Dangerous Secrets (85 page)

Grimthorpe drew near, a wolfish half-smile on
his face as he quickly surveyed — and dismissed — Emily, to turn his attention
to Arthur.
‶
You′re
looking well, I see.″

Arthur merely nodded and returned the
compliment.
‶
As
are you.″

‶
Thought for sure you′d
have popped off by now, old man. Any bees around this weekend?″

‶
Certainly not.″ Arthur
stiffened and gave Grimthorpe a stern look. To her surprise, there appeared to
be animosity between the two men. Miranda had never before seen Arthur appear
anything more than mildly chagrined. But his attitude toward Grimthorpe
bordered on anger. She wondered from whence it stemmed.

Seeing Emily′s mother preparing for yet
another round of questions, and dreading lest Grimthorpe hear them, Miranda
hastily led the other women inside to where her sisters and the dowager
awaited.

She would let Simon handle the man. They
deserved each other.

As they walked, Miranda tried to reassure
Emily, without actually using words, that she did not need to fear any
embarrassing disclosures about her this weekend. Or any anger. If Emily no
longer wanted to marry Valentine, then so be it. Miranda would not interfere.

But what if Emily still loved him? What if she
loathed her husband-to-be? Don′t ask for trouble, she told herself,
already knowing that she would not be able to rest until she was certain that
Emily had truly put all hopes of marrying Valentine behind her. After all, her
love life — and the dowager′s both seemed so hopeless she must look
elsewhere for a happy ending.

‶
I hear the dowager and Simon
have been reconciled. Is that so?″ There was no ignoring the way that
Emily′s mother insinuated herself between them, even as she spewed her
questions, as if she were afraid that Miranda might contaminate her daughter.

Or incite her to another elopement. Miranda
smiled politely and murmured a vague answer to yet another of the
countess′s questions. She could not avoid the knowledge that the weekend
was likely to be the longest of her life.

The guests continued to arrive, keeping the
footman and maids busy scurrying to see to the needs of the new arrivals and
keeping Miranda so busy greeting people and making sure of their comfort that
she barely noticed how Simon always seemed to glide away from wherever she
moved. Even as the guests gathered in the ballroom, dressed in their finest and
prepared to dance the night away, Simon stayed a room length away.

Not that she was overly eager to see the
distant look in his eye. Or to hear his detached comments about the number of
guests and the scheduling of entertainments for tomorrow. Even worse would be
his dry compliments on how beautifully the ballroom had been decorated. They
both knew it was all his mother′s work.

‶
May I have this dance?″
She turned to find one of the eligible young bachelors had detached himself
from Hero. He was tall and dark and the only feature which kept him from
handsomeness was a petulant set to his lips and a thinness to his nostrils that
suggested he did not like to breathe common air.

‶
Thank you,″ she accepted.
She would have preferred to decline, but the dowager was staring at her from
across the dance floor, and she had already been reminded three times that she
was a duchess now. Miranda presumed that duchesses did not refuse dances from
perfectly decent, if callow, young guests.

He was an adequate, if not perfect, dancer, and
she was just beginning to enjoy herself when Simon cut in and swept her away
from the young man. With a flare of his nostrils, the usurped gentleman headed
quickly back toward Hero′s vicinity, leaving Miranda to deal with Simon
on her own. Her heart dropped as she looked up into his eyes.

He scowled.
‶
I am not amused.″

His scowl did not lessen as they danced,
despite the fact that she seemed genuinely perplexed by his displeasure.

Chapter 20

Evidently, despite her concern for his
‶
health″,
she was in no mood to coddle him.
‶
By what are you not
amused?″ she asked, impatience stamped into the tight set of her mouth.
‶
The
decorations? The musicians? They seem more than adequate to me.″

‶
You know what I mean.″ He
said it forcefully, just to make certain she had not simply learned to hide the
truth in the time she had lived with him.

She stared at him in such puzzlement that his
scowl relaxed and he found himself feeling groundlessly grim. Purposefully, he
began directing their dance to carry them toward the entryway. With barely a
pause, he led her into the dining room, its tables laden with food and guarded
by huge blocks of sculpted ice.
‶
Look at this.″

Her glance at the tables was not cursory, and
no glint of recognition shone in her eyes. He had just decided to explain when
he felt her start of surprise. She went nearer, on tiptoe, as if she were
afraid, and began to peer at the sculptures: Cinder Ella, her prince at her
feet; Rapunzel in her tower, her hair let down; Sleeping Beauty, Little
Redcape, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast.

Fairytale characters captured in ice. And that
was not the worst: Every woman had Miranda′s face and every man was Simon
— except that for the tale of Redcape he had been rendered with angular,
wolfish features.

She put her hand out to the familiar features
caught in ice and rested her fingers on the chill wolfen brow.
‶
I
had no idea.″

His lips tightened, then twitched.
‶
My
mother, of course. Her idea of amusement.″ He gestured for a footman.
‶
Take
these away immediately.″

‶
No.″ Miranda shook her
head, and the footman halted, looking at Simon for further instruction. She
touched his arm. He could not hide his anger, but she met his gaze full on.
‶
Leave
them. They are beautiful.″

‶
We will be the laughingstock of
society for this folly,″ he muttered.

Miranda shook her head, a shuttered look of sad
certainly on her face.
‶
Your mother would not do that. Your family name is
too important to her.″

He jerked his arm away from her. So his mother
had even convinced her of the Watterly honor. How ironic.

She reached for his arm again, touching him
lightly,
‶
Please.
Leave them, Simon. No one will laugh. They are too beautiful for that.″

Her eyes rested wistfully on the Sleeping
Beauty sculpture, the handsome, princely Simon bent so that his lips met and
melded with the lips of the icy Sleeping Beauty, carved in the likeness of
Miranda.
‶
Leave
them for my sake.″

He watched her, hoping his inner war not
obvious in the taut lines of his face. Why did he continue to torture them both
like this? He should send her back to her family before she was ruined forever
— not her reputation, but her heart, He remembered then that his mother had
warned him of that very thing. Damn her.

‶
They′re only ice, Simon.
They won′t last.″

Just like your dreams, he thought, but did not
say. Of course, as he knew she would, she persevered.
‶
By the end of the
evening they′ll be puddles on the floor. Can I not have them for this
little while?″

He did not answer her, but turned his attention
to the footman, who had watched their exchange wide-eyed.
‶
Leave
them. My wife wishes it.″

He would have left her then, if she had not
slipped her hand in his.
‶
Dance with me again, Simon. The room is so full of
strangers watching my every move. I would like to dance once more with
you.″

He sighed, about to refuse and she stopped him.
‶
It
is not much to ask, for a husband to dance one full dance with his wife.″

His eyes raked hers, wondering if she would
take his agreement as reason to slip into his bed once more. He could not say
with any certainty what she thought a dance would mean as he gazed into the
dark depths of her eyes.

But he nodded, realizing that it meant some
slight relief from the gossiping guests. It was the least she deserved from
him, since he could not give her what she truly desired.
‶
It
is not much to ask at all.″ He led her from the dining room and out into
the crush of dancers.

To his surprise, the tension seemed to drain
from him as they maneuvered the intricate pattern of the dance. He was smiling
faintly at her, his face relaxed in lines of enjoyment and pleasure in an
unguarded manner he had not dared since they had driven home on their wedding
day. The thought was a sharp pain and he immediately sought to distract
himself.

‶
Your sisters are doing well,″
he said when the dance step brought them together.
‶
Even the shy one
seems to be gathering beaux.″

Miranda whirled away from him in dance, her
gaze searching for her sisters. He hoped she approved of the glow in both
Hero′s and Juliet′s eyes as they were plied with food and drink by
the eligible bachelors carefully selected by Simon and his mother as worthy
candidates for the girls′ affections.

As Miranda watched Juliet flirting outrageously
with four men at once, she smiled.
‶
Yes,″ she commented lightly
when the dance brought them together once again.
‶
They are both ready for a
Season.
‵
Tis
fortunate that Hero is not jealous that Juliet is coming out at the same time
as she.″

The dance ended, and they stood for a moment
catching their breath. Simon smiled.
‶
Hero does not seem the jealous
kind.″

The musicians struck up a waltz, and before
Miranda could protest, he had led her onto the floor again and she was caught
in the whirl of dancers. He noticed his mother, her American lover
conspicuously absent, watching them with an avid eye. He wondered if she were
simply ashamed of the man, or if she had sent him away to prevent him from
speaking with Simon.

Miranda tilted her head up toward him, her eyes
shining, and he worried that he had indeed raised her expectations.
‶
Sometimes
I think Hero was born without the capacity for envy. If the situation were
reversed, I doubt that Juliet would be so kindhearted. Although I cannot think
it is a bad thing that, with them both coming out, Juliet has less gentlemen upon
whom to practice her flirtation.″

His hand pressed her side gently.
‶
Do
you worry about Juliet being too bold?″

She answered defensively,
‶
Juliet
is not like me.″

His hand tightened; and he brought her close
enough for the dowager to frown as they swept past her.
‶
No one is like
you.″

His compliment warmed Miranda, but she knew
better than to believe he meant it in a favorable way. No doubt he was thinking
of the unorthodox manner in which they had come to be married.
‶
Juliet
is so easily smitten.″

He said nothing, but she did not think it
coincidence that, even as she spoke, the path of their steps led them past
Juliet and Hero. Both girls seemed singularly untouched by the ardor of their
suitors. Juliet gave them a small, gay wave as they spun past. Seeing that
Grimthorpe was among those in Juliet′s court, Miranda was not certain if
she meant more to reassure Simon, or herself, when she added,
‶
I
have warned her well of my folly.″

‶
I hope you have made it clear
that you were not a careless flirt.″

‶
Of course I did. My foolishness
was in going anywhere out of sight of everyone else, and I have made that
abundantly clear to both Hero and Juliet.″

Miranda remembered the conversation uneasily.
Hero had nodded gravely and promised never to leave the crowd, unless
accompanied by Miranda or Juliet. Juliet had laughed and claimed she would not
want to stop dancing or being adored by many men simply to be alone with one of
them.
‶
Juliet
seems to think being adored by one man would be somewhat dull.″

‶
Let us hope she continues to
feel that way.″

Miranda thought silently, let us hope that she
meets no one who affects her senses, as well as her common sense, the way that
Simon affects mine. Aloud, she admitted to only part of her doubt.
‶
My
only fear is that she will form an alliance with someone unsuitable. Someone
who might break her heart.″

His voice was hoarse, and ragged, as if it were
difficult for him to speak.
‶
It is better not to have the heart involved in
marriage, but young girls don′t always understand that.″

‶
No.″ Miranda agreed.
‶
They
don′t. ″ And neither do some young married women who were old
enough to have gathered dust on the shelf They kept believing, despite
everything, that their prince would arrive to wake them with a kiss.

Again they swept by the girls. Juliet was
laughing at a joke, her eyes bright as jewels against her pale skin. Simon said
calmly,
‶
I
do not think it would be wise for us to let her choose her suitors. But put
those fears to rest. I′m certain I can choose her an excellent husband.″
His voice sounded with confidence and his hands held her with an arrogant
sureness that piqued her.

Miranda resisted the pull of his arms.
‶
I
don′t want to have her husband chosen for her. How cold, how —″

His steps grew more powerful, sweeping her inexorably
into his rhythm.
‶
What is it you would have her do? Find herself in
some loveless marriage with a man who is not worthy of her? Or worse yet, have
her reputation damaged beyond repair by some scoundrel like Grimthorpe?″

The waltz ended and he released her. She felt
dizzy and yet clearheaded at the same time as she looked into his familiar
face.
‶
I
want her to love her husband as much as I love you.″ His mouth, so quick
to smile, was now set in a thin line of displeasure.

‶
I want her to be willing to follow
her husband around the earth to prove her love. I wish her the devotion to pick
up feathers, or look for cures, or whatever is necessary, as I would do for
you.″

The moment she spoke, the noises of the
ballroom faded to silence for her. His throat worked soundlessly for a moment
and then he sighed.
‶
Miranda ... ″ His voice became inaudible as
the musicians struck up another dance.

She leaned close to whisper,
‶
Can
you not bear to hear it? That makes it no less true.″

The lines around his eyes deepened as his gaze
narrowed, his irises the dark green of emeralds at dusk.
‶
But
you will only be hurt.″

‶
Yes.″ She wanted to ask
him why, but she could feel the pain and knew it would only be worse if she
pressed him. He would not tell her the truth. He did not love her. He had
packed his heart away in the leather pouch and he kept the contents firmly
guarded against even her. She held out her hand.
‶
Shall we dance while we are
still able? We might as well take the opportunity to set the tongues wagging at
how well we dance together.″

He hesitated, and then swept her onto the
floor, his touch firm but light.
‶
By all means.″

The moment was still a fading tingle down her
spine when Hero began to scream.
‶
He′s turning purple. He
can′t breathe!″

The room dissolved into chaos. Miranda tried to
turn toward the sound of her sister′s voice, but found herself wrapped
tightly in Simon′s arms, unable to see anything but the lapel of his
waistcoat. After a moment, when the dance floor was emptied, he left her. Abruptly
alone, she could see nothing but a knot of people surrounding the area where
Hero and Juliet had been holding court.

As Simon forced a path through to the center of
the tight knot of guests, Miranda followed. To her horror, Arthur lay on the
floor.

His face was indeed purple. As Simon knelt
beside him, Miranda turned and fled toward the nursery and Katherine.

***

‶
He′ll be fine, Your
Grace,″ Katherine said calmly. Miranda could see that Simon was, however,
in no mood to be soothed.
‶
How can you be certain?″ He paced in the
hallway outside Arthur′s bedroom door.

The healer answered wryly,
‶
I
gave him something that helped him vomit up most of the poison. And also
something to absorb whatever was left in his body. His color is good. He is
breathing well and has no fever.″

Miranda said sharply,
‶
Katherine knows
what she is doing, Simon.″ She had not meant to sound so sharp, but her
voice carried her own tension. He had sprinted the steps carrying Arthur,
meeting them on the landing. Even now, his breathing remained ragged. She was
afraid he had overexerted himself.
‶
You need to rest or you will be
joining him in the sickroom.

He shook his head.
‶
I need to see
him.″

‶
Tomorrow —″ Katherine
began.

‶
I don′t intend to wait
for tomorrow to make sure my heir is not going to die.″ His breathing,
rather than slowing, had grown more rapid, and Miranda watched him with alarm.

‶
Please, Katherine,″ she
added her appeal.
‵
Just for a moment? To ease Simon′s
distress.″

Katherine looked at him with doubt in her eyes.
Then she nodded.
‶
But no questions. He is resting after an
understandable shock to his system and he needs no more difficulty
tonight.″