Pascale Duguay (11 page)

“What is it?” he nearly barked at an uncomfortable Simmons.

“I am very sorry to intrude, my lord, but the young Marlow scound — er, I mean lad, insists on having a word with you.”

“At this time of night?”

“Yes, my lord. He says it absolutely cannot wait.”

Taking a deep breath, Julius ran a hand through his hair.

“You may send him here in five minutes.” He shut the door on Simmons and strode back to where he had left Patience.

“I’m afraid we will have to continue our discussion some other time.” He reached a hand toward her cheek, but checked halfway not trusting himself to be able to let go of her if he touched her again tonight. Fortunately for his sanity, she slipped out of the room without a word or a backward glance.

Jessup was shown in a moment later, clutching his beat up highwayman hat between his hands and wearing a sheepish look on his face.

“I hear you have once more struck fear and terror in your wake,” Julius uttered in mock reproach. “Didn’t you promise me only a few days ago that you would never attempt such a foolish thing again?”

“Aye, m’lord. But I only did it to help Miss Patty, I swear! Here,” he said taking Lord Bingham’s purse from his pocket and handing it to the Earl. “I dunno what to do with this.”

Julius took the heavy purse and set it on his desk. “How did you come to be involved in this escapade, may I ask?”

Jessup fell to recounting how he had come upon a strange gentleman sneaking about the grounds on his way back from delivering eggs to the house. So he had set upon following him to see what he was about. The man had seemed to feel great satisfaction from the Earl’s arguments with Philip and Patience.

Julius winced at the memory. Realizing he had had an audience did nothing to endear him to his future father-in-law.

“How did you find out about tonight’s work?”

“When I saw him ride back toward the village, t’was easy enough to cut across the fields an’ beat him to it. Noticed him going into the tavern an’ managed to listen unseen through an open window. He spoke to another cove, saying he would grab Miss Patty tonight outside your house an’ they’d meet later in Lunnon.”

“You young sapskull! Didn’t it occur to you to come to me with this information?”

Jessup looked down at his feet and mumbled, “I just thought it’d be a good way to repay you. Oh, m’lord,” he added, raising pleading eyes, “it seemed like such a fine adventure!”

Julius found he could not remain angry faced with such a look. “All right, we will speak no more of it. But I must extract another promise from you, and I will expect you to obey me this time.”

“Aye, m’lord! Anything you say, m’lord!”

“I want you to come to me should you notice anything else of a strange or suspicious nature, especially if it involves your Miss Patty or her father.”

“I promise, m’lord, I will!”

“Good. You had better not forget or I will not be so lenient next time.” Julius stood up to pull the bell cord. Simmons appeared immediately.

“Please make sure this young man is escorted home. Off with you now!”

Julius left his study and headed for his bedchamber. As he got ready for bed, he suddenly remembered the upcoming interview with Lord Bingham. He was curious to find out why he had kidnapped his own daughter. The interview should prove most interesting.

Julius was sitting alone at breakfast the following morning when Lord Bingham walked into the room smiling.

“Good morning, Rutherford. Mind if I join you for a cup of coffee?”

“Not at all. I trust last night’s events did not trouble your sleep?”

“Lord, no! I always sleep soundly. I have never let a bad bet disturb my rest.”

“That is most fortunate,” remarked the Earl dryly.

“Indeed!”

Whether Lord Bingham was impervious to insults or whether he was set on being all amiability, Julius could not tell. His guest maintained a stream of jovial small talk while partaking liberally of the various dishes set on the sideboard. When at last he had eaten his fill, Julius rose from the table.

“Shall we retire to my study? No, let us go to the library. It is seldom used. We will be sure not to be disturbed.”

“By all means! Lead the way!”

Julius noticed a change as soon as he opened the door of the library. An earthy smell mingled with that of the leather tomes lining the walls. Curious, he looked about the room and was not long in discovering the reason. Rows of small flowerpots covered every inch of the available surface of the wide windowsills while larger plant containers took up significant parts of the floor, each making the best use of the bright light entering through the glass panes.

Julius, pretending it was perfectly normal for his library to be used as a greenhouse, invited his guest to sit opposite him in one of the large armchairs placed in the middle of the room. As Lord Bingham seemed unperturbed by the state of his surroundings, Julius guessed his house looked much the same and almost found himself able to commiserate with the man.

As soon as they were seated, Lord Bingham lost no time in getting to the point of their meeting.

“You may have guessed, Rutherford, that there is more to last night’s escapade than what I have already told you.”

“Is there really?” inquired Julius politely.

“Indeed. And I am certain that once the whole has been revealed to you, you will be more than pleased with the outcome.”

Julius raised a questioning eyebrow, but remained silent.

“I do not presume to understand the exact nature of your engagement to my daughter, but am I wrong in assuming that you feel honour bound to marry her because of a compromising situation?”

“You are not wrong.”

“Then you will be relieved to learn that Patience is already engaged to be married to someone else.”

“As that someone else is the reason I became engaged to your daughter in the first place, I do not see that there is anything to be relieved about.”

“Ah! But you must not allow a young girl’s silly notions to get in the way. Patience unfortunately thinks that love is a necessary ingredient to marriage. A man of the world such as yourself, I am sure, would be the first to scoff at such an idea!”

“I agree, unless of course, the proposed party should be repugnant to the other, as I believe is the case in this instance.”

“As to that, the fellow may be a bit advanced in years, but there is nothing amiss with him that a little feminine touch could not set to rights. I for one believe his vast experience of the world is what is needed to thwart such a wilful temper as my daughter’s. You may have noticed perhaps that Patience is not the most biddable of young ladies.”

“That particular trait has certainly not escaped my attention.”

Lord Bingham smiled knowingly. “Add to this the fact that Patience is not, alas, fitted with any dowry to speak of, and I am sure you will see all the benefits to this prior engagement and will find no argument in releasing Patience to my care. I, as her father, must of course be the best judge of what is suitable for her.”

“That may be so, but you seem to forget that the reason I will soon be officially engaged to your daughter is because I am honour bound to do so.”

“Do not let that weigh with you, my lord. You may rest assured that your honour will not be questioned once a suitable explanation is released to the world.”

“Whether that can be achieved on the day of my engagement ball, I very much doubt. But more to the point, I would not be much of a man should I so easily forget what is due to my station. I fully acknowledge having compromised a lady and as such take full responsibility for my actions.” The Earl stood up. “I believe there is no more to be said on the subject. You may put your mind at rest. I will take very good care of your daughter.”

He could have added that this offer did not unfortunately extend to her father. But there was no need. Although the words remained unspoken, both understood the other perfectly.

Lord Bingham’s tone lost much of his good humour when he answered. “If that is how you feel, then I will say no more on that head.”

“It is in fact my dearest wish. Now if you will excuse me, I have a great many things to attend to before the ball. Please feel free to use my home as your own during the remainder of your stay.”

The Earl was glad to be rid of Lord Bingham’s company. The man’s obvious lack of concern for his only daughter’s welfare did not sit well with Julius. That Lord Bingham had chosen to waste his life at the gaming tables was one thing, but that he was using his daughter to further his ends was quite another. His speech had raised more questions than it had answered, however. For one thing, why was he so eager to get Patience off his hands? Only one factor motivated a gambler of Lord Bingham’s order and that was money. If he truly wished for Patience to marry this other man, it could only mean one of two things. Either her first suitor had promised a large sum for her hand, or their union would produce such a sum. Whatever the case, this led to another uncomfortable realization: Patience had really come into his life by chance and not through her father’s scheming.

Simmons entered the library just then, carrying two watering cans. He nearly dropped these to the floor when he noticed his master staring at him through narrowed eyes.

“I-I beg your p-p-pardon, my lord. I did not know the room was occupied.”

“It would seem so. It would also seem that this room has changed a great deal since I last set foot in it.”

“As to that my lord, I am sure you will understand, that is to say, you will see that under the circumstances there was nothing else to be done.”

“Be clear, man! I do not have all day. And if it is Miss Bingham you are worried about, there is no need to cover up for her. I will not beat either of you. Now out with it!”

A look of relief came over the butler’s face. He placed his cans on the floor, careful not to spill their contents, and began his tale.

“It all started with Mitchell, my lord. The gardener being very possessive of anything to do with what he considers his domain looked askance at Miss Patty wishing to set up her herbal garden. You see, she had noticed we were lacking in several specimens, which she says no proper household should be without.”

“And so Miss Bingham bullied you into letting her have the library.”

“Not at all, my lord! I am entirely guilty of offering her the use of the library seeing as it is rarely used, not to mention that it receives the most sunlight. I am fully conscious that we should have asked your permission first, my lord.”

“And risk my saying no to your crazy scheme?” The Earl shook his head. “I am afraid Miss Bingham has corrupted you, too, Simmons. I am only surprised she has not twirled Mitchell around her little finger yet.”

“She said she is still working on him, my lord!”

Both men shared an understanding look.

“Then I will take that to mean we can have the library returned to its original state very soon!” the Earl said as he rose to leave, giving Simmons a most uncharacteristic wink. “I will be in my study if anyone needs me.”

Once at his desk, Julius pulled a blank sheet of paper in front of him. It had occurred to him at the end of his conversation with Lord Bingham that now might be the time to start a new list to replace the one he had destroyed in the fireplace. Smiling, he picked up a pen and got to work filling up the sheet.

By early afternoon, guests were already filling every corner of the house. Patience had an overwhelming urge to hide. But her aunt, steering her by the arm and introducing her to the little groups forming in the various salons, would not allow her to do so. Although Patience knew herself to be as elegantly dressed as any of the finest ladies present, she could not help but feel out of place. Her aunt had assured her that she would enchant them all in her green silk dress. The colour matched her eyes exactly, and its superbly cut lines managed to make her appear taller while emphasizing her feminine charms. Perhaps, a bit too much , she now worried, catching the many admiring male glances pausing to stare at her chest. Although the dress did not reveal any flesh, the way it moulded her upper body didn’t leave much to the imagination.

At least her worst fear had not materialized. She had not been stuffed into her father’s carriage first thing in the morning and on her way to London to be married to Sir Rupert. She had not been privy to her father’s meeting with the Earl and as neither men had approached her yet, had not been able to find out how it had gone. Lady Westbury had not budged from her side since she had told her the whole earlier. Afraid of any kind of mischief on her brother’s part, Lady Westbury would not rest easy until the betrothal had officially been announced, it seemed.

A group of young people conversing in one corner of the Blue Salon caught her attention. The party seemed to be revolving around one particular lady — a gorgeous, statuesque creature whose elegant features were framed by a profusion of fashionably-styled dark ringlets which fell in waves over one delicate shoulder. When the lady’s dark eyes met her own across the room, Patience felt a definite chill run down her back.

“Aunt Louisa, who is the beauty by the window?”

Patience felt her aunt stiffen next to her. “That, my dear, is Miss Cecilia Arlington. Her father is as rich as Croesus. I wonder that she had the nerve to show her face here, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“I might as well tell you since you will surely hear rumours flying about. Before you came along, she was said to be first on the Earl’s list of potential brides.”

No wonder Miss Arlington was looking upon her with such hatred. A little country unknown had stolen a march on her regal self. She would be lucky if she did not end up with a carving knife thrust between her shoulder blades before the end of the ball, thought Patience, unable to stop a bubble of laughter from escaping her lips at such a silly notion.

“What is there to amuse you so?” Julius’ deep voice suddenly filled her ear, his hot breath landing on her neck like a caress.

“I was merely being fanciful, my lord,” Patience said trying not to betray the sensations she felt at his unexpected closeness. She found her aunt had dared to take a few steps away from her charge, leaving her totally unprotected from his approach.

“Dare I hope that you are not planning another impromptu act? Although, last night’s little scene for your father’s benefit was quite delightful!”

Patience felt heat rising up her cheeks as she remembered throwing herself into his arms, and the kisses they had shared later in his study.

“As I do not see either my father or a highwayman close by, you may rest at ease, sir!”

“Which reminds me, Jessup confessed to the whole last night. I presume you knew your highwayman was none other than that devil’s cub?”

“I did. But I hope you were not too hard on him. He meant it only for the best, I am sure.”

“I could not find it in me to berate the boy, considering that he rescued you from a most unappealing fate if half of what I have heard so far is to be believed. My only complaint is that he could at least have waited until the morrow to make his confession.” Julius looked meaningfully at her lips before allowing his gaze to travel lower to rest on her chest. “May I add that this dress suits you beautifully?”

Why was Julius being so charming , wondered Patience as another heat wave assaulted her cheeks. Unless he was only trying to attract the attention of the beautiful Miss Cecilia Arlington, whom Patience now saw was making her way toward them, a false smile pasted on her face.

“Lord Rutherford, you must present me to your darling fiancée!”

“Good afternoon, Miss Arlington. May I present Miss Patience Bingham?”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Miss Arlington was smiling broadly, but Patience noticed that it did not look any more sincere up close.

Patience curtsied. Miss Arlington did the same then stepped even closer to the Earl, nearly pressing her voluptuous chest against his arm. Patience could not help noticing that they made a startlingly gorgeous and well-suited couple. Both of them were tall, dark, and handsome. Standing next to the two of them, she suddenly felt under-sized and dowdy.

She was also conscious of the curious glances thrown their way. No doubt the other guests were vastly entertained by the scene unfolding before their eyes.

“You will not mind if I steal your fiancé for a moment, will you, dear Miss Bingham? It has been an age since the Earl and I had a comfy coze.”

“Of course not. I am sure you two have much to say to each other.” Patience stole a look at Julius. If his earlier lover-like attentions had been enacted only to engineer this exact situation, then he had certainly achieved his aim. As if acknowledging her thoughts, Julius winked at her before leading the beautiful Cecilia through the French doors and onto the terrace.

Patience watched their departure, torn between amusement and anger. How dare he use her in such a way? She hoped Miss Arlington was about to make this interview very difficult for him.