Amberley Chronicles Boxset I: The Impostor Debutante My Last Marchioness the Sister Quest (Amberley Chronicles Boxsets Book 1) (51 page)

The taunt was too much.
Resistant
, when he was about to spontaneously ignite just from looking at her?

“Enough,” Jonathan growled, and wrapped Cherry in his arms for a possessive kiss that foreshadowed the delights to come.

With both of them allowing their passions free reign, matters proceeded with marvellous ease and smoothness. Jonathan’s most vivid dreams of Cherry were far surpassed by the reality. Making love to her was unlike any previous experience he could remember – she was like liquid fire in his arms, endlessly fascinating. Best of all, she was beautifully responsive and wholeheartedly enjoyed their exertions, not hiding how much she was affected. Never had he hoped to find a wife this passionate and sensual.

“That was beyond words … you are a houri, a siren, a seductress,” he said eventually, when he’d regained his breath. “The weeks of separation, until you join me in London, will be much harder to bear now that I know what I am missing.”

“So much the better – I would not want you to forget me, or look elsewhere.”

“As though that were possible! After this, I won’t even look at any other woman. They will seem like cold tea, when I’ve tasted the finest champagne.” He kissed her again. 

Cherry tenderly put her hand on his cheek. “You are a wonderful lover, Jonathan. I eagerly look forward to the time when we can enjoy such pleasure every night.”

“I didn’t have a sheath with me,” Jonathan realised, sitting up and looking around for his discarded garments, thrown every which way in the heat of passion.

“Remember that we are to marry,” Cherry said blithely. “Speaking for myself, it would be my greatest joy to find myself carrying your child.”

“It may happen yet. I certainly intend to devote my utmost efforts to the project.”

“Are you up to another attempt right now, when we are so conveniently naked and alone?”

“You will find that I rise to such challenges with ease,” Jonathan replied, and proceeded to prove that it had not been an idle boast.

Chapter 27

May 1823

Jonathan’s return to London could not have been more different from the journey in the other direction. The sun shone nearly without interruption, though not with so much heat as to prove uncomfortable. He had taken the best-sprung coach to be had in Norwich. True to a promise to Cherry he made time for brisk walk every day, at places of particular historic interest that she had suggested, being more familiar with the route. Cherry had promised in return never to leave her new home without the protection of two stout footmen. Keeping his promise was by no means easy, for Jonathan felt impatient to arrive in London and tackle his long list of new tasks. He had never felt more energetic.

When he was not daydreaming about all the things he wanted to do with Cherry, Jonathan spent the long hours plotting Buckley’s downfall. Cherry had indignantly vetoed the suggestion that her late husband’s debts might simply be paid off. The company’s bankruptcy had wiped them away, she maintained. Cherry believed that Buckley had deliberately drawn Randolph into his clutches, and that he should on no account be rewarded for this investment. She wanted him punished instead.

Upon consideration, Jonathan decided the man must be removed from London altogether. He could not bear the thought that Cherry might suddenly come face to face with her tormentor at some future moment. 

Almost his first appointment, back in town, was with a magistrate to whom Buckley was not unknown.

“We don’t have any proof, though we know he had two men killed, business rivals who stood in his way,” Sir Boyd Leicester told Jonathan. They were in a separate lunch room at the Charybdis Club, which was proving very useful for Jonathan’s more discreet business meetings. “If he learns that you are trying to catch him, your own life might well be in danger.”

“All the more reason to remove him from the scene,” Jonathan said. “If Buckley were arrested on some serious charge, with strong evidence, would he remain taken? I have heard rumours that he has some hold on influential people who could have him set free, in such a case.”

“What! Where did you hear that?”

“From a professional investigator, who knows many people on both sides of the law.” He preferred not to give Hendrickson’s name to Leicester, in case it got back to Buckley.

“Interesting,” the magistrate said. “Such rumours can be useful to a criminal, even if completely unfounded. If there should be anything to them, on the other hand, it should be easy enough to find who tries to get the man out. Do what you think best, Durwent, I prefer not to know anything more about it. If and when Buckley should be arrested, I can ensure that he is not simply let go, without knowing the reason why.”

They parted soon after. It did not take Jonathan long to make further arrangements, involving a theatrical agency and a hefty bribe. The very next morning, as Buckley was walking along Oxford Street, an elegant lady loudly accused him of attempting to steal her purse. Two bystanders confirmed the accusation as witnesses, and made sure that the accused did not escape until the watch took him in charge. Nobody paid any attention to Buckley’s furious denials and threats of murderous reprisals. His attitude, indeed, convinced the magistrate on duty that they were dealing with a dangerous character, and Buckley was immediately remanded to prison. The lady, a Mrs. Ferguson, very correctly gave her deposition and particulars, and so did the witnesses, with surprising patience. By the next day all three would be far away, joining a touring troupe of actors in the north of England under their real names. 

Jonathan had watched the whole from a distance, preferring not to appear directly in the matter. The redoubtable Buckley was a surprisingly young-looking, wiry fellow, not above forty, who did not at first glance inspire any fear or respect. If the man managed to wriggle out of this trap, Jonathan had a number of other measures in store for him. Already, he was moving in on Buckley’s business interests through a middle man. Jonathan was not ordinarily ruthless, but acting against a villain who had harassed and threatened Cherry he felt no qualms.

By hook or by crook, Buckley would be completely neutralised before Cherry returned to London.

***

The next day Jonathan met James Ellsworthy at the Charybdis for a leisurely lunch.

“Congratulations on your Club,” James said, “if everything is as excellent as the soup and fish we just enjoyed, it is definitely superior to Brooks. The library is more comfortable, too.”

“New competitors have to try harder,” Jonathan said, “it’s a well-known phenomenon. Those who think that just doing as well is enough tend to go out of business quickly. After a few decades this club may also become complacent and lazy, and new upstarts will outdo it, though we’ve done our best to ward against that in our statutes. So far all is going splendidly, we have our full complement of members and a waiting list of thirty more.” Or was it fifty already? He had not checked since his departure to Bellington. Certainly the dining room was full enough.

“Then I won’t apply to join the waiting list,” James said, “but I will ask you to put down my son’s name, unless you have a rule against the practice?”

“No, there are already several other children on the list. Very well, I will put Roger among them. But there are more urgent items I want to discuss.”

“We don’t need to talk business this time,” James said, “that written report by your assistant was admirably clear and concise.” That had been a good idea, and was excellent practice for Jonathan’s secretary, who had proven his worth and ability during these last weeks. His promotion was imminent.

“You will continue to receive such written reports in future, James, but you are most welcome to discuss any of the points with me when we meet – as I hope we continue to do.”

“Of course,” James said, “and at my brother’s house party we shall have yet more time to enjoy each other’s company. As you have only just returned to town, I don’t suppose you have been able to select a bride yet?”

Jonathan could not restrain a broad grin. “You suppose wrong. I am actually engaged to a wonderful lady I met on my recent trip north. I have not yet got around to it, but I shall write to your amiable sister-in-law that I am declining her invitation to Amberley after all, since the purpose is now moot.”

“Congratulations,” James said, surprised. “From your expression I deduce that it is not a mere marriage of convenience, as you were planning the last time we talked? Can it be that you are in love at last?”

“It changes everything,” Jonathan said, not denying the charge. “All my previous plans and intentions went up in smoke, and I do not regret them for a moment. My bride is worth infinitely more than the trappings I only thought I wanted.”

“She must be an unusual woman, to have wrought such a reaction in a bachelor as obdurate as you. Is she the woman you mentioned in your letter, the mysterious Sophia Jones?”

“No, her name is Cherry, short for Charity.”

“What – one of the three women you thought might be your sister?”

“Yes,” Jonathan admitted, “and I don’t mind telling you, that gave me some moments of panic. There is nothing more horrible than to believe that the woman you are attracted to might be a close relative. Fortunately that is all sorted out. We have written proof that my twin is one of the other sisters, Prudence, also known as Mrs. Matthew Spalding. I even found out why my parents gave her away, and all things considered, it was for the best.”

“You can’t mean it,” James said, staring. “To give your twin sister away?”

“Yes,” Jonathan said, “under the circumstances, it almost certainly saved my sister’s life. It is a lesson to me not to second-guess or judge others’ decisions without knowing all the facts. Anyway, Prune – that’s how she’s called in the family – has two strapping boys and a little girl, Anne, who looks like Emily when she was that age. Anne and Prune even have the same inability to eat mustard that my mother had, and most fortunately did not pass down to her male descendants. There is not the shadow of a doubt about our relationship.”

“So I must congratulate you once again,” James said, pouring some of the Club’s special Moselle into their glasses, “on finding your sister. That makes five nieces and nephews altogether, with Emily’s two?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it is more within the year,” Jonathan said. “Emily is planning to travel to Bellington as soon as possible. I expect she and Prune will be excellent friends. They have much in common.”

“And your fiancée? Where is she now?”

“Still in Bellington, to my regret. I miss her. She’s as busy there as I am here, as I left her in charge of refurbishing an estate I bought there. Matt Spalding, my new brother-in-law, is going to run the business side and look after the tenants.” Jonathan thought fleetingly of the long list of objects he had promised to send back to Lobbock Hall, that his secretary was even now assembling. Two pianos, gifts for Patch and little Anne, were the bulkiest items. 

“Then you are a landed gentleman already?”

“Yes, and the owner of several hundred hogs, I would have you know. Not counting their offspring.”

“Hogs are perfectly respectable. Every large estate has such agricultural interests.”

“I did not buy the estate for the hogs, in fact I would rather do without them. The real attraction was a gallery of old masters. My favourite canvas, in the Flemish style, already hangs in my office at home.”

“Good luck seems to favour you these days. When you say home, do you mean your Chelsea house or the new one in Mayfair?”

“Chelsea for now, but it will be Cherry’s decision which of them she prefers. I bought the new house to please my wife, but the wife I am marrying is very different from the picture I had in my mind.”
Thank heavens
.

“In what ways?” James was regarding him with a gleam of amusement in his eyes. 

“Cherry is close to my own age, and a widow without children. Of the three sisters, she is the only one whose parentage we have not yet been able to discover, though I am hopeful Hendrickson may yet find some clue or trace.” He explained Cherry’s origins to James, who shook his head at this new mystery. “So not only is Cherry not an aristocratic debutante, but we know virtually nothing about her family background.”

“She could still be an aristocrat, from what little you know,” James commented, “since her mother travelled with her own coach and servants, though the whole affair sounds unusual and shocking. The authorities should have searched much more diligently.”

“I agree, but it was a tiny place and thirty years ago. Frankly, I don’t care, and merely continue the investigation because Cherry would like to know the truth. I hope if it is found, that it will not cause her pain. The truth is often not what we might have wished for.”

“If you need my help for anything, do let me know,” James offered. “As for the house party, I know I speak for Marianne and George that you should still come, and bring your bride also. I am looking forward to meeting her, and so will Charlotte when I tell her about your adventures.”

“I don’t know … Cherry is still in mourning for her first husband, who shot himself over debts. Black weeds would not contribute to the cheerful atmosphere of Lady Amberley’s house party. I myself can hardly await the day when she puts them away, and we can marry at last. Five more months seem like an eternity, when I have only just found her.”

“A house party is not a ball or masquerade, where a widow would be completely out of place. I will consult Marianne, and she will write to your Charity, who may or may not decide to accept. You have to come in any case, since you have already agreed to do so in writing. Hostesses hate it if guests drop out at short notice.”

“Very well,” Jonathan agreed, not completely loath. “By the bye, I met Lady Amberley’s brother, Lord Pell, during my journey north. He owns the biggest estate near Bellington, a place called Adlingham.”

“I have heard him mention the estate,” James said. “Anthony is also invited to the Amberley house party. You will meet him again there. And Henry and Minerva. It is not as though you would be thrown entirely among strangers.”

“Cherry, and my present friends and family, are all the company I need.”

“With your wealth and that attitude, polite society will likely welcome you on your own terms,” James predicted. “The secret to social prominence is not to care about it, or to need it. At least when one is as successful as you.”