Patricia Veryan - [Sanguinet Saga 07] - Married Past Redemption (3 page)

Mr. Van Lindsay never drove in the park save during the
fashionable late afternoon, and up went his brows. "At this hour?"

"No time like the present," said Mr. Garvey with a smile. And
receiving permission, begged that Miss Van Lindsay do him the honour of
accompanying him. All the time, his eyes twinkled at her, and a dimple
that came and went beside his mouth was quite attractive, she decided.
Garvey's close friendship with the Regent made him a powerful man, and
he was much admired by the ladies. It would be quite a feather in her
cap to be seen with him. And if Colonel the Honourable Tristram Leith
chanced to ride by, she would lift her nose at him and show the
ton
how little she cared that he had wed another! With a shy smile she
accepted, and hurried upstairs for bonnet and shawl.

Judith, quite transformed from the howling banshee of two
hours previously, danced around the upper landing in triumph. "Only
think
!"
she cried, clinging to Lisette's hand, "James
Garvey
!
Ruth MacKay is fairly gooseflesh whenever she mentions him! I
knew
you would make a recover, Lisette! I knew it! Oh, how proud—"

"Lisette!" hissed Mrs. Van Lindsay from the open bedchamber
door. "Come here, child. Now, you must wear the bonnet with the cherry
flowers."

"But, Mama, will it not clash with the peach?"

"No, no." Already, Philippa was arranging the dainty straw
upon her daughter's sleek head. "Ugh! Horrid! It clashes dreadfully. As
I thought. Well, we must—Sandy? Where
is
the
woman?"

Louise Sanders, who had been personal maid and dresser to the
mistress of the house and her daughters, and "Sandy" for as long as any
occupant of 359 Portland Place could recall, emerged from the
wardrobe, her plain but pleasant face triumphant as she unwrapped
silver paper from a wide-brimmed straw confection having a cluster of
faded orange silk roses at one side, and long brown velvet ribbons that
fell from the crown to tie under the chin, causing the brim to poke
high. "I knew it was in there somewhere," she exulted. "You remember,
missus, you wore it only once and stuck it away—must be three or four
years since."

"But—it is so faded," demurred Lisette.

"No, no—it don't look faded," her sister said eagerly. "Only
dust it a little, Sandy, and when it is worn next to that peach gown,
Lisette, everyone will suppose it made for it."

As wild a tomboy as she was, Judith had an infallible eye for
colour, and it did not err in this case. The bonnet that looked faded
to those who remembered the bright orange of the original blooms seemed
perfectly matched when worn with the peach muslin. Judith, who had been
scrabbling frenziedly through a drawer of the chest, now produced a
cream silk shawl with an intricately knotted fringe, which perfectly
finished the ensemble, and when Sanders had provided a sunshade and
long cream kid gloves, Lisette was ready.

"Remember, now," urged Mrs. Van Lindsay, "should you meet the
Prince, have a care; he's a wicked fellow for the ladies. In point of
fact, I'm not at all sure that James Garvey is all he should be. But,
such
a fine
old family, love, and ten thousand a
year, if he's a penny!"

There came a frantic scratching at the door. Sanders hurried
to open it, and Norman, his boyish face flushed and excited, rushed in.
"Hello, Mama! Lisette, d'you know who is downstairs with my father?"

"James Garvey," mocked Judith, curtseying. "Everyone knows who
is downstairs, stupid boy!"

Mrs. Van Lindsay said a stern, "That will do, Judith. Mr.
Garvey has come to take your sister out driving, Norman. I trust you
behaved properly to the gentleman?"

"Garvey called for
Lisette
? But—he's a
nonpareil! They say he and Prinny are thick as thieves. And besides, I
thought Lisette had a
tendre
for—" Here, catching
Judith's enraged scowl and the flash of his mother's warning glance, he
was dumb.

The sad light returned to Lisette's eyes. With her hand on the
doorknob she turned back. "
Tendre—
for whom,
Norman?"

Mrs. Van Lindsay said an urgent, "Pay no heed to the foolish
child. Run along, do, or Mr. Garvey will be quite out of patience!"

Walking to the stairs, Lisette wondered ruefully if Mr. Garvey
suspected the excitement his lineage and ten thousand a year had evoked
in the Van Lindsay family.

"Oh, how beautiful she looks," sighed Sanders, as the door
closed upon her favourite.

"The very essence of feminine charm," murmured Judith, her
eyes dreaming.

"Like a side of beef to be sold," snorted Norman, revolted.

Judith gave a squeak of outrage. Sanders glanced
apprehensively at her mistress. "What… did you say?" demanded Mrs. Van
Lindsay, awfully.

Scarlet, Norman stammered, "I said—er, one should hide grief,
I—hold."

Sanders smothered a grin and turned quickly away. Judith,
glaring, met a mutely pleading gaze, pursed her lips, and was silent.

"Hmmnnn…" said Mrs. Van Lindsay.

Mr. Garvey owned a splendid team of matched bays and
a well-sprung phaeton of a dusky blue, picked out with paler
blue, and having pale blue squabs. Noting that the gentleman also wore
those colours, Lisette felt somewhat at odds with the decor, and
wondered if he changed his vehicles to match his attire, or vice versa.
He assured himself that his fair charge was comfortably settled, took
the reins from his groom, dismissed the man, and drove off, feathering
the corner neatly.

It was a glorious morning, the air washed clean by the rain
and the temperature beginning at last to feel like Spring. Many people
were out, and it appeared that Mr. Garvey knew or was known by them
all. He was an easy conversationalist, maintaining a pleasant flow of
chatter even as he bowed, waved, or smiled upon this or that passing
carriage. In Hyde Park they encountered Lady Jersey, enjoying an early
drive with the Countess Lieven. Lady Jersey smiled warmly on Lisette
and ordered her groom to pull up the horses, but her eyes then
alighting on Garvey, the smile in them died. A tiny frown touching her
brows, she glanced again at Lisette, lifted one gloved hand in polite
salute and told the groom to drive on.

Garvey chuckled. "Pray do not feel that slight was on any
account but my own, ma'am. 'The Silence' don't approve of your escort."

She looked at him uncertainly. "Surely you mistake it. I know
she chatters, but she is the kindest person."

"To you, who could be otherwise? She considers me a bad
influence on our beloved Regent." He shrugged and added whimsically,
"One might suppose that Prinny,
au contraire,
corrupts
me!"

"Were one to judge by rumour—" Lisette laughed—"your point
would be well taken, sir."

"And do you judge by rumours, Miss Van Lindsay?"

"I try not to be influenced by idle gossip, but I confess that
sometimes there is so much of it, one cannot help but wonder."

"I beg you will not allow my Lady Jersey to prejudice you
against me." He smiled roguishly. "I really am not so very wicked,
and—good God! What the deuce has poor Bolster got with him?"

Two gentlemen occupied the approaching curricle. The man
driving was young, sturdily built, and having a pleasant,
ruddy-complected countenance. Beside him sat one of the biggest and
ugliest bulldogs Lisette had ever seen, and she watched the animal,
fascinated.

Garvey called, "What have you there, Bolster?"

Both vehicles came to a halt. Lord Jeremy Bolster snatched off
his hat, revealing straight hair gleaming pale yellow in the sunlight.
"It's Br-Br-Brutus, Garvey," he stammered, his abashed gaze flickering
to Lisette.

"An unlovely brute. 'Ware, Jeremy, lest it devour you!"

Bolster grinned, bowed jerkily to Lisette, and took up the
reins once more. His companion had been turned away exchanging
pleasantries with another rider. He now swung around, and Lisette
encountered a pair of very blue eyes that stared at her from a gaunt
face, the darkly bronzed skin seeming to accentuate that piercing
regard. They were past then, and she looked straight ahead, wondering
why she felt so shaken. Rather belatedly she became aware that Garvey
was making a remark. To allow one's attention to wander whilst with a
gentleman could be fatal, besides being most ill-mannered. "Oh, I do
beg your pardon," she apologized. "I fear my thoughts were on that most
unattractive creature."

"You're very frank, ma'am." He laughed. "Strand ain't a
beauty, I'll own."

Strand!
No wonder that searing scrutiny
had made her so uneasy! Some part of her mind must have remembered what
Judith had said of him. She had gone on to remark that he was not
exactly a handsome man, or words to that effect.
Handsome!
That he most certainly was not! Did his notorious sister resemble him,
one could only pity poor Tristram Leith for he must have lost all sense
of good judgement and— The foolish incident had so discomposed her that
she'd not taken heed of the balance of Mr. Garvey's remark, but now his
words came back to her and, blushing, she exclaimed a dismayed, "Oh,
no! You cannot think I referred to Mr. Strand? You must not—" She saw
the teasing glint in his eyes then, and, with a little laugh scolded,
"Ah, so you roast me, sir! You knew very well that I meant the bulldog."

He chuckled. "Forgive, dear lady. I certainly knew you could
not refer to Bolster. Ope can but hope the brute may prove of comfort
to the poor fellow, for he has taken his loss very hard. But I expect
you know the story?"

Know the story? Of course she knew the story! Rachel Strand
had stolen the man she loved, and now the wretched woman's sinister
brother had dared to ogle her as if she were a common— but Garvey was
speaking of Lord
Bolster,
not
Justin
Strand.
She must be wits to let for her mind to wander so!
Her cheeks hot, she confessed her ignorance and begged to be
enlightened.

"Most gladly. I am sure you will remember the sensation last
autumn when Lucian St. Clair came to grips with that revolting
trafficker in White Slavery? He called himself the Dandy Lion, but was
in fact a member of the Quality."

"Yes! Oh, yes, I do!" Her indignation forgotten, Lisette
clasped her hands, her dark eyes sparkling as she recalled the dramatic
events that had set all London agog. "Papa never did tell me the whole,
but I know there was a dreadful fight, no? It was all very exciting!"

Glancing down at her, Garvey was enchanted both by her beauty
and the swift change of mood. "Exciting, indeed," he breathed, and then
as curiosity came into her eyes, added with a grin, "Nonetheless, had
it not been for Bolster and a few others who went to his aid, St. Clair
would be only a memory today."

"Oh, how splendid to be such a loyal friend!" Lisette turned
to glance back, and at once wished she'd not been so impulsive. The
curricle had halted, and the dark face of Justin Strand had also been
turned. For the second time their eyes met and, despite the distance,
Lisette was as though hypnotized by that brilliant gaze. She jerked
around then, her heart thundering. She felt confused and frightened.
Why the miserable creature should so upset her was more than she could
guess, except that he stared so, and with such a stern, fixed look, not
at all in a friendly or admiring fashion. A horrifying new suspicion
brought with it a shudder of humiliation: Could it be that he knew of
her secret regard for his brother-in-law? Was he contemptuous of the
girl who had made such a hopeless little idiot of herself? The very
notion was sickening. She was perfectly sure those hard blue eyes were
still boring into her spine, and she began to feel so unnerved that she
had to take herself sharply to task. It was all too nonsensical. She
had concealed her heartbreak, surely? No one knew of it—save only her
immediate family. Tristram Leith did not know; he could not know. Could
he? Oh, Lord! Please,
please
let him not know!

Her unhappy introspection had caused the hot blush to recede
from her cheeks, which was as well since Garvey was peering at her with
some concern. Lisette Van Lindsay, she thought firmly, stop allowing
that wretched Strand person to panic you into behaving like a silly
widgeon! She clenched her fists and managed to say brightly, "So that
is Lord Jeremy Bolster. I was trying to recall what I did know of the
matter, and even to do that frightens me."

Garvey smiled and said with approval, "As any gently nurtured
female
should
be frightened by such villainy, my
dear lady."

Relieved that her small fib had been accepted, Lisette went
on, "One would suppose his lordship would be proud, rather than
distressed."

"His distress springs from another cause." Garvey flourished
his whip but did not stop when that dashing young blade, Mr. Galen
Hilby, reined in a spirited grey mare the better to bow to Miss Van
Lindsay. "You may know," said Garvey, "that Bolster was betrothed."

Lisette smiled after Galen, one of her more ardent admirers,
who was so wicked as to blow her a kiss. "Yes. In fact, I met her once.
Amanda… Amanda—Oh, dear! I cannot think of her last name, but I do
remember her."

"And did you approve?"

"Very much. She is the dearest girl, and has such pretty red
hair. I recall that there was not an ounce of affectation about her." .

"True. It's a pity, it really is. But you do remember the
Dandy Lion?"

"Yes, indeed. Dreadful creature, how could one forget such
wickedness? And he a member of the Quality. He was a highwayman, too,
and a ruthless murderer of his victims. It makes me shudder! His name
was Hersh, was it not? Winfield Hersh?" Her eyes widened. 'My heaven!
That
is Amanda's surname! Oh, never say they are related?"