Evelyn Richardson (18 page)

“He asked me why I did not leave if I was so unhappy, and when I explained to him that I had no control over my money, he very kindly offered to purchase me a villa. I loathed the idea of being beholden to my friend for his kindness, but by then my life had become unbearable. I thought that if I were to give all my money to my mentor perhaps he would allow me to leave him.

“Somewhat cheered by this prospect, I broached it to my mentor one evening when I had made sure that I had ordered his favorite dinner, had the fire well laid, even wore my most becoming gown. In short, I did all that I could to put him in the best possible mood, but he would hear none of it. My earnings were now his livelihood, and as much as he resented my success, it was now his only claim to fame, as well as his sole support.

“He flew into a rage and beat me as he had never beaten me before. Then, leaving me nearly senseless on the floor, he stormed out to his favorite tavern. It took all the strength I had to pick myself up, gather what little jewelry I could lay my hands on, throw a cloak over my shoulders, and escape.

“I had nowhere to go, no one to turn to except my friend who lately had been so much less in evidence that I had begun to suspect he had fallen in love with another woman, a woman of his own rank and station in life. I was loath to ask his help, more loath still to call on him at his chambers in the most fashionable part of town, but I was desperate.

“He was kindness itself and would have sent for his own physician if I had let him, but I was too afraid of what it would do to his reputation and to my chances of escape should word get out where I was. I was badly bruised, but nothing more.

“He insisted that I must leave town and he also insisted on escorting me to whatever place of safety I chose. I, fool that I was, could think of no other place to go than to my daughter, who was still living with her nurse’s family not far from here.

“There was no other choice. I had no money of my own, only my jewels to sell for coach fare, but I felt sure that my mentor would have every coaching office watched. In the end I was forced, most reluctantly, to accept my friend’s offer of his escort.

“We left town that very night in his carriage, so worried was I that I would be tracked down. By then my friend had assured me that unless Mr. Delahunt and I had published our banns and had exchanged marriage vows in a church, he could in no way be called my husband; therefore he had no legal claim to me or power over me or my money. Apparently my would-be husband had had no knowledge of Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Bill that had been passed some fifty years or more ago, or if he did, he was certain that I would not have heard of it, since it had always been the custom among country folk that a simple promise exchanged between a man and a woman in the presence of others constituted a marriage.

“I assured my friend that no banns had been published, no vows exchanged—especially in a church—and no ceremonies performed, but in spite of his reassurance that in the eyes of the law I was nothing to Mr. Delahunt, I was still very much afraid, for I knew his terrible temper and I also knew his cleverness.

“I was right to be afraid, for the following day, while we were changing horses at the Castle Inn at Marlborough, my erstwhile husband appeared on a horse whose evident exhaustion attested to the intensity of his pursuit. He caught sight of us just as my rescuer was handing me into the carriage for the last leg of our journey, and before either one of us had a chance to think, he leapt off his horse, drew a pistol from his pocket, and rushed at us, shouting ‘Unhand my wife, you villain!’

“My rescuer, who was unarmed, faced our pursuer with unimaginable coolness. ‘She is not your wife, but a woman wronged, a woman whom any gentleman would consider it his duty to rescue from the clutches of a blackguard like you,’ he said. And then he grabbed the pistol which was now pressed against his chest, wrenching it away with such force that our pursuer lost his footing and fell, hitting his head on the cobbles. He lay still as death, the blood from the wound on his head quickly spreading a crimson stain all around it.

“I was too astounded to do anything, but my companion never paused for a moment as, assuring himself that the man was dead, he whipped out his handkerchief, bound his head, and threw him into the carriage.

“I beg your forgiveness for forcing such an unpleasant traveling companion on you, but I think that this is the safest course of action for all concerned,” he apologized to me as he climbed into the carriage and banged on the roof for the coachman to whip up the horses. Before I could react, we were rattling out of the stableyard only a few minutes after our pursuer had entered it.

“We drove as though the devil were behind us, keeping an eye out for pursuers all the way, but no one followed us and we reached Morehampton without further incident. There I was reunited with my beloved daughter. My rescuer took the body to the local magistrate, who naturally was somewhat surprised to be confronted with a corpse on his very doorstep. Though he accepted my rescuer’s story of self-defense, he nevertheless advised him to leave the country for some time, at least until all possibility of unpleasant inquiries had died down.

“So, my rescuer, having assured himself of my welfare and promising to have his agent recover what money of mine he could, bade me adieu and I settled into a quiet existence in the country with my darling daughter while he left for the continent.

“My rescuer was as good as his word, and many months later I did receive some money through his agent, enough to purchase a small manor house in the neighborhood.

“And you are familiar with the rest of my story. The manor house, which was at the edge of the Earl of Morehampton’s estate, offered us the delight of frequent country rambles during which Olivia and I would often encounter the earl out with his dog and his gun. He was a lonely man whose wife had died many years ago. There were no children from that marriage, so he quite doted on Olivia. Soon he became a regular visitor to our simple home, and finding our company most congenial, determined to make it a permanent thing by asking me to marry him despite my background.

“Meanwhile, my rescuer traveled throughout the Mediterranean and the Levant, returning to London two years later. But his adventure with me, as well has his subsequent travels, had changed him. If he had been bored with the emptiness of fashionable life before he left, he was disgusted by it now and he determined to do something useful with his life, to put that clever mind of his to good use. Much to the dismay of his pleasure-loving peers, he took up the study of law, quitting the congenial company of Brooks’s for the slightly more rigorous company at Lincoln’s Inn. There he distinguished himself as much for his passion for justice as for his cleverness. It is this passion for justice that made him choose to remain an anonymous counselor to those who have no one else to turn to. To them he offers the advice to defend themselves in court. To the rest of the world he remains a shadowy figure known only as “The Scourge of the King’s Bench,’ a title he infinitely prefers to his own, which is the Marquess of Charlmont.”

“The Marquess of Charlmont!”

“Well, at the time this all occurred he was Lord Lucian Verney, but now he is the Marquess of Charlmont.”

Chapter Twenty

A profound silence ensued, and the countess watched in fascination as a variety of expressions flitted across Catherine’s face, expressions that made it perfectly clear to the former actress that the Marquess of Charlmont was something more to Catherine than the uncle of the academy’s most recently enrolled pupil and Olivia’s newest friend.

“He is the very person to advise you, Catherine. Besides his constitutional dislike for gross injustice and his abhorrence for those who abuse power and privilege, he would also feel that it was in his niece’s best interest to have this academy continue to remain in your capable hands.”

“A legal counselor,” Catherine mused aloud, a ghost of a smile on her lips. But while she was absorbing this incredible piece of information, her heart was alight with happiness. The weight that had been pressing on it for the last ten years was suddenly lifted. He had not run off for love but to see justice done! She felt giddy with relief, and in spite of the dreadful threat looming on her horizon, carefree.

“And a very good one too, for he brings not only intellect, but passion to his chosen profession. They say that those he counsels never lose. I feel certain that he would not only dispose of Lord Granville’s threat in short order, but he would probably be delighted to do so.”

“No!”

The vehemence in her tone caused the countess to look at her in some surprise.

“I mean, there is no need to send to London for legal advice when I have my own legal counsel here in Bath. I shall just consult Mr. Barham, the solicitor who always handled Granville’s affairs and now handles mine.

The countess lip curled. “Precisely. And he did not lift a finger to protect you against the highway robbery that Lord Granville has visited upon you since the moment you were widowed. Believe me, he will pat you on the head, metaphorically speaking, of course, tell you to be a good little widow, and advise you not to bother your pretty little head with things that do not concern you and that you cannot understand. Charlmont, on the other hand, will not.

“Believe me, Catherine, Charlmont saw with his own eyes what it was like to be a woman on her own with no property and no money. Since he rescued me, he has only seen more clearly the advantages that men of wealth and property have over those who possess neither, especially the women whose husbands own it all. He will understand, I assure you he will. But now I am afraid I must bid you good day as Olivia will be wondering what on earth has become of her mama who promised to visit her today.”

The countess rose to leave, but paused when she reached the doorway. “Do let me know if there is anything I can do. I do have resources of my own, thanks to Charlmont, who secured them for me and then made certain that they remained within my control when I married Morehampton, and they are at your disposal.”

‘Thank you. You are very kind, but…”

“But you prefer to best ‘Ugolino’ on your own. I quite understand, and I applaud your desire to do so, but do not let your pride deprive you of all that you have worked so hard to attain. The world needs Lady Catherine Granville’s Academy because the world needs more women who are equipped to think on their own.”

Closing the door gently behind her, the countess left Catherine to sort out the astounding information she had just been made privy to. Lucian had not betrayed their friendship after all, or at least, it had been higher concerns that had distracted him. He had been assisting a woman in peril, a woman who had been hesitant to ask for that assistance because she suspected that he had ‘fallen in love with another woman, someone of his own rank and station in life.’ Could that woman have been Lady Catherine Montague? Had he come to care for her after all, care for her the way she had cared for him?

For a moment, Catherine felt dizzy at the prospect, but cold reason quickly reasserted itself. This was a man who had first come to her academy at his mistress’s request. He had come hoping to convince Lady Catherine Granville to give up her livelihood and her chosen task of educating young women, and he had come simply because a vain, silly woman was concerned for her reputation in the fashionable world.

Catherine gritted her teeth. And this was the man the Countess of Morehampton was suggesting she ask for help? Not only was it highly unlikely, it was a complete and utter impossibility. Lady Catherine Granville was never going to have anything to do with the Marquess of Charlmont ever again.

Snatching up a piece of paper from her desk, she dipped her pen in the ink and scribbled furiously, blotted the letter, sealed it, and rang her bell.

An enormously tall footman appeared. “Here, Thomas, take this to Mr. Barham in the Argyle Buildings and wait for a reply. I wish to impress upon him the urgency of the situation.”

Mr. Barham’s reply was prompt enough, and he agreed to wait upon his client in her office that very afternoon, but his response, when the problem had been fully laid before him, was nothing if not discouraging. “I do not know, my lady. Lord Granville’s case seems very strong, and it certainly would never do to offend such a well-respected and powerful gentleman.”

“It is the name and not the person that is respected, Mr. Barham. How can you not see that, you who have served the Granvilles so faithfully all these years only to be summarily dismissed by him?”

The solicitor’s sandy eyelashes blinked rapidly several times as he flicked nervously at a speck of dust on the sleeve of his coat. “It is not my role to question a client’s preferences, and undoubtedly Lord Granville had his reasons for retaining another solicitor. After all, I was unknown to him.”

“As was everything concerning the estate, which was all the more reason he should have kept you on. But that is neither here nor there. Great-aunt Belinda’s will clearly states that her entire estate was to be left to me and me alone.

The solicitor shook his head. “That is as may be, but her intent counts for very little if Lord Granville is claiming it as part of your husband’s estate.”

“Then we must examine the situation thoroughly.”

“You must be careful, Lady Catherine, very careful. For a widow in your position, any hint of scandal would be most injurious, most injurious indeed.”

“Scandal, Mr. Barham? There are livelihoods at risk here. It is not only my livelihood, but the livelihoods of everyone in my employ from the instructresses down to the lowliest scullery maid, and you are concerned about my good name? Surely that has been unequivocally established over the last ten years.”

“Ah, Lady Catherine, a woman’s reputation is a fragile thing, a lovely thing, but fragile, very fragile indeed.”

Catherine drew a deep, steadying breath as she rose majestically from her chair. “I thank you for coming to see me so promptly, Mr. Barham, but I can see that in this instance, I have no need of your services.”