A Little Deception (9 page)

Rose concealed her distress. ‘Altercation?’

‘Yarrowby was set upon by Lord Rampton in Regent’s Park, of
all places. In the middle of the afternoon. Quite a scandal it caused, I need
not tell you! Pistols at dawn – now that wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow.
But common street brawling!’

Aunt Alice ventured a surreptitious glance at her niece
before quizzing her friend in what was clearly intended to be a tone of no more
than casual interest, ‘I am shocked. I had heard only good reports of Lord
Rampton.’

‘Men are brutish by nature.’ Lady Rodham made a noise of
disgust. ‘I’ll wager it was over nothing and certainly nothing I’d be worried
about if I was planning to throw my daughter Rampton’s way.’

‘Yes, but what about Lord Yarrowby?’ Rose asked with an
anxious glance at the gentleman in question, who was now leading Arabella
towards them. The thought of Lord Rampton being driven by strong passions for a
woman made it hard to breathe.

‘A charming man,’ Lady Rodham assured her without qualification.
What does it matter if their quarrel was over some common little opera dancer?
If Yarrowby stole her from Rampton, I’m sure Rampton had fixed his interest
elsewhere within a day or two. That’s men for you.’

‘Your Lord Rampton has a long and shady past,’ Helena said
brightly, as she swept up to Rose. ‘There was even a rumour that he locked one
of his mistresses in his tower for seven days before the fair lady’s husband
discovered her whereabouts. There was a duel over that little scandal, too.’

‘Spurious gossip-mongering,’ Rose muttered, though her voice
lacked conviction. Of course Helena would blithely say the first thing that
came to her if she knew it would rattle Rose. She did not like the tumultuous
feelings that overcame her, however, when Lady Rodham replied, ‘What your
sister-in-law says is perfectly true, my dear. Not that it has done his
lordship’s reputation any harm.’

‘Ah, Oswald,’ said Aunt Alice, forestalling Rose’s reply.
‘I’m sure Rose would be delighted to partner you in this set.’

With an ironic bow to Helena, Oswald offered Rose his arm,
brushing suggestively against his raven-haired cousin before putting out his
hand to steady her.

‘Forgive me, Cousin Helena,’ he apologized, his eyes raking
her salaciously.

Helena tossed her head, only to catch the yearning look her
husband sent her from where he was engaged in conversation a few feet away. As
Charles took a step towards her Helena lanced him with a look of contempt
before feigning sudden interest in Aunt Alice’s description of her new bonnet.
Tiring quickly of the discussion, and having successfully deflected Charles,
she allowed her eyes to stray across the ballroom thronged with exquisitely
garbed, rich and titled people who knew not a care in the world while she,
Helena …

Oh, but she was wasted on a sugar plantation far from the
world’s real excitement with a husband who was as exciting as a yam supper. And
oh, how Helena detested yams, though Rose claimed she missed the food of their island
home.

Well, Rose was welcome to the West Indies—and Helena
fully intended that’s exactly where her sister-in-law would be returning. As
for herself… Helena was still working on the conundrum as to how she could
engineer remaining in England. Certainly for longer than the remaining several
months scheduled.

It was in the midst of such ruminations, as she affected the
right facial movements in response to Aunt Alice’s puerile chatter, that the
glimpse of a familiar sardonic leer sent her heart free-falling.

She spun round, her heart plummeting all the way to her
slippers as, with a laugh, he excused himself from his portly companion, a
clergyman, and stepped into clearer focus. For a moment Helena thought she
might faint.

There he was.

William the Conqueror.

She sucked air into her lungs. Conqueror, indeed! After all
these years.

She didn’t know whether to be filled with joy or fury. Her
vision blurred and she had to blink several times.

Geoffrey Albright stood alone by a stone plinth, broader and
even more handsome than she remembered. His light-brown hair was a little
longer than he used to wear it but his look was just as she remembered:
confident, tinged with arrogance, as he surveyed the crowd.

He turned, shock and recognition flaring in the depths of
his cool grey gaze. Geoffrey Albright, the man she loved and hated in equal
measure, right here in this ballroom, exuding all the familiar dash and heady
danger he had all those years ago.
 

Helena sucked in air as she gripped Rose to steady herself.
And as her world spun out of control she swore that someone would pay for all
she had sacrificed.

‘YOU’RE
WHAT?’ Rampton looked at his brother as if Felix had just announced a trip to
Outer Mongolia.

‘I said I’m spending a few days in Kent. With the
Kenilworths.’ Felix helped himself to more kippers at the sideboard. Returning
to his seat, he smiled blandly at his brother. ‘I take it you’ve no objection?’

‘You’ve declined their last three invitations. I don’t know
why you suddenly choose to accept now. How long will you be out of town?’

Felix grinned. ‘You must have noticed that sweet Cecily is
no longer a child. I actually failed to recognize her at Lady March’s
masquerade.’

‘You realize, of course, that if you accept this invitation,
you’ll be expected to have offered for sweet Cecily before the Season’s over.’ Rampton
didn’t know why he suddenly felt so angry. No, of course that wasn’t true, he
amended as he poured himself more coffee. He’d assumed Felix would be on hand
to paint Lady Chesterfield’s portrait and the fact he’d have to wait until his
brother had returned from his jaunt to the country was more than Rampton’s
already-tried patience could endure.

Felix scarcely paused as he shovelled the food into his
mouth. ‘No, I won’t,’ he mumbled between mouthfuls. ‘Your problem, Rampton, is
that you think that when you’re handsome and titled, everyone is setting their
cap at you. Sweet Cecily could do far better than me, and she knows it. But the
glint in her eye told me she’d enjoy my little visit just as much as I would
and for exactly the same reasons.’ He dabbed delicately at his lips with his
napkin and offered his brother a saccharine smile. ‘Who knows, perhaps I will
offer for her before the Season’s over. I certainly don’t want to wind up a
miserable old bachelor like you. Anyway,’ he added, ‘I don’t know when it’s
ever been of any concern of yours what I do.’ He fixed his brother with a
studious look. ‘Why, what other plans had you in mind for me?’

‘I had hoped you might feel inclined to do a bit of dabbling
in oils for a few days.’

‘As a matter of fact, the very idea had struck me,’ Felix
said, rising. ‘I intend to preserve the fair Miss Cecily’s foxy prettiness for
posterity. I suspect her mama will be much too taken with the idea of her
daughter’s immortalization to object to the many hours we shall necessarily be
closeted together.’ From the doorway he asked, ‘Whose portrait had you in mind
that I should paint?’

Rampton shrugged, as if it were of no consequence.
‘Obviously you’re not going to be here, so it doesn’t matter,’ he said, rising
also and following his brother out of the door.

‘Perhaps the fair Helen of Troy whom I saw you manhandle at
the masquerade?’

Rampton managed to sound cool though the thought that he’d
been blatantly targeted by a calculating debutante was terrifying in the
extreme. ‘The shameless young woman positively threw herself at me.’

Felix made a pretence of being scandalized. ‘No! And don’t
tell me. She isn’t even married? Mark my words, Rampton, you’ll get your
fingers burned one of these days. However, I’ll paint the fair Lady
Chesterfield’s portrait – as I assume that’s what you want – when I
return from the Kenilworths.’

Rampton frowned. ‘No discussion over remuneration? Why do
you accept so readily?’

Felix raised an eyebrow. ‘Because, Rampton, your exploits
are legion, and I am filled with envy and humility. And it just occurs to me
that I have never properly seen you in action.’

Rampton allowed the corners of his mouth to turn up but he
remained silent as he contemplated the very delicious idea of being closeted
alone with Lady Chesterfield for hours at a time. He was not about to admit the
extent to which he’d been affected.

The little chit knew exactly what she was doing and was
enjoying this game of cat and mouse, he thought with irritation. Quite clearly
the lacklustre Lord Chesterfield was as unexciting as a wet rag and she’d
singled out Rampton for more than just the benefits of absolving herself of her
debt. The fact she’d chosen to pursue him using blushing innocence as her bait,
was a novel change, he supposed, to the jaded sophistication employed by most
married women.

His reverie was broken by Felix’s laugh. ‘Just make sure
you’re discreet when you finally succeed in bedding this fair creature with
whom I can see you’re entirely obsessed.’

‘Oh, I don’t think her husband is a concern–”

‘It’s not her husband I was referring to,” Felix said over
his shoulder from half way up the stairs to his quarters. ‘Jealous adversaries
of the female variety can be far more dangerous.’

‘Oh–you mean the baroness?’

‘She’s not the only one. I mean, Rampton,
 
you’re the catch of the season.” Felix
grinned. ‘Just be careful.’

***

When Rose received a hastily scrawled note from her Aunt
Alice after she’d dressed herself for the morning she had no idea as to the reason
for the peremptory summons? Especially knowing her aunt was laid up in bed with
a nasty head cold.

Alice was certainly playing the invalid to the hilt when
Rose was announced. She was propped up in bed on pillows, a scented flannel
upon her brow but her eyes were bright and her voice eager. Indicating a chair
at her side she gushed, ‘My dear girl, I am so glad you came so promptly. Now,
tell me, what communication have you had with your father’s family since he
died?’

Rose tried to think. ‘Why, none,’ she replied. ‘That is …
not since the condolences.’

‘Ah.’ Alice smiled knowingly. ‘Do you perhaps recall your
father’s Aunt Gwendolyn? An older half-sister of his mother?’

Rose looked blank, though she had an inkling as to where
this was heading.

Aunt Alice sat up straighter, the sudden exertion causing a
fit of coughing. Waving aside the glass of water Rose offered her she said, ‘My
dear, I’ve just heard the most wonderful news.’

‘Yes?’ Rose suspected that what Alice considered wonderful
involved a corpse or two.

‘Lady Rodham came to visit me last night. She mentioned the
death of the son of a dear friend of hers, a certain Obediah Pike. At first I
didn’t take much notice, but the name sounded familiar. It wasn’t until this
morning that it struck me. Obediah was the only child of your father’s Aunt
Gwendolyn. Well,’ Aunt Alice wrapped her shawl more tightly round her, warming
to her theme, ‘I had one of my lads make enquiries first thing, and I was
right!’ Falling back into the pillows, her expression was full of expectation
as she searched her niece’s face.

‘Well?’ she demanded in response to Rose’s silence. ‘Say
something!’

Rose hesitated. ‘Poor Mr Pike,’ she said, lamely.

‘Yes, yes, and pity his mother too,’ Alice said impatiently.
‘The thing is, it won’t be long before Gwendolyn starts thinking about her
heirs, now that her only son is dead and she an invalid. She never was very
close to her natural brother and sister, but was quite attached to your father
at one time. My dear Rose,’ she rubbed her hands together, ‘the time has come
to pay your Great-Aunt Gwendolyn a visit. But first I’ll take you to my
dressmaker!’

Rose chewed her thumb nail and contemplated the possibilities
an unexpected windfall – whether it was from Great-Aunt Gwendolyn’s
quarter, or elsewhere – suggested.

If she were able to repay Lord Rampton’s debt she’d have no
reason to see him again. It was a dampening thought. The intensity with which
he’d gazed into her eyes had quite clearly conveyed his interest in her. As for
herself, simply conjuring up his image was enough to make her breath come fast
and shallow and her body react in all manner of unexpected ways. She fanned
herself with the book Aunt Alice had just asked her to read to her as she tried
to master her emotions using her usual ally, common sense. Clearly, she must
have misinterpreted his lordship. She was a married woman as far as he was
concerned so there could obviously be no deeper association between them than
existed now.

But it was disquieting to know what a slave she was becoming
to her feelings for him. No, she decided, clearing her voice to begin a novel
titled
Sense and Sensibility
, which
surely preached the virtues she must uphold, there could be no future with the
handsome viscount for so many reasons, meaning she should limit any contact she
had with him.

***

 
Sitting in front
of a small fire in the drawing room, Charles laid down the law. Reluctantly, Rose
agreed that accompanying everyone to Almack’s after dinner was unwise, telling
herself for the thousandth time that she must avoid opportunities that would
only inflame her dangerous infatuation of the gentleman to whom they owed so
much. At Lord Rampton’s dinner which was to precede the outing to Almacks, she
need only speak when spoken to directly, and allow Charles to speak whenever
possible on her behalf.