by Dorothy Mack
He broke the hostile silence. “Well,” he said curtly, “I am awaiting an explanation for this extraordinarily ill-advised — to set it no higher — escapade of yours.”
“It’s quite simple, really. I had no wish to spend my wedding night alone, so when Roger called to collect his glass I persuaded him to take me along with him.” She appeared to think no further explanation was required.
He frowned. “Did not Langston tell you where he was bound this evening?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Assuming he was too foxed to exercise any rational judgment, surely you must have known that affair was no place for you.” His frown deepened. “In fact, you did know it; otherwise, why that highly improper rig out, why the mask?”
“For the first because I did not want to appear different from the rest of the ladies, and for the second, to conceal my identity. I thought I fitted in quite well,” she added with deliberate provocation. Roger had warned that this escapade would give Nicholas a disgust of her and, watching his face darken with anger at her cool admission, she saw with a perverse satisfaction that her brother had been in the right of it. But even while she stared defiantly into his dark, angry countenance, a reluctant gleam of humour lighted the grey eyes and there was the merest twitch of the compressed lips.
“Oh, you looked the part well enough, but even that deplorable French accent could not disguise the fact that you did not belong in that company.”
On the point of retorting that he seemed at home to a peg in that same company, sanity or self-preservation prevailed and she contented herself with a careless toss of her head. “I enjoyed myself excessively.”
“The devil you did!” All trace of softness had vanished. “Now, I want to know what prompted you to do such a foolhardy thing, and don’t bother spinning me anymore bamboozling tales of not wishing to spend your wedding night alone, for I cut my wisdoms years ago and I won’t swallow that one!”
Kate put up her chin. “I was furious with you for humiliating me so by going out tonight. What would you wager that such behaviour wasn’t the prime topic of conversation amongst the servants this evening?” She had the satisfaction of seeing a tinge of red creep up under Nicholas’s bronzed skin at this frankness and could only hope that slight shifting of his severe gaze was due to shame at his own conduct. “When Roger suggested that you might have gone to Argyll Rooms — without realizing it would mean anything to me, you understand — I decided I would pay you out by appearing there myself.” Her eyes dropped to the black lace fan in her lap, which seemed to engage all her attention as she played with its folds. A thought brought her head up again almost immediately. “Don’t hold Roger responsible. He would never have consented if he had thought my disguise could be penetrated.”
“Well, I hope you are pleased with your little revenge. You’d have been well served had I let Ralston unmask you. In the future, if you try anything so grossly improper I shall know how to deal with you. The least I can expect from you is that you will act in public with due regard to your position as my wife.”
“Your wife?” Kate’s resentment at this peal being rung over her, unjustifiably as she considered, erupted into unwise speech. “I find that most amusing. We may share a roof and a name, but I am not your wife.”
The brief silence between the pair vibrated with danger. Kate experienced a chill of fear even as she managed to convey contempt. Nicholas was white around the nostrils, and his fists were clenched with the effort to control his fury. His voice, however, was quite level, a travesty of pleasantness.
“That situation, my dear Kate, is not without remedy. May I suggest that you bear this in mind. As for sharing a name, the name is mine, I’ll remind you; and the day you do something to damage it you will have gone your length. And now I’ll bid you goodnight — wife.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After this sadly unpropitious introduction to the married state, Nicholas and Kate settled into a surprisingly easy routine with a minimum of friction. They had only a day or two to themselves, because the wedding announcements sent out by Lady Langston had proclaimed the young couple “at home” to those of their friends and relatives who might wish to pay visits of congratulations to the newly wedded pair. This grace period was spent in a homely fashion, checking on supplies to meet the projected demands of hospitality and taking stock of the charming house which was to be their home.
There had been no time before their marriage to initiate any but the most urgent of decorating necessities and order a general cleaning and polishing. Lord Bartram had not lived in the house since the demise of his wife some twenty years before, and with the exception of his occasional visits to London, which became shorter while the intervals in between stretched out over the years, the house had been closed up, its once elegant furnishings perpetually swathed in holland covers.
In the last several years, the rooms had undergone no more than a cursory annual cleaning under the direction of his lordship’s housekeeper, who did not care to remain away from Kent for more than a few days at a time.
Early in their engagement Nicholas had gone to the registry office to engage the services of a full staff, with the exception of his own valet and Kate’s dresser. Kate had been conducted over the house during the bustle and disorder of the subsequent cleaning spree and had been able to do little more than assimilate the layout of the rooms and decide on the most essential areas of repainting. By tacit agreement the couple left the question of furnishings till after their marriage, except for Kate’s personal suite. In the back of her consciousness was the knowledge that much of the furniture was decidedly old-fashioned, some even dating back to Queen Anne’s reign, but she had not given the matter much consideration.
Now, as she and Nicholas strolled on a leisurely tour of inspection of their domain, they had no difficulty in coming to an amicable decision that they rather liked the lines of many of the large cabinet pieces and tables with their beautifully polished surfaces of inlaid woods and handsomely formed ormolu trim. The craftsmanship was superb in most instances, and there was only the occasional item that seemed too large or ornate for the moderate size of the rooms.
Nor, after one good look, did they experience the least difficulty in deciding to consign the greater portion of the window hangings to the attic storerooms. Though none were actually shabby from wear, most had faded unevenly and no longer presented a pristine appearance. Only in the ground floor room, with the wall of bookshelves that Nicholas had selected for a study, had the process of time resulted in a happy mellowing of a once garish brocade (judging by a glimpse of the seam allowance showing through a tear) into a muted rose blended exceedingly well with the blue Turkish carpet on the floor and the dark oak panelling on the walls. In general the rugs had fared better than the draperies, including a lovely Aubusson in which shades of peach and beige predominated. Kate had not seen this prize unrolled on her first visit to the house, and she was delighted with its delicate beauty. Nicholas agreed that it would make a perfect focal point for the dining room and that once the seats had been re-covered in a complementary fabric, the mahogany chairs after a design by Thomas Chippendale would take a new lease on life. Their open backs with lattice work in the Chinese manner had an austere grace that pleased the eye.
Kate’s eager eye had dwelt with surprise and pleasure on a charming lacquerware cabinet on an ornately carved and silvered stand in the main saloon. The interior of the piece was even more beautiful than the exterior, with a profusion of small drawers to house “collections,” all covered in an exquisite fashion with Chinese patterns and motifs. Nicholas smiled indulgently while she exclaimed at some length over the good fortune that allowed them the enjoyment of such a rare and beautiful example of the cabinet maker’s art.
On the other hand, the chairs and settees in the grand saloon seemed too stiff and uncomfortable to provide an inviting prospect for guests. Nicholas concurred with Kate’s suggestion that they purchase some more modern pieces and read
ily agreed that an early visit to a showroom was indicated. At this point she had glanced a little uncertainly at her husband, wondering if all the discussion about furnishings was boring him. She had no wish to abuse his indulgence or try his patience, yet she felt a natural diffidence at making unsupported decisions regarding a house that actually belonged to his grandfather. Perhaps there were pleasant associations for him with the present furnishings. Nicholas might secretly resent her interference. She broached the subject timidly to be reassured immediately by her husband in hearty tones, the sincerity of which could not be called into question, that he was eager to modernize the house and found himself so far in complete agreement with her thoughts on the subject. Upon hearing this, Kate’s sense of wellbeing burgeoned, and she smiled more warmly than usual at the viscount before resuming her tour of the main rooms with an increased pleasure.
Their dealings with regard to those initial congratulatory calls proceeded with similar ease. For the most part Kate played hostess to the ladies, who chatted briskly over tea and sweetmeats in the main drawing room, while Nicholas entertained gentleman callers in his study, supplying them with more hearty libations culled from a cellar that was still fairly well-stocked. His callers were as willing to advise him on what to add to his liquor supply as Kate’s visitors were eager to discuss decorating schemes for the main rooms. If there was still abundant curiosity and speculation concerning this surprise marriage, it encountered nothing in the atmosphere of the pleasant house on Albemarle Street to sustain it. Kate and Nicholas appeared like any other newly married couple: a little diffident, a trifle self-conscious when referring to each other before friends perhaps, the bride sometimes thrown into adorable confusion by the distinguishing attentions of her new husband. In short, this bride and groom provided no new titbits for gossiping tongues to savour. Each night, the viscount dined at home with his wife or provided her with an attentive escort at one or more evening parties. If their demeanour struck a more comradely than loverlike note, it could certainly be argued that they were merely conforming to the niceties of a social code that called for a strict propriety in public manners. It was considered very bad ton to display one’s heart on one’s sleeve, as the saying went.
A week or so of being more or less on public display produced the unlooked for benefit of a gradual reduction in the tension that had built up between the young people during their engagement and culminated in the bitter scenes following their wedding. Though Kate had certainly derived a momentary satisfaction from flaunting herself amongst the demi-monde under her bridegroom’s incensed eye and thus avenging her wounded pride, a night’s reflection had brought her a saner perspective on her actions with regard to her original plan to coexist on distantly friendly terms with her husband. It would never do to make a habit of enraging Nicholas whenever her feminine sensibilities were exacerbated; in fact, where he was concerned she must have no feminine sensibilities. Consequently, she had steeled herself to greet him with determined affability the following morning for their first shared breakfast. To her secret relief Nicholas responded in kind, and in a surprisingly short span of time the friendliness on her part was completely unfeigned. She had found him easy to deal with over the question of furnishing the house and an unfailing support socially. When relaxed, he displayed a dry masculine wit that put her forcibly in mind of her grandfather. Exposed from early childhood to a good deal of masculine company, she responded unreservedly to this aspect of his personality and suffered no missish qualms about answering him back on his own terms.
It was not to be supposed that even a newly married couple would be forever in each other’s pockets, of course. All members of the Polite World kept up a hectic social schedule during the short Season, but naturally the ladies had little part in the gentlemen’s more active pursuits. Ladies of quality did not attend race meetings, nor did they go to Tattersall’s to buy horses or place bets on races. Naturally they took no part in shooting practice at Manton’s or sparring at Gentleman Jackson’s select establishment on Bond Street. They witnessed no boxing matches at Cribb’s or the Fives Court, for such violent sports were anathema to a female of breeding, though less than one hundred years previously there had been quite a vogue for boxing matches featuring female combatants. Needless to say, these contestants were not from the upper levels of society, nor were ladies present among the audience in the provincial towns where such contests were held. Such sporting events as curricle races at Epsom where the Corinthians pitted their knowledge of horseflesh and driving abilities against those who aspired to leadership in these fields were talked about amongst the ladies of course, but although a few members of the fair sex could boast of being very pretty whips themselves, they did not engage in racing against each other in public to prove their skills with the reins.
The one activity pursued with almost equal avidity by men and women was gambling. The craze for gambling had reached its peak in the previous century, when huge fortunes were won and lost at the turn of a card or a throw of the dice. It reached such an extent that it was not unknown for the titles of properties that had been in one family for generations to change hands at the gaming tables. Though not quite so prevalent now, gambling was still a popular pastime with both sexes, but here, too, there were restrictions on the participation of females. Ladies might play whist for chicken stakes at Almack’s and indulge their passion for gaming at private parties. Some few daring individuals might even visit gaming houses run by hostesses with some claim to respectability, where admission was by card only, but ladies of ton did not frequent gaming halls where they were in danger of rubbing elbows with the scaff and raff of society. In fact, a lady who valued her reputation would not so much as drive down St. James’s Street, that masculine province where the gentlemen’s clubs as well as several of the more notorious of the gaming hells were located. Even Bond Street, which was a shopping mecca for females in the morning, was considered by high sticklers to be off limits in the afternoon when unescorted ladies might be exposed to the unwelcome attentions of the so-called Bond Street Beaux on the strut.
With male and female pursuits so clearly defined, it would have been extraordinary indeed if Nicholas and Kate had continued to be for long in each other’s exclusive company. Nicholas was soon drawn back into the company of his sports-minded friends, and Kate was reabsorbed into her mother’s schedule. Lady Langston and Deborah were thrilled with the opportunity to assist in decorating an entire house without needing to regard the cost, and the three ladies became happily involved in this ambitious undertaking.
Kate’s marriage produced one additional benefit in the estimation of Lady Langston. She enjoyed the company of a select group of friends and delighted in an occasional visit to the theatre or opera, but she found the constant round of social activities engaged in by the mothers of unmarried girls to be excessively fatiguing to one of her delicate constitution. Though she had undertaken the task of presenting her daughters in a heroic spirit of selfless maternal devotion, she now discovered that the rigours attendant on a month-long spree of social engagements arising from her elder daughter’s betrothal, combined with the exertion of arranging a big society wedding, had so debilitated her slender resources of stamina that she was at present unable to exert a similar effort on behalf of her younger daughter. In short, now that Kate, by virtue of her new status as a young matron, was considered an adequate chaperone for Deborah at Almack’s and private parties, Lady Langston took to her couch to recruit her flagging physical strength with a new tonic and a bland diet prescribed by Doctor Abbott for those unfortunates like herself whose digestive systems were particularly sensitive to stress. Unless an affair promised to be uncommonly entertaining, Lady Langston turned the task of accompanying Deborah over to Kate while she endeavoured to repair the excesses of the season by limiting herself to no more strenuous an activity than perusing the latest novel from Hookham’s with a box of sugar plums at her elbow for nourishment.
The viscount escorted the lad
ies to occasional private balls and rout parties, but he considered Almack’s pretty poor value as entertainment, so on Wednesday and Friday evenings the more accommodating Lord Langston or the Honourable Robin Dunston was prevailed upon to act as escort. Kate and her good-natured brother-in-law had gotten upon easy terms in very short order, and since Miss Deborah Harmon was exactly the sort of girl to appeal to his taste, it was no hardship for Mister Dunston to gallant the young ladies to the subscription balls.
Watching Robin flirting audaciously with her sister, Kate smiled to remember her own brief tendre for him which, fortunately, had not survived a closer acquaintance. It would certainly have complicated an already difficult situation to be striving to conceal hopeless yearnings for another man while sustaining the image of a happy bride before the interested gaze of the Polite World. Assessing Robin with a more analytical judgment than formerly, she conceded that he was definitely handsomer than Nicholas by virtue of a more regular alignment of features and a less forbidding jawline, but his face lacked something of the strength of character that gave his brother such an arresting quality. Nor did the workings of his intellect strike responsive sparks from hers. Robin’s company was pleasant and restful, but Nicholas challenged her to meet him on another level.
So far from fading into the background in accordance with the defensive design she had devised from the moment they contracted to marry, she found herself aware of all his plans and increasingly more a part of his life. When she thought about the situation, she was dimly aware that matters had not fallen out the way she had planned and that it was her husband’s persistent interest in her daily activities that made it impossible for her to remain aloof. This would have seemed more a matter for concern had not Nicholas treated her in their home with the unselfconsciousness of a friend who had known her from her cradle. She would not have believed a month ago that she could be so comfortable and content in the company of such a man, but so it was.