A Fallen Woman (31 page)

When the
telling was over, Rachel raised her eyes and looked at the earl. ‘I
was a fool, wasn’t I?’

‘
You were young and Salinger was plausible. I daresay you were
not the first female to have fallen for his particular brand of
charm. You must stop blaming yourself Rachel.’

‘One
mistake can have far-reaching consequences.’

‘
If you are very unlucky. Imagine the girls who had not had the
presence of mind to deal with Salinger. Even though yours was the
most public shaming, I daresay there were more than a few who
suffered in private.’

There was a
small silence, then Rachel sighed. ‘Why, exactly, have you
kidnapped me?’

‘To
ensure you marry me,’ he replied promptly. ‘Really, we all agreed
it was the sensible thing to do.’

Rachel
could not stop a smile at the idea of her family plotting together
to ensure her happiness. She must have been a good deal more
transparent than she had thought, allowing her growing feelings for
Worsley to show through.

‘
You could be making a terrible mistake, marrying
me.’

‘Or the best decision of my life. The only mistake would
be
not
marrying you. I have been too long without you
already.’

‘
I will ruin you,’ she warned, leaning forward.

‘
I’m counting on it,’ he returned, moving forward to meet
her.

Their lips connected and the fire she had first experienced
when he had kissed her flared up all over again, drowning doubts,
snuffing out fears in a wave of longing. For the first time in
three and a half years, Rachel allowed herself to believe that she
was allowed to dream of something more. That there was a man for
her. This was the man. This was
her
man. Together they could build a life
together.

It was still
perfectly true that she would be the ruination of him.

But it was
comforting to know that they would endure it together, side by
side.

Epilogue

The Earl of
Worsley’s townhouse was an impressive affair that stood with an air
of solid gravitas on the more elite side of Half Moon Street. Its
Grecian columns and double fronted white stone walls were larger
and more impressive than its neighbors, seeming to suggest that its
owner was a person of some importance.

The house
had stood empty for some time – the Dowager Countess now spending
her days at the Worsley estate in Warwickshire – but in the first
week of May this had changed. The shutters had been opened, the
stoop scrupulously scrubbed as the earl and his new wife took up
residence.

Despite the fact that they had been in residence for a
little over a week, nobody had left their calling card and no
invitations had come to rest on the silver salver in the spacious
entrance hall. The earl and his countess were being
lef
t in
magnificent solitude by Society. The countess was delighted to have
it so but her husband was becoming increasingly irked by the
ton’s
attitude towards his
new wife.

‘
What happened is ancient history. I’m damned if I am going to
allow you to be demonized for the rest of your days.’

‘
Does it really matter?’ Rachel had inquired. She was not
nearly so inclined to berate herself, now that she shared her life
with a man she grew to adore a little more each day.

‘
Why should you be made to suffer for the rest of your
days?’

‘If this
is suffering,’ Rachel murmured, dropping her head against his
shoulder, ‘then I am the happiest of penitents.’

He had laughed,
but it was obvious that he was still indignant on her behalf.

She had
known he was up to something when he had cajoled her into going up
to London at the end of April. The prospect had been sweetened by
her sister Charlotte’s plans to go for at least part of the Season,
although it seemed likely she was already pregnant and there was no
guarantee that she would remain until September. Still, Rachel had
mixed emotions; she was pleased by the idea of keeping an eye on
her sister, but mildly alarmed that her presence might cast a
shadow over Charlotte’s time in the capital. Naturally she had been
the only one who was concerned. Both her sister and Adam had
scorned the idea that she should keep her distance in
public.

‘If you do I shall be exceedingly offended,’ Charlotte had
told her without preamble. ‘You have
nothing
to be ashamed of.’

There had
been a time Rachel would have strongly disagreed with this idea but
loving – and being loved – had mellowed her. If her husband and her
family were prepared to subject themselves to the unenlivening
prospect of being snubbed, so be it. She was so wrapped up in the
wonders of her new life that she was confident Charlotte could
weather the storm of rebuff that was sure to come their
way.

At ten o’clock on a Tuesday morning, both husband and wife
were indulging in a leisurely breakfast in bed. Rachel felt
deliciously languid
, having received the especial attentions of Worsley who
had become knowledgeable in a variety of ways in which to please
his enthusiastic wife. In four months of marriage they had learned
a great deal about each other, all of it delightful. Indeed, Rachel
was amazed that marriage could be so very agreeable. Obviously one
needed to have wed the right man. That the earl was the right man
for her was achingly obvious and it grieved her to have wasted so
much time realizing it. She could have been with him for years if
she had had the sense to turn a deaf ear to Salinger. She had
voiced her frustration to him once, shortly after they were married
but Worsley had dismissed it.

‘
There is no point in thinking of it, sweetheart. You can say
that you were blinded by infatuation, I can say that I stayed away
too long. As long as we’ve found each other now, nothing else
matters.’

It was
such a sensible observation that Rachel put the past behind her and
focused on looking ahead.

‘
Do you know what I think we should do?’ he said now, tone
thoughtful.

‘
What?’

‘I think
we should host a ball.’

This was so
absurd an idea that Rachel burst out laughing. ‘A ball?’

‘
Indeed. It has been a long time since a ball was held
here.’

‘I’m sure
it has. I am equally sure that, if we did decide to have such an
affair, that nobody would come.’

‘Perhaps,’ he agreed, stroking her hair. He had settled her
against his shoulder and, as was his custom, had wrapped an arm
around her to hold her close. ‘But I would like to try. If nobody
comes then we will have the dance floor to ourselves. At least we
will have avoided a crush.’

She laughed again, curling against him, liking the way
their bodies
complemented each other. ‘A very positive attitude. Who
shall we invite? Apart from Charlotte and Adam, of
course.’

‘
Everybody,’ he said firmly.

‘
Everybody?’ she echoed quizzically. ‘Well that should be
interesting!’

Bending
his head, he stole a swift kiss. ‘If we’re going to do it, we
should make as much noise as possible.’

‘Liza would agree. It is how she goes about her daily
business.’ Rachel murmured, her mind busy with the possibilities of
a large scale social disaster. Did the idea alarm her? Upset
her?
Scare
her? She was surprised to find that it did not. ‘We are
going to have a great deal of uneaten food on our hands,’ she
predicted cheerfully.

‘The
beggars down at St Thomas’ will be appreciative.’

‘
Truly.’ Tilting her head, Rachel looked up at him. ‘When shall
we have this grand affair?’

‘
Next week,’ he said and gave her a wolfish smile. ‘It will be
an interesting exercise, don’t you think?’

‘Don’t get your hopes up, my love,’ she shook her head.
‘Although it’s been nearly four years, that is irrelevant when one
is dealing with the ton. I think it has become painfully clear
since coming up to town that all has
not
been forgiven.’

‘
We shall see,’ he muttered.

Rachel hoped he wouldn’t be
too
disappointed when it all went awry.

There followed a very busy ten days. Invitations were
organized (and hand delivered by a veritable squadron of liveried
footmen), a menu prepared, flowers arranged, furniture polished.
The grand ballroom was a magnificent room and after the attention
of innumerable maids, gleamed with golden light. It all looked
rather splendid and Rachel was a little sad that nobody would come
along to appreciate it. Worsley had insisted she purchase a
magnificent gown and she threw one of the most modish dressmakers
in London into spasms when she requested a ball gown be made in a
matter of days. The woman – French, of course – wrung her hands,
exclaimed a good deal and accepted an exorbitant amount of money
with a happy smile. If the Countess of Worsley wished to have a
dress that was truly
magnifique
, she, Celeste, would create such a
thing.

When Rachel returned for her final fitting on the day
before the ball, she had to admit that, as voluble as the woman
was, she certainly knew how to create a stunning gown. French silk
of a deep rose had been sewn across the bodice and the narrow,
close fitting sleeves with cut crystals, so that Rachel appeared to
shimmer when she moved. The full skirts of the gown were overlaid
with fine spider si
lk, several shades lighter than the material beneath. It
was a stunning creation, unusual and lovely and Rachel fell in love
with it immediately.

‘How wonderful!’ she breathed, when the
modiste had finally stopped
twitching and tugging at the fabric.

‘
Madam is pleased?’

‘So very pleased. You are extremely
talented.’

The woman’s smile was smug. She was well aware of her own
talents. ‘You
are a beautiful woman,’ she allowed. It was not so much a
compliment as an observation. ‘I like to dress beauty.
Unfortunately it does not come my way very often.’

Rachel enjoyed the woman’s matter of fact attitude and
decided she would become a regular patron.
If
she remained in London for any length of
time. She supposed that she and Worsley could come up to town to go
to the opera or see a play, but she could not imagine it would be a
frequent occurrence.

By
Tuesday evening they had received only six acceptances to the ball
and Rachel was mentally composing notes to say that the affair had
been cancelled, but by Thursday afternoon, when she returned from
the dressmaker, she found a veritable mountain of white envelopes
awaiting her attention. That silver salver, for the most part empty
since their arrival in town, had been joined by several, larger
ones and all were overflowing with letters. Rachel stared at them
for a moment, before lifting her eyes to look at the butler,
Beasley.

‘
What are these?’

‘
Your mail, my lady. They arrived when you were
out.’

‘
Did they?’ she said, rather blankly. Reaching out, she took
one of the envelopes and, removing a glove, opened it.

“Lord & Lady Astley
accept with much pleasure the
invitation

to attend
the ball at Worsley House on the 13
^th
of May.”

Rachel stared
blankly at the words for a moment before her eyes
drifted to the piles of stationary. ‘Good heavens…’ Turning to
Beasley, she said, ‘Is his lordship in?’

‘
In the library, my lady.’

Rachel hurried towards the library, practically bursting
through the door. She found her beloved ensconced with a book and a
glass of hock. He glanced up when she entered and smiled,
as he lay both glass
and book to one side. Rising to his feet, he strolled across the
room to kiss her soundly. ‘What’s the verdict on the
dress?’

‘Never mind the dress! Have you seen the
mail
that has
arrived?’

‘
I don’t believe so. Why? Has something interesting finally
arrived?’

‘
There must be fifty or more envelopes that have
come!’

He raised an
eyebrow. ‘I must say, the wretched creatures have left it rather
late.’

A thought
occurred to Rachel. ‘Of course, I do not know if they are
acceptances or refusals.’

‘
Acceptances,’ Worsley said with certainty.

She gave him a
suspicious glance. ‘You have been out a great deal these past days.
What have you been up to?’

‘Why,
what should I be up to? I met your brothers at our club. Went
riding with some fellows I know. Caught up on old
acquaintances.’

‘Hmm.’
Rachel had been busy herself and so had not particularly remarked
on her husband’s absence, although after four inseparable months
together she had missed him. Still, she was pleased that he was
reacquainting himself with old friends and had hoped that he had
not received too tepid a welcome from them. Now she suspected his
bout of sociability had been about something else entirely. ‘Have
you really been garnering support?’