Eleanor did not lack for partners, nor admiring glances, and she was just regaining her breath from a more than hectic Gay Gordons when she saw Hugh.
‘So you’ve finally arrived! Van was beginning to think you’d forgotten to come.’ She laughed at the pained expression on his face and added: ‘You’ve seen her?’
‘I have, and been duly chastised,’ Hugh confided. ‘I made my apologies, quite legitimate ones to do with business, but I doubt they’ve been accepted.’ Hugh’s eyes wandered over the dancing couples and he turned with a smile. ‘Do you care to dance?’ he asked, holding out his hand invitingly. Eleanor accepted happily and as they were about to join the throng, Vanessa sailed by, giving diem a wave, before being whirled away in the arms of Philip Nolan.
‘How beautiful she looks,’ said Eleanor warmly.
‘Indeed she does,’ agreed Hugh, ‘but she has competition.’
‘Why, thank you, Mr. Latimer,’ exclaimed Eleanor delightedly.
‘My pleasure, Miss Ferrers.’
To her surprise Hugh was a good dancer and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. As they walked slowly off the floor a cool voice drawled from behind them:
‘Beware of these quiet types, Eleanor, they very often turn out to be wolves in sheep’s clothing.’ It was Edward, and Hugh turned twinkling eyes to her, remarking smoothly:
‘But wolves very rarely turn out to be sheep! Excuse me, I see Eve over there and I haven’t begged a dance from her yet,’ and he smiled blandly at them both and walked unhurriedly away.
A ridiculous constraint fell over Eleanor and for the life of her she couldn’t think of a single thing to say, and then it was not necessary for her to say anything, for the music started up again and Edward said:
‘A waltz, I think,’ and drawing her into his arms, he danced her away. Unlike Hugh, she was not at all surprised to find that Edward was a good dancer. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of peacock blue and knew that Felicity had her eye on them. Though why, I don’t know, thought Eleanor crossly, she’s had him for most of the evening so far, surely she doesn’t begrudge me one measly waltz! When the music stopped Edward said gravely:
‘I now understand why you’re so popular. Thank you for such an enjoyable dance, Eleanor.’
‘Oh, we do have a few social graces in Yorkshire, you know,’ she answered airily, to cover the stab of delight his words gave her, and murmuring her own thanks, she excused herself and slipped swiftly into the crowd.
As the evening progressed Eleanor had so many partners that her feet began to protest and she escaped upstairs to the gallery, thankful to be on her own for a few minutes to catch her breath. She looked over the rail watching the sea of dancers below and was able to pick out Vanessa easily by the silver lurex gown she was wearing. Vanessa was dancing with her father, and James Mansel, himself looking eminently outstanding with his white hair and lordly bearing, was clearly proud of his radiant daughter.
Eleanor stayed in the gallery for some time, a longing for a cool drink finally making her move. As she made her way to the stairs she squeezed by a group of fellow guests blocking her way and came face to face with Felicity Maddox.
Eleanor hoped that a dutiful smile would suffice, when something in the other’s face stopped her doing even that. The pallor of Felicity’s skin was accentuated by the brightness of her eyes, which were hard and sparkling with anger. Felicity made to speak, but a group of laughing guests crowded up the stairs behind her and, lips tightly compressed, she pushed by Eleanor without doing so.
Eleanor gazed after her in consternation. Whatever was the matter? she wondered, feeling acutely uncomfortable, and she continued on down the stairs, her thoughts buzzing in all directions, and then she forgot all about Felicity Maddox as hands grasped hers and she was pulled into a weaving line of people doing the Conga. Suddenly the line broke and the hilarious dance disintegrated. Laughing and gasping for breath, she stood at the side content for the line to continue without her, and then Vanessa appeared, eyes bright and face glowing, and there was something in her expression that made Eleanor say quickly:
‘Hullo, Van, is anything wrong?’ and Vanessa shook her curls vigorously.
‘Nell, you sly old thing!’ she scolded happily, giving Eleanor a kiss and an enthusiastic hug. ‘Come along, we’ve all been looking for you. Mother’s dying to see you, and is as pleased as Punch, of course, but Pop’s just as bad—they thought it would never happen!’ and she laughed.
Eleanor found herself being propelled along the side of the ballroom, trying to make some sense out of Vanessa’s excited chatter.
‘Van, wait a minute! What are you...?’
‘Ah, come on, no more games,’ grinned Vanessa knowingly. ‘All is revealed! Do come and tell Edward that he’s being extremely nonsensical.’
Wishing that all could be revealed to her, Eleanor gave up and allowed herself to be drawn towards her host and hostess, meeting their beaming faces with an uncertain smile. Eve enveloped her and kissed her, saying in an almost reverential voice:
‘My dear, dear Eleanor, you can’t think what this means to me, to us—we’re so happy ... I could cry!’
‘You are?’ ventured Eleanor, frantically trying to find a glimmer of reason for all the joy and, as suddenly, having a blinding, devastating suspicion that didn’t bear thinking about.
‘Now do persuade Edward that tonight would be a beautiful time for your announcement,’ Eve was saying persuasively. ‘Yes, my dear, you may jump with surprise, but we know everything now, and Vanessa is as thrilled as we are, so you don’t have to worry about stealing the limelight and upsetting her.’
‘Where is Edward?’ asked her husband.
‘Looking for Eleanor,’ put in Vanessa, and that Eleanor could well imagine, and wanted to sink through the floor.
‘My son is very stubborn,’ carried on Eve, oblivious to interruption, ‘as you’ll no doubt find out, but he’ll give in to please you, my dear, and...’ She broke off quickly and looked over Eleanor’s shoulder confidently. ‘Won’t you, Edward?’
Eleanor made to turn, but before she could do so a pair of arms came round her and held her firmly, Edward’s body cradling hers, his chin resting gently against her hair.
‘Won’t I what, Mother?’ he drawled, well aware of Eleanor’s nervous start as his arms enfolded her.
Vanessa said mischievously: ‘You two really fooled me! All this businesslike efficiency at the shop and Eleanor actually saying she was scared of you!’ she accused. ‘She doesn’t look scared, does she, Mother?’ and thus appealed to, Eve said fondly:
‘Of course she doesn’t.’
Eleanor choked back an hysterical laugh. Little did they know!
‘I think that perhaps Eleanor and I should have a talk,’ suggested Edward, with deceptive meekness, and his father nodded in agreement.
‘Yes, my boy, you do that. No one wants to influence you.’ He turned to his wife, who was barely containing herself. ‘Now, Eve, if the youngsters don’t want to announce their engagement tonight, we must let them have their way.’ He looked quizzically at Edward. ‘I must say, it seems a good opportunity, but it’s up to you. Off you go.’
‘Come along, darling,’ said Edward, his voice resignedly amused, his hand warm and comforting round her shoulders. Like a zombie, Eleanor was led across the floor and out through a side door, aware of a few curious glances following them. Once in the corridor she stopped and would have spoken, but Edward made for a small sitting room set aside for Vanessa’s presents, and his hand was no longer warm or comforting as he thrust her before him. With ominous calm he closed the door, saying with savage civility:
‘I must congratulate you! When is our happy day to be?’
Eleanor winced at the look on his face and stammered: ‘What’s happened? Why do they think...?’
Edward said scathingly: ‘I was hoping you’d be able to tell me that!’
‘Well, I can’t!’ she retorted, anger coming to her aid
now that the horrified surprise was wearing off. A pulse throbbed in her throat and she made a strong effort to control her voice. ‘I don’t know what’s going on.’
‘I find that extremely hard to believe,’ came the biting reply. ‘The whole set-up seems too well organised not to have been contrived!’
‘Maybe, but I haven’t...’ Eleanor began furiously, and was silenced as Edward swung her roughly to him.
‘My God, if I thought for one moment that you’d...’ He stopped and expelled an angry breath. ‘We seem to have played this scene once before ... and that makes it twice too many!’
‘I quite agree with you,’ flashed Eleanor, white with temper, ‘and I should be obliged if you would kindly keep your hands to yourself!’
Edward released her abruptly. ‘I can’t promise you that—my first instinct is to shake the living daylight out of you—but I’ll try.’
‘Thank you,’ she said coldly, rubbing her arm where he had gripped her. ‘What are we going to do?’
‘What do you suggest? You’d better make it short and sweet or they’ll think we’ve eloped!’ The sarcasm was unmistakable.
‘You could have denied it!’ exclaimed Eleanor explosively. ‘You should have—why didn’t you?’
‘My dear girl, there are certain situations that even I cannot control, and this is one of them. Do you seriously believe I would have allowed it otherwise?’ He gave a short laugh and ran a hand through his hair. ‘Deny it? When my own mother informed me so archly that she had had the news from such a reliable source?’ He smiled unpleasantly, biting at the words. ‘From her own dear Constance?’ Eleanor stood as though turned to stone, colour flooding her cheeks.
‘My mother?’ she squeaked incredulously.
‘Your mother,’ Edward repeated coldly, eyes narrowing as he studied her reaction. ‘I could hardly call my prospective mother-in-law a liar, now could I? It wouldn’t augur well for future relationships.’ He leaned against the table and busied himself lighting a cigarette, his eyes never leaving her face. ‘You do see my predicament?’ he observed at last. ‘You appear speechless. Am I to assume that you want me to believe you’re as much in the dark as I am?’
‘I don’t care what you believe,’ Eleanor ground out, finding her tongue, ‘but it happens to be the truth.’ She flung round at him. ‘How many times do I have to tell you that I bitterly resent my name being coupled with you or your money, because that must be a serious consideration, surely? Neither could induce me to marry...’
‘I’m very pleased to hear it,’ he replied harshly, ‘because I make a most disagreeable...’
‘And I pity the poor girl who does!’
‘... adversary when coerced into a situation not of my own making!’
The silence in the room was broken only by the systematic ticking of the grandfather clock standing in the corner. Blue eyes held hazel in a commanding glare and Eleanor was the first to tear hers away.
‘Have you any ideas?’ she asked stiffly.
‘For getting us easily and cleanly out of this mess?’ He raised a sceptical brow and when Eleanor nodded, he said without hesitation: ‘No, my dear Eleanor, I have not. The only thing we can do at this moment is to go back in there and agree to an announcement.’
‘You can’t mean that?’ Eleanor’s mouth set obstinately. ‘I do.’
‘In front of all those people?’ Her voice rose incredulously and then flattened. ‘If that’s the best suggestion you can offer...’
‘I’m quite willing to hear yours, but I should remind you that I’ve had somewhat longer to think about it than you have, and there’s something else you should know.’ Edward crushed his half-finished cigarette with some force. ‘When my mother dropped her bombshell, we were at the time in a group consisting of numerous relatives and friends, all showing signs of being an appreciative audience. Even if nothing officially is said tonight, it will be common knowledge in about half an hour.’ His lip curled. ‘I’m supposed to be quite a catch, I would remind you.’
‘I really don’t know why,’ said Eleanor witheringly, and was rewarded by a thin smile.
‘Neither, my dear girl, do I. Many would agree that the boot is on the other foot. You are, by far, the better catch.’
‘I can do without your peculiar sense of humour, thank you, and I wish you’d stop calling me your dear girl. I’m not and never will be,’ she snapped, adding sarcastically: ‘And if you’ve managed to elude the marriage net so far, how come you’ve been caught now?’
‘That I mean to find out,’ Edward replied formidably ‘Why the devil I didn’t strangle that damned Margot Slade, I’ll never know, and as for your idiot sister...’
‘She’s not an idiot—and you thought it would die down!’
‘I made a mistake, didn’t I?’ he responded grimly. ‘Someone fanned the flames.’
‘If you insinuate once more...’ Eleanor began, and choked back the words, turning away to pace the floor. She threw out a hand in a helpless gesture. ‘If only your mother had waited! Asked us when we reached home, at least! She seems to be lapping it all up.’
‘My sweet innocent,’ drawled Edward. ‘Wait? When she’s been trying to marry me off for the past five years? Lapping it up—this is double cream to my dear mama.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘By the look of you it’s obvious you have no idea of what I’m talking about.’
‘None whatsoever.’
‘How lovely if my Edward should fall in love with your Eleanor!’ he mimicked. Eleanor stared at him in horrified amazement.
‘You’re making it up! They surely didn’t believe ... It doesn’t sound like my mother at all,’ she exclaimed impatiently.
‘It sounds all too true of mine,’ Edward answered dourly.
‘This is intolerable! We shall have to tell them it’s not true.’
Edward sketched an exaggerated bow. ‘Off you go,’ he urged. ‘See all the eager, expectant faces out there. I’ll watch on the sidelines to see fair play.’
‘Oh, stop being facetious,’ flared Eleanor, rounding on him. ‘You know I can’t do that!’ and she rubbed her forehead distractedly.
‘Of course you can’t, and now that we’re back to square one, you’ll just have to take my arm and we’ll go in and smile like the revoltingly happy couple we’re supposed to be.’ He gave her a searching look, reflecting dryly: ‘If that’s the best face you can provide, then we’re doomed to failure right away. You’ll convince them I beat you already.’
‘It’s not funny,’ said Eleanor, gritting her teeth. There must be a way.’
‘There isn’t. Not here and now.’
‘It’s wrong. What we’re doing is wrong.’
‘Of course it’s wrong, in more ways than one, but at the moment there’s no other way out of this mess, unless you want to make both our families a laughing stock?’ When she didn’t answer, Edward continual factually: ‘We’ll carry on the farce for a few weeks and then you can tell the world that I’m despicable, arrogant, conceited and any other adjectives that will, no doubt, spring readily to your lips—and everyone will be only too happy to believe you.’ He lifted a dark brow mockingly. ‘You can jilt me as dramatically as you like, no one will blame you. Are you ready for the fray?’ and not giving her time to answer, he opened the door and swept her through. As they walked the corridor, he added casually: ‘Naturally you’ll have to be prepared to play up to them.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Eleanor breathlessly, trying to keep up with his stride as well as his reasoning.
Edward sighed heavily and stopped, saying patiently: ‘We are supposed to be in love, Eleanor.’ His mouth gave a cynical twist and his voice left no doubt as to his feelings. ‘For this to have happened to the elusive Edward Mansel it must have come with some force. Don’t forget I’ve withstood the marriage-mart for a hell of a time, and as value on the unobtainable sends up the price, they’ll believe you to be in the same state. So ... this is no watery emotion we have between us.’
&nbs
p; Eleanor wrenched away her arm and said dangerously: ‘I see.’
‘But don’t worry,’ he assured her, smiling with great charm. ‘I’m renowned for my self-control. Just a few adoring glances from you will suffice for tonight.’
‘Oh, will it?’ she responded with a furious whisper, for they had reached the doors and music and voices could be heard the other side. ‘I think you’re insufferable! I wish I’d never set eyes on you! You’re a ... a...’
‘Tut, tut, mind the language, parson’s daughter!’ His discerning eyes flicked abrasively over her. ‘Yes, anger certainly does the trick, you were looking quite frightened before, now they’ll be able to believe all the romantic twaddle we’re about to dish out to them.’ He pulled her deliberately to him and kissed her, long and lingeringly. When his head lifted at last he said softly: ‘Such an eminently kissable mouth should look as though it has been thoroughly kissed—it’s expected.’ He put out a hand to the door and then paused, glancing down at her. ‘Just one thing more...’
‘What?’ managed Eleanor, shaken to the core, the palm of her hand itching to wipe the lazy smile from off his face.
‘For this to work at all, it must be solely between the two of us. No little confidences—to anyone. Not to Van ... not to Hugh ... not to your sisters. Not to anyone.’
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