A Fatal Waltz

by Tasha Alexander

  “Shall I prove my devotion to you by staying for a second drive?” I asked as he reloaded his gun.

  “I’d much prefer it if you’d allow me to prove my devotion by insisting that you return to the house.”

  “You’re very kind,” Ivy said.

  “Nonsense. I can see that Emily’s already duly impressed with my shooting skills,” he said. “So there’s no point keeping the two of you here any longer. It looks like it’s going to rain, and at any rate, we’ll only be out for another hour or so. The prime minister will be arriving soon.”

  “I should have liked to see Robert shoot,” Ivy said.

  “Tomorrow.” Colin gave her a reassuring smile. “Now get back inside before you both catch cold.”

  IVY EXCUSED HERSELF as soon as we entered the house and went off in search of her husband while I skulked about continuing to catalog art. Beaumont Towers was full of spectacular paintings—many from the late Renaissance, but also a handful of glorious Turners—yet almost nothing in the way of antiquities. As a result, I gasped with delight when I found a small statue, not even half a foot in height, tucked away in a cabinet in the drawing room. It was fashioned in bronze, a charming depiction of a young man reclining at a banquet. The smoothness of the finish astonished me, as did the piece’s elegant lines. I began to sketch it, slowing my hand, careful not to sacrifice accuracy for speed. I had nearly finished when I startled at the sound of the door opening.

  “There you are.” The countess glided over and stood in front of me. “I’ve been so looking forward to a private chat with you.”

  “I’m all astonishment,” I said, not looking up from my paper.

  “I never thought I’d see the day that Colin would be married. Of course, that day hasn’t yet come, but—” She smiled, looking down at me. “I suppose we’re to believe it will. You’re very lucky. He is wonderful beyond measure.” She spoke with too much relish, her diction exaggerated, and I gathered her meaning at once.

  “I would expect nothing else,” I said. “Should I offer you my pity, as the loss is entirely yours?”

  “I never lose, Lady Ashton. Never. Don’t presume that I am going to step aside for you.”

  “From what I understand, there’s no need for you to do any such thing. Colin already has.”

  “Is that what he told you?” She laughed. I was trying to conjure up the right sort of mildly biting but not wholly inappropriate reply when the door opened again.

  “Why are you ladies hiding in here?” Colin came towards us, a cautious amusement in his eyes.

  “Your fiancée is all charm,” the countess said, her gaze lingering on him the way mine was wont to in unguarded moments. Did he compare the way we looked at him?

  “Has Lord Salisbury arrived?” I asked, searching for any distraction from my sophisticated nemesis.

  “He’s had to cancel his visit because of a threat of violence. A telegram arrived half an hour ago.”

  “You don’t mean—” Kristiana stopped, then muttered something in German. She spoke too quietly for me to make out the words, but whatever she said caused Colin to look at her askance.

  “Don’t even think it,” he said.

  “It’s possible,” she said.

  “Not here.”

  “Colin?” I asked. “What is it?”

  He hardly looked at me. “I’m sorry, my dear. This is extremely urgent. I had no idea things could take such a rapid turn for the worse. I must speak to Fortescue at once.”

  I RETIRED EARLY THAT EVENING. Robert and Ivy had remained sequestered in their room, not coming down even for dinner, and I’d seen nothing of Colin since he disappeared in search of Lord Fortescue. I was reading in bed—The Picture of Dorian Gray—considering whether the countess might have a similar portrait hidden away in her house when I heard a knock. Colin! I leapt from the bed, not bothering to cover my filmy nightgown with a robe, and opened the door, my heart racing.

  “Expecting someone else, Lady Ashton?” Lord Fortescue pushed past me into the room, closing the door behind him. “Very inappropriate. Have you no sense of decency?” He picked up the dressing gown I’d draped over a chair and threw it at me.

  “I ought to pose the same question to you,” I said, holding the robe, all lace and frills, to my chest as a deep blush stained my cheeks. “How dare you burst into my room like this?”

  “I shouldn’t bother to wait for your fiancé tonight. He won’t be coming. And I wouldn’t recommend going to him. He wouldn’t welcome the interruption.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “He’s not alone in his room.” He leered at me, made a sound that could only be described as a growl, and left, closing the door behind him.

  I was trembling, angry that he would come to me like this. Colin would never betray me; to do so would go against the very grain of his character. Even if the countess came to his room, he would never have opened the door to her. And surely not even she would force her way in. Would she? If she tried, he would stop her. Yes. He would stop her. I did not doubt him even for an instant. At least not for more than an instant. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I breathed very slowly, summoning a feeling of calm. And for a moment, it seemed to work.

  I was about to congratulate myself for being so mature when I realized that I was nothing of the sort. For the first time since I’d arrived at Beaumont Towers, I felt uncomfortably warm. I pulled on my dressing gown and went up the stairs to Colin’s room. As I was about to knock, an unmistakable sound came from the other side of the door: the countess’s laughter.

  Chapter 5

  My hand froze inches from the door, and I stepped closer, straining to hear. The laughter had stopped, and Colin was talking now, his voice too low for me to distinguish the words. It was apparent, however, that whatever he was saying, it was not in a tone that suggested he was trying to forcibly remove his visitor from the room. Surely there was an innocent explanation for her coming to him so late at night. She might have been distraught, finding it difficult to accept that he had thrown her over for me. He would be loath to turn her away in such a state, and would offer what comfort he could in an entirely appropriate fashion.

  Yet his voice sounded just a bit too soothing to me, and her laughter didn’t suggest she was upset. I leaned against the wall across from his room and stared at the flame of the candle I was carrying, my eyes barely able to focus on the light. Then I heard another sound, this one even more unwelcome than the countess’s laughter: a low, throaty chuckle. Lord Fortescue was watching me.

  “Trust him, do you?” he asked.

  “Yes, I do,” I said, not believing the words even as I spoke them.

  “I’m sorry, Lady Ashton, I couldn’t hear you. Could you speak more loudly?”

  “How dare you?” I asked, keeping my voice the barest whisper. He said nothing in reply; I turned on my heel and ran back to my room.

  So began my second sleepless night at Beaumont Towers, this one far less pleasant than its predecessor. To lie awake for hours, consumed by the memory of a particularly satisfying kiss, can be nearly as intoxicating as the kiss itself. But to lie awake for hours wondering if the gentleman who bestowed said kiss was now giving one to someone else was a very different thing. I vacillated between lauding Colin for his steadfast fidelity and worrying that the countess was just the sort of woman who could tempt even a man of his resolve to abandon his principles.

  As the light of dawn began to creep through the cracks in the curtains of my room, I finally succumbed to slumber, only to have Meg wake me a few restless hours later, telling me that our host was insisting that we all come down for breakfast. We were a bleary group at the table, but everyone save the countess appeared as requested. I could only conclude that the activity of the previous evening had been too much for her, a thought that somehow led me to realize I had no appetite. Colin, who sat across from me, applied himself to an enormous plate of food. Late nights, apparently, made him ravenous.

 
Robert and Ivy sat side by side, both silent. Ivy made a careful study of her food, not meeting the eyes of the other guests, none of whom bothered to speak to her beyond a rote greeting.

  “The count and I are desperate for your help, Ivy,” I said, sprinkling salt on eggs I had no intention of eating. The small flowers that were painted on every inch of the walls and ceiling had begun to give me a headache. “We’re having a terrible time organizing our scene from Aristophanes.”

  “Mrs. Brandon will not be able to help you with your little drama, Lady Ashton.” Lord Fortescue’s face clouded as he looked at Robert. “She and her husband are returning home this afternoon.” Robert’s expression did not change, but his shoulders snapped back and his fork clattered against his plate. “And as we’ve had to cancel our meeting with the prime minister, the rest of the gentlemen will leave to shoot in an hour.” He threw his napkin on the table and stomped out of the room, pausing when he reached the door. “I want you out of my house by noon, Brandon.”

  None of us breathed for a full minute after he’d left. Sir Julian picked up his coffee cup, his large hand nearly crushing the thin china. “Does this have something to do with Home Rule? What say you to that, Hargreaves? Are the Irish threatening Lord Salisbury?”

  “Unlikely,” Colin replied.

  “Is that what I should report in the paper?” Sir Julian asked, a lopsided grin splitting his face.

  “I don’t see that any of this merits the public’s attention.” Colin continued to devour his breakfast. “The less said, the better.” He looked pointedly at Robert and Ivy, and Sir Julian nodded.

  “No good can come of creating scandal where none exists,” Lady Fortescue said, her thin voice straining to fill the room. “I don’t want any of my guests to feel that their presence at this party will lead to embarrassment.”

  “Quite right, madam,” Sir Julian said. “But as there aren’t any Irishmen here—”

  “We all know I’m not speaking of the Irish.” No one replied, and without another word, she returned to eating her breakfast. Soon thereafter, Robert rose from his chair and excused himself, Ivy following close behind. I all but ran after them, grabbing Ivy’s arm to stop her once I’d caught up to them in the main hall.

  “Ivy—”

  “This is so awful I hardly know what to do.”

  “How can I help?” I asked. “Are you going to Halton House?” Robert’s estate was in southern Yorkshire, a moderate drive from Beaumont Towers.

  “No, London. Robert wants to talk to Lord Salisbury.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “Thank you, Emily, but it’s not necessary. I’m afraid your presence would make Robert feel even more awkward than he already does. He needs privacy more than anything right now.”

  “Then I’ll leave you alone.” I hugged her, and my heart broke when I felt the tension in her slim body. “Send for me if you need anything.”

  “I must go to him.” She rushed after her husband. I leaned against the wall, looking up at stone vaulting that would have fit in perfectly at an Oxbridge college. Unsure of what to do, I was relieved when Colin came to me moments later.

  “Brandon will manage,” he said. “Politics is a dirty business, but he knew that going in.”

  “What’s going to happen?” I asked.

  “He’ll lay low for a while and then either reinvent himself or decide he’s content with the life of a gentleman.”

  “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “He made a poor choice of mentor,” Colin said. “We all know the sort of man Fortescue is. He took a risk allying himself with him.”

  “Did he have a choice?”

  “We always have a choice, Emily. But come, let’s not dwell on unpleasantries. Am I to get no kiss before I’m forced to spend another day shooting?” He caught my hand and pulled me into a small room, full of dusty furniture. “Safe to assume we won’t be disturbed here, I think. I’m sorry I didn’t see you last night.”

  “As am I.” I bit my lip. “But you were working.”

  “Yes.”

  “With the countess?”

  “She’s one of my primary contacts in Austria.”

  “Are all your contacts so beautiful?”

  “Unfortunately not.” He held my hands. “You’ve no need to worry.”

  “I trust you,” I said. “But I can’t say the same for her. I’m not naïve enough to think she’s content with being merely your colleague.”

  “For a long time she was more. I can’t apologize for that, Emily. But you don’t know Kristiana. She’s not pining for me—she’s not the sort to give her heart to anyone. She likes to flirt, likes the game of it. Everything’s a waltz to her. And she knows that many men would not view marriage as an impediment to continuing a relationship with her.”

  I didn’t believe she hadn’t pined for him. But that did not bother me so much as the fact that he didn’t say he had never pined for her. I stifled a sigh. “The world is so different from what young ladies are led to believe,” I said.

  “I’m certain the subterfuge does no good.” He frowned. “People do better when they have the truth before them. I’ve never understood why a man would want a wife who’d been set up for nothing but disappointment.”

  “You’re more cynical than I thought.”

  “No, I’ve just no use for hypocrisy.”

  “I share your opinion on the subject, but many would not. There are those who prefer a happy ignorance,” I said.

  “If you marry for purely practical reasons—to preserve a title, an estate, gain a fortune—there’s no reason to be sentimental about the arrangement. Get an heir and a spare, your duty’s done, and at last you can pursue someone who sparks a passion in you. So long as all parties are discreet and neither husband nor wife is hurt in the process, what’s the harm?”

  “I imagine there is none in such a case. But it seems a most unsatisfactory way to live. I’d rather be alone.”

  “Being alone has its drawbacks too. How did we stumble on such a morose topic?”

  “Your good friend, Kristiana. And so long as we’re on the subject of all things morose, I received a letter from my mother yesterday. She wrote to inform me that the queen would like us to be married at Windsor. Next summer.”

  “Next summer? Why would we want to wait so long?”

  “I don’t believe our desires factored into the equation. My mother and Her Majesty are rather taken with the month of June. It’s to be quite an event.”

  “An event?”

  “Yes. Fireworks were mentioned.”

  “I see.” There was laughter behind his eyes.

  “After our aborted attempt at an English wedding, I was rather hoping we could be married in Greece,” I said.

  “Just the two of us, the necessary witnesses, and one of Mrs. Katevatis’s feasts afterwards?” The cook at my villa had unparalleled culinary talents, and the thought of the sun on Santorini and a platter of spanakopita was more than a little tempting, particularly when I was trapped on a dank English estate.

  “Precisely,” I said.

  “Lots of ouzo toasts and a rather late night.”

  “One that extends all the way to morning.” Our eyes met.

  “I don’t see how we can go against the queen’s wishes,” he said.

  “I was afraid you’d say that. I admire your loyalty and sense of duty to your country, Colin, but you go too far. I can’t bear the thought of waiting so long.”

  “You were perfectly willing to put me off yourself for more months than I care to count.” His smile warmed every inch of me.

  “I was dreadful.”

  “You weren’t. I understand perfectly why you waited to accept me. If you did not value your independence so well, I wouldn’t have wanted to marry you in the first place.”

  “We’re disgustingly well suited to each other.” I raised my lips to his, but he did not kiss me.

  “Regardless, we shall have to wait. It wouldn’
t do to displease Her Majesty.”

  “I don’t suppose there’s even a hint of sarcasm in that statement?”

  “Perhaps just a touch.”

  “I do adore you,” I said. He pressed my hand to his lips. “But there will be no changing her mind. She’s offering Windsor to thank my mother for her assistance in machinating the engagement between Prince Eddy and May of Teck. Everyone’s convinced the girl will make an excellent queen.”

  “If only Eddy would make an excellent king,” Colin said. The Prince of Wales’s eldest son had a reputation for being rather slowwitted and had been embroiled in any number of scandals, each worse than the last.

  “Speaking against the royal family, Colin? If you’re already this disaffected, there’s hope that I may be able to persuade you to go against the queen’s wishes. I shall do all in my power to tempt you.”

  He put his hand on my cheek. “My dear girl, resisting you will take all of my will.”

  “I wonder if you have quite so much will as you think?” I stood on my toes and kissed him, slowly, once on each cheek. “What a pity you have to go shoot today. I can think of much more pleasant ways to pass a morning.”

  AS IT WAS, there was very little about the morning that could be called pleasant. We had all expected an influx of guests the previous day—the prime minister and others would have brought their wives—giving us ladies someone new with whom to converse. Ivy was still upstairs overseeing her packing, the countess and Lady Fortescue were nowhere to be found, so Flora and I were left with the count, finding almost nothing in the way of amusement.

  “I don’t understand why we can’t shoot,” Flora said.

  “It’s never made sense to me,” I said, looking up from the letter—already six pages long—that I was writing to Margaret. “We’re allowed to foxhunt. I suppose directly killing a bird is unladylike, but pursuing a fox and leaving him to be torn to bits by dogs is not.”