Mesalliance (23 page)

The safe,
sensible course was to do what everyone wanted and cut the
connection. And, despite the fact that she still found Sir Jasper
fascinating and was learning from him every nuance of sophisticated
flirtation, she might even have considered doing so … but for Harry
Caversham.

‘You’re playing
with fire, Nell,’ he’d said. ‘Haven’t you
any
sense?’

‘More,’ she had
retorted, ‘than you give me credit for. And I can take care of
myself, thank you.’

‘You may think
you can. But the fact is that men like Jasper Brierley eat little
girls like you for breakfast.’

He had realised
as soon as he’d said it that it had been a mistake.

‘
Little
girl
?’ snapped Nell. ‘Is
that
what you think? Then let
me tell you, my lord, that others see me differently!’

‘I’m aware of
it. But perhaps they have less interest in your well-being.’

‘Or are less in
the habit of interfering with what is none of their concern!’

She remembered
afterwards how he’d looked at her for a long time, his normally
laughing eyes shuttered and opaque.

‘Then I’d
better stop it immediately, hadn’t I?’ he had said at length. And
gone off to dance with Diana Franklin.

In retrospect,
it occurred to Nell that she could have put up with anything but
that. No matter how hard she tried to shrug it off, the picture of
him smiling down on that exquisite, deceitful face refused to be
quite banished. Indeed, in the days that followed, it seemed to
become a recurring theme – for wherever she went, there was Lord
Harry paying light-hearted court to Mistress Di, and Mistress Di
thoroughly enjoying it.

Sir Jasper’s
attentions therefore came as a welcome balm – particularly as he
showed no inclination to join the little
côterie
of
gentlemen who regularly besieged Diana. And his opinion, when she
casually sought it, was more comforting still.

‘
Farouche
,’ he said simply. ‘Pretty … but destined, I fear,
to appeal only to unsophisticated palates. Unlike – dare I say it?
– yourself.’

Nell’s smile
regained some of its usual sparkle.

‘I think, sir,
that you flatter me.’

‘Not only is
that not possible – but I have too much respect for your
intelligence.’

It was
precisely what she wanted to hear – but he could not have known
that. Flushing with pleasure, she said naively, ‘That is the nicest
compliment anyone has ever paid me.’

Sir Jasper
smiled upon her.

‘I find that
hard to believe. Surely all the young gentlemen who surround you
cannot be so unappreciative?’

‘No-o. But they
all say pretty much the same things, you know.’ She gave a tiny
chuckle. ‘Some even write poetry. And though you’ll probably think
it quite horrid of me, most of it usually just makes me laugh.’

‘A natural
reaction to bad verse … and the reason for my own abstinence in
that direction.’

‘Well, I must
say I think you’re wise,’ she owned candidly. And then, with more
than a hint of hesitation, ‘But you … I think you have been sending
me roses, haven’t you?’

Taking her fan
from her, he flicked it open and plied it gently, his eyes never
leaving her face.

‘If I have …
and if you only
think
I have … then it would seem a wasted
exercise, would it not?’

Nell met the
pale grey gaze with uncertainty and a frisson of excitement. Every
day for the past week, a single tightly-budded, dark red rose had
arrived, accompanied only by a small square of pasteboard bearing a
pair of elaborately entwined initials.

‘Very well,
sir,’ she said, deciding to employ her new skills. ‘I am very sure
they come from you. What I wanted to ask was – why?’

‘Why?’ He
shrugged, whimsically. ‘My dear Lady Elinor, I am but sending one
perfect rose-bud to another. And I give to you the same pleasure I
am receiving myself … that of seeing each charming petal unfurl.’
And watched, smiling, as she blushed in confusion.

*

Not too far
away, Diana Franklin looked on with shrewd interest.

‘I wonder if
she means to have him?’ she mused. ‘He’s extremely attractive – and
the fact that he hasn’t any money wouldn’t matter to her, would it?
I imagine she’s rolling in riches already. You must ask her about
him, Thea. Thanks, no doubt, to her precious brother, she hardly
ever
speaks
to me these days.’ Her mouth curled, showing
sharp, pearly teeth. ‘And that’s something else Rockliffe and his
trollop will be made to pay for. Nell was useful to me.’

Althea looked
at her sister with frightened concern.

‘Di, dearest,
don’t you think …?’

‘No. I don’t –
and if you weren’t so feeble-minded, neither would you.’ Diana
turned a withering cornflower gaze on her sister. ‘And while we are
about it, I wish you’d try standing on your own two feet for a
change. I’m never going to get anywhere with you hanging on to my
petticoats.’

A ballroom is
no place to cry. Althea swallowed hard and stared down at her
hands.

‘I – I’m sorry.
I d-don’t mean to get in your way.’

‘Then don’t.
And for heaven’s sake, pull yourself together. Mr Ingram’s coming
towards us.’

Had he been
asked, Jack would have been hard put to explain just what had drawn
him across the floor to the Franklin twins. The one he had scarcely
exchanged two words with - and the other he had formed an almost
instantaneous dislike for. If Mistress Althea was as like her
sister in disposition as she was in looks therefore, he was
condemning himself to unnecessary irritation; and if not … well, if
not, she
was
an uncommonly pretty girl.

He bowed,
opened his mouth to speak and was forestalled by Diana.

‘Why, Mr Ingram
– how delightful. You find us but newly-arrived and quite deserted.
Isn’t that dreadful? And most unusual, too, I do assure you.’

‘I am sure it
is,’ said Jack. ‘I -- ’

‘Yes. In this
last week since we met you – at Bedford House, was it not? – we
have quite ceased to be the country cousins you must have thought
us. We have met – oh, everyone! Have we not, Thea? Ah – the gavotte
has finished at last. I thought it never would.’ She turned a
melting regard on him. ‘I do so
love
to dance. Do not you,
sir?’

And that,
thought Jack, was less a hint than a twenty-gun salvo.

Smiling
pleasantly, he said, ‘I find it depends very much upon the
company.’

‘Oh yes. I do
so agree with you.’

‘Which is why,’
he continued, grimly enjoying himself and letting his eyes wander
to the other girl, ‘I am hoping Mistress Althea will honour
me.’

Althea turned
scarlet. So, for different reasons, did Diana. Jack felt moderately
pleased with himself and wished that Rock had been there to see it.
He collected Althea’s gaze and held out his hand. ‘Well, Mistress?
Will
you honour me?’

His voice was
gentle and the grey eyes kind. Resolutely avoiding her sister’s
gaze, she drew a long breath and said softly, ‘Yes, sir. Thank
you.’ Then she put her hand shyly in his and allowed him to lead
her out on to the floor, leaving Diana standing conspicuously
alone.

*

Leaving Adeline
to chaperone Nell to a small gathering of young people at the
Delahaye residence in Conduit Street, Rockliffe set off for White’s
in a mood of gentle anticipation which was almost immediately
justified.

‘Rock, my loved
one!’ Mr Fox stopped dead at the sight of him, one hand laid
dramatically over his heart. ‘To what do we owe this immensely
unexpected pleasure?’

‘Must there be
a reason?’

‘It seems
likely. We had begun to think marriage had changed you beyond
recognition. Is that not so, March?’

‘The notion had
occurred to us,’ agreed his lordship. ‘But your visit, as ever, is
timely. Your wife’s uncle … Richard Horton, is it? … has been put
up for membership of the Club.’

‘Ah.’ A faint
smile bracketing his mouth, Rockliffe flicked open his snuff-box
and presented it first to Mr Fox. ‘May I ask, by whom?’

‘By Ludovic
Sterne,’ replied Lord March, his tone cooling a little. ‘I was
given to understand that you would endorse the nomination and stand
sponsor to the gentleman.’

‘Were you
indeed?’ The Duke offered snuff to the Earl then snapped the lid
shut and gazed at its enamelled panel with satisfied pleasure.
‘Tell me … are you acquainted with Mr Horton?’

‘No,’ said
March. ‘I don’t, however, care to rely on any recommendation of
Sterne’s.’

‘I see. And
you, Charles?’

‘I have met the
gentleman,’ replied Mr Fox languidly. ‘I regret to say that I did
not find him entertaining. Not, of course, that one can hold that
against him. The same could be said for half of London. More than
half.’

‘You are too
critical, Charles,’ said his lordship. And then, to Rockliffe,
‘Meanwhile, where does this leave Mr Horton? Do you wish him to be
admitted to the Club?’

There was a
long, enigmatic pause. Finally, the dark eyes rose and the Duke
said blandly, ‘No, my dear. I most certainly do not. And I would be
obliged if you could ensure … in whatever manner you see fit … that
Ludo Sterne is made aware of the fact.’

‘So that he can
tell Mr Horton?’ enquired Mr Fox, evincing faint signs of
interest.

‘Just so. With
life so full of disappointments, it seems only fair that he should
know who to blame for this one, don’t you think?’

‘If you have a
particular reason,’ remarked March thoughtfully, ‘I suspect we
might be glad to be made privy to it.’

‘Yes.’ His
Grace paused for a moment and then said, ‘Have either of you ever
played cards with Mr Horton?’

‘I haven’t,’
replied the Earl. ‘You, Charles?’

‘No.’

‘Then I would
suggest,’ said Rockliffe gently, ‘that you never do.’

He settled
down, by and by, to a game of picquet with Jack Ingram and won it
by an unusually large margin.

‘Am I,’ asked
Jack, examining the score with mock-gloom, ‘playing particularly
badly this evening – or have you been visited by divine
inspiration?’

‘A little of
both. But I hope that you’re not going to dwell on it. I had
thought to ask you a trifling favour.’

Jack grinned at
him.

‘I must say,
you pick your times. But – very well. Ask away. And I’ll commit
myself when I know what it is.’

‘Dear Jack.
Always so cautious.’

‘Well, for all
I know, you’ve challenged some poor fool and are about to ask me to
be your second.’

‘Perish the
thought!’

‘Good – because
I wouldn’t do it.’

‘I think you
may safely assume me to be aware of that fact.’ Rockliffe smiled.
‘I sometimes wonder, however, what exactly I’ve done to make you
think me eternally bloodthirsty.’

‘I don’t think
it,’ said Jack frankly. ‘What I
do
think is that you’d do it
out of boredom. You used to be forever offering to fight
Dominic.’

Laughter flared
in the dark eyes.

‘Ah. But that,
beloved, is an entirely different matter. But we digress. I wished
to ask you – since I must leave town for two or three days – if you
would be good enough to keep an eye on Adeline and Nell. It
shouldn’t, I hope, prove too taxing.’

Mr Ingram
stared at him incredulously.

‘Not taxing?
Looking after Nell? You must think I’m less than the full
shilling!’

The Duke
considered him for a moment. Then, ‘I suppose you may have a point.
Very well. Adeline will keep an eye on Nell and you may keep on
Adeline. Is that better?’

‘Much!’ grinned
Jack.

‘And why,’
demanded Harry Caversham, arriving in time to catch Rockliffe’s
last words, ‘can’t you keep an eye on Nell yourself?’

‘Because,’ came
the patient reply, ‘I have to go into the country.’

His lordship
pulled up a chair and sat down, frowning. ‘Is it urgent?’

‘Yes.’
Rockliffe paused and then said sweetly, ‘I was not aware of any
need to ask your permission.’

Harry had the
grace to look mildly abashed.

‘I beg your
pardon. But the thing is, I’m getting dashed sick of seeing Nell
with that Brierley fellow – and I should think you would be
too!’

‘Would you?’
The Duke sipped his claret, apparently unperturbed. ‘Now why should
you think that?’

‘Isn’t it
obvious? He’s twice her age and has been hanging out for a rich
wife for the last two seasons. I’d be damned if I’d let him get his
hands on
my
sister.’

‘So crude,’
sighed his Grace. ‘But you see, Harry, I have no intention of
allowing him to … get his hands on her. Indeed, I doubt he has any
desire to do so; and if I should find that he
has
… then it
will be my sad duty to dissuade him.’

His lordship
leaned back in his chair, chin on chest, and turned a sardonic blue
gaze on Mr Ingram. He said, ‘I must be missing something. Do
you
know why it’s all so simple?’

‘Trusts and
trustees, I should imagine,’ replied Jack. And then, glancing
briefly at Rockliffe, ‘Think about it, Harry. Nell’s eighteen and
I’d guess that her inheritance is tied up in the usual way until
she’s twenty-five.’

‘Or,’ countered
Harry, ‘until she marries.’

‘Or until she
marries with Rock’s approval. There’s a difference. Rock won’t give
his blessing to Brierley; and, if it’s low water with Brierley now,
he won’t want to wait seven years for the tide to come in.’ He
looked back at the Duke. ‘Am I right?’

‘I couldn’t
have put it better myself,’ drawled Rockliffe. ‘And now, Harry, I
really must ask what concern all this is of yours? Can it be that
you’ve an eye to Nell yourself?’

Lord Harry came
abruptly to his feet, looking distinctly and uncharacteristically
irritable.