Secret Heiress (15 page)

Lady Sarah seemed sunk in thought. When they reached the house in the Crescent she gave her hand to Eliza and it seemed to tremble a little, but not one word more was said on the subject.

‘Goodnight, dearest,' Lady Sarah said and kissed her cheek.

‘Goodnight. Sleep well, and do not worry about anything.'

‘I think I shall sleep soundly.' Lady Sarah smiled at her. ‘Indeed, I feel quite remarkably well this evening. Goodnight, my love.'

Eliza saw her to her room, leaving her to the attentive care of her maid, and then went to her own room. She sighed as she undressed—her life seemed so complicated. By agreeing to meet Marianne Cheadle, she would once again antagonise the marquis, for he would imagine that she was trying to ingratiate herself with his family in order to blackmail him. However, Marianne seemed in actual distress and in need of a friend—and if Eliza's suspicions were correct, the girl was her half-sister.

She would meet her and if the marquis did not like it he could take her to task once more, but she doubted there was much he could do. He was clearly afraid that
she would ruin his daughter's prospects and his own reputation. The last thing Eliza wanted was to make trouble for anyone.

Eliza's thoughts turned in another direction. What on earth must Daniel have thought when he saw the marquis follow her from that bedroom? He had suspected her of being Cheadle's mistress at the start. He would probably imagine his suspicions were now confirmed.

Getting into bed, Eliza blew out the candle and closed her eyes. Everything was in such a muddle, but there was little she could do to make things right.

 

The next afternoon Eliza walked briskly through the town and arrived at the lending library at five minutes to two. Marianne was already waiting. Her face lit up with relief when she saw Eliza and she crossed the road to meet her.

‘I was afraid you might not come.'

‘I should not have agreed had I not wished to oblige you,' Eliza said. ‘I think you are very worried. Shall we sit on that bench before we have our tea?'

‘Yes, please. I should not wish anyone to overhear what I have to say…' Marianne looked nervous. ‘I think you will be very shocked, Eliza.'

‘Shall I?' Eliza smiled. ‘It would have to be very bad to shock me, Marianne.'

They sat down together. Marianne played with her white gloves for a moment, then took a deep breath.

‘I lied to my mother,' she confided. ‘Mama is waiting for the Duke of Accrington to come to Bath and make me an offer, but I know that he won't come. You see, he very obligingly proposed in London and I refused him. She would be so angry if she knew, for she particularly told me to make a push to secure him if I could.'

‘I do not know the gentleman. Do you not like him, Marianne?'

‘He is too old, though not repulsive or unkind,' Marianne replied and bit her lip. ‘I thought if I said nothing of this to Mama she would forget in time, but now…there is someone I wish to marry…'

‘Ah, I see.' Eliza nodded her understanding. ‘You wish to marry another gentleman, but you do not dare to confess the truth to your parents.'

‘Mama will be furious with me. She had her heart set on Accrington—and Mr Hastings will never be more than a baronet. He has a fortune and is eligible, but he does not compare with a duke in Mama's eyes.'

‘Yes, I see.' Eliza saw how troubled she was. ‘You have a problem, Marianne. I think you will have to confess, ask your parents to forgive you and hope they will allow you to marry the man you love. Has he proposed?'

‘Yes…' Marianne blushed and her eyes lit up, revealing her happiness. ‘I liked him in London, but he never gave any sign of liking me enough…and Mama encouraged the duke. Jack asked me to let him address my father immediately, but I begged him to wait for a little while.' She pleated the fine linen of her green walking gown. ‘Do you think I should ruin myself if I ran away to Gretna with Mr Hastings? I think it is the only way, but I am frightened…'

‘You must not do anything so rash,' Eliza told her and reached for her hand. ‘It would certainly cause a terrible scandal. Your mother might refuse to speak to you again—and your father might come after you and prevent the marriage.'

‘Do you think so?' Marianne dabbed a lace kerchief at her eyes, but a tear escaped and trickled down her
cheek. ‘I love Jack and shall marry no one else, whatever Mama or Papa say.'

‘Yet I think you would not wish to be estranged from them both?'

‘No, I suppose not…' Marianne gave a little wail. ‘What am I to do? I am sure Mama will say I must wait for a better offer—and she will be furious when she discovers I turned the duke down.'

‘Yes, I dare say she may,' Eliza said and squeezed her hand gently. ‘I think if you talk to your father first—perhaps he might listen, do you not think so? I imagine he is fond of you, is he not?'

‘Yes, he is,' Marianne agreed. She was silent for a moment, then inclined her head. ‘I shall speak to him this afternoon.' Her head came up defiantly. ‘If he refuses permission for Jack to speak to him, I shall elope whether he disowns me or not.'

‘I cannot deny you, but I would advise you to think carefully before doing anything rash. Your parents may be a little annoyed for a while, but I am sure they will come round in the end.'

‘Do you truly think so?'

‘Yes, if they love you. They will not wish to see you unhappy, Marianne. Just be polite and calm and beg your mother's pardon for not telling her before—but if you speak to your father first, he may support you.'

‘Thank you so much for advising me,' Marianne said. ‘I was sure you would know what I should do. You do not censure me?'

‘Not in the least. I would never marry anyone I did not care for and why should you?'

‘I shall not,' Marianne said and her face took on an expression of determination. ‘Shall we go and have our tea? They make a wonderful truffle cake here…'

Glancing to her right, Eliza saw a man loitering. She frowned—she thought she had seen him hanging around once or twice before. He looked to be the same man she'd seen outside Lady Sarah's house. Could he possibly be following her? She wondered if the marquis had employed an agent to watch her. It was just the sort of thing he might do—which meant that he would soon learn she had met with his daughter.

Well, let him do his worst. She had no intention of leaving Lady Sarah unless she was dismissed.

 

When, at a quarter past three, Eliza returned to the house, she discovered that Lady Sarah was not alone. Daniel had visited and gone, but another gentleman was waiting. She greeted him with pleasure, for she knew him as Kate's friend.

‘How pleasant to see you, Mr Thatcher. Kate told me that you had gone out of town for a day or two?'

‘I returned this very morning and, having seen Kate and heard some rumours, came immediately to visit you and Lady Sarah. I have Kate's permission to tell you that we are engaged to be married, Miss Bancroft. It is a long-standing agreement, which we kept to ourselves until Lady Julia was prepared to allow the engagement. I wanted to tell you that both Kate and I support you, as will all of your friends. None of us believe that you are a fortune hunter or an adventuress. When we are married, we shall want both you and Lady Sarah to stay with us in London or the country.'

‘Oh…' Eliza's cheeks were warm. ‘How kind of you, sir. I am delighted that you and Kate are to marry. I sensed that there was something between you, but Kate did not say.'

‘We promised her mama that we would wait until
just before they returned to the country, because Lady Julia wanted her daughter to be quite certain. She is very lovely and there are others with larger fortunes and grand titles that she might have married if she had chosen.'

‘Kate would always marry for love, as most young women will if allowed,' Eliza said. ‘I am so very pleased for you. I must buy Kate a present and wish her happy.'

‘We are having an engagement party tomorrow evening,' Mr Thatcher said. ‘It is not a dance, though we shall hold one in the country before the wedding. I came to deliver an invitation and Lady Sarah has been good enough to say she will come both to the party and the dance—and naturally she will bring you, Miss Bancroft. Kate particularly asked that you be there.'

‘We shall be happy to celebrate with our friends,' Eliza said. ‘What a lovely surprise. I am so very pleased.'

Mr Thatcher thanked her and left them. Eliza sat down as the door closed behind him. She looked at Lady Sarah, whose expression was thoughtful.

‘I felt there was something, but Kate kept her word to her mama. She did not breathe a word.'

‘Kate is a good girl for all her flirting and her outspoken ways,' Lady Sarah nodded approvingly. ‘I have been thinking that we shall go to my home in the country soon, Eliza. Lady Julia and Kate will leave Bath at the end of the week and I think we might go soon after. You will not mind living quietly in the country?'

Eliza hesitated, then. ‘You will not need a companion so much in the country, ma'am. I could travel with you to see you settled and then look for a new position when you felt better.'

‘I was thinking you might like to make your home with me, Eliza. I am so fond of you…'

‘I am very fond of you too, Lady Sarah,' Eliza said. She hesitated, thinking about what her employer was suggesting. If they left Bath the marquis could not accuse her of trying to blackmail him and the gossip would soon be forgotten. He had warned her she should leave, go back where she had come from—but why should she let him bully her? Lady Sarah needed her and she loved her. ‘Yes, I should like to stay with you—and I think it might be best if we left Bath soon.'

‘We can return next spring for a little visit or perhaps London if I feel well enough,' Lady Sarah said. ‘I do not wish to bury you in the country, Eliza. I have friends at home and we shall dine with them often.'

‘I do not mind staying quietly at home with you,' Eliza assured her. ‘I shall be quite content.'

‘I believe we shall stay another five days in Bath and then go home.' Lady Sarah nodded and looked pleased. ‘This gossip has been awkward for you, dearest, but it will pass. Next time we visit no one will think there is anything worth remarking in your being my companion. This nonsense will all be forgotten.'

There was a suppressed excitement about Lady Sarah that made Eliza wonder what was in her mind, but she did not ask. Her employer would tell her when she wished her to know. Her mind returned to Marianne Cheadle and her problems.

It would have been nice to confide her fears for the girl she believed might be her half-sister, but Marianne had spoken to Eliza in confidence and she would not betray her secret to anyone.

‘We are going to a soirée this evening,' Lady Sarah
said. ‘I believe Lady Julia will be there. If you wish to go out again and buy her a small gift, you may do so.'

‘Perhaps in the morning,' Eliza said. ‘Kate loves poetry, so I think I shall purchase a book of poems for her as a keepsake.'

‘That is an excellent idea,' Lady Sarah said. ‘I have some items of jewellery in my room that I had as a young girl. Shall we go and look at them together? You can help me choose something suitable.'

‘I should enjoy that.' Eliza stood up and offered her arm. ‘Did your visit with Lord Seaton go off satisfactorily?'

Lady Sarah's eyes avoided hers as she replied, ‘Yes, indeed, he has promised to instruct an agent for me. He says that he knows the very man…the soul of discretion and very reliable. Apparently, this man has been investigating something for him and has turned up some interesting facts. I am confident that my search will be over quite soon.'

‘I am glad he could help you.'

‘He asked after you, my dear. I believe he was disappointed not to see you.'

‘I was sorry to miss him.'

It was for the best. Daniel clearly believed the worst of her. He probably thought she was the Marquis of Cheadle's mistress and had been lying to him all this time. She would not see him again once they left Bath. The thought made her heart ache, but she was determined not to give into her distress. He had shown some friendship towards her but she would be a fool to hope for more—after all, what prospects could she offer Daniel? He could, and would, surely marry any suitable young lady.

Following Lady Sarah into her bedchamber, Eliza
watched as she took her jewel case from the dressing chest and unlocked it with a key she kept in her reticule. Invited to look at a selection of pretty pendants that were, as Lady Sarah said, suitable for a young girl, Eliza pointed to two of them. One was a single teardrop aquamarine suspended from a diamond and a fine silver chain, the other a sapphire-and-pearl drop on a fancy gold chain.

‘I think these are both lovely,' Eliza said. ‘Either one would I am certain delight Kate.'

‘Then I think I shall give her this one.' Lady Sarah selected the sapphire-and-pearl drop. She locked the jewel case, replaced the key in her reticule and gave Eliza the box to place in the dressing chest. ‘These pieces are all of more sentimental value than monetary and were given to me by my father and grandmother. The Manners's family heirlooms are kept at home in a strong room. I still wear the pearls I was given as a wedding gift and some rings, but the rest are at the disposal of my son's wife, as it should be.'

Eliza smiled and left her to rest and change for the evening.

As she went to her room, she wondered where Daniel was and what he was doing. Though she knew it was a hopeless situation, he was never far from her thoughts.

 

‘Are you sure you wish to go through with this?' Jack asked as he sat with Daniel in the gentleman's club they both frequented that afternoon. ‘Could it not be resolved in some other way? Duels are frowned on these days and rightly so.'