Charlotte

by Virginia Taylor

  “I have offended you and for that I am sorry. With which particular charity is my wife expending most of her energy?”

  “I ’spect that’s for her to tell you.” Harvey gave a stiff nod of his head, rolled up the steps and took his place back on the box.

  Nick walked to the front of the carriage and fixed his coachman in his eye. “Since she hasn’t, and I’m in blissful ignorance, I would like you to tell me.”

  “The house she bought for unwed mothers.”

  “Where?”

  “Stepney.”

  Although Nick kept his expression no more than politely interested, he’d been overloaded with information that conflicted with the facts as he knew them. Rather than instantly react, he decided to clear his head before investigating for himself more thoroughly.

  He read the morning papers at the club, he discussed politics, he ate a luncheon, he parried comments about the supper dance, and his apparently amusing reasons for being out of the house, and he stripped for a round or two of boxing. Then, via Charlotte’s house at Stepney, he returned home.

  The long, wide hallway floor of Alden House had been polished to a high sheen. A single table stood at either side of the dining room entrance, holding rows of sparkling, empty glasses. At the end of the hall, beside the wide curved staircase, columns twined with gold silk leaves separated the platform for the quartet from the dancing floor in front. More gold leaves trailing from tall vases had transformed the drawing room on the other side. The furniture glowed with lemon-scented beeswax, and mirrors gleamed in the gaslight. A faint tuning of strings began.

  Somewhat imbued with the moment, he bounded up the stairs. His sitting room was redolent with the scent of roses and his bedroom fresh with laundered linen. Thomas awaited him with a perfectly starched shirt, his evening suit set out, and his shoes polished. Charlotte set as high a standard for the servants as she set for herself. Nick’s insides crawled with regret.

  Apparently, Charlotte had dressed and was with Sarah. He could hear giggles and a few odd words. Ready and stiff with shame, he took himself downstairs. While maids carried bottles of champagne to the hall and placed them in buckets of ice, he kept his eyes on the staircase, watching for the ladies to appear.

  A carriage pulled up in the drive, and he prepared himself to greet the first guest alone, but Charlotte and Sarah, two visions of loveliness, sped down the stairs laughing with joy. Thomas moved to open the door, slightly flustered.

  “There you are,” said a familiar voice. Alfred stood waiting in the doorway as the two ladies threw themselves at him, laughing and talking at the same time. “I couldn’t miss this. Yes, of course I meant to come. Now, now. Let me be. I must go upstairs to change for our function.”

  Chapter 22

  As Nick waited in the long receiving line of guests, he knew he had avoided his former life for too long. Acquaintances from his youthful past waited to be greeted, and his smile became genuine long before he had completed his stance of duty. Charlotte, beside him, stood serene. Among the nods of approval, he noted glances and raised eyebrows expressing surprise he had won such a diamond.

  His most careful moment came when she was faced with Luke. Her greeting was polite, extraordinarily so, which in Nick’s opinion meant the man had displeased her. Luke, in turn, evaded her gaze, which confirmed Nick’s deductions of this morning. He hoped, in doing so, he could find some sort of redemption for himself. Lately, he had made too many mistakes about too many relationships. Now, he believed in Charlotte’s complete innocence. Perhaps on the trail to the whole truth, he wanted to know why he’d been misled and if Charlotte was complicit.

  The reveal would in no way change his feelings for her, other than to regret he had given her no reason to trust him. However, tonight wasn’t the night to confront her, not while she still owed him a good shaking.

  After the hordes of guests had moved past into the dining room and sampled the food laid out, the quartet began to play dance tunes in the vast hall. Nick had the honor of leading Sarah onto the floor for the first set while his father partnered Charlotte. Conversing during an energetic country dance was impossible, and he didn’t try.

  Moreover, he enjoyed dancing with Sarah, who looked exceptionally lovely tonight, her burnished head simply dressed, pearl earrings her only adornment with the cream satin gown. More than one young man, who may well have not noticed her before, took interest, and Nick knew her dance card was filled soon after she left the floor.

  James was only one of her admirers. Nick hadn’t believed she was hoping for a proposal from him. From the start, Luke had been her focus, and Nick had never been convinced by her faked disinterest. He’d warned Luke off, but apparently Luke hadn’t heeded him, either that or Sarah was determined to have her way. Nick didn’t care how the couple played out their romance, but somehow Charlotte had been involved. Now that her name had been bandied about at the club, Nick was involved, too. He wouldn’t let anyone implicate his wife for his or her own ends.

  Although rigidly sticking to his self-imposed role of the perfect husband and dancing with those left without partners, he didn’t lose sight of Charlotte during the evening. Few could. The simple, elegant lines of her gown, her glittering necklace, both took second place to the purity of her beauty. With her appearance overshadowing her accomplishments, few knew of her sterling qualities, Nick least of all. She’d given him a resounding lesson in humility these past months.

  Now, rather than tossing her on her back, he wanted to nurture her, hold her in his arms, laugh with her, tease her, and be her protector when she needed him, a role he hadn’t been encouraged to take, but a role he would assume this evening.

  Finally, he saw Luke pat his pockets and head behind the quartet toward the conservatory at the back of the house. Nick waited and saw Charlotte and Sarah glance at each other. Charlotte nodded, and like a wraith, Sarah followed Luke. If Sarah were about to be compromised, Nick wondered who her witness was meant to be. If Charlotte, she, too, would be compromised, and he couldn’t allow his wife to be involved yet again. Her night would come tumbling down and all her hope of social success dashed.

  When he saw Charlotte slip away, too, to the garden beyond the conservatory, resigned, he followed the trio out into the fresh night air where the half-light from a few lanterns winked along the path to the pond, lit more brightly. He couldn’t see Charlotte, but Sarah had managed to accost Luke by the glistening water, where two small green frogs sat on a drifting lily leaf awaiting the insects dazzled by the lamplight.

  Unfortunately, Nick couldn’t hear the conversation, but he saw Luke stub out his cheroot and turn to leave. Sarah screamed and Nick moved. “This is my cue, I believe.”

  Sarah stared at him, her eyes narrowed and catlike. “He was about to take advantage of me.”

  “You’d best rip your gown, then.”

  Her jaw opened. “This was expensively made by Millies’ Mode,” she said with indignation. “I would be a fool to ruin it.”

  Luke made a sound of derision and crossed his arms. “Don’t, not for me. I won’t be forced into any marriage.”

  “I’m sober now and a credible witness,” Nick said, holding Luke’s gaze. “As you were once.”

  Luke narrowed his eyes, but his foursquare stance said he was listening. “It would seem too coincidental to have cousins marrying for the same reason. Sarah will look foolish if she goes on with this.”

  “Is that what you want? For Sarah to look foolish? None of us are drunk tonight, and so I suggest we play this more reasonably.”

  “When I marry, it will be on my terms.” Luke jutted his jaw.

  Nick laughed with genuine amusement. “I think I might have said that myself, once, and thought I had decided on the terms. I have since discovered that it’s best not to tie oneself too tightly.”

  Sarah’s shoulders eased. Face plumped with relief, she moved to him and attached herself to his arm. “And so, without further
ado, we will leave this cad to his sad and lonely view of the female gender.”

  “Excuse me for intruding.” Charlotte moved from the shadows of the wall into the light where moonbeams played across the elegant bones of her face. “But the noise you people are making will be heard inside if we’re not careful.” She eyed Sarah. “So, Luke was about to take advantage of you?”

  “Not so.” Luke clamped his mouth. “Despite being given multiple opportunities. Sarah doesn’t seem to understand that when I decide to marry I will also decide on the bride and the time.”

  “He took my clothes off yesterday.” Sarah gazed up at Nick, her expression limpid. “He ought to be gentleman enough to propose because of that alone, without putting me to this trouble.”

  “I’m here to make sure he does marry you.” Nick patted Sarah’s hand.

  Luke frowned at Nick. “Naked or clothed, I have not taken advantage of her.”

  “I can’t know that because yesterday I arrived too late to see anything,” Nick said politely. “She had already left.”

  Luke examined Nick’s expression. “Yesterday you told me I was with Charlotte.”

  “The evidence pointed in her direction.”

  “How so?”

  Nick pushed Sarah forward. “Tell him what you did and why.”

  “He removed my clothes, not me.” Sarah glanced from Nick to Luke. “He placed them on his chair.”

  “Then what did I do?” Luke asked, his tone sardonic.

  “You certainly looked your fill.”

  “I helped you on with your clothes, and I sent you home.”

  “In the meantime,” Nick said, persevering, “leaving Charlotte hung out to dry by the gossip.”

  “What gossip?” Charlotte asked, looking for the first time at Nick.

  “I heard at my club that you spent the afternoon with Luke in his rooms.”

  Charlotte’s expression froze. “And your knowledge of me told you that was true?”

  Nick pushed his hands into his pockets. “As a matter of fact, no, but after questioning Luke, I had to conclude it was. Well, Sarah? Don’t you think it’s time to explain?”

  “My plan went awry.” Sarah’s tongue flickered across her lips. She blinked hard, her mouth turning down, and if she tried for more sympathy, he would shake her. “You were busy when I went out, and so I left you a note. You were meant to read it, leave straight after, and catch Luke with me. Charlotte knows about that, but she doesn’t know the note said she was with Luke. I didn’t think it mattered because after I arrived home, I realized you hadn’t read my note and so I grabbed it back.” She twisted her fingers together. “I wasn’t sure you would care if I were to be compromised by my own deliberate actions. I thought you might leave me to stew in my own juice, as it were.”

  “So that’s why you took my horse. I wondered.” Charlotte stared at Sarah, her eyes stark.

  “You wore her hat, and you took her horse,” Nick said, using a judgmental tone. “You left the mare outside Luke’s house for anyone to see.”

  Luke frowned. “That was underhanded, Sarah. I’m sorry, Charlotte. I had no idea.”

  Nick maintained Luke’s gaze. “Now you understand why I was somewhat annoyed.” He stood straighter.

  Luke nodded slowly. “Again, my apologies. It seems I’ve been rather dense. Since I appear to have ruined Charlotte’s reputation rather than Sarah’s, I suppose I’ll have to”—his querying glance met Nick’s and loitered while he considered—“make restitution?”

  Nick let the moment expand while he eyed his wife. “You will. You need to put this right…. The only way possible, remembering you are a man of honor and Charlotte is blameless, words I remember you saying the night of the Hawthorn’s ball.” He drew in a deep breath, which he held, hoping Luke understood.

  Luke eyed him, rubbed his jaw, and then creased his forehead. “You’ll need to have your marriage annulled before I can marry Charlotte,” he said, his voice uncertain.

  Charlotte gasped. “We wouldn’t be granted an annulment.” She looked over at Luke, her face a picture of shock.

  Luke’s glance flickered to Nick. “After a forced marriage of four months? I think you would.”

  Nick shook his head. “Not a chance. The marriage has been consumed. Do you know a tame judge?”

  “One or two.”

  “Consummated.” Charlotte stared at Nick, and kept staring, two lines forming between her brows.

  Nick waited, his heart pounding with hope. “If you can’t forgive me for my unfounded accusations and my jealousy, I’ll leave you to follow your heart.”

  “What about me?” Sarah asked, her voice hesitant.

  “This is about Charlotte, for once.” Luke sounded inflexible. “In this instance, you’ve made life difficult for her, and Nick and I must come to an arrangement. If she has nothing to say, I’ll take her silence as being amenable to a change of husbands.” His mouth relaxed, and his eyes gleamed. Nick knew he had his old friend back. “Let’s leave these two, shall we, Charlotte?”

  Charlotte cleared her throat and faced Nick. “I do forgive your accusations, especially now I know you would have every reason to think the worst. Perhaps Sarah owes me an apology for implicating me.”

  Sarah chewed her thumbnail, apparently not about to back down. “I’m sorry, of course, but in the end it makes no difference. Luke still prefers you.” Her lips thinned.

  Luke drew himself up. “I know you don’t like being compared to Charlotte, but she would never have done the same to you. She has supported you no matter what. As to whom I prefer…” He shrugged.

  “I don’t care.”

  Charlotte took a step forward. “Yes, you do, Sarah.”

  “I hate him.”

  “Me? And yet you were willing to trick me into marriage. I’m not terribly rich, terribly handsome, nor terribly clever. Why would you want me?”

  Sarah crossed her arms.

  Charlotte took a step forward. “Tell him you love him, please, Sarah. Otherwise I’ll have to marry him.”

  Sarah lifted her chin, her expression outraged.

  Luke inclined his head to the side, considering. “Before Charlotte and I leave, I need to be sure Sarah hates me. It’s hard on a man to be lured and rejected and then easily passed over to her married cousin.” He advanced slowly toward Sarah who stood, her expression changing to wary astonishment when he snatched her into his embrace. His mouth closed with hers as Charlotte glanced at Nick.

  He shrugged. “He needed to know why she implicated you.”

  “She thought he loved me.”

  “Excuse us,” Luke said, apparently satisfied with Sarah’s response. “I’m taking this wretch to the back of the garden for a moment. I think I’m about to propose.” He took Sarah’s hand and hurried her off. The sound of a soft laugh echoed in the darkness.

  Charlotte lifted her elegant chin. “Fortunately, you said ‘consumed.’ If you hadn’t, I would have thought you were serious.”

  “I knew you would pick up the cue. That’s one thing I love about you—your quick wit.” He advanced on her, hoping his role would be as easy to play as Luke’s.

  She put out a stopping palm, shaking her head. “Did you know that Luke meant to marry Sarah? A few hours ago you thought he was romancing me.”

  “He took off all her clothes, he dressed her, and he sent her home?” Nick shook his head with admiration. “And you think he didn’t mean to marry her? It takes great fortitude to reject an interesting offer from an appealing young lady, and Luke would only refuse a lady he meant to marry. He’ll make a worthy husband, don’t you think?”

  She nodded. “I suspected that if he didn’t want to marry her, he would either have taken her, or he would have sent her home still wrapped.”

  “Wrapped.” He laughed. “I suspect he came here tonight to propose. And I’m here now to make a proposal to you.”

  She stood perfectly still.
/>
  “I want to start again.” He took another step toward her.

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “Tonight is my night. Most of my life has been a preparation for tonight. I married you so that I could take my chance to bask in the warmth of society’s approval. If you will excuse me, I’m going inside to be with our guests.” As he watched, she straightened and walked off, chin raised with pride.

  The night hid her, and he strolled to the back of the garden, preparing Luke and Sarah with a cough. Perhaps Charlotte didn’t want him after all, but only the shield of his name. He sighed, not yet abandoning hope. Regardless, he had the responsibility of making sure of her continued success tonight.

  * * * *

  Charlotte noted the speedy return of Nick and Luke to the supper dance, a satisfied grin on each face and laughter lurking. If society had been gossiping about Luke and her today, Nick’s demeanor alone would prove the lie. Since her marriage, these two men, lifelong friends, had suffered an amount of antipathy for each other, and the reversal heartened her. Nick deserved all back he had lost during the past few years.

  With Nick to help Alfred as host, Charlotte had a chance to make sure the youngest maids had been sent off to bed and that the plates of food were refreshed. Cook had retired some time earlier, having to be on duty in the morning, but Mrs. Wishart was keeping an eye on the food, the consuming of which had almost ceased.

  “I think we can start to serve the ices now,” Charlotte told her, and the maids circulated with the refreshers instead of champagne.

  Sarah arrived a good half hour later, her hair freshly dressed and her face aglow with happiness. Now that Sarah’s marriage had been proposed, Charlotte didn’t need to keep the secret of her birth much longer. She wished she could tell Nick tonight, for her concealment seemed more of a lie when used for her own advantage. If Nick wanted to start again with her, he needed to start with the truth for anything less would be dishonorable.

  With a heavy heart, she danced, she laughed, and she moved through crowds remembering everyone’s name, everyone’s position in the world. Alfred retired just after midnight, giving the guests a hint that they might leave, too, and by the time the last guest did some two hours later, she knew her supper dance had been a great success and that her own part had been noted by the most important of the hostesses. If Nick wasn’t proud of her accomplishment, she was.