Lady Cecily and the Mysterious Mr. Gray

by Janice Preston

  ‘I am relieved to hear it,’ Cecily said. ‘I admit, for a second, you set me wondering as well.’

  Chapter Seven

  ‘Good morning, ladies.’

  Zach stopped before them, a half-smile on his lips. His dark eyes moved from Rosalind to Cecily to Thea, and Cecily could not help but imagine his gaze lingered a little longer upon her.

  ‘Good morning, Absalom.’ Thea held her hand out to Star, who stretched her neck forward and snuffled at Thea’s outstretched palm. ‘What is your verdict on Star’s back?’

  Zach smiled fully. ‘She will fully recover. I am sure of it. She needs time, that is all.’

  ‘Oh, I am so relieved.’ Thea put her hands either side of Star’s face and kissed her soundly on the nose.

  Cecily glanced at Zach. His eyes warmed as they met hers, prompting a smile to curve her lips.

  ‘I could not bear to lose her,’ Thea went on. ‘I know I cannot take her with me when we go to Vernon’s estate, but Pritchard will send her down as soon as she is well enough.’ She slid the halter rope from Star’s neck and turned to Zach. ‘Is it safe for me to lead her back?’

  ‘Of course, my lady.’

  Thea’s cheeks glowed. ‘I still cannot get used to that. Did it take you long to get used to being called “your Grace,” Rosalind?’

  Thea started back towards the stable yard and Rosalind went with her in order to reply to her question.

  ‘Your brothers and your nephew rode out with Daniel earlier.’

  Cecily began to follow the others. Slowly. ‘Daniel asked for their advice on agricultural matters.’

  She glanced sideways in time to see him nod. ‘You are here because they are not?’

  She caught her lip between her teeth. ‘I have enjoyed our conversations. My brothers can be...’

  ‘Protective. Yes. When they are not here, you do what you enjoy. When they are present, you do what is expected of you.’

  They were close to the yard now, where Thea had handed Star over to a groom.

  ‘It is not as simple as you believe. Not in my world.’

  ‘I understand.’

  ‘No. You do not. I love my family. I do not enjoy dissension or arguments and neither do I wish to cause them anxiety. That is why I behave as I was brought up to behave, not because I fear repercussions. Leo is not an ogre, but he worries about me, about the whole family.’

  ‘I doubt he loses sleep with his worries. He is a powerful man, accustomed to obedience at every turn. Noblemen can rule their fiefdoms in accordance with their own rules, no matter how self-serving.’

  An uncommon bitterness had entered his tone, but they were too close to the others for Cecily to question his statement.

  She simply had time to say, hurriedly, ‘Leo might be a duke and hugely powerful in many ways, but that does not stop him caring. Or fretting, although he tries very hard to hide it.’

  They joined Rosalind and Thea and, very soon afterwards, the three women made their way back to the house. As they did so, the mournful bray of a donkey rent the air. Rosalind stopped dead, her hand to her chest.

  ‘What is that infernal racket?’

  ‘It is Sancho Panza. Absalom’s donkey,’ Thea said, with a grin. ‘He’s very loud, is he not?’

  * * *

  ‘I thought I made my position clear?’

  Leo’s voice always grew quieter the angrier he became and his voice was at this moment so low Cecily had to strain to hear him.

  ‘Your position?’

  ‘I warned you about speaking to that gipsy again—’

  ‘He is a Romany.’

  ‘But Bickling tells me that you—all three of you—were hobnobbing with him earlier, in the paddock and then in the stable yard.’

  ‘Hobnobbing? Leo. Be reasonable—the man is treating Thea’s favourite horse. We went to see how she was and we held a brief conversation.’

  ‘So it was Thea’s idea?’

  Warning bells clamoured in Cecily’s head. If Leo blamed Thea, Vernon would leap to her defence and then there would be trouble.

  ‘It was my suggestion and a perfectly innocuous suggestion at that. And once I mentioned it, Thea was eager to go and, although Rosalind did suggest it was unwise...’

  She let her words drift into silence, hoping they would mollify her brother and forestall any blame for his wife.

  ‘It is time you returned to London.’ Leo paced the room. ‘No doubt Olivia is running rings around Lady Glenlochrie and Freddie, not to mention leading Nell astray. Heaven knows what mischief she has been up to since you’ve been away.’

  When Cecily left London, she had left both Olivia and Rosalind’s stepsister, Nell, in the care of Rosalind’s younger brother, Freddie—recently appointed as Leo’s secretary—and Nell’s formidable aunt, Lady Glenlochrie.

  ‘Time I returned to London? Do you not mean it is time you returned? Olivia is your daughter and Rosalind will presumably be keen to get back to Nell. And Susie.’

  Rosalind had been very reluctant to leave Susie—a runaway child rescued by her and Leo—in the first place and it had taken some persuasion by Leo to convince her that being cooped up in a carriage to Birmingham, merely to collect Mr Allen’s belongings, would prove scant fun for a lively six-year-old. They had already been away from London far longer than anticipated.

  Leo’s jaw set and his brows lowered, but Cecily saw no reason why her life should continue to be bound by duty now Rosalind was available to take the reins of family and household. She waited, brows raised.

  ‘We shall all leave tomorrow,’ he bit out. ‘Vernon and Thea will be leaving shortly in any case.’

  The newlyweds planned to visit the Lake District on honeymoon before returning to London in July.

  Cecily knew what Leo planned. The Season was nearing its end. They would return to London for a few weeks, then Beauchamp House would be packed up and they would all adjourn to Brighton for a few weeks, to enjoy the sea air and to coincide with the Brighton horse races, following which they would return to the Abbey. Leo’s arrogant assumption that she would merely fall into line, as she had always done, reassured her that she was making the right decision to attempt to secure her future elsewhere.

  ‘As it happens, I am not returning to Town.’ She tilted her chin in an unconscious gesture of defiance.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  She took some comfort in seeing her normally unshakeable brother taken aback.

  ‘I plan to visit Aunt Drusilla. I shall ask Dominic to take me to Leyton Grange on his way back to London.’

  ‘Aunt Drusilla?’ Leo shouted with laughter, but sobered as Cecily continued to stare at him. ‘You cannot... Are you serious?’ He took her hand. ‘Cecy—my dear—there is no need for you to endure that old harridan just because you’re in a fidget with me.’

  ‘A fidget? Am I not entitled to be a touch annoyed when you treat me like a pea-brained young miss in her first Season?’

  ‘Cecy.’ He placed his hands on her shoulders and sighed. ‘I know you are not pea-brained, but do give me credit for having a little more experience than you. I recognise the signs. Absalom Gray, I grant you, is a fine-looking man but he is a g—a Romany. You heard what Daniel said yesterday—he can charm the birds and the beasts, and I make no doubt the man can charm the fairer sex as well. That is why I warned him off and why I shall continue to do so. He is dangerous, my dear. You think you are up to all the tricks men can employ and that may be true of the civilised men you meet every day. But who knows what tricks and wiles a man like Gray has up his sleeve?’

  Cecily bit her tongue. Yes, she was fascinated by Zach, but she was completely confident he had used no tricks or wiles to capture her interest.

  ‘I still intend to call upon Aunt Drusilla. Quite apart from the fact it is at least two years since I last visited her, it will give Rosalind and the staff at the Abbey a chance to grow accustomed to one another without me getting in the way.’

  She was aware their
staff—many of whom qualified as old family retainers—would find it hard to adapt to a new mistress of the house and especially so if Cecily was still there.

  Leo’s silver-grey eyes softened. ‘Is that what this is all about? Cecy—my dearest sister—you know you will always have a home and a place at the Abbey.’

  She tried to pull away from his grip, but he pulled her into a hug. ‘It wouldn’t be home without you there.’

  A lump swelled in her throat, which ached with sudden tears. She had no idea when she would see him again... So much depended on what happened at Leyton Grange and whether or not Lord Kilburn renewed his offer. But she knew she would not return to the Abbey, at least until Christmas. If her plan did not succeed, she thought she might pay an extended visit to their cousin Felicity, Lady Stanton, in Hampshire. The Stantons’ first baby was due next month and she knew Felicity would be glad of her company.

  But further plans and arrangements could wait for now.

  ‘I still intend to visit our aunt.’

  She freed herself from his embrace and hurried from the room before her tears could betray her.

  * * *

  ‘What worm have you got in your brain now, Cilly?’

  Cecily glared at Vernon. He had knocked on her bedchamber door with a request to ‘talk to her’ shortly before it was time to go down to dinner. She had no doubt he had been sent by Leo to ‘talk some sense into her’.

  ‘Do not call me by that dreadful name.’

  ‘Oh...very well.’ Vernon sighed in an exaggerated fashion. ‘Cecily, then. But why on earth are you so set on visiting that old dragon?’

  ‘Duty.’ She smiled sweetly. ‘Is that not what well-brought-up ladies are trained to consider above all else? Particularly above personal preference?’

  ‘Hmmm. You might have a point there. But...really? Aunt Drusilla?’ He sauntered across the room to peer out of the window. Then he stiffened and spun round to face her, his expression suddenly hard. ‘Promise me it’s not because Gray is travelling in that direction. Have you arranged to meet up with him?’

  She stared, aghast. ‘How dare you suggest I would do such a thing?’

  ‘Then why? Tell me. Convince me.’

  ‘I want to get married.’

  ‘To him?’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Vernon. He is merely a friend and I am more than aware of the fact he is a Romany, so please do not insult my integrity. I know what is due to our family name.’

  Vernon’s brow furrowed. ‘But—what has Aunt Drusilla got to do with you finding a husband? Surely—in London—’ His brow cleared. ‘Oh, no.’

  In two long strides he was standing before her, an expression of utter incredulity on his face. Cecily cursed beneath her breath. She had forgotten. Vernon was the only member of her family she had told about Kilburn’s proposal.

  ‘Cilly. You cannot be serious.’

  Cecily folded her arms across her chest. ‘I am deadly serious. It is for the best.’

  ‘For the best? That pompous ba—? He’s higher in the instep than Leo at his most ducal. And there are rumours of debts. Big debts. For God’s sake, Cilly...if you want to get married I know any number of decent fellows who would jump at the chance. I only have to give them a nudge in the right direction.’

  She glared into her brother’s eyes—green like hers. ‘Don’t you dare. At least Kilburn wants to marry me—or he did—and he won’t need coercing into making an offer.’

  ‘You were the one who suspected he only offered for you for your dowry. Or because he wants a mother for his children.’

  She shrugged. ‘What sensible man does not consider the value of a potential bride’s dowry? And as for needing a mother...the children are very young still and it is right and proper for a father to think of their needs. I wish for my own household to run. I shall stay with Aunt Drusilla and discover if his lordship wishes to renew his offer.’

  ‘And that’s another thing—Aunt Drusilla as your neighbour? Dear God...there’ll be no bearing it.’ Vernon paused, then inhaled and changed tack, his tone now wheedling. ‘Cecily—dearest—there’s no need to rush into anything. Give it some time. I thought you and Rosalind were friends? Why can you not—?’

  ‘It is precisely because we are friends that I cannot remain there. I have made up my mind.’

  ‘No. Look, Cilly...if you need a respite from the Abbey, you can come and live with me and Thea at Woodbeare for some of the year. And then, if Livvy ever finds a man brave enough or foolhardy enough to take her on, you will have them to visit as well.’

  He beamed, as though he had solved all her problems, but his words sent a chill shimmying down her spine. If she needed confirmation she was following the right course, this was it. The thought of being passed between the various members of her family like an unwanted parcel was too much to bear.

  Better to be married—even to a man she did not love—than that.

  She straightened, her chin jutting forward. ‘This is what I have decided, Vernon. I shall speak to Leo after dinner and explain it to him properly. I hope you can support my decision but, if you find you cannot, I should appreciate it if you would stay out of that conversation.’

  * * *

  Cecily sped through the moonlit garden, expecting at any moment to be summoned back to the house by a shout. None came. She slowed at the paved square, but still headed with purpose for the archway that led to the parkland beyond, to the lake where she and Zach had talked, where Athena had skimmed, ghostly and silent, across the surface of the water to land on Zach’s outstretched arm.

  Zach had not joined them for dinner. Nothing was said of his absence and she did not ask, preferring not to know if it had been at Leo’s behest. She prayed he had not already left Stourwell Court. She wanted to say goodbye. She had pleaded a headache and retired to bed early. As soon as Anna, her maid, had left her she had swiftly dressed again—donning just her shift and a simple round gown—and wrapped a shawl around her. Heart pounding, she had sneaked along the corridor to the back stairs, praying she would not bump into any of the servants. She was fortunate. She reached the side door she had used before and slipped outside without being seen.

  They were leaving in the morning. She had no other chance to say goodbye; to say thank you. She didn’t stop to debate the rights or wrongs of her choice—she followed her heart.

  At the shore of the small lake, she turned to her right. As she followed the shoreline there, in the distance, she saw a flame flicker. Her heart—until now clenched in anxiety—softened and expanded. He had not gone. She walked slower now, smoothing her hair back and readjusting her shawl. Steadying her breathing.

  At the site, she paused. Beyond the fire, burning steady and low, she could make out the dark bulk of his wagon and the rounded hump of his tent. And the figure of a man.

  ‘Why are you here?’

  He moved forward, his face still in the shadows, but his body highlighted by the warm glow of the fire. Loose trousers rode low on narrow hips and above...above...

  Oh, my.

  Her heart near climbed into her throat as she surveyed the wide expanse of his naked chest, covered in dark curls. A flame flared and its light danced across his bronzed skin, emphasising his broad shoulders, muscular arms and the planes and hollows of his sculpted chest. He looked powerful and dangerous, and very, very male. She swallowed the urge to turn and flee and made herself approach the fire. The flames did nothing to cool the heat spiralling through her entire body.

  ‘I had to come. We leave after breakfast. I wanted to... I did not want to go without saying goodbye.’

  He stepped closer to the fire and hunkered down to feed in more wood, his attention focused on his task. She drank in the sight. Never had a man affected her like this—her heart twisted at the impossibility of even a simple friendship between them, at the width and the depth of the gulf between their positions in society. And yet, she was here. She had come, despite knowing that visiting him here, at night, unch
aperoned, would ruin her if it ever became known.

  He looked up and captured her gaze, studying her, revealing nothing of his feelings or his thoughts about such a shocking indiscretion on her part. She fought to keep her own emotions hidden.

  ‘And your brothers?’

  ‘What about them?’

  ‘Are they aware you are here?’

  That startled a laugh from her. And the tension in the air softened somewhat as one corner of his mouth lifted.

  ‘The answer is no, then.’ He stood and rounded the fire to her. Loosely clasped her hand and led her to a log, set on its end. ‘Please. Take a seat.’

  She did, lowering herself carefully. No sooner had she settled than something nudged under her hand and she found herself stroking Myrtle’s ears. Pleasure, pure and simple, fanned through her.

  ‘She would not come to me yesterday,’ she said in delight.

  ‘This is her home. She is more confident here. She can sense you are no threat now, but the bustle of the stables scared her.’

  He sat cross-legged on a pallet of bedding, across the fire from Cecily.

  ‘So you leave tomorrow?’

  Sorrow dispelled her pleasure. ‘Yes.’

  ‘And you are still set on visiting your aunt? And on marrying your earl?’

  ‘Yes to the first. As to the second...possibly.’

  He propped his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his hands. ‘Tell me.’

  He said no more, but waited. Where should she start? But she knew the answer to that, for what had he been telling her all along? She would speak from her heart.

  ‘I have been thinking about what you said.’

  ‘I have said a great many things.’ His teeth gleamed as he smiled. ‘More to you than to anyone since my mother died.’

  The thought pleased her, that she had not just taken from him, but given something in return.

  ‘You said I should give myself more time to consider my plan to marry and I agree. There is no need to rush into it. I shall visit my aunt and when Lord Kilburn returns to his estate I shall visit him and meet his children again and I shall listen to my heart.’