Ros nodded. ‘We cannot say that she was left for dead in my rooms. He would deny all knowledge of how she came to be there even if we did find a way to bring it into the conversation.’
‘Damned rogue has outwitted us,’ Aitken growled, not apologising for his language. ‘There is nothing we can do.’
‘Papa!’
‘Stay out of this, Jemima. It is nothing to do with you.’ Aitken absently tugged at his moustache. ‘I shall just have to take Annabel home and allow her time to recover. Hopefully nothing will come of…well, of her indiscretion.’
‘You can’t take her home, Papa. She is still convinced that Quinn loves her and is determined to see him. Mama will never be able to keep her at home. She will find a way to slip out.’
‘You could—’
‘No, Papa, I could not.’ Jemima sent her father a look of cool determination. ‘I am not my sister’s keeper.’
‘She must stay here for another day or two,’ Lady Torbay said, the voice of calm reason that deflated a dispute between father and daughter that seemed likely to escalate. ‘My party will go ahead this evening. It’s too late to cancel now and if Riley has played his part then Quinn will be here. There might be nothing we can do to prove his perfidy but we can put on a united front and pretend that nothing untoward has occurred. Call his bluff, in other words. If nothing else, that might frustrate him. We shall require your attendance, Mr Aitken. Needless to say, Annabel will not know that Quinn is in the house. He will know that she is here, but he won’t be permitted to get anywhere near her.’
‘I’m not sure what purpose that will serve,’ Aitken said ungraciously.
‘Nevertheless,’ Jake intercepted, a hard edge to his voice, ‘I am sure you are grateful to my wife for putting herself to so much trouble.’
‘Oh, absolutely.’
The reprimand reminded Aitken of his manners and he said all the right things to Lady Torbay.
‘Then you will see the importance of your attending this evening and making it seem as though everything is normal,’ Jake said when Aitken ran out of words.
‘Your argument holds merit, but—’
‘Your daughter was almost murdered, man!’ Jake said, losing patience with Aitken’s political dithering. ‘Put your family’s interests first for once.’
‘Yes, quite.’ Aitken cleared his throat. ‘I will go up and see her now, then I am expected in Westminster.’
Parker materialised to show Aitken the way, leaving the occupants of the drawing room sitting in an uneasy silence. Ros glanced at Jemima whom, he was pleased to notice, had entered the room clutching the ball he had given her inconspicuously in her left hand. She had been squeezing it quite violently during the course of her conversation with her father. He wondered if it helped to temper her anger and disappointment at her father’s self-serving attitude. For his own part, Ros was so disgusted with Aitken’s behaviour that he could barely trust himself to speak.
‘He must think of the broader picture, I suppose.’ It was Lady Torbay who broke the uneasy silence.
‘When does he not,’ Jemima replied in a tone of forced joviality. ‘One has to admire his dedication to duty, doesn’t one?’
‘He is right in one respect,’ Jake said pensively. ‘There is nothing we can do to goad Quinn into admitting what he did without playing straight into his hands.’
‘Unfortunately,’ Ros said with a significant look for Jemima, ‘I must agree with you.’
‘Do you always give up so easily?’ she asked him, raising a challenging brow.
‘Never. Not when there is something that I especially want,’ Ros replied, focusing his gaze on Jemima’s lips. Her tongue darted out and nervously moistened them, obliging Ros to stifle a frustrated groan. ‘However, I have also learned the value of patience. Give Quinn enough rope and he will eventually hang himself.’
‘Because he is arrogant, self-assured and doesn’t accept failure?’ Lady Torbay asked.
‘He didn’t expect to gain as much support for his cause in America as has been the case, which has made him over-confident,’ Jake said. ‘The ploy with Annabel has failed, which is unfortunate for him since the two obstacles that he most particularly wishes to remove are Aitken and your father, Ros. If he had succeeded with Annabel, he would have got rid of both in one fell swoop.’
Ros nodded his agreement. ‘He will be frustrated not to have done what he set out to do, which was primarily to force my father’s hand. He has probably reassured those financing his escapades that he would manage to rally the Irish peasants to his cause and push for an independent Ireland, so he will not allow one failure to prevent him from trying again. Which means,’ he added, again looking meaningfully at Jemima, ‘that he will now forget about your family and concentrate upon mine. So you do not need to involve yourself.’
‘Me, my lord?’ she asked in a deceptively innocent voice that only served to increase Ros’s suspicions. ‘What can a helpless female possibly hope to achieve?’
‘Precisely my point. Anyway, I have a few irons of my own in the fire. I await news from Boston, where a couple of men who report to me are making enquiries about Quinn’s lifestyle there. It is a very extravagant one, I’m told, and I cannot help wondering how he finances it.’
‘Let’s hope you get word sooner rather than later,’ Jake said. ‘Time is of the essence.’
‘If there is something to find, my people will find it. Never fear.’
‘This entire situation with the Irish, and Quinn here stirring the pot, is like a powder keg set to blow.’
Parker returned and told them that Aitken had left.
‘Good of him to take his leave of us and express his thanks,’ Jake said with a wry smile.
‘He only stayed with the gal for five minutes,’ Parker said, ‘and then rushed off as though his tail was on fire, and with a face like thunder.’
‘Annabel has visible bruises on her arms that couldn’t have got there if she wasn’t held down…or restrained somehow,’ Jemima said with a weak smile. ‘Papa couldn’t avoid seeing them and the reminder of his favourite daughter’s fate will not have sat well with him.’
Ros wanted to remain and talk alone with Jemima. To reassure her that she was worth ten of the vain Annabel and somehow convince her to steer well clear of Quinn at that evening’s party. But he knew that she was too stubborn to listen to his advice, even if he could get her alone to deliver it. The only alternative, he decided, was not to allow her out of his sight that evening. Someone had to protect the impulsive, headstrong, opinionated chit from her own folly and Ros had decided to appoint himself to that role.
‘Have you warned your father that Quinn is out to make trouble for him?’ Jake asked. ‘I feel persuaded that he will have men infiltrating the ranks of your tenants, attempting to cause dissatisfaction and division.’
‘Or using bribery, calling upon their loyalty as Irishmen and so forth?’ Ros nodded. ‘We knew it would happen even before we became aware of Quinn’s shenanigans. Despite my father’s efforts to help them to help themselves, his tenants still have legitimate grounds for complaint about the way they have been treated—or more to the point, forgotten by the government here in London and left to either starve or scrape together sufficient money to emigrate. So far, none of them have gone over to Quinn’s side, but we are not blind to the likelihood of it happening soon enough if his drive gains momentum.’
‘It is a great pity that they have been treated so shabbily. I feel ashamed to be English sometimes,’ Jemima said, looking upset. ‘I hope Papa did not advise against helping the poor people.’
‘Your father, all the senior members of the government for that matter, think first of the interests of the party’s grandees,’ Jake said. ‘It has ever been thus with politicians, I’m afraid. I am sure men initially go into public life with good intentions, hoping to make a difference, but I have yet to meet one who has not been swept away by heady feelings of p
ower that cause him to forget his original reasons for wanting to be elected.’
‘Will Mr Aitken inform Thorndike of the latest developments?’ Lady Torbay asked her husband. ‘Will you? After all, you did say that you would attempt to find her when he asked you to look into her disappearance. Has anyone thought to tell him that she is found? Much as I dislike the man, when it comes to skulduggery, he is a master in the art and probably more than a match for Quinn.’
‘Good point, my love,’ Jake said. ‘I had quite forgotten about him, but I will call and see him this morning.’
‘I too have business that I must attend to,’ Ros said, preparing to take his leave. ‘But I shall have the pleasure of seeing you all again this evening.’ He took Jemima’s hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘Behave yourself if you possibly can,’ he said in an undertone. ‘I have not finished with you yet.’
*
Jemima and Olivia stood side by side and watched the broad expanse of Ros’s back as he took his leave.
‘His energy is quite exhausting,’ Jemima complained, resisting the urge to fan herself. Aware of Olivia’s faintly amused expression, she felt the need to explain the fluster he had created with his rasping threat. Or had it been a promise? It wouldn’t do for Olivia to get the wrong idea about the nature of their relationship, although it would be all Ros’s fault if she did. He really was the most annoyingly provocative man she had ever known—one who enjoyed playing games in order to prove some sort of elusive point.
Olivia chuckled. ‘He is a young man with a wrong to right. Clearly he is very concerned about his father and feels torn between his duties here and his need to be in Ireland. Personally, I think he can be of more use here, where the main threat to his father’s security is stirring up trouble.’
‘For someone with so many duties awaiting his attention, he appears to have plenty of leisure time to devote to your husband.’
‘Ah, Jake. Yes, he would be the attraction.’ Olivia sent Jemima a knowing smile that only served to increase her embarrassment. She decided not to argue the point for fear of increasing Olivia’s suspicions and was glad when Olivia herself changed the subject. ‘’Now, what shall we do today?’
‘Oh, please don’t trouble yourself on my account. I am sure you have a dozen preparations to attend to for this evening’s party. I shall sit with Annabel for a while. She despises her own company and will, for once, be glad of mine.’
‘She won’t be left alone. A maid will always be with her.’
‘Even so, she is thoroughly out of sorts, which is hardly surprising. I feel almost sorry for her, despite the fact that she is partly to blame for the situation in which she finds herself.’
‘If she had not agreed to meet Quinn…’
‘Precisely. But still, she did not deserve to be violated, poisoned and left to die.’ Jemima tilted her head in a contemplative manner, attempting to be fair. ‘I can quite see how she would have been swept off her feet by a man of Quinn’s experience and determination, to say nothing of his popularity. I hear he is very handsome and could entice the birds out of the trees with his lazy Irish charm, which is partly why he is so successful, I expect. He draws people in, makes them feel that whatever they say is fascinating, and Annabel adores thinking that she is fascinating, especially when she has been singled out by a man that all the other ladies want to attract. It wouldn’t occur to her that she was being manipulated.’ Jemima wondered if she ought to have expressed more sympathy. ‘You probably think that I am a very unfeeling sister, but I can assure you that I have good reason for doubting anything that Annabel says or does.’
‘I am perfectly sure that you do.’ Olivia squeezed Jemima’s arm. ‘We can choose our friends but not our relations, and I have more reason than most to be aware that relations can be self-serving and manipulative. But we must all do our duty, so go along and sit with her if you feel you must.’ Olivia smiled. ‘I do have one or two last minute arrangements to attend to. The servants are perfectly capable and I will probably be more of a hinderance than a help to them. Even so, I had best show my face. I will see you for luncheon, if not before, and this afternoon we will decide which gown you should wear to the party.’
‘There’s no need to put yourself out on my account.’ Jemima gave a sheepish smile, thinking it better not to admit that she hadn’t given her evening attire a passing thought. ‘I can wear the same gown as last night. No one will notice me.’
‘Out of the question.’ Olivia pinched her cheek. ‘Besides, I get the impression that you would rather like to be noticed this evening.’
Jemima shook her head, at a loss for words, and tripped lightly up the stairs. Her mother looked upon her antipathy towards Annabel as spite but Olivia, with whom she was barely acquainted, had seemed sympathetic, as though she understood the situation better than Jemima herself did. She felt duty bound to bear Annabel company, knowing that if the situation were reversed Annabel would only call upon her in order to triumph at Jemima’s fall from grace. Jemima would do her very best to rise above such pettiness.
She let herself into her sister’s room to find that she had just emerged from the bathroom that linked her room to Jemima’s. Her hair had been washed and Annabel herself was clad in a fresh nightgown covered by a robe.
‘Oh, there you are.’ Annabel sat in front of the glass as a maid pulled a brush through her tangled hair. Her eyes were dull, listless. ‘I thought you were too busy with your new friends to spare me a moment of your precious time.’
‘If you were not expecting me then I shall leave you again and you can find someone else to take your bad temper out on.’ Jemima perched casually on the window seat and watched her sister who, unsurprisingly, seemed to have lost her sparkle, if not the acerbic tongue she reserved for Jemima. ‘I have better things to do than to fight with you.’
‘Sorry.’
Jemima blinked. ‘I beg your pardon. Did you just apologise to me? You must excuse me if I seem surprised, but I don’t recall your ever feeling the need to apologise for anything you have ever said or done to offend me in the past.’
Annabel dismissed the maid with a careless flick of one hand, not bothering to thank her. The moment the door closed behind her, Annabel burst into tears. That was a far more common occurrence, and Jemima remained unmoved by the spectacle. Other than handing her sister a handkerchief, she stayed where she was, glancing out of the window at Lord Torbay’s orderly garden, observing signs of life in it at the start of a new season and imagining how glorious it must look in full bloom.
‘My life is ruined!’ Annabel sobbed.
She was in the right of it, but agreeing with Annabel would promote further hysterics, so Jemima decided to remain silent on the point.
‘Papa is disappointed in me. He actually said as much, when he must have been able to see how sensitive I feel.’ Annabel widened her tear-stained eyes. ‘I could scarce believe that he would blame me for anything. I tried to explain but he thought I was being dishonest, I am absolutely sure of it. And then he muttered something and stormed out.’
‘Perhaps you should not have absconded with one of his political enemies,’ Jemima suggested without an ounce of sympathy in her tone. ‘How did you imagine he would react, or did you not stop to consider his feelings?’
Annabel threw one hand dramatically in the air. ‘Oh, I would not expect you to understand.’
‘Then why talk to me about it?’ Jemima sighed. ‘I feel very sorry for you, Annabel. This is not entirely your fault. I know you would not willingly have offered yourself to Quinn before you had his ring on your finger.’ Jemima knew no such thing but decided to give her sister the benefit of the doubt. ‘But the sooner you accept that he took advantage of you and then left you to die in another man’s bed, the sooner you will get over your infatuation with the horrible man and recover your spirits. We can then look for a way to weather this setback.’
‘There is no way. Not without Fergus. I don’t beli
eve what you say about him,’ she said sullenly. ‘Everyone is jealous of his zeal. He has the courage of his convictions and sets his own aspirations aside in favour of his cause. If he did not, we would be married by now.’
‘Not without Papa’s consent you would not. You are under age.’
‘Oh, I can see how it must look to you, but you don’t know how kind, how considerate he can be. He cares so very deeply for the plight of his fellow Irishmen, which is more than can be said for Papa.’ Jemima raised a brow. Those were the first words that Annabel had uttered in a very long time that had truly surprised Jemima, although perhaps they should not have. Clearly, Quinn had done a good job of indoctrinating her to his way of thinking. ‘He adores me and must be worried out of his mind because I am missing from his house in Highgate.’
‘Lord Glynde found the house,’ Jemima said, crossing her fingers behind her back. Sometimes it was necessary to tell a small untruth for the greater good. ‘It has been cleared out. No one is living there.’
‘Lord Glynde. I knew it!’ Finally her eyes came alive. ‘He is involved in this affair somehow. I told you before, he likes me. I can always tell when a gentleman admires me, and Lord Glynde was particularly struck when he first saw me. Then he discovered that I was with Fergus and couldn’t bear it, so he found a way to snatch me away and…and—’
‘And poisoned you?’ Jemima shook her head, unsurprised by her sister’s determination to continue slanting the facts so that she came out of it looking like the wronged party. ‘Sorry to disappoint you, my love, but Lord Torbay was in Lord Glynde’s rooms on the morning of the day you were found there and you were not in them. He was with Lord Torbay for the rest of the morning and when they returned to the rooms, there you were.’
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