Surrender (52 page)

who doesn't give a thought to economy,

I shall have no choice but to treat you as

such. But we both know you are too smart

to act that way just to spite me."

 
Are you forbidding me the free use of my

money

I am forbidding you to risk a vast sum

on a project you know nothing about

except that your aunt's man of affairs

recommends it."

 
I have made a great deal of money from

some of Mister Beckford's recommendations."

 
You have also lost money on some of

them. I have seen the evidence in your

accounts. Mister Beckford has been far from

infallible," Lucas said, flipping recklessly

through Victoria's business ledger.

 
One must expect to take a few losses

when one is playing for important stakes."

 
There are many men far wealthier than

you who have brought their families to ruin

with that attitude."

 
Say it, damn you. Say the words, Lucas.

Tell me to my face I no longer have any

control over my inheritance."

Lucas gave up trying to salvage the

situation.
 
Vicky, I thought I had made it

clear that just because I choose to indulge

you in some of your wilder notions, it does

not mean I will allow you to manipulate me

whenever you wish. One way or another

you will learn that."

 
Say it, Lucas." Her eyes continued to

challenge him boldly and her smile was

deliberately taunting.

Lucas swore very softly.
 
Very well,

madam, since you are obviously determined

to force this issue into a full-scale

battle, I will give you what you seem to be

looking for, namely an opponent. You are

hereby forbidden to invest in the colliery

project. I shall instruct your bankers that

you are to be given a small quarterly

allowance and nothing more unless I

personally authorize it."

She stared at him in stunned amazement,

clearly shocked by the extent of his

retaliation.
 
I do not believe this. You

cannot possibly mean what you say. To

forbid me to invest in the coal-mining

project is one thing, but to forbid me

any use of my money at all is
  
is

unbelievable."

Lucas leaned back in his chair and

studied her dispassionately. She really did

look taken aback. This was obviously not

the outcome she had expected when she

had begun the skirmish.

 
I can understand your surprise," he said

gently.
 
I am quite certain that when you

walked in here a few minutes ago, you were

fairly sure you would walk out the victor.

You are too shrewd to have launched the

assault without first being convinced you

stood a good chance of winning. But you

underestimated me, my dear, and I fear

you will persist in losing these skirmishes

if you do not stop doing that. A good

field marshal never makes the mistake of

underestimating her opponent."

You speak as if we are on a battlefield."

Lucas nodded bleakly.
 
I fear that is

precisely the situation you have created."

 
And to think I actually thought you

were going to make a tolerable husband

after all." She whirled around and flew

to the door. Not pausing to give him

a chance to get there ahead of her, she

yanked it open.

 
Where do you think you are going,

Vicky?"

 
Out." Her smile could have separated

him from his skin.

 
Vicky, if you think you can fly off in a

tantrum and go looking for some mischief,

you are sadly mistaken."

 
Have no fear, my lord, I shall be in quite

unexceptional company. I am attending

a meeting at the vicar's. I'll wager that

even you, with your newfound proper,

conservative airs and priggish ways, cannot

find anything to say against my spending

the afternoon in such a gathering."

 
What sort of society is holding this

meeting?"

 
One devoted to the investigation of

curious matters," she retorted loftily.

 
I might be able to find time to

accompany you," he began carefully.

 
Good gracious, Lucas, that is quite

impossible. I am certain you are far

too busy to join me. You have so

many thoughtful, important decisions to

make right here." She went out the door,

slamming it pointedly behind her.

Lucas winced as the lamps shivered

under the impact. He sat in silence for

a moment and then got deliberately to his

feet to cross the room and pour himself a

glass of brandy.

He stood at the window to drink it and

told himself morosely that it was going to

be a long campaign. He had sadly deluded

himself when he had decided the difficult

part would be over once he got her to

marry him. It was obvious the truly hard

work came after the wedding.

Good God. Had he really turned a touch

priggish under the weight of his newfound

responsibilities? He wondered.

Victoria was still fuming by the time she

reached the comfortable home of the vicar

and his wife. But she managed a charming

smile as she was shown into a pleasant,

sunny room full of various members of the

local gentry and their ladies. The welcome

was gratifyingly warm and her ill humor

faded quickly.

 
Welcome to our little society meeting,

Lady stone vale. We have all been concen

trating our attentions of late on trying to

prepare an improved remedy for gout and

rheumatic pains," misses Worth explained

after the introductions had been made.

She waved to a table full of small glasses.

Each contained a liquid.
 
Medicinal herbs

and plants are a great interest for most of

us. Sir Alfred, here, for example, is quite

hopeful of claiming the Society of Arts'

prize for discovering a means of increasing

opium-poppy production in England. He

has obtained a very high-quality product,

indeed."

 
How exciting," Victoria said.
 
You

should feel quite proud of yourself, Sir

Alfred."

Sir Alfred blushed modestly.

 
And doctor
 
Thornby over there has been

experimenting with various tinctures and

decoctions that combine alcohol and other

ingredients such as liquorice, rhubarb, and

camomile."

It was doctor
 
Thornby's turn to be flushed

with pride.

 
Fascinating," Victoria murmured, examining

the various glasses.
 
My aunt and

I have attended many medical lectures

on such matters. Have you had much

success?"

 
As you know, doctor
 
Thornby began

with barely contained enthusiasm,
 
the

combination of alcohol and opium in

laudanum is quite effective for pain relief

but tends to make the sufferer extremely

drowsy. This is fine for certain ailments

but not for more chronic problems such as

gout or rheumatic pains or certain, ahem,

women's ailments. Something is needed

for these which brings relief but does not

induce sleep."

 
You want a pain-relieving concoction

that will allow the sufferer to go about his

daily routine," Victoria said with a quick

nod of understanding.
 
Very important

research. Very important, indeed."

 
The farmers and laborers in my area of

the country have achieved some success on

their own through trial and error," remarked

a plump gentleman in the corner.
 
They've

developed some excellent remedies."

 
The problem," said another,
 
is lack of

standardization and analysis. Every family

has its own remedies of course, but

each recipe has been handed down for

generations and is the result of tradition

and folklore rather than proper scientific

principles and study. Every housewife has

her particular recipe for cough syrup, for

example, but no two mixtures are quite

the same."

 
Obviously there are several aspects of

the problem to be studied," Victoria noted.

 
Quite true." doctor
 
Thornby approached

the table.
 
But there is only one scientific

approach to the problem. We must conduct

an experiment and take careful notes.

Each of these glasses contains a particular

remedy. Our goal today is to see which

of them creates an immediately soothing

effect without bringing on sleep."

 
What about the actual relief of pain?"

Victoria asked with deep interest.
 
How

will you measure that? I am not, myself,

suffering even a headache at the moment."

 
We will have to do that in a second

phase of the experiment," the vicar con

ceded.
 
Difficult to find five or ten people

all having an attack of the gout or a

headache at the same time, I'm afraid."

 
As it happens," misses Worth said

helpfully,
 
I have a touch of rheumatic

pain this afternoon."

 
And my gout's been flaring up," another

member of the group offered.

 
I have been suffering from toothache all

day," declared an elderly gentleman.

 
I do believe I have a headache," Lady

Alice volunteered.

The vicar brightened, as did doctor
 
Thornby

and Sir Alfred.

 
Excellent, excellent. We may be able to

accomplish both phases of the experiment

today." Sir Alfred's glance was both shy

and distinctly hopeful as he looked at

Victoria.
 
Understand you have an interest

in this sort of thing, Lady stone vale.

Would you care to join us in our testing