Courting Miss Vallois (3 page)

‘A
very
long time.' Nicholas Grey started down the stairs. ‘So long I scarcely recognise the beautiful young woman you've become. And I'm not sure exactly what to say except…welcome to England, dear Sophie. And may I say how very, very happy I am to see you again.'

It was almost like coming home. Sophie stepped into his embrace, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. ‘No happier than I, for you look much better than when last we parted.'

‘I dare say it would have been difficult to look worse. But even the deepest of cuts and bruises heal and I am pleased to say I had exceptionally good care.' Nicholas glanced at the young man standing quietly on the street behind her, and slowly extended his hand. ‘Antoine. I was afraid you would not remember who I was. Or choose not to come if you did.'

‘Under the circumstances, you would be a hard man to forget,' Antoine said, his greeting more reserved than his sister's, but his tone cordial as he shook the viscount's hand. ‘I take it your memory is fully restored?'

‘It is, though it was several months after the accident before I could claim a complete recovery.'

‘I have learned that injuries like yours often induce temporary memory loss.'

‘So it would seem.' Nicholas smiled. ‘I understand you are apprenticed to a surgeon in Paris.'

Sophie glanced at him in surprise. ‘To Monsieur Larocque, yes, but…how could you know that?'

‘I suspect there is very little Lord Longworth doesn't
know about us,' Antoine said. ‘No doubt he has had us thoroughly investigated.'

‘Antoine!'

‘No, it's all right, Sophie,' Nicholas said quietly. ‘I regret that such duplicity was necessary, but it would serve no purpose to lie and I will not insult your intelligence by doing so. Yes, I hired someone to find you and they did what was necessary in order to uncover your whereabouts. But the investigation was discreet and nothing of its undertaking made public. So unless
you
told anyone of your reasons for coming to England, I can assure you that no one here knows.'

It was a moment before Antoine said, ‘I told the gentleman to whom I am apprenticed that I was coming to visit an old friend, and that time was of the essence given the precarious state of his health. However…' he looked at Nicholas and began to smile ‘…you appear uncommon well for a man on his deathbed, my lord.'

In full understanding of the situation, Nicholas chuckled. ‘I'm glad I was able to hang on until your arrival.' He reached up to scratch his ear. ‘Am I in imminent danger of expiring?'

‘Not imminent, but the prognosis isn't good.'

‘In that case, I suggest we go inside before I take a turn for the worst.'

‘Thank heavens,' Lady Longworth said. ‘I thought the entire visit was to be conducted on our doorstep.'

Making a sound of disgust, Nicholas said, ‘Forgive my abominable manners. Sophie, Antoine, my beautiful wife, Lavinia, who, I can assure you, has been as anxious about your arrival as I.'

‘Of course I've been anxious. But you must both be weary after your long journey,' Lavinia said. ‘Why don't
we retire to the drawing room? I've asked Banyon to set out refreshments.' She extended a slender white hand to Antoine.
‘Vous ne viendrez pas avec moi, monsieur?'

The young man's eyebrows rose. ‘Your accent is perfect,
madame. Avez-vous été née en France?'

‘No, I was born in England, but my first husband was French and we lived in Paris for several years after we married. It will be delightful to have someone to speak the language with again.'

‘I am surprised you do not speak it with Lord Longworth,' Sophie said. ‘I remember his French being very good.'

‘Alas, that was over three years ago,' Nicholas said. ‘And given that I seldom use the language any more, I am beginning to forget many words and phrases.'

‘Understandable. Even my own French is not as good as it once was.' Lavinia turned to Antoine, a hint of mischief lurking in the depths of those lovely eyes. ‘I look to you for help in that regard,
monsieur.
'

‘Ce serait mon plaisir,'
Antoine replied, and though he did not smile, Sophie thought she detected a slight thawing of his reserve. Good. If the beautiful Lady Longworth had the ability to make her brother less suspicious of the situation, so much the better. She watched them walk into the house, quietly chatting in French, and found herself alone on the steps with Nicholas.

‘Tu es…très belle, mademoiselle,'
he complimented her. ‘And I am sorry my accent is so poor compared to my wife's.'

‘Your accent is fine,' Sophie said, wondering why Nicholas still seemed so ill at ease with her. He was a great man—a viscount in the British aristocracy. He
had a beautiful wife, a lovely home and was clearly a man of means.

And yet, perhaps it was only to be expected. The last time they had seen each other, she had been a naïve girl of sixteen living on a farm in the French countryside and he an Englishman fighting for his life. She had struggled to make him understand what was happening to him and had done her best to keep him alive by feeding him soup smuggled from the kitchen, and by wrapping his wounds in bandages made from her own petticoats. For that, he had called her his angel of mercy and had gripped her hand when the fever had raged and the terror of his own anonymity had settled in his eyes.

Perhaps that was the problem, Sophie reflected. He was no longer a man on the brink of death and she was no longer the child he remembered. Maybe now that she was here and so little like the person he'd left behind, he was regretting his invitation, wishing he'd left things as they were. So much had changed in both their lives.

‘Lord Longworth—'

‘No,' he interrupted gently. ‘Let there be no formality between us, Sophie. You are the young lady who saved my life and to whom I will always be indebted. I would ask that now, and in the future, you call me Nicholas.'

She looked up at him and tilted her head to one side. ‘Is such familiarity permitted in England?'

‘I see no reason why not. You are a good friend, and good friends always address one another by their Christian names.'

‘
D'accord,
then Nicholas it shall be. As long as I am Sophie to you.'

‘You will always be that, even though I now know your full name to be Sophia Chantal Vallois.'

Sophie raised one eyebrow. ‘You
have
done your homework.'

To her amusement, he actually looked embarrassed. ‘I fear so.' Then, his expression changed, becoming serious. ‘Our first meeting seems…a very long time ago now, Sophie. Almost as though it were another lifetime. And there are still parts of those three weeks I don't remember. But I sincerely hope I did nothing to hurt you, or say anything to which you might have taken offence. A man in pain often lashes out at those around him, and I would hate to think I had scarred the child I left behind with a callous remark or a thoughtless word.'

So, that was the reason for his reserve, Sophie reflected. It had nothing to do with the people they were now, but rather with the impression he had made all those years ago. ‘You did nothing wrong, Nicholas,' she said. ‘Even in the depths of pain, you could not have been more
vaillant.
And if some of your memories of that time are dim, it is probably not a bad thing. It allows you more room for the good memories. For the ones that are worth remembering.'

‘I'd like to think so.' He looked at her and a smile trembled over his lips. ‘What about you, Sophie? Have you happy memories of the last three years?'

Sophie knew that he wanted her to say yes. She could see in his eyes, the hope that her life had not been an ongoing series of struggles and hardships, and perhaps one day she would tell him the truth. But not today. ‘I have many happy memories, but I'm quite sure this is going to be one of the happiest.'

‘A
re you sure I cannot offer you more tea, Sophie?' Lavinia asked. ‘Or another scone? Cook was most insistent that you try both the orange marmalade and the raspberry jam.'

‘
Merci, non,
I have already eaten too much,' Sophie demurred, sitting back on the loveseat. Nearly an hour had passed since she and her brother had sat down with their hosts in the elegant rose drawing room, and in keeping with the spirit of the day, the formalities had long been dispensed with. ‘If I continue like this, I will not fit into my clothes.'

‘Nonsense, you could do with a little extra weight,' Lavinia said. ‘Don't you think so, Nicholas?'

‘I cannot imagine Sophie looking any better than she does.'

Lavinia's lips twitched. ‘Spoken like a true diplomat. No wonder you do so well in the House.'

‘It does but pass the time.' Nicholas set his cup and saucer on the table. ‘But now that we've all had a chance
to become better acquainted, I think our guests would like to know why they are here. It isn't every day a stranger from one's past invites you to come to London.'

‘Especially when that stranger happens to be a member of the English aristocracy
and
an intelligence agent for the British government,' Antoine added. ‘
Former
intelligence agent,' Nicholas said. ‘I am happy to say those days are behind me. But it does bring me to the reason for my invitation, the first and foremost being to thank you properly for having saved my life. Without your discretion and most excellent care, I would certainly have died. A man doesn't forget something like that and because I am in a position to repay you, it is my sincere hope that you will allow me to do so.'

‘But there is nothing
to
repay,' Sophie said. ‘We did what anyone would have done under the circumstances.'

‘On the contrary, given the political instability of the time, finding an Englishman shot and left for dead should have raised any number of questions. You asked none.'

Antoine shrugged. ‘By your own admission, you had no answers to give.'

‘But you must have wondered.'

‘
Bien sûr.
But at the time I was more concerned with keeping you alive than with trying to find out why you had been shot.'

‘And therein lies the difference, Antoine.' Nicholas got to his feet. ‘Where others would have waited
until
they knew why I had been shot, you went ahead and removed the bullet regardless. That is the mark of an honourable man.'

Sophie had no need to look at her brother to know that he would be uncomfortable with the praises being
heaped upon him. Whatever services he had rendered had stemmed from a genuine desire to save a man's life: the natural inclination of a man who one day hoped to become a doctor. For that, he expected neither praise nor reward. But equally aware that he was a guest in the gentleman's home, Antoine said simply, ‘What is it you wish to do?'

‘For you,' Nicholas said, ‘a letter of recommendation that will open the doors to whatever university you wish to attend, as well as a financial endowment to help offset the costs of your studies towards becoming a doctor.'

Antoine went very still. ‘You are offering me…money?'

‘I prefer to think of it as a means to an end.'

‘
C'est la même chose.
But we are not in need of your charity, my lord. Sophie and I have managed well enough on our own.'

‘Have you?' Nicholas linked his hands behind his back. ‘I may not be familiar with all the ins and outs of becoming a doctor in France, but in England, there are considerable fees involved in the study of medicine. Not to mention the costs of establishing your own practice.'

‘None of which, if you'll forgive me, are your responsibility.'

‘But all of which
became
my responsibility the day you saved my life and so drastically altered the course of your own. Let us not mince words, Antoine. Because of me, you and Sophie had to hide out in the French countryside with the fear of discovery hanging over your heads like the sword of Damocles; upon reaching Paris, you took whatever manner of work you could
find. First as a labourer, then as a clerk, then briefly as a—'

‘Thank you, my lord. I am well aware of the means by which I earned enough money to cover our expenses,' Antoine said. ‘It is enough you had us investigated. Pray do not compound the injury by prying into matters that are clearly none of your concern.'

‘But it
is
our concern,' Lavinia said gently. ‘We care what happens to you and Sophie.'

‘Of course we do,' Nicholas said. ‘Why else would we have gone to all this trouble?'

‘I really don't know,' Antoine said coldly. ‘But we did not ask for your help and our situation is not so desperate that we are forced to come to you with our hands out. It was Sophie's wish to see you again and I agreed to make the trip with her. A decision I am now beginning to regret!' He abruptly got to his feet. ‘Now, if that is all you wish to say—'

‘It is
not
all I wish to say—!'

‘Nicholas, please!' Lavinia said. ‘Antoine.
N'ira pas faire vous s'asseoir et nous écouter jusqu'au bout.
'

Her low, quiet voice seemed to inject a note of calm into the escalating tension and Sophie was relieved to see her brother sit back down. She knew this was difficult for him. Antoine was proud. Too proud to accept what he would only see as a handout, even from a man whose life he had saved. ‘Listen to what Nicholas has to say, Antoine,' Sophie urged softly. ‘Then let common sense, rather than pride, dictate your answer.'

‘And please understand it was never our intention to offend you,' Lavinia said.

‘Indeed it was not,' Nicholas said gruffly. ‘My
only
desire was to try to make things better for you. I apolo
gise if you see that as an intrusion into your lives, but the fact is I was worried about the two of you. Those were dangerous times and hardly a day went by I didn't wonder what had become of you. I owe you my
life
, Antoine. Perhaps to a doctor that doesn't mean very much, but to me—to us,' Nicholas said, glancing at his wife, ‘it meant…everything.'

There was a poignant silence as Nicholas sat down and took Lavinia's hand in his. Watching them together, Sophie knew he had spoken from the heart. Whether or not his plans for their future came to pass, his reasons for bringing them to England could not be faulted. They stemmed from a genuine desire to thank them for the most noble gesture one man could make towards another.

Sophie glanced at her brother and was relieved to see that he, too, was regretting his hastily spoken words. ‘You have nothing to apologise for, my lord. Sophie's right. Sometimes a man's pride gets in the way and prevents him from seeing what is truly before him.'

‘I fear we've all been guilty of that.' Nicholas offered him an apologetic smile.
‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.'

‘But pride can be a good thing too,' Sophie said. ‘It gives us the courage to fight for what we believe in.' She leaned over and touched her brother's arm. ‘It enabled you to pursue your dream of becoming a doctor.'

‘Yes, it did,' Nicholas agreed. ‘But a surgeon is
not
a doctor. And if your wish is still to become a doctor, I can help you. For all the
right
reasons.'

For a moment, Antoine was silent. There was a great deal at stake and Sophie knew her brother would not make a hasty decision. He would take time to think
the matter through, weighing his options before giving them his answer. ‘And Sophie? What would you do for her?'

This time, it was Lavinia who answered. ‘It is our wish that Sophie stay here in London with us for a while. Not only so we can get to know her better, but so that we might introduce her to English society. It is our hope she will form lasting friendships with the young men and women to whom she is introduced.'

‘Naturally, we will provide her with all things necessary to a young lady entering society,' Nicholas said. ‘A suitable wardrobe. A maid to attend to her needs. A carriage. Or if she prefers, a decent mare to trot around Hyde Park—'

‘Why?'

Antoine's one-word question stopped Nicholas in his tracks. ‘Why?' He looked at the younger man and frowned. ‘Is it not obvious?'

‘Not to me.'

But to Sophie, who had been listening with growing concern, the answer was suddenly all
too
clear. ‘I think, Antoine, that Nicholas and Lavinia wish me to find…a husband.'

‘A husband?' Then, her brother's eyes opened wide. ‘An
English
husband?
C'est de la folie!
Sophie has no intention of marrying an
Englishman
! She is perfectly capable of finding a husband in France!'

‘But what kind of man would he be?' Lavinia asked. ‘The son of a
boulanger
? A shop assistant barely making enough to feed himself, let alone a wife and eventually a family.'

A flush darkened Antoine's cheeks. ‘You assume too much, my lady.'

‘Do I? You forget that I've lived in France. I am well aware of the practicalities of life as they apply to a young woman in Sophie's position and they are not without their limitations.'

‘Let us speak plainly, Antoine,' Nicholas said. ‘Sophie's chances of making a good marriage where she is are extremely limited. For all your noble aspirations, a surgeon is little better than a tradesman and your sister will not benefit by the association. Here, we can offer her so much more. She will move in elevated circles; accompany us to soirées and balls held at some of the best houses in London. And when a gentleman does offer for her, as I have no doubt several will, he will have to meet
my
standards as far as wealth and station go, and seek
your
approval as the man who will be your brother-in-law.'

‘May I be permitted to say something?' Sophie asked, torn between annoyance and amusement at the conversation going on around her.

‘But, of course, dear,' Lavinia said quickly. ‘It is, after all, your future we're talking about.'

‘Yes, it is. And while I appreciate what you'd like to do, I really have no wish to be married.'

She might as well have said she wanted to strap on paper wings and fly to the moon.

‘No wish to be married?' Lavinia said. ‘But…
every
young lady wishes to be married, Sophie. It is the only respectable option open to a woman.'

‘Perhaps, but since Antoine and I left home I have seen much of relationships between men and women, and I am not convinced marriage is to my benefit. A man stands to gains much whereas a woman loses everything.'

‘Not if she marries the right man,' Lavinia said.

‘But she will not know if he is the right man until
after
she's married him,' Sophie said. ‘And then it is too late. Besides, what gentleman of good family is going to want someone like me? A farmer's daughter, from Bayencourt?'

‘Rubbish! You no more resemble a farmer's daughter than I do a tinker!' Nicholas said. ‘You are an astonishingly beautiful young woman who carries herself like a duchess, and who speaks the King's English with a slight, albeit charming accent. I cannot think of
any
man who would not be proud to have you by his side.'

‘There, Sophie, did I not tell you?' Antoine said. ‘If you gained nothing else from your employment with Mrs Grant-Ogilvy—'

‘Good Lord.
Constance
Grant-Ogilvy?' Lavinia interrupted in surprise.

Sophie sucked in her breath.
Mère de Dieu,
she had
begged
Antoine not to mention that woman's name. ‘Yes. Do you…know her?'

‘Not personally, but I understand she is a woman of high moral character and an absolute stickler for propriety. You could not have had a better teacher in the arts of being a lady.'

The moment passed—and Sophie breathed again. ‘Nevertheless, I am
not
a lady and I did not come to London looking for a husband.' She turned to Nicholas. ‘I came to see
you.
And to meet Lavinia.'

‘Yes, well, why don't we talk about all this in the morning?' Nicholas said. ‘After you've had a chance to settle in.' He glanced at his wife, seeking support. ‘What do you think, my dear?'

‘I think that's a good idea,' Lavinia said slowly, ‘but we probably owe Sophie an apology as well.'

Sophie blinked. ‘An apology?'

‘It was never our intention to make you uncomfortable, my dear. We simply thought that if you wished to be married, we might be able to provide you with a better opportunity to do so. However, if that is not the case, will you not at least stay and give us a chance to get to know you? We have both waited a long time to say thank you.'

Sophie began to smile. ‘And I have waited a long time to see Nicholas well again. But the final say must be Antoine's. He has been as much guardian as brother to me these past three years and I could not stay if he was not easy with the decision.'

‘Well, Antoine,' Lavinia said, ‘what do you say?'

Antoine drew a deep breath. ‘
En vérité, je ne sais pas.
It seems…so much to ask. A great imposition on you both—'

‘Then let me tell you one more thing,' Nicholas said quietly. ‘My memory of Sophie was of a child. A golden-haired angel who appeared to me through a nightmarish haze of darkness and pain. I really had no idea how old she was and in bringing her here now, I thought to give her whatever a child her age might like. But the young lady who stepped down from the carriage is not a little girl who hankers after sandcastles by the sea. She is beautiful young woman with a mind of her own, and more than anything, we would like to get to know her better. All
you
have to do is say yes.'