‘Nothing.’ Nell advanced and the laughter faded from her eyes. ‘I came to apologise for behaving so stupidly. I don’t know why – but I seem to have done nothing but make a fool of myself recently.’
‘Diana,’ said Adeline carefully, ‘has a variety of ways of bringing out the worst in people. I should know. She’s been doing it to me for years.’
Dark eyes, so like Rockliffe’s, searched her face.
‘Thank you. It’s very confusing. I – I liked her so much, you see.’
‘Actually, I don’t see. But that’s because I’ve had several years of watching and sometimes experiencing a side of her nature that she seems to have managed to conceal from you.’ There was a pause, and then, ‘What made you change your mind?’
‘It was what you said about Rock. I hadn’t really thought … but of course he couldn’t ever have done what Diana said. He isn’t unprincipled or clumsy or… or that other thing.’
‘No. He isn’t.’ A tiny tremor flickered through her as she remembered the kiss – which had been far from clumsy and for which he had apologised. ‘Not at all.’
‘So, if you really are to marry him – though that still seems very strange – I hope that we can become friends. It would be dreadful if we couldn’t – for he is my very favourite brother, you know.’
‘Yes.’ Adeline smiled a little. ‘I can see that he would be. And I too would wish us to be friends.’
‘Considering how awful I’ve been, that’s generous of you,’ acknowledged Nell. And then, ‘For someone who’s to be married tomorrow, you’re extremely calm, aren’t you?’
‘I look extremely calm,’ came the dry response. ‘Underneath, I’m panicking. What seems strange to you, is to me entirely incomprehensible.’
Nell thought about this.
‘Yes. I suppose it must be. Do you -- ?’ She checked herself, realising that not only was it too soon for personal questions but that Signor Leonardo was probably absorbing every word. ‘You were quite right not to have the Hedgehog, you know. It’s become fearfully common-place. Oh – is that a carriage?’ She ran to the window. ‘I wonder who … why, it’s Lord Amberley! How nice!’
‘Lord Amberley?’ Adeline rose and allowed the signor to remove the cape she had donned to protect her gown.
‘The most attractive man in London – next to Rock, perhaps – and the one with the nicest wife. He’s Rock’s closest friend. They’ve known each other forever and --’ She turned back to Adeline and stopped. ‘But that’s charming! And not in the least like a milkmaid. Do you not think so, Signor Leonardo?’
‘Eez elegant,’ he admitted, critically surveying Adeline’s loosely-piled curls and the three thick ringlets lying against one shoulder. ‘On you eez elegant. On other lady, no.’
‘Thank you,’ murmured Adeline. ‘It sounds like a compliment of no mean order.’
‘Si.’ He laid the tools of his trade neatly away and prepared to depart. ‘Eef you ask, I come again to you. But I ‘ope you no set moda – or I be making many, many meelkmide. Arriverderci, madonna.’ And, with a quick, flourishing bow, he was gone.
Nell shook her head laughingly.
‘What an odd little man he is, to be sure. But he’s quite right – you do look elegant. It’s just the moment to come and meet Amberley.’
Adeline looked dubious.
‘You don’t think we should just wait for a little while? After all, he and your brother must have things to discuss.’
‘Well, of course. He’ll have come to stand up for Rock at the wedding – and he’s probably dying to meet the bride.’ Nell seized her hand, impulsively. ‘Oh, do come. You’ll have to meet him some time, you know.’
Which, though it was true, thought Adeline as she accompanied Nell down the stairs, did nothing to reduce the amount of courage she needed to meet the man who was her betrothed’s best friend.
In the parlour, Rockliffe poured wine for his guest and, before the conversation could be monopolised by his own affairs, asked after Rosalind.
‘She’s in perfect health and glowing, I thank you.’
‘And you?’
The Marquis shrugged. ‘Less frayed than when we last met. It’s a strange thing, Rock – but there’s a tranquillity to her these days. Even that bloody bird seems to sense it. He sits on the back of her chair, almost cooing and leans his head against her cheek. It’s bizarre – not to mention downright unnerving.’
‘Yes. It must be. I take it he doesn’t … coo … at you?’
‘Not so far. He doesn’t sit on my chair either. I wouldn’t trust him not to take a piece out of my ear. Or, worse still, leave a -- ’
He stopped as the door opened and Nell came in followed by a slender, brown-haired lady in palest turquoise. His first thought was that she was not at all what he would have expected; his second, something more puzzling still.
As for Adeline herself, it quickly became apparent that she need not have been nervous about meeting the Marquis. Apart from a slightly thoughtful expression in his grey-green eyes, he greeted her with complete equanimity and charm. He delivered the good wishes of his lady wife along with the small, heart-shaped gold brooch that Rosalind had sent as a bridal gift … and gave no sign of any inner concern.
But the truth was that Adeline’s cool detachment bothered him – as did Rockliffe’s more than usually enigmatic gaze. And there was that other thing that nagged at the back of his mind but would not quite come into focus.
Dinner passed more pleasantly than on the previous evening, with Rockliffe and Amberley indulging in their usual sporadic banter and Nell asking endless questions about Rosalind and the coming baby and Broody. Since, with regard to the last of these, Adeline had no idea what they were talking about, Broody had then to be explained, as politely as was possible, given his usual propensities … and thus leaving Adeline still partially in the dark until Nell leaned across and whispered something in her ear which startled her into laughter. At this point, Lord Amberley noticed that she had a surprisingly lovely smile. His Grace of Rockliffe noticed something else altogether and, as soon as they rose from the table, he drew Adeline to one side and said, ‘You appear to have won Nell over. How did that come about?’
‘She thought about it properly and realised she was doing you a serious injustice,’ she replied evasively. ‘She’s very sorry. And I think you’ll find she’ll tell you so, if you just give her time.’
‘Instead of locking her in her room on bread and water? I think I might manage that. And, for what you said last night, I thank you.’
Adeline flushed a little. ‘She would have worked it out on her own, eventually.’
‘Perhaps. But in the meantime, she would have sulked and argued. Her present demeanour is a great deal more pleasant and means I can let her attend our wedding without having to worry if she’ll try to enforce the ‘just cause and impediment’ clause.’
It was not until much later that night that Lord Amberley was finally granted the opportunity of exchanging a private word with the Duke. And even then, he took his time about coming to what he personally regarded as the crux of the matter.
‘It’s not a criticism … but I can’t help noticing that she’s not your usual style, Rock.’
‘No. She isn’t, is she?’
‘And this is all very sudden.’
‘Very.’ Sighing, Rockliffe paused in the act of pouring two glasses of port and said, ‘I suppose you want chapter and verse.’
‘Since I’m going to stand up for you tomorrow at your wedding, I’d certainly like to hear more than that you accompanied Nell to what turned out to be the house-party from hell and came back with a bride.’
‘Actually, I came back with more than a bride.’ He placed a glass before Amberley and sat down on the other side of the hearth. ‘I’ve also acquired a particularly fine horse.’
‘Stable the horse for the time being. Just tell me about Adeline.’
‘Very well. If I must.’
Since
he’d never spoken of it before and, in any case, felt that its relevance could be misconstrued, Rockliffe neglected to mention Northumberland. In fact, he neglected to mention a number of things – choosing to concentrate on Diana’s unrelenting pursuit of himself, her unfortunate influence on Nell and the fact that Adeline’s presence had been virtually the only saving grace in the whole sorry week. He did, however, describe the night of the ball in some detail and with a dry humour that made the Marquis laugh … until, that was, he arrived at the point in the tale where he had announced his intention to marry Adeline.
No longer remotely amused, Amberley stared at him and said, ‘Had you been drinking?’
‘No.’
‘Then what possessed you? Or no. Don’t tell me. It had turned into farce and you couldn’t resist playing along with it. But did you have to do something so – so final?’
‘Possibly not. But it wasn’t completely irrevocable, you know. No one believed that I meant it.’
‘Adeline clearly did.’
‘No. She laughed … rather more than was warranted, I thought … and then she turned me down.’
‘She did?’ Amberley frowned a little. ‘Given her circumstances, that is not just surprising but actually rather remarkable.’
‘I’m glad you can see that,’ said Rockliffe idly. ‘She was still making commendable efforts to make me withdraw my proposal the next morning … and when I alluded to what I could offer her, she basically said that getting her away from that house would be more than enough.’
‘Ah.’ Seconds stretched out in silence as Amberley considered the implications of this. Then he said, ‘Obviously you overcame her resistance eventually.’
‘Yes. It took a little persuasion … but yes.’
The Marquis hesitated again and then asked the question that had been in his mind all along. ‘Are you in love with her?’
His Grace leaned back in his chair and stared remotely into the burgundy brightness of his glass.
‘I don’t believe so. You will find that peculiar, I daresay … but it’s the only answer I can give. She intrigues me and infuriates me and occasionally arouses a protective instinct I didn’t know I had … all of which is a far cry from my usual indifference. But I’ve not yet been tempted to lay my heart at her feet – even though, throughout every other emotion she inspires in me, there is inevitably present one that is stronger than any of them.’
‘And that is?’
Rockliffe shrugged and a wry smile touched the corners of his mouth.
‘For your ears only, Dominic?’
‘Naturally.’
‘Then … it’s very simple and distressingly basic. I want her.’
Startled by receiving such an honest reply, Amberley drew a long breath and eyed his friend thoughtfully. ‘That can’t be new, surely?’
‘In itself, no … in its degree, yes.’ The smile deepened a little. ‘A rakish reputation, you see, rests solely on one’s ability to regard love-making as no more than a delightful game.’
‘And you’re saying you’ve lost that ability?’
‘No. Merely that, with Adeline, it doesn’t seem to exist. And that, also, is new.’
Searching the hooded, dark eyes, the Marquis said, ‘I see. And may one ask how she feels?’
‘Unless I’m mistaken, she’s panicking over the prospect of becoming a duchess,’ replied Rockliffe with languid amusement. ‘But about me? I doubt she knows. I am still entirely removed from her experience and I’ve a feeling that she hasn’t yet decided whether I’m to be taken seriously or not. I believe she suspects me of laughing at her. On the other hand, my touch confuses her … and that is encouraging.’
‘Only you could think so,’ retorted his lordship before adding more thoughtfully, ‘However. Despite all this, she seems to trust you.’
‘Ah. Yes.’ Rockliffe again fell to contemplating his wine. ‘It does appear so, doesn’t it?’
This was not the answer Amberley had anticipated. He said, ‘You don’t think it might be advisable to wait?’
‘Since I am marrying her tomorrow – obviously not,’ came the mildly caustic reply. Then, sighing a little, ‘Dominic … I am as aware as you could possibly wish that I need to know her better. But things being as they are, I shall have to marry her in order to do it.’
An ironic gleam lit the grey-green eyes.
‘I suppose you realise that, at this point, anyone else would be smugly understanding?’
‘Which is why – had I been speaking to anyone else – I would have phrased it differently. Or not at all.’
Amberley acknowledged the point with a faint inclination of his head but it was a long time before he said, ‘Will you allow me to observe that you hardly appear to have a sound basis for matrimony?’
Rockliffe set down his glass and came unhurriedly to his feet.
‘But I already know that,’ he said gently.
~ * * * ~
TEN
The wedding of Tracy Giles Wynstanton, fourth Duke of Rockliffe and Mistress Adeline Mary Kendrick was celebrated very privately at St George’s, Hanover Square and went off without a hitch. The groom, resplendent in pearl-grey brocade with diamonds in his cravat and on the buckles of his shoes, was accompanied by the most noble Marquis of Amberley and exuded an air of lazy amusement throughout. The bride, wearing an exquisitely-cut gown of ice-blue watered silk, lavishly trimmed with pearls, was attended by Lady Elinor Wynstanton and looked pale enough to satisfy the most exacting of critics. And the Honourable Jack Ingram – arriving from deepest Sussex, breathless, but in time to give the bride away – thought her the chilliest creature he had ever met and wondered what could have ailed his discriminating friend; until, that was, she turned and smiled at him.
Back in St James’ Square, Adeline awoke to the fact that she had a ring on her finger and that the servants were suddenly addressing her as ‘your Grace’. It was, she felt, the most unnerving experience of her life. She looked at the cold collation that had been laid out in their absence as a wedding breakfast and decided that she felt sick.
‘If you’ve changed your mind and would like to be rescued,’ murmured Rockliffe helpfully, ‘Jack’s your man. Or would be, did he not suspect that I might run him through.’
She looked at him blankly.
‘And would you?’
‘But of course! What self-respecting bridegroom of less than an hour could do less? Have some buttered crab.’
As a lover-like overture or a move of predatory intent, this left something to be desired. Adeline felt her tension ebb slightly and said, ‘You have some. I’m going to keep Nell away from the port.’
On the far side of the room a pair of grey eyes watched them thoughtfully. Like Rockliffe and Amberley, Jack Ingram was also in his middle thirties but cast in a less flamboyant mould. Brown-haired and of medium height, his face was pleasant rather than handsome and his taste in dress more for neatness than ostentation. But his friendship with the other two was of many years standing and, just now, he was concerned.
‘Why is he doing this?’ he asked of Amberley. ‘Oh – it’s not that there’s anything wrong with her! But she’s not exactly his usual type, is she? And, more to the point, who is she? I can’t remember ever hearing of any Kendricks … and the only thing Rock’s told me is that it’s a Northumberland family. Northumberland! I ask you!’
The Marquis smiled apologetically.
‘Absolve me, Jack. I don’t know anything about Northumberland. It’s true Rock has estates in the north – but to my knowledge he hasn’t visited them in years. And the idea that he’s been nourishing a tendre all this time is stretching credulity too far. Also, from the little he’s told me, it would appear that he met the lady quite recently.’
‘But why the hurry?’ asked Jack, absently accepting another glass of Chambertin. ‘Why couldn’t he wait and have a proper wedding? Where are her relatives? It stands to reason that she must have some. And if she hasn’t – Rock has. Hundred
s of them! Where, for example, is Lady Grassmere?’
‘Presumably in a state of blissful ignorance.’
‘And you don’t find that peculiar?’
‘No. I wouldn’t have wanted Lucilla at my wedding either,’ came the unhelpful reply. And then, ‘Why so agitated, Jack? Can you remember a time when Rock didn’t know what he was doing?’
‘Well, no. But one can’t help wondering -- ’
His words petered out as the Duke himself crossed to join them, his smile mocking but not unfriendly. ‘Well, Jack? Have you come to any conclusions?’
‘No,’ retorted Mr Ingram. ‘I don’t know what the devil’s going on and Dominic won’t tell me – though he seems to think there may be method in your madness.’
‘How comforting.’ Rockliffe looked at Amberley. ‘So what is causing that expression of puzzled concentration?’
The Marquis grinned and withdrew his gaze from Adeline.
‘If you must know, I’m plagued by a sensation of having seen your bride – or someone very like her – before.’
His Grace surveyed him imperturbably and reached for his snuff-box.
‘Have you ever visited the home of Sir Roland Franklin in Oxfordshire?’
‘Franklin? No. I’ve never met the man.’
‘Then you have never seen Adeline before. But you will both of you soon have the … pleasure … of meeting Sir Roland’s daughters. They are – or were - Nell’s dearest friends. They are also Adeline’s cousins.’
Light dawned on Mr Ingram. ‘So that’s how you met her? Through Nell?’
‘It is indeed. But I don’t think I shall weary you with the full story just now – and, it would, in any case, be a pity to steal Harry Caversham’s thunder. Ah.’ He paused, looking at Amberley. ‘Did I neglect to mention that he was also one of the party?’
‘You know you did. Who else did you forget to mention?’
Rockliffe sighed. ‘Lewis Garfield and his appalling sister. Cecily.’
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