Chapter 24: Marriage, Murder and Money

After my talk with Surgeon Armityge, or Krish, as I now thought of him, I wrote a letter to Amy apologising for my behaviour at our last meeting, and suggesting that we meet to discuss our future relationship. I was too ashamed to take the letter to the Bell myself, as I did not want to face the black haired serving girl, but one of Billy's troopers took it for me.

A dragoon, from Billy's troop, would call into the Bell every day looking for a reply from Amy, but I still had not received a reply after three weeks from me writing to her. It was then I found out that Amy had not yet picked up my letter. According to the dragoon, who acted as my postman, the Curzon Players were currently giving performances in Bath, and would then move on to Oxford. The proprietor of the Bell did not know when the Players were due to return. My spirits rose at this news, as I knew that Amy would not keep me dangling, and as soon as she returned I would get an answer to my letter.
It was now in the lap of the Gods, beyond my control, and no amount of fretting would change the result. I left fate to decide the outcome-- good or bad. Happily, after me writing the letter, my dark depression had passed; if Amy spurned me I would consider buying a commission in a regiment bound for India, as there would be no reason for me to stay in England if I could not be with her.

Jarvis Braxton-Clark had rented a house in Windsor, near to the castle, and spent more time with the Life Guards than with the 69th. His wife rarely stayed at the house, preferring to spend her time in London with her father, or so the gossip had it. Even so, on the few times Braxton-Clark came into Hounslow barracks he always found ways to irritate me. He would see me, seated in a corner, and call out.

"Little Jack Horner, still in a corner, with no sweetheart!"

His laugh was full of pleasure at my distress.

It was on All Souls Day when I finally received a letter from Amy. The Curzon Players had stayed in Oxford for a month, longer than first anticipated--It seems that even professors of theology were eager to view Madame Dyer's abundant charms.
The tone of Amy's letter was sweet and loving, and we agreed to meet as soon as possible.
Our rendezvous was to be at The White Hart Inn at Hampton Wick, just down river from Hampton Court Palace. The Curzon Players were giving a performance at the Palace, as Madame Veronique Dyer's fame had spread, and the Prince Regent and his cronies were always eager to see something new, especially if it entailed large amounts of female flesh.

We met at midday, and had booked a room, primarily for the privacy and secrecy it afforded us, and not necessarily for galloping. However, meeting after such a long absence had inflamed us both, and we were soon both naked, and indulging in an energetic reconciliation. Our lovemaking had a subtle difference, that I could not identify, as if we were unsure of each other. That being said we still reached the winning post together, as was usual, and with Amy, writhing and arching beneath me in a paroxysm of lust, it appeared our past discord was now forgotten.
After an extended bout of love making we exchanged warm and loving kisses, and both apologised at length for the words spoken at out last meeting.

Amy was being courted by two men; one was William Wilder, the heir to Viscount Honiton, and the other was Howard Hughes, the heir of Viscount Monmouth. The latter was unlikely to be the first of her suitors to become a Viscount as he was about the same age as Amy, and his father was a hale and hearty fellow. By contrast Viscount Honiton was a sickly, elderly man, spending most of his time at Bath taking the cure, and it would seem more likely that his son would be the first to obtain a title, and so claim Amy as his bride. Wilder himself was nearly twice as old as Amy, and had the reputation of a rake and libertine. Once he had fathered a son he would soon return to the gaming tables and his doxies, his duty done. Amy would then be at liberty to behave as she wished, so long as she remained discreet, which was the usual convention within the marriages of the nobility.

I put forward my plan, which was that after the marriage we should not become lovers until Amy had given birth to a son, and her husband had strayed from the marriage bed. However before the marriage we could meet and make love, but would need to be very circumspect.
Wilder was filled with lust for Amy, which he had not yet slaked, and I calculated that he would turn a blind eye to any impropriety before the marriage, providing she was careful not to make the affair public knowledge. However, any hint of an indiscretion after the marriage, and before Amy produced an heir, the Viscount could, and probably would, divorce her. The fact that he associated with harlots and whores in public would not protect Amy from being branded as an adulteress, which would put an end to any chance of her reaching the status she desired.

Amy listened in silence until I had finished. She agreed that before the marriage we could meet as lovers, providing we did not draw attention to our activities. There was, however, a glaring weakness in my plan, and Amy was quick to voice it.

"What will you do if I do not produce a son for several years?"

The thought had entered my mind, but I had refused to envision such an obstacle to our happiness.

"You are a young and attractive woman. Wilder will bed you as soon as your signature is dry on the marriage document. I would expect you to give birth nine months after the wedding."

"What if I am barren, or Wilder is sterile, or I bear a daughter?"

Once again I had shied away from considering such an event.

"Is there any reason to suspect that you are barren, or he is sterile?"

She shook her head.

"Well, then the worst that could happen is that you produce a daughter. I have heard that new born babies can be exchanged when in the birthing room. Midwives can be paid to conceal the true gender of the child. When the birth of a son is required to continue the lineage to inherit, many eyes are turned from the truth."

Amy looked at me sharply. "I see. Because of your principles you will not make love to me after I marry until my husband strays from my bed. But your high moral code allows you to have me give away a daughter, and then foist a changeling on my husband. Double standards, Jack. You, who is so vehement against the dual standards displayed by the leaders of Society, seem ready to employ them whenever it suits you."

As Amy finished her rebuke, face red and eyes blazing, I saw the mendacity of my thinking. Put in those terms I could only agree with her.
Once again I had to apologise, this time for my obtuse and duplicitous conduct.

Amy's voice softened. "I know you are only concerned that I would be divorced, should our affair be discovered, before I had produced an heir. However, I am well aware of the dangers, and you can be sure that our trysts will be discreet. One reason I chose this tavern for our meeting is that it maintains an absolute secrecy about the clients who use the rooms."

The White Hart Inn, being so near to a royal palace, was privy to many secret meetings, where ladies-in-waiting and guardsmen, or courtiers and housemaids, and even men who plied the Windward Passage, met for trysts, knowing that their assignations would not be disclosed. Royal palaces are notorious for the gossip that emanates from them, and secrets, both state and personal, were better kept in the White Hart than in any department of government.

I had come to the meeting with a strategy which I thought fool proof, and acceptable to both of us, but Amy had driven a coach and horses through my carefully constructed plan. She then unfolded a plan of her own. Simple, effective, and the one we decided to follow.

The night before her wedding, whenever that should be, we would meet and make love. Amy would not use the various creams and potions she utilised to prevent conception. She would go to her marriage bed with my seed inside her, and then bring forth the fruit of that secret union as her husband's, nine months later. If it was a son then Wilder would give thanks, and then go back to his doxies. If it was a daughter he would give a curse, and take solace for his disappointment with his doxies. With his vows broken Amy would be free to ignore hers and I would not feel myself an adulterer.

After explaining her plan Amy looked me full in the eye.

"To ensure that my husband will soon stray from the path of fidelity I shall ban him from my bed during the time I am with child. Being a normal licentious male, he will look elsewhere for his pleasure."

She paused, and then let fly a thunderbolt. "I shall employ that black haired strumpet from the Bell as a house maid. I have it on good authority that she can attract even the most faithful of lovers to her, and raise the most flagging of members!"

I blushed a brighter shade than the scarlet of my tunic. How on earth did Amy know of my dalliance with the girl? I tried to stammer out an apology, and excuse my behaviour on the amount of brandy consumed.

Amy smiled at me. "Never mind Jack. I guarantee that you will never feel the need to wander again."

She then gave me such a loving kiss, filling my mouth with her sweet wet tongue, that we nearly resumed our galloping, but she had rehearsals to attend. We left the White Hart Inn, vowing eternal love, and arranged to meet the next week, when the Players were preforming at Richmond.

I rode back from Hampton Wick deep in thought. In truth I did not think myself as behaving honourably in cuckolding a man before his marriage, but, like Wilder, I was consumed with lust—or love—or both, for Amy. I would accede to any mandate or command she placed upon me, so long as I could occupy her chariot of fire, and be carried to heaven.

Back at the barracks I busied myself with company duties until about six in the evening. I then went to call on Krish, for I was eager to tell him how things had transpired at my meeting with Amy, as it was he who had urged me to write to her. His orderly informed me that Surgeon Major Armityge was over in the Officers Mess. This was quite an unusual place for him to be at this hour; however there was to be a 'Dining In' night in the Officers' Mess, and I assumed that Krish had gone over early to attend the function.
All officers in barracks were expected to be present at this formal event, where the regimental silver of both regiments would be on display, music would be supplied by bandsmen from both regiments, and the meal would be presided over by the senior officer present. Tonight that would be Colonel Timothy Merrygan of the 8th Light Dragoons, as Sir Edmund had fallen into a decline after Waterloo, and remained at home in Syston Grange on sick leave. The 2nd/69th was now under the command of Major Frederick Bywaters until it was disbanded, which rumour had would be early in 1817.

I was astonished when I entered the Mess to find Krish sat at a corner table, with a decanter of brandy in front of him. He was usually abstemious, and watching him swallow glass after glass of the spirit was something I had not seen before.