Cordelia could see the top of her habit as she knelt in the soil. It was high time to get to the bottom of this gossip. She put her hands on her hips and faced Rob.

  “That is the second time you have said that. What are you about, Rob? Either tell me what you mean or I will walk right back into the rectory and tell Mother Superior I do not want riding lessons anymore!” she hissed.

  “My, my, you certainly have a bee in your bonnet today!” he said, laughing. When she began to stride out of the barn, he ran up behind her and grabbed her hand. “Please, do not go. I should not have teased you. I can see you are upset after our last lesson.”

  “I will not be teased by you or them! So, if you do not tell me what you are talking about, then you can find another fool to give riding lessons,” Cordelia stated, firmly.

  “Alright, alright! Keep your voice down,” he whispered. “Come over here by your horse.”

  Cordelia gave her mare an apple as Rob busied himself saddling her. She watched Rob out of the corner of her eye as he put the bridle in the horse’s mouth, then swung a blanket and saddle onto her back. To busy herself, she gave the other
horse an apple and petted its muzzle. Rob led her mare out of the stall and waved Cordelia over.

  She went to the horse’s side. Rob knelt with one knee up like a step, then patted it.

  “Step up on my leg and mount your horse so the sisters can see you, then I’ll tell you,” He patted his leg again. “Come on. Take hold of the saddle, step up and swing your leg over the pommel.” He held his hand up, and she tentatively put hers in it as she swung her leg over the pommel of the side saddle. Once she was seated, he stood and started to adjust her stirrups.

  “In the village, you are a myth. Some say you were so beautiful that your father gave you to God and that is why you are here with the sisters. Others say he put you here to save you for a rich nobleman who vowed to marry you, but only if you grew up to be as beautiful as your mother,” he said in a hush. Rob walked to the other side of her horse and started to adjust the straps on the saddle. He looked up at her. “It looks like they were right about the beautiful part,” he whispered.

  Cordelia looked away, embarrassed. He thought she was beautiful? Beautiful like her mother? She had never seen her mother, nor her own reflection. Mirrors were not allowed at the Abbey because vanity was a sin. Her father thought her malnourished. She knew she was a small person. The sister always had to take in her second-hand dresses and nagged her to eat more. For this reason, Cordi always thought of herself as scrawny.

  “I did not mean to embarrass you, my lady. You did ask...”

  “You did not. It just that the sisters never talk of such things. They consider it vain.”

  “And that is a sin, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well if it is a sin to tell you that you are beautiful, then God will have to strike me down.” He smiled, and her stomach felt that funny feeling again.

  “Do you believe these stories people make up about me?”

  “I do not know.”

  “Well, I am telling you that neither of the stories is true. The truth is that my mother died giving birth to me. Since I was not a son and could not inherit, my father sent me here. He doesn’t care about me, other than how much money I cost him. I am of no value to him, and he wants nothing to do with me. He has not visited me but three times in my whole life. Hardly a myth in my way of thinking!”