The Princess and the Pea

by Victoria Alexander

  “Like his son, perhaps?” Cece tossed her sister a teasing smile.

  Emily blushed. “Perhaps.”

  Cece studied Robert Bainbridge thoughtfully. This was yet another revelation. The very idea of her mother’s long-ago involvement with this stranger was unsettling, to say the least. It was impossible to picture Phoebe White with anyone other than Henry White. Ever. And harder yet to imagine her as a girl younger than Cece, in love for the first time. Still…she glanced toward her parents on the opposite side of the terrace.

  They were a striking couple; one complemented the other. Each had dark hair and eyes. Henry was considerably taller than Phoebe, and she appeared delicate and fragile in his wake. With a start, Cece realized her mother was still extremely pretty, her father distinguished and handsome. For the first time Cece suddenly viewed her parents as people in de pen dent of spouses and children. It was an extremely disturbing thought.

  This did indeed seem the evening for revelations. First there was the confirmation of her abilities and competence to the surprise of her family and her own relief. Next, there was the as yet unconfirmed idea of Lady Olivia testing her qualifications to be a countess. And finally there was the disquieting glimpse into her mother’s past and the uncomfortable acknowledgment that, long before she was her mother, Phoebe had experienced the same awkward emotions Cece herself now knew.

  “Shall we join the others?” Emily broke abruptly into her thoughts.

  “My, yes.” Cece linked her arm with her sister’s and they started toward the terrace. “I would dearly hate for us to miss anything. To night has already been an enlightening evening. I can scarcely wait to see what will happen next.”

  “It has been a long time, Robert.” Olivia held out her hand to Sir Bainbridge with genuine delight.

  “Olivia.” Robert’s eyes sparkled in greeting. “You are looking even more lovely than usual.”

  “Robert!” Heat flushed up her face. Admittedly she had changed somewhat in the ten years since they’d last met. Her figure was a bit fuller. More than a few strands of gray had crept into her hair, but she thought they added a distinguishing touch to her features. Her face, however, showed few lines, and Olivia privately thought she had weathered her forty-seven years quite nicely. “You are a rogue.”

  Robert laughed. “Only for you, Olivia, only for you.” His expression sobered. “I was quite sorry to hear about Charles and James.”

  “I received your notes.” Olivia cast him a smile of appreciation. “They were most welcome. Now,” she said brightly, “tell me what at long last brings you home.”

  “I am to be appointed to a position in London.”

  “Oh?” Olivia struggled to keep the blatant curiosity from her voice. “What kind of position?”

  Robert shook his head and chuckled wryly. “You always did have a very direct nature.”

  “If you don’t go after what you want, you will very likely miss it altogether,” Olivia said, her manner firm.

  “I see.” Robert paused to sip his wine, and his glance slid beyond her to Phoebe. “Does that apply to everything?”

  Olivia followed his gaze. “Oh dear; I had forgotten all about that.”

  Robert shrugged. “No reason for you to remember. I believe you and Charles were abroad during the months Phoebe was in En gland.”

  “Millicent told me what happened, of course.” A pang of sympathy shot through Olivia at the barely concealed look of hopeless desire in Robert’s eyes. Poor man. From what Millicent had said, he’d had quite a passion for Phoebe. She wasn’t certain of all the details but recalled it had had something to do with messages not being delivered and a minor misunderstanding that grew out of control and destroyed their association. She hurried to change the subject. “You still haven’t told me what kind of government position you might be accepting.”

  Robert smiled and shook his head. “It would be indiscreet for me to mention it before the formal announcement; therefore…”

  Olivia waved a dismissive hand. “No matter. I have no wish to put you in an awkward position. I shall simply have to swallow my curiosity and wait with everyone else.”

  Robert raised a skeptical brow. “If memory has not failed me altogether, I believe curiosity was one of your most highly developed traits.”

  “One changes with the years,” Olivia said airily. “Some things become far more important; others lose their appeal entirely.”

  “Do you think so, Olivia?” Robert’s eyes gleamed intensely, and again his gaze skimmed past her to rest on Phoebe White. “Is there any secret, I wonder, to which things become less important with time and which grow ever stronger to the point where one would gladly give up a great deal for them?”

  “I don’t know, Robert,” she said faintly. It was apparent Robert Bainbridge still had strong feelings for Phoebe White. What a shame. As much as she hated to interfere, Olivia would simply have to take this matter in hand, if only to avert the trouble she suspected could be brewing.

  Robert had the look of a man considering the most dire of options. Any action on his part to win Phoebe back, and destroy her marriage in the process, would have to be firmly squelched. It could only lead to scandal, and that Olivia would not permit. If Cecily was indeed to become the next Countess of Graystone, the last thing any of them needed was sordid gossip about her mother and another man. Why, the entire affair could ultimately end in divorce, and that was an embarrassment that would no doubt color them all with the same brushstroke of dishonor.

  Olivia would have to distract Robert from any thought of pursuing Phoebe. She considered him thoughtfully. It had been many years since she’d practiced the nuances of flirtation. Still, it must be very much like riding a horse: Learned once, it no doubt came back to one when needed. Olivia needed it now.

  “Robert…” She favored him with her most charming smile. “It has been so long since you’ve visited; would you care to join me for a stroll around the castle grounds? We can catch up on our respective pasts.”

  Robert bowed slightly. “Olivia, I would be delighted.” He offered his arm and she accepted it graciously. He cast one last look at Phoebe, then turned his complete attention to Olivia. “It seems I have a great deal to catch up on. But first—” he steered Olivia toward the rose garden—“tell me all you know about Henry White.”

  “You will cease this interference in my life at once!” Jared paced the length of the castle library, barely keeping his temper in check. His ire had simmered through the long evening, and now that the guests had finally bid good night and those staying at the castle had retired, it was past time to confront his mother. He relished the moment.

  Olivia perched on a comfortably shabby wing chair and gazed at him innocently. “Jared, dear, I have no idea what on earth you are talking about.”

  Jared glared. “You know exactly what I am talking about.”

  Olivia’s eyes widened with ingenuous candor. “Really, Jared, I am quite at a loss.”

  Jared rolled his eyes toward the distant ceiling and drew on every ounce of control at his command. He closed his eyes and, with a slow, measured manner, counted to ten. It always surprised him how this simple technique soothed even the nerves of a man plagued by meddlesome females. His composure restored, his gaze again fell on his mother.

  “You expect me to believe you have no inkling of what I am justifiably furious about?” Jared’s surprisingly calm tone belied the import of his words.

  Olivia shrugged helplessly. “None whatsoever.”

  “Tell me about the party, Mother.”

  “The party?” Olivia’s guileless manner would have convinced most people of her genuine innocence. Even Jared hesitated, wondering if his assumption as to his mother’s tactics could possibly be wrong. “I think the party was an unqualified success. Of course I did so hate abdicating my responsibilities as hostess to Cecily. Still,” she heaved a heartfelt sigh, “it could not be helped. I was altogether incapacitated.”

  That was it
; Jared’s momentary doubt vanished. Never in his entire life had his mother been “incapacitated.”

  “Millicent said it was a sick headache,” he said, studying his mother closely.

  Olivia peeked at him from beneath downcast lashes. “Yes indeed. It was quite awful. I am only grateful that I rallied in time to make an appearance this evening.”

  A note of compassion shaded Jared’s words, and he gazed at his mother with his most understanding expression. “It was certainly noble of you.”

  Olivia lifted her chin in a gesture of courage and bravery. “It was not at all easy.”

  “I can imagine.” In spite of his anger, Jared was hard pressed not to burst into laughter. Her heroic act in the face of dire illness was impressive, to say the least. He didn’t believe it for a second. “I thought Cece managed to handle the evening quite well. What did you think?”

  “It was a bit unconventional, but all in all I think she did an excellent job.” Olivia nodded her satisfaction.

  “What do you think she handled best?” he asked in an offhand manner.

  “Best?” Olivia pulled her brows together thoughtfully. “The entire evening was no doubt difficult. But I do think the cook’s being sick provided the greatest—”

  “Trial?” Jared said sharply.

  “No, no.” Olivia waved away his interruption with an absent flick of her hand. “I was going to say challenge. The entire incident was a—” She stopped short and her eyes widened with obvious dismay at what she had nearly admitted.

  “A what, Mother?” Jared narrowed his eyes and glared. “A test, perhaps?”

  “Jared, you can’t possibly believe—”

  “Oh, I can believe, Mother, and I do.”

  “It was an unfortunate coincidence, nothing more.”

  “Coincidence?” Jared scoffed disdainfully. “Coincidence is the one thing I would never believe.” A sudden thought struck him. “I wonder…have there been other tests, as well?”

  “I don’t understand how you could possibly suspect me of such a thing,” Olivia said in an indignant tone.

  Jared raised a brow in disbelief. “Your record in such matters is indisputable. I was a fool not to have realized you would continue your meddlesome efforts. What do you plan next, Mother? Famine? Plague? Perhaps you’ll simply put a pea under her mattress to test her sensitivity.”

  “I always did like that story,” she murmured.

  He leveled her a stern glare. “I have a great deal of difficulty accepting the fact that after our last discussion, when I expressly forbade you to interfere in my affairs with any more tests of prospective brides—”

  “I never actually promised…” she said under her breath.

  He quelled her comment with a furious glance. Resting one hand on either side of his mother’s chair, he leaned toward her, his manner brooking no argument. She appeared almost to shrink into the chair.

  “While I cannot prove you were indeed testing Cece”—Olivia seemed to relax the slightest bit at his words—“I will give you one last warning.”

  His mother stared silently, apprehension mingling with stubborn determination in her eyes.

  “If I so much as suspect you of tossing the tiniest obstacle, the merest difficulty, the slightest dilemma in Cece’s path in the future, I will take action we will both regret.” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

  “Jared…” She pushed him aside and rose to her feet with a fair amount of grace and dignity. Jared had to admit she could certainly be impressive, even regal, when she put her mind to it. “In the first place I simply haven’t the vaguest idea what you’re accusing me of.”

  Jared snorted skeptically.

  She raised a brow and directed him the same quelling look he had often received as a child. Even as an adult it triggered a wave of discomfort. He was far too old for her tricks and his boyhood unease quickly turned to adult annoyance. He would not yield to her this time.

  “In the second place,” she said loftily, “I cannot fathom what the dire consequences would be if I were to simply…er…evaluate, as it were, Cecily’s qualifications to share your life. It’s in the best interest of all concerned to make certain she is worthy of your title.”

  “The consequences could be quite extensive, Mother.” Jared smiled slowly. Olivia’s expression remained adamant, but she paled visibly. “You see, I have already decided to marry Cece. Whether she meets your requirements no longer matters. She meets mine. If your meddling interferes at all with my courtship, I shall marry her at once.”

  “Well, I scarcely think—”

  “That’s not all, Mother,” Jared said sharply. “Furthermore, I shall accompany Cece back to America and we will make our lives there. In addition, I will give up my title. This will be the end. After five hundred years I will be the last of the Earls of Graystone.”

  For a moment mother and son stared at each other. Silence, sharp as a razor, hung between them.

  “Very well.” Olivia’s eyes flashed with irritation, but her voice was calm. “I shall certainly acquiesce to your request.” She slanted him a pointed glance. “Not that I have done anything untoward up to this point, mind you.”

  “Of course not.” Smug satisfaction surged through him at his success. Olivia could deny it all she wished but he had no doubts as to her activity.

  “Now, I am quite fatigued. It has been an extremely long day.” She speared him with a sharp glance. “And I have been ill, you know. Good evening.” Olivia nodded briskly and swept from the room.

  “Good night.” Jared chuckled to himself. What ever else one could say about Lady Olivia Grayson, she might retreat but she never, ever surrendered. However, this was one time his dear mother would not win.

  He stepped to a table that bore a decanter of brandy and two ready snifters and poured a healthy draught. A long swallow of the smooth, warming liquor increased his sense of triumph. He had a firm handle on the women in his life.

  Jared swirled the brandy and idly watched the amber liquid coat the sides of the glass. Whether or not his mother was actually testing Cece, he was confident she would desist any such attempts in the future. Olivia would not risk his displeasure if it meant losing the title.

  Would he—could he—give up all this?

  A pang shot through him at the very thought. Oh, not the loss of the title. As a second son he had never expected it to be his in the first place. But this castle, this land had a grip on his heart he’d never suspected until it became his responsibility alone. In the year he’d been earl he’d discovered just how much his heritage meant to him, and how proud he was to be a part of it.

  What kind of life could he build in America? In spite of a wealthy wife, he would be very much the penniless inventor Cece had first thought him. Could he follow in the footsteps of Vanderbilt and Rockefeller and Henry White himself and build a fortune out of nothing? Could he be the man Cece fell in love with? The irony twisted a smile on his lips. Without his title, and all that went with it, he would have no need for her fortune, no need to marry for money. Abruptly, he realized he would have to refuse any funding from her, even a dowry. If he was to succeed in America, he and his automobile would have to do it on their own.

  Resolve coursed through him. The future he envisioned in America would be difficult at best, disastrous at worse. Could he risk all for the woman he loved? God help him. He didn’t even have to ask the question twice. The answer was obvious.

  He only hoped this was a decision he wouldn’t have to make. Surely his mother understood his was not an idle threat. It would not be easy to leave, but it would be unavoidable.

  As for Cece…Jared sank into the chair vacated by his mother and grinned. This morning’s kiss was nothing short of spectacular. If the horn hadn’t sounded…he had few doubts as to the end result of their encounter. He pulled another deep draw of the liquor.

  Seduction was obviously the way to proceed. Why, the woman was putty in his hands. He suppr
essed the merest twinge of guilt, a twinge that had struck him more and more lately. She would indeed be his wife, sooner or later. Seduction was simply the best way to achieve that goal quickly and efficiently and keep her from his automobile at the same time. He could scarce be blamed if it was also the most delightful.

  Jared leaned his head against the back of the chair and smiled smugly. Without a doubt he was in command of his women and in control of his life. At this moment, here in his family’s ancestral home, Jared felt every inch the lord of the manor. To night, he was indeed the virtual king of his castle. He sipped more of the brandy and tried without success to ignore the lone thought nagging deep in the recesses of his brain.

  Jared sighed with deep resignation. He should enjoy these few moments of peace and harmony. No doubt between his future wife and his mother, this sense of calm and tranquility would be extremely short-lived.

  Olivia marched up the stairs to her apartments in the east wing with an indignant step designed to assure any casual observer of her acute displeasure. She thrust her chin forward firmly, held her back ramrod straight and hoped, in the dim light, no one would notice the twinkle in her eye.

  Olivia stepped into her chambers, pulled the door firmly behind her, leaned against it and laughed aloud. She couldn’t believe how much entertainment this little game had provided. Not that the lively amusement had persuaded her to relinquish her original purpose. On the contrary, Cecily’s continued successes simply spurred Olivia to greater levels of difficulty, challenges that were nearly as demanding to create as to meet. She hadn’t had so much fun in years.

  When had she lost that sense of gaiety?

  The question popped into her mind without warning. What ever had happened to that girl who cared only for soirees and promenades in the park and stolen looks across a crowded room? When had she become so concerned with what was acceptable and proper? At what point had her wish to merely influence those around her turned to a desire for control?