by Rose Pearson
“I should be very glad to do so, Lady Rebecca,” he replied with a grin. “But only at an appropriate time.” His smile faded a little. “I am sure that you will have a good many acquaintances to speak to otherwise.”
“But I shall make certain to seek you out, Lord Richmond,” Rebecca said, aware that there was a promise in her words that she would have to fulfill. “On that, I am quite determined.”
There was no time for them to say more, for Lady Hayward soon reappeared, and Rebecca was required to excuse herself from Lord Richmond’s presence. But she could not hide the smile on her face as she crossed the room, feeling happiness and contentment within her heart that had not been there for some time.
Chapter Seven
“You see? Not everyone is rejecting you.”
Jeffery gave Lord Swinton a sharp glance. “Yes, I am well aware that there are those in society who are glad to have my company still,” he said a little doubtfully. “Although some, I am sure, relish the fact that the beau monde will talk about their event a little more due to my presence here.” This, he was certain, was the case this evening, for the evening assembly was hosted by Lord and Lady Crawford, who were both well known to enjoy speaking of and spreading as many rumors as they could.
Lord Swinton shrugged. “You did not have to attend.”
Jeffery knew that such a statement was true but did not allow himself to admit it to his friend. The only reason he had come this evening was the hope that Lady Rebecca might be present, that she might be willing to come and speak to him again. He had not, as yet, told Lord Swinton of what had occurred at the soiree a few evenings ago and, thus far, had no particular eagerness to do so. His friend would, no doubt, find it very interesting indeed and would want to discuss all manner of things before Jeffery himself could think of what such an interest meant.
Lady Rebecca was quite extraordinary in that way. She appeared to be eager to be in his company, even though it was quite clear that to do so could cause difficulties for her own reputation. On top of which, she was remarkably pretty, the daughter of a duke, and was present within society for the sole reason of finding a suitable husband.
But no, he was being foolish. A gentleman with a stained reputation such as he could not even think of pursuing a lady like that. Particularly when her chaperone had made it very clear indeed that there was only to be the briefest of conversations.”
“Lord Richmond?”
Jeffery turned, a little surprised to see a footman standing there. Was he about to be asked to leave the evening assembly? Had his hosts changed their minds about his presence here? “Yes?”
“If you might follow me, my lord,” the footman said, bowing and gesturing behind him. “There is someone who wishes to speak to you in private.”
Jeffery frowned and did not immediately move. “Might I ask who it is?”
The footman’s expression did not change. “Lord Merrick, I believe,” he said calmly. “There is something of particular urgency.”
Immediately, Jeffery excused himself from Lord Swinton. “I should go at once,” he said as Lord Swinton nodded understandingly. “I do hope he is all right.”
“I am sure it will be nothing of great importance,” Lord Swinton replied encouragingly. “Do come and join me again once your conversation is over.” A grin flickered across his face. “I should like to know who or what has been distracting you so greatly these last few minutes.”
Jeffery laughed and shook his head before quickly following after the footman. He was led to another door, far from the other guests in a dimly lit part of the house. The footman said nothing further but opened the door for him, standing ready to close it again the moment Jeffery stepped inside.
“Oh, Richmond!”
In an instant, Jeffery knew he had made a mistake. The familiar voice that reached him was not that of Lord Merrick. Instead, it was that of Lady Kensington, who had risen out of her chair and was now standing with her hands held out towards him, her eyes fixed to his.
Fear swam in his belly. If he was discovered, then his reputation as a rogue and a scoundrel would be solidified. He would have no choice but to leave London, unable to protest his innocence any longer. A vision of Lady Rebecca came into his mind, pain stabbing his heart as he realized he would have to forget about her entirely, aware of just how much pain he would cause her if caught. She would realize that everything he had said had been a falsehood. There would be no opportunity to explain himself further.
“I want nothing to do with this,” he growled, stepping back from her and towards the door again. “You should not have done this, Lady Kensington.”
“Oh, please, Lord Richmond!” Tears sparkled in her eyes, but Jeffery shook his head and pulled at the door handle.
It did not open.
He tried again but it remained fixed in place. Closing his eyes, he took in a steadying breath before turning back to Lady Kensington, anger ripping through him now.
“Have your man open this door at once!” he demanded as Lady Kensington remained precisely where she was, looking entirely woebegone. “I will not stand for this, Lady Kensington!”
The tears faded from her eyes in an instant and, in that instant, Jeffery realized that it had been nothing more than an act. She sniffed once, delicately, before turning her head and looking towards the large windows that showed nothing but the clear night sky.
“You have ruined everything for me, Lord Richmond,” she said, her voice thin and flat as Jeffery fought to control his temper. “If you had only accepted my affections as you ought, then Lord Kensington would not have discovered us. I would have taken you to another room, to another place, where we would not have been disturbed. Your reputation would have remained intact and I would have gained what I have long desired.”
Jeffery shook his head, disgusted with her. “I do not simply do as you wish, Lady Kensington,” he said darkly. “It is not my fault that there have been consequences for your actions.”
She turned sharply to him, her eyes now a little narrowed. “Lord Kensington will barely allow me from his sight,” she said, her voice low. “Fortunately, this evening, he has been forced to depart from the house to deal with a serious business matter. Promising him that I would remain at home until he returned, I quickly prepared to depart, knowing that you had been invited here this evening.”
Jeffery snorted. “Lady Crawford is one of your close acquaintances, I presume.”
“She is indeed,” Lady Kensington replied without hesitation. “And she has given me the opportunity to speak with you so that my difficulties do not continue.”
A hard laugh escaped Jeffery’s lips. “Your difficulties are your own, Lady Kensington. I have nothing to do with them.”
Shaking her head, she spread her hands. “You are, unfortunately, the sole reason for such a thing,” she said with such a false sweetness that Jeffery turned away from her, no longer even able to look into her face. “If you had given me what I wished, then we might be just as we were. Just as we should be. And because you did not, there are consequences for us both.”
“Consequences I will bear,” Jeffery spat, rounding on her. “Consequences that have come from my choosing what is right over what you might wish for, Lady Kensington. I am determined to show society I am not what they believe me to be, that I am not this scoundrel who does the things as they say of me. Whether they believe me or not is yet to be seen, but I am determined to prove it.”
Lady Kensington tipped her head, looking at him in a bird-like fashion. Her eyes ran over his frame before returning to his face, and Jeffery’s stomach twisted. She was much more calculating than he had ever realized before, much darker in her considerations than he had ever perceived. And now he felt as though he were caught up in her schemes without having had any intention of being so trapped.
“Your reputation means nothing to me, Lord Richmond,” Lady Kensington began, her voice silk, her words like gentle caresses despite the harsh, cruel words that were
being spoken. “I am entirely without sympathy for where you stand at present. In fact, I intend to make it all the more difficult.”
Jeffery’s stomach dropped but he did not move an inch. Instead, his frame stiffened, his eyes narrowed, and his hands slowly curled tightly into fists.
“You will not ask me what my intentions are?” Lady Kensington teased, her smile crooked and uninviting. “Very well, I shall tell you.” She took another step closer to him, her skirts rustling gently, and Jeffery felt himself begin to slide into a waiting darkness that was entirely impossible to escape from.
Lady Kensington waited for another few moments, allowing his torment to linger before she spoke again.
“I intend, Lord Richmond, to punish you for what you have done,” she said. “You have, it seems, escaped severe consequences from the ton as there are those within the beau monde who simply refuse to believe that you could ever have attempted to steal affections from another man’s wife.” Her lip curled in either anger or distaste and Jeffery turned on his heel, refusing to look at her and instead making his way back to the door. He yanked at the door handle once, twice, but still, it would not budge.
Behind him, Lady Kensington laughed. “The door will not be open to you until I have finished what I have to say,” she said as though it was all nothing more than some sort of delicious enticement she was enjoying every moment of. “Your efforts are entirely fruitless, Richmond.”
Jeffery closed his eyes but did not turn back to her. “I am not required to listen.”
“Oh yes, you are,” came the swift response. “For unless you very much wish the consequences to fall upon those around you, those whom you consider your friends, then I suggest you pay attention to every single word I have to say.”
Closing his eyes tightly, Jeffery removed his hand from the door handle but did not turn around. An edge of fear had come into his heart now, wondering just which of his friends Lady Kensington now spoke of.
“Lord Swinton is a very dear friend of yours, I know,” Lady Kensington continued, her voice softer than before as though she were trying to speak in such a way so as not to injure him further. “Lord and Lady Merrick seem to be eager to help you in any way they can. And, for whatever reason, that young lady, the daughter of the Duke of Landon, seems quite intent on being in your company.”
Jeffery’s stomach dropped, a heavy weight landing on his shoulders as he forced himself to steady his breathing. Whatever Lady Kensington had planned, it was clear now that she had those within society willing to help her. There was no reasonable way for her to know of Lady Rebecca on her own.
“You will not say anything?” Lady Kensington teased. “What a shame. I had thought you might try to defend the latter, at the very least, since she has not long been in your company.”
A hard response came to his lips, but Jeffery pushed it away at once, refusing to allow himself a single word. It would be best to allow her to speak as she wished, to say all that she wanted but without responding to her at all. That was surely the quickest way to remove himself from this situation and return to the evening assembly.
“They will all come into difficulty unless you do as I ask,” Lady Kensington continued quietly. “I will not continue to live under my husband’s dictates, Lord Richmond. You are the sole cause of such a thing being put into place, for you did not give into your eagerness to be close to me when such an opportunity was presented. When you behaved in such a way, my husband discovered us, and since that moment, has barely allowed me from his sight. That will not be permitted to continue.”
“Then you expect me now to do as you bid me?” Jeffery asked, incredulous as he turned back to look at her. “Somehow, you believe that you will simply say a word and I will obey you?”
Lady Kensington’s smile was dark. “But of course,” she said with a small shrug. “Else I will bring scandal into the lives of every one of your dear friends.” Her voice dropped to barely a whisper, and a shudder ran up Jeffery’s spine. “Lord Swinton will find himself in a mire of trouble, Lord and Lady Merrick will have their marriage set asunder by the lies of another. And Lady Rebecca…” She smiled, and Jeffery’s heart began to pound with worry. “Lady Rebecca will find her reputation so badly damaged that she will not be able to turn her head in society without someone whispering about her.”
Jeffery closed his eyes. There appeared to be no way for him to escape from such a thing and yet everything in him wanted to defy her, wanted to refuse and to step away from the lady at once. But dare he risk it? Dare to put his friends and Lady Rebecca into such danger?
“Lady Rebecca is a mere acquaintance,” he said a little throatily. “There is no need to involve her in any of your threats.”
Lady Kensington only laughed. “Oh, but I think there is,” she said after a few moments. “You could warn Lord Swinton. You could speak openly to Lord and Lady Merrick about what I intend. But you could not do so to Lady Rebecca. Not when your acquaintance has only just begun, not when she has placed so much trust in you after only a few short conversations.” She laughed again, and Jeffery knew she had won. “You would be driving her away from you for good, should you do such a thing. And even if you chose to do so, even if you decided that it would be best for you to warn them all about what I have threatened, you can be certain that such consequences will certainly take place regardless.” Her eyes lifted to his, sparkling with her victory. “In short, Lord Richmond, you have nothing left but to agree.”
Jeffery shook his head. “I will not,” he said harshly, even though he knew full well he would have to agree. “I cannot allow you to rule over me in such a fashion.”
Lady Kensington shrugged carelessly. “Then you condemn your friends and Lady Rebecca,” she said calmly. “I will, of course, permit you to think on my words for a short time, but have no doubt, Lord Richmond, my first demand will come very soon. And you will be expected to agree.”
She said nothing more but walked to the door, rapping lightly upon it in a pattern, so that the person on the other side would know it was she. Within a few seconds, the door was opened, and Lady Kensington stood to one side, gesturing for Jeffery to make his way through.
“I look forward to writing to you very soon, Lord Richmond,” she said warmly, as though they were the very best of friends. “I do hope you will enjoy the rest of the evening.”
The door Jeffery had been so desperate to walk through now seemed like a waiting judgment. If he stepped from the room, then he would be allowing Lady Kensington to have spoken her demands without his rebuttal. He would be admitting to her that the words she had said now were fixed to his thoughts, that he would, in fact, consider them and permit himself to think on what she asked. If he remained, however, Jeffery knew that nothing more would come of it. With the door now open wide, there was every chance that someone from the ton would walk past and see both himself and Lady Kensington within—and then where would he be?
The laugh that rang from Lady Kensington’s voice as he walked by her made the hairs stand up on the back of Jeffery’s neck. He despised her for what she had done, hated the words she had spoken and the demands she now made—and yet, to his befuddled and muddy mind, there appeared no way for him to escape from such a thing. If he were to protect his friends, to protect Lady Rebecca, then he would have to do as she asked.
And what will she ask? he thought to himself, returning to where he had left Lord Swinton and picking up a glass of brandy as he went. He dared not want to even think about what such a consequence might be, too afraid to even consider the possibilities. She had spoken of punishment, of consequence for him, and now Jeffery’s shoulders were so heavy with his burden that he felt as though he were being slowly crushed by it.
“Ah, there you are!”
The bright, cheerful voice of Lord Swinton was in hard contrast to the battle going on within Jeffery’s head.
“How was Lord Merrick?” Lord Swinton asked as music and laughter and conversation began to swirl all a
round Jeffery again, making him feel as though he were stood apart from it all, under a black shroud that forced him away from everyone else. Would they be able to see the cloud he stood under, should they look at him? Would it be apparent that he was in a deep torment?
“I say, Richmond, is something the matter?”
Jeffery looked back at his friend with dull eyes, his brow furrowing as he shook his head.
“Something is the matter,” Lord Swinton continued, now looking very concerned indeed. “Is it Lord Merrick? Has something happened to him?” He moved a little closer to Jeffery. “Or is it Lady Merrick? I do hope she—”
“Lord Merrick was not there.”
The words burned on Jeffery’s lips as he spoke, his head dropping low as he tried to decide whether or not he ought to speak of this all to his friend.
“What do you mean?” Lord Swinton asked, now looking all the more confused. “Lord Merrick was not present? But the footman said—”
“I—I need to think,” Jeffery interrupted, rubbing one hand across his forehead before he threw back his brandy, swallowing the measure in one large gulp. Heat spread through his chest, and he accepted it gladly, wishing that it would clear his mind rather than confuse it further.
Lord Swinton’s mouth was a little ajar as he stared back at Jeffery, clearly now all too aware that something was very wrong indeed.
“Perhaps to Whites.”
“I will go with you, of course,” Lord Swinton said slowly, reaching out to put one hand on Jeffery’s arm as though he feared he might suddenly faint. “Whatever has been said, it is clearly of great consequence.”
“Good evening, Lord Richmond!”
Before he could prevent it, a loud groan escaped from Jeffery’s lips as he turned his head, seeing the shock immediately jump onto the features of Lady Rebecca and Lady Hayward. Lady Rebecca’s face went from white to crimson in only a few moments, leaving Jeffery struggling to explain himself, noting out of the corner of his eye Lady Rebecca’s two sisters, who stood talking together whilst watching him with suspicious eyes.