Samantha
Chapter 13
Samantha was having a wonderful
evening. She had waltzed with Lord Ryder, danced with the gentlemen she had met
in the park, and had even been partnered by both Lord Cosmo and Sir Robert.
Lord Cosmo had led her to a
refreshment table after their dance, but Arabella was there and she and
Samantha's dance partner had become embroiled immediately in their usual
exchange of insults and both seemed to forget Samantha's existence.
"...Ryder. He has spent several
years recovering family losses ... father was a wastrel, you know," she heard a
female voice say nearby.
"Don't I know it," a second
female responded. Samantha knew she should not eavesdrop, but she could not
help it. She moved in for a clearer listen, determining that the voices were coming
from just behind her.
"That's her. Halbourne's
granddaughter. Ryder had better get there early, if he knows what's good for
him. One needs to keep all that lovely money in the family. If he marries the
granddaughter, he doesn't have to wait till the old man dies..."
"How convenient," the other
drawled. Both ladies laughed.
Samantha had heard enough.
Touching Lord Cosmo lightly on the arm, she said the lemonade was as bad as he
had painted it and could he take her back to her grandmother?
Her evening went down from
there. Arabella got into a flaming row over something so ridiculous, Samantha
couldn't even recall what it was later that evening. Lady Ryder declared it
time to leave. Samantha had a headache and she barely spoke to anyone, she felt
so disagreeable. Even the duchess agreed that their charges should be taken
home. The duke was found winning in the card room and he was rather disgruntled
about leaving just when he was having a run of luck.
Ryder had done a few duty dances
and when he returned to the dowagers, they had gone.
Samantha sat up for a while that
night, mulling over the gossip she had heard. Common sense and her mother's
voice told her it was just that -- gossip. Idle speculation, if you would. She
had to believe the ladies speaking were simply jealous of her dowry.
The dowry was enormous, from
what the duchess had intimated, but Samantha did not dwell on her own net
worth. Not having seen it, it was of no import to her. Indeed, it was only a
gift -- and an unnecessary one at that -- from doting grandparents.
What if Ryder needed it? His
fortune had been diminished through no fault of his own, but he seemed to
manage, from what Arabella had said. He wasn't so strapped for funds that he
was going to call on the duke the next day and ask for her hand.
Having decided that was
definitely not going to happen, Samantha finally drifted off to sleep. Her last
thought, however, was on the earl and what it would be like to receive a
proposal from him.
Ryder was up early the next
morning, on a mission once again. This was the most consequential thing he had
ever done in all his twenty-five years -- propose marriage.
Correction: Gain the duke's
permission and then propose.
He dressed carefully for this
all-important interview. His man helped him into a crisp linen shirt and dove
gray pantaloons, and he tied his cravat into a simple knot. He was too busy
contemplating what he was going to say to Cousin Avery to notice that the valet
had added a smoky topaz stickpin and then helped him into his dark blue coat.
What was he going to say to the
duke? To Samantha?
Taking a deep breath, he thanked
his man for his assistance and headed to Halbourne House.
Once he had arrived, he asked to
be shown directly to the duke, who did not notice his younger cousin and heir
looking different from any other day, and invited him to sit and take some
whisky and snuff with him. Ryder declined. There must not be any alcohol on his
breath when he spoke to Samantha, and he was not very interested in snuff.
"I have come on a mission of
some importance today, Avery," he said, sitting on the edge of his chair.
"Your latest ship has come into
port and the hold is full of treasures from India," the duke said with a smile.
"I ... how did you know? It only
docked last night!"
"Servants..." he explained.
"But that is not why I am here.
I..." Ryder stood and started pacing the rug on the hearth. "I know it has only
been a short while, but truly, it has been longer than you realize..."
"You wish to take over the
stewardship of Vinelands?"
"No. I'm doing just fine in
London, and mother has good control of Ryder..." He paused and then hit on a good
way to proceed. "May I tell you a story?"
The older man sat back in his
chair and surveyed his young relative. "Certainly. I like stories."
Ryder took a deep breath and
continued. "Last year, I was on my way back from a hospital meeting when I saw
a young lady being attacked for her food. I flatter myself that I was the one
who routed the ruffians, but I did not expect my heart to be routed, as well."
"You've fallen in love with
someone unsuitable?" The duke was not too alarmed, but he did raised one shaggy
white eyebrow.
"No, I have not. I'm in love,
yes, but she is definitely suitable. More than suitable, actually." And had she
not been, he would have found a way.
"Then why the story? If she is
eligible, just ask her. That is what you wish to do, isn't it? Ask the suitable
chit to marry you?"
"Yes. But I would like her
guardian's blessing first. You see, I had the young lady followed home and
discovered she lived in a vicarage, and her father was the minister at St.
Matthew's."
"St. Matthew's? Why, that was..."
"Yes."
"It was Samantha?" Now the duke
was incredulous. "What are the odds?"
"Indeed. But that is not all. I
might as well come clean with you, your grace. After all, you are her guardian
and her grandfather." He continued his story, so intent on watching his feet as
he talked, he did not see the wide smile on the duke's face.
"You interrupted a church
service when you were more than a trifle disguised?"
"Yes, sir."
"And accosted her at an inn when
you were ape-drunk?"
"Yes, sir."
"And then you took her to my
private garden at the ball and didn't even tell her who you were?" He hooted
with laughter. "You have made quite an impression, lad!" He laughed so hard he
choked on his whisky and Ryder had to pound him on the back.
"I've changed since then." He
outlined some of the promises he had made to Samantha and how he had stuck to
his guns.
"Well, my boy, it seems as if
you have made a few improvements in your life since you met my grandchild, and
she seems to have had a positive influence on you. Not that you were all that
bad in the first place," he admitted. "But you seem to be in a good way of
changing her misconceptions. I'm glad to give my permission, but the decision
is ultimately up to her. She has a generous dowry, you know -- her grace and I
have seen to that."
"I don't care about the money,
Avery. We live comfortably enough at Ryder, despite not being able to afford new
wardrobes every year. There is always food on the table, and I would not deny
her whatever she wished anyway. I don't need the dowry."
"I know that -- and she truly has
few needs, having had to make do now for a number of years. But I would give it
to you anyway, to collect interest and to put in trust for any
great-grandchildren you gave me." He chuckled when Ryder actually blushed.
"No need to think about all
that, yet, sir. As long as I have your permission... Where should I speak to her?
Not here -- too many eyes and ears, Arabella being the worst of the lot."
"Why don't you take her to Green
Park, or Kensington Gardens?" the duke suggested. "Fewer people than Hyde, and
you can just tell her you are going for a drive."
"We aren't going to Hyde Park?"
Samantha asked as they drove past its gates.
"No, we are going to a different
park today. It's a place just past here -- Green Park."
"Oh!" She knew about it, of
course, and its connection to St. James, but she had never been there. "That
will be fine."
"I think you will like it." He
pulled his phaeton in at the gates and gave his name. They were expected. Once
they had alighted and his tiger had taken charge of the carriage, Ryder offered
his arm to Samantha.
She looked about in awe as they
walked -- the park was beautiful, and much more quiet than Hyde Park would ever
be. "It's lovely," she breathed and then lapsed into silence.
"Not as..." No, he had to go slow
on this, now that he had made up his mind and gained permission to pay his
addresses.
"Yes?"
"Never mind."
"All right. Did you enjoy
yourself last night at Almack's?" she asked. "I would not have figured you for
a person who attended the assemblies there."
"I usually do not, but it did
not hurt for Arabella or yourself to have a show of familial support."
"Yes, and thank you. Arabella
enjoyed herself immensely until she and Lord Cosmo almost came to blows over
something. I do not recall what that was -- I had a headache and we left early."
"I know. I came to see if you
wished to dance once more, and you were gone. Are you feeling quite the thing
today?"
"Yes. Much better, thank you."
She fell silent once more.
"Miss Howard ... Samantha..." He
escorted her over to a bench by his usual method, pulling, and set her down on
it. "We have known each other for some time, and while we got off to a bad
beginning, I believe we are friends now."
Samantha looked at him rather
pensively. Was he going to start all that again? Why not wear sackcloth and
ashes while he was at it? "Yes, we are friends," she tentatively agreed, not
sure where this was headed.
"And I have thought that you and
I would suit as more than friends..."
He droned on a moment about the
value of friendship inside and outside of matrimony, and she inwardly cringed.
He was going to propose! In her wildest dreams, she never would have imagined
this, and it was not something she wanted. Not at the beginning of the season,
not now, when she had just entered this world her mother had come from. She was
still getting her bearings.
"Lord Ryder?" She had to stop
this now.
"Yes, darling?" He knelt by her
side and took her hand.
Samantha looked away. If she
stared into those eyes for too long, she would be undone, and she had to keep
her composure. "Please do not propose."
"What?" He stood abruptly and
stepped back, as if he had been singed.
"I said, please do not tender a
proposal. You might be ready to say it," and she had her doubts about that, but
it would be impolite to voice them, "but I am not ready to hear it."
"You aren't? I thought young ladies
were always ready to at least hear offers being made."
"Not this lady," she insisted.
"Will you ever be?"
"I don't know," she whispered,
her hands mangling her reticule. It began to sprinkle, and she wished then she
had not left her parasol in the phaeton.
"How can I prove myself worthy?"
"You might already be worthy,
sir."
"Jack," he insisted.
"Jack ... but I am not at a point
where I can give an honest answer."
"You will let me know?"
"Of course."
"Let us get you home again before it rains harder." He offered a hand to help her up from the bench and they set back out for his carriage.
Samantha made the drive home in
silence and when Lord Ryder escorted her to the door, she whispered a goodbye
and ran to her room. She did not see Lady Valerie's maid, Hettie, in the rear
of the front hall.
Once in her bedchamber, she
threw herself down on the silky counterpane and tried to come to an
understanding of what had just happened.
Lord Ryder had been about to
propose, that much she understood. Her cheeks flamed as she remembered the
gossip from the evening before. Could it be true he only wanted her for her
money? Perhaps she should have let him finish speaking. Not that he would have
admitted coveting her dowry. He wasn't that much of a fool, but what if he had
been about to say something else?
She had not given him a chance,
not because she was afraid he only wanted money, but because she wasn't sure
she was ready to hear any lover-like declarations. She didn't think she was
ready for that. Tears of frustration rolled down her face and then she let out
a wail and buried her head in her pillow.
She had not remembered to close
the door between her room and Arabella's.
Arabella had gone to her room to
fetch a shawl. Lady Valerie was in charge of the household and she was such a
miser when it came to heating even the main rooms. If Arabella had wanted to
pinch pennies, she would have stayed home in Devonshire.
Seeing the connecting door open,
she went to close it and heard Samantha crying. Not knowing the particulars,
but almost certain it concerned her brother, she left the door as it was and
went back to her own room. One of the advantages of being Jack's sister was
access to and working knowledge of his household. Sitting down at her little
writing desk, she penned a note to his housekeeper.
The air was rife with tension
that evening, although her mother seemed oblivious to the heavy atmosphere.
Their graces looked anxious, Samantha was tight-lipped and Lady Valerie kept
darting suspicious looks at them all.
Arabella was relieved when
everyone went to bed early, citing Wednesday's late night and a ball on Friday
as reasons to get some rest. She did not mind. One had to get up fairly early
if one wanted to best one's brother on his own turf.
Ryder House was much the same as
the last time she had been there, several years before when she had been
allowed to visit for a few weeks during the spring. It was still full of moldy
old family portraits and it was still shabby in a genteel sort of way.
Fortunately, the sunny breakfast parlor she had been escorted to was less moldy
and shabby then some other parts of the house. She was still glad she was
staying at Halbourne House -- even with parsimonious Lady Valerie in charge, -
it was much more comfortable.
Breakfast was set out as she had
requested, and she poured herself a cup of tea and helped herself to the food
on the sideboard as she waited for her brother to arrive.
"What are you doing
here?" he grouched, stumbling bleary-eyed into the room after being told
Arabella was downstairs.
"Have you been
drinking?" she asked suspiciously.
"Why not? My reason for
quitting could care less if I do or not." He sat down and a footman
brought him a cup of black coffee. Ryder took it and waved the man out of the
room.
"Samantha," Arabella
said softly when they were alone.
"You are too clever by
half," he said sarcastically.
"What happened?"
"She refused me. Well, she
would have if she had let me finish."
"She interrupted you?"
Ryder flushed. "Actually,
she wouldn't even let me get started."
"Smart girl," Arabella
observed, reaching for the jam. "But you really should not have proposed
so soon."
"Oh?" He drank half
the coffee in his cup and then sat there staring at her. "What should I
have done? Said nothing and let every man with sense run tame through Halbourne
House?"
"You run tame in Halbourne
House," she pointed out with the silver knife she was using on her toast.
"That's different," he
mumbled.
"So you tried to make an
offer, she acted all dicked in the nob and you went on an elbow-crooker. You
nodcock!"
He frowned at her use of so many
cant phrases.
"I'm just trying to
help."
"Well, don't. I think I can
handle this on my own." He rose from the table and stalked from the room.
Arabella frowned and tossed down
her toast. She wasn't hungry any more.
"What's the matter,
Scarabella?" Lord Cosmo asked from the doorway. "Ryder deny you a new
gown?"
"Go away, Bozo. I'm trying
to think." She rested her chin on her hands, heedless of her elbows on the
table.
"Don't strain
yourself," he requested.
She looked at him in disgust.
"What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I was worried about Ryder.
I hadn't seen him around last night and wondered what had happened."
"Evidently he tried to make
Samantha an offer yesterday afternoon and didn't even get a chance to express
himself before being turned down."
Cosmo whistled. "So he sat
home and drank by himself last night," he surmised. Arabella nodded.
"She was in tears. We need
to do something to help them both."
"We?" he queried.
"What do you mean, we?"
"You and I, bacon-brain.
Why do I bother speaking to men?" she asked, looking up.
"Because you find us
irresistible?" Cosmo moved into the room and sat down by her side.
"You know we should not be in here together, don't you?" She
shrugged.
"You could have stayed in
the doorway and then left."
"Females!" Cosmo
exclaimed, raising his own eyes to the heavens. "Why should I leave when
there is a beautiful lady in the room?"
"I do not deal in Spanish coin,
sir!" she exclaimed.
"I'm not offering false
flattery. You truly are beautiful, Arabella," he said, getting her name
correct.
She put her arms down and stared
at him as he leaned in toward her.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm getting ready to kiss
you."
"Oh." She leaned
toward him, curious and rather breathless at the same time. She had never been
kissed before, unless one counted the time she was six and scraped her knee.
Her nanny had not been present and she had insisted Lord Malvern's son kiss it to
make it feel better. She smiled as she recalled that he had done as she had
commanded. Would that work now? "Well? What are you waiting for?"
Cosmo didn't need any more
invitation than that. His lips touched hers gently at first, and then more
firmly, and she slid over to the edge of her chair so that she might be close
enough to put her hands on his arms. The gesture was to hold herself steady
more than anything and when his mouth insisted she open hers to him, she was
glad she had braced herself under that onslaught.
"Well?" he asked
huskily as he finally broke it off.
Arabella had her eyes closed,
her mouth open and she was strangely short of breath. "That was..." She
had no words for the sensation.
"I had better leave
now."
Her eyes flew open. "Why?
We were just getting started!"
"And who knows where we
would finish?" he asked, standing abruptly and almost falling backwards.
Their chairs had locked legs as they had moved forward to lock lips. "I
can't... I won't ... I have to go," he said. "The last thing I need is
pistols at dawn with Ryder," he said and ran from the room.
"A duel!" she
exclaimed to the empty room. "Over me!" Humming a happy little tune,
she picked up another piece of toast and reached for the jam pot.
Blue-deviled, Samantha kept to
her room all morning. She didn't even know that Arabella had gone to Ryder
House for breakfast. When a knock came at the door, she barely acknowledged it.
She was dressed for the day but she was curled up on her pillow once more.
"Are you going to come out
sometime today?" Lady Valerie asked. She was always exquisitely gowned,
and today was no exception. Her dress was coral muslin, with flounces about the
neck and hem, and she wore a strand of coral stones about her neck. Samantha
wondered why she bothered with the elegance, when she so rarely set foot out of
the house. "Mama is asking about you. Do you need a physic?" she
added, coming to the side of the bed and looking intently at her niece.
"No, ma'am. I'll be all
right..." In another hundred years or so, she thought unhappily.
"You would do well to steer
clear of Ryder."
"He drinks too much,"
Samantha said, nodding, not even questioning how her aunt knew this involved
their cousin.
"All men drink too
much," Lady Valerie said in soothing tones. Samantha did not know her aunt
well enough to be alarmed at this sudden change of mood.
"I wouldn't be surprised if
he had a female on the side somewhere."
"They all do that, too, my
dear." She patted Samantha's arm.
"And I think he only wants
me for my money."
"I would not deny that an
influx of funds would do wonders for his estate..."
"What am I going to
do?" Samantha wailed. "I cannot ignore him, because he is family. I
have no idea how to get the message across that I do not want him, however,
without being rude."
"Encourage other gentleman?
Ryder would get the idea soon enough..."
Samantha looked at her in
wonder. "I should! I will! Tonight at the Peabody ball!"
"That's the spirit!"
Lady Valerie encouraged. "What will you wear?"
"The new white silk?"
"No, no, that is too
childish. You want to attract men, not have them ask to push you in your pram!
But I have an idea... Come with me," she said, holding out a hand. "I
have something you might be interested in."
Samantha could not resist going
anywhere with Lady Valerie. The lady had remained an enigma these many months
and she longed to know better the woman who was her mother's sister.
They went to Lady Valerie's
suite, a bedchamber, dressing room and private parlor all decorated in pale
blues and yellows. Samantha was led to the bedroom, settled in a blue toile
tufted chair and told to wait. Lady Valerie disappeared into the dressing room
and returned almost immediately with a gown in ice blue satin.
"It's beautiful!"
Samantha said breathlessly.
"Then it is yours. I had
ordered it this winter, but when it came, I knew at a glance it was more your
style than mine. Come -- try it on."
"But..."
"Don't be shy. Hettie is
waiting to help you into it, and I have the perfect set of diamonds you may
borrow to go with it."
Samantha did not like her aunt's
sly-faced maid, but she allowed Hettie to put her in the gown. It did suit her,
she thought, as she stood in front of the dressing room mirror, even if the
bodice was almost immodestly low.
"Don't tug at the neck,
Samantha dear, it is supposed to fall where it does. Oh, you will be the belle
of the ball!"
"You think so?"
"I know so!" Lady
Valerie put an arm around Samantha's waist and looked at her in the mirror.
"And I know I have not been very welcoming... It takes me a while to get to
know people, but I hope you shall forgive me. May we be friends? Will you call
me Aunt Valerie?"
Samantha nodded, moisture
threatening to spill out of her eyes. "Yes, Lady ... I mean, Aunt Valerie. I
should like that above all things. Thank you"
"Good. Let us get you back into your other gown and go down to sit with Mama and Lady Ryder, shall we? And don't cry -- we may not be able to get your face repaired before this evening."
Jane eyed the blue ball gown
warily when Samantha produced it that evening. She was washed and curled and
wearing appropriate underclothes when she finally sprang the dress on her maid.
"I don't know, Miss
Samantha. It ain't exactly a young lady's gown, fer all it's light blue. I
suppose if you've your heart set on it... I'll go ask her grace's dresser if you
can have some of the sapphires to go with it."
"I do want to wear it,
Jane, and I have jewelry already."
"Pearls it is, then,"
the maid said with a sigh. His grace had presented a strand to both Arabella
and Samantha upon their arrival in London.
"Not pearls." Samantha
rummaged in her dressing table drawer and produced Lady Valerie's diamond
necklace and a pair of earrings to match. Jane gawked at her a moment before
shaking her head. "I ain't gonna let you wear those, Miss Samantha! All
the other young ladies..."
"Hang all the other young
ladies!" she said with a pout. When her maid just stood there, she
resorted to begging. "Oh, please, Jane!"
When her young charge turned on
her puppy-dog eyes, Jane was lost.
"All right, but if her
grace says anythin', I'm innocent."
"Agreed."
Samantha had the sense to put a
wine-colored velvet cloak over her gown, only the veriest bit of ice blue satin
peeking out from underneath. No one noticed at the house, but when she pulled
off her cape at Lady Peabody's house, the duchess, Lady Ryder and Arabella all
gasped.
Diamonds dripped from Samantha's
ears and neck, and dipped low into her very revealing décolletage. She looked
like a courtesan.
"I think I might be
faint," the duchess moaned. Lady Ryder seemed at a loss for words.
"Don't you like it?"
Samantha asked, clearly confused.
"You look..." Arabella
struggled for something nice to say.
"Smashing! Simply
smashing!" a gentleman just behind them exclaimed. "I say, Lady
Ryder, won't you introduce me?"
"Lord Hambly, this is my
daughter, Lady Arabella Pryce, and our cousin, Miss Howard. Ladies, Lord
Hambly." The girls greeted him in unison.
"Would you honor me with
the first set, Miss Howard?"
Lord Hambly was an older
gentleman with definite lines of dissipation, and Samantha's first instinct was
to turn tail and run. Especially as he kept eyeing her cleavage. Else she could
wear her cape all evening. But she could not refuse, unless she did not wish to
dance the rest of the evening. She reluctantly agreed.
Once they had been welcomed by
their hostess, who had raised her lorgnette when Samantha curtsied, but
otherwise did not say a word, Samantha was besieged by men seeking
introductions, dances and, she was sure, a peek down her bodice.
"Where on earth did you get
that scandalous gown, child?" the duchess demanded once they had found
chairs along one side of the ballroom.
"I..." She did not dare
implicate her aunt, even if her grandmother did believe her. She feared Lady
Valerie's retaliation, for one thing, and what would her aunt do anyway? She
would either deny the entire thing or affect innocence. Samantha was stuck
either way, just as she was now stuck with all these fawning, leering men.
Arabella smelled a rat -- a
middle-aged rat named Lady Valerie to be exact. Who else had access to such
jewels, besides the duchess? Who else had an agenda one could only guess at?
Who else could have ordered such a gown to Samantha's exact measurements? (And
Arabella could see the measurements had been exact!) No one else was going to,
so it had to be her.
Spying Ryder standing by himself
next to a nearby potted palm, she excused herself and joined him.
"Who is the Incomparable
surrounded by all those men?" he asked after they had exchanged greetings.
"Are you sober?"
"Yes, I am sober," he
said in a resigned voice. "I was last night, too, which you would know if
you did not jump immediately to conclusions."
"But your eyes... And you
said..."
"I know what I implied, and
as for my eyes, they tend to look like that when one sits up half the night
trying to figure out what went wrong. Not to mention being woken by one's
sister's arrival after only two hours of sleep."
"Oops!" Arabella said,
a guilty expression on her face. "But I only asked if you were sober,
because if you were, you would see that the Incomparable is Samantha."
"Samantha?" He let out
a low whistle. "Where is she getting her clothes these days? A
brothel?"
Arabella frowned.
"Actually, I believe she may have fallen victim to the kindness of her
aunt."
Ryder rolled his eyes.
"Something needs to be done about that old girl."
"And soon. I don't know
what happened between you and Samantha, Jack, and I don't want to. But we need
to protect her from herself if she has begun to put her trust in Cousin
Valerie."
"You are right. Why don't
you snoop about the house and see if you can figure out what is going on."
"I can do that!"
Arabella was pleased to be of some use and get a chance to indulge in some
skullduggery at the same time.
"I'm sure you can. In the
meantime, I think I know someone who can help."
"Who?"
"Don't worry about that
right now. I'll tell you when I know more."
"But..."
"Do you always make a habit
of questioning your elders?" a familiar voice asked.
"Only those widgeons who
don't know what they want," she said without looking. "Are you here
to ask me to dance, Bozo?"
"Of course, Scarabella.
What else would I be here for?"
"I don't know ... Perhaps
another kiss?" she asked coyly.
Ryder stared at his friend, then
his sister and then his friend again.
"You've been kissing my
sister, Cosmo?" he demanded to know.
"It was just a little kiss,
Ryder, nothing to get excited about," he said hastily.
"One little kiss?"
Arabella was incredulous. "You stuck your tongue down my throat! All in
all it was a rather enjoyable experience. Let's do it again sometime."
With an airy little wave, she headed back to the rest of her family, including
the ice blue tart. At least Samantha had not dampened her petticoats.
"You've been kissing my
sister?" Ryder repeated once Arabella was out of earshot. Cosmo cleared
his throat.
"Can we talk about it
later, Ryder? I believe I am developing a rash."
"You're going to be
developing a bullet in your body if you don't tell me exactly what happened
between you and Arabella!"
"Can we truly speak of this
some other time, Ryder? The important thing this evening is extracting Miss
Howard out from underneath that pile of gentlemen over there."
"I know," Ryder said
glumly. "But she doesn't want my help."
"I am certain she will
adore you if you help her out of this predicament."
"You're right!"
"Of course I am! And you
would do well to remember that when it comes time to discuss your sister."
Ryder growled but he didn't have
time to deal with Cosmo. He had a young lady to rescue.
Samantha was growing
increasingly uncomfortable and the dancing had not even begun. Moreover, this
large contingent of men had descended upon her, none of them with anything
honorable on their minds, and she began to look for a way out. At this point,
she only wished to go home and hide in her room. What people must be saying
about her!
It was a pity the duke had not
provided escort that evening, instead of going to his club to dine with an old
friend. Fortunately, Ryder suddenly appeared, Lord Cosmo in tow, and ignored
everyone as he waded through her court of admirers.
"Good evening, Miss Howard.
Gentlemen... Miss Howard, I have a message for you, from your aunt."
"My aunt?" she
quizzed.
"Yes, your aunt. The one
who thinks she is a French modiste who escaped Madame Guillotine only to end up
clothing bits of muslin in London," he said with a straight face.
"She's a bit daft," he confided to the men. "It runs in the
family."
A couple of men looked alarmed
and began to back off, but Samantha had already caught on.
"My aunt -- the one who is
crazy -- didn't happen to mention my gown, did she?"
"No, but the lady -- whose
insanity rarely skips a generation -- wishes you to come home and attend her.
She is very ill."
"My poor aunt!"
Samantha wailed. "And poor me. I will require an escort, my lord. Do you
think..." She looked about, but only Lords Cosmo, Ryder and Hambly remained.
"I shall be honored to
escort you," Lord Hambly offered.
"There is no need,"
Arabella assured him, joining the group. "My brother and I will do."
"Perhaps we can dance again
some other time," he conceded.
"Perhaps," Samantha
faintly agreed.
"Ready to go? Cosmo, please
fetch my carriage. Arabella, wait at the front door with our cloaks. I'll take
Miss Howard around through a back hallway." Linking arms with her, he
affected a leisurely stroll towards his mother and the duchess.
"Arabella and I will take
Cousin Samantha home and return as soon as possible."
‘Of course," the duchess
agreed. "I am so sorry you are unwell, my dear," she said loud enough
for others to overhear. "I daresay the heat in this room does not help.
What was Lady Peabody thinking to have a fire burning in that enormous
hearth?"
Ryder did as promised. He took
her to the front of the house by an alternate route and Arabella helped her
quickly into her cloak. They did all this in silence, and even the ride home
was quiet.
Ryder would not leave until he
was certain her maid had collected Samantha in person.
"You aren't angry with me,
are you?" she whispered as he bid her goodnight
"I could never be angry
with you."
Samantha felt a weight lift from
her chest as Jane took her off to her room.
The house was still. Miss Howard
had gone directly to bed upon her return and the rest of the quality was still
at the ball. That fool Jane was asleep up in her garret, and Hettie slipped
into Miss Howard's bedchamber through Lady Arabella's door.
The necklace and earrings were
on the dressing table, as expected, and it was easy enough for the maid to
pocket them all, the young lady in the bed not even stirring as she bent over
to check her.
Tomorrow should be interesting, she thought with a grin as she went back through Lady Arabella's rooms and directly to her mistress. There would be a big show of retrieving the diamonds the next day, followed by accusations and, if Hettie was lucky, a new post for herself. She patted her pocket with satisfaction.
The next morning, Lady Valerie
knocked on Samantha's door and made a big show about needing the diamonds back
in the family vault.
Samantha, suspicious after the
evening before, put on a mask of innocent gratitude and went directly to her
dressing table to retrieve the jewels. She opened a drawer only to find they
were not there. Thinking she had put them in the wrong place, she checked the
other drawer. Not there, either.
Perhaps they were overlooked the
first time. She searched both drawers once more. No diamonds.
Lady Valerie waited while her
niece retrieved the jewelry and now she watched Samantha intently.
"Well?"
"I cannot find them.
Perhaps Jane put them elsewhere for safekeeping," she said.
"Then ring for her and let
us get this settled," her aunt replied.
Samantha continued searching
while they waited for Jane, who insisted, when she arrived, that the diamonds
had been put away in the dressing table. She began rummaging about, becoming
more frantic by the moment as the jewelry failed to appear.
"But I put it away in here
last night before Miss Samantha went to bed!"
"Are you saying the
diamonds are missing?" Lady Valerie queried, sounding surprised.
"That is too bad. I shall have to have all of the servants and their rooms
searched now."
"Yes, please do,"
Samantha begged, even though she disliked the idea of someone being caught and
punished by her aunt.
"Excuse me," Lady
Valerie said. "Jane, please come with me." Jane followed immediately
and Samantha was right behind her.
An hour later, after all the
rooms had been searched by the butler, a grim-faced Lady Valerie returned,
holding up the necklace and earrings.
"The magistrate has been
summoned," she said to the assembled servants. Samantha thought there was
a ghost of a smile about her lips, as if she enjoyed the suspense.
"Everyone is now dismissed back to their duties, except Jane."
"What?" Samantha
cried. "I'm sure Jane wasn't the thief!"
"The diamonds were found
under her mattress," Lady Valerie replied as if that settled it. "The
magistrate can take it from there."
"But..."
Jane stood there with a stricken
expression that proved to Samantha, at least, that her maid was innocent. But
what could she do? She could appeal to the duke, but he was not yet abroad for
the day. Arabella...
"Excuse me," Samantha
said. "I do think you are innocent," she whispered to Jane as she
exited the room.
Arabella was still in bed, but
she was sitting up drinking chocolate and eating a roll when Samantha strode in
without as much as a by your leave. The look on Arabella's maid's face as she
set out her mistress' gown for the day told Samantha she knew at least part of
what was happening elsewhere in the house.
"Samantha! I trust you are
better this morning?"
"No, but for an entirely
different reason than last evening. Did you enjoy the ball?"
"It was pleasant enough,
but it wasn't the same without you. Are you unwell?"
Samantha sat down on the foot of
her cousin's bed and related that morning's incident. By the time she was
finished with the story to date, Arabella was out of the covers and hugging her
friend.
"Lady Valerie cannot be
trusted, no matter how nice she appears. Jane was obviously framed for this,
and I think I know by whom. But I doubt there is any proof at the moment. I
shall have to think about this..."
"Who would take the
diamonds and hide them in Jane's room?"
"Hettie, of course,"
Millie, the maid, said. She sat mending a torn flounce and listening to the
conversation. "She is Lady Valerie's henchman, and she also wishes the
position of your maid, Miss Samantha. So she could report everything you do
back to your aunt."
"What if someone placed
something valuable in Hettie's room?" Samantha asked.
"Too risky, don't you
think? Besides, they aren't going to want to conduct another search. The
magistrate will interview a few people and make a decision based on that,"
Arabella replied.
"Perhaps Hettie could be
one of those interviewed..." Samantha wondered. "Or... Who shares a room
with Jane?"
"I do," Millie piped
up.
"Hmmm... What if Millie's
story matched Jane's, or she could provide an alibi of some sort, enough to
cause the magistrate to doubt at least half of the testimony?"
"That might work,"
Arabella agreed. "And it is better than what we have already." She
dressed quickly and then loitered in the front hall until the magistrate
arrived. Instructing the footman on duty to place the gentleman in a drawing
room, she followed him in and began pouring her heart out to the kind-faced old
man.
"So you see," she said
in conclusion as he waited patient, "those are the servants to interview.
Hettie and Millie."
"Good day, sir!" Lady
Valerie called from the open doorway. "What are you doing here?" she
snapped at Arabella.
"Being friendly," came
the pert reply. "It was so nice to meet you, sir," she added,
curtseying to the gentleman and going off in search of a more substantial
breakfast.
In the end, Jane was absolved of
any wrongdoing due to a conflict in testimonies and a lack of evidence.
"Lack of evidence?"
Lady Valerie had screeched. Samantha had never seen her so upset. "The
diamond was found under her mattress!" The servants interviewed were lined
up once more and this time, the duke was present.
"Anyone could have placed
them there. Besides, both maids were abed last night and both were busy this
morning. I just do not see enough reason to prosecute," the magistrate
explained. He did not stay long after that, and the duke saw him out.
"I would reconsider the
continued employment of a maid named Hettie," the duke was informed as
they walked to the front of the house.
"Oh?"
"When I asked what she knew
about the jewelry being found on the right side of the mattress, she corrected
me. The diamonds were discovered on the left side during a search. The only
other person who knew that was the butler. Hettie was not present during the
search."
"Thank you for the
information," the duke said gravely.
"It was nothing, your
grace. I would hate for an innocent maid to get charged for a crime she did not
commit. Let's keep the courts open for people who deserve it."
The duke agreed as they shook
hands.
Jane was absolved and Samantha
was wiser in the ways of Lady Valerie, but both she and Arabella knew something
needed to be done to prevent a similar incident from happening.
"Ryder even says we need to
take care of this situation," Arabella noted. They had gone for a walk
that afternoon in the park so they might speak freely. A footman escort trailed
behind.
"He did?"
"He is a good sort, you
know. I'm not quite sure why you two are at odds once again, but he would
defend us both to the end."
"I know," Samantha
whispered.
A driver hailed them and Lord
Hambly called for his tiger to take the reins so he might hop down and converse
with the ladies.
"You are better today, Miss
Howard?" She could feel him sizing her up in her form-fitting spencer. The
wind was blowing her skirts about, pressing them to her limbs, and she felt
only half-dressed under his scrutiny.
"Yes, thank you."
Fortunately, they were then called by two young men on horseback, Lord Cosmo
and Sir Robert, who dismounted to pay their respects.
"Is the gentleman bothering
you, Miss Howard?" Sir Robert asked her quietly as the others discussed
Lady Peabody's ball.
"No, sir." Not yet,
she wished to add.
"Here is Ryder, then, just
in case," he replied as the earl approached on foot. "Cosmo and I
have appointments at our tailor and must leave," he explained, "but
Ryder will deal with this bounder, if needed."
Samantha was relieved. She felt
they could get rid of Lord Hambly much faster if Lord Ryder was at their side.
Lord Cosmo and Sir Robert
greeted their friend and moved on, leaving the baron, the earl and the two
young ladies. Ryder let it be known he was there to escort the ladies elsewhere
and once Lord Hambly got the hint and left, Ryder turned to them with a smile.
"Shall we get ices before I
take you home? My carriage is over there."
"Yes, please!"
Arabella exclaimed. "We have so much to tell you concerning Lady Valerie,
and none of it is good!"
Taking the young ladies'
information to heart, Ryder called the next day at Lord Seawright's townhouse.
He could see, not to mention hear, the household in an uproar, but was told the
earl would see him in the study.
"Only room in the house my
mother won't set foot in, so it is the only quiet room available,"
Seawright explained.
Ryder was invited to sit and was
offered a drink and a smoke. He took the smoke. After they had gotten
comfortable, Seawright asked what brought the younger man to call.
"It concerns Lady Valerie.
"I have no concern as
regards her life," Lord Seawright said coldly.
Ryder just stared at him until
he flushed. "That is a whisker if I ever heard one! Why have you never
married?" he asked. "Any female would have done at that point, and it
would have been prudent to provide yourself with an heir."
"I've never wanted anyone
else, but you are wrong about an heir. I have a cousin who will fill my shoes
admirably, and he already has a son."
"You've never wanted anyone
but Valerie? Then why did you not fight for her at the time?"
"That stubborn fool? I
tried! She dug her heels in and refused to budge. I even tried running off with
her to Gretna, but that made her worse. She said she was not going to be like
her sister. When I saw how distressed she was," he said sadly, "I
turned the coach around and took her home. Why do you need my help now?"
"Something cagey is going
on at Halbourne House, and it seems to be revolving around Lady Valerie. She
tried to embarrass her own niece and she tried to have the girl's maid arrested
for theft."
"Valerie did not approve of
anything her sister did, and she felt it ruined her own life and chances, even
though I tried everything I could think of to convince her otherwise. Neither
myself nor my mother could bring her around..."
"Would you be willing to
try to help again?"
"Of course. Valerie needs
to be reined in before she ruins not only her niece's future, but her future
with her niece."
"Exactly. Will you come to
the duchess' card party on Monday? Perhaps just getting her used to you being
around will help."
Seawright looked warily at the
earl. "If you think it will do some good, I suppose I can. You will need
to help me provide a buffer between Valerie and my mother..."
"I don't think that will be
too much of a problem."
"Oh?"
"Your mother's former
companion is their grace's granddaughter. She and Lady Seawright get along
famously, and she will keep the countess occupied while you reacquaint yourself
with an old flame."
Seawright sighed. "I can
but try. And please..." he said with a wince as the butler began to berate a
maid about the waxing of the hall floors. "Bring your young ladies over
before Monday. Mother could use a diversion."
"So could you, it
seems."
"Yes. Quite."
As the daughter of a clergyman,
Samantha had been raised to turn the other cheek. She had tried and failed with
Ryder, although she prided herself on the fact that she was giving him another
chance -- she just wished him to go slow. Lady Valerie's betrayal, however, was
devastating, and she holed up in her room to lick her wounds and did not come out
for two days.
Her aunt had assumed an injured
air that fooled no one, and was persona non grata at the moment, so she, too,
had retired to her rooms for a few days. Hettie was sacked without a reference
and Lady Valerie had not yet had a chance to cultivate another household spy.
Arabella was sympathetic to her
friend, but the silence was driving her insane and she finally ventured into
Samantha's room. The girl was curled up on the bed, in one of her old gray
gowns, reading a book. Arabella flopped down beside her.
"What are you doing?"
"Reading." Samantha held up the
Minerva Press book, as if Arabella could not see it before.
"What are you reading?"
"Something rather Gothic."
"Ooooh, I love those stories!
Old, creaky houses, dark castles and damp burying grounds! Love, murder..."
"Betrayal," Samantha added with
a twist of her mouth.
"I'm so sorry. We've all been
burned by her so many times, we forget others can fall prey even after
warnings. It's easy to do, you know. She's like a spider, luring you in,
getting you caught in her web..." Arabella said dramatically.
"So I gather," came the dry
reply.
"I was six when she first
snitched on me to Mama. I took my pony out without permission."
"Six? You had your faith in an
older person shattered when you were six?" Samantha asked incredulously.
"Oh, earlier than that, and it
wasn't Lady Valerie, but my own father. He liked to drink, and he also liked
women, and to gamble. I think I was five when I discovered him with one of the
maids. I remember running to my mother and her telling me not to repeat it. She
was so sad, and I vowed I would never, ever marry anyone like that."
Samantha felt rather foolish
after that. If Arabella had been treated thus at a tender age, no wonder she
was rather cynical when it came to others. "Your brother is not like that,
either," she said softly.
"No, he is not." Arabella was
quick to defend him. "I'm not saying he is a saint, but he rarely gambles and
hardly ever drinks to excess. He used to, but once he became the head of the
family, he was more responsible and left such vices to special occasions. I
think you might have been on the receiving end of some of those occasions."
"I have, but I have come to
realize they were not the norm."
"As for women, well, I'm sure he
is no saint there, either, but he has never accosted our maids."
"How do you know?"
Arabella's smile was smug.
"Because when Mama did not listen to me when I was five, I got that one maid
let go, and I asked the housekeeper to let me know when it happened again. It's
one of the reasons I began to listen at keyholes," she said with a flush. "I
used to devise all sorts of plans after that to get rid of promiscuous
servants. I've heard plenty of stories about subsequent maids over the years,
but not one of those stories involved Jack. Now, I'm not saying he doesn't have
females in his life, but I don't believe he takes advantage of the lower
orders."
Samantha marveled at her
cousin's matter-of-fact tone regarding this seamier side of life.
"But enough of that. Guess what?
We have received an invitation to call on Lady Seawright tomorrow after
church!"
"Lady Seawright?" Samantha
perked up immediately. "She is in London?"
"Yes, indeed! Isn't she the most
delightful lady? You will get a chance to meet her son, as well." She got a
devilish gleam in her eye. "Do you know what we should do? We should insist
Lady Valerie go to the Seawright's house with us!"
Samantha did not wish to have
anything to do with her aunt, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "No,
thank you. I wish to enjoy my visit with the countess."
"Oh, you will," Arabella said
with a wicked grin. "Remember, Valerie was betrothed to the earl. And Lady
Seawright dislikes her intensely!"
Samantha giggled and lowered her
arms. "Truly?" She had never been on the receiving end of Lady Seawright's
tongue, but she had heard the countess make several cutting remarks when she
was her companion, and to have Lady Valerie be her target would be satisfying.
Then she remembered her upbringing. "No, I would not wish that on anyone,
really, and besides, I doubt Lady Valerie would go."
"She will if the duchess drags
her there. I'm of a mind to go ask her to."
"No!" Samantha protested.
"Really..."
"As you wish. It's time to help
the duchess and Mama with afternoon callers, anyway... Will you come down with
me? There are bound to be several people who will cheer you up, and Lady
Valerie has been playing least in sight."
"I suppose I shall, then,"
Samantha agreed, rising to search for a suitable gown. "But remember, not one
word to the duchess!"
"Oh, no -- I shall not speak a
word to her grace unless spoken to!" Arabella promised.
The main drawing room was full
to bursting when the young ladies went downstairs, and Samantha was glad she
had changed into a sprigged yellow muslin with a flounce. Many of the ladies
attending had brought their daughters, all of them overdressed, as if they were
trying to impress the duchess. Samantha could have told them not to bother,
that the duchess was not taken in by such outer trappings, when Ryder strolled
in and everyone turned their attentions to him.
He looked elegant in a dark blue
coat and biscuit-colored trousers, and she heard at least three girls sigh in
unison as she helped pass out teacups and plates of biscuits. She watched as he
made his way to the duchess and got herself snapped at by Lady Winterbottom
when she almost poured tea on that lady's daughter.
Miss Winterbottom apologized to
Samantha, but Lady Winterbottom told her daughter a paid companion was not
worth the effort. When the girl leaned over and whispered Miss Howard's status
in her mama's ear, the baronet's lady became instantly solicitous. Samantha
backed away in disgust, but Miss Winterbottom caught up with her moments later.
"Please forgive Mama. She is a social
climber of the worst sort, and she will never get anywhere because she never
remembers what one's status is. I do not care about that, but I do have to be
on my guard to keep my mother from embarrassing me as much as possible."
"It is all right," Samantha said
kindly. "I was a paid companion until recently and I am not ashamed of that.
"Nor would I be," Miss
Winterbottom said stoutly.
Arabella came by as she handed
around cups for the duchess, and introductions were made.
"I have heard you are an
excellent horsewoman, Lady Arabella," Miss Winterbottom said.
"Who told you that?" Arabella
was immediately suspicious.
"My cousin, Lord Cosmo
Villiers."
Lord Ryder was coming towards
them and Samantha held her breath. She prayed that Miss Winterbottom was not
forcing friendship on the pretense of getting close to Lord Ryder, and she
prayed Lord Ryder would not find the pretty girl more attractive than herself.
She gave herself a mental shake, surprised at her thoughts. Arabella, for all
her cynicism, seemed to be taking this young lady at face value.
"I'm sure I am a superior
horsewoman when compared to him!" she was saying. Miss Winterbottom laughed out
loud, drawing frowns from her mother and some of the dowagers.
"I'm glad to see you ladies
getting along," Ryder said with a smile. "Miss Winterbottom..." He bowed to his
friend's cousin. "How nice to see you in London."
"It has been an age, my lord,"
she replied with a curtsey.
Samantha could detect no
preference for Ryder in her manner, but she was still watching the girl like a
hawk. Arabella was smiling about something, but she wasn't sure what it was,
because she was attending Miss Winterbottom's every action, every word.
"Isn't that right, Samantha?"
Arabella asked.
"What?"
"Just agree with me."
"Yes," she said promptly, and
everyone laughed but her. "What did I just agree to?"
"To ride Monday in the park."
"But..."
"No buts, dearest," Arabella
insisted. "Miss Winterbottom, you and I, Jack, Lord Cosmo and Sir Robert. It's
a plan," she said to her brother. "And you had better get back to making the
rounds." He bowed and excused himself.
"I wish I could find a man like
that," Miss Winterbottom said enviously.
"You can't have that one,"
Arabella said smugly. "He's already spoken for."
"I know," she replied, giving
Samantha a bright smile. "And you may stop glaring at me now, Miss Howard. I
was not going to poach on your preserves."
"But..."
"Don't worry," Arabella assured
her. "Your name is written all over him, and those who cannot see it already
are too idiotic for words. You were vastly entertaining, though. Perhaps we
should trail Jack about and stare down anyone who dares flirt with him!"
"An excellent idea!" Miss
Winterbottom exclaimed with another loud laugh. "However, my mother is signaling
that it is time to go, and I believe her grace is trying to gain your
attention, Miss Howard. I am so pleased to make your acquaintance, even under
such embarrassing circumstances, and I shall see you both again Monday." She
nodded politely to Ryder as she went to retrieve her mother and then glanced
over her shoulder to watch Samantha glare once more. With a giggle, she
collected her parent and they went to say goodbye to their hostess.
"It's not funny!" Samantha
insisted when she heard Arabella snicker behind her.
"Yes, it is." She linked an arm
with her cousin and they went back to passing around cups, as an entire new
group of people had arrived.
"What an exhausting day!"
Arabella exclaimed that evening as the two girls prepared for bed. "I am so
relieved we did not have any social obligations this evening on top of all
that. I must have counted two hundred visitors today."
"I do not think there were that
many..."
"Nonsense! There were fifty
alone at one point, and I daresay the scullery maid is still washing all their
cups and saucers! I especially liked it when you accidentally dropped a plate
of biscuits in Lady Margaret Danvers' lap."
"That was no accident," Samantha
admitted. "She was making sheep's eyes at your brother. I could not let her embarrass
herself further."
Arabella fell back on Samantha's
bed in peals of laughter. "Why don't you just marry the man and then you can
put to rest all these stares and glares."
"I really should!" she
indignantly replied. "How dare he accept their flirting when he is as good as
promised to me?"
"He is?" Arabella was instantly
sober. "But I thought..."
"What did you think? I only
asked him to wait, that I needed a little more time. But that does not mean I
will never listen to an offer from him. In fact, the more I see him in a crowd
of females, the more I am thinking I had better put a ring on his finger."
"Oh, he's branded already,"
Arabella assured her. "And he is perfectly happy to be so. I think making him
wait is an excellent idea, though. After all, this is your first season. Your
chance to attract as much attention as possible before you make a brilliant
marriage and settle down to wedded bliss. Then you can have me for a sister,
make me an aunt several times over, do good works in the village and eventually
become a duchess. "
Samantha blushed at the thought
of making Arabella an aunt several times over.
"I should like that very much," she whispered.
In the end, the duchess took
care of the situation concerning her daughter visiting the Seawrights. The
entire family attended church together at St. George's, Hanover Square, with
Samantha staying as far from her aunt as possible.
But it did not matter. Lady
Valerie seemed to have lost interest in harassing her niece. Samantha heard later
that the duke had given his daughter a tongue-lashing and threatened to cut off
her allowance if she ever pulled a trick like that on anyone, Samantha in
particular, again. Arabella heard about it from Millie, who had also seen
Hettie, now a scullery maid in another house.
Arabella thought it all poetic
justice, but Samantha was just sorry. Perhaps after a suitable length of time,
she could help find a better situation for the maid.
At St. George's, the duchess led
Lady Valerie into the pew, followed by Lady Ryder and Arabella, with the duke
bringing up the rear. Samantha found herself on the outside, with room for one
more. That space was filled, moments later, by Lord Ryder.
"I thought you didn't go to
church," she whispered.
"I have turned over a new
leaf."
"I never thanked you for
filling the poor box that day. It helped a lot of people."
"Yourself, as well?"
"Sadly, no. Papa should
have kept some of it to pay for a physician, too, but he gave it all
away."
"I'm so sorry."
Samantha looked up. His gray
eyes were soft. "Thank you."
Under the watchful eye of the
duke, they were quiet and concentrated on the service. But, as everyone settled
down for the sermon, Samantha's hand crept into Ryder's, sitting between them
on the seat. The side of the pew was, fortunately, high, as was the back, and
no one but themselves could see.
Afterwards, Arabella and
Samantha were invited to share Ryder's open carriage, as he was to go with them
to see Lady Seawright. It wasn't until they stopped at the house on Curzon
Street that they could hear Lady Valerie making a scene.
"Really, Valerie!" her
mother scolded. "You just sat through a lesson on the milk of human
kindness and now you won't spread any of it around?"
"I am not a cow,
Mama!" A face appeared in a front window of the house next door and she
calmed down enough to follow her parents reluctantly into the Seawright
townhouse.
They were all shown to a drawing
room where the countess and her son sat playing cards.
"Darlings!" she cried,
rising to embrace the duke and duchess. "And Lady Ryder! Oh, my goodness!
Is this my little Arabella?" She hugged the girl fiercely and turned
bright eyes on Samantha.
"And look at you! I
declare, I almost did not..." She caught sight of Lady Valerie. "Who
let in the cow?"
"Milk of human kindness,
milk of human kindness," Lord Ryder muttered in her ear. Samantha flashed
him a thankful look and distracted Lady Seawright by asking to be introduced to
her son.
"Of course!" She moved
Samantha away from Lady Valerie and made the introduction of Samantha and
Arabella to the earl. "You will remember my mention of Samantha in the
fall?"
"Yes, Mama."
"And it has been a long
while since you saw Arabella!"
"Yes, Mama." He was
craning his neck to watch as Lady Valerie seated herself next to her mother.
"Are you listening to me,
Seawright?" she demanded.
"Yes, Mama," came the
dreamy reply. Samantha, Arabella and Ryder exchanged amused glances.
"Well, isn't this
pleasant?" the duchess asked as silence fell over the group. "It is so
nice to see you again, Eustacia. We owe you so much for reuniting us with
Samantha."
"I was glad to be the
reason you met her." Lady Seawright glanced at Samantha and smiled
brightly before her gaze moved on to Lady Valerie. "I am certain some
family members do not deserve her, however."
Lady Valerie opened her mouth to
speak, saw her father frown and shut it like a trap. Lady Seawright grinned
evilly.
"Perhaps the younger ladies
would like to see my latest acquisition?" Lord Seawright interjected.
"Then you three may talk freely about us."
Ryder chuckled. "Is this
acquisition in your study, perhaps?"
Lord Seawright winked at him.
"But of course. Ladies?" His gaze took in Lady Valerie, as well as
the girls, and the five of them left the room together.
Arabella had taken Seawright's
arm after Lady Valerie refused it, and Ryder came between Samantha and her aunt
to escort them both. Once they reached the study, Lord Seawright had them
gather around his desk. Pulling out a square of velvet, he unfolded it and
then, reverently, set some old coins on top. He handed Arabella a magnifying
glass.
"What do you think?
Impressive, aren't they?"
"They look like old lumps
of metal to me," Arabella said.
"Give me that!" Lady
Valerie snapped, snatching the glass from the girl's hand. She bent over the
desk, inspected the coins and whistled, a sound that surprised her three
relatives. "Roman?" she asked with authority. "Did you find them
at Seacrest?"
"I did." The two older
people bent back over the coins and promptly forget the rest of the people in
the room. Ryder propelled Arabella and Samantha away so they might have some
time together.
"Isn't that sweet?"
Arabella said rather sarcastically. "And at their age!"
"Hush!" her brother
told her. "What do you know?"
"I know love doesn't last,
else these two never would have parted. I know people stray, betraying their
marriage vows and their families..." She was getting worked up, but she
could not stop. Samantha pulled her down in the sofa with her and put an arm about
her shoulders.
"Will you get her some wine
or brandy?" she asked Ryder.
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"At this time of day, little vicar's daughter?"
"Medicinal purposes
only," she assured him. When he complied, she handed the small glass of
brandy to Arabella. "Drink up." The couple at the desk had still not
glanced their way.
Arabella drank and choked on the
strong liquid, and then she sighed and sagged against Samantha. "I am
sorry I got upset," she told her brother. "I was just thinking
of..."
"Father," Ryder said
sympathetically. "Fortunately, he is gone, and we are not. You'll never
have to live like that again. Which is why, dearest sister, I intend to keep a
strict eye on your beaux."
Arabella giggled. "Such as
Lord Cosmo?"
"Especially Cosmo!"
The visit concluded with tea in
the drawing room, with Lord Seawright and Lady Valerie conspicuously absent.
When the others had left the study, they were assured the couple were old
enough to take care of themselves, in one way or another, and spent the next
half hour listening to Lady Seawright and the duchess reminisce about their
school days, and their first season. It was highly entertaining, and when Lady
Seawright was not around Lady Valerie, Samantha found her as gay and charming
as she had in Bath.
In the study, Valerie waited
until her relatives had disappeared before speaking. "I told you Seacrest
was a treasure trove of Roman artifacts," she said rather tartly.
"But you never believed me."
"There was little
historical evidence..."
"The place was near a Roman
fort, for goodness' sake! What else have you found?"
"Some bronze, a few pottery
shards ... the usual refuse pile scraps of bone and flint..."
"Could be Roman, could be
later," she concluded.
"Precisely. But these coins
are definitely Roman."
"Definitely," she
agreed.
"Valerie? Why did you break
it off?"
She glared at him. "That is
none of your business!"
"It most certainly is! This
was my future, just as much as it was yours! It was my happiness, too!"
"You would not have been
happy with me..."
"How do you know?"
"Because ... because you
would have thought me just like my sister."
He shook his head. "You
know that is not true, Valerie. Don't you know I loved you no matter what
happened? I even asked you to move up the wedding date due to your sister's
unfortunate disappearance. I didn't want people to talk about you."
"You did?"
"Of course I did. Your
father had you holed up in that mausoleum of a house in Devonshire, so I wrote
you a letter. Didn't you get it? I gave it to your maid, Hettie..."
"Hettie!" Valerie was
horrified. "She never gave me anything! I would have remembered
that!" She burst into tears. He moved her over to the sofa in an instant.
"Oh, Valerie, Valerie,
Valerie," he chanted. "It's all right, truly it is."
"No, it is not!" she
cried, taking the handkerchief he produced from his waistcoat pocket. "All
that time wasted! I should have known you would not desert me!"
"Shhh!" He wrapped her
in his arms. "I never have deserted you, really. And I'm here right now,
aren't I?"
"Are you?" she
wondered.
"Let me try to make up for
lost time. How are you at being courted, Val?"
"What do you suppose they
are doing in there?" Arabella wondered as she ate cake and made small
talk.
"Arabella!" Samantha
was appalled at her lack of manners sometimes, but Lord Ryder only laughed.
"And you can be just as bad!" she insisted.
"I only asked,"
Arabella said innocently. "You are the one who is making it sound worse
than it probably is. After all, they are rather old for that sort of thing,
aren't they?"
"Probably not," Ryder
said. "Perhaps we should collect Lady Valerie," he said to his
elders.
"Absolutely not!" the
duchess cried.
"Absolutely!" Lady
Seawright insisted.
"Perhaps you should," duke
said with a faint smile towards Ryder. The earl nodded and left the room.
Inching down the hall to the
study, so as not to disturb whatever was going on inside, he was surprised to
find the door open and voices coming from in there.
"You should have them
appraised," Lady Valerie was saying.
"And alert someone to what else
may be found at Seacrest?"
"You can have it done
discreetly, Anthony," she said patiently, as if speaking to a child. "I suppose
you have sectioned off pieces of land for a dig? How did you find these?"
"My men were digging for a
well when they noticed round little pieces of dirt in the sludge. They were
rinsed off and I was sent for, so when I got to the estate, I began rummaging
about in the fill for more pieces. And every time the sludge was brought to the
surface, I poked about in it."
"What will you do with
everything?"
"I thought some of it could
be donated to the British Museum, but the coins are going in my own vault."
"I should think so." Ryder
watched, amazed, as she leaned over and kissed Seawright's cheek. "I would be
available for more consultations," she suggested.
"If they are anything like
this, I am all for it. Shall I call on you tomorrow and bring you back here to
see more of my finds?"
"I should like that."
Ryder cleared his throat and
knocked on the open door. "Are you ready to leave, Lady Valerie? His grace is
asking for you." That was close enough to the truth. She nodded, but she took
Seawright's arm, leaving Ryder to feel like a third wheel as he walked behind
them to the drawing room.
"You have missed your tea!"
Lady Seawright exclaimed, looking at her son as he entered the room. "Is that
how she takes care of you?" she demanded, not missing their tender glances or
the way Lady Valerie had not yet let go of the earl.
"We shall discuss this later,
Mama," he said with some finality.
Their graces, Lady Ryder and the
girls thought this was a good time to leave, and once again, Lord Ryder
insisted Arabella and Samantha ride with him.
"I shall be over early in the morning for our ride," he said, making a mental note to invite Seawright and Lady Valerie.
© 2005 Copyright held by the
author.