Sally James (11 page)

‘I don’t believe a word of it,’ he said calmly and Susannah gasped in indignation.

‘It is! You must not blame Polly or your cook!’ she exclaimed.

‘Oh, I’ve no doubt, with your talent for deception, my love, that you told them a plausible enough tale. But how will you explain your sudden change of status when they become your servants?’

‘My servants?’ Susannah asked, startled, and then tried to back away from him, so disturbed was she at the look in his eyes as he moved yet closer. ‘You are mad, my lord, if you think you can hold Julian or myself to that ridiculous bet!’

‘A debt of honour,’ he returned, laughing and seizing her by the shoulders. ‘Come, my lovely one, do not resist me!’

She struggled to evade his searching lips.

‘I will never willingly become your mistress!’ she gasped. ‘I am no defenceless servant girl and if you force me you will be hounded from England!’

He laughed, maddeningly, and with one hand behind her head held it still while his lips descended on hers, kissing her until her senses swam. Suddenly he released her and she would have fallen had he not been supporting her with an arm tightly about her waist.

‘I said betrothal ring,’ he murmured softly. ‘I do not force unwilling females, nor offer such liaisons as you contemplate to the innocent sisters of my friends, any more than I could consider marriage with a parlourmaid. When I saw you, I will admit I was tempted to throw all caution and convention to the winds and offer an honourable proposal to a serving wench, but my wretched pride prevented it. It would have been more romantic, would it not, my love, had I offered you my name before I discovered your true identity? But the world is not like that, Susannah. I can only ask you to believe that life became infinitely more attractive when I realized we could, quite naturally and without any problems, marry, instead of having to be content with less. That is if I could have persuaded you to do what I wished,’ he added with a twinkle in his eyes. `Will you forgive me, my dear, and accept an honourable proposal?’

Susannah’s senses were whirling, both from the effects of that devastating kiss and from the shock of his words. The sudden change from unprincipled rake to prospective bridegroom left her for once unable to think clearly and all she could cling to was the suspicion that he was in some way involved in the loss of Julian’s wealth.

‘I cannot!’ she whispered and Lord Chalford gave a slight laugh.

‘You need time to consider!’ he retorted mockingly. ‘Pray, Susannah, sit there for a moment.’

Unresisting she permitted him to lead her to a chair and as she sat down he turned away to unlock one of the drawers in the dressing table which she had not tried to open. It revealed a collection of some of the finest jewellery she had ever seen and even in her state of bewilderment she gasped in admiration. Lord Chalford picked up one of the rings, a cluster of diamonds in a fine antique setting, and showed it to her.

‘That is the traditional betrothal ring of the Chalfords,’ he said conversationally, ‘but if you should prefer something different there are all these to choose from.’

Susannah glanced at the rings and stiffened. One of them was somewhat unusual in that some stones, rubies, were set to form the letter ‘J’, which was surrounded by tiny diamonds. The description of just such a ring floated before her eyes and her suspicions flooded back.

‘Where - where did that one come from?’ she asked, pointing to it. ‘How unusual, to form a letter!’

‘It should have been an ‘S’,’ he responded quickly. Too quickly, her suspicious mind asked? ‘I can have one made for you if that is what you prefer.’

Impatiently she shook her head.

‘That is not what I mean! From where did you obtain that ring, my lord?’

He looked at her curiously.

‘It was my mother’s, and I do not know from where, or from whom, she received it. You seem uncommonly interested in my jewels, Susannah.’

‘I cannot think.’ She pulled herself together. ‘My lord, you must believe me demented and so can scarcely mean what you have been saying. I apologize for my impertinence in prying into your rooms, but I ask that, for Polly’s sake, you permit me to take her the dress I brought and then leave.’

It was the best she could think of, hating as she did so the need for abasement. Dimly she realized he would very probably spread the story about and she would be for ever disgraced, but she was too bewildered, both at the evidence he possessed another of the jewels Julian’s father had lost and at his totally unexpected proposal of marriage, to care about that. All she wanted was to escape and to be able to sort out the chaos of her thoughts.

‘I will call on you tomorrow,’ he said evenly and as she rose she thought she saw an uncharacteristic sternness in his expression. It would be ironic if he should suspect her of intended theft, she thought suddenly and gave a sudden spurt of laughter, quickly suppressed.

Lord Chalford walked across to the door and looked out, then opened it wide for her. Susannah, on legs which were not quite steady, crossed to the door and gave him a slight smile of gratitude as she slipped out.

‘Your parcel,’ he reminded her quietly and handed it to her, his lips twitching, but whether in amusement or anger she could not tell.

Susannah ran breathlessly up the stairs, found Polly and cutting short the girl’s ecstatic thanks said that she was late and must not stay. She returned through the kitchen, avoiding the cook, and sped back to Brook Street where Amanda was anxiously awaiting her, hovering in the hall and pouncing on her the moment she entered the house.

‘Susannah! Thank heaven! They did not go. Julian has just left,’ she announced, dragging Susannah into the dining room and firmly shutting the door.

‘Why did they not go?’ Susannah asked, trying to decide how much she could tell Amanda.

‘The fight was put off for some reason,’ Amanda said hurriedly. ‘Tell me, did you get in? Were you discovered? Was he there?’

Omitting any reference to Lord Chalford’s incredible offer, Susannah related to her cousin her adventures in Grosvenor Square, making light of the disaster when she had been discovered and concentrating instead on the fact that another of the missing items of jewellery had been discovered in Lord Chalford’s possession.

‘It cannot be coincidence that he has two of them,’ she concluded.

‘But, as we have said, he was too young to have been at Horder Grange when they disappeared,’ Amanda reminded her.

‘If they were stolen at the party and not since then! But his father might have been present. I wonder exactly who was there? Why did we never think to ask that before? If the jewels were stolen, and it seems likely since some of them have reappeared, one of the guests must have been responsible. Possibly one of the older servants will remember. Julian must ask them if he does not know already. Where is he? Do you know where he went?’

Amanda blushed.

‘I - he asked me where you were - ‘ she faltered and Susannah looked at her in horror.

‘You did not tell him what I was doing?’

‘Yes! Oh, Susannah, I was so worried, and he ought to know! He is friendly with Lord Chalford and might alert him to our suspicions if he does not know that Lord Chalford possesses some of his jewels.’

‘So he has gone to Grosvenor Square?’

‘I - I suppose so. I could not prevent him and, truly, I was so afraid for you when I knew that Lord Chalford had returned I wanted him to go!’

Susannah smiled reassuringly.

‘Well, we cannot call him back. Let us hope he has the wit not to reveal why he called on Lord Chalford, or he will be warned.’

There was nothing more to be done and Julian, somewhat to Susannah’s annoyance, did not return to Brook Street. They were going to the theatre that night and Susannah had little expectation of seeing her brother there, for he considered it tame entertainment compared with his favourite gaming clubs. She determined to send a message begging him to call on her during the following morning and tried to dismiss her problems from her mind and enjoy the performance.

This however was difficult, for the play failed to hold her attention. The hero seemed to her to resemble Lord Chalford, being tall and dark, and so was a constant reminder of him and she found her thoughts dwelling on his astonishing declaration. Was he in earnest, she wondered. He had certainly given that impression and it was unlikely he would make her such an offer in jest. In that case, how did she feel about him? Abandoning the attempt to follow the complications of the plot unfolding on the stage, she submitted to the urgency of her thoughts and tried to examine her feelings honestly.

She admitted she had at the very beginning been attracted to his good looks and even while she was furiously angry with him for his attitude towards her, and the bet involving her, she could not resist a certain admiration for his decisive actions. In addition, even when she was most angry with him, he seemed able to make her laugh in a way no one else could. Estimable as were many of the other men who had shown they admired her, she found none of them as interesting or exciting as Lord Chalford. Finally, and she admitted this with an inward blush, when he kissed her she lost all desire to resist him, or question what he was, and wanted only to remain for ever clasped in his arms.

She had reached this conclusion when the first act came to an end, and they looked slowly round at the rest of the audience. Almost the first person Susannah saw was Julian and he indicated he intended coming to their box. Amanda had also seen him and smiled encouragingly.

‘I wonder why he has abandoned his cards and dice?’ Susannah said in surprise. ‘Did he say he intended coming?’

‘No,’ Amanda said, puzzled. ‘I wonder if it is to do with Lord Chalford, what happened when they met.’

‘There is always hope he has learned sense, that gaming will not mend his fortune,’ Susannah said briskly, as the door to the box opened and Julian appeared, followed immediately by Lord Chalford.

They greeted Mr and Mrs Grant and then, as an older couple came in, drew aside with the girls, and Lord Chalford complimented Susannah on the charming picture she made.

‘That shade of rose pink does become you so much more than black,’ he remarked, a tremor of laughter in his voice.

Susannah glanced fleetingly up at him, but could read nothing in his face. After that one brief remark he behaved as though they had never had that strange encounter in his bedroom and once more she wondered just what he had thought had been her motive for invading his house in such a manner and why he had not questioned her more closely about it, but had seized the odd opportunity for making a declaration.

They chatted desultorily about the play and Susannah, with only the remotest recollection of what it was about, was uncharacteristically silent. Then Amanda somewhat nervously tried to give a new turn to a conversation which was flagging dangerously by asking the identity of a dandified creature in a box opposite. Lord Chalford raised his quizzing glass to look and Julian and Susannah gave simultaneous gasps. The quizzing glass was the elephant-engraved one and on his little finger Lord Chalford was wearing the ring he had told Susannah was the Chalford betrothal ring.

‘I believe it is Sir Evan Pugh,’ he said to Amanda and then looked in amusement at Susannah. ‘You admire my ring?’ he asked softly.

Susannah hastily shook her head, but before she could speak Julian stretched out his hand towards Lord Chalford.

‘That is a most unusual quizzing glass,’ he said with attempted nonchalance. ‘May I see it?’

Lord Chalford glanced down at the glass in his hand and then across at Susannah, who was frowning warningly at Julian.

‘Ah, yes, it is unusual. It attracts quite a deal of interest,’ he murmured and detached it from the ribbon to hand it across to Julian.

‘I saw one rather like it which came apart,’ Julian commented and as he spoke twisted the handle slightly. To his barely concealed surprise nothing happened and he glanced, puzzled at Susannah.

‘It must be twisted to the right, not the normal left,’ Lord Chalford said easily. `I am sure your sister would have known that.’’

Susannah tried to appear oblivious and continued watching Julian as he drew the toothpick from the handle of the glass and casually twirled it round so that he could search for the initials at the base.

‘JK,’ Lord Chalford said helpfully. ‘I have often wondered to whom it belonged before my mother acquired it.’

‘Your mother? Was it your father’s, Everard? It seems an odd ornament for a woman.’

‘Yes indeed,’ he replied and then recovered the glass from Julian, threading it back on its ribbon, and as if bored with the whole subject chatted easily about the play.

Susannah contrived to attract Julian’s attention by the simple expedient of kicking his ankle and, when he looked at her in pained surprise, she turned her head slightly and whispered behind her fan, a delicate one of chicken skin on which gay oriental scenes were painted in peacock colours, that he would make Lord Chalford suspicious by showing such interest.

He seemed prone to argue, but realized the stupidity of this in Lord Chalford’s presence and tried instead to air his knowledge of the theatre by commenting on the actors appearing in the present drama. Soon, to Susannah’s relief, the interval was over and the visitors left the box, but not before Susannah had detained Julian for a moment and begged him to call in Brook Street as early as possible on the following morning.

She breathed a sigh of relief, but found she had not seen the last of Lord Chalford that evening. During the last interval she was walking in the corridor behind the boxes with Richard Grainger, when Lord Chalford again appeared at her side. He nodded to Richard and presented the girl he was with, the daughter of an earl and heiress to a vast fortune from her mother, and who was considered the best catch of the season with an almost unlimited choice of suitors.   

The young lady, who had been listening with rapt attention to Lord Chalford, gave them a gracious smile but eyed Susannah with a certain coolness. She had been overheard recently by Amanda to wonder what on earth men like Lord Chalford could possibly see in hoydens like Miss Rendlesham and so Susannah responded with a brilliant smile.