Gayle Buck

by The Hidden Heart

  Her eyes glittering, Lady Caroline snapped her fingers at him. “That for your protestation, my lord!” She gave a furious laugh. “Lord, what an utter fool I have allowed you to make of me. A wager! When I imagine what Carey and Sinjin and, yes, even dear sweet Nana, must think of me, I am quite sunk with mortification.”

  Lord Trilby held fast to his composure. “You must see that I had to take them into my confidence, Caro. It was imperative that they be forewarned. I could not chance an inadvertent word from Mrs. Burlington.”

  “Why did you not consult with me, my lord? I had persuaded my aunt to say nothing!”

  Her outraged words left silence in their wake.

  Lord Trilby and Lady Caroline stared at one another.

  Suddenly the earl laughed. “Oh, Caro! The shifts to which we have been put.’’

  Lady Caroline’s eyes still glittered, but now with tears. “I do not think it in the least amusing.” She turned away hurriedly.

  Lord Trilby sobered instantly, at once regretting his ill-timed sense of irony. “No. No, of course it is not.” He gently placed his hands on the outside of her shoulders and was not surprised when he felt her stiffen. “My apologies, Caroline. I should never have asked it of you.”

  His voice was curiously tender.

  He knew her so very well, and yet in some ways not at all. Since they had embarked upon this mad plot, he had several times thought he caught sight of a certain expression in her eyes. When he had glanced at her more fully, the expression had vanished or, if it had even existed, seemed to have been but a trick of the light.

  Through her fury and her misery, Lady Caroline felt her traitorous heart bump uncomfortably against her ribs. She said with feeling, “Damn your eyes, Miles.”

  He tightened his fingers briefly, then forced his hands to drop away. It was perhaps one of the most difficult things he had ever required of himself. “I should return to the drawing room before anyone begins to wonder at our continued absence.”

  He hesitated. “Will you be quite all right alone, my lady?”

  A hollow laugh came from her. She did not turn around to look at him. Her voice carried an uncharacteristic bitter note. “Of course I shall. How could it be otherwise?”

  It was an odd thing for her to say. There was something just beneath the surface of her words that he intuitively sensed.

  Again Lord Trilby hesitated.

  As he looked down on her bowed head, he felt the most extraordinary compulsion to gather her up into his arms and kiss her thoroughly.

  Suppressing the impulse ruthlessly, afraid that if he remained he would do something that he would later regret, he turned quickly and exited the sitting room.

  With a sigh, Caroline sank down into a chair.

  She was staring meditatively into the fire when the door to the sitting room opened. She turned her head quickly, thinking that the earl had returned. She was dismayed when she met Fräulein Gutenberg’s contemplative gaze.

  “Fräulein! You startled me. I am sorry, were you seeking a bit of privacy? I... I was on the point of leaving.’’ Lady Caroline had risen to her feet as she spoke, and now she moved toward the door.

  “No. Stay a moment, Lady Caroline. I came in to speak with you,” Fräulein Gutenberg said. She closed the door. Walking gracefully to a chair and sinking into it, she gestured for Lady Caroline to resume her own seat.

  Lady Caroline remained standing, regarding the Fräulein with puzzled surprise. “I do not understand.”

  “Please, Lady Caroline. Pray be seated.”

  Reluctantly Lady Caroline did as she was bidden. She was curious despite her wariness. Fräulein Gutenberg had deigned to take only as much notice of her as she had been compelled to by circumstances, yet now the Fräulein had actually sought her out. “Very well, Fräulein. What is it you wish to say to me?”

  Fräulein Gutenberg glanced at the flames, and back at Lady Caroline. “You do not care overmuch for me, my lady, nor I for you. So it always is when two beautiful women become rivals over the gentlemen.” She paused a heartbeat. “I shall marry one of your Englishmen, my lady. I shall marry Lord Trilby if I so desire. That is what I wish to say to you, my lady.”

  “You saw that I left the drawing room in the earl’s company and you followed us. Your jealousy ill becomes you, Fräulein,” Lady Caroline said evenly. She started to rise from the chair.

  “The understanding that lies between you and his lordship is not of importance to me, Lady Caroline.”

  Lady Caroline stared in consternation at the Fräulein’s calm expression. Slowly she sank back onto the chair. “How knew you of that, Fräulein?” A flush rose to her face. “Perhaps from the grandduchess?”

  Fräulein Gutenberg gave a low amused laugh. “Madam confides in me only what she wishes me to know, my lady. I do not think that particular piece of information was meant for my ears. No, your good aunt was very kind and quite sympathetic of my position.” She laughed again. “Mrs. Burlington does not wish me to harbor false hopes over Lord Trilby.”

  “Amaris,” Lady Caroline breathed, recalling how her aunt had warned her earlier against the Fräulein. She had not paid particular attention, and now wished bitterly that she had.

  The corners of Fräulein Gutenberg’s mouth lifted in another lovely smile. “Pray do not think too harshly of Mrs. Burlington, Lady Caroline. She, at least, has your interests at heart. I have only myself to rely upon.”

  Lady Caroline’s anger was checked by the curious inflection in the Fräulein’s voice. “But you have a formidable sponsor in the Grandduchess of Schaffenzeits, surely?”

  The Fräulein lifted slim shoulders. “For the moment, perhaps, it suits her grace to take an interest in me. The grandduchess’s sponsorship is very like a child’s sand castle. It appears strong and solid, but the wind and the waves always make quick work of it in the end. No, I am not so foolish as to place my future blindly into the grandduchess’s hands. I shall marry one of your Englishmen instead.”

  “But do you not care, then, whom you wed?” Lady Caroline asked, fascinated despite herself.

  Again came the lift of the Fräulein’s shoulders. “One man is much like any other. Two arms, two legs. Any significant difference is determined by the depth of his pocketbook.”

  “My word, I have never heard such a cold-blooded thing,’’ Lady Caroline said, repelled. “Have you never taken into account love or even simple liking? I cannot imagine the sort of match you contemplate, Fräulein.”

  “Can you not? Then I shall tell you how to imagine it, my lady. Imagine that you are the fifth of twelve daughters. Imagine that you have observed how each of your elder sisters has chosen her husband, not by birth alone, nor by wealth, nor again by this love you speak of. Instead, each has chosen out of necessity to contract a marriage that will weld strong political ties for her family.”

  Fräulein Gutenberg gestured with her slender hand. “It is an illustrious family, to be sure, but one impoverished and in exile, its survival dependent upon the whims of those in power. Now the family is politically secure, but still the remaining daughters are urged to barter themselves, and in return they will receive the discontent that became their sisters’ lot.”

  After a moment Lady Caroline gestured eloquently. “I am sorry, Fräulein. I did not realize.”

  “Do not pity me, Lady Caroline, for I am the fortunate one. The Grandduchess of Schaffenzeits has made possible my escape. I shall not return to be displayed like a freshly trimmed joint of beef to the innumerable petty princes of St. Petersburg. I shall marry an Englishman, one wealthy enough to provide me with all that I could ever desire.”

  At last there was a passionate note in Fräulein Gutenberg’s voice, and in the firelight her eyes flashed with the radiance of jewels. Lady Caroline regarded her in amazement.

  The Fräulein abruptly became aware of her wide-eyed scrutiny, for she caught herself up, and the mask of calm indifference once more shadowed her beautiful face.

  �
�I shall marry an Englishman, Lady Caroline, and it may well be that my choice shall fall upon Lord Trilby.”

  Without another word, Fräulein Gutenberg rose from her chair, walked to the door, and let herself out.

  Lady Caroline stared after the young woman, feeling more pity than she would ever have believed possible for the woman who had declared that she intended to marry the Earl of Walmesley.

  When the horrid evening had at last come to an end and Lady Caroline was able to take her leave with the rest of her party, she discovered that the phantom headache that she had suggested to her aunt had become a pounding reality. Her discomfort was not eased in the least by the sharp and garrulous discourse that Mrs. Burlington sustained the whole of the drive back to Berwicke Keep. Upon entering the house, Lady Caroline excused herself immediately, pleading the headache and fatigue, and retired to her bed.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Lady Caroline woke late the next mornng, heavy-eyed and with a sore throat. She rose listlessly and suffered her maid to attend her before she went downstairs to the breakfast room.

  Mrs. Burlington, breakfasting in company with Lord and Lady Eddington, said, “Well! It appears that you do not always rise with the cock’s-crow, Lady Caronlin. But far be it from me to point out the disregard you have shown toward his lordship and Lady Eddington on their first morning home,” Mrs. Burlington said waspishly.

  Lady Caroline sighed wearily. “I can only assume that you suffered an indifferent night, Amaris. It is the only fitting explanation I can imagine for your spleen.’’ She ignored her aunt’s angry intake of breath. “Good morning, Ned, Lady Eddington. I trust that you at least spent a restful night.”

  Lord Eddington glanced up briefly from his plate to nod at his sister. “A vastly better night than you did, from all signs. You look ghastly, Caroline.”

  Lady Caroline gave the ghost of a laugh. “Why, thank you! I did not expect such gallantry so early in the day, I must say. Yes, Simpson. Tea will be all, thank you.”

  Lord Eddington looked up, startled. “What is toward, Caroline? Why, I cannot recall the last time you turned down breakfast. Surely you must wish to have a few of these excellent kidneys and biscuits, or perhaps some toast and marmalade. Here, I shall spread it for you myself.”

  Lady Caroline suppressed a slight shudder. “No, nothing else, truly.”

  “Perhaps our dear Lady Caroline has resolved to cultivate a daintier appetite,” Mrs. Burlington said acidly.

  Lady Eddington had quietly observed the interchange, and now she reached over to place a hand on her sister-in-law’s wrist. “My dear Lady Caroline, I hesitate to intrude on your privacy, but you do not appear at all well. Are you certain that you would not prefer taking your tea in your room and resting for a short time? I am sure that none of us would think the less of your courtesy.” Her glance flickered in Mrs. Burlington’s direction, and that lady, on the point of making another acid observation, felt unusually constrained to hold her tongue.

  To her surprise, Lady Caroline felt relief at the gentle suggestion. It was true that she did not feel the least like being in company. The headache had persisted to nag her even after she had awoken, and she felt inordinately tired and melancholy.

  She contributed it to the fretful sleep that she had endured, interrupted, as it was, several times as she tossed on her pillow, quite unable to still her unhappy reflections. She could not imagine how she would ever be able to greet her friends again without wondering what thoughts might be going through their heads about her scandalous behavior.

  “Perhaps I should do exactly that, Lady Eddington. I am feeling rather pulled this morning,” Lady Caroline said.

  “Then you must not give us another thought. We shall do very well without you, you know. I have it in mind to trespass upon Mrs. Burlington’s good nature and request her to show me about Berwicke this morning,” Lady Eddington said.

  “Of course, Lady Eddington! I would be most pleased to do so,” Mrs. Burlington exclaimed, delighted.

  Lord Eddington appeared startled at the proposed itinerary. He cleared his throat diffidently. “If you should not mind it, my love, I think that I shall spend a little time with my bailiff. My sister has urged me to acquaint myself with the workings of the estate, and I may as well make a start of it, do you not think?”

  While Lady Caroline stared, astonished, at her brother, Lady Eddington bestowed a warm smile on his lordship. “I know you will do just as you ought, my lord.’’

  Lord Eddington straightened his shoulders, basking in his wife’s approval. “Well, I do think it just the thing to while away a few hours.”

  As it turned out, Lady Caroline’s slight indisposition developed into a light bout of influenza that kept her abed for several days. She therefore missed the morning calls paid by Lord Trilby and the grandduchess. Lord Hathaway came faithfully each day to ask after her, and when Lady Caroline heard it, she could not but be grateful that she had a valid excuse not to be compelled to endure his company.

  The second day after Lady Caroline returned downstairs, Fraulein Gutenberg came to tea at Berwicke. She made the grandduchess’s excuses, saying that her grace had declined Lady Eddington’s kind invitation because she had taken a chill and did not wish to expose herself to the cold.

  “I know I must not expect any of the gentlemen, for Lord Eddington informed me this morning that he had been invited to go hunting at Walmesley,” Lady Eddington said on a laugh.

  “Viscount Weemswood may yet surprise us with his presence, my lady, for I understood that he meant to consult with a wheelwright about the repairs of his phaeton instead. Surely that will not take the remainder of the afternoon,” Fraulein Gutenberg said.

  “I would not be too certain,” Lady Caroline said humorously. “The viscount is a perfectionist when it comes to his sporting vehicles. He will not be easily satisfied.”

  “Then it will be a cozy tea indeed, with just the four of us,” Lady Eddington said.

  Tea was poured and the biscuits had been passed around before Fraulein Gutenberg referred again to the gentlemen. “I find the manners of the English a little different from what I was used to in St. Petersburg, and in particular those of English gentlemen,” she said.

  “Oh? In what way, Fraulein?” Lady Caroline asked.

  Fraulein Gutenberg shrugged slightly. “The Russian princes are very boastful. They will tell you about everything they own, their accomplishments, their physical prowess.”

  “Yes, I suppose our English gentlemen are more reticent. However, I do think that you shall hear a great deal of boasting of physical prowess this evening when the results of the day’s hunting are served up for dinner,” Lady Caroline said.

  “My lord Eddington will certainly entertain me with a minutely detailed description of his outing today,” Lady Eddington agreed.

  “I suspect that gentlemen are much alike everywhere, dear Fraulein. They like to tell us what they wish us to hear, which may or may not be the whole truth, and leave it to us to make what we will of it all,” Mrs. Burlington said. She threw a malicious glance at her niece. “That is why young ladies should allow themselves to be guided by the counsel of those wiser and perhaps better informed than themselves, for that is how the best possible matches are contracted.”

  “True enough, Amaris, but I believe the young lady in question should have some opinion in the matter,” Lady Caroline said amiably, not to be drawn into a discussion of her personal history. “Would you not agree, Lady Eddington?”

  “Oh, yes. But it is not always possible, as it is dependent upon one’s circumstances. I was very fortunate. I developed a decided partiality for Lord Eddington quite apart from the advantages of his lordship’s birth or material possessions,” Lady Eddington said. “There were other suitors, of course, but none I liked quite so well or who proved quite so eligible in my father’s eyes.”

  “That is what has me in a puzzle, Lady Eddington. How does one discern the wheat from the chaff, for ver
y nearly any gentleman may represent himself well,” Fraulein Gutenberg said. “For instance, if I had not met the Earl of Walmsley or his friends under the Grandduchess of Schaffenzeits’ patronage, I should not have been so completely certain of their characters.” She raised her shoulders in an eloquent shrug.

  “Oh, well! Even when one meets a gentleman under the auspices of a trusted acquaintance, one cannot always be certain of that gentleman’s personal circumstances,” Mrs. Burlington said. “Of course, I do not speak specifically of the earl’s friends, you must understand, but even they have their crosses. Viscount Weemswood is the perfect example. He was heir apparent to a dukedom and quite squandered on his expectations, from what I have heard. Now the old duke is remarried and his younger wife is in expectation of producing a new heir. Quite shocking, of course.”

  “Amaris, I daresay that the viscount would not care to have his private affairs quite so well-aired,” Lady Caroline said quietly, though with pointed authority.

  Mrs. Burlington was offended at the rebuke, but she attempted to cover it with a titter. “Lord, my dear, I do not forget that you count the viscount one of your bosom bows, just as you do Mr. Underwood and Lord Heatherton. Though how one may be friends with a libertine is beyond me, I am sure!”

  “Lord Heatherton is a libertine?” Fraulein Gutenberg asked with such palpable amazement that the other ladies laughed.

  “Oh, no, not Lord Heatherton.” Lady Eddington tactfully left unvoiced the obvious conclusion to be drawn about Mr. Underwood. “I have the acquaintance of his lordship’s mother, who is a very good friend of my stepmother’s. I doubt very much that Lord Heatherton would dare go counter to anything she may frown upon.”

  “Lord Heatherton is a dear, but perhaps he does stand a trifle too in awe of his mother,” Lady Caroline conceded.

  “A regular cat’s-paw!” Mrs. Burlington exclaimed scornfully. “I doubt that his lordship will ever pluck up the necessary courage to take proper control of his own interests. Not but what that gorgon is quite enough to cow the stoutest of hearts!”