Charles sighed. “There’s a good reason for that,” he said. “Uncle Ernest has been as one dead to the family for many years. You see, when the brothers were young, Ernest tried to kill Sylvester so he could inherit the title and estates. He hoped to make it appear an accident, but he was rather inept and was caught in the act of attempting to shoot Uncle Sylvester. His intentions were to make it appear to be the act of poachers. The family had no desire to see him publicly tried for his crime, so he was banished from England with the understanding that he would receive a quarterly allowance and immunity from prosecution for only as long as he stayed out of England. No one in the family heard from him again, but a couple of years ago, I ran into a fellow I knew who had met Uncle Ernest. It seems he had married and had two children, a son and a daughter. I think his daughter is the young woman who is impersonating you, Merriana.”
“But why?” a frowning Justin asked. “Surely the girl won’t attempt to kill the duke.”
“No,” Charles said quickly as Merriana gasped. “I think the purpose is something much more subtle. You see, even if Uncle Sylvester outlives his younger brother, Ernest’s son will eventually inherit the title and the entailed estates. However, Uncle Sylvester’s fortune and much of his property were accrued through his own wise investments. That unentailed property and wealth he may leave where he wishes, and I suspect he will leave it to me and Merriana. Uncle Ernest, I am sure, suspects the same thing. Therefore, he hopes to pass his daughter off as Merriana so that she will inherit a portion of the duke’s great wealth. It then follows that Uncle Ernest must get rid of me, for I would inherit at least half. Do you recall how eager the impostor was to have me go to France? I would very likely have met with a fatal accident had I made the attempt.”
“Just as I would have met with a fatal accident had I agreed to go with that man today,” Merriana said in a voice that was less than steady.
“Exactly,” Charles agreed. “You were fortunate, and we must be extremely careful from now on. Both of us are in grave danger until our uncle can be stopped.”
“The problem is,” Justin said softly, “that we have no proof of any of this. Admittedly, it is fortunate that Jacques is in London, but his word alone will not establish Merriana as the true daughter of the Comte de Mérchan. And, even were we to find others in France who can corroborate his story, with this damn war on, we have no way of getting sworn statements from them that would hold up in a court of law.”
“You’re right, of course,” Charles agreed. “So what are we to do now?”
“You must go to Uncle Sylvester and warn him that his brother may be back in England, Charles,” Merriana declared. “If your suspicions are correct, Uncle Sylvester’s life may be in danger also.”
“I feel sure he’s safe as long as the impostor is with him,” Justin said. “If a chance exists of her being accepted as the real Merriana de Mérchan, Ernest won’t risk exposing her charade by exposing himself. What you must do, Merriana, is to disappear.”
“Now why should she do that?” Tom demanded. “That’ll only give the other gel an opportunity to work her way into the duke’s affections.”
“Merriana must disappear,” Justin explained, “because her life is in danger and because Charles and I will need time to track down and expose their uncle Ernest.”
“How delightful,” Merriana noted through clenched teeth, “that you are so willing to plan my future for me.” She was tired and shaken and not at all in the mood to stand idly by while others charted her life for her. “Perhaps you will be so kind as to allow me to know how it is that I am to disappear.”
“Why yes,” Justin said, inclining his head graciously in response to her sarcasm. “You, my dear Merriana, are going to become a French maid.”
“I certainly am,” Merriana replied, “just as soon as you, my dear Lord Cardleigh, sprout a pair of wings and start to fly.”
Chapter 17
Merriana was not terribly surprised to find herself the following day with her hair pulled back in a bun, dressed in a plain brown merino dress, and bouncing along in the common stage toward her new position as a lady’s maid. The Earl of Cardleigh and her own brother, she had discovered, were not only astute planners but were also expert manipulators when it came to getting their own way.
Charles had quickly agreed with Justin’s plan to hide Merriana at his own estate in the guise of a new maid for Antonia. After all, as the two men had pointed out when both Tom and Antonia had objected to Merriana’s proposed role, a new servant at Hilltops would not attract the attention that a beautiful and mysterious new guest would have done.
Merriana could not disagree with their reasoning, and she personally had no objections to playing the part of Antonia’s new French maid, but she could not like being left out of the plans to track down her uncle.
“After all,” she had pointed out to the men who were determined to protect her, “I am the only one who has actually seen our uncle. You will need me to identify him for you.”
“Not with Antonia’s description to go on,” Justin had assured her. “Besides, you must keep in mind that he knows what you look like and that he wants to kill you. Now be reasonable, Merriana, and go along with our plan for all of our sakes.”
Merriana had gone along with the plan, but she was still furious with Justin’s highhandedness. The blasted man acted as though she already belonged to him, and Charles behaved the same way. Well, she reflected, grasping for a handhold as the coach hit a particularly deep pothole, she did not belong to him and never would until she could be sure that he cared for her as deeply as she did for him.
Even Tom, she recalled with a grimace that startled the infatuated young farmer seated across from her, yes, even her dear friend Tom seemed to assume that the Earl of Cardleigh had a perfect right to order her life. In fact, he had seemed delighted with the notion that Merriana would be near the Drake and Cock so that he and Luke could keep a close eye on her.
Only Antonia’s reaction had pleased Merriana—and who would not have been flattered to have a young lady so eager for one’s company. Antonia had been delighted with the news that she would have a new friend at Hilltops. That the child was frequently lonely was obvious, and Merriana was determined to be as much company to her as her role as maid would allow.
She glanced out of the window and noted with surprise that the coach was much closer to her destination than she had realized. Time had passed quickly as she’d sat lost in thought, and she realized now that the coach was slowing for her stop, which was only a few yards away. She could already see Luke standing at the side of the road, awaiting her arrival, and realized that Justin must have visited him the previous evening to apprise him of their plans.
For Justin and Antonia had returned to Hilltops the previous day in Justin’s curricle, to give him a chance to placate the servants regarding Antonia’s disappearance, and to prepare them for the appearance of Antonia’s French maid. Charles had left at the same time to begin his search for the man he believed to be his and Merriana’s uncle, and Tom had stayed an extra day in Portsmouth to guard Merriana. Even as the coach slowed to allow Merriana to alight, she knew Tom, mounted on Antonia’s mare, was trailing the stage to ensure her safety.
Merriana had been told that Antonia would drive the gig over from Hilltops to meet her, so she had not expected to see Justin. But almost as soon as she stepped off the stage, he was at her side with a worried question in his eyes. She responded with a nod and a reassuring smile before turning back to call a farewell to the blacksmith’s wife who had befriended her on the journey.
Only seconds after the coach pulled away, Tom rode up and quickly dismounted. “No trouble at all,” he assured Justin and Luke. “Except, maybe, for this little mare. She’s not really up to my weight, but she’s got heart, I’ll say that for her. I’m going to take her straight to the stable so Billy can rub her down good. I think she ought to rest a bit before you take her back to Hilltops.”
&
nbsp; “Fine, Tom,” Justin agreed absently. He seemed unable to wrench his gaze away from Merriana, nor did she seem aware that there was anyone other than Justin nearby. Luke, obviously noting their preoccupation, announced that he was probably needed back at the inn and hurried away, leaving them alone beside the road.
Being alone with Merriana was what Justin had longed for, but he was now amazed to find himself feeling as awkward as a schoolboy. Had it been only three days since he had endured the agony of her rejection in the taproom of the Drake and Cock and had then vowed never again to allow his feelings for her to surface? But hope, he was learning, was a damn unpredictable emotion, pretending first to die and then flaming back to life at the slightest provocation.
Not that having held Merriana in his arms could be considered a slight provocation. Nor did he have reason to believe he was merely fooling himself when he found reason to hope she was learning to trust him after all. She had clung to him following her attempted abduction as though he were the only steady ground in a world rocking on its axis.
And after all, her world had not been at all secure during the last few weeks. Every time she believed she had reached a safe harbor, events had pulled her back into a sea of uncertainty, tossing her about as though she were naught but a bit of flotsam. Small wonder that she had clung to him. He only hoped now to be able to convince her that he was worthy of her trust. But how to go about it? Not knowing what else to do, he reached to take her hand and then began walking with her down the lane of dappled shade leading to the Drake and Cock.
Justin would have given much to know what was in her thoughts, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Hope reborn was still much too fragile to be subjected to unnecessary risks. But he was never a coward, after all, and realized that eventually, and soon, he would have to take the chance and learn if her reliance on him that evening in the private parlor at Portsmouth had been the result of the stress of the moment or perhaps the beginning of a deeper trust.
He stopped at last beneath the oaks that surrounded the Drake and Cock and placed his hands on Merriana’s arms to turn her toward him. He noted at once the wary widening of her eyes and silently cursed his past treatment of her that had left her less than trusting of him.
“I purposely asked Antonia to be late arriving to pick you up,” he said, having discovered that he could find no way to say what was in his heart, and thus must resort to the mundane practicalities that were on his mind. “I must admit,” he continued, “that I’m a bit worried. As you have had occasion to know, Antonia means well, but she’s impetuous and not nearly mature enough to judge when danger is imminent. I intend to tell her that she must watch out for you carefully, and I hope that by placing this responsibility on her shoulders, it will encourage her to be circumspect in her dealings with you so that your identity as her maid will not be questioned. In actuality, I’m depending on you to watch after her and do your best to curb any of her more harebrained schemes. I know I can rely on your common sense.”
Merriana was disappointed without really understanding why except that there had been something in Justin’s manner that had, for a few minutes, given her hope that his feelings for her had deepened. Obviously she’d been reading too much into his silence and into the serious expression in his eyes. She decided to hide her inconvenient longings with an attempt at humor. “I was not aware that you credited me with having any common sense, my lord,” she replied with a smile as she looked up into his face. That was a mistake. Her gaze slid from his eyes, which had warmed to a soft pewter color, to his lips. She couldn’t help remembering how, on that night in the kitchen of the Drake and Cock, those lips had seemed to draw responses from the very center of her being.
Seconds later, she had reason to fear that her thoughts had been written clearly in her eyes, for Justin quickly bent toward her, ever so softly touching her lips with his own. “I am undoubtedly a fool,” she thought as she placed her hands on his shoulders. His response was all she had hoped it would be. He pulled her so close that she could feel her breasts being flattened against the hard muscles of his chest, and she was amazed at the sensations flowing throughout her body. She opened her mouth to welcome the invasion that had once shocked her so much. His mouth again tasted sweet, like the liquid sucked from a honeysuckle blossom, and she tentatively pressed her tongue against his. He groaned when he took his mouth from hers and then pulled her even closer. “Merriana, my beautiful Merriana,” he murmured softly. “My precious darling. Why do you—?”
Merriana was not to hear the end of his question, for a pony neighed nearby, and she and Justin jumped apart.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” Antonia said as she grinned down on them from her perch in the gig.
Justin muttered something under his breath, which Antonia ignored. “Shall I go away again?” she asked, still grinning. “I delayed as long as possible. Perhaps you should have hurried a little more.”
“Perhaps I should have left you in Portsmouth,” Justin responded. “Or better yet, hired Isaac to smuggle you into France. Bonaparte would have surrendered within days on the condition that England take you off his hands.”
Merriana suppressed a smile and placed a hand on Justin’s arm. “Will I see you tonight, my lord?” she asked and then blushed furiously, realizing too late that her question sounded very much like an invitation.
Justin’s eyebrows shot up. “I wish you meant that the way I would like to take it,” he murmured. Then, as her blush deepened, he laughed softly. “I’ll be at Hilltops for dinner. You, of course, will have to eat in Antonia’s room, but I’ll come to say goodnight to her later, which will give you and me an opportunity for a brief visit. You will have had a chance by then to detect any problems that we’ve not foreseen in your role as a lady’s maid. That will be our last opportunity to discuss them for a few days. I leave for London early tomorrow morning.”
Merriana frowned. “I’ve been wondering if perhaps we’re pursuing the wrong course. It’s only speculation on Charles’s part that the man in Portsmouth was our uncle. What if he is my father as he claimed?”
“Then,” Justin replied as he grasped her hand, “he would not have wished to murder you, and his accomplice would not have referred to you as ‘Merriana.’”
“I suppose you’re right,” she replied with a frown, “but—”
“Of course Justin’s right, Merriana,” Antonia interrupted. “I could tell by that man’s voice, even through the thickness of a wood panel, that he was no more your father than Justin is. A person’s parent doesn’t speak in that tone of voice. He was wheedling at the same time he was trying to sound paternal. It was ridiculous.”
Merriana smiled. “You know, Antonia, I had never thought of it in quite that way. You’re right, of course. A wheedler trying to sound paternal could not be a father.”
“Obviously,” Antonia replied with a sniff. “Now, I really do hate to interrupt further, but if we don’t leave soon, we’ll be late for tea and Mrs. Chesterson will be furious.”
“Mrs. Chesterson is the housekeeper,” Justin explained to Merriana as he helped her into the gig. “And Antonia is right. You don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with her. Goodbye, my dear. I’ll see you tonight.”
When Justin was admitted to Antonia’s bedchamber later that evening on the pretext of bidding her good night, he was pleased to discover that Merriana had begun to settle into her new role. Unfortunately, they had little time for conversation because, as Justin was well aware, servants were always nearby in a house such as Hilltops and they would no doubt draw conclusions should he take longer than usual to say good night to his little sister on the day when her pretty new maid had arrived. He and Merriana had to content themselves with a quick handclasp and Justin’s hasty promise that he would keep her informed of any important information either he or Charles turned up.
“And if you have any unusual problems here,” he told her, “get word to Tom and Luke. They will know what to do.”
Then, long after Antonia had dropped into a sound sleep, Merriana lay awake on her cot in the adjoining dressing room and replayed in her mind all that had happened between herself and Justin that afternoon. “I really believe his feelings for me are beginning to deepen,” she murmured to herself with a happy smile. “And perhaps, after we have had an opportunity to become even better acquainted with each other, and when we have proof of who I am, he will once again ask me to marry him—and this time I can say yes.”
Chapter 18
Merriana’s euphoria lasted until just after eleven o’clock the next morning. She had floated through most of the morning, daydreaming during breakfast and humming as she went about the task of rearranging Antonia’s dressing room. She’d just sat down by the window to begin mending some torn lace on one of Antonia’s petticoats when the door was flung open and a gangling young woman loped into the room.
“Jane,” Antonia exclaimed. “Whatever are you doing here? I thought your whole family had gone to London for the season.”
“We had,” the young woman exclaimed, “but Sarah came down with a cold and mama demanded that we all return to the country where, she is convinced, the air is healthier. I’ve no doubt she is right, but who wants health when they could have London. Who is she, Antonia?” The unannounced visitor had stopped talking long enough to nod toward Merriana.
“Her?” Antonia queried with a hefty measure of assumed nonchalance. “That’s Marie, my new lady’s maid. Justin hired her for me.”
“Really!” The young lady was obviously impressed. “I wish Harold would hire a maid for me, but he would laugh at the idea. Of course, Harold is no Justin! My brother doesn’t even have a mistress, if you can believe that. It is really humiliating, but I honestly think he is just too stingy to support a lady bird in the manner they expect. Mistresses are terribly expensive, you know. She isn’t very attentive, is she?” Antonia’s friend was once again looking at Merriana, who had kept her eyes downcast.
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