by Anne Herries
Susannah was thoughtful as she followed her friend to a small couch near where her mother was already seated. The music was just beginning as they sat down, so she could not mention the earl’s reaction to Amelia, and by the time they rose to go into sup per she had for got ten it.
However, she recalled it later that evening when she happened to catch sight of the earl in conversation with Amelia. His manner was everything that was correct, as was Amelia’s. No one could tell from their manner whether they were old friends or new acquaintances—they were being polite, but no more.
Remembering Amelia’s shock, and the gentleman’s violent re action when he saw her, Susannah was certain that she was right. The earl was the gentleman Amelia had spoken of on two occasions. She had loved him once and she was not in different to him now, though she was trying to give that impression.
What a wonderful thing it would be if they could find each other again now that Amelia was in de pen dent of her overbearing brother! Was the earl married? She must ask Lord Pendleton, for he was sure to know. However, this evening was not the place or the time, because she must be discreet. Careless talk might lead to hurt for Amelia and she would not wish that for the world….
Chapter Four
Susannah did not need to wait long to put her questions to Lord Pendleton—they met when she was walking with some friends in the park the next morning. He tipped his hat, asked if he might join them, and after a few minutes she found that they were side by side and somehow a little behind the others.
‘Would you mind if I asked you some thing?’ she said impulsively. There was a sparkle in her eyes that had some times been missing for a few days, and her smile was compelling.
‘You may ask me anything you wish,’ Harry said, responding with a twinkle in his own eyes. ‘I assure you that any confidence you place in me will be strictly kept.’
‘Well…it is not actually my confidence,’ Susannah said. ‘Do you know—have you any idea if there has ever been anything between your friend the Earl of Ravenshead and Miss Royston?’
‘What makes you ask?’ Harry said, hesitating. ‘Have you noticed some thing?’
‘Yes, I did actually. Miss Royston was startled to see him last evening, and for a few moments it quite overset her. And I think he was equally perturbed when he saw her, for I was watching him at that moment.’
‘Ah…’ Harry considered; he would not wish to betray his friend’s confidence, but there could be little harm in admitting what she had already observed. ‘I believe they may once have known each other quite well. Something occurred and nothing came of the friend ship. However, I can tell you no more, for I am not certain of the details.’
‘Or you are not at liberty to tell me,’ Susannah replied astutely. ‘I should not want you to betray a friend’s confidence, sir, but you have told me enough. Amelia had already mentioned that she once knew him and I too know things that I am not at liberty to tell anyone…’ She paused, a look of conspiracy on her face. ‘You must know that I should not have been given a Season in town if it were not for Amelia’s generosity, sir. I am very grateful for it and should like to do some thing for her…’ She hesitated, then, ‘He isn’t married—is he?’
Harry frowned. ‘Not to my knowledge. No, I think not…why do you ask?’
Harry was wary as he looked at her. Susannah had completely recovered from her loss of spirits after the incident with Northaven, and her eyes were bright with mischief.
‘I just wished to be sure,’ she replied airily.
‘What are you suggesting, Miss Hampton?’
‘Do you have to call me Miss Hampton all the time? Could you not call me Susannah in private? I believe we know each other well enough now, sir.’
‘Only if you will reciprocate by calling me Harry.’
‘Oh…I am not certain I should do that, but I could call you Pendleton,’ Susannah said, looking so adorable that he gave her a broad grin. ‘Anyway, I was talking about Amelia and the earl—do you think we could sort of encourage them to get together in some way? I should so like to see Amelia happy. Nothing obvious, just making sure they are at the same affairs and that kind of thing.’
‘I do not think we should meddle in things that do not concern us,’ Harry said, a little doubtful. He imagined his friend had been too busy getting his estate into order to think of mixing in society much, but some thing had made him decide to stay on in town. ‘Surely—’ Harry stopped as she frowned at him. He was doing it again! He must try for light ness. She wanted a white knight on a charger and he had to become what she needed or risk losing her. ‘It is true that I have always believed he cared for her, but some thing went wrong for them.’
‘Oh, I knew I was right about him!’ Susannah cried. ‘It was a tragic love story. Someone pre vented their hap pi ness…but now they have a second chance. How romantic it would be if they could be together again!’
‘It might be the very thing,’ Harry agreed, not wanting to hurt her feelings. ‘But I really think we should not interfere, Susannah. If they still like each other enough, it will happen without any interference from us.’
‘All I meant was to mention her name now and then—and I will mention how handsome he is to her.’
‘Gerard is very handsome, I suppose,’ Harry said doubt fully. ‘And Miss Royston is an attractive lady. I have wondered why she has not married before this. However, I must strongly urge caution. It would not be right to push them together. It can do no good and might do great harm.’
‘Do you think it wrong?’ Susannah’s face fell. ‘You must think me such a foolish creature. It was merely that I so wished to do some thing for her. She often looks…sad…’ she finished on a sigh.
‘Yes, I have remarked it myself,’ Harry told her. ‘I will make certain that Gerard attends various functions and parties, for it is time he mixed more in company, but I will do no more, and I think you should exercise caution—you would not like to make your friend angry, I think? She would perhaps feel annoyed if she thought you were meddling in her affairs.’
‘No, I should not do so,’ Susannah agreed. ‘Very well, I shall not go out of my way to praise him, though if the occasion arises…’ She gave him a look that was a mixture of defiance and appeal. ‘Surely you cannot censure that?’
‘I am relieved. I had thought you would beg me to arrange an elopement!’
Susannah saw that he was teasing and shook her head. ‘I should not dream of suggesting it for Amelia! I know she would dislike it of all things. It might be romantic with the right man, of course—but I do not think Amelia would care for such a thing at all.’
‘I am very sure Gerard would never agree. He is very much the gentleman, you know. It would not suit his notions of propriety.’
‘Is an elopement so very bad?’ Susannah asked, meaning to tease him now. ‘It would be an adventure—if one cared for such things….’
‘Perhaps, though it might be uncomfortable, unless the lady was very sure of the gentleman’s affections, of course.’
‘Yes, I suppose so,’ Susannah agreed. ‘She would have to love him to distraction, and then she would care nothing for discomfort.’
Her inhibitions concerning Lord Pendleton had quite disappeared. She had accepted Harry as her confidant and chattered away happily, as she discussed how they could bring the star-crossed lovers together, without interfering in their lives.
Listening to Susannah’s laughter and watching the changing expressions on her lovely face, Harry understood that he was fairly caught. He was not sure how it had happened, for he had had his reservations at the start. However, they had somehow melted away the night he found Northaven trying to seduce her.
Susannah held his future hap pi ness in the palm of her soft hand. Being drawn into this enchanting intimacy was such a pleasant experience for a man who had, he admitted to himself, been very much inclined to hold his feelings in check. Harry was certain his feelings were more than the natural lust any man might feel
for a beautiful girl. Yes, he wanted to kiss her until she melted against him, wanted to feel the softness of her yielding body beneath him as he taught her the pleasures of desire, but even more pressing than those very strong instincts was the need to protect her.
He smiled inwardly as she offered him a smile that was both innocent and provocative at the same time. She was enchanting! In deed, he felt himself under her spell. He was not at all certain that she felt more than liking for him, though that in itself was an advance. He was certain that two weeks previously she would not have shared her thoughts concerning Miss Royston with him.
She had spoken of an elopement and for a moment he toyed with the idea of gratifying her wish, but he was fairly certain that she would in her heart enjoy a society wedding far more. It was merely a matter of convincing her that he was the man she ought to marry.
‘We must plan your dance,’ Amelia said when they had tea together that afternoon. ‘I had thought we would hold it a few days before we go home and we should begin to think of what to do once we leave London…’ Her gaze met Susannah’s. ‘Your mama and I have settled it that we shall go from here to Bath, my love. I wish to purchase a house there and I have asked my agent to find me a suitable property that I may rent and then purchase if I like it. I hope to spend quite a bit of time residing in the town in future. You are both welcome to live with me until you have other plans.’
Susannah under stood that Amelia was speaking of her marriage. She could offer very little on the subject; although she liked Harry Pendleton very well and thought perhaps she might feel more, she was not certain—nor had he spoken to her.
‘I told Amelia that we shall certainly stay with her until she finds herself a com pan ion,’ Mrs Hampton said. ‘However, we have an other two weeks at least in town. Who knows what may happen?’
‘Plenty of time,’ Amelia said and smiled at Susannah. ‘We must draw up a guest list. We shall invite everyone who has invited us to their affairs, which is all of our close friends—but is there any one special you would like, Susannah?’
Susannah was silent for a moment. ‘I should like the Earl of Ravenshead if that is acceptable to you, Amelia? He is a close friend of Lord Pendleton and I think him a pleasant gentleman.’
‘Yes, they are close friends,’ Amelia said, looking pensive. ‘I sup pose it would seem odd if he were not invited. I shall add his name to the list. Anyone else?’
‘Mr Sinclair—but I dare say he is on the list, for he is at most of the functions we attend and he is Lord Pendleton’s nephew.’
‘Yes. Toby Sinclair is a pleasant young man,’ Amelia agreed. ‘I like him very much myself.’ She smiled as she said it and Susannah wondered. Could she have made a mistake in thinking that Amelia was interested in the earl? Toby was younger than Amelia, but that would not matter if they were in love.
She must not speculate! It was not her affair. Harry Pendleton had been right to re prim and her in the park. Amelia’s affairs were her own. However, she was pleased that the Earl of Ravenshead was to be invited to the dance.
The next week was the height of the Season so far, and Susannah was too busy to indulge herself with flights of fancy or even to think about her own feelings very much. They never seemed to have a free evening. Often, they attended more than one event in an evening, going first to a musical soirée and then on to a card party or some thing of that nature. There was a ball held on four separate occasions that week, which meant that Susannah was forced to buy another pair of dancing slippers, for hers were quite worn out.
However, she could not refrain from mentioning that she had arranged for the earl to be asked to her dance when she met Harry at a particular function.
‘I think she was a little affected by my request, but you do not censure me for making it, I hope?’
‘How could I? There is no harm in such an invitation. I hope you have not been doing anything worse?’
She blushed. ‘You are right to scold me. I should not meddle—but I still think she likes him. I should like to see her married and safe, because I care for her. She is not so very old, you know, though I dare say some may think she is past the age of marrying.’
‘I do not think it at all,’ Harry replied. ‘I am older than Miss Royston by some seven years, I believe.’
‘Well, it is different for a man, is it not?’ Susannah asked innocently. ‘Do you not think it would be a fine thing—if they were to decide to marry?’
Harry hesitated. He knew that Gerard had suffered a disappointment of some kind. He was fairly certain that the young lady in question had been Amelia Royston, but he did not know what had happened. Gerard had been a changed man when they next met, slightly bitter at first, though he had changed again later. Having his life saved had seemed to instigate a new reason to live in Gerard, and then some thing else had happened. Harry wasn’t sure what it was, because he had never asked. Gerard was a man who kept his secrets. If he wished someone to know, he would tell them. They were good friends, but they did not intrude on each other’s lives.
‘If they decided it for them selves—I would think it a very fine idea,’ he conceded. ‘However, I do not think it right that we should make a push to help bring such a marriage about, though I confess I should like to see him settled in England.’
Susannah bestowed a look of glowing approval on him. ‘You are such a good friend,’ she told him with a confiding air. ‘I think you must be my very best friend.’
Harry hesitated. He was tempted to tell her that he would like to be much more than a friend, but she was clearly enjoying his friend ship and he did not wish to startle her by declaring himself too soon. She was many years his junior and he wasn’t sure that it would be fair to ask her to be his wife. She would find her life much changed—as the chatelaine of his various estates, she would have many duties.
‘I should always wish to please you,’ he said. ‘I think you must know that, Susannah?’
‘Yes, I do…’ she replied and glanced away, suddenly shy.
He was on the point of pressing further when they were interrupted by the arrival of some friends, who took Susannah’s attention. Harry was asked to make up a four at whist and departed. His eyes strayed across the room to where Susannah was playing a game of jack straws with some of the younger members of the company. Her laughter was music to his ears and he felt his heart jolt when their eyes happened to meet for a moment and she lowered her eyelid, giving him a saucy wink.
Harry knew that by naming him as her very best friend she had paid him the highest honour she could accord, but it was still not quite what he wanted from her. She had learned to trust and like him, but that was not the wild passion he wanted her to feel—the passion he thought necessary in a marriage. He was certain there was passion in Susannah. He just needed to awaken it.
He had been thinking for some days of things that might make him seem a hero or a little bit exciting in her eyes. His mind kept coming back to an idea that had been growing for a while now. It was completely mad, a wild flight of fancy that he would not normally consider—but it might just work. If it did he would gain so much, but he could also lose everything on the toss of the dice.
Harry had nerves of steel at the gambling table or in the face of the enemy, but when it came to losing Susannah, he knew himself a total coward. To have her turn away from him now might be a blow from which he could never recover. No other woman had come close to having this effect on him, and he had begun to understand what might have made Gerard lose the will to live during those hellish months in Spain.
Harry’s plan was risky. He was weighing the consequences, gradually gaining more confidence in the outcome. If he managed to pull it off, he would win the best prize of his life!
It was not to be thought of until Susannah’s own dance was over, of course. He knew that she was looking forward to her special evening and he would do nothing that might interfere with her pleasure. However, he might just put his risky plan into place a day or s
o after. Her visit to town would be nearing its end, and if it did not work…but Harry dared not allow himself to think of failure, for that would be terrible.
He would wait until after the dance, but if Susannah still seemed to think of him as simply a friend, he would do it!
Susannah retired happily to bed that night. She had noticed Amelia looking pensive a few times during the evening, which surely meant that she had been missing the earl. He had not been invited to the dinner or the card evening they attended, for it was a small affair consisting of about twenty-five guests.
‘I happen to know Gerard has other things on his mind at the moment,’ Harry had told her. ‘Some problem with his estate, I understand. I believe he has actually left town for a few days.’
‘He will be here for my dance?’
‘Oh, yes, I am certain of it, for we have a meeting of the Four-in-Hand club,’ he told her with a smile. ‘I have proposed my sister’s boy as a new member and we shall be taking a vote.’
‘Oh, yes, Mr Sinclair is very keen to join, I believe,’ Susannah said and laughed. ‘He wants to be just like you, Pendleton! He is for ever telling me how much he admires you. I had no idea of what an excellent sportsman you are until he told me that you are held to be top of the trees by the Corinthians. He never ceases to sing your praises.’
‘Indeed?’ Harry looked thoughtful. ‘How very kind of him. I wonder what he is after now.’
‘That is unkind!’ Susannah cried, scolding him, but with a gleam of mischief in her eyes. ‘I am quite sure his affection for you is genuine.’
‘Yes, I know it is,’ Harry replied and smiled oddly. ‘Toby likes to kick up a few larks, but he is actually a very sensible young man. I am thinking of taking him into a new venture I am setting up—but you will please not mention that to him. I want to give him a chance to…enjoy himself before he knuckles down.’
‘Oh…’ Susannah stared at him. Lord Pendleton never ceased to surprise her. Every time they spoke she discovered some thing new about him, and she was beginning to like him more and more. She knew that he attended every function where he might expect to see her, and he had offered to take her driving in the park whenever she wished. As yet she had not accepted that particular invitation, because she had a feeling that once she did their relation ship might become more serious. She was not yet sure that she wished Harry to make her an offer. He was the most generous, easiest gentleman of her acquaintance, but she still could not help feeling that she would like some thing exciting to happen.