When he did not reply, she turn away from him. ‘There is something else I have to ask you, Ned,’ she said shakily.
‘Ask away, my love—your wish is my command!’ His tone was jocular although a nervous smile played about his lips, for he was still feeling slightly unsure of his ground.
‘Carstairs called you Templeton!’ she burst out accusingly. ‘Have you been lying to all of us?’
Having been totally unaware that Georgina had been standing outside the door during the whole of his confrontation with Carstairs, the unexpectedness of her words hit him with such an icy force that he almost staggered back with shock. Fighting to recover his poise, he took a deep breath and, reaching forward, attempted to take her hands in his, but she moved sharply away from him.
‘Tell me the truth, Ned—or whatever your name is!’ she challenged him.
In one swift movement he had gripped her by the wrist and, before she could stop him, he had pulled her into his arms. ‘I’ve been trying to tell you all afternoon, dammit!’ he protested wildly. ‘That’s why I wanted you to meet me at the church; every time I’ve started to try and explain, I’ve been interrupted!’
‘Well, no one is interrupting you now, Mr—whoever you are!’ retorted Georgina indignantly. ‘Which is it, by the way? Latimer or Templeton? Or, perhaps neither,’ she added, her tone sweetly sarcastic as she endeavoured to wriggle out of his arms.
His lips curved. ‘Actually, it’s both, my love,’ he smiled and tightened his hold. ‘Edward Dinsdale Harcourt Latimer, Viscount Templeton, only son of the Earl of Ruscombe, at your service, ma’am.’
For a moment Georgina’s movements were stilled as his words sank in, then her eyes grew wide with dismay. ‘Then you have been deceiving everyone the whole time you have been here!’ she gasped as she resumed her struggle to extract herself from his hold. ‘Let me go, sir—for pity’s sake!’
As if he had been pierced with an arrow, Latimer instantly released her and stepped back. ‘It was never my intention to deceive anyone,’ he said shortly. ‘It was just a foolish masquerade and, after all,’ he added, in his own defence, ‘Latimer is my name…’
‘You told everyone that you were an impoverished artist!’ she flung at him.
‘No, steady on!’ he objected. ‘I’m sure I never said impoverished! And you can’t deny that I have done a fair bit of sketching since I’ve been in the village. You said yourself that my work was rather good,’ he reminded her. ‘I’m merely guilty of the sin of omission, for I don’t believe that I’ve actually told you any untruths!’
She was silent, trying to recall exactly what he had said about himself. Then, ‘You said that you had no home!’ she declared in triumph. ‘If you are truly a viscount, you must own dozens of houses!’
At that he had to smile, but shook his head. ‘I don’t own any of ’em,’ he said firmly. ‘Not in the strictest sense—they’re all part of the estate, which at present, belongs to my father in its entirety. Now, why don’t you be a good girl and come here and let me kiss you?’
Georgina stubbornly ignored his attempts to cajole her. ‘But why?’ she asked.
‘Why do I want to kiss you?’ he asked incredulously. ‘I should have thought that I’d made that abundantly obvious!’
She glared at him. ‘You know perfectly well what I mean.’ She scowled. ‘What was the purpose of such a pretence?’
‘Well, I can only say that it seemed a good idea at the time, he said ruefully. ‘I had grown tired of the set-up in town—the never-ending round of balls and routs and suchlike. More especially, having to evade a constant stream of mothers, every one of whom seemed determined to throw her daughter at my head!’
‘How very tedious for you!’ she said, in a chilling tone.
‘Oh, hang it, Gina—I just wanted to find a girl who might love me for myself, rather than for my wealth and position! I thought that you were as much opposed to that kind of arrangement as I am—or so you led me to believe!’
She pursed her lips. ‘I also told you that I hated any form of duplicity.’
He nodded. ‘That was when I realised what a dreadful mistake I had made—I know I should have quit Compton Lacey there and then but…’ he gave a wry smile ‘…it was already too late, you see!’
Ignoring the implication, Georgina frowned. ‘But you have had ample opportunities to tell us the truth since then! Surely you must have known all along that you would eventually have to disclose your real identity,’ she pointed out. ‘Or, had you supposed that I—that is—this girl, whoever she might have been, would simply fall into your arms in paroxysms of delight the minute you told her who you really were and forgive your deceitful imposture?’
‘Well, I must confess that I’m rather taken with the idea of “paroxysms of delight”,’ he said hopefully. ‘But, no, I’m afraid I had omitted to plan that far ahead.’ He looked down at her, a soft pleading expression in his eyes. ‘It was all very stupid of me, I know, Gina. Am I forgiven?’
Still not satisfied, she resolutely shook her head. ‘Not until you explain why you rushed off after the meal on Sunday, when you’d given me every reason to believe—’ She stopped, too embarrassed to finish her words.
‘I know,’ he said contritely. ‘That was inexcusable of me. It was something Mansell said—it completely bowled me over.’
She frowned again. ‘But Mr Mansell told me that he thought you had come to the conclusion that you were far too poor to offer for me—although it’s now quite obvious that that can’t possibly have been the reason for your sudden departure!’
‘No,’ said Latimer uncomfortably. ‘That was due to the fact that I had learned that Eleanora Cornwell was to be Mansell’s intended!’
‘Nell?’ Now completely taken aback, she stared at him in astonishment. ‘What on earth has Nell got to do with any of it?’
He hesitated, dreading the impact that his next words were sure to have on her. ‘I’m afraid that it was all because of Miss Cornwell that I embarked on this foolish masquerade!’ he blurted out. ‘I met her in London and I had more or less made up my mind to propose to her when I discovered that her heart was otherwise engaged!’
Georgina’s hand clutched her throat and her face turned deathly white. ‘You were in love with Nell?’ she whispered brokenly, staring up at him in horror.
He swore softly, cursing himself for the clumsiness of his delivery. ‘Lord, no!’ he replied vehemently. ‘It was merely that at the time I thought she would suit and…’ His voice faltered and faded away as Georgina let out an indignant gasp; then, as a look of total disgust covered her face, he added hurriedly, ‘No, that’s not what I meant—I was simply trying to find a compromise—my father had been pressing me…’ He stopped, suddenly very weary. ‘It’s the way things are in my world, Gina,’ he said bleakly, turning away from her. ‘I don’t make the rules—I was just trying to break a few of them, that’s all.’
An uneasy pause followed, during which Latimer cud-gelled his brains to find a more acceptable explanation for his behaviour. Georgina, feeling that her whole world had fallen apart, found herself totally unable to comprehend the magnitude of what he had been trying to tell her, added to which was the awful realisation that he was the very lord of whom Nell had spoken! She stared at his rigid back in reproachful silence and could not bring herself to utter a single word.
Fortunately, perhaps, any further discussion on the matter was finally put out of the question when the rapidly approaching noise of heavily drumming horses’ hooves gradually filtered into the room.
Latimer, suddenly aware of the interruption, spun round and, reaching forward to grab Georgina’s hand, pulled her quickly towards him. ‘Whatever happens now, Gina, remember to keep that jacket well closed,’ he instructed her tersely and, putting his arm around her shoulders, guided her quickly out of the building and on to the forecourt, just as the party of riders burst into the compound.
He saw that Andrew Radley was at the head of the group, w
hich also consisted of several of Radley’s farmhands and two or three other men whom he did not recognise. Bringing up the rear of the column was Sir Arthur’s elegant equipage, from the nearside window of which both Rupert Cunningham and Sir Arthur himself were hanging.
Radley leapt from his mount and hurried towards the dishevelled pair. His anxious face was streaked with perspiration and he could barely get his breath.
‘Thank God!’ he gasped. ‘We’ve ridden up the turnpike as far as the Braunston Toll and right across Dunsmore Heath trying to get a sight of you—has the devil hurt you, Gina?’
Rupert had tumbled out of Sir Arthur’s carriage almost before the coachman had brought his team to a halt and, before she had a chance to answer Radley’s question, Georgina found herself almost being bowled over by the force of her young brother’s enthusiastic embrace.
‘Oh, Gina, Gina!’ he sobbed, wrapping his arms around her waist. ‘I’m so sorry! I should never have left you! Will you ever forgive me?’
‘Hush, dearest,’ she soothed him. ‘None of it was your fault, truly. How did you manage to find us?’
‘I ran all the way back home and Uncle Arthur was there—he sent his man for Radley and—and—he got his men and—oh, Gina! We’ve been looking simply everywhere!’ he wailed. ‘I felt sure you must be dead!’
Smoothing back his untidy locks, she gave him a comforting hug. ‘Well, as you can see, dear,’ she said, trying to smile. ‘I’m very much alive, so you can dry those tears and take me back home now. Poor Mama must be out of her wits with worry!’
Looking over the boy’s head, she saw that Latimer, Radley and Sir Arthur were already heavily engaged in a deep and serious conversation, the former gesticulating firstly towards the mill itself and then over to the ramshackle buildings at the edge of the clearing. From where she was standing, it seemed to her that Latimer must already have decided to disclose his true identity to the other two men, for both Radley and her uncle appeared to be hanging on his every word, alternately nodding and shaking their heads in the kind of humble deference that lesser men were apt to display to the higher orders. This discovery gave her no comfort at all, especially since it also appeared that Latimer (she still could not bring herself to think of him as Lord Templeton) was now totally involved in directing operations and already seemed to have completely forgotten her existence.
However, as she watched Radley signalling to two of his men to follow him to the barn, she saw that Latimer was walking swiftly back towards her with Sir Arthur at his side and, still conscious of the parlous state of her bodice, Georgina clutched his shabby jacket more tightly about her person.
‘You will accompany Sir Arthur back to Westcotes in his carriage,’ said Latimer, managing to keep his voice totally impassive whilst, at the same time, avoiding any direct eye contact with her. ‘His coachman is bringing you a travelling rug to wrap yourself in.’
Dismayed, she searched his face, which was expressionless. ‘You won’t be returning to Westcotes with us?’ she stammered. ‘I’m sure my uncle will be more than happy to take you up!’
He steeled himself to ignore her pleading gaze and, taking the large rug that Sir Arthur’s coachman presently brought to him, he draped it carefully over her shoulders and wrapped it firmly around her. Then, before she knew what was happening, he had casually swung her up into his arms and was striding in his usual straight-backed military manner towards Sir Arthur’s carriage, where he deposited her gently down into the nearest corner seat. Still keeping his eyes away from her face, he reached forward and made a swift adjustment to the rug at her neckline, before stepping back to allow the coachman to help her elderly uncle into the vehicle. He then beckoned Rupert over to join them.
‘Good lad,’ he whispered into the boy’s ear as Rupert clambered into the carriage. ‘You did extremely well! I’m sure Harry would have been very proud of you!’
At his words the youngster’s eyes shone. ‘Thank you, sir,’ he said fervently. ‘And thank you so much for coming to Gina’s rescue!’
Involuntarily, Latimer’s lips curved. ‘’Fraid I can’t take all the credit, Rupert,’ he replied. ‘I think you’ll find that your sister pretty well rescued herself.’ Then, without a second glance, he turned abruptly away and walked back to the rest of the group in the compound.
Chapter Nineteen
Late the following afternoon, Georgina stood pensively at the sitting-room window, her eyes fixed on the front drive, wondering what could be keeping Latimer. It was true that their manner of parting on the previous day had been somewhat strained, but nevertheless, after he had gone to so much trouble on her behalf, she had still expected him to call and enquire after her well-being or, at the very least, to pay his respects to her mother.
Having had more than enough time to consider Latimer’s hesitant efforts at explaining his extraordinary behaviour, it had not been long before she had recalled the words he had jokingly thrown into their earlier conversation at his cottage and, now that she was acquainted with his true identity, she had soon deduced that the ‘family obligations’ to which he had referred must have been in regard to the inherited constraints of his own situation. She realised that she had not been at all fair to him and had been far too quick to jump to the wrong conclusions without waiting to hear him out. Not that any of it mattered now, she thought dismally, since the unwelcome knowledge that Edward Latimer was, in point of fact, actually Lord Templeton of Ruscombe Abbey put an entirely different complexion on the whole issue of any further concourse between them. Clearly, she reminded herself, viscounts do not marry impoverished clergymen’s daughters, except in Gothic romances and other fairy tales.
Katharine, her eyes fastened on her sister’s uncommunicative back, was seated at the piano, running her fingers over the keys in her usual haphazard fashion. She was bursting with curiosity about the previous day’s happenings but, having been instructed by their mother not to pester Georgina, had restrained herself from plying her with too many questions.
Mrs Cunningham had pointed out to her that Georgina’s experience would have left her sister in a deep state of shock and that on no account must she be upset. So far, all Katharine had managed to get out of Rupert was a highly embellished account of his mad carriage dash up and down the turnpike.
‘We were trying to find the black carriage, of course,’ he had whispered excitedly, in answer to Katharine’s eager questioning, for he too had been told to keep off the subject in Georgina’s hearing. ‘But no one on the road had seen it—and everyone was really puzzled about where Mr Latimer had got to—’ specially as Farmer Paxton kept telling Radley that his old mare couldn’t possibly have travelled that far, so it came as no surprise to him when we found her tied up in Pepper’s Lane.’ Then, puffing out his chest, he added proudly, ‘Mr Latimer told me that I’d done extremely well!’ And, in spite of her constant cajoling, he refused to tell her any more.
When Rupert had burst into the house on the previous afternoon, gasping out his tale of ‘black carriages’ and ‘abductions’, Mrs Cunningham’s initial reaction had been a stern refusal to listen to the boy’s hysterical outpourings but, upon his production of Georgina’s reticule, her disbelief had vanished in an instance. When Katharine had then informed her about the earlier encounter with Gerald Carstairs, she had only just managed, with Sir Arthur’s support, to suppress her rising panic long enough to follow the brief instructions that Latimer had given to the boy.
After Sir Arthur and Rupert had departed to join Radley’s miscellaneous group of volunteers, the whole household had spent the entire afternoon and evening in a state of unbearable anxiety, which had ended only when Sir Arthur’s carriage had finally drawn up again at the front door carrying the highly dishevelled Georgina.
Mrs Cunningham had been first out of the house and, with fear etched upon her face, had hastened down the steps to wrench open the door of the carriage, out of which had tumbled a wildly excited Rupert. He was followed more staidly by hi
s uncle, who had carefully shepherded an extremely subdued Georgina into the house. Their mother had then waved Sophie and Katharine away and begged the still-overwrought Becky to try and calm herself sufficiently to organise a hot bath immediately. She had then hurried after the others into the sitting room, where the four of them had remained ensconced for almost an hour, leaving the rest of the household still on tenterhooks to discover what had happened. Even when they had at last made an appearance, Mrs Cunningham had instantly whisked Georgina away out of sight into the kitchen to have her bath in front of the range. Sir Arthur had then climbed into his carriage and gone on his way with merely a casual wave of his hand and a brief ‘goodnight’ to them all.
From Katharine’s point of view, it was all very unsatisfactory, not to say highly mysterious. She had supposed that when Georgina finally came up to their shared bedroom she would finally get her chance alone with her sister, but, no, her mother had then decided that Georgina might be better off sleeping on her own in Sophie’s little room for the next few nights and so, instead of being given her own private version of what had really happened at the mill, Katharine found herself having to spend half the night soothing her younger sister’s understandable distress over the unexplained events of the afternoon.
Becky, intent upon showing her concern and affection in the only way she could, spent almost the whole of Saturday endeavouring to conjure up those dishes that normally found favour with the ‘poor child’ (as she put it), but Georgina, although she did her best to show that she appreciated Becky’s efforts, found herself totally without appetite. Dinner that evening was, therefore, a rather desultory affair, with Georgina picking uninterestedly at her food while her mother continually cast anxious glances in her daughter’s direction.
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