“Although it’s only a matter of time,” Miss Palmer murmured.
“She’s never, to my knowledge, been involved in a situation where the repercussions could indeed be scandalous. Probably because her various escapades have never involved questionable behavior with men.” The viscount’s gaze met Daniel’s. “Until now.”
Daniel ignored the charge and sipped his whisky. “And the lesson you propose we teach her?”
“I propose.” Creswell grinned. “That we do nothing at all.”
Miss Palmer started. “We can’t do nothing. Cordelia needs to know the truth. And she needs to be,” she searched for the right word, “chastised for her behavior.”
“No she doesn’t, at least not yet.” The viscount shook his head. “I suggest we allow her to carry on her charade.”
“And I should continue to see her as I have?” Daniel said slowly.
“Absolutely. At some point she has to accept the consequences of her actions. As you’ve said, she started this whole thing. It should be up to her to finish it. She should be the one to tell you the truth.” Creswell chuckled. “It will be difficult for her and will serve her right.”
“Oh that’s good, Creswell. That’s very good.” Daniel raised his glass to the other man. “I should have thought of it myself.”
Miss Palmer’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe you are trusting this man, possibly with your sister’s heart.”
“I have always been an excellent judge of character, my dear, and I suspect her heart is in capable hands. One way or another, he’s probably going to be my brother-in-law and I should welcome him with a certain amount of trust.” Creswell cast him a confident smile. “Besides, Norcroft speaks highly of him and I value his opinion. Sinclair strikes me as an honorable man—”
“He’s been lying to her!”
“She’s been lying to him. Cordelia is nearly twenty-six years of age and is responsible for her own actions or should be anyway.”
“What about his actions?”
“He came here today to confess all. He’s taken the first step toward honesty. To my way of thinking that act alone absolves him.” Creswell turned to Daniel. “I would suggest, if you are amenable, that you pursue her with eagerness and enthusiasm. As Miss Palmer that is. Allow her to think this man she’s deceived has serious intentions about her.”
“I did ask to call on her,” Daniel murmured.
Miss Palmer huffed.
The viscount pinned her with a firm glance. “This will require a certain amount of secrecy on your part as well.”
“Now you want me to lie?” Miss Palmer crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t think so.”
“Only by omission,” Creswell said quickly. “I’m not asking you to do anything overt at all. Simply keep what you know to yourself.”
Miss Palmer’s brow furrowed. “Even so…”
“It’s not as if she has taken you into her confidence,” Creswell said pointedly.
Miss Palmer sighed. “No, I suppose she hasn’t.”
“So you’ll do it?”
“I’ll agree not to do anything up to a point.” Miss Palmer snatched his lordship’s glass, downed his whisky, smacked the glass back down on the table and glared at the viscount. “But if she asks me a direct question, I will not lie to her.”
Creswell stared and Daniel suspected the man was now wondering just how much of an influence his independent, spoiled sister had been on the love of his life. “Fair enough.”
“I am not as convinced of the cleverness of this plan as the two of you are.” She met Daniel’s gaze firmly. “I suggest you give this further consideration before you agree.”
“I—”
“Come now, Sinclair, what other choice do you have?” The viscount refilled his glass. “If you tell her the truth now, she’ll despise you for lying to her regardless of her own actions. If you somehow maneuver her into a confession of her own and then tell her the truth, she’ll detest you for making her feel like a fool. Any move you make spells your doom.”
Daniel raised a brow. “And not doing anything is a good idea?”
“It might not be good but it’s definitely better.” The viscount met Daniel’s gaze firmly. “Think of this as a game.”
“Of chess perhaps?” Daniel said wryly.
“Yes, that will do.” The viscount chuckled. “She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in check with very few salvaging moves. And make no mistake, Sinclair, it is her move.”
“Yes, I suppose it is.” While initially, Daniel had liked the proposal, now he wasn’t at all sure what he thought of the viscount’s plan to allow his sister to find her way out of this hole she had dug herself into. It was most annoying as he was never this indecisive. But then he’d never been in a situation even remotely like this before and the stakes had never been greater. He certainly didn’t have a better idea at the moment. And Creswell was right. Anything Daniel did now would surely destroy any chance of a future with her.
“Well?” Creswell said.
“It does seem to me, if indeed I were to confess all to her now, it would give her the upper hand.” Daniel chose his words with care. “I’m not sure that’s a good way to start a future together.”
Daniel wasn’t entirely sure when he had decided he wanted a future with her if he had decided at all. Perhaps the mere act of asking to call on Sarah—Cordelia—was significant even if he hadn’t realized it at the time. Or possibly, the decision had been made before that when Daniel had followed her to Brighton. Or maybe even when he had met her in the bookstore. More likely his fate had been sealed the very first time he’d gazed into her green eyes and had seen, but not recognized, his future. Every single action he’d taken since the moment he’d met her had been a mistake if his intention was to indeed avoid marriage to Sarah or Cordelia or anyone else. A more romantic man might have said his heart was leading his head all along and his head was just too stupid to realize it.
The ultimate question to be answered now was what he wanted. Not what he had to do out of necessity but what he truly wanted. It was something of a shock to realize what he wanted was this woman, whether he called her Sarah or Cordelia, in his life forever. And forever meant only one thing. Still, the game had become far more complicated than he had expected. And the outcome was not the least bit assured.
There was a certain irony to the fact that the woman he had actively avoided was the same one he had actively pursued. Warren would say it was no more than Daniel deserved, once he stopped laughing of course. Now Daniel needed to win the heart of that same woman because like it or not, she had already won his.
“It seems to me it’s not enough simply to continue the deception. Somehow, I need to engage her affections as well.” Daniel drew a deep breath. “Miss Palmer, perhaps you could give me a bit of advice.”
“Advice?” She studied him for a long moment then heaved a reluctant sigh. “What do you want to know?”
“I suspect you know Lady Cordelia better than anyone.” Daniel leaned toward her and met her gaze directly. “How would you suggest an arrogant, pompous ass go about the task of winning the affections of a stout-hearted Amazon?”
When visiting a land whose ruins or monuments of antiquity are as great an attraction to visitors as anything of a more modern nature, it is beneficial to know as much about a country’s history as possible.
An English Lady’s Traveling Companion
Chapter 11
Mr. Sinclair,
Under other circumstances, I might consider opinions such as yours to be the expression of an ill-mannered, uncivilized twit, but I can well understand how a man of your limited historical perspective might confuse arrogance with accuracy. As for pride, Mr. Sinclair, it should not be misplaced. Certainly a handful of victories when one has so little to choose from might instill pride. However, when one has centuries of successes to avail oneself of, it would be most immodest to single out more than a few. Does one point to the Battle of Poitiers in 1
356? Or the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588? Or perhaps, in more recent memory, the trouncing of Napoleon at Waterloo?
I would think that rebellion, insolence and a complete lack of gratitude as well as respect would provoke feelings of embarrassment rather than pride…
“I can’t believe I didn’t know about this. It was right under my nose the entire time and I never so much as suspected.” Cordelia paced the width of the parlor. “Did everyone know about this except me?”
Aunt Lavinia sat on the sofa sipping a cup of tea liberally laced with brandy. “Not everyone, dear.”
“Did Father know?”
“Yes, of course, and he quite approves.”
“What about Mother?”
“She had her suspicions,” Lavinia said thoughtfully. “She wasn’t certain but she was optimistic.”
Cordelia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her aunt. “Did you know?”
“One only had to look at Sarah and Will to know. Or, at least, to suspect.”
“I didn’t.” Indeed it came as something of a shock when Cordelia returned home from the dressmaker’s today to discover that not only had Will returned from India but he and Sarah were planning to marry. Will was Sarah’s mysterious suitor. They had apparently had some feelings for each other long before he left England, but a year of correspondence solidified those emotions into love. “Why didn’t I see it?”
“One doesn’t always see what one doesn’t expect to see.” Aunt Lavinia sipped her tea. “It’s what magicians depend on, you know.”
“But she is my dearest friend.” Cordelia sank down on the sofa beside her aunt. “I should have noticed something.”
“Well,” Aunt Lavinia said casually, “it didn’t really have anything to do with you, now did it?”
Cordelia frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Cordelia, you’re an exceptional young woman. Talented and intelligent and pretty as well. However, how to put this delicately.” Lavinia chose her words with care. “While I have never known you to be deliberately unkind, you do have a tendency to be unaware of anyone’s circumstances save your own.”
Shock coursed through Cordelia. “Are you saying I’m selfish?”
“No darling. You’ve always been quite generous and you have a kind heart. You’re just very…” Aunt Lavinia winced. “Self…centered. Yes, that’s it. You’ve always trod your own path, Cordelia, and I don’t believe you’ve ever considered that others might not wish to tread it as well.”
“I had no idea,” Cordelia said under her breath and considered her aunt’s comment. Rather a difficult thing to accept about oneself, but Aunt Lavinia was right. While Cordelia cared deeply for Sarah she certainly had never put Sarah’s interests above her own. Even now, while she should be happy for her friend and her brother, and indeed she was, she was upset that Sarah hadn’t confided in her. “I shall try to do better in the future.” She met her aunt’s gaze. “But at the moment, while I realize it is,” she grimaced, “self-centered of me, I can’t help but be hurt that Sarah did not tell me her secret.”
“My dear, all of us have secrets of some sort or other.” Aunt Lavinia patted her hand. “Why, even the most proper of ladies have secrets. I daresay, I can’t name a single lady who doesn’t. Indeed, I suspect some of those secrets are such that the ladies in question would no longer be considered at all proper if they were known.”
“Who?”
Aunt Lavinia laughed. “I would never tell you someone else’s secrets, my dear. They’re not meant to be told. That’s why they call them secrets. Besides, I do love a good secret and if I were to reveal any of the secrets I’m privy to, even to you, no one would ever tell me a secret again.”
“Of course not,” Cordelia murmured. “Do you have secrets?”
“Oh my, yes. I have any number of secrets. Some of them insignificant, of no real consequence whatsoever, some more than a little embarrassing and a fair number,” she smiled in a serene manner, “rather naughty.”
Cordelia’s eyes widened although she wasn’t really surprised.
“I suspect even you have secrets.”
“No, no, I have no secrets,” Cordelia said quickly. She grabbed the brandy decanter and poured a healthy dollop into her own cup of tea. “None at all. Not a one. Nothing. No secrets.”
“Really?” Aunt Lavinia’s gaze slipped to Cordelia teacup. “I’m very trustworthy when it comes to keeping secrets.”
“I shall keep that in mind should I ever have secrets that need keeping,” Cordelia said brightly and sipped her tea.
Oh, certainly there was that somewhat massive secret about Warren. Why, at this very moment, he was no doubt receiving her note reminding him she would be at the British Museum tomorrow morning if he cared to join her. It was terribly forward of her but she didn’t want to run the risk of him showing up at the house to call on her. Especially now that she knew she had no choice but to marry his employer. Even though he had agreed not to call on her, there was a look in the man’s eye that fairly screamed he might well do exactly as he wanted. He was a pirate after all.
“What is on your mind then?”
Now was perhaps not the best time for Cordelia to bring up her own problems. “Nothing of significance.”
“Really? I would think a young woman being encouraged to marry a wealthy American, the son of an even wealthier American as I understand it, would have any number of questions and concerns on her mind.”
“You know about that then?”
Aunt Lavinia raised a brow. “It’s not a secret is it?”
“Not within the family, although I would prefer the rest of the world not know about it.” Cordelia wrinkled her nose. “It’s rather embarrassing.”
“Why would it be embarrassing?”
“To have one’s father select one’s husband…” Cordelia shuddered.
“My dear Cordelia, any number of us have had no choice in the selection of our first husbands. Why, there was a day when it was unheard of to choose your own husband. Marriages were for political or financial alliances. Parents arranged those sorts of things and the parties involved had nothing to say about it.”
“Thank goodness, times have changed,” Cordelia murmured.
“The majority of those marriages turned out quite well.” Aunt Lavinia paused. “You’re probably unaware of this, it was long before you were born, but my first marriage was more or less arranged.”
“Oh?”
“My family and his family had long planned for us to marry even though we had no idea of their intentions until after my first season. As I rather liked Charles from the moment I met him, it was not an objectionable arrangement.” She smiled at the memory. “I think we could have happily spent the rest of our lives together. Unfortunately while Charles was quite handsome and most amusing, he was not as intelligent as he appeared. He died in an accident that was no less tragic for the stupidity of it.”
Cordelia widened her eyes. “How?”
“Oh, I never discuss it.” Aunt Lavinia waved off the question. “Even after all these years, I still find it most annoying. If the man were alive I’d probably have to kill him for being such an idiot.”
“I see,” Cordelia murmured and wondered if her mother would tell her how Uncle Charles died.
“Although his death did leave me free to pursue my own interests. My second husband, again before you were born, was Italian and quite the most romantic man I had ever met. Understand, I was younger than you are now when I married for the second time. Marcello was tall and dashing and had the darkest eyes I had ever seen. Can you imagine eyes so dark you thought you could drown in them?”
Immediately Warren’s dark eyes came to mind and Cordelia nodded.
“I daresay, the man would never have remained faithful had the marriage lasted any length of time at all. But a scant year and a half after we wed, we were caught in a sudden rainstorm during a tryst in the garden of his villa on the outskirts of Rome. He fell ill and di
ed after that.” Aunt Lavinia sighed, whether with regret for his loss or at the memory of that tryst, Cordelia wasn’t sure.
“And then I married Walter who was a very nice man, an excellent companion, great fun and loved me more than I deserved.”
“I remember Uncle Walter.”
“We were married for nearly twenty years and I miss him more than any of the others. But I don’t regret any of my marriages or any of my husbands.” Aunt Lavinia patted her hand. “Especially not Charles, even if that was a marriage I had very little say in.”
“Yes, but you said yourself that you liked him.”
“From what your father had said I was under the impression you had not met this Daniel Sinclair. How do you know you don’t like him?”
“I haven’t met him in person but we’ve been corresponding.” Cordelia narrowed her eyes. “Thus far he has not endeared himself to me. In fact, I find him arrogant and annoying.”
“Excellent. He sounds like an Englishman.” Aunt Lavinia freshened her cup with tea from the pot. “I was afraid you objected to the fact that he was American.”
“Oh no. I very much like Americans.” There was an odd wistful note in Cordelia’s voice. One American in particular, but unfortunately not the right American. She cleared her throat.
“I see.” Aunt Lavinia added brandy to her cup. “Are you certain there isn’t anything else you wish to talk about?”
“No.” Cordelia paused. “Yes, actually.” Regardless of her aunt’s avowed ability to keep secrets, Cordelia preferred not to reveal hers. Besides, confiding in Aunt Lavinia would put her aunt in an awkward position. Self-centered indeed. Still, advice would be most welcome. “I’m considering…writing a story.” Yes that was good. “Nothing to do with travel, a fictional story.”
“Like Mr. Dickens?”
“Exactly. It’s about a…a…a princess who meets a knight and for various reasons allows him to think she’s someone she’s not. Her lady in waiting, I think. It’s all quite innocent in the beginning,” Cordelia added quickly. “Not much more than a lark.
Secrets of a Proper Lady Page 18