“Of course it does. Did she not say ‘Papa’ this week?”
Sebastian looked at Prudence. “In a little while we shall be in competition with these proud parents,” he joked.
“And high time too.” Prudence returned his smile. “They are getting above themselves.”
Elizabeth ignored this gibe as her elder daughter stood upon the hearth rug and entertained the assembled company.
As the burst of clapping died away, Judith held out her arms and the little girl ran to her.
“What a lovely poem,” she said. “Do you know any more?”
“Don’t encourage her,” Perry groaned. “Kat’s latest pleasure lies in jokes. Some of them are more ancient than my own.”
“Serves him right!” his wife announced. “Who taught them to her in the first place?”
This brought a ripple of amusement from the assembled company.
“Do they not call it ‘hoist with your own petard’?” his brother enquired unsympathetically. “Be sure your sins will find you out!”
“Not so!” Perry sat down upon the rug. “Come, Kate. Let us play at spillikins. Judith will like that.”
“Not in her new gown.” Prudence protested faintly. “Judith, you must not allow Perry to persuade you—”
“I don’t mind at all.” Judith tossed aside her bonnet, and slipped out of her redingote. “There, I am quite ready, but I think we need another player.”
Dan was more than ready to oblige. He took his place by Judith. “Watch out!” he warned. “I shan’t care to be beaten.”
At the height of the game, none of them noticed when the door to the salon opened. Then a hush descended at the butler’s words.
“The Reverend Charles Truscott,” he announced.
Chapter Five
Judith sprang to her feet at once, scattering the spillikins in all directions.
Beside her Dan rose to his full height, as the Reverend Charles advanced towards them. With punctilious courtesy he bowed first to Prudence, and then to Elizabeth, not forgetting a proprietorial smile for Judith.
“Lord Wentworth, will you forgive me for intruding upon such a happy family scene? I am come to escort my little Judith to her home.”
“I…I thought you were much occupied today,” Judith muttered wildly.
“But never too occupied to consider my beloved.”
Beside her, Judith felt Dan stir. Unconsciously, she drew a little closer to him.
Sebastian rose to greet his visitor. “Why, sir, you are welcome,” he said smoothly. “We have been wishing for some time to make your better acquaintance. You are already known, I think, to Lady Wentworth and to my brother’s wife, Mrs Peregrine Wentworth?”
The preacher bowed his acknowledgment.
“Pray allow me to present her husband. And this, my dear sir, is my adopted son, Daniel Ashburn.”
“And this pretty little miss?” Truscott bent a benevolent eye on Kate, but the child darted behind her mother’s skirts.
“My niece. She is somewhat shy with strangers.”
This assurance was belied when a childish voice piped up. “I don’t like that man. He looks like a black stick.”
Perry made a choking sound, attempting unsuccessfully to turn it into a cough, but Elizabeth was equal to the occasion.
“Forgive my daughter, Mr Truscott. She is but a babe as yet.” Her expression indicated that she was uninterested in his forgiveness.
Truscott gave a hearty laugh. “Pray don’t apologise, ma’am. We hear the truth from the mouths of babes and sucklings. In my clerical garb I must appear formidable to a little one.”
Elizabeth gave him a perfunctory smile. She was undeceived. Left to his own devices the child would have received a beating. She rang quickly for the nurse.
“Such forbearance!” Sebastian said lightly. “My dear sir, pray sit down. You must allow me to offer you refreshment. A glass of wine, perhaps?”
Any thought of protesting that liquor never touched his lips died away as the preacher saw Sebastian’s bland expression. He understood at once. These people hoped to trap him in some way. He smiled inwardly. It would not be with a simple lie.
“Thank you, my lord,” he said. “A glass of wine would be most welcome. Then, I fear, that we must trespass no longer on your hospitality.”
It was a test of sorts and it succeeded. Perry drew forward a chair.
“Nonsense!” he uttered in jovial tones. “Now that you are here, we shall not allow you to escape.”
A glance from his brother silenced him, but the Reverend Charles appeared to have read no sinister meaning into his words. He glanced about him at the assembled company.
From the moment he’d entered the room he’d been aware that this aristocratic family had closed ranks against him. A quick assessment of any situation had always been essential to his survival. He wondered if they had the least idea how much he despised them and their kind. How he resented that inborn air of self-assurance, and their calm assumption of authority.
What gave them the right to think themselves superior? In his experience most members of the ton led lives which were notable only for folly and extravagance, protected by their wealth and their positions.
Could any of them have matched his own achievements? He’d dragged himself from the depths of squalor to the point where he was at least on speaking terms with the leaders of Polite Society. Given one half of their advantages it would not have taken him so long.
And even now, what was he, after all? A preacher, however fashionable, would not receive the invitations for which he craved. Not for him was membership of White’s, or any of the other gentlemen’s clubs which lined St James’s Street. He would receive no cards for routs and balls, nor be asked to make up a party for the Vauxhall Gardens.
Envy welled up in his heart as he looked at the Wentworth brothers, noting the perfect fit of their attire, and the fashionable haircuts. They seemed unconscious of the splendour of their surroundings.
Truscott himself was not. He’d never entered a more magnificent room, with its pastel-coloured walls, fine pictures and elegant furniture. The house in Seven Dials, of which he’d been so proud, now seemed to him to be furnished in tawdry fashion. All that would change, he vowed, once he was in possession of Judith’s fortune.
Now he leaned back, apparently at ease, and sipped at a glass of wine which was most certainly of excellent vintage.
Sebastian took a seat beside him. “We are most anxious to get to know you better, Mr Truscott,” he said pleasantly. “Your reputation has preceded you. You have blazed like a comet across the London scene.”
“And so unexpectedly,” Perry intervened. “With your gifts I wonder that we had not heard of you until a year ago.”
The preacher bowed his thanks for the compliment, but he was tempted to laugh aloud. So that was to be their game? Did they not realise that they were fencing with a master of deception?
“My early years were spent among the heathen,” he replied. “Alas, it was poor health alone which caused me to return to England.”
“How interesting! You must tell us more about your travels…” Prudence was moved to engage their unexpected visitor in conversation. She’d sensed that Judith was struggling to regain some semblance of composure after the shock of Truscott’s sudden appearance. Now the girl was on pins, knowing the family’s opinion of him.
Truscott himself was equal to the occasion. A fluent command of language was part of his stock in trade, and he’d taken good care to verse himself to perfection in every detail of his story.
Elizabeth could only marvel as his tales of distant lands poured out. She didn’t believe a word of them, but she kept her opinion to herself.
Dan was of the same mind. Aware of Judith’s pleading look, his bow to the preacher had been courteous, but he had taken no part in the conversation, and nor had she.
Truscott glanced at his betrothed. He favoured her with a loving smile, though briefly. Then he
turned back to Lady Wentworth. He’d taken great care not to stare at the man who stood so close to Judith. There was little need. He’d taken in every aspect of the fellow’s appearance at first sight.
His inward amusement grew. How like the stupid girl to give her heart to this nonentity! And given it she had. He’d known it from the moment that he’d seen her sitting on the rug, her face alight with pleasure. No childish game had caused the change in her.
The fellow was a blockhead. He hadn’t uttered a word for the past hour. Handsome, perhaps, in a fresh-faced guileless way, but that flaming head was an offence to any man of taste. So Mrs Aveton had been right in her suspicions. He’d determined to find out for himself, and when her note arrived he’d made it his business to pay a visit to Mount Street.
Well, they were certainly well-matched, those two, with not an ounce of character between them. If he’d needed any further confirmation of their feelings for each other, he saw it now in Judith’s face. She looked as guilty as if she had spent the afternoon locked in her lover’s arms.
Upon reflection, he thought it unlikely. Judith was far too much the lady to allow the fellow any liberties. In any case, he doubted if she had any notion of the passions which were his own besetting sin. Cold as ice, he thought gleefully, but he would melt her.
For just a second his expression was unguarded, and he felt Dan’s gaze upon him. Looking up, he felt the full glare of those bright blue eyes, and was shaken out of his composure. He rose to his feet.
“My lord, you have been most kind.” He bowed to Sebastian. “Will you forgive me if I take my little Judith back to her mama? At this present time Mrs Aveton is much in need of her assistance.” He couldn’t resist a parting shot. “Wedding preparations, you understand?” He sensed Dan stiffen, and was satisfied.
With one of the Wentworth carriages placed at their disposal he handed Judith up, and waved a farewell greeting to his host.
“Such condescension!” he murmured as they drove way. “My love, I don’t know when I’ve spent a happier afternoon. Your friends are charming.”
“Sir, I hope that you were not offended by my goddaughter—”
“The little Kate? Great heavens, no! I confess I was surprised to find her allowed so much latitude.”
He was quick to notice the frown on Judith’s face.
“Mr Truscott, she is just a child…”
“Of course, my dear. I meant only that it is not usual to find the young in adult company at that time of day. Perhaps these are the latest ideas. Do you approve of them?”
“Perry and Elizabeth love their children, as do Prudence and Sebastian—”
“Naturally, Judith. That is not in dispute. I understand, however, that it is more usual to have one’s offspring brought down by their nurse at a certain time each day, both for correction and chastisement.”
Judith was silent as a strong sense of rebellion seized her.
Truscott knew that he had said too much. Incautiously, he had exposed the iron hand beneath the velvet glove. Immediately, he sought to reassure her.
“Those were the bad old days,” he said cheerfully. “Now we must move with the times. I cannot fault your friends as parents. What a happy family they are!”
Back in Mount Street, the Wentworth family was looking far from happy.
“What a creature!” Perry said with feeling. “He’s much worse than we thought, Sebastian, you must agree?”
“I found his conversation interesting,” Sebastian said slowly.
Elizabeth looked ready to explode. “You won’t say that you believed him?”
“I used the word interesting, rather than believable, my dear. Some of his stories were familiar. He seemed to be quoting word for word from some of the travel books I’ve read.”
“The man is a villain,” Dan said savagely. “My God! Did you see the way he looked at Judith?”
“I did. It confirms my belief that we must go carefully.” Sebastian looked across at his wife. “My dear, you should rest before we dine tonight. Then we shall spend a quiet evening on our own.”
“Shall you mind?” Elizabeth asked anxiously. “Darling Prudence, we seem to be having all the fun, whilst you are tied indoors.”
“I am content, my love. A Government reception would not be my chosen entertainment at the present time.” Prudence stretched out her hand towards her husband and he kissed it tenderly.
Elizabeth nodded. She had decided upon a certain plan of her own.
Later that evening she left Perry’s side to go in search of his formidable eldest brother.
The Earl of Brandon greeted her with a show of affection which he reserved for her alone. Elizabeth held a special place within his heart, and had done so since the time when she had so nearly been lost to them.
“Well, Puss?” he said kindly. “I hadn’t thought it possible that you could grow more lovely, but you succeed in doing so.”
Elizabeth brushed aside the compliment. She wasn’t vain, regarding her startling beauty as an accident of birth, for which she could take no credit.
“Frederick, will you spare me a few moments for a private conversation?” she murmured.
“Certainly, my dear.” He led the way into a small anteroom. “How may I serve you?”
“It isn’t for me,” she told him quickly. “You remember Judith Aveton?”
“Indeed I do. A quiet girl, with a beautiful speaking voice, as I recall…So different from that Aveton creature who is never out of my home.”
“Quite! Frederick, we fear she is in trouble. You have heard of her betrothal?”
“It has been brought to my attention,” he said drily. “Why are you so concerned?”
“It is this man, this so-called Reverend Truscott.”
“The preacher? I know of nothing against him.”
“You would not,” she told him bitterly. “He has all the cunning of the devil which I believe him to be.”
“Strong words, my dear! Have you any proof?”
Elizabeth hesitated. The Earl had always stood her friend. Now she must trust him. “I can’t tell Perry,” she murmured in a low voice. “But the loathsome creature has made advances to me…”
The Earl’s face changed. “A man of the cloth?” he said in disbelief.
“It’s hard to credit,” she agreed. “But if you don’t believe me you should speak to Prudence. She caught him out in his own church.”
Frederick laid a hand upon her arm. “I do believe you,” he said quietly. “Have you told Judith?”
“Not in so many words. She knows, of course, that we dislike the man, but we cannot sway her. It is hardly to be wondered at. Marriage must seem to her to be the only alternative to a life of misery with Mrs Aveton.”
“Scarce a fate which one would wish upon one’s worst enemy. Judith may be right, my dear. Men have strong passions. Marriage may prove to be the cure for those.”
Frederick was a man of the world. He was well aware of the adulation which a fervent orator could arouse in the female breast. Possibly this Truscott had allowed his admiration for the ladies to go too far upon occasion, but doubtless it was no more than a foolish attempt to cling to a hand for longer than propriety allowed, or to indulge in a few glowing words.
“Frederick, you disappoint me!” his tiny sister-in-law said sharply. “Truscott did not pay me idle compliments. He was importunate. Perry would have killed him had he known of it.”
“And who, my dear one, is to be the object of my retribution?” Perry strolled towards them. “What mischief are you planning now?”
Elizabeth coloured and looked confused, wondering how much of the conversation he had heard. Perry was not the mildest of men, and any insult to his wife would not be overlooked.
“We were speaking of Charles Truscott,” Frederick replied easily. “Not one of Elizabeth’s favourites, I hear.”
“Nor mine. He is a shabby fellow, with an unknown background. Do you know anything about him?”
&n
bsp; “No more than is common knowledge. He has enjoyed a sudden rise to fame, I believe.”
“Too sudden!” Perry stepped upon the hem of his wife’s gown, and then looked down in horror. “Damme! Now I’ve torn your dress. I’m so sorry, dearest. Shall you be able to pin it up? Blest if I ain’t grown clumsier than ever!”
Elizabeth looked at him in mock reproach, and then she gave him a rueful grin. Gathering up her skirt, she departed in search of a maid.
“Clumsy indeed, my dear chap! Sometimes I wonder that your wife does not see through you.”
“Most of the time she does…”
“Well, then, since you wish to speak to me alone, you’d best tell me what is on your mind.”
“It’s this Truscott creature. I tell you, Frederick, there is something smoky there. Sebastian had him followed into the stews, and again to Seven Dials. We haven’t told Prudence and Elizabeth.”
“I should hope not, Perry. Knowing your wife, I believe she is more than likely to tackle him direct when he might simply be abroad on errands of mercy.”
“Mercy? You don’t know him,” Perry said darkly. “I, for one, trust Elizabeth’s judgment.”
“Quite right!” The Earl gave his youngest brother a slight smile. “It was always better than your own.”
Perry ignored the gibe. “Call it feminine intuition if you like, but the girls were appalled when they heard of the betrothal. We…I mean Sebastian…thought they were being fanciful at first, but now even he is worried.”
The Earl of Brandon made a steeple of his fingertips.
“You both believe you are right to interfere?”
“Frederick, you know old Seb. He ain’t one to tilt at windmills.”
“Unlike yourself?” came the mocking answer. “Well, what would you have me do?”
“You have sources which aren’t available to the rest of us. Will you not ask around? Discretion will be necessary, of course.”
The Earl was not often heard to laugh aloud, but now he did so. “I think I can promise you that,” he said. His discretion was a byword in Government circles.
The Passionate Friends Page 7