‘I see,’ he replied gravely. ‘The Pridhams take great care of you. Which of them is your blood relation?’
She stared into her lemonade, turning the glass slowly between her hands.
‘I do not know,’ she said, her voice low. ‘My uncle has promised to explain everything on my birthday. The fourth of June. I will be one-and-twenty.’
‘Ah. Then you will be free to marry whomsoever you wish.’ He leaned forward. ‘But why must Pridham wait until then to tell you about your parents? Why can he not tell you now?’
‘I think that might have something to do with trustees.’ She saw his brows rise and spread her hands. ‘I must have some, I think. There has been no lack of funds for my upbringing, but I do not think it is entirely within the Pridhams’ control. Occasionally, when Mr Pridham is angry he says, If I had my way, which makes me wonder if perhaps he receives instructions from elsewhere.’
‘That would suggest that you are not a pauper, then.’
‘No.’
Neither did it prove she was an eligible match. She glanced towards the armchair, where Mrs Ancrum was dozing. The old lady’s reticence to tell her what she knew only added to Natalya’s suspicions that she was baseborn. If that were so, there was nothing she could do about it. No respectable man would marry her.
Tristan shifted on his chair. ‘After the fourth of June your uncle will not be able to forbid the banns. If Freddie returns and proposes, will you accept him?’
She was about to repeat once again that she had no interest in his nephew when she recalled Mrs Ancrum’s words, that if a man loved her, he would not care about her birth. If Freddie did care for her, and if he was intending to make her an offer—and Tristan’s presence in Bath suggested that was the case—then perhaps she should accept him. After all, marriage to a good, kind man must be preferable to the fate she feared awaited her, if she was illegitimate.
‘Well, is it so difficult a question?’
His voice sounded harsh and unfriendly to her overstretched nerves.
‘Not at all,’ she snapped. ‘However, Freddie has not yet asked me to marry him. And in any case,’ she added, goaded by his scowl. ‘I shall wait until I attain my majority before making any decisions about my future!’ She pushed back her chair. ‘Mrs Ancrum is stirring. It is time we were going. Perhaps, my lord, you will summon the carriage.’
* * *
When Tristan reached George Street he dismounted and handed the reins to the waiting servant. He did not enter his hired house, but stood on the flagway, pulling off his gloves and frowning as he watched his man lead the horse away.
The more he saw of Natalya Fairchild the more he liked her, but that did not make her any more eligible a match for his nephew. Katherine would want to know something of her future daughter-in-law’s pedigree and every avenue he had tried so far had come to a dead end. He could not even discover anything about the Pridhams, although they appeared to have a considerable income.
No one knew or was willing to divulge anything about Miss Fairchild’s natural parents and even Natalya had not been told. His doubts and fears might yet be allayed and she might turn out to be perfectly respectable, even an heiress, but the more Tristan saw of Natalya the more he was convinced she was not the bride for Freddie. They might be the same age in years, but she was far more mature.
Her interests, too, differed wildly from those of his nephew. Freddie was still finding his way in the world, whereas Natalya read widely and she had definite opinions. Marriage between them could only end in disaster. He was too much the boy and she needed a man.
Such as yourself, I suppose?
The thought brought him up with a jolt. He wanted to laugh it off, brush it aside, but there was more than a grain of truth in it. She attracted him—not just her beauty, but her lively wit, the humour that made her eyes sparkle with mischief, her readiness to argue her case, yet she was still willing to consider opposing points of view. Whatever else she might be, she was no milk-and-water maid, to knuckle down meekly beneath her husband’s thumb and he was convinced that husband should not be Freddie. In fact, Tristan realised, he disliked the idea of anyone marrying Natalya.
With something like a growl, he shook off the disturbing thoughts and made his way into the house. The footman who opened the door was startled into silence by having his master’s hat, riding crop and gloves thrust at him and commanded in terse accents to have a decanter and glasses fetched up immediately.
Tristan strode on, not waiting for the man to reply, and went in to the drawing room almost without check, only to come to a halt just inside the door.
‘Ah, there you are, Tris.’ Freddie jumped from his chair, grinning. ‘I have been waiting for you!’
CHAPTER SIX
‘Freddie.’ Tristan pushed his wayward thoughts to one side and nodded at his nephew. ‘When did you get back to Bath?’
‘This morning. Your letter to Mama, telling her you had taken a house in Bath for the summer, could not have been better timed. I had been there for nearly a fortnight and was desperate to get back here, so I told her I was coming to join you. I have seen Hurley and he has arranged everything, prepared rooms for me and my man and had the bags taken up. I asked for wine to be brought in, too. I hope you do not mind, Tris, but you must be rattling around here all alone and cannot object to putting me up.’ He noticed his uncle’s hesitation and flushed slightly. ‘I can always find a room at the White Hart, or the Star, if it is inconvenient.’
‘It is not inconvenient at all,’ replied Tristan. ‘I would have preferred you to give me a little notice, that is all.’
‘Excellent! I did not like to presume and told Platt not to unpack my bags until I had spoken to you,’ came the sunny reply. ‘But I will do so, as soon as we have drunk a glass together. What will it be, Tris, Madeira? Or the claret is very good, I tried a glass while I was waiting for you.’
‘Claret, then. And it should be good. It is from my cellar at Dalmorren Manor.’ He waited until Freddie had supplied him with a glass of wine before speaking again. ‘How is your mother?’
‘In fine spirits. I took your advice and did not mention Miss Fairchild to her, although I did prepare the ground, telling her I thought it was time to settle down.’
‘Oh? And how did she take that?’
‘Not well. She started planning parties for me at Frimley, to introduce me to the families there, but I told her I was not in that much of a hurry. I said it can wait until my birthday in October.’
‘Did you, by heaven! And what excuse did you give her for coming back to Bath? Oh, of course,’ drawled Tristan, his voice heavy with sarcasm. ‘You were coming to visit me.’
Freddie beamed at him. ‘Yes. Has it not worked out well? But tell me, Tris, have you met Miss Fairchild? What do you think of her?’
Tristan took another sip of his wine and pretended to savour it. He had been expecting the question, but still felt unprepared to answer.
‘She is very pretty,’ he said at last.
‘Pretty! Tris, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!’
‘Ah, but then, you have not seen very many yet, have you? Now don’t fly up into the rafters, my boy, I am only stating the case. Very well, let us agree that Miss Fairchild is beautiful.’
‘And is she not accomplished?’
‘Extremely.’
Freddie’s brows snapped together. ‘You are going to add a rider,’ he accused his uncle.
‘Merely that we know nothing about her birth.’
‘What does that have to say to anything? I love her!’
‘As you have told me, on numerous occasions,’ retorted Tristan. ‘However, as your guardian, it behoves me to know something more about the lady.’
‘Then approach the Pridhams and ask them. Tell them Lya and I want to be married.’
‘They do not encou
rage young gentlemen to dangle after their ward.’
‘As I am very much aware! However, once they hear from you that I am serious and that I have the means to support a wife, they will come around, I am sure. And besides, Lya will be of age soon, then we will not need their consent.’
Tristan said cautiously, ‘Have you spoken to Miss Fairchild of your feelings?’
‘Well, not in so many words. She is always so hedged about by chaperons that we have not been able to speak plainly, but she must know of it.’
‘She has never slipped away to meet you in secret?’
Freddie looked shocked. ‘Good Lord, Tris, Lya would never do anything so…so improper. How could you even think it?’
‘No, forgive me. But she has given you reason to hope your suit would be successful?’
For the first time in the interview, Freddie looked unsure.
‘Not as such. I did come close to declaring myself on several occasions, but for some reason or another the moment was never propitious. And her aunt and uncle are always so vigilant, we had no opportunity to converse alone for more than a few minutes at a time. However, now that you are here to support me, I will get to it as soon as maybe.’ He grinned at Tristan. ‘And I have another ally! I told Grandmama about meeting Mrs Ancrum in Bath and she has written a letter that I am to deliver to her. That will put me in credit with the old lady, I am sure!’
‘But not necessarily with the Pridhams,’ murmured Tristan. ‘Or my sister, when she learns of the reason for your return to Bath.’
Freddie dismissed this with a wave of his hand.
‘You mean my marriage to Lya? Mama will come around, when she sees how much in love we are. What objection can there be?’ Freddie finished his wine and pushed himself out of his chair. ‘Now, I’d best go and tell Platt to look out my evening coat and we can sit down for a snug little dinner together.’
Freddie hurried away, leaving Tristan to pour himself another glass of wine. Natalya had assured him she was not thinking of marriage. Until today. When he had asked her directly if she would accept an offer from Freddie, she had prevaricated. Was she waiting to know what her own fortune might be?
He shifted uncomfortably. He had not thought her mercenary, but if she was penniless then any marriage would be preferable to destitution. And then there was that portrait she had drawn of Freddie. It was too intimate and far too handsome, portraying Freddie as the man he might become, rather than the boy he still was. Surely she could not have drawn that if she did not feel something for the boy.
Tristan decided he must observe them together. If they were truly in love, then he would have to reconsider, but his instinct was to dissuade Freddie from proposing marriage to Natalya, to do everything in his power to prevent the match. The problem was, he suspected his judgement was flawed, because he himself felt a strong attraction to the lady.
Not that anything could come of that. He would not, could not become his own nephew’s rival for Natalya’s affections.
* * *
‘Well, well, my lord, do they not make a handsome couple?’ Mrs Ancrum nodded towards Freddie and Natalya, who were making their way on to the dance floor.
Tristan did not answer immediately and the old woman chuckled. ‘If one believed in Fortune, one might think it was more than mere chance that has laid Mrs Pridham low with a sore throat. When Mr Pridham told me that was the reason she was not at the morning service yesterday I was very sorry, of course, but then I saw your nevvy and Miss Fairchild stealing a few words together and saw how I might do the young lovers a good turn, so I sent a note to Sydney Place, saying I had a notion to look in at the ball tonight and offering to bring Natalya.’
‘Allowing him to stand up with her for a second time might not be the wisest thing, ma’am.’
‘Oh, tosh, there can be no harm in it. Why, you did the self-same thing yourself.’
‘Aye, and I am aware of the gossip that created!’
Another fat chuckle. ‘I told you, my lord, a man cannot sneeze in Bath without it raising comment, not but what everyone believes you came to approve your ward’s choice of a bride!’
‘The devil they do!’
‘And why not? Young Erwin never made any secret of his preference for Natalya. Speculation is rife. If you listen to gossip, which I never do.’
He grinned at that. ‘But you are not averse to fuelling the gossip by allowing Miss Fairchild to dance all night with my nephew, is that it?’
‘It is my belief that the more they know of one another the better. That way the affair will either fizzle out when they discover they are not suited, or they will make a match of it.’
An elderly couple was bearing down upon them and, with a nod and a smile, Tristan excused himself and moved away, leaving Mrs Ancrum to talk to her friends uninterrupted. She was right, confound it, they did make a very striking couple and danced well together. Freddie was tall, although still showing some of the lankiness of youth, and his partner, with her deep brown eyes and her raven-black hair, lustrous in the candlelight, was the perfect foil for his classically fair good looks.
The Pridhams were sure to hear that Freddie had been showing their ward an undue amount of attention. Tristan gave an inward shrug. He was not the boy’s keeper and Mrs Ancrum was right to let them have more time together. They needed to discover their true feelings and better they should do it here, in public, than stealing time alone together. He turned away. Good luck to them.
* * *
For Natalya, standing up again with Freddie was a mixed blessing. She knew her aunt would want her to refuse, but Freddie danced well and he begged her so charmingly that she succumbed to the temptation, especially since she could see Lord Fossbridge bearing down upon her and the thought of spending two country dances with him, listening to his ponderous compliments and enduring his even more ponderous dancing, was not to be borne.
If it had been Lord Dalmorren coming to solicit her hand, she would have refused Freddie, but Tristan had not approached her all evening, save to greet her when she arrived with Mrs Ancrum. Not that it mattered, she told herself as she skipped along beside her partner. She did not care in the least whether he danced with her or not.
‘By Jove, that was lively,’ declared Freddie, as the last bars of music died away. He held on to her hand. ‘Shall we sit out the next? I want to talk to you.’ He squeezed her fingers. ‘Please say you will, Lya. I do not know when we may get another chance like this.’
Natalya felt a momentary panic. He was going to propose to her and she would much rather he did not. When Tristan had asked her bluntly if she would marry Freddie, she had felt so uncertain about her future that she had seriously thought she might do so, even though she did not love him and doubted if he was truly in love with her. But when the two men had entered the ballroom together this evening, all her doubts had disappeared. She had known then that she could never marry Freddie.
Now he was smiling down at her, his face alight with hope, and her heart sank. However, there was no avoiding it now, so they had best get it over. She allowed him to lead the way to two chairs set a little apart from their neighbours. Natalya fanned herself nervously while Freddie, looking equally ill at ease, fidgeted beside her.
He laughed suddenly. ‘This is not how I envisaged this moment, Lya, but if I do not speak now heaven knows when we may have another opportunity.’
‘Oh, please, Freddie, please say no more.’ He looked at her in alarm and she went on, with some difficulty. ‘Am I—would I be correct in thinking you mean to offer for me?’
‘Well, yes, but I am making such a mull of it, aren’t I?’
She reached out and touched his hand. ‘Dear Freddie, that is not why I stopped you. You see, I do not want—that is, I do not think you should propose to me.’
‘Are you afraid your aunt and uncle would object, or that my own family would refuse
to allow it?’
‘I am sure of it, but I would not let that stand between us, if…if I loved you.’
‘And you don’t?’ His blue eyes were fixed on her. ‘Are you sure you could not learn to love me, in time?’
She shook her head. ‘I like you very much, as a friend, Freddie, but I do not love you. And I do not think you really love me. Not the deep, lasting love that is required for a happy marriage. No, let me finish,’ she said quickly, when he opened his mouth to protest. ‘I fear we should not suit, my dear friend. Our interests are so different. You do not share my love of art, for instance, or astronomy. And you only enjoy music if you can dance to it. You fell asleep during the last concert you attended in Bath, did you not?’
‘Confound it, Lya, what is that to say to anything? True, I do not like reading, as you do. And I cannot understand your interest in old stones or…or history, but I would be happy to go with you to visit the Royal Academy or the museum in London, or even if you wished to travel around England looking at ancient monuments and the like.’
This was said with such an air of dogged determination that she laughed. ‘I can see by your expression that the very idea of it fills you with horror.’
‘No, no, you mistake me,’ he said hastily. ‘I could learn to love these things, as you do.’
‘Perhaps you could, but why should you do so? I am sure you would be happier with someone else.’ She flicked a little glance at him. ‘Jane Grisham, perhaps. You have been friends for so long I think you would suit very well.’
‘No, how could you say that?’ he protested. ‘Lya, I knew from the first moment I saw you that I wanted you for my wife! I know what it is, you have seen how easy Jane and I are together and you are jealous. That shows you care for me!’
Smiling, she shook her head and reached up to put a warning finger against his mouth.
‘Hush now, Freddie. The fact that I am not at all jealous tells me quite the opposite. I am very flattered by your offer, but believe me, I cannot love you.’ He looked downcast and she reached out to take his hand. ‘I hope we can remain friends.’
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