“Farndon showed his hand then. I was expecting it, he told Chalcombe and his father the search was over and he thought Alicia would suit. I only hope she’ll accept him.”
“Of course she’ll accept him. I am convinced she has a tendre for him, though she hides it. Any girl would fall head over heels in love with Sebastian Vernon!”
“I’m not so sure. Alicia wasn’t very enthusiastic about the idea of finding a husband when she first came to town. She has refused six proposals already, two of them from charming very suitable men. I wondered if that business with Lord Emmersley had put her off the whole idea of marriage. She said he had grabbed her and slobbered over her before she escaped. Alicia might be frightened of physical intimacy and I certainly won’t try to force her to accept Farndon. If she refuses him I forbid you to try and pressure her to change her mind.”
Chapter Thirteen
Sebastian and Steven walked to Brooks from Almacks. Two ex-soldiers following discreetly behind, Sebastian was taking no chances. As they walked Stephen asked Sebastian about his dance with Alicia and how his suit was progressing.
“I was right to think she snubbed me the other day. She admitted she wanted to get out of dancing with me too. I made sure she realised I was seriously interested in marrying her, but she wasn’t having any of it. Told me I was a rake, a drunkard and vain! She had quite a temper when I told her she would have to do better to persuade me not to pursue her.”
“If she won’t have you, then I suppose the search will have to continue and I was so hoping I was going to win the marriage stakes. Who have you lined up as second choice?”
“On the positive side I think you are right. I got the impression Miss Lambert might find me attractive, but I may have some difficulty persuading her to marry me. She is absolutely adorable. If it hadn’t been for all the tabbies watching I would have kissed her senseless in the middle of the dance floor. Still I always enjoyed a challenge. I have no intention of considering another girl. I just have to convince her I am the only man for her. I feel pretty rotten about cutting you out Stephen, but even if I didn’t have to wed to continue the line, I’d want to marry her. The more I see of Alicia, the more convinced I am that she is the only woman for me. When she was in my arms it just felt right, like I’d been looking for something for years and had finally found it.”
“That can’t be you speaking, Sebastian! Pinch me I must be dreaming. I thought for a moment the World’s worst cynic was falling in love. I don’t wish you to suffer Sebastian, but you must admit it would be simple justice, if the first time you felt seriously for a woman she broke your heart.”
“Even the devil’s own luck has to run out some time. I have to hope I can win her over. Have you heard a group of my former mistresses have been plotting to kidnap me, Stephen?”
“I heard something but I thought it was hot air. They didn’t like the idea of you marrying some society virgin. They seemed to come to terms with you moving on to another woman, but the idea you would not be available to another member of the sisterhood seemed to infuriate them. The demi-monde is convinced if you marry, you’ll never take another mistress and they think it an awful waste! I don’t believe for one minute they would dare put their plan into action, but I admit I thought it hilarious what they were considering.”
“I think you could have warned me Stephen. If they succeeded I would have to stay abroad. No decent father would let me marry his daughter if that story went around. I wouldn’t get an Embassy either, not unless they sent me to South America or somewhere absolutely dreadful. Though I doubt if anywhere is far enough the scandal wouldn’t follow.”
“Anyway I know about it now and I am taking action to make sure it doesn’t happen. I intend to forestall their party plan and have one of my own in Covent Garden. I have asked Estelle to invite all the others with their protectors. Estelle is retiring and getting married. She will bring her beau. Do you remember Amalie?”
“Very curvy brunette with a heart shaped face. Could hardly forget her! I was really jealous of you over her.”
“She is currently without a protector, so I thought you might like to escort her to the party?”
“I would like. Damn decent of you. Though I’m not sure I can afford to keep her.”
“I thought you might like the Covent Garden house as I no longer have a use for it? You might suggest the same arrangements I used to make for her. I owe you a woman. I didn’t make use of the one you sent me in June, but Alicia was a bigger sacrifice. How much did you stake on the marriage race?”
“Two thousand guineas and I got pretty good odds.”
“Well I will either have to make sure you win or I owe you two thousand guineas. If I succeed, your winnings should go a long way towards keeping Amalie.”
They entered Brooks and handed their hats and overcoats to the porter. Sebastian and Stephen settled down to a game of piquet together and a bottle of very good claret. They had just finished their first game and a couple of glasses of wine, when several members returned from Almacks big with the news that Sebastian had declared his choice as Alicia Lambert. Several of the members called Stephen a sly dog and congratulated him on winning the pot. A couple congratulated Sebastian and wished him happy.
“Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched gentlemen. I have still to get Miss Lambert to the altar,” declared Sebastian. “Stephen might have backed the right girl, but there is no guarantee she’ll have me. I assume the wording of the bet is she will actually marry me. Not merely that I propose?”
“Come off it Sebastian, it’s a foregone conclusion. I don’t believe there’s a girl in town that would turn you down,” one member insisted.
“Well this time the laugh might be on me. I do not meet with Miss Lambert’s approval. I find a lady I’d like as my wife and she disapproves of me. I shall just have to see if she can stand out against the Vernon charm.”
“I bet you’ll have her promise before the week is out! Bring the book. Any takers?”
“You only need to seduce the filly Vernon. Then she’ll have to marry you,” insisted one wag.
Sebastian and Stephen moved away from the group and back to their table. Stephen dealt another hand and most of the group moved off to find other sport. But Sebastian and Stephen were not yet left in peace. Edward Charrington had been listening to the discussion and came over to caution Sebastian.
“I wouldn’t advise you following that advice, Sebastian. I would call you out and I am better with a pistol than I am with a sword.”
“I respect you for seeking to protect her honour, Edward. If I thought she would be unhappy to marry me I would concede defeat. I assure you I have no wish to seduce an unwilling girl or to marry one.”
“I want your word Sebastian, you won’t try to seduce Miss Lambert.”
“I’m not sure I want to give that promise, Edward. My intentions are honourable. Do you want to see how honourable?” Sebastian reached into the pocket inside his coat and handed Edward a piece of paper. It was a special licence authorising the marriage of Sebastian James Alistair Vernon to Alicia Helena Lambert.
“I mean to marry her, I won’t abduct her and I won’t force her, but if the only way I can win her, is to get her into my bed, I’ll do it and marry her the next day. I shall try persuasion first, but I know I will be very unhappy if she won’t have me. I have never wanted a woman as much as I want Alicia. I wanted to carry her off with me when I left Almacks. I had to leave because I couldn’t bear to watch her dance with any other man. I have never felt this way before and I can tell you I don’t like it very much. I never believed in love hitting like a thunderbolt, but that is the only explanation I have for how I feel.”
Sebastian took a sip of his wine and then continued. “I am not being forced into marriage to beget an heir. I’d take Alicia without a penny to her name and give up the Dukedom and my own fortune to get her. You married for love Edward, is it normal to feel like this? To feel so jealous you want to hit
any man that looks at the woman who is yours?”
“Pretty much.”
“I had an inkling Alicia had taken me in dislike, I thought it would be easy to persuade her to change her mind. I’m rich, heir to a Dukedom, intelligent, fit and reasonably good looking and I’m not good enough for her. What’s more I agree with her, but I’m not sure what would persuade her to accept me.”
“If she’s anything like Madelaine she won’t marry without love. You must tell her how you feel and prove it to her.”
“Thought of it, it won’t work. There’s no secret I must marry to please my father, if I tell her I love her, she’ll just think I’m lying to get what I want. Yesterday if you had told me I would feel this way today, I would have laughed and told you it was impossible. Oh well, I best get off home, I have a lot I must do.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sleeping well, rapturously dreaming of Sebastian, Alicia woke late but was still up well before eleven. Once dressed, she descended the stairs intending to go for a ride. Twelve bouquets had been delivered from admirers and friends, most of them offering her congratulations. Alicia looked at the cards attached to the flowers. None of them were from Sebastian Vernon. So much, she thought for being very particular. She asked Grieves to inform Greenways she wished to go for a ride.
“Yes Miss, what do want to do about the cart, Miss?”
“What cart?”
“The delivery of all the flowers from the Marquis, the man said they were to wait until you were up and they would set the display up where you indicated.”
“We can’t put any more flowers in here or the dining room and Sir Anthony forbad me from putting them in the library. They had best go in the ballroom.”
Alicia and the Wynstanley’s housekeeper arranged the flowers from the twelve bouquets and they went to watch what the florists were arranging upstairs in the ballroom. They had set up eleven arrangements of mostly red roses on stands in a huge heart shape, beneath which were a number of smaller arrangements of white and pink flowers set out to pick out the letters of her name Alicia. The florist handed over a sealed note when he left to Alicia, who put it in her pocket. The housekeeper sighed and said “How Romantic,” and Alicia gritted her teeth and looked very severe. She had planned to escape with Greenways and not be back on time to see Sebastian at two. The arranging of the flowers had wasted time. It was already past noon.
She went downstairs again and asked Grieves once more to send the message to Greenways.
“Yes, Miss but there’s a gentleman to see you. He’s waiting in the drawing room, Miss.”
The ‘gentleman’ was neatly dressed, portly and in his late fifties. He wore a black coat with a striped dove grey silk waistcoat. His cravat was neat but unostentatious. He looked a wealthy man who had no pretensions to joining society. He said he was Mr Gerrard from Gerrard’s jewellers, and they were honoured to be jewellers to the Prince Regent.
“And what can I do for you, Mr Gerrard?”
“Just examine some jewellery and allow me to measure your finger, Miss.”
He proceeded to get out box after box of jewellery sets, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and pearls of huge size were displayed before Alicia’s eyes in the most gorgeous of settings.
“What I don’t understand is why you should want me to look at all these jewels? I can’t afford to buy them.”
“The Marquis of Farndon said you could have them all or as many of them as you wish. And if nothing takes your fancy, then we will design something to your taste as a bridal gift. Now I must take your finger size.”
He did so efficiently before opening another box with a display of some of the largest and most beautiful rings she had ever seen.
“The Marquis did not want to assume on your taste and thought you might like some idea of the choice of rings available, if nothing pleases we have some larger unset stones, which could be made up to your taste. Please try a few on to see how they would look.”
“Larger? Any ring with a stone bigger than these and I wouldn’t be able to lift my hand. But I have yet to accept the Marquis’s proposal, so I cannot accept any of your stunning jewellery, thank you for showing it to me.”
Alicia found it difficult to resist the temptation of trying on the rings, but resist she did. She was thinking of another pun, this time adding a letter w, which is what she wished to do with Sebastian Vernon’s neck.
“I was asked to give this to you when I left, Miss,” and handed her a sealed note. Alicia added the second note to her pocket unread and showed Mr Gerrard out.
“Lewis, did you ask Greenways to get my horse ready to ride?”
“Yes, Miss. He said which horse Miss? He thinks you had better decide for yourself.”
In the stable-yard were seven very exquisite mares; together with six grooms and a somewhat bemused Greenways. The seven mares were lined up and were of all colours, all neatly saddled for a lady with the finest inlaid work on the saddles, clearly Spanish workmanship. Each had a name board hung around their necks. The first labelled ‘May Morning’ was a fine chestnut, the second ‘Amaryllis’ was grey, the third named ‘Rosy Dawn’ was roan, followed by ‘Romance’ who was dark brown with white socks, then ‘Yellow Star’ who was golden brown, and both ‘Ebony’ and ‘Magic’ were black.
Alicia looked at the chaos and laughed.
“Well that is an interesting proposal, but the sixth and seventh horses are in the wrong order.”
“Sorry Miss, I had them move the seventh horse because she tried to kick one of the grooms,” said Greenways.
“Why do you say it’s a proposal? Sending you seven horses to choose from to go riding may be a bit excessive, but they are all fine horses. Which do you like best, Miss?”
“Their names spell out Marry Me in their initials. They all have to go back to the Marquis at once.”
“The grooms that came with them insist they will only take six back with them.”
“It is obvious which horse I am supposed to pick, Greenways. They are all superb horses but ‘Yellow Star’ is a cut above the rest, she matches the stallion the Marquis rides. Are Siren and your horse saddled up?” Greenways nodded “Then boost me up,” she said holding the rains of the golden mare.
“You will have to lead Siren; we have a visit to make to Langsdown House to return Yellow Star.”
By the time Greenways had added a leading rein to Siren and had mounted up, the confusion had cleared with the six grooms taking away the six discounted mares. They rode side by side and Alicia explained about the confusion in the house with all the flowers and the gentleman sent to show her the jewels and measure her finger.
“The Marquis seems very determined to catch your interest, Miss,” Greenways said trying not to laugh.
“Very determined, the odious man!”
“I heard he was very charming and he is a prime bit of flesh and muscle, Miss. I heard he’s the man all the other girls want. Can’t say I blame them either. You could do much worse.”
“I thought you were on my side, Greenways?”
“Always Miss, don’t you like the Marquis? He is handsome and rich. I think it was nice of him to send you a better horse to ride, she’s got a lovely movement.”
Alicia said nothing more as they reached Langsdown House and rode around to the stables. Alicia was not surprised to find in the yard was the Marquis’s stallion already saddled and standing beside it was Sebastian dressed to go riding and smiling up at her. He noticed Siren on a leading rein and called a groom over and told him to stable her.
“I don’t think much of your proposal, my lord. You know perfectly well I can’t accept a horse or jewels from you and I think you are an odious, annoying, interfering man and I want you to stop harassing me.”
Sebastian mounted his horse and moved alongside Alicia.
“I’m so glad you wanted to go riding today, Alicia. Which of my proposals are you objecting to?”
“The horses’ names. If you mean the notes
you sent with the florist and jeweller, I haven’t had time to read them with the chaos in the house and stables you caused.”
“I’ll stop harassing you just as soon as you agree to marry me. What do you think of Yellow Star?”
“As beautiful as her master, but much better mannered,” Alicia said laughing, finding it hard to be completely furious with Sebastian, particularly with the forlorn look he had put on his face.
They moved out of the stable yard with Greenways following at a discreet distance and two other men mounted and followed as they moved back into the road.
“You mustn’t call me beautiful, it will fuel my vanity, Alicia. I like that dark green colour on you, it is very becoming. I felt sure I should send the emeralds, but if you prefer diamonds?”
“I have no intention of accepting either from you. I haven’t accepted your proposal and I thought I made it quite clear I don’t intend to.”
“But I would like to see you dressed in jewels, Alicia. Just in jewels,” he added provocatively.
“That’s a most unsuitable thing to say and I haven’t given you permission to use my name.”
“But it is such a pretty name like its owner. It would be much friendlier if you would call me Sebastian.”
“It would be most inappropriate, just like sending a jeweller with an array of jewels for me to select from. It looked like you were offering me a carte blanche not marriage.”
“I am offering marriage Alicia, but I am prepared to offer you a carte blanche, if you still wish not to marry me. All I have is yours to do with as you will. If you are in doubt that I can please you I am perfectly prepared to prove to you that I will, before or after we wed.”
“I am not going to marry you. We must return because Lady Sophia will be expecting me to be there at two o’clock.”
“I have already sent her a note saying we’d decided to go riding instead and I would have you home in time to get changed for the Chalcombe’s dinner party.”
The Marquis' Mistake Page 10