The Portrait (14 page)

Later that evening, as the company prepared to retire, the
earl and Jennifer found themselves seated alone in the parlor.

"I'm glad they've gone," said Jenny quietly. "It's so much
more comfortable when there's only the two of us, Ned." She
was silent for a moment, seeming to consider a point before
she continued. "I realize now that I shouldn't have involved
you in all of this, and I quite see the impropriety of the situation. I've placed you in an invidious position."

"Nonsense, my dear," he replied, leaving his seat and coming to sit beside her on the couch. "I've enjoyed our escapade
enormously, but now is the time to bring it to its close."

"Are you sure Flora will not resent our being thrust so unceremoniously onto her generosity?"

He smiled reassuringly. "I have every confidence that she
will welcome you with open arms. As I've explained, I know
my sister well. She will be delighted to be made privy to our
little venture. Indeed, I would guess she will be most disappointed not to have been included earlier."

Jenny chuckled. "If she had been included, there would not
now be any need for subterfuge"

Sinclair smiled ruefully. "I love my sister dearly, but I positively refuse to travel half the country's length in her company. She chatters incessantly."

Jenny gave a small trill of laughter. "So do I"

"Yes, that thought had crossed my mind," he replied, grinning openly.

"You're laughing at me," she accused him with an irrepressible twinkle. "I dare say you find me amusing, but you
will soon tire of your sport"

"I never tire of laughing."

"Wretch" She chuckled. Then, contritely, she asked, "Dear
Edward, have I plagued you dreadfully?"

"Quite," he responded in a much altered tone, his mood
taking a sudden change. She raised inquiring eyes to his, and
for a moment he studied her face. "Jenny, I . . " he began, but
before his words could go further, his arm reached out of its
own volition and drew her to him. Bowing his head, he tenderly kissed her with a poignant longing made all the more
sweet by her tentative, naive response.

"Marry me, Jen," he whispered against her cheek when
they finally drew apart.

"No ... No ... Please, Ned, there is no need," she cried,
pulling away. "I quite understand your motives, and I am truly
grateful. Because of what has been said, you feel you've compromised me, but indeed you have not. It's vastly obliging of
you to offer for me, but I assure you, there's no need."

"'Obliging' of me? What nonsense is this? Surely, you
must realize ..

At that moment the parlor door was opened, and Freddie
came quickly into the room, and whatever words the boy would
have uttered, clearly died on his lips as he took in the scene
before him.

The earl immediately came to his feet and, taking Jenny's
hand, bowed over it. "Forgive me, my dear," he said quietly. "I
forget myself. Have no fear-I will not embarrass you by repeating my indiscretion. You may be perfectly easy in my company when next we meet." Turning abruptly on his heel,
he strode from the room, seeing not the bewildered look on
her pale countenance.

Closing the door to his bedchamber, Sinclair placed the
candle on the mantel and sat in the hearthside chair. Closing
his eyes, he rested his head against the chair back, silently
cursing himself for being a fool. He could not believe how
close he'd come to revealing his closely guarded secret. It had
not been his intention to utter a declaration; the words had
come unbidden, and, witnessing Jenny's reaction, he wished
them unsaid. He'd come within a hairsbreadth of forsaking
his resolve to deny his emotions. It was a resolve he'd fought
hard to control over the past days they'd spent together, and
he inwardly cringed at what a fool he must have appeared.

Jenny had given no indication that she thought of him as anything other than a friend, and who could blame her? Certainly
not he! He would not, could not, allow his feelings to rule him.
He loved her too well. He could not believe, after valiantly concealing his deep affection for so long, how easily his barriers
had been breached in that one unguarded moment.

He sat thus for some while, having no desire to retire, until
eventually he went to his valise. Placing his hand inside, his
fingers sought the portrait, but as they did not immediately encounter the silver frame, he took the candle and held it aloft.
Still no portrait, and for a moment he couldn't comprehend its
loss. All of a sudden the memory of placing it beneath his pillow the previous night came to him. With Jenny's arrival so
early that morning and their hastened departure, he'd given it
no thought, and a sense almost of panic overcame him. No
matter what, he could not lose it; it was too precious to him.
His instant thought was to return to the inn immediately, but
he realized that would be foolish. However, he resolved to
leave for The Sow's Ear at first light.

He undressed and lay in the bed, but repose would not
come. Instead, he lay awake, his thoughts giving him no peace, until the first sign of dawn began to break, and he rose to
make his preparations for departure.

The occupants of Berry House kept country hours and breakfasted early. When Jennifer arrived at the breakfast table, her
pale countenance bore evidence that she, too, had spent a
sleepless night.

"My dear, you look quite worn," said Judith with some concern. "Do you think yourself up to journeying today? Would it
perhaps be wise to delay your return until the morrow?"

"No, we shall go today," replied Jenny, making no effort to
attempt the meal set before her. Turning to Phillip, she asked,
"Where's Edward? Is he not yet down?"

"He has been down and is gone," replied Phillip, oblivious
to the edge in her voice. "He rose quite early and asked if he
could have the use of one of my horses. Apparently he's left
something of value at the last inn you visited and felt the need
to retrieve it immediately."

"I would have gone with him, but he wouldn't have me," said
a disappointed Freddie. "Said I was to go with you to Flora's."

"Did he leave any message for me?" asked Jenny, unease
sounding in her voice.

"Only that he'll join you at Ravensby as soon as he's able,"
replied Phillip. "Sinclair's a strange fellow, if you ask me. He
was quite curt this morning and abroad so early. It was barely
dawn when he came to my door."

"Did he say what it was that he'd lost?" she asked, a small
frown creasing her brow.

"Only that it was of value, though what it could be, I cannot
think. If it was so valuable, why bring it on such a harebrained
journey?"

"Will he return to Berry House?"

"No. He said he would have the horse returned to me and
leave directly for London by post chaise."

Jenny rose from the table. "If you will excuse me, I will make
my preparations for the journey," she said, a slight tremor in her
voice, of which only Freddie seemed aware.

"We leave in an hour. Be ready," called Phillip to her retreating figure.

As she entered her bedchamber and attempted to close the
door, Freddie pushed past her into the room. Standing before
her with hands on hips, he demanded, "Will you tell me what
this issue is between you and Sinclair? You refused to tell me
last night, but surely you could confide it to me now. You
know I won't breathe a word. Perhaps I can help."

"You can't," replied Jenny dejectedly. "No one can"

He put an arm about her shoulders, in that moment feeling
much older than she. "You know I think he's a great gun. I
can't believe he would wound you"

"He hasn't wounded me," she whispered, fighting back
tears. "He offered for me"

"Excellent!" he responded, giving her shoulders a squeeze.
"I knew the two of you would deal famously together. I
thought it all along."

"I refused him!"

Freddie fell back in amazement. "I can't believe it. I always
knew you were hen-witted. I thought so when you rejected
him the first time. But why refuse him now?"

"He only offered out of a sense of duty," she said, wiping
away her tears. "I couldn't accept him on those terms. Surely
you must see that"

"It wasn't duty I saw on his face when I came on you last
evening. Oh, Jenny, you can be such a ... a ... female at times.
I may not know much, but this I can tell you: I truly believe he
has an affection for you"

"Then that shows just how little you do know," she retorted,
an irrational irritation rising. "He finds me amusing, nothing
more"

"And what's your opinion of him?"

"He's insufferable, and I hate him." She felt no satisfaction
whatsoever in saying those words, not understanding why they
only served to make her feel even more wretched.

"O
h, aye, the portrait, my lord." The landlord of The
Sow's Ear smiled when the earl questioned him in the taproom of the inn. "The gentleman took it. Said he knew you
and would return it to you immediately."

"What gentleman?" snapped Sinclair, a decided feeling of
unease coming to bear.

"Why, he said he was a friend of your'n, sir. I didn't catch
his name, but he said he knew you quite well. A very pleasant
man, if I may say so"

"How was he aware of the portrait?"

"The maid brought it to me when he was paying his shot,
and very interested he was in it too. Said he'd seen it afore"

Thoroughly perplexed, the earl frowned. "He gave no
indication of his identity?"

"None, sir, only that he'd been to the races, where he supposed you and the young shaver to have been"

Sinclair cursed long and low, his mind attempting to identify the half-hidden features of the figure on the stairs, but no recognition came. Forcing a smile, he said, "I thank you.
Undoubtedly it will be returned to me when I reach London."

The journey to London seemed infinitely longer than had its
predecessor, although in truth it was almost a day shorter, and
the earl was relieved when the chaise finally halted outside
Sinclair House. Once inside its portals, he lost no time inquiring whether any object or message had been left for him.

"Master Peregrine arrived from Oxford only this morning,"
stated the footman as he relieved his master of his curlybrimmed beaver. "Other than that, no, sir."

"And where's my brother now?" asked the earl, indicating
that his valise should be taken to his apartment.

"I do believe he's gone to call on the Earl of Hawley, my
lord."

The earl's dark eyebrows snapped into a heavy frown. "The
stupid boy, whatever is he at now? How long has he been gone?"

Regarding the hall clock, the butler replied, "Almost three
hours, sir."

"Then he could be anywhere by now," replied Sinclair in an
exasperated tone. "I will go to my apartment to change. If
he's not returned by the time I've accomplished the task, I
shall require my coach"

Taking the stairs two at a time, the earl repaired immediately
to his dressing room, calling for his valet as he went. Peregrine's arrival left him in no even mood, and he wondered exactly what his scapegrace brother was finding it necessary to
impart to Hawley.

However, almost as soon as he'd been assisted off with his
coat and boots, Perry burst unceremoniously into the dressing
room.

Seeing the thunderous look that crossed his employer's
countenance, the valet made a hasty retreat. He'd no desire to
be privy to the altercation he felt sure was about to take place.

"Where the deuce have you been, Ned?" Perry demanded,
standing in the center of the room, his usually pleasant countenance dark with a frown. "You've never heard such a
hue and cry as your disappearance has set up. No one knew
where you'd gone. Hawley has returned with me and is at this
very moment installed in the drawing room. He's insisting
you must know of his sister's whereabouts and demands that I
contact you."

"Then you must inform him that you have found me and
that I will be with him directly," replied Sinclair coldly. "However, before you do, you can tell me why you found it necessary to go to him with your tales, when Jenny and I have gone
to such lengths to keep him in ignorance of Freddie's little escapade. Couldn't you have trusted me?"

"I didn't know you were involved in the matter," replied a
contrite Perry. "Hawley thought it was all a hum, that you'd
eloped with Jenny. Knew you wouldn't do it-told 'im so, but
he wouldn't believe me. Fact is, the House Master has written
to him about Freddie's disappearance, so I had to come to
warn him and to tell him the truth."

"Then you might as well have done so in the first place instead of burdening Jenny with your problems," Sinclair scoffed.

"She came to you for help?" asked Perry.

"Obviously, as you should have done. Who else had she to
turn to?"

"Then where is she? Has she returned? For if she has, I
haven't seen her."

"I've sent her with Freddie to Flora. It's to appear that
they'd gone into the country for a visit. You, my dear brother,
are to join them there to add weight to their story."