Most Rebellious Debutante (17 page)

The following day, a silent maid brought a breakfast tray into Lucy’s bedroom. Lucy didn’t know her and the maid made it clear that she was not to speak to her nor answer any questions.

Lucy drank the milk but the bread stuck in her throat and she was barely able to swallow it. She rehearsed in her mind all that she needed to say to her parents, to explain how she met Lord Rockhaven in the gamekeeper’s cottage and how she had inadvertently become involved in the attempt made on his life there, and how she had once again, quite accidentally, seen his cousin Piers at The Red Fox and overheard him trying to hire men to aid him in killing Lord Rockhaven. Surely they would then understand why she had acted as she did, especially after Piers Potterill had sabotaged her carriage and could have caused the death of any of its three occupants.

It was late morning when she was summoned to present herself in the drawing room. Both her parents were there and Marissa and Rupert. Only her papa was standing. Her mama and Marissa were seated on a sofa, their faces strained with anxiety; Rupert was sitting on an upright chair, trying to appear nonchalant and relaxed, but appeared to Lucy to be poised ready to spring forward at any given moment. The tension in his face revealed how severely he regarded the misdemeanours that had taken place under the shelter of his guardianship, under his roof, undermining his respectability – she could almost hear the words in his mind. Yet she didn’t altogether blame him. Without knowing the circumstances, what had happened must seem a bit bizarre and unwarranted.

‘You may sit down, Lucy,’ her papa invited, indicating
another upright chair, appropriately placed in front of the others. Lucy seated herself on its edge, feeling as if she were a prisoner on trial, facing the jury.

‘So, I trust you have had time to reflect upon your actions, Lucy. What have you to say for yourself? Give us some reason that might enable us to comprehend how a young woman of your class and upbringing can feel free to flout all that has been instilled into you about what is acceptable behaviour and what is not, for, try as I might, I cannot, at this moment, think of any mitigating circumstances.’

Lucy haltingly began, recounting that first day when Wellington had bounded off, following the scent of rabbit stew, with Bertie hot on his heels, how she and Arabella had followed, hoping to catch up with them before they left the confines of the wood.

‘Don’t you dare blame my children, Lucy!’ Marissa cried. ‘They were
innocents
in your care.’

‘I’m not
blaming
them. I’m trying to
explain
,’ Lucy defended herself. ‘It wasn’t planned, it just happened! Only Bertie was at the gamekeeper’s cottage before we caught up with them and then Lord Rockhaven came round the corner in a chair of wheels and the chair toppled over, tipping him out on to the cobbles. He couldn’t get up and—’

‘Lord Rockhaven?’ her mama squealed. ‘You have been consorting with Lord Rockhaven in the woods … on his land? Theodore Montcliffe? He of renown as a rake and wild libertine? A reputed coward, drummed out of his regiment for desertion of duty? Oh, it gets worse and worse! My salts! Where are my salts, Marissa?’

‘I wasn’t
consorting
with him, Mama! I felt it was our fault … my fault,’ Lucy amended at a further cry from
Marissa, ‘that his chair overturned and so I felt compelled to try to help him get up. Only I couldn’t, so I wrapped his coat around him and waited until his servant returned.’

‘And Lord Rockhaven let you? He was so careless of your reputation that he lay there and allowed you to minister to him, unchaperoned?’ Lord Templeton queried with incredulity in his voice.

‘Well, he didn’t exactly
want
me to,’ Lucy remembered. ‘But, what else could I do? It was our fault it had happened. I couldn’t just leave him, could I?’

‘You shouldn’t even have been there,’ Rupert reminded her coldly.

‘Well, no, but we were, so I had to make the best of it.’

‘Or the worst,’ Marissa accused. ‘You have always managed to find yourself in the midst of a scrape.’

‘This is worse than a
scrape
!’ Rupert reminded her. ‘This is social suicide. And it will rebound on us and our
children
’s future. Mud sticks, as you well know.’

Lord Templeton made an impatient gesture at Rupert’s dire warnings and turned back to Lucy. ‘So Lord Rockhaven is the pirate that Bertie confessed to knowing. Didn’t you think it odd that an earl should be living in disguise and skulking in his gamekeeper’s cottage on his own land, instead of residing in comfort up at the Hall? Didn’t that tell you that this was a man not to be trusted? A man who might even have to find a way of silencing you and the children?’

Lucy almost laughed. ‘He wasn’t skulking in disguise. His patch covers his damaged eye. He was badly injured on the Peninsular. He has a scar on his face and he couldn’t walk. He was trying to recover his strength before his cousin
found him – the same cousin who had already killed Conrad and shot Theo in the back!’

‘Theo
, is it?’ Rupert again interrupted patting his wife’s hand as she let out a wail of horror as Lucy described the earl’s injuries. ‘How far have things gone between you? I never got closer than calling him Rockhaven.’

Lord Templeton waved a hand at him impatiently. He preferred to concentrate on the other details in his daughter’s attempt to rationalize her actions. ‘Lord Rockhaven was shot in the back as he deserted the
battlefield
,’ he contradicted her, ‘He used his brother as a shield and Conrad was fatally wounded. Even his mother couldn’t face the shame of it all and has been living in obscurity in their London house.’

‘No!’ Lucy cried. ‘He didn’t! His cousin had already shot Conrad and Theo was trying to save him! And Lady Montcliffe wasn’t ashamed of him, she came—’

‘Psh! This is getting us nowhere,’ Lord Templeton
interrupted
. ‘From what you are saying, you must have made other trysts in the wood with him … and last night? What was that all about? Daytime assignations are bad enough, but it is beyond the pale to go out alone to meet him in the near dark.’

‘I didn’t go to meet him. I told you, I went to try to
warn
him. I knew his cousin was back in the area, trying to recruit men to help him in his attempt to get rid of Theo. I asked Higgins to listen to what he was saying.’

‘And that’s another thing, involving my servants in your meddling schemes!’ Marissa complained. ‘Well, they’ve been dismissed as an example to the others!’

‘What?’ cried Lucy. ‘You can’t! They were trying to help me!’

‘Higgins single-handedly wrecked our barouche, almost killing all three of you, and Nora tried to conceal your duplicity! They would have helped you better by refusing to go along with your meddling schemes!’

‘But that’s not fair! I think Lieutenant Potterill somehow sabotaged the barouche. He caused the accident, not Higgins. Higgins did nothing wrong.’

‘Quiet, Lucy!’ her papa bade her. ‘You must accept, that, by involving them, you implicated them and encouraged them to be disloyal to their true employers. Out of misplaced loyalty to you, they didn’t report your behaviour. Rupert had to make an example of them. Their dismissal is a burden you will have to bear and maybe the memory of it will encourage you to modify your behaviour in future.’

‘I can’t believe you are doing this, Papa! Higgins only did as I asked; he didn’t know that I intended to go up to Montcliffe Hall.’

‘But Nora did! And she aided and abetted you! I can’t believe, Lucy, that you think so little of your reputation … and that of your family … that you have deliberately flaunted yourself with this known degenerate reprobate and believed his cock-and-bull story about his cousin trying to kill him. It is far more likely that this cousin was trying to restore some honour to the family name.’

‘You are wrong, Papa,’ Lucy’s voice was quiet as she faced her papa, determined to make him understand. ‘Lieutenant Potterill
did
try to kill Lord Rockhaven and Lady Montcliffe, but it was he who ended up being killed. He was shot.’

Lady Templeton’s face blanched and a sound like the moan of an animal in distress sounded in her throat. ‘You
saw a man killed? Last night? Lord Rockhaven killed his cousin? And you were a party to it? Oh, Lucy, what have you done?’ She reached out a hand beseechingly towards her younger daughter, but her strength failed her and she sank back against the sofa. ‘Oh, Edmund! What are we to do?’

‘Do?’ repeated Lord Templeton. ‘We will do the only thing left for us to do! We will return to our home immediately and send word to Herbert Murchison that we accept his offer of marriage to our daughter. If we can get the announcement in the
Gazette
before news of all this scandal breaks, it will go some way to calm the waves.’

‘No, Papa!’ Lucy cried. ‘You can’t do that! I won’t marry Herbert Murchison! He’s old! You can’t make me! Besides, I … I love Lord Rockhaven … and I believe he loves me. He said he will come to see you as soon as he is able. He
will
come, I know he will!’

‘That man will not be allowed over my threshold,’ Rupert declared. ‘He is a disgrace to the peerage.’

Lucy shook her head. ‘Have you not listened to a word I have been saying? Lord Rockhaven is an honourable man. He does not deserve your censure.’

Lady Templeton smiled sadly. ‘It is now late morning and, although it is early for social calls, if he were as eager to stand by your side as you say he is – and ready to face our wrath – he would be here by now. But, he is not. I think it is safe to say that gentlemen do not marry young ladies who romp with them in the wood – not even if their own reputation hangs by a thread, as does the Earl of Montcliffe’s.’

Even Marissa looked appalled by her father’s decision. ‘Oh, Papa, Herbert Murchison is over forty. He has bandy
legs and has lost most of his hair. You can’t make Lucy marry
him
!’

‘I can and I will. He is a sincere young man of thirty-eight years and is the second son of a baronet. He is of very sound character
and
he is the only man who has made an offer since Lucy was compelled to cut short her Season.’

Lord Templeton glared at each one in turn, as if daring any to voice further opposition. ‘In the light of all this, I am not risking a second Season ending up as disastrously as her first. My mind is made up. I am sorry to spoil your Christmas, Marissa, but we must leave immediately and get the betrothal announced before news of this scandal breaks. The servants will have packed our things by now. All that is needed is for us to change into our travelling clothes.’

Lucy was shocked. ‘I won’t go! And I won’t marry him! I would rather enter a convent!’ she declared passionately.

Lord Templeton eyed her coolly. ‘If I were you, young lady, I would be careful what alternatives you offer, for it may turn out to be the only course left to you!’

I
T WAS LATE
morning when Theo awakened. His back had been in an agony of pain for hours and it was well into the early hours of the morning before he fell into an exhausted sleep.

His restless hours had not been total agony, however. He smiled as he recalled the various times he had had the pleasure of the delightful and somewhat unconventional Miss Templeton’s company. Not that every meeting had been an episode of sweetness and delight, however. He frowned when he thought of how morose he had been at their first meeting. Would she hold that against him? Did she find him a boorish man? He hoped not. He hadn’t been at his best at that first meeting, but he felt he had improved since. What a strange hand of fate it was that his tumble from his wheelchair had released a trapped nerve and allowed movement to return to his legs.

But what had he to offer such a lovely young girl – apart from his wealth and title – but, somehow, he didn’t think
that
would sway Miss Templeton if her heart said
otherwise
. She didn’t appear to mind his injuries, not even his disfigured face, which wasn’t a pretty sight first thing in the morning. He groaned. How could he contemplate
inflicting such scarred features on to such a delightful creature? Was he out of his mind? Probably, he admitted ruefully, because he was certainly going to give it a try – even if he had to endure the torment of a Season on the marriage mart whilst he courted her and attempted to win her heart.

He laughed aloud as he recalled his dear mama telling him late last night of his grandmother’s roguish attempt to matchmake between the two of them. What had his mama said? Grandmother had asked Miss Templeton if she would marry her eldest grandson and Miss Templeton had replied, ‘Not unless I loved him.’
Did
she? Did he
dare
hope?

He was going to find out and as soon as possible. He swung his legs out of bed and stretched his limbs before carefully rising to his feet and commencing the series of movements he had devised to loosen and strengthen his body. His mobility was getting better every day and, in spite of the tension in his muscles from the previous day’s
activities
, he knew he was well on the way to full recovery, even if he did still need the help of a cane. Life was suddenly looking good, but it wouldn’t be perfect until he knew where he stood with the delightful Miss Templeton and only then if she felt the same way about him as he did about her.

Good heavens! He felt as nervous as a young buck about to make his first declaration. No, that wasn’t true, he felt
more
nervous, because he knew that this was no passing fancy. He loved her. She was everything he wanted and needed. He felt he had known her longer than the actual reality of a few months. She had been hovering as a tangible wisp of a dream that floated on the edge of his consciousness for a couple of years, just waiting for fate to
take a hand in bringing them together. Her image had danced and floated in his arms in his pain-filled
nightmares
; someone who had drawn him back from the depths of oblivion after the debilitating injuries inflicted by his cousin Piers; someone who had soothed away the
devastating
pain when he had been told of Con’s death – only he hadn’t known her face, just the sense of her presence … a presence that always faded in his first moments of waking, like the remnant of a dream.

But now she was real. He knew her name; he knew her face; and he would see her again – today!

Suddenly eager to set his plans into motion, he strode into his dressing room calling for Crawford, his valet. He could tell by the sounds of activity within the Hall that it must be nearly time for nuncheon already. He would go the moment he had eaten.

In the event, it was two o’clock in the afternoon when his coach swept through the gates of Glenbury Lodge. Amazingly, a groom or gardener was there ready to open the gates and Simkin was able to maintain the pace of his matching four without them breaking step. It was almost as if he were expected, though the Cunninghams’ butler took a moment to recognize him.

‘Lord Rockhaven! My, but it’s good to see you, m’lord! We heard your return was imminent!’ the butler exclaimed a few seconds after he stepped through the doorway. His face resumed its trained neutrality as he added sombrely, ‘My condolences about your brother, m’lord.’

Theo nodded, silently accepting the condolences. It didn’t get any easier.

There was something odd about the butler’s demeanour
though, Theo thought, as he watched the butler recollect his duties and make his way along the reception hall and knock discreetly on a door halfway down its length. The initial glow of pleasure that broke through the butler’s practised passive expression, a glow that had given him hope of a good reception from the Cunningham’s themselves, had been swiftly replaced by a hint of wariness, apprehension, even, something more than the swift recognition of his need to rely upon the supporting aid of his cane. No doubt
whispers
of the previous night’s happenings had begun to filter through the amazing network of communication that the servants in neighbouring houses seemed to have with each other.

He wasn’t kept waiting long. He heard a murmur of voices, a low feminine cry of – was it consternation? Then the deeper, soothing tones of a masculine murmur. He wondered what Lucy … Miss Templeton … had told them; how much had she shared? Were they expecting him? Or were they hoping Lord and Lady Templeton would be here before he made his call? Miss Templeton had said they were expected later today, had she not?

Maybe he had been too precipitous. No, he felt the circumstances demanded an urgent visit, if only to declare his good intentions. Other, more formal visits would be needed in due time, of course, but he was eager to see the delightful Miss Templeton again, utterly confident that he had never met any other who could hold a candle to her. Life with her would never be mundane, of that he was sure!

Ah, the butler was returning.

‘Mr and Mrs Cunningham will receive you, m’lord. Will you come this way?’

Leaning heavily on his stick, Theo followed him back to the drawing room, hoping that he would find Miss Templeton there also.

‘Lord Rockhaven, Earl of Montcliffe,’ the butler announced and Theo advanced into the room. He was glad that he had made good use of his enforced absence from Society to replenish his wardrobe. Although he had regained much of the weight lost at the height of his convalescence, his clothes had hung upon him as if adorning a scarecrow, causing Crawford, to shudder with distaste. But, today he was dressed as fine as any gentleman should be, in a well-cut coat of plum-coloured superfine, a neatly tied cravat, biscuit-coloured pantaloons and gleaming Hessian boots. He held his hat and gloves as he made a fine bow.

There was a strained air between the couple, though they made every effort to hide it as they echoed their butler’s greetings and condolences. However, Cunningham’s bow was no more than perfunctory, though he couldn’t fault Mrs Cunningham’s curtsy. Indeed, she seemed reluctant to rise from it and, when she did, she seemed reluctant to meet his glance. He was aware that his eye-patch was causing Mrs Cunningham some problems, too. She kept glancing at it and then sliding her glance away again, as she twisted and untwisted a lace-edged kerchief in her hands. Theo bore it ruefully, knowing it was something he would have to cope with until people became accustomed to seeing his
disfigurement
.

His hostess perched herself on the edge of a
straight-backed
seat, stiffly indicating that he do likewise. ‘Please be seated, m’lord. You will partake of some refreshment?’

Theo flicked back the tails of his coat and carefully sat
down. ‘If you please, ma’am.’ He glanced about him,
imagining
Miss Templeton gracing the room with her lively presence. ‘What a pleasant room you have here.’

After enduring ten minutes of excruciating conversation, Theo knew the allotted time for making a call was passing by. He must ask to see Miss Templeton before society manners compelled him to make his departure.

‘And your sister, Miss Templeton, is staying with you, I believe,’ he enquired casually.

‘Lucy?’ Mrs Cunningham almost squeaked, casting an alarmed glance at her husband, whom Theo had to admit had been devilishly sullen throughout the conversation.

Theo bowed his head in assent. ‘I have had the pleasure of making Miss Templeton’s acquaintance and would like to pay my respects … if she is at home to visitors this
afternoon
.’

‘No! You cannot!’ Mrs Cunningham said abruptly, her fingers spread at the base of her throat. ‘You have been misinformed, m’lord! She isn’t here!’

‘Not here?’ Theo looked from his hostess to her husband. ‘But she
has
been here! When did she leave?’

Mrs Cunningham threw a despairing glance at her husband, who took it upon himself to make a brief reply.

‘She left, with her parents, about half an hour ago, m’lord, just before you arrived.’

Theo swore mildly under his breath. Her parents had arrived and removed their daughter immediately? The outdoor man had been
closing
the gates, not opening them! He forced his voice to remain calm as he asked, ‘And when will she return?’

‘Miss Templeton will not be returning in the foreseeable
future, my lord,’ the honourable Rupert said tersely.

‘What?’ Theo couldn’t believe it. He had been wasting valuable time! He hurriedly rose to his feet, but before he could say another word, a scuffle in the doorway heralded the arrival of both a maid with a tray of refreshments and an excited boy, whom Theo recognized immediately.

‘Rocky!’ Bertie exclaimed. ‘I knew it must be you when Farrell teased me that you look like a pirate. Aunt Lucy said you had gone, but I knew you’d come back! I hoped so, anyway.’

‘Bertie! You should not be in here! Where is Nurse Harvey?’ Rupert Cunningham reprimanded him sternly.

Bertie’s face fell. ‘I’m sorry, Papa. I wanted to see Rocky.’ He turned to face him again. ‘Did you know that Aunt Lucy has gone away, now, sir? She’ll be so sorry to have missed you. She was crying, you know. It made me sad to see her crying … and now Bella’s crying upstairs in the nursery. But I didn’t cry … well, not very much.’ His face brightened again. ‘I know! Do you want to come and see Wellington? I’m teaching him to pretend to be dead when I tell him to! You’ll see how much he has improved since you last saw him.’

Before Theo could reply, an older woman entered the room looking flustered. ‘I’m terribly sorry, ma’am, sir, your lordship. He just ran off, ma’am. Come back to the nursery at once, Master Bertie, if you please!’

‘Thank you, Nurse Harvey,’ Mrs Cunningham said faintly, fanning her hot cheeks with her hand.

‘Go at once, Bertie!’ his father commanded.

‘I will see Wellington next time I call, Bertie,’ Theo
promised
, as the downcast boy was hustled from the room by his nurse.

‘You promise?’

‘I promise.’

‘See! I told you he was kind,’ Bertie’s voice floated back through the doorway before Farrell drew it closed.

Theo eyed his disconcerted hosts. ‘I know I owe you an explanation, but there isn’t time, right now. Forgive my hasty departure. I must leave at once.’

‘I forbid you to follow my sister-in-law, my lord!’ Rupert said stiffly. ‘I don’t know what sort of
acquaintance
you have with her, but it seems to me—’

‘She saved my life last night!’ Theo said sharply. ‘And our
acquaintance
has been totally honourable!’ He swung around to face Mrs Cunningham. ‘In which direction have they gone, ma’am?’

‘Er …’ She cast an anxious glance at her husband. ‘To our country estate in Surrey, my lord.’ She glanced at her husband again before adding hastily, ‘My parents plan to marry her to a middle-aged neighbour without delay.’

‘Ha! Do they, indeed?’

He couldn’t resist grinning mischievously at her over his shoulder as he hurried to the door. ‘Somehow, I think that highly unlikely!’

He nodded a hasty farewell to Farrell and hurried down the steps as fast as he was able with his slightly ungainly gait, glad to see that Simkin had already turned the coach. ‘The Surrey road, Simkin,’ he ordered as he clambered inside. ‘As fast as you can!’

He was possibly about forty-five minutes behind Miss Templeton and her parents. He couldn’t begin to imagine what had taken place in the Cunninghams’ home last night, or earlier today, but he gathered that his dear love had been
taken home in some sort of disgrace because of her
association
with him. Marry her off to a middle-aged neighbour, indeed! Not while he had a breath of life in his body!

It was about an hour and a half later when Simkin bellowed that their quarry was in sight. Theo’s heart was racing. Had he read Miss Templeton’s sentiments towards him correctly? He hoped so; a Season in London wasn’t one of his priorities.

His coach swiftly overtook the rear of the Templetons’ two coaches and gradually drew level with the larger town coach Theo was pursuing. Theo looked through the
nearside
window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Miss Templeton. His heart leaped with joy. She was seated at the off-side, facing the rear, gazing with unseeing eyes through the window. The sight of her pale face, her eyes large and
brimming
with tears, tore at his heart. The coaches kept pace with each other and Theo saw the moment when her gaze, initially with casual uninterest, focused upon his face. He smiled and raised his hat, watching her expression change, running through surprise, disbelief, dawning belief, incredulity, into, wonderfully, rapturous delight! He saw her body straighten as her lips formed the shape of his name. ‘Theo!’

Simkin needed no instructions. He raised his hat to the Templeton coachman, shouted, ‘Pull to!’ and drew slightly ahead, drawing closer to the Templetons’ coach, setting a line that would force the other coach off the road if it kept to its present course, leaving the other coachman no
alternative
than to haul back on the reins.