Simply Scandalous (20 page)

"I confess I am amazed," Benedict said slowly. "To
learn that Lord Swale has come into Hertfordshire is
puzzling enough, but that he should be so fixed
upon my poor sister-! I should tell you, Dr. Cary, that
not five days ago, I received from his Grace of Auckland a communication proposing marriage between
Juliet and his son Geoffrey."

The Vicar regarded his guest with astonishment.
"That is fortunate indeed, Sir Benedict," he said after
a long moment, "for it is now imperative that the two
young people marry. They were alone in Brisby's
house for quite some time before my son arrived, you know. I don't doubt his lordship behaved as a gentleman," he added quickly. "Still, it is the appearance of the thing."

Horatio frowned. "But if his father is in favor of the
match, why should Lord Swale come into Hertfordshire with a special license? He is bizarre, I think."

"I refused to give my consent to the match," said
Benedict, frowning, "and Juliet is yet a minor."

Dr. Cary goggled at him. "You did what? Good God,
man, are you mad? It is the match of the century. Our
little Juliet, Duchess of Auckland! She could do
no better."

"I do not like the man," said Benedict coldly. "I am
convinced he would make my sister unhappy. He
cannot control his temper, and his temper is very bad."

"My dear Sir Benedict," said Dr. Cary, scandalized.
"One does not refuse a marquess merely because
one does not like him. The Aucklands are very rich,
you know, and Lord Swale is the heir. His father's influence is felt in the very highest circles. His Grace of
Auckland has raised mere younger sons to the Cabinet, mere country curates to bishoprics-"

"Nonetheless, I have refused him," Benedict
replied, unmoved. "Until Juliet comes into her majority, it is my duty to prevent her from making a
foolish match."

"Foolish!" Dr. Cary was incredulous. "Foolish, the
man calls it."

"We cannot agree, Dr. Cary," said Benedict with a
small smile. "I would not see my sister wed to a violent, abusive man for twice the sum you have named.
Lord Swale would be certain to make Juliet miserable.
Naturally, if she wishes to sell herself to the Aucklands
when she has reached the age of twenty-one, she will
be within her rights to do so. But for now, I am her
guardian, and I shan't sell her to anyone."

Dr. Cary grew red in the face. "That is not at all what
I meant, sir!" he said huffily. "It is not a question of
selling-!"

Horatio interrupted smoothly. "If it were Cynthia
whom we were discussing, Sir Benedict, I'm sure my
father would not be so ready to hand her over to this
brute Swale!"

"Cynthia? Marry Lord Swale!" Dr. Gary laughed bitterly. "His Grace of Auckland would not be so quick
to favor the match. We are not as illustrious as the Wayborns, you understand."

"Only consider what Lord Swale has done, Father,"
said Horatio quickly. `Juliet's guardian refused his consent, and what does the fellow do but run her to
earth and press his suit anyway! Then, when Juliet refuses him, he has her maid carried off, knowing that
Juliet will feel obligated to go after the silly thing
and bring her back. I begin to suspect that his Grace
of Auckland has threatened to cut off his lordship's
allowance if he does not make the match."

"Or, perhaps I offended his lordship's pride," Benedict said thoughtfully. "I did not hesitate to give my reasons for refusing my consent. Perhaps it was wrong of
me to excoriate him so, but I had just seen him break
the nose of Mr. Eustace Calverstock in St. James's
Street, and my feelings were offended in every way."

'Whatever the reason, his lordship obviously came
into Hertfordshire to force Juliet to marry him," said
Horatio angrily.

"And he has succeeded very handsomely," said Dr.
Cary with as much disapproval as pleasure. "They
must marry now. There is nothing else for it. Dear
Juliet will be ruined if they do not marry."

Benedict smiled coldly. "And who knows what the
Aucklands' influence may do for us in exchange? Perhaps I shall be raised to the Cabinet. Perhaps you
will be raised to a bishopric."

Dr. Gary nodded. "Exactly so, Sir Benedict. Exactly so. If I am to officiate at the wedding of the Duke
of Auckland's heir, a bishopric would not be such a
far-fetched thing."

Benedict got to his feet. "I would like to see my sister
now, if I may."

Juliet was in bed, her injured leg propped up with
feather pillows. "It isn't broken," she said quickly,
setting aside her book as Benedict entered the room.
"The splint is to keep me from bruising it again, that
is all. Actually, the swelling has gone down a great deal,
don't you agree, Cynthia?"

Benedict had not seen Cynthia upon entering the
room. "Miss Cary," he said now, bending over her
hand. "I hope my sister has not distressed you too
much."

"No, indeed, sir," said Cynthia quickly. "Though I
was very worried that her leg was broken. And her
head was bleeding when they brought her home to
us. Mr. Elliott put four stitches in her scalp, you
know." She glanced at her cousin. "She's very worried,
Sir Benedict, that you will make her marry Lord
Swale. I-I wish you wouldn't! I daresay you think me
impertinent, but I wish you wouldn't! His lordship has
the most dreadful temper. In a fit of anger, he broke
one of my father's cabinets."

"Was that not an accident?" Benedict asked.

Cynthia shook her head. "Indeed, it was not, sir!
Though Juliet told my father it was-" She broke off
unhappily. "I do not mean to say that she lied-"

Benedict smiled at her. "I am glad you still regard
my sister well enough to defend her, Miss Cary. Would
you be good enough to grant me a private interview
with her?"

"Is she not the loveliest, sweetest, most divine
creature you ever saw?" Juliet inquired brightly
when Cynthia had left them alone. "She's an absolute
angel. When are you going to declare yourself?"

Benedict frowned at her. "Do not think to distract
me, Juliet. This is the second time in a week you
have escaped your guardians to go driving in the
country with Lord Swale."

Juliet was astonished. "How can you compare one
thing with the other?" she cried angrily. "The race was
completely different! I see now it was wrong of me to
dress up like Cary and humiliate Ginger in that
shabby manner. But you can not fault me for this! I
thought my Fifi to be in the gravest danger. My intentions were good, Benedict, and really, it would have
been all right if we hadn't overturned."

"You're right, Juliet. By comparison to the present
situation, the race was completely innocent! On that
occasion, you stayed in your brother's curricle, and
Lord Swale stayed in his. There was no contact between you. Have you no sense?"

"I expect you think I don't," she answered sullenly.
"I expect you have come to lecture me on the error
of my ways. Well, I don't see what I have done that is
so wrong. I was only trying to save my Fifi, and I
won't apologize for that."

Benedict sighed and sat down in a chair near the
window. "My dear Juliet," he said, "if your maid has
been carried off by a villain, there are things that can
and should be done. You ought to have reported
the incident to the authorities and left them to it."

"I did not know she had been carried off when I
went to see Ginger-Lord Swale," she corrected herself hastily. "Fifi told me that his lordship's man had
been imposing on her. I went to make Swale put a stop
to it, that's all. But when I was there, the boots brought his lordship a note from his Bowditch saying that he
and my Fifi were eloping. We had to go after them,
Benedict! I couldn't let my Fifi be carried off by his
Bowditch." She sighed. "I am bound to say that I was
never more deceived in my life! If Bowditch has married her, he is to be pitied."

"You wanted a French maid," he reminded her.
"Against my advice, you hired Mademoiselle. At Wayborn Hall, you will have a dependable English girl-"

"Wayborn Hall!"

"Yes, my girl," he told her curtly. "You didn't think
I would continue to inflict your society upon the
good people of Hertfordshire after this, your latest
adventure?"

"You can't take me away now, "she pointed out. "I
can't even walk."

"As soon as you are well enough to travel," he assured her, "I am taking you home myself. You are
grown quite wild, Juliet! I don't know what I am to do
with you. You have always been willful, but I never
thought of you as bold and unmanageable. Your
character, which I was always used to admire, is in
need of a severe correction."

"My God, Benedict," she cried weakly. "I had rather
you beat me than say such terrible things! Indeed, I
do not deserve it!"

"Never mind," he said in a gentler tone. "I will say
no more about it. You will want to know how Cary is
recovering."

"Oh, yes," she breathed, grateful for the change in
subject. "How is he?"

"Much vexed to be kept in bed while his bones
knit," said Benedict. "Not best pleased that Lord
Swale has broke young Calverstock's nose."

"What?" cried Juliet, her eyes lighting with excite ment. "Ginger broke Stacy's nose? I expect it was at
the boxing saloon?"

"No, indeed," said Benedict. "It happened on the
street in front of White's. And a more disgusting display of temper I have never seen. Anyone else would
have been expelled permanently from the club, but
he is a duke's son. They will allow him to return next
year. Disgusting."

"Was he provoked?"

"I daresay he was," Benedict responded dryly. "I
imagine that having one's nose broken can be quite
provoking."

"Not Stacy!" Juliet said scornfully. "Ginger. Stacy
must have jolly well provoked him to get his nose
broken. Was there a duel?"

"Certainly not," said Benedict, appalled by her
bloodthirstiness. "Mr. Calverstock quite rationally
declined to issue a challenge."

"Rather poor-spirited of him to be rational at such
a time," Juliet observed scornfully. "But I expect
Swale is the one they will condemn. It's so unfair! He
says he did not hire anyone to break Gary's arm, and
I believe him. He told me you believed him too. He
says it was Lord Redfylde."

He actually named Lord Redfylde as the guilty
party?" Benedict shook his head. "That is very wrong
of him when he has no proof. At best, he is a suspect."

"No proof? Redfylde placed a wager of ten thousand pounds-on Ginger, if you please!"

"That is singular," said Benedict, "but it is not proof
he is behind the attack on our brother."

"I think," she said stubbornly, "it was very clever of
Ginger to put it all together."

Sir Benedict's mouth twitched. "Yes, indeed. Very
clever. His lordship is to be congratulated on his
mental dexterity."

"Then you don't believe my Lord Swale is guilty?"
she asked eagerly, a great deal too eagerly for her
brother's comfort.

"I never thought he had anything to do with the
attack on our brother," Benedict replied. "It is not in
his lordship's character to hire mercenaries. He
would enjoy the experience of breaking a man's arm,
I think. Possibly even a woman's."

Juliet laughed. "Come now, Benedict! That is
absurd. I'm sure I have said things far more provoking than Stacy Calverstock, and my nose is intact.
The worst he could do to a woman is grab her knitting basket and fling it across the room." She thought
suddenly of his lordship's kiss, and her cheeks turned
pink. Fortunately, her brother did not notice.

A smile touched his lips. 'That is how Dr. Cary's cabinet was broken, I collect."

"And several of those wretched shepherdesses of
which he is so proud," said Juliet "You are quite wrong
about Ginger if you think he would ever harm a
woman. I admit his temper is very ill-governed, but I
think it must be very hard to be accused falsely of a
crime. Even you might lose your temper, Benedict,
under such trying circumstances. To be called a coward
and a cheat and a liar and then to be humiliated by aa girl-! Yes, I think it must be very hard for a proud
man like Ginger."

Benedict looked at her intently. "Then you're not
afraid of him?"

Juliet laughed. "Afraid of Ginger? Really, he's all
thunder and no lightning. Practically an infant when
it comes to women. In fact, I'm amazed some enterprising female didn't scoop him up long ago. Just look
at the scrape he got into with me."

"Yes, my dear. Let us look at it very carefully."

Juliet gave him a hard look. "If I were an ambitious, designing female-if my excellent brother were greedy
and unscrupulous, which of course, he isn't-Ginger
would have to marry me, I suppose. Fortunately for
him, I am not ambitious, and you're not greedy. We
mayn't like him very well, but he doesn't deserve to be
tricked into a marriage he doesn't want."

Benedict appeared relieved. "Then you don't wish
to marry him."

"What a piece of nonsense anyway," Juliet said irritably. `Just because he kissed me!"

Benedict turned pale. "Did he kiss you?"

"It was not at all romantic! " she said hastily.

"No?"

"Not in the least," she assured him. "It was quite
horrid-he'd been eating sausages. He only kissed me
because I was saying something he didn't like. I
expect if I had been Stacy Calverstock he might have
broken my nose."

"I expect he would have," said Benedict grimly.
"God help me, for a moment when I was speaking
to Dr. Cary, I wavered. I thought I might actually have
no choice but to welcome him into the family. But
it is impossible. I would not see you married to a man
we can't respect, and a man who won't govern his
passions can never be respected. I'm glad you dislike him, my dear."

"Well, I don't dislike him," she said haltingly, "and
I wish you would not hate him, Benedict. Not everyone has your marvelous self-control. I don't, anyway,
and neither does Cary. Really, no one has it, but you!
As for Ginger, do you know he carried me all the way
to that farmhouse?"