‘Here we are,’ Olivia said as the carriage finally cleared the holdups and rattled to a halt outside a tall house in an elegant crescent in Westminster. In the centre of a bustling city, the area exuded an atmosphere of relative tranquillity associated with unlimited wealth. The exterior of the building was swathed in layers of rich cream stucco, with mullioned windows, tall chimneys and an imposing entrance portico. A great deal of activity centred round the steps leading to the basement. ‘Preparations are well underway, it seems.’
Olivia’s coachman handed both ladies from the conveyance. Olivia thanked him and led the way up the three front steps. The black front door opened as they reached it and Olivia proffered her card to the butler who answered it.
‘Be so good as to wait in here, madam,’ he said to Olivia, showing them into a small ante-room. He gave Megan an assessing look but did not ask her name. ‘I shall see if my mistress is at home.’
‘Will she receive us?’ Megan asked anxiously as soon as the butler withdrew and closed the door behind him. ‘I had not stopped to consider that there might be too much detail awaiting her attention to allow time to entertain callers.’
‘Oh, the servants do all the work. Besides, when she knows it is me, she will definitely receive us. I am the talk of the town at present. Not that there is anything unusual about that, but still…I have not received anyone other than my family since news of my engagement to Jake was announced, so Lady Garmin will be pleased to tell her friends that she has stolen a march on them inasmuch as I sought her out.’ Olivia giggled. ‘Just wait until I tell her who you are. She will be beside herself with glee.’
‘Or will ask me to leave.’
Olivia shook her head. ‘That is the last thing she’s likely to do.’
The butler returned almost immediately. ‘My mistress will see you now, if you would kindly follow me.’
They were led into a small sitting room at the back of the house—a safe haven from the chaos of preparation—that looked out over a flagstoned courtyard. Lady Garmin stood to receive Olivia but her gaze actually rested upon Megan with open curiosity.
‘How kind of you to call, Mrs Grantley,’ she said. ‘This must be a very busy time for you. Congratulations upon your engagement.’
‘Thank you. You are very kind.’
You realise, of course, that there are dozens of disappointed young ladies scattered across London at this present time, weeping and wailing at the news.’
‘Goodness! Jake has been busy.’
‘I doubt that very much, but you know how fanciful young girls can be. You will not be popular.’
Olivia laughed. ‘That is not a new sensation for me. I realise how much you have to attend to today and apologise for intruding.’ Olivia paused for effect. ‘But I called for a particular reason. May I present the Countess Cantrell?’
Lady Garmin’s composure completely deserted her at this startling announcement, and her mouth actually fell open. That she had heard rumours of Megan’s existence was not in question. It was equally evident that she had not expected to be introduced to her in such a brazen fashion or that Megan, whom the dowager would have dismissed as a presumptuous upstart, would have the temerity to put herself forward.
Megan remembered her manners before Lady Garmin did and bobbed the suggestion of a curtsey.
‘Lady Garmin,’ she said. ‘It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’
Lady Garmin returned the gesture and invited them to sit. ‘I am sorry for your loss,’ she said to Megan in a tone that lacked sincerity.
‘Thank you.’
‘We came so that I could personally accept your kind invitation to tonight’s ball,’ Olivia said when the butler had been sent to fetch tea.
‘You will come?’ Lady Garmin couldn’t hide her pleasure. ‘Which means we can also expect the pleasure of Lord Torbay’s company?’
‘Indeed you can. He plans to send word to that effect this morning. The reason I came in person was to introduce you to Megan and beg you to include her on your invitation list.’
Lady Garmin opened her mouth but closed it again without any sound emerging, putting Olivia in mind of a gaping fish. Olivia smiled at Megan. This was precisely the reaction Olivia had warned her to expect and hoped that it wouldn’t cause Megan to lose courage. Lady Garmin was torn between her loyalty to her friend, the dowager countess, and the pressing need to be the first hostess to introduce Megan to London society. She must be well aware that her presence would cause a sensation that would be the only topic of conversation in drawing rooms across the capital for months to come.
‘I…well, I am sure it would be a pleasure,’ Lady Garmin said.
‘How very kind of you.’ Olivia beamed at the woman, as though her offer had been gracious and instantaneous. ‘Lord Charles has expressed a desire to offer Megan his escort, what with her not being acquainted with many people. I told her that she could rely upon you to resolve that situation, did I not, Megan.’
‘Indeed you did, Olivia. You have been very kind.’
‘Lord Charles Hadley?’
‘Yes,’ Megan replied. ‘I am sure you must be acquainted with his lordship.’
Lady Garmin’s eyes sparkled. Megan was probably not aware that Lady Garmin had set her sights on him for her very pretty younger daughter some time ago, but had so far not managed to entice him over her threshold. Olivia knew he was only taking that risk now for Megan’s sake. Lady Garmin, on the other hand, was probably aware that he had escorted Megan back to England and imagined he was merely continuing to behave in a gentlemanly fashion, given his friendship with Luke. Megan couldn’t hold a candle to her own daughter in terms of looks and breeding. Besides, Megan was still in mourning, so Lady Garmin must assume that her daughter would be presented with an unexpected opportunity to beguile Charles.
‘Lord Charles has of course been invited already and Countess Cantrell will be more than welcome as his guest,’ Lady Garmin said. ‘I am so pleased that he can spare the time from his duties. They have always prevented him from doing as he pleases in the past. Such a slave to duty,’ she added, sighing. ‘One cannot help but admire his devotion to Queen and country.’
‘Indeed one cannot,’ Megan replied. Olivia noticed that she was biting her lip, most likely because she was enjoying the ridiculous woman’s performance, even if she didn’t know the reasons for it. Olivia didn’t intend to discourage her by later telling her that most society hostesses were at least as pretentious as Lady Garmin. She would make that discovery for herself soon enough.
‘Megan is currently residing with me in Cheyne Walk,’ Olivia explained. ‘With her precious son, of course.’
‘A son? Oh!’ Lady Garmin’s pretence at ignorance was woefully inadequate. ‘I was not aware‒’
‘That Lord Cantrell and Megan had been blessed with a son?’ Olivia thought her own feigned surprise was much more convincing. ‘I confess to being shocked. Lord Cantrell wrote to his family at the time of his marriage and again when Sebastian was born. I should have thought that the happy events would be common knowledge, or at least known to you since you are so intimate with the dowager countess.’
Olivia thought at first that Lady Garmin would take exception to hearing her friend addressed as ‘the dowager’. She was absolutely sure that the old harridan had not assumed that title upon the death of her husband and her son’s marriage‒a marriage of which she disapproved of and pretended had not taken place‒wouldn’t have occasioned a change of heart on the pretentious woman’s behalf.
‘Oh, I am sure the letters must have gone astray,’ Lady Garmin said after an elongated pause. ‘That’s why my friend was taken aback when…er, Lady Cantrell appeared so unexpectedly at her door.’
‘Never mind. She will have had an opportunity to recover from the shock and will be able to reacquaint herself with her new daughter this evening. I feel sure she will be attending.’
‘Well yes, she has accepted.’
‘Splendid!�
��
‘How are you enjoying life in London?’ Lady Garmin asked—failing to use Megan’s title, Olivia noticed. ‘Very different from India, I would imagine.’
‘I did live in London before going to India.’
‘Yes, but not…well, things change so quickly.’
Olivia bit her tongue to prevent herself from giving the old witch the set-down she so richly deserved. She had, Olivia suspected, been on the point of reminding Megan that she was not accustomed to mixing with the plutocracy.
‘The streets are certainly a great deal busier,’ Megan said, ‘and it is so easy to become separated from one’s party. Why, I had the fright of my life just a day or two ago when my son Sebastian and I were jostled by a crowd and I lost him. I was terrified, but happily he was found again a short time later and no lasting harm was done.’
‘I am relieved to hear you say so,’ Lady Garmin replied, making it clear by her lack of guile that she knew nothing of the plot to abduct Sebastian.
‘Well,’ Olivia said, putting aside her empty cup. ‘All’s well that ends well. Sebastian is safe and well at Cheyne Walk, where no harm can possibly come to him.’ She stood and Megan followed her example. ‘We shall not detain you from your preparations any longer, Lady Garmin. Thank you so much for including Megan in your invitation, and we look forward to seeing you this evening.’
The butler appeared to conduct the ladies to the door where their conveyance awaited them, the horses stamping their hooves impatiently. They were anxious to move off and their driver encouraged them forward as soon as Olivia and Megan were safely cocooned within the relative warmth of the carriage’s interior.
‘Are all society ladies so…well, condescending?’ Megan asked, shuddering.
‘Almost uniformly so, I’m afraid,’ Olivia replied, pulling a face. ‘I have never understood why. If one is secure in one’s position of privilege, surely one has a duty to make others feel comfortable, especially if they are looked upon as social inferiors.’
‘That is exactly how Lady Garmin viewed me.’
‘I told you that she would and that you mustn’t let it concern you. She is very close friends with Luke’s mother and cut from the same mould. Perhaps now you start to understand why I accept so few invitations.’
***
Concerns for Olivia kept Jake awake most of the night. At one point he gave up on the sleep that eluded him and decided that he might as well return to Cheyne Walk and keep the residence under observation personally. At the point of pulling on his clothes at four in the morning, common sense prevailed. No one would get past the combination of Parker and Franklin and gain access to the house. What’s more, his most loyal and dependable servants would be insulted if they thought Jake didn’t trust them to protect his future wife.
He did trust them absolutely—Parker in particular. Be that as it may, Joseph Cantrell had boxed himself into a corner, which made him both dangerous and unpredictable. It was reasonable to suppose that he had anticipated Megan returning to this country alone and with no one from the upper classes to take up the cudgels on her behalf. He would ensure that the Cantrells did not recognise her or her son and that the rest of society took their part.
But things had not gone according to plan. Charles had accompanied her and remained her staunchest ally, which given his connections would be disconcerting enough. Since Charles and Jake were generally acknowledged to be close friends, it would be unrealistic for Joseph to assume that Jake was not also fighting her corner. For that reason he now had an even more pressing need to prevent Megan from proving Sebastian’s claim to the Cantrell earldom, and he could only do so by removing the obstacle to his ambitions permanently.
A chill travelled down Jake’s spine as he acknowledged to himself that Joseph Cantrell would not permit Olivia to stand in his way. If anything were to happen to her because Jake had failed to adequately protect her, he would spend the rest of his life—which would be no life at all without her in it—blaming himself for failing her.
With such thoughts percolating through his brain, interspersed with unwelcome reminders of Miranda’s threats, Jake continued to toss and turn. There was something deeply unsettling about Miranda’s sudden reappearance and the knowledge she had so conveniently acquired and was attempting to blackmail him with. It was more than happenstance, on that score he was absolutely certain, but in his distracted state he was unable to grasp the meaning of the elusive warning that filtered in and out of his brain.
He eventually fell into a restless sleep but rose with the dawn, feeling tired and deeply troubled. He dressed without calling for assistance since Parker wasn’t there and he preferred not to rely upon anyone else. Suitably attired, he made his way downstairs and tried to concentrate upon the pile of letters that sat neatly on the corner of his desk, awaiting answers. Some were easily dealt with. The more complicated ones he pushed aside. They would have to wait until he was better able to concentrate.
He broke his fast rapidly and without giving much attention to what he ate. When the clock struck ten he had the satisfaction of receiving a report from Parker. The inhabitants of Cheyne Walk had spent a quiet night and no one had attempted to approach the building. The ladies were currently deciding upon their attire for the ball and would then call upon Lady Garmin. Franklin would accompany them in the guise of footman.
Thus reassured, Jake ordered his carriage to be brought round and gave his driver instructions to take him to Whitehall. His visit to Thorndike and the unpalatable dilemma created by Miranda could no longer be deferred. He spent the time it took him to reach his destination trying to decide what he ought to say to Thorndike. The man was slipperier than an eel and more cunning than a fox. Any favour he graciously granted always came at an exorbitant price.
The magnificent structure of the Houses of Parliament came into view when an obvious thought occurred to Jake. He slapped his thigh and then rapped the silver head of his cane against the carriage’s roof to attract the attention of his driver. When the conveyance stopped and the driver asked for fresh instructions, Jake told him to turn round and return to Grosvenor Square at once.
‘Idiot!’ he said aloud as the driver calmly complied with his instructions, causing the inevitable hiatus in the traffic and earning himself a few colourful curses from other drivers for his trouble. The chaos barely registered with Jake. He had finally realised what it was about Miranda’s appearance that had been nagging at his subconscious and was furious with himself for almost playing directly into Thorndike’s conniving hands.
Charles awaited him when he strode back into his house. So too did Isaac.
‘My case concluded faster than I anticipated,’ Isaac told him, ‘so I called to see if I could make myself useful. I left Eva at Cheyne Walk discussing ball gowns with the ladies,’ he added, ‘so they won’t notice I’ve gone.’
‘Glad to have you here,’ Jake replied, striding into his library and inviting his friends to follow him there.
‘You’re back from seeing Thorndike quickly,’ Charles said. ‘It must have been a brief meeting.’
‘I didn’t get there.’
The three men threw themselves into chairs in front of a blazing fire as a footman delivered coffee.
‘Miranda has withdrawn her threat?’ Charles asked.
‘Not to my knowledge.’ Jake sipped at his coffee, put the cup aside and rubbed at his chin. ‘I have been wondering where Miranda gained the knowledge she thinks she possesses. Not that she actually explained what she did know, and I didn’t ask.’
‘Because you don’t think she knows very much at all, and certainly can’t prove what she thinks she knows,’ Isaac said, catching on immediately. ‘And asking for clarification would be akin to admitting you were aware what she referred to.’
Jake nodded. ‘Thorndike had one of his most trusted henchmen deal with Edward’s body and that man is now dead himself. No one else outside this room, with the exception of Olivia, knows the particulars and Thorndik
e, as we all know, will take a multitude of secrets to his grave.’
‘And yet he must have been the one who told Miranda. There is no one else who could have done so,’ Charles reasoned. ‘Why the devil would he be so indiscreet?’
‘Because Jake has withdrawn his services to the government,’ Isaac replied before Jake could. ‘That’s what comes of making yourself too useful.’
‘Precisely so. He was reluctant to accept my decision but I was adamant. I have more than repaid him for the help that he provided in covering up the death of my worthless brother.’
‘I don’t know the particulars,’ Charles admitted. ‘All I know is that Edward died accidentally.’
‘It’s not a pretty story but since you are involved now you might as well hear the abridged version from me.’ Jake leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes against the pain of recollection. Would he never be free of it? ‘Edward was ten years my senior and my parents’ pride and joy. He was spoiled and indulged, and quite frankly grew to be a lazy individual who could be spiteful and mean if anyone had the temerity to question his activities. I was very much an afterthought, coming as I did four years after my only sister was born, at a time when my parents thought their family complete. My mother had a bad time with me—she almost died, so she told me. That was hardly my fault but she never stopped resenting me as a consequence. I was pretty much ignored by both of my parents. Edward was all they cared about. Their handsome and dashing heir could do no wrong, but in actual fact he became a profligate, interested only in hedonistic pleasures.’
‘If your father knew, presumably he thought he would step up to his responsibilities when he matured.’
‘If he hadn’t run the estate into the ground with his wasteful ways by then. I was away at university when his behaviour was at its worst, but I could see how bad things were when I returned home for the holidays and tried to warn the pater. My mother intervened and accused me of being jealous.’ Jake sighed. ‘Harsh words were spoken when I could no longer remain silent and watch us all ruined. I was twenty-one, just up from Oxford, and looking for some form of employment that would help keep the estate profitable. I’d looked at the books and realised that we were in dire straits. But my father refused to listen and the atmosphere in Torbay became intolerable. I couldn’t stay there and watch matters get worse, so I came up here, to this house, intending to seek employment with the assistance of some of my connections in town. Edward had told our parents he had business in Plymouth but what I didn’t know until I arrived in London was that he was actually here as well.’
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