Fall From Grace

by Wendy Soliman

  Charles, who had managed to convince himself that he was in no danger of falling helplessly for Megan, accepted that he was deceiving himself. He had watched her fight tenaciously for her son’s rights, at the expense of her own health. It was a battle that had helped to keep her despair at Luke’s loss at bay, but it was still far from won. And yet she was now fretting over Charles’s reputation. He decided that they could agree upon one point. She didn’t belong in Lady Garmin’s ballroom amongst all those privileged individuals who thumbed their collective noses at any outsider who had the temerity to infiltrate their ranks. She was pure of spirit, kind of heart, thoughtful and generous—superior to the whole damned lot of them!

  Once word of Olivia and Jake’s acceptance of their invitations did the rounds and, more especially, once rumours regarding Megan’s attendance penetrated the drawing rooms of Mayfair, it would guarantee that the ballroom was full to capacity.

  And the Cantrells would be there in force.

  ‘Sweet girl,’ Charles replied, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. ‘There is nothing that anyone can do to damage my reputation. Nor would I much care if they attempted it. I long ago learned to disregard the gossips. What do I care for bitter old women—and bitter young ones come to that—who have nothing better to do than to destroy the reputations of others because they think it the best possible fun? Until it happens to one of them, of course.’ He smiled at her astonishment. ‘I will let you into a little secret. I don’t work for the Foreign Department out of financial necessity, which is the general assumption that I’ve not troubled myself to correct.’

  ‘You do not?’ She blinked in astonishment. ‘Luke told me that was the case.’

  ‘Luke knew better. He was one of the few who did but was being loyal, I suppose, in not confiding in you. The truth of the matter is that I am reasonably well situated in my own right, thanks to a bequest from a fair-minded grandfather who knew what a struggle it could be for younger sons to find their way.’ Charles chuckled. ‘I was Grandfather’s favourite and he wanted me to make my own choices rather than be forced down a particular career path through financial necessity.’

  ‘How very generous of him.’

  ‘Quite, but as I say, he and I were always the best of friends. He didn’t much like my brother, the current marquess, and truth be told we have little in common. My brother and I, that is. Grandfather, on the other hand, was very much like I am now when he was a younger man, if even half of his stories were to be believed.’

  ‘I hardly dare ask.’

  Charles grinned. ‘Probably best you don’t. However, you now know my secret.’

  ‘Which will be perfectly safe with me.’

  ‘I know it will.’ He smiled at her. ‘I enjoy what I do for the Foreign Department, most of the time. Besides, if I was an idle cove I wouldn’t be able to avoid the Lady Garmins of this world indefinitely.’

  ‘Ah, now I understand.’ Her face came alight with mischief, and the sparkle in her grey eyes mesmerised him. Her ability to listen, her intuitive understanding and lively wit were unique in a female. Her individuality and the hidden passion behind her prim exterior that manifested itself whenever she relaxed her guard, as she had at that moment, making him ache for what could never be. He had never felt such a fierce attraction before, and gave an ironic inward shrug at the thought of fixing his interest upon one whom it would be both unwise and ungentlemanly to address, given her current circumstances. ‘The matchmakers would be out in force and you wouldn’t know a moment’s peace.’

  ‘Exactly so. Besides, as I say, I enjoy the work that I do and like to make myself useful to my government—precious few thanks I get for it. But that is neither here nor there. What matters is that you will attend that ball tomorrow and play a part. Behave as though you attend such events every day of your life and appear as though you don’t have a care in the world.’ He smiled at her. ‘They will all be expecting a shrinking violet and you will not oblige them.’

  She swallowed. ‘Very well. I shall certainly do my very best to appear frivolous.’

  ‘If you feel your confidence slipping, just remind yourself that you are doing it for Sebastian’s sake. His entire future could very well depend upon your performance. Besides, I shall remain at your side and be there to guide you.’

  ‘Thank you. I am a terrible trial to you, I know that very well. I dare say you regret your gentlemanly impulse to help me in my hour of need now.’

  ‘You are anything but a trial. I admire your courage beyond anything and if I‒’

  ‘Oh lud!’ She clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘I don’t have a ball gown.’

  Charles shrugged. ‘I don’t suppose that simple impediment will defeat Olivia. In fact, she has probably already thought of it.’

  ‘I cannot keep accepting her charity.’

  Charles shrugged for a second time. ‘I doubt that you will be given much choice.’

  In the street outside, the organ-grinder returned and they both winced at his out of tune rendition of a popular song. Thankfully the drunken revellers were no longer heckling him.

  ‘I think that is my cue to wish you goodnight, Charles. If you don’t mind, I shall go up and check on Sebastian and then retire. It has been a long day and I have a slight headache.’

  ‘That is not to be wondered at.’ Charles stood with her and somehow managed to resist pulling her into his arms. ‘After all the day’s revelations your mind must be whirling. I hope you manage to sleep well. May I call in the morning and enquire after your health?’

  She looked a little taken aback by the request but quickly recovered her poise. ‘I look forward to seeing you.’ She bobbed a curtsey. ‘Good night.’

  Charles opened the door for her. ‘Good night, Megan,’ he said, watching her walk sedately up the stairs until she turned a corner mid-way and disappeared from view. She didn’t look back.

  ***

  Jake gave Franklin his instructions and watched him strong-arm a sullen Mardon through the kitchen door and into the mews at the back of the house where Jake’s driver waited with his carriage. Mardon appeared to assume that he would be set free, having admitted to his wrong-doings, or at the very least be permitted to consult in private with his daughter.

  Remarkable!

  Satisfied that Mardon would not escape Franklin’s none too gentle clutches, Jake joined Olivia in her library. He had insisted she remain there until he had dealt with Mardon, anticipating that she might kick up a ruckus about his unfeeling treatment of his daughter. For once Olivia had done as she was told and was where she was supposed to be when he entered the library.

  ‘Alone at last!’ He sat beside her with a contented sigh and slid an arm around her shoulders. ‘I shall leave both Franklin and Parker here this evening,’ he added casually.

  ‘Very well.’

  ‘Are you feeling quite the thing, my sweet?’ Jake slanted a suspicious sideways glance at her profile.

  ‘Perfectly so. Why do you ask?’

  ‘I expected an almighty argument about the need for Parker to remain. You always give me one when I concern myself with your protection.’

  ‘But you would have got your way eventually so I’ve learned to choose only the battles with you that I’m likely to win.’

  A predatory expression graced Jake’s countenance. ‘Oh yes,’ he said. ‘I intend always to have my way with you.’

  ‘Behave!’ She playfully slapped his thigh. ‘I can see how serious the situation is and can no longer delude myself into believing that the Cantrells don’t know where Megan is. If they do not then they very soon will. And if they know that both you and Charles are willing to use your authority to help her, they will have to act before you have time to turn society’s sympathy in her direction. Not that that is likely to happen,’ she added distractedly, ‘but you do have a reputation for righting perceived wrongs against all the odds. I am a perfect case in point.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Jake leaned across and kisse
d her lips tenderly.

  ‘For speaking the truth about your achievements?’

  ‘For accepting Parker and Franklin.’ He fixed her with a sensual smile. ‘Of course, if you are still feeling vulnerable, I could always stay myself.’

  ‘Don’t tempt me!’

  ‘That is a promise I cannot make. Tempting you is one of my greatest pleasures.’

  ‘Are we doing the right thing, Jake?’ Olivia asked after a short pause.

  ‘Whatever do you mean? Your friend Megan seems happy with the arrangements and the risks are all hers.’

  ‘But that’s just it. I don’t think she fully appreciates all the risks. By being seen in company with Eva and me, Megan will be giving Arabella ammunition to use against her.’

  Jake laughed. ‘Nonsense!’

  ‘You know how I feel about tarnishing your name by becoming your wife, and that a less selfish woman wouldn’t take the risk. Eva is looked upon with condemnation by certain aspects of society because she did not observe the formal mourning procedure and married Isaac with what I have heard described as indecent haste.’ She turned worried eyes upon Jake. ‘Won’t our display of support for Megan only make her situation worse?’

  Jake exhaled wearily. ‘Sometimes I could shake you until your teeth rattle.’

  ‘I should like to see you attempt it,’ she replied with an indignant huff.

  He waggled his brows at her, eliciting a reluctant smile from the lady whom he adored. ‘That particular tussle could get interesting very quickly.’

  ‘You should not taunt the woman who is carrying your child.’

  ‘If that woman will insist upon acting like a dimwit she only has herself to blame.’ Jake sighed at her inability to let the matter rest. It remained a fundamental obstacle between them and now was as good a time as any to set her mind straight. ‘Has it not yet occurred to you that society would be delighted to find another excuse to take against you and Eva?’

  She appeared genuinely surprised by the question. ‘Whatever can you mean by that?’ she asked, arching a delicate brow.

  ‘Lady Cobham is widely supposed to have conducted a long-term affair with a senior footman and yet is still accepted everywhere. Mrs Barker was her husband’s mistress until his wife died under suspicious circumstances a few years ago and she was able to take her place. But she is also embraced by society. There are other examples. Do you wish me to name them?’

  ‘I still don’t see what difference…’

  ‘The difference, my lovely, is that you and Eva are precisely that…lovely. It is most inconsiderate of you since it makes the other ladies who are not similarly blessed insanely jealous and brings out the spiteful aspects of their characters.’

  ‘Nonsense!’

  ‘It’s true, although you are too modest to have considered the possibility. It’s generally the ladies who gossip and they love nothing more than to destroy the characters of their fairer sisters. You and Eva have obligingly given them plenty of fuel for that particular fire but if you had not, you can be sure they would have invented something to your detriment.’

  Olivia shook her head, totally bewildered. ‘That’s insane.’

  ‘It’s human nature, my darling.’

  ‘I shall have to take your word for it. I assumed the ladies took against me because I was admitted to your company when they were not. They could not have known that I was helping you with your various enquiries and saw only what they wished to see. Now that we are engaged they will assume I used my wiles to weaken your resistance. The same situation applies in Eva’s case with Isaac.’ She sent him the sweetest of smiles. ‘Two of the most eligible bachelors in all of London snapped up by wanton women. Tut-tut! Standards are not what they once were.’

  ‘I am glad to see you smiling again, and hope I have managed to convince you that what I say is the truth. It will help you to get through tomorrow.’

  ‘Speaking of which, you had best be gone. I have to arrange a suitable gown for Megan—’

  ‘Ah, I had not thought of that.’

  ‘Of course you had not. Whereas it was almost the first thought to cross my mind, showing just how shallow I am, under the circumstances, to give priority to such a consideration.’

  ‘There is absolutely nothing shallow about you. You came up with the plan to go on the offensive. I would not have suggested it.’

  ‘But you would probably have thought of it.’

  ‘Well anyway, if you are throwing me out, I had best be on my way. I dare say Parker is back by now so I shall offer Charles a lift home in my carriage.’ He stood and pulled her into his arms. ‘Two weeks and five days left to endure in my lonely bed,’ he said, kissing her firmly.

  Olivia canted her head and looked up at him from beneath her thick fringe of lashes, playfulness in her expression. ‘Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you?’

  ‘Is it working?’

  ‘Beware what you wish for,’ Olivia replied, laughing. ‘Tom and I will turn your well-ordered existence on its head. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.’

  ‘I look forward to it,’ he replied as Olivia rang the bell, summoning Green to bring Jake’s coat and hat. ‘I have told Parker and Franklin to keep clear of the windows so that anyone passing by won’t see them. If the house is not being watched now it very soon will be once you have visited Lady Garmin. It’s vital that only Green is observed going about his duties.’

  ‘Of course. Shall you see Thorndike in the morning about your former love?’

  ‘Don’t call her that.’ Jake shuddered. ‘But yes, I will call upon him whilst you are arranging ball gowns and visiting Lady Garmin. I shall join you at lunchtime if you have no objection.’

  ‘Oh, I dare say I can stand your company,’ she replied, watching as Green helped him into his coat. ‘Drive safely, my lord.’

  ‘I have every incentive in the world to do so,’ he replied, caressing her with his eyes as he reluctantly joined Charles in the vestibule and the two of them left the premises together.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Olivia perched on the edge of Megan’s bed and watched as Susan helped her into the gown Olivia had suggested she borrow to wear at Lady Garmin’s ball. It was slightly too large for Megan’s slim body. Susan took in some tucks, pinned up the hem and, having examined her handiwork with a critical eye, nodded with satisfaction.

  ‘Do you approve, my lady?’ Susan asked, standing aside so that Megan could see her reflection in the long glass.

  ‘Oh my goodness!’

  ‘I thought you would be pleased,’ Olivia said, smiling. ‘I think we can agree that it flatters your figure. How do you feel about it, though?’

  ‘How could I not adore it?’ Megan asked, eyes wide as she continued to stare at her reflection. ‘Are you absolutely sure you don’t mind loaning it to me? I am so nervous at the thought of what I’ve agreed to do that I shall…oh, I don’t know, step on the hem or spill something on it. It would be such a shame to ruin it.’

  ‘What use do I have for black ball gowns?’ Olivia didn’t add that the one she was loaning to Megan had never been worn. She’d ordered it and then, unlike Megan, hadn’t found the courage to be seen in it. More to the point, she’d sensed she was on the verge of being arrested for Marcus’s murder. That injustice decided her against a ball she hadn’t especially wanted to attend anyway, aware that she would be the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. It would not have helped convince anyone of her innocence if she was seen at a society ball or, worse yet, was carted away from it by the police inspector who had made it a personal crusade to see her charged for the crime. ‘It suits you admirably.’

  Which was true. The gown was of Chantilly lace on a black satin foundation with jetted panels and a low neckline to flatter Megan’s small bust and equally slender waist.

  ‘I confess that it will give me confidence.’

  ‘Which is precisely why we females spend so much money and so many hours agonising over our attire.’<
br />
  Both ladies laughed.

  ‘Right then, we are agreed. We shall ready ourselves now for our call upon Lady Garmin. Whilst we are gone, Susan can make the necessary adjustments to the gown and I shall try very hard not to dislike you because your waist is smaller than mine.’

  A short time later Megan was attired in a still fashionable black gown that had also once belonged to Olivia and Olivia wore a smart morning gown of fine lavender wool with matching cape. They stepped into Olivia’s carriage and were driven in the direction of Lady Garmin’s home. Megan was clearly nervous, as evidenced by the fact that she kept pushing the black plume on her bonnet away from her eyes even though it was evident to Olivia that it wasn’t obscuring her vision.

  ‘You are supposed to hide behind it to create an illusion of mystique,’ she said, attempting to make Megan smile.

  ‘I am anxious, as you can probably tell. But I am also firmly resolute.’ Megan lifted her chin. ‘By the time Lady Garmin realises what a coup we have presented her with, it will be all over.’ She paused and flashed a wry smile. ‘Until this evening, that is.’

  ‘That’s the spirit!’

  Olivia patted her friend’s gloved hand, conscious of the carriage making frustratingly slow progress through the crowded streets. A young girl selling oranges ran alongside, trying to tempt Olivia with her merchandise. Olivia knew that if she lowered the window the conveyance would be mobbed by other hopefuls and she couldn’t afford to expose Megan to so many pairs of prying eyes. She shook her head at the girl who backed off and tried the next conveyance with equally discouraging results.

  ‘I sent a note round to Eva this morning to explain what we are doing,’ Olivia said. ‘I have invited her to come for luncheon and am sure she will join forces with us at the ball tonight.’

  ‘She is very kind.’