Deadly Engagement: A Georgian Historical Mystery (Alec Halsey Crimance) (28 page)

The Earl inhaled a pinch of snuff. “For lovers, certainly, but not the place to take one’s wife, surely?”

This intended quip fell sadly flat, Madame requesting Alec to retranslate the Earl’s sentence and then looking at him in bewildered offense. Delvin did not like to be so scrutinized and by a Papist foreigner and he made good his excuses. He bowed but found himself ignored, Madame and her retinue chattering amongst themselves and finally deciding to join the Marquis in the card room. There was more conversation between Madame and Alec and then she left him with a little titter of laughter and a sparkle in her eyes as he kissed his fingertips to her in acknowledgment of her compliment.

The Earl gave his brother’s straight back a nudge. “You didn’t translate the whole of what that Frenchwoman said to you, Second,” he said viciously, seething that he should feel so out of his depth and that his brother should be considered by the French as worthy of acknowledgment. “And don’t bamboozle me with any of your sweet tongued lies!”

Alec glanced over a shoulder, a last bow to Madame. “Madame la Marquise said to wish you great happiness.”

“She babbled more than that to you!”

Alec pulled a face. “I was merely sparing your feelings,” he drawled. “But if you insist—”

“I do!”

Alec sighed his boredom and brushed an imaginary speck of dust from his velvet sleeve. “Madame is of the opinion that perhaps an Englishman must needs be surrounded by cows, sheep and pigs of the country if he is to discover what it is he must do with his appendage while on his honeymoon.”

“How dare—”

“I wouldn’t keep the Duchess of Beauly waiting,” Alec interrupted and grinned at his brother’s flushed face. He had the satisfaction of watching him stomp off in a temper and, with a wink at Sir Cosmo, crossed to Emily’s side. She was on the arm of the young Duke of Beauly, her mother’s only son and thus her half-brother. He had taken it upon himself, despite his mother’s disgrace and Emily’s bastardry, to acknowledge his sister now that she was to be made a Countess. His presence at the Fireworks Ball meant a great deal to Emily and despite her ordeal of the afternoon her spirits had taken a decided turn for the better. That was until Alec bowed over her hand.

Beauly and Alec exchanged a word and then Alec said to Emily, who had colored up and become flustered, “May I claim the dance after Beauly’s?”

Although he had spoken in a gentle tone she recoiled from him and clung to the Duke’s satin sleeve saying to the floor, “No! I can’t. I’m sorry. I have no spaces.”

“Surely you have left one space in your little book where I may place my name?”

She shook her powdered curls and said in a quick voice, “Your Grace, please, we must get on or we shall miss the dance and then my list will be quite out.”

The Duke looked helpless to intervene and was somewhat relieved when Cynthia Gervais pounced on Alec declaring his name to be next in her list of dance partners. She took possession of his velvet clad arm and led him away to the Ballroom, the Duke of Beauly and his half-sister not very far behind them.

Cynthia Gervais spent her entire dance with Alec hinting broadly that she needed fresh air and that a walk about the lighted gardens would be just the thing. But her partner did not take the hint and Lady Gervais was forced to offer him an open invitation to join her in the moonlight. But he apologized with his most generous smile, which caused the lady to sigh at such a wasted opportunity. Her hold on him was only relinquished when her lover came straight up to them and reclaimed what he considered his property to return her to the dance floor with as much self-control as he could muster; the mistress having the disloyal temerity to look over her shoulder with disappointment at Alec’s departing broad back.

Alec went in search of his next partner, a cursory glance over at the row of opened French doors that led out onto the wide balcony and where stood amongst the crowd Sir Cosmo and Selina. While dancing he kept an eye on their whereabouts and was pleased to see that Selina watched him even though she pretended her interest lay elsewhere.

Next the Lady Sybilla stood up with him, and for two country dances. He insisted, if only to make certain Cynthia Gervais did not come in search of him again and to annoy Lady Charlotte. Lady Sybilla did not look at all herself and he soon found out why when he offered to fetch her a lemonade and to sit with her while she drank it. He had an ulterior motive to this solicitude and that was to question Emily’s aunt about the information he had gathered from his mock sword fight with the children in the servant’s courtyard.

“I haven’t enjoyed dancing so much since Charles and I went to the Wentworth Masquerade,” Lady Sybilla said, a little breathless. “That was just before this last posting out to sea.”

“You must get out more often. Take a house for the season, instead of spending all your time in Berkshire,” said Alec. “Besides it would be good for Harry.”

“Oh yes! I should like that. Harry would particularly like to be nearer his cousins but—But the last thing I want to do is be obligated to spend time with Charlotte. She is quite suffocating. I know that is an uncharitable thing to say about one’s own sister—”

“—but very true. I don’t blame you. The thought of being suffocated by Charlotte quite unnerves one.”

Lady Sybilla giggled.

Alec kissed her hand. “That’s better. I don’t like to see Emily’s favorite aunt unhappy. You’ve been so all afternoon.”

“Please. Please, don’t ask me why. I can’t tell you! I want to, but I—If you only knew. Charlotte will be so angry with me!”

“My lady, don’t distress yourself. I’m not about to ask you any awkward questions,” Alec assured her. He took her fan and fluttered it for her. “Charlotte’s idea to fetch Sir John?”

“Y-yes.”

“And you’ve been sadly tried by the prank those boys attempted to pull-off last night?”

“Oh, that!” she said with a sigh of relief. “Lewis and Harry were so willful. I don’t know what got into their heads to want to prowl about in the middle of the night! I suspect Harry was put up to it by Lewis. Charlotte’s boys are all unmanageable and she is quite blind to their faults.” When Alec smiled sympathetically Lady Sybilla rattled on. “It’s just as well Old Nurse is deaf. Running up and down stairs wailing like ghosts is beyond anything!”

“I gather that they had a fright themselves when Delvin caught them at it?”

Lady Sybilla was puzzled. “Delvin? Oh no, that would have been bad enough but having Lord Gervais take them by the scruff of the neck was positively mortifying.”

“
Gervais
?”

Lady Sybilla blinked at the surprise in Alec’s voice. “Yes. He and Delvin were playing at billiards when they were disturbed by noises in the servant passage. Lord Gervais said he suspected it was a couple of the servants playing a prank and so went to take a look. The boys practically ran into him in the passage.”

“He spoke to you?”

“Y-yes. He came to my rooms. He was exceedingly angry. He huffed and puffed about for a good five minutes before he got to the point; as if in his anger he’d run all the way! I really think he expected me to punish Lewis and Harry there and then. Of course I was very upset that Harry should get himself mixed up with Lewis, but I don’t know what Lord Gervais expected me to do about it at that hour.”

Alec impatiently waved away a waiter hovering with a tray of drinks. “At what hour did Lord Gervais disturb you?”

Lady Sybilla watched the waiter move on and mentally sighed. “Hour? Oh, I don’t know the precise hour, but I was in my dressing gown having my hair brushed so it was late.”

“Do you think his lordship had been drinking excessively?”

At this question Lady Sybilla blushed rosily and was flustered into saying hurriedly, “Mr. Halsey, what sort of female do you take me for? I didn’t get close enough to smell spirits on his breath!”

“Of course you wouldn’t,” he agreed soothingly. “But perhaps you noticed if he was wearing his frockcoat?”

Lady Sybilla blinked at such an odd question. “Frockcoat? You misunderstand me. I didn’t see him at all. I was in my dressing gown,” she told him, fluttering her fan in agitation. “I spoke to him from behind the dressing screen. It’s what Charles would expect me to do.”

Alec smiled reassuringly at her as he stood. “Of course. It was ill-mannered of him to have bothered you with something so trivial at such a late hour. He should’ve taken the boys directly to the nursery and spoken to you about the incident in the morning.”

“Oh, Harry and Lewis weren’t with him. He was alone.”

Being the consummate gentleman, Sir Cosmo refrained from adding his name to any lady’s list to remain at Selina’s side because she was prohibited from dancing. They strolled along the fringes of those who lingered at the edge of the dance floor, to observe the dances and to pass comment on dance and costume. More than once Selina’s gaze stole out to the changing formations to catch sight of Alec. He was hard to miss dressed in black velvet and his hair unpowdered, just as she was sure she too must be obvious in her widow’s weeds. Thus she made a point not to glance his way for very long in case he caught her doing so. Though why he would even be on the look out for her was so conceited a thought on her part that it made her angry; as did the way that Gervais creature pressed herself against Alec’s arm. Her only satisfaction was that the Earl of Delvin was also witness to his mistress’s flirtation and his anger so far got the better of him that he waylaid the couple, his fixed smile at odds with the blazing anger in his set features.

When Alec next partnered Lady Sybilla, it was noted by many a swelling matronly bosom that he had the effrontery to dance consecutive dances with a married lady. Selina overheard a spiteful remark pass between two dowagers with plain-faced but eligible daughters and smiled to herself. Alec Halsey may not be a member of the inner circle, was a younger son and considered a sad rake but these facts could not outweigh his wealth and lineage; his dashing good looks was but icing on the cake. Let them try, she said to herself, annoyed that it had never occurred to her before his interest in Emily that he was remotely interested in the married state. At least she had the satisfaction of knowing he had asked her first… What a hollow victory!

“Talk about being out maneuvered by the French,” Sir Cosmo commented with the ghost of a laugh, recalling Madame la Marquise’s parting remarks in the refreshment room. “If Ned only knew the half of it! But it’s as well for Ned’s self-esteem that Alec did not translate the whole of that pretty speech.”

“Yes. Madame’s parting shot was only partially directed at my Lord Delvin and that uncomplimentary,” said Selina, gaze on the dancers. “She left her sweet compliments for her interpreter. Something about Alec and the last time he was in Paris…? If I’m not mistaken in the translation, Madame was of the opinion that it did not require a barn full of hay for her to know a prize bull when she saw one.”

Sir Cosmo, who was perusing the dancers through his quizzing glass, turned a magnified on Selina and choked. “Y-yes. Q-Quite sh-shocking of her to say s-so in m-mixed company!”

“Yes, very shocking.” Her brow furrowed. “I wonder if the observation was made from personal experience or by common report…?”

Sir Cosmo deigned to ignore her question. “I must say how very impressed I am with your understanding of the idioms of the French language, Selina.”

“As am I,” said a low voice at her ear. “Come out onto the balcony. I need to talk to you.”

It was Alec and he gave Sir Cosmo to understand by one look that he wished to be alone with Selina. Sir Cosmo did the noble thing and departed to poke his head into the card room.

Serious gamesters occupied the several tables set out for the purpose of gambling. All were oblivious to the spectators and other entertainments on offer and cared for nothing except the cards in their hand. The French Ambassador with his entourage lounged on sofas by the open windows and a few dowagers were playing at piquet for small change, their interest in the ballroom at an end with the close of the minuets. Country dances did not amuse them, and more than one of them was shocked into speechlessness at the sight of the Duchess of Romney-St. Neots on the arm of that barbarian who would let the mob rule if he was Prime Minister, and she as pink-cheeked as any girl in the midst of a flirtation. It was outrageous! Spying Sir Cosmo, these deep-bosomed matrons called him over. He was sure to know the latest gossip, the boy always did.

Sir Cosmo waved his quizzing-glass in acknowledgment of these powdered and plumed old ladies and meant to cross straight to their table but his interest was diverted by two gentlemen standing by the marble fireplace. So he lingered.

It was the Earl of Delvin and Simon Tremarton. To the casual observer there was nothing in their behavior to invite comment. Both men were smiling and seemingly at their ease. Sir Cosmo, too, may not have given them more than a minute of his time had he not witnessed the slim sheaf of parchment that Simon Tremarton half-pulled from his pocket then slid back for safe keeping, patting the outside of his frockcoat in a comforting manner. Sir Cosmo’s eyebrows shot up. He glanced at the Earl. The man was still smiling, possibly broader than before.

Under cover of four gentlemen strolling toward one of the tables, they in deep conversation about a prime filly to be entered in the next meeting at Newmarket, Sir Cosmo moved closer in the hopes of eavesdropping. He was too late. Tremarton had made his departing bow and wandered off. Lord Delvin took snuff and turned to the looking glass above the mantle to adjust the folds of lace at his throat. Sir Cosmo had to content himself with what he’d seen and report it to Alec as soon as it was convenient to do so. Just now five dowagers awaited him and he knew his friend had left the social whirl of the country dances to be private with Selina. Ah, what it was to be a popular young man with the ladies, albeit singularly deaf and wrinkled old dears. And while his ear was being filled with the latest on-dits culled from the refreshment room his mind wandered, and he wondered with a deep mental sigh what was being discussed under the stars of a moonlit night…