by Janet Woods
His victim’s eyes flew open, an unusual shade of green and grey, and the expression on her face battled between anger, embarrassment and amusement.
He smiled at her. ‘You’re more striking than I recall from our recent meeting.’
Amusement won, and she laughed, coming back with, ‘Be careful I don’t take it upon myself to prove just how striking I can be.’
‘Vivienne! Lord LéSayres did not come here to be insulted. You must apologize at once, and stop monopolizing the conversation.’
Heat bloomed in her cheeks, but it was defiance rather than anything more. She had taken a stand and didn’t know how to gracefully change it. ‘I’m sorry, My Lord. I forgot my manners.’
She didn’t look in the slightest bit sorry and took a quick glance at her aunt before saying, ‘I haven’t seen my uncle for a while. Is he well?’
‘I didn’t ask him, but he looked well enough’
Mrs Goodman said, ‘Vivienne! What on earth has come over you? To ask a guest for his opinion of your relative is undignified. What sort of impression are you having on our visitor?’
‘My pardon.’ She fell silent for a moment then choked on a laugh as she engaged his eyes again. ‘As for the latter, I don’t know what impression I have on him. Only he can answer that … My Lord?’
He’d begun to feel sorry for the young woman, who was past the age where she should be chastised in the company of a guest. Now she’d turned the tables and had him on the run.
He capitulated with, ‘The prongs of a pitchfork should dig so deeply.’
As sweet as sugar, Adelaide slid into the conversation. ‘Please excuse my cousin, My Lord, she isn’t usually so talkative. She’s still tired after her journey.’ Adelaide came between them, moving from her chair to the vacant end of the settee he was seated on. She flirted her eyelashes. ‘Are you staying in town for long, My Lord?’
‘A month … or less if I’m lucky.’
Adelaide looked taken aback. ‘Don’t you like London?’
‘I prefer the country to the town.’
‘Oh … isn’t that a little boring?’
‘Not at all, we make our own amusements.’
Adelaide and her mother began to prattle about the assemblies and dances they attended, and the information that Adelaide had a dowry was carefully slid into the conversation, as was the cousin’s lack of a significant one.
‘Such a disappointment! A rumour has circulated that Vivienne recently inherited a fortune. Alas, it was a false one; my niece only inherited enough money to buy a decent gown or two. Poor Vivienne, not only does she lack in looks, disposition and wealth, and now in fashion sense. We despair that she’ll ever marry. I understand you have neither wife nor family, My Lord?’
He could almost hear poor Vivienne’s teeth grind at the reminder of her situation.
He told Mrs Goodman what she wanted to know. ‘I live in hope, but I have no fortune at my disposal. I’m basically a farmer whose livelihood depends on what the land produces.’
‘Oh, I see …’ He could feel the calculations going on inside Mrs Goodman’s head. She would be picturing him wearing a shepherd’s smock with a crook in his hand and a dog at his heels.
‘There’s the title of course, and the house and the estate …’ He threw them into her mental abacus.
‘Is it a large estate, My Lord?’
‘Large enough to require a great deal of my time; unfortunately it has been neglected over the past few years.’
Now the Goodman females had got the information they’d been after, Alex felt their interest in him wane a little.
He glanced at Vivienne, who was gazing down at her hands. After a while she chanced to look at him, offering a brief, apologetic glance through her lashes. The little smile she gave was so wounded he wanted to hug her.
He noted again that her eyes were extraordinary and her voice had been low and soft, so unlikely to grate on a man’s ears. He’d like to spend some time alone with her – get to know her better.
He took out his watch to gaze at it. ‘I must not keep you any longer, but before I leave … if you are going to the Beauchamps’ ball at the assembly rooms on Saturday, perhaps you’d allow me the first dance, Miss Fox.’
‘Me?’
‘Is there another Miss Fox in the room?’
‘I suppose not. Thank you, My Lord, but I’m not a good dancer, I’m afraid.’
‘Neither am I. We can be not-very-good together.’
Hesitantly, she asked him, ‘Did my uncle tell you to partner me?’
The smoothest of evasions slid from his lips. ‘It would be fair to say that your uncle does not dictate my life in any way, Miss Fox, and I do have a mind of my own.’
‘Of course you do, sir. My pardon, I meant you no disrespect.’
He leaned on her a little, for his patience was wearing thin. ‘Will you dance the first dance with me or not? I must warn you though, I’ll regard it as an insult if you refuse.’
‘In the face of that threat, I will dance with you, since pistols at dawn hold no appeal.’
He nodded and turned to the cousin. ‘Miss Goodman, perhaps you’ll allow me the pleasure of the second dance.’
Adelaide offered him an offended smile that told him he’d done something wrong. ‘I know all the dances well, sir.’
‘One dance will be sufficient, Miss Goodman. I don’t want to monopolize your time and deprive the other gentlemen of your delightful company.’
‘As is right and proper.’ Mrs Goodman turned as she opened the door and frowned, tossing the last lightning bolt at her hapless niece. ‘Adelaide has her cousin to chaperone her. You will have to excuse Vivienne. Usually she is a well-mannered, sensible girl who can be trusted implicitly.’
‘I’ve seen nothing in your niece’s demeanor to suggest otherwise. The young lady’s self-discipline does her credit, Mrs Goodman, as does your indulgence with any foibles of character she may possess. We have, after all, been acquainted since childhood, which explains, or excuses, any familiarity that passes between us.’
‘One can only try,’ his hostess said, her hand pressed against her bosom to match her heartfelt sigh.
He saw Vivienne’s eyes narrow.
The thought crept into Alex’s head – Vivienne Fox was just what his estate needed. It was a pity she was as poor as a church mouse.
‘Since you are unfamiliar with London society you may escort us to the ball tomorrow, if you wish, My Lord. I can then introduce you. The assembly hall is only a short distance from the house. We can walk from here with your good self and the footman as escort.’
No doubt he would be acquainted with one or two men at the assembly, men he’d studied at Cambridge with. It would be a feather in Mrs Goodman’s cap to be associated with an earl when they were announced, even an impoverished one. ‘I’d be delighted.’
‘Foibles, hah!’ Vivienne hissed as he moved past her.
He grinned … he’d got her to bite.
Six
When she got upstairs Vivienne went to the window and watched the earl depart. Twilight had faded the sky to a dusky purple hue and the night people were beginning to appear from goodness-knew-where, like rats from their holes.
The earl lifted his hat to an old woman waiting to cross the road and offered her his arm. Carrying her flower basket in his free hand, and sure-footed, he tackled the crowded street and guided her through the wheeling horses and carriages. When they reached the other side she offered him a flower.
The cries of the night vendors were loud and raucous. An organ grinder went past with a monkey clinging to his shoulder, the creature gibbering nervously.
There was the smell of cooking in the air and her stomach rattled.
When the earl was out of sight she took her book from the drawer and wrote next to Appearance: A tall man with pleasing features, striking blue eyes and a long stride. Disposition: Consult ink blot. Also, he’s self-possessed, but impatient. Fortune: Not a penny to his
name but he doesn’t allow it to bother him.
She knew how humiliating it could be to be without funds, yet required to keep to a standard. Her father had told her there was no shame in being poor, but it must be doubly shaming when you were an aristocrat and dismissed as undesirable because of lack of wealth.
She closed the book and placed it back in the drawer when she heard Adelaide coming up the stairs, then when the door flew open she turned, saying quietly, ‘I do wish you’d pay me the courtesy of knocking first.’
‘And I do wish you wouldn’t keep correcting me. You sound like my grandmother sometimes.’
Adelaide’s disposition became more assertive every season. Vivienne turned to challenge her. ‘If you have something to say, then say it.’
Adelaide berated her with, ‘How could you, Vivienne? You’re a guest in my mother’s residence and should have allowed me to take precedence.’
‘Over what?’
‘You know very well over what – and it’s whom. You should keep your place when we have visitors.’
‘Like a servant, you mean?’
‘Of course you’re not a servant, though I should point out that you’re living here on my mother’s good will,’ she said with some exasperation. ‘You’re just being difficult.’
‘If I’m not a servant then it means I’m a guest … but I understand my father pays for the hospitality I receive.’
‘Oh, don’t twist things. We all know what your function is, to be a companion and chaperone to me. You should have refused Lord LéSayres invitation to partner you in the first dance in favour of me.’
‘So that’s what this is all about. Have you been sitting in your room fuming over it for all this time? If you recall, the earl called on me, not on you. I had very little choice but to accept.’
‘You’re jealous because he paid more attention to me.’
‘Did he? I didn’t notice. The earl was just doing a duty call. Oh, do stop being childish, Adelaide. You know your mother wouldn’t consider him for you. He’s a farmer and a man without fortune. Aunt Edwina has only taken him up because of the title.’
‘But I liked him, and he’s so handsome,’ Adelaide wailed, like a child about to have a tantrum over being denied a favourite toy.
The earl certainly was handsome, and charismatic if one overlooked the nuances of impatience in his manner, Vivienne thought. He was a man unused to drawing room niceties. ‘No doubt you’ll see him again, and there will be other handsome men at the ball tomorrow to distract you. What about Freddie Lamington? He seemed very fond of you last year. Now tell me, what are you going to wear?’
Adelaide turned here and there, admiring her reflection in the long mirror. ‘Dear Freddie, he makes me laugh so. I shall wear my pale blue gown with the puffed sleeves and the low neckline that dips to a point. I have heard that French women rouge their breasts to attract men … how scandalous. I think I will do the same. Freddie has come into his title now, but if he doesn’t offer for me this year I shall look for someone else. I don’t want to end up old and unmarried like you. Mama said you’ll probably end up taking the veil.’
‘What nonsense!’ Did she need to put up with these barbs every year in the quest of finding a husband for Adelaide? No … she did not. She felt like shaking her cousin until her brains rattled, except Adelaide didn’t have many to spare. She counted to ten before answering, hating herself for being so mean. ‘I could think of worse things to be … in a loveless marriage to start with, or being bred with a man who’s a complete stranger like a … a cow to a stud bull.’
Adelaide giggled. ‘You say such shocking things sometimes, Vivienne. Mama would have a fit if she heard you. One word from me and she’d send you home in disgrace, on the grounds that you’re an unsuitable companion …’
‘Is that a threat or a promise? Perhaps you should bear in mind that chaperoning you is a chore and returning home would be a pleasure. In fact, I might even do so rather than face the endlessly boring tea parties and dances, and all the chatter and gossip that goes with it. I don’t suppose it’s occurred to you that you might end up a spinster too.’
Adelaide laughed. ‘No fear of that, and you won’t abandon me because this is probably your last chance to find yourself a husband.’
This would be a perfect time to tell Adelaide about her fortune and rub her nose in it. She was weary of the whole thing. All the same, she must bear in mind that she wanted a man who loved her for herself. She adjusted that condition to liked. She’d begun to doubt in love after she’d overheard a man she’d once admired describe her as a penniless dowdy.
‘Do you take pleasure in my single state, Adelaide … is that why you keep mentioning it?’
Adelaide avoided her eyes. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Then I’ll tell you in simple language. You’re using the fact that I’m unmarried as an insult. I don’t like it, especially when we’re in company. It does you no favour.’
‘Oh, don’t let us argue, cousin.’ Adelaide kissed her on the cheek. ‘There, I’m sorry if I’ve upset you … please forgive me. You’re different this year, much more serious and not so much fun. Mother said it was because your chances of being settled were diminishing …’
Vivienne did forgive her, knowing it would happen again and they would argue again.
Opening the door, Adelaide peered outside, and then closed it and lowered her voice. ‘Don’t tell my mother, but two days ago I consulted with a fortune-teller who promised me I’d meet the man of my dreams this season.’
‘Fortune-tellers are everywhere. It’s an easy way to make money from the gullible.’
‘This one was recommended by Prudence Duffeney. The teller read her sister’s palm two years ago and everything came true. She married and gave birth to a baby a year later, just like the woman said.’
‘It was a guess, since that’s what usually happens. What else did she tell you?’
‘She said a man who was dark and handsome would knock at the door and a marriage would take place. All this time I’ve been waiting for Freddie Lamington to propose, as he said he would when he came into his title, and he has come into it now.’
‘Freddie’s dark and handsome.’
‘But he’s not as handsome as the earl. It was so exciting when he arrived. What if he’s the man the gypsy told me about? He certainly looks like he might be. I felt odd when I first saw him, as though my stomach was churning and my heart was about to leap from my chest like a frog. My knees were so trembling and weak that I wanted to swoon into his arms. I didn’t because he wasn’t close enough to catch me, and I would have made a fool of myself by falling on the floor.’
Vivienne would have laughed if her own response to the earl hadn’t been similar to Adelaide’s, except she’d never swooned in her life, especially over a man. She rationalized: of course, the feelings she’d experienced could quite easily have been caused by hunger. ‘You must stop believing the lies of such people. Dark handsome men are knocking at doors all day and night over London. Some of them deliver coal and some are chimney sweeps, and like Lord LéSayres said, rustic gentlemen have skin darkened by the summer sun. All those fortune-tellers do is relieve the gullible of their money and tell you what you want to hear. London is full of fortune-tellers, and filled with tall, dark and handsome aristocrats at the moment.’ She smiled to take the sting from her words. ‘You must remember that the earl is penniless.’
Adelaide snorted. ‘You haven’t got a romantic bone in your body, have you? I feel as though I’m being preached at from all directions sometimes. Perhaps I will wed Freddie and take the earl for my lover.’
Not if Vivienne had anything to do with it, because such an event would be blamed on her own lack of vigilance. ‘Your mother is just trying to present you to society well, so as to attract a good match for you. She has your welfare at heart.’
‘And yours, Vivienne. I overheard her say to Mrs Barlow that she was going to ask your father if she could
take you on as her companion once I’m settled.’
Although Vivienne liked her aunt to a certain extent, becoming her fetch-and-carry wasn’t the most appealing of occupations. Surely her father wouldn’t agree to such a request. Her heart plunged. He might, if her aunt convinced him that a woman’s influence would be beneficial to her future.
She had the means to live independently, but could she with her father taking a hand in managing her fortune? Without a by-your-leave he had consulted with John Howard, who managed monetary estates such as hers. Although she had enjoyed the visit, nobody had asked her opinion on where her fortune should be invested. Once it had been sorted out to the men’s satisfaction, she’d be urged to marry the highest bidder and only a small amount of her inheritance would actually land in her palm – in the shape of an allowance, no doubt.
Not that she was extravagant, but she liked value for money and did have a yearning for pretty things sometimes – a chemise edged in lace, a scarlet petticoat, a gown of silk and the softest of shawls.
Adelaide broke into her reverie. ‘The maid has promised to enhance my complexion with rice powder and put vermillion on my lips and face. You should try it.’
‘I have some Rose Salve.’
Adelaide tossed her head. ‘Everyone uses Rose Salve. It’s so pale as to not signify.’ She opened one of the trunks and idly looked through it. ‘May I borrow this purse? It’s so sweet and it matches my gown.’
It matched each one of Vivienne’s four dance gowns, which was why she’d bought such an expensive frippery. ‘You’ll look after it, won’t you?’
‘Of course I will.’ She opened a jewellery box and gazed down at a pearl necklace with a dangling jade stone, and some matching earrings. ‘Where did you get these?’
‘Papa gave them to me. They used to belong to my mother.’ She took the box from Adelaide’s hands, closed it and placed it back in the trunk. ‘And before you ask, no, you cannot wear them. Papa bought them for my mother and they’re precious to me. The jade is the same colour as my eyes, he said.’
‘You can be really mean sometimes, Vivienne.’