Captives' Charade

by Susannah Merrill

  His gaze on her was so bittersweet that Sarah could not resist the urge to hug him once again. “Oh, Papa, I love you so.” she whispered. “I miss you already.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Sitting in her room later, Sarah was at a loss to absorb all the twists and turns her emotions had suffered in less than a day. First had come her decision to accept her attraction to Stewart Chamberlain. Then she had found her own sister in his embrace. And to add to her humiliation, her personal maid had delivered Stewart’s letter which told her nothing but the fact that he knew Sarah had witnessed their rendezvous.

  Then her father presented her with the most exciting proposition of a lifetime – a voyage to America – only to have it tied up inexorably with Stewart Chamberlain. She colored at the thought of Stewart admitting to her father that he had been intimate with her, but that because of their compromise he would still be a suitable escort. She could not imagine that there existed another man in the world who could so successfully turn all events into such good fortune for himself.

  She realized now that the voyage must have been the important news Stewart had wanted to tell her himself. At least that was one small triumph for her – he had not witnessed her elation upon first hearing of the news.

  Deep in thought, she failed to acknowledge the impatient rapping on her door, but when the portal burst open, Sarah look up, startled.

  “You’re here!” Juliana stood dwarfed by the doorjamb, looking as lovely as ever in a pale green muslin dress, her blonde hair caught up in curls off her neck and held with green ribbons.

  “Yes,” Sarah replied, smiling meekly, “I didn’t hear you knock. I guess I was daydreaming ... again.”

  Juliana flounced into the room, pushing the door shut behind her. “I can imagine. It appears you have much more to daydream about than usual.”

  “Did Mother tell you?” Sarah asked, taking care to convey a neutral tone. It was impossible to judge Juliana’s mood.

  “She did,” Juliana replied coolly, examining her exquisite reflection in Sarah’s vanity mirror. “Are you excited?”

  “Yes,” Sarah said cautiously, “yes I am. Quite. I have always daydreamed about traveling, but never spoke of it. The idea always seemed impossible. And now ...” she shrugged doubtfully, uncomfortable with her sister’s blasé attitude.

  Juliana gave a bored sigh and lightly hopped upon the bed, close to the window seat where Sarah was sitting. “Well it sounds like a perfectly awful way to spend the next six months, if you ask me, especially since the Little Season is soon to begin. I’m certainly grateful for my bacon brain, or Father might have considered sending me.” She made an exaggerated shiver, plucking at her gown as if it were suddenly infested. Ignoring Sarah’s pained expression, she continued in her haughty manner. “I hear Father has made arrangements with Stewart Chamberlain to be your protector.”

  “That is my understanding,” Sarah replied so faintly that Juliana looked up from her skirt with a jerk.

  “Don’t tell me this does not please you?” she said mockingly. Sarah fidgeted uncomfortably. “No it does not. But it is a condition I must live with if I hope to make the voyage.”

  “Oh, spare me,” Juliana cried dramatically, pushing herself off the downy coverlet and floating to the center of the room. “You think I don’t know about the two of you?”

  “The two of us? Whatever are you talking about?” Sarah asked incredulously. “Don’t misunderstand me, sister,” Juliana demanded petulantly, her jade eyes boring into her sister’s troubled blue ones. “It is not that I mind that Stewart prefers your charms. Heaven knows it’s about time you had a beau. But you might have told me yourself. After all, we are sisters, and I have always shared my dalliances with you.”

  Shocked and stunned by her words, Sarah blurted, “Juliana, I-I don’t know what to say. You’ve confused me terribly. I thought Stewart and you ...?”

  “Well I won’t say I didn’t wish it,” Juliana sighed. “Even perhaps pursued it,” she added over her shoulder as she strutted upon the thick Aubusson. “But I certainly would have saved myself a great deal of trouble – not to mention embarrassment – had you seen fit to tell me that Stewart was courting you all along. If I were the type to feel humiliation ...” she wagged her finger at Sarah, “... and you know that I am not, I might be quite inconsolable over what you’ve done to me.”

  “What have I done?” Sarah cried, thoroughly confused. “You know I had my eye on that Yankee, but you apparently beguiled him right out from under my nose. And all along I thought he was falling in love with me! I don’t enjoy playing the gudgeon, Sarah, and now that’s exactly what Stewart thinks of me, thanks to you!” Juliana was obviously distraught, for her eyes were stormy and her cheeks flying colors.

  She rose and pleaded, “Juliana, please. I don’t understand what you are talking about. I swear, I haven’t purposely done anything to hurt you.”

  Juliana stopped her pacing and considered her tall, slim sibling for a moment. Finally, she sighed and slumped into an overstuffed chaise. “Very well. Apparently we have some sorting out to do – though it pains me sorely that I should have to practically swoon before I’m able to find out what’s going on.” With that, she folded her arms across the swell of her bodice and thrust out her lower lip in a childish pout. “Tell me everything.”

  Sarah proceeded to tell her, as briefly as she could, about the attentions Stewart had paid her from the time of his arrival. Without detail, she mentioned his forwardness and of the agreement they had reached.

  “I first believed, as you did, that he was interested in you. So when he agreed to court me with less ... pressure,” Sarah struggled, “I demanded that he make his intentions clear to you. I see that he did not – for his selfish aim was to set his cap for both of us. And I hate him all the more for his deception.”

  A mirthless smile had begun to play on Juliana’s full lips as she pondered her sister’s words. Seeing that Sarah would speak no more, Juliana regally raised herself up in the chair and spoke plainly. “Much as it would console my pride to let you believe he is the cad you think, it is not true.

  “His interest in you was apparent, but since you did not see fit to tell me of your relationship, I assumed the affection was not returned. Therefore, I pursued Mr. Chamberlain in the hopes that he would turn his attentions to a more, shall I say, willing lady?”

  Juliana tipped her chin stubbornly. “Needless to say, I misassessed his cut. Stewart is less reckless than I thought. He does not dally with a woman not of his choosing, no matter how comely and inclined she may be. I learned that lesson quite boldly last night in the garden. So, there you have it, dear one. I have confessed my wanton behavior, with neither regrets nor apologies. What have you to say?”

  Sarah gave her sister a sidelong glance. “I should be glad I am your sister and not your rival, then. I truly do not know what to say of this development.” Juliana’s confessions confirmed that Stewart Chamberlain was a man of his word, and his apparent scrupulous behavior in the face of her sibling’s onslaught made him all the more a paragon – for no man had ever refused Juliana before.

  “Juliana,” she murmured in a troubled voice, “I am beset by this man. I wish I had never met him! Everything was so pleasant and simple before he entered our lives ....”

  “And oppressively boring,” Juliana snapped back. “I’ll be bound, Sarah. I would think Stewart’s attention would have you swooning. Instead you are acting like a tabby. If you want to end up like one, you are certainly going about it the right way!”

  “Stop it!” Sarah hissed. “I am sick to death of people taking me for more hair than wit, assuming that I shall become a spinster simply because I do not care for Stewart Chamberlain! If the facts be known, he is a most ineligible candidate for the institution. Even if I found him suitable – which I do not – there would be no future in it.”

  Juliana was completely undaunted by her sister’s rant. With a sly smile, she leaned forward conspira
torially and discussed marriage? interesting ....”

  questioned, “So you’ve

  Already? How very “It’s obvious you’re up to your eyes in fables and not listening to a word I say,” Sarah returned flatly, and with that she turned and walked back to the window seat. Seating herself, she flung her long, slim legs in their white silk stockings and kid slippers upon the cushions and glared at her sister. Seeing Juliana’s smug smile, she grumbled, “Think what you will, little sister, but do not expect me to bide your delusions. I’ll thank you to keep them to yourself.”

  “Very well,” Juliana chuckled as she rose to make her exit, “but if you believe that nothing will come of your spending six months in the company of Stewart Chamberlain, then you, my green girl, are the one with delusions.”

  CHAPTER 13

  September 6, 1809 The docks were busy but strangely hushed amidst the pervasive gray fog of first light. The post chaise bearing the Duke of Weston, Lady Sarah and Tegan jarred the quietude. Compared to its striking jangling and clopping of the hackneys, the irregular thumps of cargo being moved and the laconic calls of distant sailors and dock workers seemed muffled by the formless clouds.

  Though their carriage was moving to within a few yards of the boarding plank of the Endeavour, Sarah could barely make out the skeletal outline of the huge ship as she peered beyond the window’s heavy drape.

  The dank and chilly grayness matched her mood this day. Faced with the prospect of leaving home for the first time, and sailing to a strange country on the other side of the Atlantic, filled her with apprehension. Her stomach churned with the urge to plead to her father to have the coach turned toward home and all the safety and security it represented. But as she peeked at him from beneath her bonnet and long, thick lashes, and saw the pride and excitement etched on his handsome visage, she knew she could never muster the strength to name her fears, for she could not bear to disappoint him. Weston was giving her the opportunity to do the one thing he wanted most for himself – to travel to a vast, young nation and witness the civilization the American colonists had created for themselves – and she was determined he was not to be disappointed by her lack of enthusiasm.

  As the chaise came to a halt, Weston pulled on his gray sueded gloves and spoke eagerly to the young women sitting across from him. “Here we are, then. Now just sit for a moment while I check on your accommodations and the whereabouts of Mr. Chamberlain. I shall take Lyon with me,” referring to his manservant, “and Silas will remain with the coach.”

  As he closed the carriage door behind him, Sarah let out a long sigh and huddled beneath her pelisse of royal blue. “I don’t know which is worse,” she murmured caustically to her maid, “Saying goodbye to my father or having to see Mr. Chamberlain again. Do you think he is here already?”

  “I haven’t a clue, mum,” Tegan returned brightly, “but I don’t mind saying I’m glad he’s making the trip. Gives a body peace of mind knowing such a fine man is protecting us from who knows what.”

  Though she was prepared to argue the point, Sarah merely threw her maid a disapproving look and nestled herself more closely into the corner of the carriage. Try as she might, she was unable to keep her mind off the handsome Yankee with whom she would soon be reunited.

  Despite the fact that he had visited the Duke’s estate a second time, Sarah had not seen him since the night she had found Juliana in his arms. For once, she thought smugly, fate had been on her side. She and her mother had been in Town making the final preparations for her voluminous wardrobe when he’d come to visit her father.

  But now the day of reckoning was here, and there was nothing she could do to stop the hammering of her heart as she remembered all that passed between them. Closing her eyes, she prayed fervently that she would be able to maintain her composure, letting Stewart believe that his presence had no effect on her – good or bad.

  “Would you look at that?” Tegan’s voice suddenly broke into Sarah’s reverie. Seeing Teeg staring out the window, Sarah hopped over to the seat facing her and, pulling back the curtain, peered into the smoky haze outside. What she spied was a magnificent coach drawn by a matched pair of dappled gray ponies. The richly–appointed carriage, with its smartly-suited driver, looked all the more spectacular amidst the crude dockside setting, and Sarah immediately decided the occupants must be very important indeed to warrant such grand transportation.

  “It must belong to some nobleman, perhaps a member of the court,” Sarah whispered excitedly. “Look at the crest on the door!”

  As they watched, the coach drew to a stop. Breathlessly, both occupants waited for the door to open. “Whoever it is, he must be sailing with us,” Tegan reasoned.

  BeforeSarahcouldreply,afinely-dressed coachman appeared from the rear of the carriage and proceeded to pull down the steps underneath the door. As he opened the portal, a tall man in a black cloak, shiny leather boots and a black hat backed out of the carriage. Sarah strained closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of his face, but could see nothing. Immediately, he was followed by an incredibly beautiful woman who was dressed in a most striking pink wool pelisse and gown trimmed in rich, dark brown mink. On her fashionably coifed blue-black hair was an equally shockingly pink bonnet trimmed in mink and feathers. “She’s exquisite!” Sarah murmured reverently. “She must be a lady of the court.”

  As the lovely woman spoke to the man before her, Sarah was impressed by the depth of feeling that showed on her heart-shaped face. Obviously, she was very much in love with the man whose eyes she held with her own. Though she could not hear their conversation, Sarah could tell the words they exchanged were intimate and loving, and their feelings much too warm for such a public setting. The woman continually patted and stroked the man’s chest and arms as he held her captive between his body and the side of the coach. When she bowed her head to brush a tear away from her cheek, it dawned on Sarah that only one of them was going on the voyage. Before she could figure out which one, the man pulled the trembling woman in to the circle of his arms and kissed her passionately, right on the lips.

  “Teeg, don’t look!” Sarah hissed, the blood rushing to her cheeks at the intimate scene before her. Letting the curtain fall, she pushed herself abruptly back in the leather seat and snapped her eyes directly forward, noticing as she did that Tegan had not budged. “Teeg!”

  Continuing to stare out the window, Tegan retorted, “If they don’t mind kissing that way in public, then I don’t mind watching.”

  “Well, just because they’re indiscreet does not mean ....” “By the saints!” Tegan suddenly gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as she dropped the curtain and sat back abruptly.

  Sarah gave her maid a haughty look. “They caught you peeking, didn’t they? I told you ....” “No,”Teganwhisperedfiercely,herhand dropping to her bosom. Clearly surprised, she seemed unable to speak.

  “Well? What is it, Teeg?”

  “The man! It-it’s Mr. Chamberlain!”

  Sarah gasped, her heart thumping. “Are you sure? How ....”

  “He’s coming this way!” In a flash, Sarah jumped back into the seat next to Tegan. With shaking fingers, she smoothed her pelisse and skirt, suddenly feeling flushed. “Does he know we’re here?” she whispered struggling to swallow the lump in her throat.

  Before the maid could answer, Sarah heard the muffled voices outside the coach. With a sinking feeling, she realized that Stewart had recognized Silas and was talking to him. In a moment, there was a knock on the door and Stewart’s deep voice called in. “Lady Sarah? It’s Stewart Chamberlain. I’m here to escort you to the ship.”

  Drawing a deep breath, Sarah cleared her throat and answered by pulling down the door handle, allowing the portal to swing outward. Even though the carriage was high above ground, it seemed to Sarah that those handsome dark eyes were level with hers. Disregarding his engaging grin, and fighting the thrill his presence immediately kindled, she said politely, “Good morning, Mr. Chamberlain, My father has gone to loo
k for you aboard ship.’

  “So Silas has told me,” he replied, his smiling teasing. “I apologize for my tardiness, but I was unavoidably detained.”

  “No matter,” Sarah returned quickly, inwardly seething over what she was sure constituted the nature of his delay. The man reeked of lady’s perfume! Plucking her reticule off the empty seat where she had left it, she added, “Would you care to join us? I am sure Father will return presently. The air is rather chilled.”

  “Thank you,” he grinned in that reckless, confident way that always spoke volumes more than his words.”I appreciate your hospitality. But might I suggest that you allow me to take you and your maid aboard? I am sure we will have no trouble finding your father.”

  Sarah turned to look at Tegan, hoping for some support for the excuse she was about to proffer, but the maid’s tiny face displayed eagerness. Indeed, she had begun to retie the ribbons on her brown cloth bonnet.

  “I-I am not sure that would be a wise idea,” Sarah answered defensively. “Father expects to find us here.”

  Stewart swallowed the urge to smile at her stubbornness by brushing back the curtain and glancing at the ship. He was just in time to see the Duke of Weston waving from the gangplank through the mist. He raised a gloved hand to reply and returned back to Sarah, who had leaned forward to find the object of his greeting. Startled by their sudden close proximity, Sarah pushed herself backward and scowled at him. “I believe the Duke bids us to join him,” Stewart said calmly.”Is there something you might like me to carry for you?”

  “No thank you,” Sarah’s reply was prim. “Our baggage was put aboard yesterday and Lyon, father’s manservant, will take care of the rest. Tegan, you have our case?”