She'd already decided what she would do. Felicity would have to return to Foxton Park.
"He didn't compromise me." Felicity sat on the chair at Elaine's dressing table. "I asked him to come and see me — I wanted to see him, he's not to blame."
"We'll give out that you've decided to return home… Any excuse you like."
"What? You're asking me to leave?"
"Quite," Elaine said drily. She had firm hold of her temper.
"I thought you were my friend," Felicity said, tears starting in her eyes.
Too much a friend to allow this, Elaine thought. She felt sorry for Felicity, but Felicity was contracted to Sir Oliver. She couldn't bear to contemplate what he might do if he discovered Felicity's behavior.
Sir Oliver would call out Volkov; nothing was surer. She couldn't have a man's death on her conscience.
She handed Felicity a handkerchief. "Come, dry your eyes. Return to Foxton Park. You'll forget Volkov."
"He loves me!"
"That's as may be… But you accepted Sir Oliver," Elaine said gently. "If you've decided that you made a mistake, you must tell Sir Oliver."
Felicity looked horrified. Tears ran down her cheeks. "I can't. I can't!"
Yes, that would be asking far too much of gentle Felicity, Elaine understood that. So she had to return to Foxton Park, and accustom herself to the thought of becoming Lady Destry.
Elaine went to the door, and asked Cormac to give Catherine and Anne her compliments; Felicity was unwell. She and Felicity would remain at home. She knew that Anne was in a fever to get to the warehouses before the fashionable world learned of the new silks, so Catherine was unlikely to investigate.
"Come," she said to Felicity. She took Felicity back to her room, and sent for Felicity's maid. "You'll spend the day in bed, my dear…"
An hour later, Elaine went to Felicity's room to see how she did. Her friend was pale, curled on her side. She sat up when Elaine entered the room. "Please don't send me back to Foxton Park — please."
If Felicity left, Catherine would want to know why, and would be very angry when she learned what Felicity had done. But something had to be done. Elaine couldn't promote clandestine dealings… scandaleux, as Denise had said.
"Tell me what you want," she said finally, sitting on the side of Felicity's bed.
"I don't want to marry Sir Oliver. I love Alexei."
"Two things," Elaine said gently, taking Felicity's hand. It was icy. She chafed some warmth into it. "If you wish to throw over Sir Oliver, you must tell him. No one can force you to marry him — not even Mr. Baynes can do that… But Volkov, he's another matter entirely."
"What do you mean?"
"If he's an honorable man —" she lifted her hand when Felicity began to protest. "I have no doubt that he is… then he must wait until you are free. Then he will do what any man would do — court you properly. Do you see?"
Felicity looked frightened.
"Fee, if Volkov feels about you as you do about him, then he will behave as everyone expects."
"I can't tell Sir Oliver. Could Catherine do it?"
Elaine laughed aloud at that. "No, she would not. It would be most improper, my dear."
"You'll allow me to stay?"
Elaine shook her head. She knew that it was better that Felicity should return to Foxton Park. Finally however, unable to watch her friend's tears, she agreed that Felicity could stay at Eardley House. "Only on the condition that you promise that you will never leave the house alone again… And that you will not see Volkov alone again, either." She paused, and stared hard at Felicity. "Will you promise?"
"Will you help me to — to put Sir Oliver off our marriage?"
Elaine wasn't about to agree. "Fee, how you do imagine that I could do such a thing? You must tell Sir Oliver that you're too young, or feel that you're not suited."
Felicity looked annoyed. "I can't!"
Elaine took her friend's hand again, and squeezed it. Felicity might think that she couldn't, but if she truly didn't want the marriage, she would need to find her courage.
9
Elaine knew that she had to find a way to help Felicity, if she could. But how? She must not interfere, she told herself. No good could come of her interference.
She tried to think of Felicity as Catherine would. With his turquoise-clear eyes and gravelly voice, Volkov was a romantic figure. Felicity was intrigued by him, that was all. The secrecy of the romance appealed to Felicity. Volkov was different, unlike all the other men that Felicity was meeting at balls and routs.
Felicity knew that an engagement wasn't be be taken lightly. Sir Oliver and Mr. Baynes had a right to expect Elaine to keep her word. Elaine was certain that Volkov's appeal would fade in time. She couldn't imagine Felicity leaving Foxton Park for an unknown world in Russia.
If Felicity told the men that she had changed her mind, they wouldn't care. Whether or not Felicity wanted it the marriage would proceed.
Elaine didn't want to see Catherine until she had calmed, so she decided that she would visit Sommerforth's stables and check on Joy. That would cheer her.
Cormac collected carrots and apples from the kitchen.
Sommerforth was at the stables talking to his stable master. He looked up when Elaine entered the busy stable yard, and came across to her at once. He bowed low over her hand. "Miss Eardley — you've come to see Joy? We were discussing the mare."
He offered her his arm, and she took it.
She was ready for the tingle, and inhaled sharply.
A few moments later, a stable lad brought Joy out, and walked her around the yard. Joy didn't prance, or sidle. She walked calmly, but alertly. Although she eyed Elaine, and tossed her head, she obeyed the small stable lad.
For several long moments, Elaine stared at the mare in disbelief. "She looks wonderful! What did you do? Her coat's gleaming."
She looked up at Sommerforth, who was smiling at her. "Nothing more than feed, care, and exercise — and a special tonic we use. I'll send the recipe around to your stable master if you wish?"
She nodded. "Thank you." Joy was calm and obedient, and although Elaine was thrilled, part of her felt uncomfortable. She sighed.
"What's wrong?"
She met his slate-grey eyes and saw concern. "Nothing. She's wonderful. It's just that I think that perhaps she might do better with you."
"What?"
He appeared shocked. Elaine couldn't understand why she felt so disgruntled. It was obvious that Joy was well cared for, and calm. "I've been avoiding your stables. I thought that Joy might be unhappy, but she isn't. Not only is she calm, but she looks a great deal better than she looked with me."
"Miss Eardley," the duke compressed his lips, but finally gave up, and laughed out loud. "Joy's had two grooms as well as a stable lad looking after her. In your own stables, she has a lad to look after her, and a groom to exercise her. Both men have other animals to look after… I assure you that only my best animals have such concentrated attention paid to them... and it's only while my stable master schools her for town."
"I see. So you no longer want to buy the mare? If you did, you should have said that since the mare is so much happier with you, she should be with you, rather than with me, should you not?" She knew that she was being pert, but couldn't help it.
He shook his head at her. "I know that you don't want to sell me the horse. I promised that we would school her so that she became an excellent town hack. Now..." he stared hard at her. "There's something else the matter. You seem unhappy. I saw that immediately. What's happened?"
Her mouth dropped open. "I — "
"Forgive me, it's an intrusion," he said quickly. "I should not tease you."
"No." Elaine had a sudden inspiration. "I don't know what to do..."
"About?"
She made a sudden decision to trust him. "It's my friend. I'm most concerned for her."
"Tell me — perhaps I can help?"
"I know I should not reveal he
r secrets, but… you won't say anything?"
He offered Elaine his arm again, and nodded to his stable master to return the mare to her loose box. Then he and Elaine walked to the side of the stable yard, where they could not be overheard.
"Tell me about your friend," he said gently.
"She agreed to marry someone, but she finds that they are not suited. She's met someone else, and they have formed an attachment..."
She saw the look in his eyes, and said quickly. "I'm not talking about me, your grace, I promise you... My friend requested that my sister Catherine tell the man to whom she's contracted that she does not wish to marry him, but Catherine would never agree."
"Then you must help your friend to tell her parents that she doesn't wish to marry the man."
"She has no parents. There's no one she could tell other than her guardian, who arranged the marriage. I fear that he would not care."
"I see," he put his hands behind his back, and stared at the cobblestones. "It's a challenge."
"Yes, it is."
"What do you most wish to do?"
"I want to send her home! But that would be very unkind. I feel impatient with her, but I can't be cruel."
"Her betrothed knows nothing of this?"
"He would be enraged, if she were to tell him that she doesn't want to marry him. He has suspicions, and he would be bound to call the other man out. That would make everything much worse." She knew that she was saying too much. She asked again, "you won't tell anyone?"
He shook his head. "No, I would never betray a confidence."
She believed him.
Joy had been returned to her loose box. Sommerforth escorted Elaine down the stables, with its row of loose boxes on either side of the center aisle, until they arrived at Joy's box. Joy came to the front of the box at once, and snuffled at Elaine's cheek in welcome.
Elaine rubbed Joy's nose. She murmured to the mare. "You're behaving so well… I was worried about you, but there was no need, was there?"
When she looked up at the duke, he was smiling at her again. "Miss Eardley, would you like to try the mare in the park tomorrow morning? She's on her best behavior because she's still getting to know her new caretakers. I'd like to see how she behaves with you."
Elaine laughed. "Yes, certainly." She took an apple from the bag Cormac offered her, and looked a question at the duke.
He nodded, and Elaine fed Joy the apple.
In the carriage, Elaine wondered at herself. Her face heated. She didn't understand why she had told Sommerforth Felicity's secret, but who else could she tell? Besides, he was a duke, and a man. Her only other option was to tell Catherine, but she feared how her sister would react.
Catherine didn't like Sir Oliver. Not only was he Major Grove's friend, but Catherine didn't trust him. She might take great pleasure in helping Felicity to defy him. But.. Not only would the family make an enemy, Elaine knew that Sir Oliver would call out Volkov.
Catherine would send Felicity home to avoid chaos, and would forbid Elaine to see her or write to her.
Later that night, when she thought about the events of the day, Elaine was surprised at how comfortable she felt telling Sommerforth of her concerns. She would see him in the morning.
Catherine returned to Eardley House from shopping at the silk warehouses with a slight headache. Her maid helped her to change into a day dress, then Morley sent word that her man of business had arrived, and wished to see her.
A few minutes later, she entered the library to find not only her man of business, but also Jones, the footman who was her spy in the Countess of Hazelbridge's household.
The men stood, and bowed courteously. She nodded to them both, and took a chair beside her man of business. Jones remained standing. He looked well in the white and gold Hazelbridge livery, being very tall — much taller than most footmen. He was lean, and dark… She blinked, and cleared her throat.
She hadn't been able to find a footman who made a suitable spy. Jones was a military man, a nobleman — the fourth son of an earl. He'd made a successful spy for the Duke of Wellington on the Peninsula, and later. Her man of business had contacts at Horse Guards, and Jones (which was not his real name of course) came highly recommended by the Secretary of State for War.
When her man of business had opted to find her a real spy, she hadn't hesitated. The matter became urgent, as soon as she realized that Sommerforth had intentions toward her sister. If Sommerforth offered for Elaine at the end of her season, she wanted to be prepared. And of course, if what she discovered didn't please her, she had every intention of warning Sommerforth away.
No one says no to a duke perhaps, but she had no intention of allowing Elaine to walk blindly into a marriage in which she would be unhappy, duke or not.
"The countess's sister, Marion. Who is the father of her child?" she asked Jones.
"An unknown man. Chatter below stairs is that it isn't the duke," Jones said. "The servants are all adamant about that. It seems that Miss Marion spread her favors among two noblemen and a coachman. His grace was kind to her — danced with her, and so on, but that was all."
The footman had brown eyes. Penetrating eyes, which made her shiver. Catherine blinked, and shook her head slightly. Why was she noticing a footman's eyes, for goodness sake?
"How often does the duke visit the countess?"
"The duke? Not at all, ma'am. He handed her her congé. The talk is that the countess is looking for a new lover and protector. They say that she's bleeding the duke for money, on behalf of her sister. He's bought the countess a new carriage and a team, and Miss Marion a house, but he's no longer visiting the countess."
How interesting, Catherine thought.
"If that's all, Mrs. Grove?" Her man of business asked, on her silence.
"Yes, that's all. But, Jones?"
"Ma'am?"
"If you discovered anything at all that we would want to know, bearing in mind that Sommerforth may offer for my sister... Let me know at once. Morley has instructions to watch for you. Enter the house from the back area. Tell the staff there that you wish to speak to Mr. Morley."
He bowed to them both, and left the library.
Later that afternoon David was sitting in White's with Lord Worley. "Tell me about Volkov and Lady Foxton," he ordered his cousin.
Cam rolled his eyes. "The man's a fool over her."
"So it's serious? He does realize that she's betrothed to Sir Oliver I assume?"
"He doesn't care. He tells me that it's a mere flirtation, but I have my doubts. I've half a mind to contact his family, but that would be — no, I couldn't do it."
"Miss Eardley is concerned for her friend, and I don't want her upset, so tell Volkov to keep his distance."
"You're serious about this?"
"Never more so. Lady Foxton and Elaine are close. If the Foxton chit becomes embroiled in a scandal because two fools decide to kill each other, the scandal touches Elaine. I won't have it."
"David, is this wise? You said that you would wait to speak to her mother until after the season, did you not?"
David leaned closer, although no one was close enough to hear their murmured conversation. "Is there anything you feel I should know?"
"Well, I..."
"Tell me, Cam."
"It's just a suspicion. Volkov's usually all for spending the night at some gambling hell or other, but over the past week he takes himself off before midnight, and he doesn't come home."
David waited.
"He doesn't have a mistress, so I had him followed." Cameron inhaled. "He's meeting Lady Foxton. He waits in his carriage, in the lane at the rear of Eardley House. They drive around for a few hours."
David suppressed an oath, but kept his expression bland. He smiled at Cam for the sake of any onlookers, but he didn't feel like smiling. "Tell Volkov that he's to forget Lady Foxton. If he doesn't, I'll speak to the Russian ambassador, and have him removed from England. He's compromised the lady — does he realize that?"
"Yes, of course he does. I don't know whether he'll listen to me."
"Then the ambassador it is."
"David — no. Let me speak with him, and warn him that he's in danger of being bundled back home without ceremony."
"How are his finances?"
"What? You're surely not thinking of interfering and encouraging this madness? What of Sir Oliver? He won't stand for it."
David waved his hand. "I'm not thinking of anything. My sole purpose is to protect Miss Eardley from the machinations of her thoughtless young friend. Talk to Volkov, and see what he says. Get a sense of his feelings for Lady Foxton."
Felicity didn't come downstairs to ride with them the next morning, so only Catherine accompanied Elaine.
"You're blushing," Catherine told Elaine in the carriage.
Lilly sat beside Elaine on the cushions, and Elaine had a firm hold of Lilly's collar. The dog had recently discovered that she could leap from the carriage. "What?"
"Have you formed a tendre for his grace?"
Elaine stared at her sister. She was aware that she'd been thinking of the duke with one part of her mind, and remembering her visit to his stables. She'd told him about Felicity, and had felt comfortable with him. But a tendre?
"No," she said firmly, "that would be foolishness indeed."
"Why?"
"What do you mean?" Elaine found that she couldn't look at her sister. She busied herself patting Lilly, who'd lifted one paw onto the door of the carriage. "No," she told the dog, and pulled her back, so she was sitting on the cushions again.
"It's past the time that Sommerforth married again. His cousin is his heir I believe, but I know that Lady Merrill would approve if he decided to set up his own nursery."
Even more color flooded Elaine's face, and she shook her head. "No, no indeed. Have you forgotten that you said that if the duke took me up, and then dropped me —"
"We're beyond that now," Catherine said crisply. "He's not merely paying you compliments, dancing with you, driving in the park, calling… It appears that he's set himself the task of helping you. He's very kind to you. How many other young ladies has he courted?"
The Lady and the Duke_A Dangerous Season Page 11