The Passionate Friends

by Meg Alexander

  Prudence had at first protested that Henry was too young to manage this alarming vehicle, but she had been overridden by a chorus of male voices. Now Dan and Perry were to take the boys in search of Henry’s birthday gift.

  The celebration continued with a visit to the New Mint which boasted gas lighting and a fascinating collection of steam engines. They were even allowed to watch the stamping of the coins, but by the time they returned to Mount Street the day was gone.

  Overwhelmed with expressions of youthful thanks, Dan went up to change for dinner.

  He would wait no longer. Tonight, he vowed, he would speak to Judith, if it meant asking her for a private interview within hearing of the rest of the family.

  He couldn’t hope that she would be allowed to remain with Prudence for much longer, although her fears that she would have been summoned home on the previous day had proved unfounded. He wondered at that. The Countess must, by now, have informed Mrs Aveton that he had returned and was squiring Judith about the town. It seemed strange that his old enemy should prove to be so unexpectedly compliant.

  This was far from true. Mrs Aveton had been furious, but mindful of Truscott’s wishes she had not set for Judith.

  Again Dan struggled through what seemed to him to be an interminable meal. He made a valiant effort to take part in the usual lively conversation, aware that Judith too was doing her best to play her part. Pale but composed, she confined most of her attention to the ladies, refusing to meet his eyes.

  Then Sebastian took pity on him. When the ladies had left them he cut short Perry’s enjoyment of the port with the laughing excuse that Prudence had taken him to task on the previous evening.

  As he left the dining-room he drew Dan aside.

  “Are you still of the same mind?” he murmured.

  Dan nodded.

  “Then best get it over with. You will let me know how you go on?” With that he led his companions into the salon.

  Scarcely able to contain his eagerness, Dan made his way to Judith’s side.

  “I must speak to you alone,” he murmured.

  At first she seemed not to have heard him, but Sebastian had drawn the others to the far side of the room, and he was able to repeat his words.

  Judith flushed painfully and shook her head. Then, with a muttered excuse, she moved away.

  “Judith, my dear, I wonder if you’d mind? Prudence has left her vinaigrette upstairs. I’m sure you will know where to find it.” Ignoring his wife’s astonished look, Sebastian smiled at their guest.

  As Judith hurried away, he gave Dan an imperceptible signal, and turned back to the others.

  Dan needed no second urging. He followed Judith from the room, and caught her at the foot of the stairs.

  “Please, I beg of you! Won’t you listen to me for a moment?” He took her arm and attempted to lead her back into the dining-room.

  Judith tried to pull away. “No!” she cried in desperation. “Please leave me alone!”

  “Not until you’ve heard me out.”

  “Very well, then.” Judith was aware of the footman standing in the hall. The man’s face was wooden, but the story of an undignified struggle would, she knew, be a source of gossip in the servants’ hall.

  She felt very angry, and when he closed the door behind him, she rounded on Dan with blazing eyes.

  “Must you put me in this position?” she asked coldly. “I thought I had made my wishes clear. I won’t listen to you, Dan. I’m tired of being worried and hounded and driven to distraction. Everyone knows what is best for me, with the apparent exception of myself.”

  Dan tried to take her hand, but she drew away.

  “Please don’t presume upon our friendship. Say what you have to say, and let me go.”

  “Won’t you sit down?” Dan drew a chair towards her, but she turned her back on him, standing very stiff and straight.

  “You aren’t making this easy,” he murmured. “I’m asking you to marry me.”

  She spun round then, and he thought he had never seen her look so angry.

  “How dare you?” she cried. “Must you offer for me out of pity?”

  It was Dan’s turn to lose his temper. “Do you think so little of me? I’m asking you because I love you.”

  “You have a curious way of showing it. I don’t believe you—”

  “But you must.” He drew the licence from his pocket. “Judith, we could be wed tomorrow, if only you will have me.”

  Her eyes fell upon the paper. “A special licence? You surprise me! Why this sudden haste? Since you returned I’ve seen no sign that your affections are unchanged.”

  Dan stood as if turned to stone. Sebastian’s prediction had come true. It would be impossible to explain his actions with any hope of success.

  “There were reasons,” he said lamely. “I mean…there was your fortune to consider.”

  “I still have it.”

  “And, Judith, I couldn’t be sure that you still cared for me. You were betrothed to Truscott.”

  “You didn’t ask.” Her voice was almost inaudible.

  “I’m asking now. Oh, my dear, tell me that you won’t marry him!”

  “So that’s it! You’ll have your way, no matter what. This is unworthy of you, Dan. Who are you to judge Charles Truscott? He, at least, does not pretend to a passion which he does not feel.”

  “Then you won’t change your mind?” Dan was shaken by her fury. Her face was set, and to go on would only make matters worse. He made a last despairing effort. “You are mistaken, Judith. I love you more than life itself. Will you condemn yourself to a life of misery with that creature?”

  “Stop! I’ll hear no more of this! How dare you presume to criticise the man I am to marry? Charles is good, and kind, and I want to marry him. I do! I do!” Bursting into tears, she fled from the room.

  Dan sat down suddenly, feeling that the void had opened beneath his feet. He’d played his part too well. Judith didn’t believe that he loved her, and now he’d never be able to convince her. She thought him merely mean and spiteful.

  If only he’d been able to offer her some proof of Truscott’s villainy. He had none, and that was the truth of it.

  In an agony of mind he cursed Truscott, himself, the Bow Street Runner, and the cruel fate which had kept him away from England for so long.

  Now he had lost his only love for ever. He buried his face in his hands.

  He hadn’t moved when Sebastian came to find him some time later. Dan felt a sympathetic hand upon his shoulder.

  “Well?” Sebastian asked.

  “She won’t have me. I can’t believe it! I was so sure that she still loved me.”

  “Don’t give up hope, old chap. This may be for the best.”

  “Oh, I know you warned me. I’ve only made matters worse. She said that I’d offered for her out of pity and…and an unreasonable dislike of Truscott. She won’t hear a word against him. What could I say to her? Now she’s more determined than ever to marry him.”

  “Judith isn’t married yet. Will you come back to the ladies, Dan? Prudence has been wondering where you are.”

  Dan shook his head. “Will you make my excuses? I can’t face Judith just at present.”

  “Judith has retired. She claimed to have the headache.” Sebastian rose and led his companion back into the salon.

  Judith had not lied. At that moment she was lying on her bed with her hands pressed to her temples in a vain attempt to dull the pain.

  The memory of Dan’s astonishing behaviour only made it worse. Two days ago he had rejected her, thrusting her away when he must have known how much she loved him. He hadn’t even tried to kiss her.

  Now it seemed that she was to fall into his arms in simple gratitude for being rescued from a marriage of which he disapproved.

  The sight of the special licence had disgusted her. There could be no reason for such unseemly haste unless he had determined to get his hands upon her fortune. His plan to interest Admiral Nelso
n in his drawings had met with no success. Perhaps he had given up all hope of a promising career.

  In her heart she knew that it wasn’t true. Dan cared nothing for her money, and he still believed in his own talent.

  If only he’d told her of his love when she’d thrown herself into his arms. She would have believed him then, but the pain of rejection was still with her.

  He didn’t return her affection, though tonight he’d tried to convince her. She closed her eyes in pain. It had been the coldest of proposals. Dan had made no attempt to crush her to his breast and silence all her objections with his lips against her own.

  Instead he’d been at pains to convince her of her own folly, her lack of judgment in accepting Charles Truscott. She’d have no more of it. Reaching out, she rang her bell for Bessie.

  “I’d like you to pack my things without delay,” she said.

  “Tonight, Miss Judith?” Bessie looked her surprise.

  “Tonight, or first thing in the morning. I must leave tomorrow.”

  “But, miss, I thought you was to stay? Won’t Lady Wentworth think it strange of you to rush away?”

  “Don’t argue with me, Bessie! Her ladyship won’t find it strange at all since the date of my marriage is so close. There must be a thousand things to do.”

  Bessie sniffed. “I’ll pack tomorrow, then.” As she undressed her mistress she made her disapproval clear, but Judith ignored her mutterings.

  She’d made her decision to leave and she would stand by it. Prudence would be disappointed, but she would understand. After all, this visit was intended to be short. Judith prayed only that she might be allowed to leave the house without the need to bid farewell to Dan. If that could be managed she would be wed before they met again, and safe from further persuasion. She felt that she could take no more.

  Her wish was granted. Sebastian had foreseen that she would wish to go, and had sent Dan off on some errand of his own. He had also warned Prudence that she must take Judith’s probable departure with good grace.

  Prudence obeyed him, though it went much against the grain. She held out her arms to Judith and clasped her friend in a warm embrace.

  “My dear, I’m sorry that I shan’t be with you on your wedding day,” she murmured. “I wonder…shall you like Sebastian to give you away? Mrs Aveton hinted at it when he came to fetch you.”

  Judith felt a twinge of panic. The suggestion brought the date of her marriage so much closer. Then Sebastian smiled, and she felt reassured.

  “That would be kind,” she said. “It is good of you. I have no male relatives, you see.”

  “It will be a pleasure.” Sebastian bowed, though he felt that the lie must choke him. He still hoped that Truscott would be unmasked. If not, Judith must be assured of his support. He couldn’t shake off a sense of deep foreboding, but his worries were not apparent as he settled Judith into the family carriage.

  Judith swallowed a lump in her throat as she was borne away. Parting with her friends had not been easy. When she saw them again she would be Charles Truscott’s wife.

  This fact was recalled to her attention by Mrs Aveton. Summoned to that lady’s presence, she was left in no doubt of her stepmother’s opinion of her conduct.

  “Of all the sly, deceitful creatures, you must be the worst!” the older woman shouted. “Did you imagine that I should not hear of your disgraceful behaviour?”

  “Disgraceful, ma’am? I am not aware of it.”

  “How else would you describe yourself? Don’t play the innocent with me! Will you deny that you spent the day alone with that…that pauper?”

  “We weren’t alone, ma’am. We had three children with us…Besides, I am not yet wed.”

  “Nor likely to be, if Mr Truscott hears of this. What will he say, I wonder, to the idea of you and your old paramour whispering and making sheep’s eyes at each other in dark corners?”

  “I must hope, ma’am, that his mind is rather more elevated than your own.”

  “Why, you impudent baggage! How dare you speak to me like that?” A dark flush stained Mrs Aveton’s face, mottling her nose and cheeks with dull red. “When I think of what you owe to me, bringing you up as one of my own!”

  Judith’s patience snapped. Tall and straight, she eyed her stepmother with contempt.

  “I owe you nothing, ma’am, except for some plain speaking. Since my father died, you’ve done your best to make my life a misery. I haven’t forgotten all I’ve suffered at your hands. I thank heavens that it is almost at an end. Carry your tales to Mr Truscott if you wish. It will make no difference. Wed to him or not, I fully intend to leave this house.”

  Mrs Aveton knew that she had gone too far.

  “You…you can’t do that,” she said uncertainly.

  “Why not? I now have the money to set up an establishment of my own.”

  A snort of disbelief greeted this remark.

  “Nonsense! Young women do not live alone. It would cause a scandal!”

  Judith smiled, but there was no amusement in her eyes. “Do you suppose that gossip would worry me? I have no fears of your mischief-making in that direction. Scandal harms only those who care for the opinion of Polite Society. I do not.”

  Her words struck a chill in Mrs Aveton’s heart. Her hopes of a share in Judith’s fortune were disappearing fast, and Truscott would be furious. If the truth were known, she was a little afraid of him.

  “You misunderstand me,” she said more calmly. “I was thinking only of your future happiness.”

  “Since when?” Judith turned on her heel and left the room.

  Her mood had changed completely and she now felt much more cheerful. When confronted, Mrs Aveton had collapsed like a pricked balloon. Perhaps that was true of all such bullies. For the first time, Judith felt in full command of herself. She should have spoken out years ago.

  With a fine disregard of all depredations to her trousseau, she decided to wear her most expensive gown that evening, and she made no objection when Bessie offered to dress her hair in the latest and most fashionable style.

  It was a subdued Mrs Aveton who was moved to compliment her upon her appearance. Judith nodded an acknowledgment, but she wanted to laugh. No such praise had ever come her way before.

  The Aveton girls gazed at their mother in astonishment, but she bid them sharply to get on with their meal. Then she turned to Judith.

  “Did you hear from the Reverend Truscott whilst you were at Mount Street?” she enquired.

  “No, ma’am. He sent no messages here?”

  Mrs Aveton shook her head. Then she forced a smile. “I think we need have no fears about him, Judith. With sickness it is never possible to predict the course of a disease with any certainty. It is much to his credit that he refuses to leave his mother’s bedside. For the present, his thoughts will be for her alone.”

  “As they must be, ma’am. I offered to go with him, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”

  Mrs Aveton was unsurprised by this news. Of a naturally suspicious mind, she’d never trusted her accomplice. What fool would believe his story? Truscott was not the man to waste his sympathy on the sick.

  This cock-and-bull tale about his mother’s illness was pure fiction. Only a guileless creature like her stepdaughter would be taken in by it. Truscott was up to something, and she would have given much to know the truth of it. Whatever his activities, she was convinced that they would not bear inspection. What a comfort it would be to have some hold over him…some threat which she might use to force him into keeping his part of their bargain.

  There was little likelihood of that. The preacher had always evaded her attempts to learn anything of his past life. Now she found herself wondering as to his present dealings.

  She wasn’t overly concerned. The avarice of the Reverend Charles fully matched her own. He’d surprised her with his willingness to leave his bride-tobe in these few days before their marriage, and with his obvious wish for Judith to remove herself to Mount Street, but he mus
t have good reasons. Charles Truscott took no decisions without giving them careful thought.

  She was right. Three days earlier the preacher had returned to the house in Seven Dials to consider all the options open to him. After much deliberation he had hit upon the solution to his problems.

  Margrave was the main danger. The forger was the brains behind the plot against him. He must be dealt with first. Cut off the head of a venomous snake and the writhing body of the reptile could do no further harm. Deprived of Margrave’s leadership, Nellie and her friends would present no problem. He could deal with them at his own leisure.

  And he would handle all these matters himself. His last attempt to dispose of his enemies had convinced him that he could trust no one to follow out his orders.

  First, he must get close to Margrave. It wouldn’t be easy. The man was as wily as a fox, and as wary.

  Truscott lay upon his bed for hours, until the answer came to him. Then a grim smile played about his lips as he remembered the old adage: “divide and rule” was excellent advice. He would follow it without delay.

  He threw back the coverlet and called to Nan to fetch his clothing.

  Her reddened eyes told him that she had been weeping. He’d used her cruelly the previous night, but she had given him no pleasure. She might have been a block of wood for all the response she offered.

  God, but he was tiring of her constant whining, and the endless questions about her brothers. She’d have to go. He’d see to it before the week was out, but now he had other matters to attend.

  Wrapping his cloak about him, and with a slouch hat pulled well down to hide his face, he set off for the parish of St Giles.

  His mother’s house was empty, but he knew where to find her. Turning into the nearest gin shop, he saw her sitting in the corner with her friends. As he had expected, Margrave was one of the party.

  “This is an unexpected pleasure, Charlie.” The forger gave him a sly smile.

  “I promised, didn’t I?” Truscott pulled out a leather purse and laid it on the table.