Swept along by Theo’s aimless chatter, Hugh found himself back in his chambers before he knew it, with Theo waving off Murray and pouring them both a drink from the decanter upon the sideboard.
“There,” he said, giving the glass of sherry to Hugh, and settling himself upon the sofa. “Now will you tell me what troubles you?”
His grey eyes regarded Hugh’s steadily, and Hugh knew a moment of weakness. He could trust Theo implicitly, he knew that. He also knew that Theo would understand in the way no woman ever could, not even one so excellent as Emily, the depth of his need to hold Stanton to account and the turmoil of not being able to do so.
“It’s Sophia,” he confessed, turning away from Theo and placing his untouched glass on the mantelpiece. “She—I regret that…” He paused, because he did not know how to say this in a way that did not reflect badly upon her. He turned back to Theo. Had he seen an iota of judgment in his face, he would have said nothing further.
“She has been inveigled into rather foolish behaviour and I believe she may be ruined.” He turned away again, because he knew it was all written on his face. Sophia, so kindhearted and trusting, to be the subject of vicious slander and innuendo, and all because of that bastard.
“Who is it?” Theo was standing beside him and had cut straight to the chase. “Stanton?”
Hugh nodded. “But I cannot—oh, God, Theo, I cannot do anything to him because that would give veracity to the tale he is spreading. She allowed him to kiss her, that is all, I swear, but that is bad enough.”
Theo’s hand was upon his back, and though Hugh knew it did nothing to change the whole damned hideous mull they were in, it was somehow comforting.
“Will you tell me it all?” Theo asked.
So Hugh recounted the sorry tale, and at the end of it his ire was rising again. “How in God’s name can I let this go?” he demanded, his hands raking through his hair in frustration. “It’s a bloody thing, and he is the lowest type of bastard to bring Sophia to this.”
Theo pulled him into his embrace and held him there despite Hugh’s resistance. Hugh did not want some sort of false comfort. He wanted revenge, wanted action, wanted—
“Oh, God, I want to kill him,” he said, and he relaxed suddenly and laid his face against Theo’s shoulder. “But I cannot, Theo. I cannot.”
Theo’s hand was in Hugh’s hair, strong fingers soothing as they stroked Hugh’s scalp. “I know,” he said, “and it is damnably unfair, but there are other ways.”
Theo pressed a kiss to Hugh’s temple, then let him go and walked back to the sideboard to pick up his drink. “What are your sister’s plans for today?”
“She is to promenade in the Park with Lady Emily this afternoon. I don’t know about this evening.”
Theo stood considering for a moment before he tossed off the contents of his glass. “This is what we shall do. You are to tell Lady Emily and Miss Fanshawe that they will be riding in the Park this afternoon, and you and I will encounter them there. Miss Fanshawe is to wear her most fashionable habit and a smile upon her face, and all will be well.”
Unlike when Emily had said it earlier, Hugh found himself believing it.
“As for Stanton, leave him to me. You’re quite right, Hugh—you can do nothing without making things worse. I, on the other hand, have many options. Will you leave him to me, Hugh, and not allow your understandable desire for vengeance to lead you into anything that might cause more harm?”
It was not a rhetorical question, for Theo’s gaze was fixed on Hugh’s face, waiting for an answer. The very fact it took Hugh so long to furnish one made him realise that, despite knowing he should do nothing, some part of him had not yet relinquished the hope that he would find a way.
“Will you trust me on this, Hugh?”
As Theo’s eyes saw into his very soul, the turmoil of rage and helplessness and shame he felt, Hugh suddenly knew. “Yes,” he said, and the commotion within him began to ease. “I trust you, Theo, even with this.”
Theo’s smile was crooked as he turned to leave. “Don’t forget to issue instructions to Lady Emily and Miss Fanshawe immediately, and I will expect you at Albany for five o’clock.”
As soon as he was gone, Hugh scrawled a note to Emily. He asked her to reply immediately to let him know that she had received his instructions and to confirm whether or not Sophia was still with her and had also been apprised of the change in plans.
Once the missive was dispatched, Hugh sat back in his chair and felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He did not know what Theo had in mind—did not know what he could do—but with Theo by his side, anything seemed possible.
Chapter Fourteen
Theo and Hugh, who was mounted again on the smooth-paced Leander, had not long been at the Park when they saw Sophia and Emily entering by Stanhope Gate. Even allowing for the fact he was a brother and so might be expected to show some partiality, Hugh felt that Sophia looked extremely smart. Her habit was emerald green, which set off her copper curls, and the black military-style embroidery upon the torso and arms of her habit showed off her trim figure to the best possible advantage. The ensemble was topped off by a small black hat with gold tassels, from which a fetching green ostrich feather curled. The colour seemed to Hugh’s eyes to go well with the soft brown of the habit Emily wore, which was trimmed with swansdown. Already she and Emily were attracting much attention.
Theo was riding towards them, and Hugh followed, his glare enough to scare off a couple of young gentlemen who appeared most struck by the ladies’ appearance. With his usual grace and ease of address, Theo had Sophia riding beside him within moments, and it was not so long after that when her smile began to lose its forced look, until she broke into a soft peal of laughter at something he had said. Emily, riding alongside Hugh just behind them, gave him a small smile. She knew as well as he that it was not only Sophia’s spirits they had to worry about, but it was still encouraging to see her transformed from the distressed figure he had seen at Emily’s just a few hours previously.
Realising belatedly that any inspection Sophia was undergoing by the members of the ton enjoying the fashionable hour in the Park would be extended to those accompanying her, Hugh entered into conversation with Emily about her horse, who was as dainty and elegant as her rider. She also appeared to be conducting a flirtation with Leander.
“I swear there’s something in the air,” Emily said with a sigh once he had brought her attention to the fact. “All we need now is for your sister to fall head over heels in love with Colonel Lindsay, and this tangle would be beyond anyone’s wit to unravel.”
Hugh looked quickly towards Sophia and Theo. Sophia appeared to be enjoying Theo’s charming company, but there was nothing of the mooncalf about her as there had been whenever Stanton hove into view. Hugh relaxed as he realised Emily was merely roasting him.
“I think we’re quite safe on that score,” he said, “for Sophia has assured me that Theo—that is, Colonel Lindsay—is already in his dotage.”
“I’m not entirely sure where that leaves the rest of us,” Emily said, a rueful smile on her face.
At that moment, Theo held his horse back briefly. “Will you excuse us for a moment, Lady Emily, Captain Fanshawe? An acquaintance of mine has just attracted my attention, and I should like to present Miss Fanshawe.”
Had it been anyone but Theo, Hugh would have demanded to know more, but it was Theo so he merely nodded in acquiescence. He and Emily watched as Theo and Sophia rode over together towards a smart barouche parked beside the track, and then Emily suddenly gasped, before laughing in delight.
“Oh, that wretch,” she said. “Hugh, wherever did you find him? He is presenting Sophia to Countess Lieven.”
While Hugh knew of Countess Lieven—there was nobody in the ton who was not aware of the haughty wife of the Russian Ambassador, with invitations to he
r soirées so highly prized—he wasn’t sure why this seemed to provoke such hilarity in Emily.
“Almack’s,” she prompted him. “The Countess is a Patroness and able to bestow vouchers on those of whom she approves.”
She certainly approved of Theo if the smile that graced the Countess’s usually austere face was anything to judge by.
“Goodness, Hugh, if I were a less proper female, I might be inclined to call Colonel Lindsay a most shocking flirt,” Emily said. “But as I am a proper female, I shall merely observe that there appears to be no one who is not susceptible to his charms.”
“Yet you are not susceptible,” Hugh ventured.
“I would mislead you if I said I did not enjoy his company,” Emily said. “But you may rest assured, dear Hugh, that is all. I do, however, think he is a man of true genius. Do you see—Countess Lieven is all that is gracious towards Sophia, which means a voucher for Almack’s must be forthcoming. I believe the day has been saved, for who would give any credence to the utterings of a ramshackle fellow such as Stanton when the favour of one of the most severe Patronesses shines upon Sophia? I suspect any attempt at slander from Stanton is due to his disappointment that she has rejected his suit, and so I shall let it be known if anyone says anything to me.”
When Theo and Sophia rejoined them, there was a delicate colour in Sophia’s cheeks and she looked slightly starry-eyed. For an instant Hugh thought Emily’s statement about Sophia falling in love with Theo was true, but as she told them how gracious, how elegant, how truly kind Madame Lieven had been, he soon realised it was not that.
They continued along the Row, greeting acquaintances as they went, but before much longer Theo decided that they had achieved their object. Not that he put it in such crude terms, of course; instead he mentioned that they should return home in order to prepare for the evening’s festivities.
“For I do not know how it is with you ladies, but I swear Hugh will take at least an hour over his toilet before venturing out, and he must be complete to a shade tonight.”
Hugh stared at him. “I must?”
“Really, Hugh, you can’t turn up to a ball at Spencer House in any old thing, you know. Some attention on your part is definitely required.”
“You’re attending a ball at Spencer House?” Sophia asked breathlessly. It saved Hugh from asking the very same question.
“As are you and Lady Emily,” Theo said. “Hugh didn’t you tell you? Really, he is the most hopeless brother. I should make haste and ready yourself, and Lady Fanshawe also, for she will be chaperoning you.”
“I am sure she will bear up tolerably under the burden,” Emily murmured, and Hugh closed his eyes briefly, imagining his mother’s delight at being invited—in however roundabout a fashion—to somewhere second only to Carlton House in splendour and importance.
As Theo took his leave of Sophia, Emily took advantage of her mare’s liking for Leander to lean in close to Hugh. “I do not know and cannot begin to guess how he has done such a thing,” she said, her voice low. Hugh knew she had been invited to entertainments at Spencer House before now and would have more of an idea than he did the significance of what Theo had managed to contrive for them.
She moved her horse forward to bid farewell to Theo herself. “As always, Colonel, it has been a delight, and something of an education.”
Theo’s eyes glinted at her as he raised her gloved hand to press a kiss upon it. “The delight is always mine, Lady Emily,” he said, with a smile that left Hugh deeply thankful that Emily had declared she had no interest there.
…
Theo assumed on reaching Albany that Hugh would be coming in with him, and Hugh was perfectly happy with that assumption. Once they were in the sitting room, and private, Hugh looked at Theo; he didn’t know what showed in his face, but he felt almost awed by what Theo had done.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” he said. “It seems you have assured Sophia’s good name, and at great trouble to yourself.”
“Nonsense,” Theo said gruffly, pouring a glass of sherry and handing it to Hugh. “I always enjoy tweaking the tail feathers of the ton and seeing what results. Now, Hugh, you must tell me how your leg is after our ride, for I foresee a long and arduous evening ahead of us.”
“It is not so bad,” Hugh said.
“Which means it is not so good either. Come along, I will have those breeches off you again.”
Which he did, along with all of Hugh’s other clothes, as well as all of his own. Although he began with attentions to Hugh’s leg and in doing so gentled the dull ache, it did not take him long at all to turn his attention elsewhere.
Hugh was not inclined to dissuade him from that, for he wished to do for Theo what Danilo had done for him all those times. Hugh might not have Danilo’s skill, although he hoped very much that he would acquire it through more practice as he found the entire experience to be just as pleasurable from this side as from the other, but Theo was evidently satisfied with his efforts, crying out Hugh’s name as he spent himself. Afterwards, Theo kissed him, again and again, as though he could not get enough of him.
Eventually, however, Theo drew back from Hugh and sighed slightly. “I suppose we must make ready,” he said reluctantly. “I don’t know why I ever thought going out this evening was a good idea. I would far rather stay here with you.”
“We don’t have to stay for so very long, do we?” Hugh asked hopefully.
“Oh, Hugh,” Theo said as he stood up from the bed. “You cannot leave early from Spencer House without committing a major solecism. I’m afraid we’re in for a full night of it, and no mistake—Ciudad Rodrigo was a picnic compared to what this will be. Which reminds me, you are to wear your uniform tonight. This is about making Sophia’s presence known, and you are not permitted to hide.”
Hugh stared at Theo, nonplussed.
Theo glanced up from where he was picking up Hugh’s clothes for him and placing them on a chair—a small thoughtfulness that Hugh greatly appreciated, for his leg was not well suited to bending down—and looked at him. “That’s why you don’t go in uniform to these things, is it not?”
Hugh shrugged slightly, not quite comfortable with realising that Theo understood him so well.
“I thought as much. So tonight, Captain Fanshawe, you will make your regiment proud. And you will wear your uniform with just as much pride as you feel for the delightful young lady that is your sister.”
Hugh found himself dressed, dismissed and walking home again, all with scarcely a notion of how it had come to be. He wondered what would happen if Emily were ever to cross swords with Theo—he could not tell which of them would prevail. He swiftly decided he did not wish to know because he was not entirely sure the world would survive such a meeting.
…
When the Fanshawe party was admitted to Spencer House, Hugh’s heart sank at what awaited him: the flights of stairs ascending from the stair hall were of a length entirely in keeping with the size of the place. Doubly thankful now for Theo’s earlier attentions to his leg, Hugh took a deep breath and began his laborious ascent.
Fortunately his mother was far too taken with the grandeur of the house to find a problem with his slow pace. She seemed indeed to find it a boon, for it gave her plenty of time to enjoy the detailing of the trompe l’oeil balustrade to which Hugh was gripping so tightly, as well as the great Venetian lantern suspended from the vaulted ceiling, with its statuettes of naked men which, at another time, Hugh might have enjoyed. And Sophia kept an easy flow of conversation going which also managed to distract her. By the time they reached the receiving line, Hugh’s bad leg was trembling slightly from the effort, but that didn’t matter for there would be, according to Theo, many more hours to go before he had to descend the same stairs.
The ballroom was everything his mama’s heart could have desired, and more. The grand coffered ceiling boasted a
series of shallow domes and bronzed medallions shown off in the brilliant light from the many chandeliers, while extravagant displays of fresh flowers filled the air with their perfume. He left his mama—who knew better than to show too clearly her very great pleasure—with Sophia, while he began to make a circuit of the room, just in case Theo had arrived before them. Or Emily, of course. Unfortunately, his mama’s eagerness meant they had arrived quite early, so Hugh ended up engaged in any number of empty conversations while he waited for Theo.
They had been there perhaps an hour before Theo was announced. Hugh looked up from where he was trapped in conversation with the Dowager Countess of Royston—he did not know if he possessed particularly bad luck or if she made a point of seizing upon him—and as he saw Theo, his breath caught in his throat.
He was used to seeing him in his Rifles uniform, which suited him as Hugh thought nothing else could. But tonight he had shed his military self and was unmistakably here as son of the Earl of Badbury. His choice of clothing was not exceptional—he had the silk waistcoat, long-tailed coat, satin knee breeches and silk stockings modelled by every other gentleman in the room—but he was set unmistakably apart by the way they made him look. The beautifully fitted clothes left no doubt that beneath the quiet elegance there was a very male, very strong and wonderful body. He was causing many more heads than just Hugh’s to turn.
Hugh suddenly realised he was staring and returned his attention to the Dowager. Thankfully she seemed not to have noticed that she had ever lost his attention, for she was still talking of her son. Some time later, he managed to speak long enough to offer to fetch her a glass of orgeat, and she allowed him to leave. He bumped into Theo on his way. It was not, he suspected, coincidental.
A Minor Inconvenience Page 11