To Marry a Duke (9 page)

It would be pointless to protest that dinner was always
served five o’ clock at the Priory. He was now the owner and he could choose
when and where they were to eat. She inclined her head a barely discernible
fraction, but did not honour him with a reply.

Whatever time he wished to dine, she would eat in her rooms
at five o’clock as usual and she would suggest Richard dined with the officers
at Weeley. Even without Captain Pledger as his escort, there were sure to be
several gentlemen who would be only too pleased to vouch for him.

Allegra pushed away her tray, the turbot with lobster and
cucumbers in white sauce barely touched. ‘I am going downstairs. I sincerely
hope that man will be elsewhere. I have no desire to see him again today.’

‘Very well, my lady.
Will you be
requiring anything else to eat tonight?’ Abbot stared pointedly at the
untouched food.

‘Have some bread and cheese, and a slice of Cook’s plum cake
sent up for supper.’

Allegra reached out and selected a carefully peeled and
cored slice of pineapple, fresh from the orangery. ‘I shall eat this before I
go out, but you must send the rest back.’

She stood by the window and saw her brother striding off
towards the stables. He turned and waved knowing intuitively she was watching him.
Smiling, she returned the gesture glad she had persuaded him to dine elsewhere.
She had intended to confront him with his duplicity; ask him why he was
pretending to be enamoured of the girl when he was constrained to marry her by
the document he had signed. He had been so exhilarated, so excited and
apparently, in spite of the evidence against it, so besotted with his future
wife she hadn’t the heart to destroy his happiness, however ephemeral it might
prove to be.

His affections could not possibly be genuine, not after such
a short passage of time. This was, no doubt, another of his starts. She smiled
as she recalled him, a year ago, professing his undying love for a comely
serving girl at the local hostelry, but he had soon got over that.

Demelza Tremayne was not a village girl, she was a lady. His
account of their embrace had been shocking, but as long as this was not
repeated, it should not have caused any lasting harm. At least this was one
subject on which she and Tremayne were in agreement. Richard and Demelza must
be chaperoned by herself, or Miss Murrell, at all times.

If this miss-match was to be prevented she would have to
arrange for it to fail. Richard would, naturally, be grateful once he was free
of his obligation and could resume his carefree bachelor existence.

The pineapple, although juicy and sweet, no longer
interested her. She cast the uneaten part onto the tray and wiped her fingers.
She glanced at the clock, a little before six, with luck the Tremaynes and Miss
Murrell would be safe in their rooms dressing for dinner. Still in her walking
dress, she stole through the long corridors and down the plain wooden stairway
preoccupied by thoughts of how she was going to explain her outrageous plan to
Fred.

Even if the solution to her dilemma was to remove Tremayne
from the vicinity she should not

ask
an
under-groom, however loyal, to arrange for him to be kidnapped and sent to
France in the care of the local smugglers.

Chapter
Nine

London, May 1812

The ballroom was a crush, hardly surprising for one of the
last fashionable occasions of the

season
.
Lord and Lady Harborough always held their ball in the middle of May, as a
grand finale, before the
ton
began to
retire to their country estates for the summer.

Captain Gideon Pledger, in scarlet regimentals, attracted
several simpering smiles from hopeful debutantes as he threaded his way through
the crowd that skirted all the main reception rooms, but

he
ignored
them.

He had been summoned to Horse Guards that morning where he
had been told he was to report for duty in June. On his return to his lodgings
in Albemarle Street that afternoon he had found a letter from a brother officer
stationed at Weeley. The news it contained had not been happy.

Witherton, it appeared, was now betrothed to the Tremayne
chit and the wedding set to take place in August. He had no objection to this;
marrying a cit’s daughter to restore one’s fortune was perfectly acceptable. It
had been the second item that had raised his choler and sent him into the
stuffy, overcrowded Harborough residence to seek out the one person who could
possibly help him.

Lady Oliver was, as
expected,
surrounded by a bevy of hopeful would be protectors. The captain had
anticipated this and had his note written. He signalled to a passing footman
and watched his missive being carried across the room.

The recipient read it and glanced up, nodding in his
direction. Message understood. He shouldered his way through the crowd towards
the open French doors that led out onto the terrace. The warm May evening meant
overheated dancers could parade outside to cool down before returning to the
fray. Here they could stroll, unremarked, but remain private.

He did not have to wait long before his quarry arrived. His
eyes narrowed in appreciation. She was a beauty; rounded in all the right
places. She did nothing for him. His night time fantasies were still filled
with images of a tall, golden girl removed, for ever, from his reach. She was
to marry that rich bastard, Tremayne.

He bowed and offered his arm to Lady Oliver and she took it.
He did not speak until they were safely away from the press of people around
the doors.

‘Thank you for responding so promptly to my note, Lady
Oliver.’

‘Is it true, Captain Pledger? Tremayne is to marry
Witherton’s sister?’

‘Yes, it is a fact. There is to be a double celebration on
the twelfth of August. They are all but lost to us now.’ Her fingers clenched
on his arm. ‘But I have a proposition to put if you are prepared to listen.’

‘Go on. It will do no harm to hear what you suggest.’

They paused by the balustrade under the flickering light of
several flambeaux. To a casual observer they were a couple, talking quietly,
whilst admiring the vista of lawn and inhaling the centre of the jasmine and
honeysuckle that rioted over the stone walls.

‘Allegra shall not marry that man. If I cannot have her,
then no one shall.

‘What do you propose? Are you intending to murder her?’ Her
brittle laughter shattered the night air.

‘That’s exactly what I propose.’ She recoiled. He gripped
harder and prevented her escape. ‘Come now, my lady, what is she to you? Merely
an obstacle in the way of what you most desire. With her removal Tremayne will
return to you. You’ll have what you want.’

His informant had told him how desperately she wanted Tremayne
back - but murder? Had she the stomach for that?

‘Is there no other way?’

‘This will be the easiest. You’ll not be personally
involved. You need to know nothing of the matter until it’s over. All I require
from you is the wherewithal to finance it. My pockets are to let.’

‘But she is so young and—’

He interrupted her, his voice hard. ‘She’s a cold-hearted,
proud bitch. The world will not miss her, I can assure you. Are you part of
this or not?’

She was obviously undecided. ‘I am not sure.’

He dropped her arm and stepped away, shrugging.
‘No matter.
I can as well dispatch both as one.’

‘Not Jago? Oh no, you cannot. I
thought I hated him for his callous rejection but I find I still love him. I
don’t want him dead.’

His mouth curled in an empty
smile. ‘In that case, help me, and I will spare him.’

He was giving her no choice. If sacrificing an unknown girl
in exchange for her lover was the price, then she would have to pay it.

‘Very well.
How much do you require
for this unpleasant venture?’

He named a sum that made her gasp.
‘That
much?’

‘Loyalty doesn’t come cheap, my lady. I must select my
accomplices carefully.’

‘I shall have the money ready for you by the end of next
week. I’ll have to sell some jewellery in order to raise such a large amount.’

‘There’s no immediate urgency. I’ll send my man round;
there’s no need for us to meet again. When the matter’s completed, believe me,
the whole world will be talking of it.’

Pledger bowed and sauntered off, to vanish back into the
brightly lit reception room leaving Lady Oliver outside to compose
herself
. It would not do for her to appear discommoded by
her stroll. The town tabbies’ censorious eyes were ever watchful.

 
He lurked in the
shadows to watch. When she swept back in to
rejoin
the party her smile was radiant, her eyes sparkled and her ruby red ball-gown
swirled enticingly around her neatly turned ankles. As the circle of admirers
enveloped her once more he nodded and turned to enter the room set aside for
hardened gamblers.

He felt lucky. He had snared Lady Oliver with consummate
ease and anticipated being able to dip into that particular honey-pot again and
again. Blackmail was always a lucrative business. A man must, after all,
provide for himself the wherewithal for luxuries by whatever means he could.

St Osyth Priory

‘Are you run mad, Allegra? What
are you thinking of?’ Richard viewed his sister with horror. I’ve no wish to
break off my betrothal to Demelza. I love her. No, do not poker up like that,
my dear girl, I’m speaking the truth.’

‘That is flummery, Richard. You are marrying the girl to
line your pockets. You signed a similar document to mine so you cannot pull the
wool over my eyes with your protestations of true love.’

‘That was six weeks ago. Things have changed. Good God,
Allegra, you must see how it is between us now? It’s you who have been making
yourself as disagreeable as possible. I tell you, if you were my intended, I
would tan your backside and bring you smartly into line.’

She shrugged, indifferent. ‘Anyway that scheme has failed
dismally. Whatever I have tried he has remained unmoved.’ She shivered a little
as she recalled the final encounter. She had known then, what she had suspected
all along, that Tremayne was not a man to be trifled with.

He had threatened to turn off, one by one, all the Priory
pensioners if she continued with her campaign of incivility. Unless she behaved
as she ought she had no
doubt
 
he
would carry out his threat. She could not allow that and
abandoned her first plan and treated him with due cordiality. With that he
appeared content.

She returned to the matter under discussion. ‘Am I to take
it that you do not wish me to tell Demelza about your gambling and the string
of ladybirds you kept in Colchester and Town? You do not wish me to try and
give her a disgust of you?’

‘Absolutely not!
Such knowledge
isn’t suitable for a young girl. I’ve mended my ways, you know I have. I’m a
reformed man.’

She raised one eyebrow. ‘Visiting the officers’ mess at
Weeley and returning in your cups is reformed, is it?’

Richard grinned. ‘I said I’d given up women and gaming, not
drinking. Come on, Sis, a man must be allowed to retain one vice, surely?’

 
‘Ah - but one can so
easily lead to another, Richard. Before you realize you could be back in Colchester,
or London, indulging in every imaginable form of debauchery.’ She was
struggling to keep her lips from quivering. Her brother rose so easily to the
bait.

‘Dammit all, Allegra, I’m not a rakehell!’ he replied
testily. Her gurgle of laughter finally

alerted
him.

*

The sound of their laughter travelled along the hollow, dark
panelled corridor, from the morning room to the study where Jago was, as usual,
working on a pressing business matter. His austere features softened but his
eyes were sad. Why did he only hear Allegra’s happiness from a distance? These
past few days she had been civility itself, her manners impeccable, but she
rarely smiled and never laughed when in his company.

He was beginning to have grave doubts about the wisdom of
forcing her to the altar. Should he withdraw his offer? Give back the Priory
and put his massive expenditure down to experience?

Endure a failed business deal for
the first time in his life?

He stood up, slamming his chair back, his face determined.
He would not give up; this was a matter of principle. Jago Tremayne never lost.
He would have to approach the problem from a different angle. He had, so far,
given her free rein, made no demands. From now on things would be on his terms.
What she would not yield freely, he would take. His accounts could wait -
Allegra’s education could not.

He strode towards the morning room eager to begin his
campaign. Two blond heads turned as one; two pairs of gentian-blue eyes rounded
in surprise, but only one mouth curved in a welcoming smile.

‘Good morning, sir; I was about to seek you out. I wish to
inform you Demelza and I
are
going over to Great
Bentley. There’s a fair on the green today and Lady Arabella Grierson, who
resides in the hall, has invited us to spend the day with them.’

‘What time are you planning to leave on this excursion?’

‘As soon as Demelza is ready.’
Richard smiled ruefully.
‘Which could be any time between now
and noon.’

Jago turned to Allegra. ‘I wish to visit the fair with you.
We shall take the barouche.’ He nodded at Richard. ‘No doubt you’ll wish to
drive that abominable contraption of yours?’

‘My high-perch phaeton?
Demelza
loves it. I would not dare suggest we travel any other way.’

Allegra had listened to this jocular exchange with rising agitation.
She had no desire to spend a day in Tremayne’s company. For some reason the
more time they were together, the harder she found it to remain aloof. When
they had been waging a war of words it had been simple, her emotional barriers
had been easy to maintain, but now she was obliged to be civil, things were
different. He was urbane, relaxed and his natural charm sometimes made her
forget how much she hated him.

‘I am sorry, sir, I cannot accompany you. I have an aversion
to country fairs. Too much noise and jostling, quite unacceptable.’

Richard laughed. ‘That’s fustian, Allegra. You love them.
It’s always you that has to be persuaded to leave.’

She flushed painfully and glared at her indiscreet brother.
‘That was a while ago. I have matured since then and I find I no longer wish to
go.’

‘Witherton, go and see if my daughter’s ready; inform her
we’re leaving in thirty minutes and she will be left behind if she’s not down.’
Tremayne waited until they were alone before responding to her mendacious statement.

 
‘Lady Allegra, do you
wish to change from that enchanting confection or will you accompany me dressed
as you are?’

She compressed her lips. ‘My gown is immaterial, sir, as I
am not coming.’

He moved slowly in her direction and she forced herself to
remain immobile, praying he would not come too close. She was unaccountably
flustered when he did so. He halted, a short arm’s-length, from her. His
expression was friendly, his eyes more so. She found herself relaxing,
returning his smile. He spoke, his tone gentle.

‘You are coming to Great Bentley, my dear, willing or not.
You will be ready, at the door, at the appointed time or I shall seek you out
and bring you by force. I’m sure you would not wish to make a spectacle of
yourself.’ He remained, a slight smile playing on his lips, apparently at ease,
but ready to move fast if necessary.

She gazed at him for a moment, too shocked to answer. Her
colour drained away and she swayed slightly. That was his cue to act. He closed
the gap between them and before she could protest she was cradled in his arms,
her feet dangling above the floor. ‘My dear, you are unwell. I apologize for my
highhanded behaviour. I’ll carry you to your rooms forthwith.’ He pulled her
closer, crushing her against his solid chest.

Eventually she found her voice. ‘Put me down this instant,
sir. I am not unwell and you know it.’

‘Are you not, my dear? I was certain you were about to
swoon. You went so pale.’ His voice was bland, but his rock-hard arms remained
firmly around her. Allegra thanked God he was no longer moving towards the
door.

 
‘I insist that you
release me, Tremayne.
This instant.’
Her words were
forced out from behind clenched teeth. If she could just get a hand free she
would box his ears soundly.

‘I will set you down if you agree to come to Great Bentley.’
He gave her a little shake, his tone affectionate. ‘You will enjoy a day out,
you goose; it’s far too long since you had an outing of any sort.’

She had no choice.
‘Oh, very well, if I
must.
But, I promise you, sir, I shall not enjoy it. I am determined to
have a miserable time.’