Lady Julia Grey Bundle

by DEANNA RAYBOURN

  I gaped at him. This was most unexpected. "Valerius is treating him? But he is a student. He is not qualified—"

  "Under Mordecai's direction," he amended. That eased my mind a little. Mordecai was Brisbane's oldest friend. An excellent physician, he had taken my wayward younger brother under his tutelage. Father would never consent to let Valerius establish his own consulting rooms, but with Mordecai's help, he could do some real good in the slums that festered behind the elegant quarters of London.

  "When did he break his leg?" I asked suddenly. The speed of the attack caught him off his guard.

  "A fortnight ago," he replied, and I had little doubt if he had thought on it, he would have given me a lie.

  "A fortnight ago," I repeated innocently. "The same time you fell from your horse. How very unlucky. And how very fortunate that neither of you were near Trafalgar Square. I understand there was a terrible riot there, just about a fortnight past. Why, either one of you might have been injured much worse."

  "I read of it in the papers," he said smoothly, refusing to rise to the bait.

  "As did I. Just this morning. The stories were utterly appalling. Ten thousand people marching to register their protest at the treatment of the Irish, and two thousand soldiers beating them back. I understand some poor souls were left with broken bones, and shots were even fired. So barbaric."

  I paused, holding the eyes that never left mine. "Well, I must be getting back to the others. You should come along and watch them conclude the deal for the horse. It should be most entertaining. Oh, I am sorry, I forgot," I said, with a meaningful look at his sling, "you do not ride." I spun smartly on my heel and started down the path.

  "Julia—"

  I turned back in surprise. He had never once called me by my Christian name. Emotions warred on his face, feelings I could not identify as I waited, only an arm's length from him, expectant, hoping for some word, some declaration.

  But he simply stood staring at me, locked in a silence he would not, or could not, break, and after an endless moment I let out a ragged little breath that sounded almost like a sob.

  "You know, Brisbane, if you thought to rouse my jealousy by bringing her here, you have failed. Abjectly. She is welcome to you, with my blessing."

  He spoke then, something profane, but he did not follow me as I walked away.

  After my tête-à-tête with Brisbane, I felt thoroughly exhausted, drained of all feeling and numb with cold and a bit of misery as well as I retraced my steps to the Gypsy camp. I had not been gone a very long time, but it was sufficient for the ladies to have finished their fortunes. Emma and Portia had joined Lucy on her bit of carpet by the cooking fire, and were sipping at chipped mugs. More of Magda's dreadful tea, no doubt, but at least it would keep the rising chill from one's bones.

  The gentlemen were still haggling, though they had been joined by Plum and Mr. Ludlow. Mrs. King was some little distance apart, attempting to converse with a charming little girl whose glossy black plaits swung to her waist. Next to the child's exotic charms, Mrs. King looked like a fragile Dresden shepherdess. I thought of warning Mrs. King it would be prudent to keep an eagle eye upon her valuables, and to count the coins in her reticule when the child left, for there was no knowing if the girl was old enough to realise we were friends and not to be stolen from. But just then she looked up and waved at me, her betrothal ring from Brisbane sparkling on her finger, and I held my tongue.

  I made for the knot of gentlemen instead, meaning to join them when a figure swayed out from behind the nearest tent. "You do not wish me to tell your fortune? I am never wrong, lady, as you well know."

  I sighed. "No, Magda. Thank you. I trust the ladies paid you sufficiently for your services?"

  She shrugged. "Is there enough silver in the world to exchange for knowing what the future holds?"

  "Probably not. In that case, I shall leave you to it."

  I made to step around her, but she stood in my path, not touching me, but making it impossible for me to pass.

  "What do you want?" I demanded.

  Magda shook her head, rattling the coin-bedecked chains at her ears and throat. Roma woman often dressed thus, carrying their life's savings on their person for safekeeping. "You were kind to me once, lady," she said, pouting a little.

  "For which you repaid me in ways that would have bought you a gibbet if I had gone to the authorities. Instead I arranged for you to leave London, at great personal cost to myself," I reminded her. "Do not think to win me with your petulance. It is a child's trick."

  She curled her lip at me and tossed her head. "Very well then. But I will tell you this for free—that one still walks with the dead," she whispered, nodding toward the dark figure slowly walking toward us from the river path. She grasped my arm fast in her bony fingers. "I told you once before the screams of the dead echo in his steps. You did not believe me, and you nearly died. Do you believe me now?"

  I wrenched my arm free. "That is a faery story meant to frighten children. What did you tell my cousin Lucy? That she would marry and take a shipboard voyage?"

  Magda looked at me in surprise. "Of course I did. That is what she wished to hear, and it was the truth. And I tell you the truth as well—that man is like the raven. His shadow speaks of death to come."

  "Enough!" I cried, and pushed past her.

  "Tell me, lady, has he ever told you the truth about Mariah Young?" she called after me, laughing her harsh, grating laugh.

  I stalked off, refusing to turn and address her. The question she asked had nagged at me since I first heard the name Mariah Young. I knew little about her, save that she had some attachment to the Roma, and some connection to Brisbane as well. And that she had been murdered. Beyond that I knew nothing. I had asked Brisbane only once, and he had refused to speak of her. The fact that Magda knew I would have asked, and that Brisbane would not have confided in me, confirmed she knew both of us better than I could have wished.

  The gentlemen were just concluding the deal when I approached, with much slapping of hands and laughter and no doubt a few ribald jokes as well. They had dispersed to join the ladies, all save Sir Cedric who remained, stroking the hunter's nose with an air of proprietary satisfaction.

  "Ah, Lady Julia!" he cried as I approached. "Congratulate me, if you please. I have just become the owner of this magnificent animal."

  I peered at the hunter's face, noting the edge of white showing cleanly around the entire eyeball. I smiled.

  "Congratulations, indeed, Sir Cedric. I hope Mephistopheles will make you an excellent mount."

  His hand paused. He looked at me, a trifle uncertainly. "Mephistopheles? Like the devil?"

  "Yes, but I am certain it is a term of opposite affection. As one will name a black kitten Snowflake, that sort of thing."

  His expression eased and he went on petting the animal's nose. It was the first opportunity I had had to assess Lucy's fiancé in any sort of detail. He had removed his gloves to better acquaint himself with his purchase. His hands were manicured, but all the creams and unguents in the world could not erase the patchwork of scars and calluses formed from many years of hard labour. His tweeds were well-cut and almost alarmingly new. They bore the hallmarks of good tailoring, doubtless from the finest shops in Savile Row. Beneath his hat, a few stray locks of silvering blond hair curled to his collar. His whiskers were the same odd mix of silver and gold, and with his ruddy complexion and tawny eyes, the whole put me greatly in mind of an aging lion. His physique was powerful and sturdy, though he lacked Brisbane's inches.

  "Well, what do you make of the old boy then?" he asked, and I turned my attention to the horse.

  "A very fine hunter. Perhaps he needs a bit of training to settle his nerves, but with the proper handling—"

  "Not the animal," he corrected. "Me. Shall I pass muster to marry Lucy? Or am I too rough a creature to be connected to the Marches?"

  He spoke lightly, with a chuckle underscoring his words, but I fancied I heard somet
hing else there, the faintest note of resentment.

  I reached out and stroked the horse's nose. He flared his nostrils at me, but ducked his head to be rubbed again.

  "Sir Cedric, you have met my father's Aunt Dorcas. The fact that we still own her as one of ours should speak volumes on the subject."

  He nodded. "She does seem a bit of a Tartar, that one. There is not much love lost between her and Emma and my Lucy."

  I hesitated. If our dirty linen was pegged out, the line would stretch from Brighton to Newcastle. And yet, Sir Cedric was not yet kin. I did not like to air too many of our troubles before him.

  "I think many young ladies of spirit resent the hand that curbs them," I temporised. "You needn't have her to stay once you are settled. She will expect it, of course, but Father will make certain she is cared for."

  Sir Cedric drew back, a trifle affronted, I think, his colour rising. "Lady Julia, I hope I shall always do my duty by my relations, both by blood and marriage."

  "Of course you will," I hastened to soothe him. "I had a very nice chat with Mr. Ludlow earlier. I know you gave him a place when he was left to make his way in the world. Very commendable."

  His face relaxed, the swift ruddy colour abating a little. I had not thought him so easily vexed, but it appeared he had the temper to match his complexion. I only hoped Lucy knew how to manage him.

  "I did. He is a clever boy, and I could have searched the City twice over and not found his match. He can tally a ledger page just by running his eye over the figures, and he can write a perfect letter the first time through, with nary a blob or smudge. Any employer would be lucky to have got him, but he is mine and I mean to keep him."

  A peculiar turn of phrase, I thought, and I wondered briefly if he thought the same about Lucy.

  I smiled. "Well, I will leave you to your acquisition, Sir Cedric. I wish you every happiness with him."

  I gave the horse a final pat and turned in the direction of the ladies and their little tea party on the carpet.

  As I moved away I heard Sir Cedric give a sharp exclamation. "He bit me! Here, sir, I shall not want this horse. The damned thing bit me!"

  I covered a smile with my hand and hastened my steps. Retrieving his money from Jasper's pocket would be a frustrating and ultimately futile exercise. Watching him try would have been tempting, but there was other game afoot.

  As I neared the ladies, Mrs. King approached me, having abandoned her efforts at conversation with the Gypsy child.

  "My lady!" she called. I waited for her, and she hurried, her face a trifle pale.

  "Mrs. King, are you quite all right?"

  She paused, biting at her lip. "I do not know. My lady, can you tell me if that woman—Magda, I believe her name is—can you tell me if she is quite truthful?"

  I shrugged. "She is as truthful as any of her race."

  Mrs. King blinked at me. "I thought you were their champion. I am surprised to hear you speak thusly."

  For some unaccountable reason I felt cross with her, and I did not trouble to hide the edge in my voice. "Mrs. King, I am no one's champion. I hope the Roma may be treated with respect and compassion. But those hopes do not prevent me from seeing them as they are. They have been greatly persecuted by our laws for centuries. Duplicity is simply their means of surviving in an unjust world. If I say they lie, I mean it as a statement of fact, and only because they are forced to it, as you or I would be in the same circumstances."

  She shook her head. "I do not mean to quarrel with you about the Roma. But I must know if this woman speaks truly. Does she have the sight?"

  I tipped my head to the side and looked at her carefully, from the pale complexion to the tiny lines sketched at the corners of her eyes. I had not noticed them before. "She frightened you, didn't she? When she told you your fortune."

  Mrs. King dropped her eyes, but not before I saw them fill with tears. "She touched my betrothal ring at first. I thought she was going to give me a fortune like Miss Lucy's. I expected her to speak of wedding trips and trousseaux. Instead she dropped my hand and stared straight through me. She bored into me with those black eyes. I felt quite faint for a moment, but I heard her distinctly. She warned me about ghosts. She said I was in danger, if I did not leave the Abbey, some terrible fate would befall me."

  I nearly snorted, and to cover the sound, I coughed behind my glove. Mrs. King clapped me heartily on the back.

  "Are you quite all right?"

  I waved her away. "Perfectly, I assure you."

  Magda, for all her faults, could occasionally perpetrate an act of genius. Doubtless she had heard through the grapevine of village gossip that Mrs. King was betrothed to Brisbane. And though she liked to utter her Cassandra-like warnings about him to me, she also knew I harboured a tendresse for him. Magda and I had had our troubles, but she would always be loyal to me, in her own fashion.

  I touched Mrs. King's arm. "I should not worry if I were you, my dear."

  Mrs. King clutched at me. "She said I should retire early, bolt my door, and not stir until morning," she whispered.

  Gently, I detached her fingers. "Excellent advice. The Abbey is full of odd little staircases and twisty corridors. One might take a nasty tumble in the dark. Far better to stay safely in your room."

  She nodded, clasping her hands together. "I must warn the others though. It would be selfish of me not to do so."

  I raised my hand to pat her again, then thought better of it. "Do whatever you think is best, my dear."

  She thanked me, and I think would have even tried to embrace me, but Brisbane had spotted us together and was moving rapidly in our direction.

  "Ah, here is your fiancé now. I am sure he will be only too happy to allay your fears. If you will excuse me," I murmured, making a hasty retreat.

  When I was a safe distance away, I hazarded a glance back over my shoulder. Mrs. King was turned away from me, her face buried in Brisbane's shoulder. He was staring over her head at me, his expression unfathomable.

  Then I remembered the lesson of Lot's wife, and hurried on my way.

  THE TENTH CHAPTER

  Men should be what they seem.

  —Othello

  The rest of the afternoon idled pleasantly by.

  The Roma provided us with a simple tea—just thickly-cut bread with fresh butter—but, sauced with the lovely view and the brisk air, it was utterly delicious. Father managed to avert a disaster by purchasing Mephistopheles from Sir Cedric himself, and Plum completed a rather superb series of sketches from his vantage point on the little outcropping. Mrs. King insisted upon telling the party of her ominous fortune, and though the ladies responded with murmurs of sympathy, the gentlemen jollied her out of her fears by telling the most outrageously silly ghost stories. Father went to great lengths to soothe her worries by insisting the ghosts of Bellmont Abbey were of the very best sort, and terribly friendly as well.

  "That is precisely what I am afraid of," she pointed out, and the entire group broke into laughter. She laughed as well, and after that seemed much more at her ease.

  Alessandro was prevailed upon to tell us tales of Tuscan strega, and Mr. Ludlow and Mr. Snow made their contributions as well, relating folktales of their travels to India and China. Then Jasper was persuaded to bring out his guitar and sing a few Gypsy songs. Several of the children had crept quite close to hear the ghost stories, and they sang along with Jasper's melodies, a high, sweet chorus, not as pure as any in Westminster Abbey, but just as engaging. They were enchanting, and it was not until the sun had sunk completely below the horizon that Father rose to his feet and motioned toward the gathering darkness.

  "It will be full dark soon, and I do not like the look of that sky. The temperature is falling as well," he added, rubbing his hands together briskly. "I think we shall be in for a bit of snow from the look of the cloud just over the Downs." Naturally the gentlemen had to spend another quarter of an hour debating the weather as the ladies stood shivering, Portia rolling her eyes at
me behind Father's back. In the end, they all agreed that, yes, it was indeed growing colder and darker and we ought to depart at once for the Abbey.

  "Thank God for that," Portia muttered, thrusting a hand into the crook of Alessandro's arm.

  We made our thanks to our hosts and pressed coins upon the children. As we picked our way to the carriages, Mr. Snow fell into step beside me.

  "What think you now, Mr. Snow?" I teased gently. "Do you have a better liking for our travelling friends? Or do you still mean to reform them?"

  He smiled and took my elbow in his hand, guiding me over stones in the dusk. "They do seem happy enough, I grant you. But it will be cold tonight, bitterly so, and I cannot help but think of them, shivering in their caravans, huddled together for what meagre warmth they can find."

  I glanced ahead to where Brisbane strode, tall and strong, a far cry from the starveling child he had once been.

  "If today teaches you anything, Mr. Snow, let it be this—you must never underestimate them. No race on earth has a greater capacity for survival."

  Mr. Snow sighed theatrically. "It is difficult for a man to admit his errors, my lady, but how can he resist so lovely a teacher?"

  This gallant speech was accompanied by a lightly mocking smile. I fixed him with my sternest expression.

  "You are outrageous."

  "You are not the first to say so. And since you have seen this leopard in all his spots, let me say further that I am extremely pleased to have been invited to join this happy party, if only because it means I shall be in proximity to the most enchanting lady I have met in a very long time."

  His charm was thick as treacle and just as cloying. He could be a merry companion, but I was in no danger of falling prey to him.

  "Tell me, what led you into the church? Did you always have a vocation for the religious life, or were you converted in a brilliant flash of light, a new St. Paul on the Damascene road?"