Deadly Engagement: A Georgian Historical Mystery (Alec Halsey Crimance) (24 page)

His uncle was chatting with one of the guests. His brother strutted about the room dressed in a magnificent saffron satin frock embroidered at cuffs and skirt with vines and fruit, and matching breeches with diamond knee buckles. He smiled benevolently on all who fell under his gaze; he even smiled on his brother. Alec had to turn his back lest anyone see the look on his face. He stared out the window at the forest below, stretching out like a dense green carpet hugging the river as it meandered east toward the city, and felt hooped petticoats brush his stockinged legs. He turned to discover Lady Gervais smiling up at him with a perfectly painted and patched face. There was a twinkle in her eye as she sipped her tea and watched him under her long, darkened lashes.

“You will save a dance for me tonight, won’t you?” she asked sweetly, the slight tremble in her voice indicating that she feared his rejection.

Alec smiled down at her but his response was not what she was expecting. “Did you go directly to Delvin’s apartments after leaving the Chinese drawing room last night, my lady?”

She blinked. “Before I came to you? I told you: He wasn’t in his rooms—”

“But you didn’t go to his rooms, did you?” When she looked bewildered he added, “There was no need. You saw him somewhere else in the house first.”

“And if I did?” she asked defensively.

“Where did you see him?”

She took a small step closer, to press herself against his leg, her voluminous petticoats making those in the room none the wiser. “Later, shall we finish what we started last night?”

His smile was almost enough to make her swoon.

“Had we started something, my lady? So where did you see my brother?”

She huffed. “I told you: He was with Selina Jamison-Lewis.”

“Not when you saw him.”

She pretended an interest in the sticks of her carved ivory fan. “If you must know, I caught him in the shrubbery with a plain faced kitchen slut.”

“Was this immediately after he left the Chinese drawing room?”

“Not straight away,” she said sullenly. “He had to escort his little bride up to her rooms because the excitement had given her the headache.” She opened her fan with an agitated shake. “Edward was to meet me on the terrace but when he didn’t show after some five
freezing
minutes I went in search of him. I was never more mortified when I discovered him being pleasured by a servant. Imagine preferring a cheap slut to me?”

“How ill-mannered of him.”

“That’s when I came to you.”

“To have your pride restored and to teach Delvin a lesson?” Alec bowed over her hand. “Forgive me for not being more sensitive to your needs, my lady.”

This restored her mood and she giggled. “But how did you know?”

“You’d been out of doors. There was mud on your shoes and the stockings covering your lovely feet were damp,” he said and watched her eyes widen. “Oh, and you may rest easy, my lady. Mrs. Jamison-Lewis and my brother are not lovers.”

“I do have lovely feet, don’t I?” she said with a self-satisfied sigh then, taking in the rest of what he had said, a spark came into her eyes. “Not lovers? Truly? But Edward said…”

She was either a first rate actress or amazingly dull-witted. Alec inclined to the latter belief. As vacant as she was beautiful. Just the sort of female to suit Delvin. So his brother was out in the shrubbery with a servant; he would hazard a guess that the girl was none other than the chambermaid sent to fetch Emily’s milk. Tam had described her appearance as disheveled. No wonder she was closed mouthed with Neave. A chambermaid was not likely to confess to entertaining one of the gentleman guests; that would bring instant dismissal.

But what of Delvin? According to Cindy Gervais, he had taken Emily up to her rooms but he must have left her at the door. And according to the boys Charles and Oliver, Lewis and Cousin Harry had stumbled upon Delvin in the servant passage at the bottom of the stairs leading up to Emily’s rooms. If he had been playing at billiards then he could easily have heard the boys running about in the passage. But was he playing at billiards before or after his liaison with the chambermaid? And who was the unknown gentleman who had growled at the boys? Perhaps Delvin had bumped into the chambermaid in the passage? Had he been in the shrubbery when the attack took place? So why hadn’t he said this and used the girl as an alibi? But how would that look for him, to admit to fornicating with a servant while his bride-to-be was being attacked in her own rooms?

Alec hoped Cosmo had some news for him. He at least had spent the day mingling with the guests, while he, Alec, had played nursemaid to a gaggle of children. Not that he was complaining. He had enjoyed himself, and Charles and Oliver had unwittingly told him a piece of interesting information. Aware that Lady Gervais was still looking up at him expectantly he said,

“If you have space on your list I will be honored to dance with you, my lady.”

Satisfied, she smiled and would have spoken but for a diversion at the double doors that saw her swirl about to see the Lady Charlotte, and at her side Emily, dressed in a confection of floral gauze petticoats, a simple string of pearls about her throat. The girl looked neither right or left and went to the tea trolley under her aunt’s escort. Lady Sybilla left the pianoforte and spoke a few hurried whispered words to her niece before she was put in her place by a sharp word from her elder sister. But when the Earl of Delvin joined them the Lady Charlotte bestowed a warm smile upon him and gave Emily into his care before retiring to the tea trolley to assist her mother. Lady Sybilla lingered, and it did not go unnoticed by Alec that Emily tried to go to her, but the Earl led her away to join a group of his intimates sitting adjacent to the pianoforte.

“I hope the ball is more lively than this lot,” said Plantagenet Halsey, taking the place of Lady Gervais at Alec’s side. He followed his nephew’s gaze. “She’s the spit of her mother, m’boy.”

“I beg your pardon, Uncle? Olivia give you quarters to your liking?”

“Yes. Emily St. Neots is the image of her mamma.”

“Is she?’

“The Duchess of Beauly was a beautiful woman. Turned heads wherever she went. Still does if my Italian correspondent is to be believed.”

“Indeed? If I’m posted into Italy should I present myself?”

“Do. Whatever the woman’s failings, don’t let anyone convince you she was solely to blame for that humiliating divorce. Beauly was a cad and a womanizer. And she was in love with a man other than her husband.” He looked uncomfortable. “Don’t believe in forced marriages. Females sold off like pieces of furniture. Pah!”

“I should like to read your latest pamphlet.... On conjugal rights?”

Plantagenet Halsey grunted and put his dish on the window ledge. “Nothin’ in it that you haven’t heard me preach before.”

“Olivia tells me you narrowly missed being sued for defamation over that particular publication.”

The old man’s bushy brows went up. “Blames me for that scoundrel’s death, does she?”

“She sounded most grateful to you for having the audacity to name the fellow.”

“She may be grateful but I’ll tell you who ain’t and that’s the widow. Still, you can’t blame her for that I suppose. I did expose her marriage to the world.”

“’Tis a pity you didn’t see the necessity in telling me before you told the world.”

Plantagenet Halsey eyed his nephew curiously. “She was miserable enough. Having you lurking in the shadows would only have made matters worse for her. Better for you to stay right out of it. Her husband was a possessive lunatic.”

Alec leaned in to his uncle and spoke while looking out across the room at Emily sitting mutely beside Delvin who was chattering away to Sir Cosmo and an unknown woman in outrageous plumage. “Better that she be beaten than tell me so that I could put a stop to it?”

“Better to have you both alive!”

“Uncle?! He’d not have bested me in a duel!”

The old man looked at him squarely. “No. But he’d have killed her than let you near her.”

Alec looked away, a tightness in his throat behind the expertly tied linen stock. “Then if you knew about the beatings I’m surprised you didn’t write that pamphlet years ago.”

“My boy, it wasn’t my pamphlet that caused him to blow his brains out,” Plantagenet Halsey responded sympathetically. “Her Grace and the rest of her ilk may think that; let ’em. Right up to the day they found Jamison-Lewis dead in the wood he had every intention of pursuing me in the courts. His lawyer made that plain and simple. So you’ll have to go elsewhere to find the reason for his death.”

“Perhaps his death was an accident?” When his uncle snorted his skepticism Alec added, “Then why did he shoot himself?”

Plantagenet Halsey shrugged. “Now that’s something you’ll have to ask his widow. And here comes the virago now.”

Alec was surprised by his uncle’s expression of admiration as he watched Selina Jamison-Lewis sweep across the room in a very fetching gown of oyster gray silk with petticoats of silver tissue, fluttering a large gouache painted fan of stiffened silk with a heavy silver tassel. She acknowledged Alec with a brief nod, not meeting his eye, and playfully extended her hand to his uncle.

“I’m so glad you’ve come, sir. It has put your other nephew out of all countenance and stirred the toothless lions from their slumber!” she said with a smile and laughed when he bowed over her hand with a flourish. “My boredom is at an end and for that I am prepared to forgive you your impertinent writings.”

Far from taking offense the old man chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Thank you, my dear. Allow me one last impertinence by tellin’ you you look very well indeed as a widow!” He glanced significantly at Alec, “Ain’t that so, my boy?”

But Alec wasn’t attending. He was now wholly preoccupied with Emily and his brother and without excusing himself crossed the room to Emily’s side and said without preamble, “Are you quite well, my dear?”

She did not look up. “Yes, Mr. Halsey. Perfectly well. Thank you.”

“Perhaps a walk about the terrace would restore your color?”

“No. No, thank you.”

“Emily—”

At that Lord Delvin cut short his sentence to the lady on his left and stood up to face his brother. Laughter, music, and the chatter of voices persisted all around them, but more than a few powdered heads turned in their direction. The Earl opened his gold and enameled snuffbox and took a pinch. “I can’t—really I can’t allow you to take Emily away from me, Second. She belongs to me. Don’t you, Emily dearest?”

“Let her tell me that herself,” Alec enunciated.

But Emily, who had also risen, stared through him, her face like carved stone.

“Gentlemen, please,” Lady Charlotte whispered stridently. “Mr. Halsey, you will please leave Emily to the care of her betrothed!”

The Earl offered Emily his arm. “Remember Oliphant’s advice, my dear. You must have no more upsets.”

Alec frowned. “Oliphant? The physician?”

“So this is Miss Emily,” interrupted Plantagenet Halsey and stepped between the brothers to take Emily’s hand and bow over it. “You must excuse me if I introduce myself but my nephews are sadly lackin’ in manners. And you’ll forgive an old man’s forwardness if you’re anythin’ like your dear grandmamma.” While he spoke he wrapped Emily’s arm about his own and patted her hand comfortingly. “Need a breath of fresh air, m’self. Care to take a walk? Mrs. Jamison-Lewis has kindly offered to show me the terrace. I ain’t been out that way yet. We’ll leave this lot to their tea and manners.”

The Earl took a step forward then retreated when his uncle snarled at him. “A capital idea, Uncle!” he said with a fixed smile, turned on a heel, and strolled off to join a group of gentlemen gathered round the fireplace.

“I’ll accompany you, Mr. Halsey,” stated Lady Charlotte, shaking out her petticoats.

“You’ll stay where you are, madam, if you don’t want me to make a public exhibition of your meddlin’,” retorted Plantagenet Halsey. He nodded to Selina and she went with him and Emily out of the drawing room.

Alec was left standing in the middle of the room with an empty coffee dish until Sir Cosmo took him by the elbow and led him to a far corner by a draped window.

“A word of advice,” Sir Cosmo said under his breath as he surveyed the room through his quizzing-glass. “Keep your uncle away from William Gervais. The man is foaming at the mouth to come to cuffs with him. Hates your uncle’s politics. Who doesn’t? But that’s no reason to want to lock him up! And Gervais will if he can find an excuse. Sits on the bench at Westminster Hall.”

“Looks more pig farmer than judge.”

“Doesn’t he, what!” Sir Cosmo answered with a snort. “But our William adores a good hanging. Sends all the poor sods who come before him to the gallows—”

“Is that so? He isn’t the judge the newssheets have dubbed Lord Gallows?”

“The very same. Always hangs his man—woman or child for that matter, does our William Gervais. And—er—somethin’ else,” Sir Cosmo stumbled on, slightly embarrassed. “Best stay away from his wife.”

Alec grinned. “My dear Cosmo, if only she would stay away from me!”

Sir Cosmo gave a bark of laughter and nudged his friend. “Who wouldn’t prefer a stallion to an ass, aye?”

“The wonder of it is, Cosmo,” said Alec, gaze on the gentleman in question who was devouring a cream pastry as he chatted to a distracted Lady Sybilla and a thin woman of advanced years, “if the man is as you say, then why does he permit himself to be cuckolded by Delvin?”

“That’s simple,” Sir Cosmo said matter-of-factly. “The man’s dazzled by us; the nobility that is. A title is everything to a self-made man like that. He’s only a life peer: For services to the law, you understand. He has to be eaten-up with frustrated jealousy because his bird-witted wife shares her couch with Delvin. But Delvin is an earl. What can Gervais do? An earl has favored him by bedding his wife. Thus, the golden rays of the nobility shine down upon him, too.”

“Good Lord! Is that what he thinks?”

“Fascinating, ain’t it? I thought all that sort of rot died out in the Middle Ages. Ah, I think Mr. Tremarton wants a word.”

“Alec, may I speak with you?” asked Simon Tremarton, who had been hovering close by and took Sir Cosmo’s step away as a signal for him to interrupt.