To Marry A Matchmaker (Historical Romance) (18 page)

‘Why shouldn’t I when I am innocent?’ she retorted in a furious undertone.

‘Innocent? You?’ Robert shook his head as he struggled to hang on to his temper. Henri was lying through her teeth and he wanted to know why she cared so little for him. ‘It’s clear what happened and how you two conspired. The poor stupid man will be so blinded by Lady Thorndike’s attention that he will not even notice what is going on beneath his nose. Will not even notice until it is far too late. How do you think that makes me feel?’

Henri twisted in his grasp, but he clung on, wanting her to admit the truth. He wanted to shake her or to kiss her senseless. Anything to get her to tell him the truth. ‘You have it all wrong. Now let me go!’

Lady Cawburn advanced towards them. Her widow’s cap quivered as she reached for the poker. ‘Mr Montemorcy, stop assaulting my niece!’

The words shocked him back to sensibility. He released her, not knowing who he loathed more—Henri for deceiving him or himself for losing his temper.

‘Forgive me, my emotions overcame me.’

Henri stumbled away from him. She wrapped her arms about her middle and tried to keep her heart from
breaking into a thousand shards. Robert wanted to believe the worst of her.

‘I wish I could help, but I had no idea this was going to happen,’ she said, blinking furiously. She refused to humiliate herself further and beg. ‘I’ve not left this house all day. You were here earlier. Do you think I could keep something like this hidden from you? I’m dreadful at keeping secrets, truly I am.’

‘I know where you were this morning, and that I was with you. You summoned me.’ He paused and his gaze travelled slowly and insolently down her, as if he were remembering every curve of her body. A hot flush crept up Henri’s body. ‘The note purporting to be from Sophie is not in her hand, but in the same hand as the note I received this morning from you, asking me to visit and discuss the proposed picnic.’

‘I wrote no note.’ A deep chill entered her bones. He had called because a note had been sent in her name, a note written by the same person who had penned the one from Sophie. Sebastian had set her up. He had been the one to play Cupid, not her aunt. This was his doing, everything, and she’d blundered into a trap. ‘Show me the note and I will prove it is not in my hand.’

‘Compare the two. Compare it with the notice about the dancing classes. Prove me wrong.’ He reached into his pocket and thrust the other notes into her hand.

Henri gingerly plucked the papers from Robert’s fingertips, being careful not to touch him. Her name was boldly scrawled, including the distinctive
H
she used. Nausea rose in her throat.

‘Why would I write about the other forfeit? I had agreed the treasure-hunt picnic needed to be held elsewhere. I understand about the scientific method and what
you are trying to achieve. You said to look at facts, and right now you are ignoring them. You have decided that I’m guilty when, in fact, I’m innocent.’

The silence pressed down on her soul, but she kept her head high, stared directly into Robert’s eyes and willed him to believe. A myriad of emotions washed over his face.

‘My son did send a note over to your house earlier,’ her aunt said, breaking the silence. ‘He didn’t say who wrote it or divulge its contents.’

Robert closed his eyes. A sliver of hope sliced through him. Maybe Henri hadn’t behaved badly. All of his instincts told him to fold her into his arms and apologise, but he couldn’t, not until he knew for certain.

‘One must be logical about these things,’ he said finally in a flat voice. ‘Logic before emotion.’

Their eyes met for a long moment and then Henri dropped her head and examined the carpet.

‘No, you are right,’ she said in a voice devoid of emotion. ‘The reason why you came over this morning has no meaning now. My mistake, such as it was, was not to ask to see that note then. This entire affair might not have happened if I had.’

Henri was proud of the way her voice remained steady. Inside, her stomach ached with searing pain. Her pleasant dream of a quiet affair with Robert lay in ashes at her feet. There could never be anything between them because of the trick Sebastian had played. If Robert had not come over here, if they had not made love, Sophie might not have been ruined. She knew it and Robert knew it. What might have been was already over.

‘What does he intend for Sophie? Marriage to clear his debts?’ Robert’s voice came from a long way away.

Henri wrapped her hands about her waist. She wanted him to hold her and to tell her that this time she was not alone and Sebastian had not gone too far. That everything would end happily. But long ago, she had given up wishing for the moon. She gave her head a shake and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand rather than what might have been. ‘He mentioned that he thought her an angel and the idea of marriage had crossed his mind.’

‘I see.’ He nodded towards her aunt. ‘Forgive the intrusion, Lady Cawburn. I had hopes of finding my ward before her reputation was irreparably damaged. But I see I was led along a false trail.’

Or she was condemned to an unwise marriage. The unspoken words hung in the air.

‘You don’t see and you are wilfully misunderstanding.’ Henri grabbed his sleeve. He looked down at her with cold hard eyes and she released him. ‘You are looking at it all wrong, just as you always do. Sometimes you have to trust your instincts.’

‘Instinct leads you down false paths.’

‘My ideas are better than your blind logic!’ Henri cried.

Robert shook his head. He stood in the middle of the room, taking huge gulps of air. His hands clenched and unclenched, but he made no move to touch her. He appeared lost and alone, a little boy instead of the angry man, the boy who had idolised Sophie’s father and given him his promise to look after his daughter. The young man whose father had committed suicide rather than face the disgrace of his new wife leaving him for another man. And she knew how seriously he took his responsibility. Despite everything, she wanted to gather him in
her arms and hold him. She wanted to wring Sebastian’s neck for doing this.

‘You never give up. Even now,’ he said in a low voice.

Her head throbbed with pain. Logic. She had to think and find a way to see her way out of this tangle. ‘I want to know why Sophie lied to me about Doctor Lumley. Why she pretended to be my friend and then implicated me in this. They deceived us both.’

Robert stood there, a muscle twitching in his cheek. Henri watched him with her heart in her throat. He had to believe her or otherwise everything they had shared counted for nothing.

‘Why did Cawburn take Miss Ravel in this clandestine manner? Why didn’t he court her openly?’ her aunt asked.

‘His creditors,’ Henri answered without hesitation. ‘He was being pressed. He’d tried to win the money back at the gaming table and lost heavily. He will have seen her fortune as the only way to free himself. But in his own way, I am sure he thinks he loves her. I truly believe that.’

‘He knew what he had to do to stop being pressed. I informed him of the actions required several times,’ Robert ground out. ‘He refused to listen or take any heed of my advice.’

Henri put her hand to her throat and her knees buckled. Robert was Sebastian’s main creditor, the man pushing Sebastian to the brink? She stumbled over to the armchair as her stomach roiled.

‘You?
You hold his paper? Then you are to blame for this!’ Henri cried. ‘You were the creditor who had pushed Sebastian to this?’

‘It seemed prudent.’ Robert pulled at his cuffs stubbornly. A faint flush appeared on his cheeks. ‘I wanted his situation to be brought home to him. All he needed to do was to clear his debts and the obstacle to my ward would have been removed. He refused. I then asked him to quit the neighbourhood. He refused. I was left with no choice.’

Henri rolled her eyes heavenwards. He’d pushed and pushed Sebastian until Sebastian had had to act. ‘I’m pleased to have seen such a master at work. And you said that I’d no business meddling.’

‘I took prudent steps.’

‘Prudent! When has prudency ever had anything to do with love?’

Robert gave her a knowing look and she knew he, too, remembered those highly imprudent moments in the garden this morning.

Henri started to pace the drawing room, trying to think and to keep her mind from going back to those moments. ‘Sebastian is singularly lacking in imagination. He should be easy to find.’

‘On that we are agreed, but he has had the wit to arrange a marriage with a very wealthy young lady.’

‘Only because his creditors were pressing.’ Henri glared at Robert, who developed an interest in the carpet. ‘But I want to find them. I want to make sure that Sebastian does the decent thing and that Sophie understands everyone in
my
family will stand by her.’

He lifted his eyes. ‘Why?’

Henri held out her hands. ‘You seem to feel that somehow I contributed to this débâcle. I want to find them so I can have the pleasure of wringing his neck. This is a thousand times worse than the pugs.’

‘Gretna Green is the usual destination in these cases,’ Aunt Frances declared. ‘We’d best start there.’

‘I’ve already sent my man and Mrs Ravel in pursuit. They’ve taken the express to Carlisle.’

Henri put her hand to her throat. Mrs Ravel was already speeding her way towards Carlisle. Robert had come here not to find out about Sebastian’s whereabouts, but to punish her. But there was something that was not right. A detail. Why would Sebastian borrow her aunt’s carriage when he could simply take the train?

‘No, Sebastian will not go to Gretna Green,’ Henri said, tapping her fingers together. ‘Sebastian always has said that he would never elope to Gretna. It is far too plebeian. And Jedburgh is easier to get to from Corbridge if one is going by carriage. He wants you to waste time searching around Gretna Green. And he borrowed Aunt’s carriage to go visiting. It is better sprung for travelling. Details are important, Montemorcy. Instinct.’

She tilted her chin in the air and dared Robert to argue differently.

‘The logic of your mind always impresses, Thorndike,’ Robert said sarcastically.

‘You are right, Henrietta. I’d forgotten about Jedburgh,’ Aunt Frances said far too quickly. ‘Only a month ago, the farmer’s daughter and the butcher’s son went up there and returned wed. Of course, her mother insisted on a church blessing of the marriage. But it was the talk of the ball.’

‘And he will not go to the Continent, not without securing his funds first,’ Robert said, stalking about the room. ‘But a Scottish marriage is not what I would have wanted for Sophie. They can go through a proper church marriage.’

‘But what does Sophie want? ‘ Henri said, crossing her arms and looking hard at Robert. ‘Even my cousin is not that insensible to society’s dictates. He knows that he cannot just ruin a débutante and he needs her funds. I do hope Sophie knew what she was doing. Did she take anything with her?’

‘Apparently a frying pan. Why Sophie would want such an article, I have no idea. Sophie can’t cook.’

A frying pan. Henri winced, remembering her conversation with Sophie about men who were unsafe in carriages. ‘And if Sophie doesn’t want to marry?’

‘They will have to be made to understand what is at stake,’ her aunt said. ‘If this Ravel chit is ruined, then he will do the decent thing…or else.’

‘Reluctantly, I agree with Lady Frances. Cawburn will not be allowed to ruin my ward. Either he is stopped or they marry. My promise to Sophie’s father compels me.’

‘Aunt.’ Henri forced her voice to stay even. The frying pan changed everything. Someone had to look after Sophie and make sure that she was all right. Someone had to stop Robert before he compounded his error. ‘It is why I plan to go with Mr Montemorcy and make Sebastian understand his position. He has gone too far this time. Even if Mr Montemorcy discovers the pair and they are unwed, Sebastian might refuse out of pure devilment.’

Her aunt gave a reluctant nod. ‘That would be dreadful for everyone. I will go and see if Sebastian left any clues in his room.’

She hurried from the room, holding a handkerchief to her face. Henri heard a muffled sob in the corridor.

‘My aunt…believed the best of her son. She thought he’d changed.’

‘And you would be prepared to leave immediately?’ Robert raised an arrogant eyebrow. ‘Or are you like other ladies requiring several days of preparation?’

‘I can leave within the hour and we can travel throughout the night.’ Henri lifted her chin. Several days of preparation! What sort of ninny did he take her for? She could travel as swiftly as any man. Swifter than most. ‘Did Sophie leave her maid?’

‘She did.’ Robert waved a dismissive hand. ‘I have already interviewed her. She knows nothing or at least nothing she is willing to say to me.’

‘Grace can come with us,’ Henri said, concentrating on the practicalities rather than on what Robert had done. ‘My aunt and I share a maid and I have no wish to deprive Aunt Frances. Grace can serve me for now. Sophie will be glad of her.’

‘You appear to have worked everything out in a very short period, Thorndike.’

‘It’s my family’s honour at stake as well yours, Mr Montemorcy.’ Henri crossed her arms. It hurt beyond describing knowing that she loved him and that he hated her—hadn’t trusted her enough to give her the benefit of the doubt in this awful situation. ‘If you refuse to allow me to join forces, I’ll go on my own. I want to clear my name, and I’ll take great pleasure in watching you eat humble pie.’

He grabbed her elbow and murmured in her ear, ‘One of us will. If you are playing games, Thorndike, you will regret it.’

‘Are you a coward, Montemorcy?’ she asked in
an undertone. ‘Or are you worried about something else?’

A muscle jumped in his cheek. ‘Nothing. Do you know what you are doing?’

‘I can assure you that I’m able to control my desires,’ she said with dignity. He should have believed her without question. She’d mistaken lust for something more. And it would be a lesson to her. The only way she knew how to get over hurt was to concentrate on someone else, and the nearest person to hand was Sophie Ravel. But whatever happened after this adventure, she and Robert were finished. Somehow the prospect made her feel unbearably sad. She was not ready for it to end. She wanted Robert to admit his mistake. She wanted to find a way, but happy-ever-afters only happened in fairy tales.