His aunt gave him a mocking curtsey. 'You'd best be sparing with your compliments, my boy, or the City damsels will be swooning at your feet. They are not accustomed to such courtly manners.'
Half an hour later he followed them into a large room which seemed already full of portly gentlemen and ladies garbed in all their finery. There were almost as many jewels here as at a Mayfair ball, Luke thought, blinking as one much bedecked matron passed before him.
'That's Sibermann, over by the window,' Joshua said softly. 'Later on, I'll introduce you.'
'Thanks.' Luke saw an elderly, undistinguished looking man. He looked round at the other guests, and his eyes narrowed. In another small group closer to the fireplace he saw Frederick Redditch and his wife, talking urgently to a fat man who still wore a wide, curled wig.
She looked different, and for a moment he puzzled about it. She was dressed more elegantly, wore her hair frizzed out at the sides, and had a suspicious amount of colour in her cheeks and on her lips, but it wasn't just that. Then he grinned. When he'd seen her before she had been wearing an old gown, and she'd looked scrawny in the extreme. Now, however, she appeared to have put on a deal of weight, very suddenly, or more likely she was wearing false bosoms. Luke had once encountered some worn by one of the girls he'd met during one of his Oxford experiments, and had been initiated into their mysteries. If women had to wear them, he much preferred the softer ones stuffed with cotton, to the hard wax models. But he was not likely to discover which Amelia Redditch preferred. He did not wish any close enough contact with her.
'Do you know Lady Bates?' he asked his aunt quietly. 'That's the new Earl's cousin Frederick, with the thin, red-haired woman, and I would suppose they came with her.'
Aunt Caroline glanced across to where he indicated. 'And Frederick's wife is her daughter. I've never met her, but give me a few minutes and I'll ask around.'
Luke retired to a corner with the glass of wine he'd been given, and surveyed the company. Most were middle aged or elderly. He thought he was probably the youngest man there, and there were very few young females. Did City merchants not have sons, or young wives and daughters? Or did they keep them at home, and not parade them as the upper classes did? Perhaps, instead of the Season, when it was considered the duty of all society mothers to ensnare husbands for their daughters, City men arranged alliances differently. Perhaps it was like the old days in France, marriages being arranged for dynastic and financial reasons, and the parties to them having very little choice.
Briefly he wondered what lay in store for Sylvie. When she had been a baby his parents had talked of suitable alliances, as they had for him, but that was no longer possible unless he recovered his family's jewels. His French relatives were in no position to help, even those like his cousin Madeleine who were still in France. And the jewels represented only a fraction of their former wealth, which had been in land, and works of art such as paintings and silver and tapestries. The land had been stolen, the art works destroyed, and he had only a faint hope of recovering the jewels. Would Sylvie find a husband able to care for her, protect her, and provide her with a comfortable life, or was she doomed to life as a nursery governess, meeting no suitable men, and perhaps having to restrict her choice to humble curates or provincial shopkeepers?
Then all thought of Sylvie fled. Another group of people had been ushered into the room. Behind a plump, but still pretty older woman a young girl entered. She was simply garbed in a pale cream muslin gown, with darker cream flowers at her bosom and in her hair, and no other ornament, and she outshone all the jewels in the room. He started forward impulsively, then stopped. How could he approach Amelia Redditch's sister in public?
***
Chapter 15
Luke retreated behind a portly gentleman, and watched as Bella Bates crossed the room in the wake of an older woman. There was a distinct resemblance, despite the almost forty years' age difference. His thoughts were in chaos. No girl had previously made such an instant impression on him as the delicate, lovely Bella. He recalled her gentle voice, those amazingly soft violet eyes, her shy friendliness during those snatched meetings, and the detested marriage proposed for her. He remembered her stillness, the wistfulness on that first occasion as she had watched through the window, and then remembered Frederick's complaining tones as he chided her for not helping with his wretched children.
This girl had no place caring for those obnoxious brats, he thought, his sudden fury at the idea making him frown and clench his fists. Lady Bates, for he presumed the older woman was Bella's mother, was making her way gradually across the room, stopping frequently to exchange nods and smiles and often a few words with other guests.
Then Luke almost protested out loud. Lady Bates was talking to a grossly bloated man with straggling grey locks, heavy, wobbling jowls, and bulbous red nose. Snuff and gravy stains were splattered liberally over his cravat and waistcoat, and when he smiled Luke saw several gaps in the row of sharp, yellowing teeth.
To his barely suppressed disgust this man clutched at Bella's hand and pulled her towards him, bending forwards to plant a kiss on her cheek. The girl endured this, keeping a strained smile on her face, but when she and her mother turned away a few moments later Luke saw her surreptitiously wipe her cheek with a small lace-edged handkerchief.
Was this the man her mother intended for her husband? Luke shivered in revulsion. How could any mother contemplate such a wicked, mercenary act? Instinctively he stepped forward, and came face to face with Frederick Redditch. The older man gave him a brief smile, which turned into a frown, then a nod and a curt 'Good evening.' Luke suppressed his own sudden grin. People like Frederick clearly didn't look closely at visitors from Bow Street, let alone servants. The man had obviously recognised him, but couldn't remember where they had met. Luke prayed his memory remained defective. His thoughts were distracted as his uncle touched him on the arm.
'Luke, I couldn't find you. Why are you hiding away here? You should be mingling, talking to the few young ladies here. If I saw one languishing glance cast at you before you retreated, I saw a dozen.'
'There are scarcely half a dozen young ladies present,' Luke said, attempting to match his uncle's jocular tone.
'It wasn't only the young ladies,' Joshua said, and chuckled. 'Come, let's go and talk to Silbermann now. He's finished what I believe was a business discussion. These parties are as much for the merchants to make deals and arrange their business as they are for the enjoyment of their wives and daughters. I imagine it's the same in all sections of society. There is no such thing as a simple, uncomplicated social occasion.'
As he was talking he led Luke across the room and managed to avoid all attempts to halt or detain him. Mr Silbermann was moving away from the window, where he'd remained ever since they'd entered the room, but he halted as Joshua spoke to him and nodded affably when Luke was introduced.
'My nevvy's half-French,' Joshua was saying. They had agreed earlier that it would serve no purpose to use Luke's title or real name, so he was still Luke Peters. 'I believe you used to trade with the French before those villains took control.'
Mr Silbermann was taller even than Luke, with a spare frame and thin legs which could have done with some padding. His face was long and lugubrious, his eyes hooded and his nose protruding like the prow of a ship. There were deep lines between his eyes and stretching from his nose to the sides of his mouth. He looked stern, someone to be cautious with, a man to drive a hard bargain, Luke thought. His voice, when he replied, was unexpectedly high and reedy.
'Indeed I did, in luxury goods, perfume and silks and wine, some Limoges ware, and occasionally carpets and tapestries,' Mr Silbermann replied. 'What part of France do you come from, Mr Peters?'
Luke had not prepared any questions he wanted to ask. His thoughts had been so taken up with Bella since he had seen her that every other concern had been wiped from his mind. Now he struggled to bring his attention back to the death of the Earl. Suddenly, discovering th
e murderer seemed unimportant, unnecessary. Then he reminded himself that he might still be accused if a more plausible culprit could not be found, and forced himself to concentrate.
'In the south, near Marseilles,' he replied quickly, 'but I have lived in England for several years now. I believe an old friend of mine has just become your coachman,' he added. 'Gilletty, I knew him in his last employment.'
'Ah, yes. He used to work for an Earl, but of course you must know that. He's old, but capable, and immensely grateful for the opportunity, so I know he'll work hard.'
Did this man expect more than normal work from Gilletty out of gratitude for being given a job? Luke hoped Gilletty and Mrs Robinson had not fallen in with too demanding a taskmaster. 'I think he will appreciate working for a less capricious master than the Earl – the former Earl, I should say,' Luke amended. 'I understand he treated his servants abominably if it suited him.'
Mr Silbermann nodded. 'So I was told. I also employ his former cook, Mrs Robinson. Did you know her?'
'Yes, in fact I used to work for the Earl of Redditch myself, but only for a short while. You are fortunate in finding two such well-qualified servants.'
Silbermann chuckled. 'Well, I need an establishment men will envy,' he said, and winked. 'It gives me pleasure to take on the Earl's servants. My wife will expect a proper household, and I can afford to employ the best for her. What did you do?'
'I was a valet,' Luke replied.
'Well, I might need one of them soon. If I decide I do, I'll have to offer you a post,' he said, grinning, 'though the devil knows what I'd find for you to do.'
'Your wife?' Joshua asked. 'I understood you were a widower of many years.'
'No, no, I've never married. Never had time or inclination for it. But having built up my fortune I am persuaded I need an heir to take over when I'm gone. The lady in question does not wish our forthcoming nuptials to be announced for a few weeks, but I hope soon that you will wish me happy, Mr Prevost. I'm fortunate enough to be taking a lovely young bride, and I'm preparing my household for her.'
Luke could think of nothing else to say. Why had he tried to meet Silbermann? What could a City merchant, even if he had happened to employ two of the Earl's servants, know of events in Redditch House that fatal morning? Joshua made a few more remarks, Mr Silbermann replied courteously and asked after the health of Mrs Prevost, and soon excused himself to move across the room.
Feeling dissatisfied to have achieved so little, Luke watched him go, and then stiffened in disbelief as the man halted in front of Lady Bates, and bowed deeply, not to her, but to Bella.
***
Bella forced herself to be calm. She'd wanted to snatch her hand away from Nathaniel Glover's pudgy, horrible fingers, and when he kissed her she'd felt positively sick. But it wouldn't do to offend him. Her mother owed him too much money. Glancing round the crowded room she saw too many men to whom her mother owed money. Some were local tradesmen who had supplied goods, like the silks from which both her gown and her mother's had been made. These gowns had not been at all necessary, but her mother insisted it was provincial to appear at these parties in the same gown twice. Others, like Mr Glover, had been persuaded by her manipulative parent into loaning cash. And to make it even worse her sister and family had descended on them and seemed to have no intention of finding other lodgings, or contributing towards the upkeep of the house.
'Be pleasant, now,' Lady Bates hissed at her as she led Bella across to speak to another creditor, one who was becoming restless if his last letter was to be believed.
What else can I be, Bella thought, but her irritation was soon overtaken with guilt. She could rescue them all if she submitted to her mother's demands. She blinked hard. As usual her emotions were in a turmoil. Why should she sacrifice herself for the benefit of her feckless mother and improvident sister? Yet might it not, after all, be worth it to be the mistress of her own house, free of her mother's perpetual moaning?
No, it would not, she thought miserably. Why could she not marry a pleasant, kind, and above all young man? But Luke Peters, of whom she'd been dreaming ever since she'd met him, seemed to have vanished as quickly as he'd appeared, and she was half convinced she'd imagined him. If he was real, he certainly wasn't wealthy. Bow Street Runners were not the sort of men her mother would think suitable, even if she herself would be content with such a match.
She shook herself. It was foolish to weave such dreams after a few brief encounters. How many girls were fortunate to marry for love? An elderly husband would pamper her, and, she thought guiltily, might not live for many more years, and then she would be free and independent, with her own fortune. But she couldn't wish anyone dead. Besides, she knew her mother well enough to be certain Lady Bates would consider any fortune her daughter inherited to be for her sole use. Bella would feel compelled to assist in whatever problems had arisen. And with her mother problems always appeared.
She must not think of this. It was going much too fast into a future she still could not accept and hoped to avoid. Bored with her mother's conversation, she glanced round the room. There were a couple of girls she knew slightly, and the two brothers of one of them. Neither man, though young, was prepossessing. If she were offered marriage with one of them she'd be just as reluctant as with the present offer.
Then her gaze was halted. She blinked, and looked again. Luke, elegant and distinguished looking, far more handsome than she recalled, was actually here. He was talking to a tall thin man she had seen at these gatherings before, and as she tried to recall his name they both moved across the room towards the window. Bella watched them unobtrusively as she fanned herself. Why was he here? Was it on police business? They spoke for a while with Mr Silbermann, and Bella shivered. Soon he would see them and come across. And soon he would be impatient of waiting and demand she give him an answer.
At that moment Mr Silbermann smiled and left the other men, coming straight across the room to take her hand and bow low. She wished he wouldn't. Apart from being uncomfortable that a man thirty years her senior should pay her such public homage, she felt his attitude was too possessive, and singled her out for malicious gossip. Only last week one of her girl friends had asked when she was to be married, and had laughed scornfully when Bella protested that she had no idea of marriage.
'Come and sit down with me, my dear,' Mr Silbermann suggested. Lady Bates had turned away, moving towards one of her friends, and Bella was powerless to refuse. She permitted him to draw her hand beneath his arm and lead her through into the adjoining room.
When they were seated in a corner of the less crowded room, the chairs much too close together for her comfort, she tried to free her hand, but he merely held it more tightly.
'Don't try to fly away,' he said petulantly. 'You should know by now I'm no ogre, ready to eat you. When are you going to give me your answer?"
She gulped nervously. 'Mr Silbermann, I know you do me great honour, but – '
'Are you having the temerity to refuse me?' he demanded, and she was startled at the bitterness of his tone. 'I will not wait for ever on the whim of a chit of a girl,' he went on in a low, angry voice. 'You know I can give you all you need, and into the bargain rescue your mother from her past follies. And if it's my person you object to, once you have given me an heir I will trouble you no longer. There are women happy to supply my needs without your die-away airs.'
Bella flushed. How could he refer so unfeelingly to the last time they'd met, when he'd pressed her to give an answer. She had been feeling faint that day in the overheated small room. She had been recovering from a severe stomach upset, and had been bled and denied food other than gruel for several days. It was the first time she'd risen from her bed in a week, and not just the distaste she'd felt when he'd kissed her that had caused her to swoon. She suspected he would never forgive her.
'I need more time,' she said, unable to give the straight rejection she wanted to, knowing it would thrust them all into the clutches of bailiffs.
'I will allow you one more week,' he said, rising to his feet. 'If that is insufficient I shall take it as a refusal. Your mother will be distressed. After all, it was she who first approached me and persuaded me into the idea. I thought at the time you were agreeable. I will call on you a week from today. I don't need to remind you of the consequences for your family if you reject me then.'
***
Luke watched Mr Silbermann lead Bella into the other room, and noted the reluctance with which she went. She didn't try to detach her arm from his hold, but she took care, it seemed, to walk as far separated from him as possible. He restrained his impulse to follow, and permitted Joshua to introduce him to various other acquaintances. Afterwards he had no recollection of any conversations, apart from one laughing aside to Joshua that there was no fool like an old one, and old bachelors in particular who belatedly discovered the charms of young women were more foolish than most.
It didn't take great powers of deduction, he thought wryly, to assess the situation. Then he asked himself why he should care, and when he admitted the answer found it both astonishing and disconcerting. Surely, on the basis of a few brief meetings with her, however pretty and gentle she seemed, he could not have formed such a strong attachment? But the fury simmering beneath his polite, calm surface, gave the lie to that. He knew without doubt that he wanted Bella for himself.
Then the utter hopelessness of his position struck him. He was without money, without position, and at the moment had no employment. Even as a footman he could no more support a wife than he could discover who had murdered the Earl. Worse, if he did not solve the latter problem he might find himself accused of that murder.
A little while later refreshments were served in another large room, and the guests made their selections from a laden buffet and went to sit at small tables scattered around this and another room. City men did not stint themselves, he thought, as he took some slices of succulent cold meats, lobster patties, and delicious tartlets. No doubt it was all delicious, but Luke did not taste it. He was watching for Bella. Her mother came in, listening with a frown on her face to Mr Silbermann, but Bella did not appear.
A Murdered Earl Page 17