Regency Masquerade (16 page)

Ponsonby wandered out the door and on outside for a stroll. He spotted Hartly standing alone, gazing balefully at the water, and joined him. “I have just had a word with Stanby,” he said. “He is keen for a game later. Are you on?”

“Yes, why not?”

“You noticed who Lady Crieff was dining with? Something brewing there, eh? Romance, do you think, or business?”

“I doubt there is much distinction in their minds.”

“I teased them a little. He claimed it was just business.”

“If the lady plans to sell him her paste gems, someone ought to warn the bleater.” His concern had nothing to do with Stanby’s welfare. He was afraid there was not enough money for him to be conned twice.

“You think the collection is not genuine?” Ponsonby asked.

“I know it.”

“I did wonder how she got hold of it.”

“Getting hold of it was no problem. Sir Aubrey left it to her in his will.”

“Oh, no,” Ponsonby said, smiling from ear to ear. “He left it to Lady Crieff. The raven-haired beauty is not Lady Crieff. I visited my aunt at Rye this afternoon. She has a sister in Scotland. She tells me Lady Crieff is a bran-faced, red-haired gel, dirt common. Strangely, the real Lady Crieff did take the collection and make a bolt for it. She was caught at the border and hauled back. The story was hushed up for the sake of the family. Auntie heard Lady Crieff settled for ten thousand and has taken up with the head groom. Interesting, eh?”

Hartly stood like a statue, staring in disbelief while a dozen questions buzzed through his head. He gave tongue to the most pressing of them. “But if she is not Lady Crieff, who the devil is she?”

“A dashed pretty adventuress.”

“Lady Marchbank acknowledges her.”

“That is another odd thing. My aunt has never heard of any connection between the Marchbanks and the Crieffs, and she has known the Marchbanks from the egg. No, Hartly, the hussy read the story somewhere and decided to make gain of it. What I have been puzzling over is the Marchbank connection. How did she bribe or con the Marchbanks into lending her countenance?”

“I have no idea,” Hartly replied in a stunned voice.

“And why did she choose Stanby and no one else as her victim? I mean to say, I have been acting the rich fool, throwing myself at her head, and she did not try to sell me her collection of paste. Or you, come to that. You are not entirely indifferent, I think. Why him?”

A slow smile moved across Hartly’s lips. “I don’t know, but I shall ask her.”

Ponsonby frowned. “What, just come right out and ask her? She will lie her head off.”

“She hasn’t much choice but to give an explanation. I shall insist on it.”

“I shouldn’t like to do that. I mean to say, she may not be Lady Crieff, but she is a lady, don’t you think?”

“Either a provincial lady or a damned fine actress. While we are speaking of explanations, Ponsonby, just what the devil are you really doing here? A man don’t hide in Blaxstead when he has killed his man. He rusticates at his estate. There has been no mention of that duel in the journals.”

“I daresay Noddy recovered. He was not a bad fellow. I am happy for it, to tell the truth.”

“The truth? We have not heard much of that. Come now, I know you were in Stanby’s room last night.”

“I was bosky.”

“No, my friend, you were as sober as you were the night you arrived. I do not think you and I are at odds. I suspect we have something in common, and I could use a colleague.”

Ponsonby thought a moment, then said, “Say you are right, just for the sake of argument—what did you have in mind?”

Hartly looked around to see they were not overheard. “There are too many ears here to suit me. Let us walk along a little. I have a story—and a proposition—that might amuse you, Mr. Ponsonby. Or should I say Lord Everly?”

“How the devil did you know that?”

“I did not know it. It was my man, Mott, who recognized you. You were at Harrow with Mott some years ago. You might remember him better by the name Lord Rudolph Sinclair.”

“So it is Rudy! I thought he looked very like, but it was so many years ago. What the deuce is going on, Hartly?”

“That is what I am about to tell you.”

They turned and walked off, away from the small throng around the estuary.

Chapter Fifteen

Jonathon found scant entertainment in following Mr. Hartly from the dining room to the estuary, but that was the extent of the gentleman’s travel. Soon Ponsonby had joined up with Hartly, and the two began a dull promenade back and forth along the banks of the water. It was difficult to follow them at a distance that made eavesdropping possible. Ponsonby had given him a couple of decidedly odd looks when he tried it. In the end, Jon was forced to give up. He decided to take Firefly for a ride. When he returned half an hour later, he knew he had not missed a thing, for Ponsonby and Hartly were still at it, talking six to the dozen. Jon stabled his mount and returned to the front door just as they were entering the inn.

“We shall get hold of Stanby and see if he is ready for that game,” Ponsonby said.

“You go ahead and get things ready,” Hartly replied. “I must have a word with Mott. Tell Bullion it will be just the three of us for cards this evening. The locals only play for chicken stakes. Perhaps he has a small room he might let us use, somewhere we can play without being disturbed.”

When they entered the inn, Hartly cast one long, dark look at the couple by the grate before going abovestairs. Jonathon did likewise. He felt a pang to see Moira still sitting with March. Jon, who knew her so well, could see her nerves were stretched to nearly the breaking point. She looked vastly relieved when Ponsonby called March away for the game, and Jon took his place on the settee.

“You look as if you had been gnawed by rats, Lady Crieff,” he said ruefully. “Have you had a wretched time of it?”

“Unspeakably vile. He kept touching me,” she said, with a shiver of revulsion. “But it was worth it. I must go to my room to recuperate. A whole box of headache powders could not ease my migraine. You have Bullion put my emeralds in the safe, Jonathon.” She removed the necklace and ear pendants and handed them to him. “He is in his office now, I believe.”

“I shall remain behind and keep watch, though it will not be easy if they use a private room, as Hartly suggested.”

“What did Hartly do when he left the dining room?”

“He stood looking at the lake as if he wanted to jump in and drown himself; then Ponsonby joined him and they walked back and forth for a long time. I could not overhear them, but they seemed mighty interested in whatever they were saying. I believe Ponsonby is in it with him.”

“Very likely. No one could be as foolish as Ponsonby pretends he is. Thank God Hartly is a gambler. He will be out of mischief for a couple of hours.”

Moira left and Jonathon took the jewels to Bullion’s office. Ponsonby was just leaving.

“Very kind of you to let us use your personal parlor, Bullion. I shall tell the others. Oh, and you will bring us a bottle of your excellent brandy.”

He left, and Bullion took the emeralds.

“The gentlemen must be playing for high stakes tonight,” Jonathon said in a casual way.

“Someone will lose a monkey and someone will make a tidy sum,” Bullion replied. “I do not understand what makes them do it, but they will gamble, so I try to make them comfortable. It is a vice you would be wise to avoid, Sir David.”

“It is a shocking waste of time and money. I shall waste my evening studying Latin instead. Will you send one of the girls up with a pot of tea? It helps to keep me awake.”

“Happy to oblige. Will her ladyship like a cup as well?”

“A good idea. Do not trouble yourself, Bullion. I shall speak to Sally on my way up.”

By the time he had finished his talk with Sally, Jonathon had learned the location of the family parlor where the card game would take place. The window looked out on the backyard and estuary, and he could overhear what was said within if the window was open.

“You ought to open the window a crack, Sally,” he said, looking around at the modest room. “The gentlemen will be smoking cigars. They will suffocate if they have no air.”

“I’ll do that,” she said, and went to lift the window an inch. “I’ll get some saucers as well, to hold their cigars. Nasty, smelly things. The room will reek of them for a week. Your tea should be ready by now. I’ll take it up.”

“I shall take it myself and save you the trip.” He tipped her a tupenny, and she was well pleased with his generosity.

Moira’s head was throbbing from her prolonged session with Stanby. His manner was becoming hatefully romantic. He had held her hand and told her she was “a charmer, by gad.” Had he said the same words to her mama? How could Mama have tolerated the weasel?

Of course, it was partly his age that disgusted Moira, and he had not been that much older than Mama. Mama had no notion of his character. When one saw Stanby for the first time as a stranger, he would not strike one as ugly. Mama must have been dreadfully lonesome, missing Papa. She had been born and bred in the country, and had little experience of the world. Stanby would have had a cosmopolitan allure for her. But still, those gooseberry eyes! She shivered and pulled her wrap more closely around her shoulders.

When she heard a tap at the door, she thought it must be Jonathon and answered with no premonition of disaster. Mr. Hartly stepped in uninvited and closed the door. There was some severity in his expression that frightened her.

“You cannot come in, Mr. Hartly. I am alone,” she said, and reached to open the door.

He blocked it with his body. A civil sneer descended on his handsome face as he said, “You were more obliging the first evening we met, madam.”

“Sir David was next door on that occasion. I must ask you to leave, sir.”

“And I, regretfully, must decline,” he replied, and strolled into the bedroom.

Anger at his high-handed tactics warred with fear in her breast. “If you have come to harass me about being in your room this morning, I explained—”

“Your explanation was as false as that green glass necklace you wore at dinner.”

A gasp escaped her. “Don’t be absurd,” she said. “Everyone knows the Crieff emeralds are genuine.”

“I have no reason to doubt it, but we are discussing
your
necklace, miss.”

“How dare you speak to me in this manner! Leave. Go away at once, or I shall call for help.”

“Your lover won’t hear you. He is belowstairs. Do you really want him to hear what I have to say?”

“Say what you have to say and leave, Mr. Hartly. I am in no mood for this. I have had an extremely trying evening.”

“Have you indeed? I had not thought a tête-à-tête with a suitor would prove so demanding. What was it that upset you? Fear that the major would discover you are not Lady Crieff?”

Her face, already pale, blanched to white. Her gray eyes darkened in fear. “You are being ridiculous,” she said, but she said it in a breathless, frightened whisper.

“No, madam. You are out of your depth. I have it on the best authority that Lady Crieff—a redhead, by the by—is still in Scotland. The Crieff case has been settled amicably out of court. Such stunts as you are endeavoring to execute ought to be done hastily, before some suspicious soul begins to ask questions. You would have done better to try your game with me the evening you arrived, as you intended. What stopped you? Did you fear my pockets were not deep enough?”

He saw her blank stare of incomprehension. “You?”

“Do you deny you lured me to your chamber?”

“An unfortunate error. I mistook you for a gentleman.”

“I was not so blind. I knew at a glance that you were no lady. Now, who the devil are you, and what is your game?”

“I am Lady Crieff,” she said.

“And I am King Louis of France. Your name is of no consequence in any case. You have two options. Either you give an account of yourself, or I tell Stanby the Crieff jewels are paste. You will find his affections are not so marble constant as you think. Charming as you are, Stanby will demand more than a pretty face in his mistress.”

Color flooded her pale cheeks as that insult hit home. “For your information, he wants to marry me. At least I think—What has it to do with you, in any case? You do not fool me, Mr. Hartly. You are a Revenueman. It is Lord Marchbank you are investigating, not Lady Crieff.”

“So you did plunder my dustbin. You really ought to have crumpled the letter up again. I am disappointed in you.”

“What do you want?” she demanded, in a failing voice.

“I want—I demand—that you cease this charade. I am an officer of the law. It is true my job here has to do with smuggling, but I cannot in good conscience allow an upright citizen to be fleeced.”

“Upright! The man is an outright scoundrel! You may feel differently after he has taken whatever money you have from you with shaved cards this evening.”

“I thank you for the warning, but two wrongs do not make a right. You will cease this charade. It will be best if you leave the inn, quietly, without leaving a message for Stanby.”

“No! I have waited too long. This is my only chance. You must understand, Mr. Hartly.” She looked at his implacable face and gave a resigned sigh. Hartly was an officer of the law, that same law that upheld Lionel March’s right to steal Jonathon’s estate and her dowry with impunity.

“I am not unaware that Major Stanby’s character is flawed,” he said vaguely. “There have been minor incidents at the card table. One must take into account that he has spent his life defending the interests of his country. I do not wish to embarrass you, but the law is the law, and it is clearly your intention to break it. Do you have anywhere to go?”

With the possibility of being charged with a criminal offense hanging over her head, she was loath to reveal her identity. “No, and very little money.”

“What of the Marchbanks?”

“They did not invite us to stay with them when we wrote, hinting,” she said, hoping to incite pity.

Hartly began pacing to and fro in the small room. He saw the headache powders on the bedside table. He saw her pale, troubled face and felt a troubling spasm of pity. Whoever she was, she could not possibly be as bad as Stanby. Let her stay, and have a go at him, after he and Rudolph had left. When he spoke again, his tone had softened to conciliation.