Sally James (9 page)

‘He has a large estate somewhere in Gloucestershire and a very considerable fortune. Of course he was in the army until lately, but it is time he was settling down. The girl who marries him will be fortunate.’

Or bored to tears, Susannah silently added and then grinned to herself, wondering why she should be so anxious to find fault with what appeared to be an estimable young man. It would surely be better to marry a kind, considerate, polite man than one who was overbearing, unpredictable, rude and unmindful of her wishes.

The drive on the following morning was pleasant and Susannah found Richard Grainger a delightful companion, attentive to her comfort, full of interesting information and unexpectedly amusing with his dry comments on some of the follies of the fashionable. He recounted diverting tales of dandies unable to turn their heads for high starched shirt points or unable to sit down because of constricting corsets. He was funny, but not malicious, and Susannah found herself liking him more than she had expected to and willingly agreed to drive again with him on the following day. They parted on friendly terms and Richard promised to call on her in Brook Street when she was settled there with Amanda, and said he would undoubtedly meet her at many of the fashionable parties they would both attend.

‘I am taking rooms in Half Moon Street next week,’ he informed her. ‘I cannot impose on my aunt for the whole season and it is not worth the trouble opening up my own house in Berkeley Square, for it is far too vast for me on my own. A perfect place for entertaining, though. My sister had her coming out ball there last year. It is a pity you will be unable to meet her, for she married and has gone with her husband to Madrid. He is a diplomat, and I believe knows your father, was with him a few years ago. Where is your father now?’

‘In India,’ Susannah replied. ‘He is not expected back until July or August, so I am to remain with my aunt for the whole season.’

The Grants arrived in London on the following day. Aunt Sarah, as usual, had been prostrated by the journey, but soon recovered when she was no longer forced to endure the swaying coach, and was as ready as the girls to set forth on the following morning on a shopping expedition. They visited several modistes and milliners, bought slippers and shawls and reticules and fans in Bond Street and returned to Brook Street exhausted, thankful no entertainment had been planned for that night, so they could retire early to bed.

They were soon deeply involved in all manner of entertainments, though. Rides and drives, morning visits and shopping expeditions, routs and breakfasts and musical evenings, balls and theatres, with invitations pouring in as soon as it was known the popular Mrs Grant and her lovely daughter and niece were in town. Vouchers for Almack’s were obtained and the girls soon found they had very few hours to themselves.

For a while Susannah had looked apprehensively about her, expecting to encounter Lord Chalford at every large party she attended, but he did not put in an appearance and she began to hope he would not. Julian had returned to Horder Grange for a time, determined to search for hidden places where the jewels might be found, and so Susannah had no way of discovering whether Lord Chalford had recovered quickly from his injuries. She was kept far too busy to think of him too frequently, however, for other men besides Richard Grainger found her delightful company and she never lacked a partner, or escorts for rides in the Park, or companions to take her driving.

She had not forgotten the greys belonging to Lord Chalford that she had driven, and was still determined to buy herself a similar pair. She saw several of the more dashing females driving their own curricles or phaetons, and persuaded her aunt to permit her to purchase a phaeton and pair for herself. Mrs Grant knew her brother would have no objection and her husband, aware Susannah was an excellent whip, agreed to look for suitable horses for her. He soon found a high-stepping chestnut pair, each with two white socks and a spirited but manageable disposition. Susannah was delighted and was often to be seen driving with Amanda in the Park. Amanda, though a good horsewoman, had no desire to take the ribbons in emulation of her more dashing cousin, but was content to be driven, stopping frequently to speak with their friends.

Susannah was in the Park one day, having set down Amanda to walk with two sisters they were friendly with while she gave Richard Grainger a turn about the Park, when she saw Lord Chalford, mounted on the black horse, cantering towards her in company with two other men. She turned her head away hastily and he was almost past her before he recognized her, so she was able to drive on and ignore his startled expression as he brought his mount to a halt and turned to look after her.

Her heart was beating uncomfortably fast and she told herself it was anxiety over what he might reveal of their former encounter. She came to the conclusion it would be best simply to deny all knowledge of him and treat him as a stranger should he approach her. Here in London she could be in no possible danger from a further attempt at abduction and she did not think he would wish his previous actions to be known any more than she did herself.

They were to attend a large ball that evening and Susannah had been looking forward to wearing a new primrose yellow gown and a set of topaz necklace, earrings and bracelets which had been her mother’s. In the event, however, she dressed without interest in her appearance, being far more concerned at what would happen when she finally met Lord Chalford, who was almost certain to be at the ball also. At first she glanced nervously round the large ballroom, but there was no sign of him, and gradually she relaxed and even forgot him for whole minutes together. Then, when she was dancing with Richard, she saw him walk in through the door and halt, calmly surveying the throng through his quizzing glass. He could not avoid seeing her, since she was near that end of the room, and she was horribly conscious of his gaze boring into her back as Richard twirled her round. She missed her step, apologized and then began to chatter brightly, so that Richard looked at her in surprise, wondering what had caused her to behave in an unusually gauche manner. She soon recovered her poise, however, and gratefully accepted his offer to fetch her lemonade when the dance ended.

Richard found her a seat and she was thankful it was at the end of the ballroom farthest from the door, and secluded by a row of potted palms. She fanned herself vigorously and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them Lord Chalford was standing before her, a mocking look in his eyes.

‘Congratulations, my dear,’ he murmured, sitting beside her on the rather small settee. ‘You appear to have come a long way since last I saw you. Did my notion of introducing you to the ton find favour? I cannot imagine how you contrived to persuade righteous Richard to be your instrument though. And I am hurt that you rejected my offer. Can I hope that you are bored with him yet?’

‘You are insufferable, my lord!’ Susannah exclaimed, having found her voice.

‘Not so, my dear. It is just that I like gaming debts to be paid and despite Richard I still regard you as mine.’

‘That infamous bet - ‘ Susannah was beginning, but at that moment Richard returned and handed her the glass of lemonade.

‘Servant, Everard,’ he said to the other man. ‘I see you know Susannah, but now I recall you live near her brother, so it’s not surprising. When did you come to town?’

Lord Chalford was looking at Susannah through suddenly narrowed eyes, but he glanced up at Richard easily and smiled.

‘Yesterday. Is Julian not in town?’

‘He plans to return shortly, I believe. Susannah, I am promised to your cousin for this next dance - ‘

‘Then be a good fellow and rescue her from my Uncle William! I saw them together as I came in. You may safely leave Susannah in my care, for we have a great deal to talk about,’ Lord Chalford interposed and Richard, giving them a worried look, for Susannah was unnaturally silent, departed.

‘So, my dear, you fooled me nicely! Do you normally play the serving wench at your brother’s bachelor parties? You are Julian’s sister, I take it? I thought it odd to find dear punctilious Richard paying public court to Julian’s maid, whatever he might be tempted to do in private. This makes matters decidedly more interesting.’

‘I am Julian’s half-sister!’ Susannah told him curtly. ‘My name is Rendlesham. I hope you do not mean to refer to that affair, my lord, for your part in it did not become you.’

His eyes danced in amusement.

‘You show claws, my love. It shall be as you wish, and I will behave - in public - as though we had just been introduced. In private, though, you shall not forget you are mine! And so, my dear Miss Rendlesham, will you grant me the pleasure of this next dance? It is a waltz. What a zany Richard must be to let you be captured by another man for a waltz.’

She seemed powerless to resist and indeed could not remember whether she had promised this waltz to anyone. He led her onto the floor and she trembled as he held her closely, and refused to look up into his face until he remarked that his wounded arm did not appear to have mended properly. Then she did transfer her gaze from his intricately knotted cravat and cast him a glance of startled enquiry.

‘I - I thought it was a clean, simple wound,’ she said rather guiltily.

‘Oh, yes, and I thought it had healed completely, for it has not incommoded me until now. It appears, however, that I am incapable of dancing the waltz adequately. All I can feel in my partner is fierce rigidity, when during a waltz I should be capable of steering a pliant, flexible body about the ballroom.’

She gave a smothered laugh and relaxed slightly and immediately his arm tightened about her. He made little further attempt at conversation, however, and she left him thankfully when the dance ended. Susannah found it difficult to concentrate on what her other partners said to her and could not help noticing that Lord Chalford appeared to dance with no one else, seeming to prefer to stand at the side of the room, blandly ignoring the claims of the partnerless damsels while watching the dancers with some concentration.

Towards the end of the ball Susannah, who had been dancing with another of her many admirers, went back to her aunt to find Lord Chalford chatting with her. He turned to greet Susannah and ask for the next dance. Before she could think of an excuse for refusing he had drawn her away from the rest of the group and she found herself led onto the floor to join the set just forming.

There was less opportunity to talk during this dance, but Susannah was fully aware of the many envious glances that were given her, and during the next few days she was left in no doubt she had scored an undoubted triumph by attaching Lord Chalford to her for two dances in one evening, an honour he had apparently never accorded anyone else. The fact he had danced only with her was also commented on freely by the girls she met and their mothers.

‘Everard Chalford has ignored all the lures cast him for ten years or more,’ one of Aunt Sarah’s friends explained. ‘He’s got an ancient name and excellent fortune and good looks into the bargain. It’s no wonder silly girls fall over themselves to make him notice them. From all I hear he’s not indifferent to women either, but so far he’s avoided the traps baited with wedding bells!’

‘I’m not sure I’d encourage a daughter of mine even if he did display an interest in her,’ another dowager commented. ‘He’s got a reputation for wildness and can have a devilish unpleasant tongue.’

‘Jealousy,’ Amanda whispered to Susannah. ‘Mama says her daughter spent the whole of last season trying to attach him, but he scarcely glanced at her.’

Susannah tried to make it plain she had no interest in Lord Chalford, but to her intense annoyance her friends all assumed she was concealing her feelings for fear his interest should wane, as it appeared to have done with every other girl who had ever hoped to be noticed by him. This did not happen, however, and though she managed never to be alone with him, and firmly refused all invitations to ride or drive with him, she could not avoid his attentions at balls or his determination to sit beside her or talk with her whenever they found themselves at the same gathering. He appeared impervious to snubs and his relentless pursuit became one of the on dits of the season.

Convinced they were becoming laughing stocks, Susannah was furious. Whenever the envious comments of her friends tempted her to preen herself at the thought of attaching such a sought-after man to her, the odious suspicion he was playing with her, encouraging her to respond to him, when he would no doubt reject her, stiffened her determination to give him no more encouragement than the barest civility demanded.

This she found increasingly difficult, for he was an exciting companion. He danced well and always took great pains to attend to her comfort. He openly paid her lavish compliments and his often outrageous remarks frequently made her want to laugh, though she was determined not to give him the satisfaction of knowing he amused her, and pretended an ignorance or lack of understanding that would soon have deterred a less persistent man.

Naturally they frequently met in the Park and Susannah noted he was an expert whip and dashing horseman. It appeared to her he excelled in every sport without the obsessive zealousness that bored her in many sportsmen. Likewise his dress and manner, while fashionable, never verged on the excesses of the dandy set. It was with the greatest of difficulty she kept to her resolve not to accept any invitations to drive with him, for she would have dearly loved to drive again behind those superb greys, although she had no hope he would this time permit her to take the reins.

Amanda openly declared her astonishment at her cousin’s behaviour.

‘Why are you so implacable?’ she asked one day. ‘Everyone says what a triumph it is to have interested him, and yet you do your best to discourage him. Do you dislike him so very much? What has he done to offend you?’

Susannah could not tell her and she could not honestly say she disliked him. The annoying truth was that she found every other man commonplace and insipid beside him, yet she could not believe his interest in her was genuine. She was convinced he was plotting some revenge on her for what had happened and constantly reminded herself that a man who could gamble to win a woman was despicable whatever his outward charm.