The Seventh Suitor (2 page)

“No, goose. But it was very wrong of him to take part in this mischief, and so I let him know. I think there were no hard feelings.”

“Do you look for more of them, Kate? Did you find out anything from him?”

“I didn’t press him. They are obviously sworn to reveal nothing, but he did suggest that Ralph knows the whole story. Is he back yet?”

“No, and I have kept a watch for him. How could he be a party to such a prank against you, Kate? Your own brother!” Susan exclaimed with disgust.

“Ralph would only see the humor in it, you know, and would not have the sensibility to look beyond to the embarrassment for me. Ralph has never been particularly noted for his tact, I fear, unless he has developed some since I departed for Aunt Eleanor’s,” Kate rejoined wryly.

“Ramshackle fellow. He cannot know the meaning of the word, I’ll be bound. I think perhaps there are no more, as Mr. Karst was here so long that another was sure to have shown up by now if there were. Did you do something outrageous at the Assembly that I did not see?”

“Not that I am aware of. How should I? It was pleasant to see everyone again, and I enjoyed myself enormously.”

“Well, it cannot be that they have just heard of your inheritance, for that has been general knowledge these three years past.” Susan did not heed the frown on her sister’s countenance, but continued blithely, “Though, to be sure, you have not been around to be offered for since you became such an heiress. Still, I do not see that that would have produced five eligible partis on one day for you. I am most distressed that Lord Norris was one of them, you know, Kate, for Mama and I had thought he was showing a decided preference for me.”

“And so he is. Don’t be such a nodcock. It was only a game to him, as with the others, though God knows How poor Wayne got involved in it.”

“Lord Norris shall pay for this,” Susan promised, with a flounce of her skirts and a twinkle in her eye.

“I cannot doubt it. But he can be no more than twenty, Susan, and he must still be a ward of the Earl of Winterton.”

“What does that matter? He is older than I am, and I think even the Earl could not find it an unsuitable match.”

“No, I suppose not, but the Earl is not particularly noted for his reasonableness, if I remember correctly. However, this whole prank has convinced me that the young men hereabouts are by far too unoccupied with serious matters. I imagine it would be entertaining to do something about that,” Kate mused thoughtfully.

“Oh, Lord, and you are but just come home,” Susan sighed.

Chapter 2

Ralph Montgomery spent the day in Bristol replenishing his already overflowing and dashing wardrobe. Even this activity did not consume the whole of the day, and he was having second thoughts about the propriety of the escapade unfolding at Montgomery Hall. It was not that he was concerned for his sister Kate’s sensibilities, but that his father might catch wind of the affair and not see it in the proper light. His father, although generally a mild man, had quite a blistering tongue when he chose to use it. And he chose to use it not infrequently with his heir, despite that young man’s advanced age of six and twenty.

Ralph found it expedient on this gray January day to while away the hours in Bristol for as long as he was able. When he had managed to lose a hundred pounds in a brandy-laced card game, the obliging winner offered to show him a horse which could be purchased quite reasonably by such a knowledgeable person as himself. Ralph prided himself on his judgment of horseflesh above all else and, in fact, when not in his cups, was quite an authority.

The two men made their way across the bustling inn yard to the stables where this reputedly magnificent beast was temporarily housed. Mr. Jeffreys sadly informed his young companion that due to his imminent trip abroad, he was forced to sell this favorite animal. The two discussed the bay’s points in a friendly if bosky fashion and were dickering over price when they were interrupted by the Earl of Winterton, a rugged-featured man well-known to Ralph.

The Earl, in search of his groom, took one look at the bay and rapped out, “Showy. Too short in the back, Montgomery. Wouldn’t touch him.” Then he strode off with an arrogant shrug and without a backward glance.

Ralph flushed to the roots of his lank, blond hair, which he wore fashionably if unfortunately in the current
à la titus
style. His smoldering gaze followed the Earl until he was out of earshot and then he ripped up, “Top-lofty, self-consequential prig!” Ralph was not unaware, however, of the Earl’s reputation as a nonpareil and a breeder of the finest horses in the area. So Mr. Jeffreys found himself dismissed rather curtly, and the disgruntled young Montgomery retired to the inn for his dinner, a good portion of which he drank. He was therefore a trifle foxed when he returned to Montgomery Hall and was not at all in the mood to be besieged by his two sisters seeking an account of the day’s happenings. In point of fact, he had forgotten what had been happening at his home, lost as he was in his mortification at the Earl’s criticism and his own gambling loss, which had cut well into his quarter’s allowance.

Kate and Susan had waited impatiently through the evening, determined to have the truth from him. Their mother had spent the better part of the day in bed with the headache, and their father had been out inspecting a drainage system, so they had managed to keep the incident to themselves, much as Sampson was obviously bursting to spread the word. The butler was fond of Kate, however, and she had told him kindly but firmly that she would handle the matter herself. He had grunted disapprovingly and cast his eyes heavenward, but had indicated that he would respect her wishes.

Since Ralph did not arrive at his home until rather late, he found his sisters in his bedroom. “What the devil are you doing here?” he demanded.

“We want to know what has been happening today,” Susan began, clutching at his coat sleeve.

“What I do is no affair of yours,” Ralph retorted, shaking off her hand impatiently.

“I am sure we have not the slightest interest in what you did today,” Kate commented appeasingly. “I wish for an explanation of the five offers of marriage I received during the course of the afternoon.”

Enlightenment brought only sulky annoyance from her brother. “How should I know why you received five offers?” he rejoined.

“I am sure you know exactly why I received them. How could you involve yourself in a prank which would embarrass me so, Ralph?”

“Embarrass you? Why should they embarrass you, for God’s sake? No more than a good joke,” he said gloomily, his blurry eyes suddenly fixed on her.

“A rather shabby one, dear brother. Perhaps you had forgotten the consequences of the last offer I rejected in this neighborhood,” his sister countered, her eyes forcing him to attend to her.

Ralph had thought his mortification for the day complete and that his head could not possibly hurt more than it already did, but he was wrong. He threw himself on his bed and groaned miserably. His eyes were shut, as he was unable to face his sister’s penetrating look. Susan, a bit at a loss now, began to remove his dirty riding boots, glancing nervously at her sister from time to time.

“Rejected the lot of them, didn’t you?” Ralph mumbled.

“Of course I did, chucklehead. But word of this day’s work could spread throughout the area, and it can only cause me and the rest of the family discomfort. People are not likely to have forgotten about Carl so soon, in spite of the three years since his death. Oh, Ralph, how could you?”

“Wasn’t my idea!” he blurted. “We went to an inn after the Assembly for some refreshment. The damn Rooms are always so hot and crowded, and there’s not a thing worth drinking there. And it was early!” he exclaimed, as though this justified the whole plot.

“How did it come about, Ralph?” Kate asked calmly.

“Well, naturally, some of them began talking of you because you’ve been away so long. There was some talk of Carl’s legacy, too,” he moaned as he remembered, “but that was quickly set aside, as the Earl was there with a . . . companion. Not with us, you understand. Other side of the taproom. I doubt he heard us,” he added unconvincingly.

The six of them had not been particularly wary of their tongues under the influence of an excellent brandy. “Terence Marsh mentioned something you said. It’s all your own fault,” he complained.

Kate ignored this to ask, “What did I say to attract his attention? He seemed totally wrapped up in the Karst girl the entire evening. I am not even aware that I spoke to him.”

“Perhaps not. He overheard you talking to Lady Romsey of your travels with Aunt Eleanor.” Ralph massaged his temples carefully to soothe the aching before continuing. “Terence said you spoke of an event that took  place in a country market. Something about a man bringing his wife to market with a rope about her neck and selling her to the highest bidder for five shillings.”

“Yes, I remember telling Lady Romsey that. I believe she shared my horror at the scene.”

“Well, Terence said you made some comment on the slavery of women. Then everyone began talking about how any woman your age would gladly accept marriage to anyone rather than remain single. Slavery or no. Most natural thing for a wager to come of it. Wayne Norris objected, but we overruled him. Drew lots of see who came first. Geoff lost. Went quite white, you know, as it would not seem singular to you when the first one offered.”

“Certainly not. I have been away from home for three years, and it would not seem singular that a young man offer for me the day after my first social appearance,” Kate scoffed. “Addlepate! Could you not have stopped it? You are, after all, my brother, my
elder
brother, though there are times I find it hard to believe!”

Stung, Ralph retorted, “I thought it would serve to bring you down a peg or two, my girl. All this traveling and independence are not for women. You have come to think yourself too good for the rest of us!”

Susan interrupted with, “That is not true, Ralph, and you know it. You’re jealous of Kate for her adventures, that’s all.”

Kate stepped in to put an end to the bickering between her two siblings. “Never mind. I was unaware that I had been putting on airs about the house. I shall guard against it in future. Shall I call your man for you, Ralph?”

“Kate, I am truly sorry. Should have put a stop to it,” he said contritely. “I’ll make them keep it mum. Promise you. Send Walker to me, will you?”

When his sisters had left him to the ministrations of his valet, he vowed, not for the first time, to moderate his consumption of brandy. He did not seem to do his best reasoning when under the influence of the stuff. Sleep overcame him in a muddle of thoughts about his friend Carl, his sisters needing his protection, and the wager he had made for a race with Karst.

* * * *

Susan accompanied her sister to Kate’s room, as she refused to be dismissed until she had gotten to the source of this new mystery. “I remember Carl,” she blurted, “but what did he have to do with all this?”

“Oh, Susan, you were too young at the time to be involved, but I suppose you had best know a bit now.” Kate sighed. “Carl and Ralph were great friends, of course, so you probably saw Carl about the house. It was five years ago, and I was eighteen, as you are now. When Carl offered for me I refused him, for he was like another brother to me, and I could not think of him as a husband. There should have been no more to it than that. But Carl took it badly and said if he could not marry me he would join the forces in the Peninsula, which upset his mother greatly. The Countess was always a delicate woman and could not bear the thought of her youngest in the thick of war.”

When Kate paused, her sister interjected, “I remember her, too. Such a beautiful woman, but so frail the year before she died.”

“Yes. I was very fond of her. She tried to urge me to marry Carl, but I simply could not do it. She even sent the Earl to speak with me. He was very fond of his younger brother and in the ordinary course of things would probably have considered me unworthy of Carl. So it went against the grain with him to talk to me, and I found him intolerably rude. You understand, Susan, that none of that should have happened. Mama and Papa were very good; they did not press me. They were flattered that I had been offered for by such a fine young man of such good standing. But they respected my wishes, especially Papa. I know he kept a rein on Mama.”

Kate distractedly ran a shapely hand through her brown curls, drawing them off her wide brow. Her brown eyes were troubled and sad as she continued. “Carl was seriously wounded in the Peninsula a year or so later, and he died on the way home. His mother’s health declined after that, and she died a year later. She came to see me before I went to stay with Aunt Eleanor, and she was very kind to me. The Earl . . . well, no matter. After Carl died . . . you see, I was fond of Carl as I am of Ralph, but I felt very uncomfortable here afterwards, and Aunt Eleanor asked me to come and live with her. And there I have been until she married again a month past.”

“But, Kate, how did it come that Carl left you twenty thousand pounds?” Susan asked. “You were not even betrothed to him.”

“It was his wish. I would have preferred not to accept it, but his brother forwarded a letter to me at Aunt Eleanor’s that had been found amongst his army belongings which had been separated from him. I could not refuse his dying request, Susan.”

“Of course not,” Susan replied loyally. “But for Ralph’s stupidity it should all have been over long ago. Now I have no doubt the whole story will be raked up all over again, what with those muttonheads offering for you in such a way, and you refusing them all.”

“I fear you’re right, my love. But I am older now, and I shall manage, I assure you. And Ralph may be able to keep it quiet. Do not fret for me.” Kate laughed, noting the frown on her sister’s face.

“Yes, but you would like to marry, would you not? And now you have been made the butt of this joke, I cannot see who will marry you,” Susan sighed, her eyes sparkling with tears of concern.