The Pilfered Plume

by Sandra Heath

  “Do go on, Miss Jordan.”

  “The advent of this gentleman made my decision rather easy, for I was suddenly in a position to rescue Benedict. First of all, however, I had to separate him from you, and, I’m ashamed to say, I was so eaten up with jealousy that I needed to do you harm as well, I knew that if you saw him in my arms, you’d end the betrothal, but that wasn’t enough for me, for I wished to ruin your reputation as well by exposing you to one and all at the ball. Believe me, Miss Carlisle, I’m not at all proud of myself.” The Cyprian’s dark-blue eyes rested shrewdly upon her. “It’s Fane that you love, isn’t it?” she said softly.

  Linnet was about to reply that it was not any of her business, but then remembered that this was supposed to be a cards-on-the-table conversation. She nodded. “Yes, Miss Jordan, I do love him. I don’t think I ever really stopped loving him. But how…?”

  “How do I know? Because of what was done to the statue today. It was only superficially directed at me—the real purpose was to alienate Fane from you. His high regard for his grandfather is well known, and the wanton besmirching of that late gentleman’s statue is guaranteed to arouse his anger more than anything else. As I said, it was all directed only superficially at me, but the verse that was appended made it perfectly clear to one and all that you were supposed to be the perpetrator. It succeeded most exquisitely, you’ll agree.”

  “It did indeed,” murmured Linnet.

  “You aren’t a fool, Miss Carlisle, it must be obvious to you that it’s the same person who supplied me with every detail of your plans, and I would imagine that you can only conclude that it must be one of your servants.”

  “Have you been a fly on my wall, Miss Jordan?” asked Linnet a little dryly.

  The Cyprian smiled, “No, Miss Carlisle, I’ve merely considered the situation as it must appear to you. It isn’t one of your servants, for a servant wouldn’t have any reason for wishing to deny you all the hope of winning Fane.”

  “That’s true.”

  “So, who does that leave? Who is it who has known everything all along? Which friend is it who has been close enough to…”

  Linnet rose slowly to her feet. “Are you suggesting that it’s Lady Hartley?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “She’s the only person with the knowledge, the opportunity, and the motive.”

  “Motive? But she wanted me to marry Benedict, and was overjoyed that I was to be her sister-in-law, so how can you possibly say that she also wished to do my reputation as much harm as she could? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “It’s true that she wished you to marry Benedict, and it’s also true that she wished to destroy your character, but on both counts it was because she needed to see you well and truly off the market as far as a certain other gentleman was concerned. She may not have known about Benedict’s huge debts, but she did know how mercenary a soul he is, so that she was sure your fortune would still prove carrot enough for him even if your reputation was less than it should be. She also hoped that by ruining your good name she’d drive a final wedge where it mattered most, and so she decided to approach me to assist her, because she knew of my hostility toward you, although, like you, she wrongly put that hostility to jealousy over Lord Fane, not Benedict.”

  “What do you mean by drive a final wedge?”

  “You really haven’t figured it out, have you?” murmured the Cyprian shaking her lovely head in disbelief. “Fane is the reason for it all, Miss Carlisle, because she loves him to distraction, although it’s taken me until now to realize that that was what was behind her every move.”

  Linnet was thunderstruck. “No, it can’t be so…”

  “It is so, Miss Carlisle, and if you pause to really consider, you’ll soon see for yourself that it’s all true. She exulted when you and Fane parted company last year, and was content that the way was now clear for her. Of course she promoted the match with Benedict, for with you safely married, you could never become Lady Fane. She could comfortably make a show of trying to persuade you to return to London, because she knew you still felt far too bruised to undertake such a return, and when you suddenly changed your mind, I’ll warrant she virtually stood on her head in order to make you stay where you were.”

  Linnet sighed, and nodded. “Yes, she did.”

  “You see, a year hadn’t proved sufficient time for her as far as Fane was concerned—he hardly knew she existed. Even when she moved to Fane Crescent, right opposite him, he barely gave her the time of day. I think she almost gave up at that point, and that she was actively considering accepting poor Freddy Grainger’s suit, but then at a ball at Holland House, Fane arrived and smiled at her. Freddy ceased to exist for her, and she spent the rest of the evening endeavoring to engage Fane’s interest.”

  Linnet sat down slowly. So, it really hadn’t been Mr. Coleridge, but had been Nicholas who’d been the cause of Freddy’s disappointment.

  Judith smiled a little. “Things begin to fit into place, do they not?”

  “Yes.” Linnet gave an ironic laugh. “She even told me Nicholas had taken you to Radleigh. She knew that that would hurt me deeply.”

  “Fane wouldn’t have done such a thing, Miss Carlisle. You’ve wronged him throughout, not only about Radleigh Hall and his so-called affair with me, but also about his appearance at your ball and the help he was supposed to have given me on that same occasion. He came to the ball because he really was sent an invitation, and it’s my guess that it was Freddy Grainger’s invitation.”

  “Freddy’s? Why do you say that?”

  “Well, Freddy was on your list, was he not?”

  “Of course.”

  Judith smiled a little. “Many gentlemen come to my house, Miss Carlisle, and quite often it is simply because I offer a sympathetic ear. Freddy complained to me that he wasn’t going to receive an invitation, he was quite adamant, even though I told him I thought it exceedingly unlikely.”

  Linnet stared at her. “But of course he received one.”

  “Did he? It’s my belief that Lady Hartley chose to exclude him so that the man she really loved would be there to watch Benedict put his ring on your finger. She also wanted Lord Fane to be there to see how brilliant she’d been with the arrangements, and, therefore, how perfect she’d be as Lady Fane. As to how I gained admittance, well, I simply enlisted the aid of a betting gentleman whose invitation stipulated that he and ‘a lady’ were invited. It doesn’t matter who the gentleman was, for if I told you I’d lose my reputation for being complete discreet, would I not? Lord Fane would never have helped me in that way; indeed, he was angry with me for telling all those malicious tales about you, so he would hardly have lifted an obliging finger to smuggle me into your betrothal ball, would he? It’s clear now that he knew about my liaison with Benedict, and about the debts, and I can think of only one occasion when he may have found out. Benedict and I spoke a little unguardedly once in my drawing room, and I realized afterward that the door was slightly ajar. Nicholas was in the house at the time.”

  Linnet looked away.

  The Cyprian smiled. “I see from your reaction that my guess is correct. He may have gone about things in an awkward way, Miss Carlisle, but his intentions toward you have been honorable throughout.”

  Tears filled Linnet’s eyes, and she tried unsuccessfully to blink them away.

  “Well you might look like that, Miss Carlisle, for he has never deserved the treatment he received at your foolish hands. I’m flattered that you should have credited me with stealing him from you, for in truth he’s a man worth stealing. Lady Hartley credited me with having stolen him, too, but I didn’t matter to her, for a lord doesn’t marry a demirep, and it was his ring she was after.” She paused. “I can see her motives so clearly now, and yet if it hadn’t been for the damage done to the statue, I’d still have been mystified as to why she was doing what she did to you.”

  “What difference did the statue make?”
/>   “As I said earlier, it pointed the finger of suspicion well and truly at the little brown bird from the north. Lady Hartley had already worked against you, and she was the only one who could really have removed my stolen plume from this house. The fact that she then used it to such effect against you could only be on Lord Fane’s account. Nothing else explains it all, and once that fact is accepted, then all the others fell sweetly into their allotted places, even down to the way she suddenly chose to cut Freddy Grainger at the Holland House ball.”

  “You know what happened that night, too?”

  “Yes, Miss Carlisle, because both Benedict and Lord Fane told me their versions of events. Benedict believed it was all on account of Mr. Coleridge, but Mr. Coleridge happened to spend a great deal of that evening in conversation with Lord Fane. Benedict didn’t notice Lord Fane’s presence, but saw only the sudden advent of the very married Mr. Coleridge. Lord Fane told me that he wished he’d never made the mistake of smiling at the lady that night, for after that she was continually at his elbow, and he really cannot abide her. That is the truth of it, Miss Carlisle.”

  Linnet nodded. “I can’t believe she so took me in…”

  “An ambitious and determined woman in love can be as devious and persuasive as the serpent in the Garden of Eden.” The Cyprian smiled. “However, you should not merely take my word for all this, Miss Carlisle, you should hear it all from Lady Hartley’s own lips.”

  “She’s hardly likely to confess.”

  “I think she will, if I am with you, for she knows I can prove her guilt. She wrote me several notes, you see, and they make it plain that she was telling me about your plans,” Judith stroked the poodle again. “She has to be made to tell you the truth, and then Lord Fane has to be told what has really been going on.”

  “You’re prepared to face Lady Hartley with me? Why would you do that?”

  “Because I am conscience-stricken where you’re concerned. I’ve been a chienne of the first order, and have to make it up to you. I also happen to like Lord Fane, who is the most honorable gentleman it has ever been my privilege to know. He has never been my lover, Miss Carlisle, so you may put that fear from your mind, but he has always been my good friend. I value that friendship, even though I sorely tried it when I set about making life difficult for you.” The Cyprian smiled. Miss Carlisle, I also wish to help you because, against all the odds, I like you a great deal. You’re a lady of rare spirit, and I have to confess that if I hadn’t been warned of your plans by Lady Hartley, you’d probably have pulled it off undetected at my ball. You missed your vocation, for I vow you’d have made a devastating courtesan.”

  “If that’s supposed to be a compliment…”

  “Oh, it is, Miss Carlisle, a very definite compliment.”

  Linnet smiled suddenly. “Then I should pay you one, too, Miss Jordan. You also missed your vocation, for you’d have made a splendid lady.”

  “Well, since I’m determined to tie the knot with a rogue like Benedict, I doubt if I’ll ever truly be a lady, but you, Miss Carlisle, can be one in every sense of the word if you play your hand properly with Lord Fane. Are you prepared to try?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Then there’s no time like the present.” The Cyprian rose to her feet. “It’s time to call upon Lady Hartley, so perhaps it would be discreet to order your town carriage. Mine is a little, er, conspicuous.”

  “It has also been at my door for some time now, a fact which will not have passed unnoticed. Besides, don’t you think I would be guilty of a double standard if I was prepared to accept your assistance, but wasn’t prepared to be seen driving with you?”

  Judith smiled a little, “Then let us compromise, Miss Carlisle. We’ll drive in my carriage, but with its hoods well and truly raised, and you must wear a hat with a veil, for there is hardly any point in Fane’s having rescued your reputation if you immediately throw it away again for the sake of a gesture. For the moment you and I are allies, but we come from different worlds, and soon we will return to those respective worlds. It’s better that way.”

  Linnet hesitated, and then nodded. “I fear you may be right.”

  “Go and change into some devastating togs, Miss Carlisle, for soon you will be facing not only Lady Hartley, but Lord Fane himself. Oh, and make sure you wear yellow, for I know he likes to see you in that color above all others.” Judith smiled. “But not the dress you wore last night, for that is my world, not yours.”

  Chapter 29

  Linnet took Judith’s advice, and wore yellow. She chose a daffodil muslin gown and matching full-length pelisse, both embroidered in white, and with them she put a high-crowned straw bonnet over which a lacy veil was draped.

  She and Judith were just about to leave the house, the poodle pattering at their heels, when Great-Aunt Minton returned. Already deeply upset about the disfiguring and ridiculing of the statue, she was much affronted to find London’s most infamous Cyprian with her great-niece.

  Bristling with outrage, the old lady paused in the doorway, eyeing them both. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.

  Linnet’s heart had begun to sink as soon as she realized her great-aunt had chosen this untimely moment to return. “I—I can explain, Great-Aunt.”

  “I trust you can, missy. Well? Why is this…this person being received?”

  “Miss Jordan has come to help me, Great-Aunt.”

  “Help you? Is such a complete volte-face humanly possible? Linnet, the creature has been endeavoring to harm you for longer than I care to remember.”

  Judith cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Miss Minton, I…”

  “Be silent. I am not accustomed to having society of your kind thrust upon me!” snapped the old lady, her eyes so bright and forbidding that their glance quelled even the Bird of Paradise, Linnet went to her great-aunt. “Please hear me out.”

  “Not before you answer me one question. Linnet, did you have anything at all to do with what was done to the statue in Fane Crescent?”

  “No, Great-Aunt, and I’m more than a little hurt that you should think I did.”

  The old lady’s eyes studied her for a long moment, and then softened. “Forgive me, my dear, I should indeed have known better, but I was so very upset… He meant everything to me,” she added unguardedly, for Judith could hear every word.

  “I know he did,” replied Linnet, taking her hands.

  “I suppose this person can shed light on it all?” went on her great-aunt, eyeing Judith again.

  Linnet nodded. “It was Venetia, Great-Aunt Minton.”

  The old lady stared at her, and then drew a long breath. “Well, I suppose I should be surprised, but I’m not. I never did trust that woman.”

  “I know you didn’t.”

  “If you’d listened to my advice… Oh, well, I suppose there’s no point in saying anything. My instinct is usually right, my dear, as has been proved concerning Lady Hartley, and will yet be proved concerning her unpleasant half-brother.”

  Linnet glanced at Judith, whose eyes were firmly downcast. “Great-Aunt, you’ve already been proved right about him as well. I am no longer betrothed to him.”

  “Indeed? It seems that much has been in progress during my absence.”

  “Yes, it has. You, er, you were wrong about one person, however.”

  “The present Lord Fane?”

  “Yes. He was entirely innocent a year ago, and I was very wrong indeed to believe to the contrary. I love him, Great-Aunt Minton, and if I can earn his forgiveness, then I will.”

  The old lady’s fond eyes were understanding. “I’m glad to hear that he isn’t a discredit to his grandfather after all, and I wish you every good fortune in your efforts to win him back, but I fail to see why this person is here in this house!” This last was added with a return to sharpness.

  “Miss Jordan and I are about to beard Lady Hartley in her den.”

  “Are you implying that you intend to accompany this infamous creature to
Fane Crescent?” breathed her great-aunt in utter disbelief.

  “Yes.”

  “I will not permit it!”

  Linnet raised her chin defiantly. “You cannot prevent me, Great-Aunt.”

  For a long moment the old lady held her ground, but then she slowly nodded. “You’re right, I cannot prevent you, but Linnet, are you sure you know what you are doing?”

  “Quite sure.”

  “Then I will not stand in your way.”

  Linnet smiled, hugging her tightly. “Thank you, Great-Aunt.”

  The old lady patted her shoulder, and then glared at Judith. “You have a lot to answer for, madam, and if anything else should befall my great-niece…”

  “Rest assured, Miss Minton, the utmost discretion and circumspection will be employed throughout.”

  “They had better be, madam. They had better be.”

  Linnet made certain that her veil was properly in place, and then she and Judith emerged quickly from the house, stepping immediately into the landau, the hoods of which were already raised in readiness. A small crowd had collected at the courtyard gates, for the Bird of Paradise’s white landau was too well known for its presence to pass unnoticed. There was much whispering and speculation as to why it might be drawn up at the door of Carlisle House, especially after the matter of the statue, but their curiosity was left unsatisfied as the carriage swept out, its occupants impossible to see in the dark interior.

  The lodgekeeper at Fane Crescent was caught off-guard by the landau. A barouche and four had just entered, and before he could close the gates, the conspicuous white carriage had swept by as well. The man was well aware that London’s most notorious Cyprian was hardly the sort of person the residents of the crescent would wish to be admitted, but he was equally aware that Judith was Nicholas’s friend, and so he pretended not to notice, closing the gates behind the landau and hastening back into his lodge.