An Affair of the Heart (24 page)

“What is the matter, milady?” she asked.

Ellie lowered her head to hide her tears and replied, “I have hurt my foot. Perhaps you will be kind enough to have some warm water and a plaster taken to my room.”

“Indeed I will, ma’am. Shall I call a doctor?”

“No, that is not necessary.”

“I did wonder, milady, when Betty told me about the blood all over the floor—” She stopped suddenly at this revelation of servant gossip, and dashed off to do as she was bid.

Ellie climbed up the stairs and tended to her foot. With a rather cumbersome wad of cotton under her stocking, she went again downstairs to order steak and potatoes for her husband.

Her emotions were in a turmoil. She was embarrassed at having been brought home like a fractious schoolgirl, heartsore at Clay’s cruel words at the hotel, yet not completely despondent. She didn’t think his eyes would have sparkled so if he had not cared for her. She supposed he was trying, in his own way, to comfort her by discussing plans for the summer.

If only it weren’t for Gloria Golden. This naturally called to mind the hated room where the discovery of the lock of hair had taken place. She roamed around through halls and drawing rooms till she found it, and went like a homing pigeon to the desk.

The hair and the miniature were gone—she already knew that. A thorough probing of the remaining contents revealed a few remnants of the Rose’s reign. There were discovered, besides a dried yellow rose, hiding under a Psalter, bills for eight dozen yellow roses, bearing various dates, bills for a fan and an ormolu hand mirror, and another scrap of poetry, having to do with violins singing sweeter than his love, and orchids having a perfume more rare. That was so unflattering she wondered whether it had not been composed for herself. Ah no, here was the proof in the last couplet:

My heart is ever Rose’s, for no one else to share

I send these dozen roses, to my own Rose so fair.

She squeezed it into a ball in her angry passion and flung it to the floor. Then she walked into the hall, and upon encountering Mrs. Meecham, said stubbornly the master would like bread and tea for breakfast, in perhaps half an hour. She went to the breakfast room immediately herself and sat down. Over tea, she tapped the table with her fingertips and considered how to wreak her revenge on him.

A brief reconsideration of last night’s plans proved unhelpful. Rex was now struck irrecoverably from her list of supporters. She had only her own wits to rely on. The half-hour came and went, making up the hour he had said he would be gone. Another half-hour dragged by, and still he did not come. He had left at eight; it was finally ten, and still she waited.

It was patently obvious he was doing this to annoy her. Showing her a lesson. He would “tame” her, would he, as though she were some wild animal! Teach her to comport herself like the Marchioness of Claymore. Well, she would teach him a thing or two as well. She was interrupted from these edifying thoughts by the arrival of a letter from Lady Siderow, wishing her a bon voyage. She read it, tapped her toe on the carpet, and came to a decision. The bell was rung to summon Mrs. Meecham, who came hopping.

“I have had a note from his lordship,” Ellie lied affably. “He is detained and I shall go on without him.”

Mrs. Meecham’s bleary eyes bulged at such goings on. “You’ll never go alone to Somerset, ma’am,” she had the temerity to say.

“Certainly not. My Miss Pritchard will accompany me.” It seemed insufficient somehow, and she added a bit of substantiating material. “The Dowager is fallen ill, you see, and wishes me to come to her at once. His lordship will follow at his leisure.”

“But why would she want you? She doesn’t even know you!”

“That will soon be remedied. Will you have the carriage called, please? It is packed and ready to go. I daresay Claymore will be following on horseback, and catch me up before noon.”

“Oh. Oh, I see. Yes, very likely,” Mrs. Meecham said, yet it seemed odd to her. “Taken a bad spell, has she?”

“Yes, very bad,” Ellie confirmed, and whipped past the servant to tell the same lie to Miss Pritchard, whom she feared would not accompany her if she knew the truth. There seemed no great advantage to being a marchioness after all, if one still had to make excuses to servants to get them to do one’s bidding.

Miss Pritchard had no reason to suspect all was not well between the newlyweds. An early peep into Ellie’s room had shown her bed to be vacated. She could not bring herself to look into the Marquis’ room, but made no doubt that was where they were. She later discovered both bedrooms to have been deserted at an early hour, but again had no reason to suppose they had not arisen together.

Gone for a ride in the park perhaps. Miss Ellie liked a ride above anything. The broken glass on the floor explained the few drops of blood on the carpet, and a single question confirmed that it was Ellie who had stepped on it, with no fatal results. The only uncertainty to be cleared away was why they must go on ahead of Claymore.

An ingenious thought having to do with the desired presence of the Dowager’s solicitor from London for some last-minute changes to the will accounted for Claymore’s delay, as well as buttressing the story of the Dowager’s sad state of health. They were into their bonnets and pelisses and out to the carriage in a flash. Blackie, the groom, certainly thought it unusual to be setting out without the master, but then a mistress in the house was bound to be upsetting things, and he went, along with a footman, without a suspicion of involving himself in a plot. His new mistress found immediate favor by advising him to “spring them” as soon as he hit the open road. He was more than happy to oblige and whip the team up to a spanking pace. If they
had
to have a woman around their necks, he was happy it wasn’t the China doll, whom he well knew could stand nothing above a strict trot. This dame now was more like!

Ellie fretted during the trip. They had left around ten-thirty. Till luncheon she was hopeful, but when still Claymore had not overtaken them by nightfall, she was beginning to panic. To have to go
alone
to meet the Dowager, bad as it was, was not the worst of it. Why had not her husband come?

Chapter Fifteen

Due to the early hour of Elinor’s flight to Fenton’s Hotel on the morning following her wedding, and the rapidity with which her husband had brought her home, he ended up downtown trying to buy her a diamond an hour before the shops were open. This naturally played havoc with his given schedule, so that while his wife awaited his return for breakfast, he was still cooling his heels outside Van Ark’s Jewelry Shop. Even when he was finally admitted by an apologetic clerk, the purchase of the stone proved difficult. The matter of credit was no great thing—set up as soon as the proprietor arrived half an hour later, by which time the Marquis had examined every diamond in the shop and found them all too small, which is to say, smaller than Wanda’s. A small tray of larger stones was brought forth from some hidden vault with great ceremony. They were examined, admired, and finally one, larger than all the others, was chosen. The proprietor had to explain in minute detail how this was a brilliant cut, with seventy-two rather than thirty-two facets because of its huge size. It was hefted, held to the light, admired once again, and then the jeweler inquired what setting was desired.

“Setting?” Claymore said. “Oh yes, I see what you mean: I want it put into a ring. Right away.”

The jeweler rubbed his dry hands in glee and settled in for what he supposed would be a pleasant hour’s discussion of claw settings and diamond clips and so on.

“Whatever you think best,” Claymore said airily. “I want it right away.”

“Certainly, my lord. It can be ready in a day or two.”

“A day or two! No, no. I need it immediately.”

“Oh, my lord! Do but consider. A stone of this beauty and value must have a setting worthy of it. It is unique. We will not want to destroy its appearance by an overly-hasty job of mounting. Leave it to me, and by tomorrow I shall have it set in a way that must please you.”

“Waiting twenty-four hours does not please me,” Claymore replied haughtily. “I’m late already. Haven’t you got some setting you could stick it into?”

A hasty consideration that the mounting made for Lady Teasdale’s sapphire was about the right size and could be duplicated before her return to London settled the matter. “As you wish, Lord Claymore. I will have it done immediately.”

“Immediately,” however, turned out to be a good half-hour, and when the ring was finally presented to the fuming Marquis, it was found to slide over his own finger with ease, thus ensuring that Ellie could wear it for a bracelet.

Having already made himself two hours late, he could not return home with a ring that didn’t fit. He paced up and down the shop, his watch in his hand, receiving frequent and impatient glances. Finally the thing was done, to no one’s entire satisfaction.

Van Ark wiped his brow and said to his assistant, “What a fellow. Still, it pays to cater to these lords. He might buy any amount of stuff, now he sees how eager we are to help.”

Claymore jammed the box into his pocket, and as he slammed the door of the shop he promised to himself, That’s the last time I come to this old fool. Lord, he would keep me here all day while he talks of facets and brilliants, as though I were buying a dozen tiaras. He was pleased with the ring’s appearance, though. Plenty bigger than Wanda’s. He could hardly wait to slip it on Ellie’s finger, and see her eyes light up.

When he came into his home, he went first into the Green Saloon, thinking she would have finished her breakfast long since. She was not there, so he went along to the breakfast room. All traces of food and dishes had vanished; the room was empty. Becoming slightly annoyed at the delay in finding her, he took the stairs to her room two at a time. Drawing the box from his pocket, he held it behind his back and tapped at her door. It was opened immediately, but it was Betty, the upstairs maid, who stood looking at him, and who very nearly received a little black box, for it was already being brought around.

“Is your mistress not in here?” he asked.

“Oh no, sir; her’s gone long ago. I’ve got the bed made up and the clothes put away, the glass swept up and the dusting done and all. Should I be taking the bed curtains for a good airing while you’re away?”

“Where is she?”

“Her’s gone, milord.”

“Gone where?” he asked, reining in his temper.

“As to that I couldn’t say. Mrs. Meecham could be telling you, for she were talking to the mistress.”

“Thank you.” He turned on his heel and flung himself downstairs, trying hard to suppress that rising panic. “Gone” didn’t mean anything. Gone from the room was all Betty meant. Besides, the girl was obviously a cretin. Mrs. Meecham would have the explanation.

She was in the hall waiting for him, having been apprised by her husband, the butler, that his lordship was home and would likely be wanting a bite before he set out for Somerset. “Where’s my wife?” he asked, rather sharply.

She looked her surprise. “Why, she’s left already, my lord. Set out an hour ago, as you requested.”

The panic could no longer be damped down. “Set out for where?” he shouted.

“For Somerset, to go to your mother. How is she, my lord? Not too severe an attack, I trust?”

“What, was there word from Mama? Is she ill?”

The two exchanged blank stares. “I thought you knew ... that is, she said... and there was a letter....”

“From Mama?”

“I don’t really know,” Mrs. Meecham replied. “I thought she said it was from
you.
Her ladyship received a letter, then she told me that your mother had taken ill, and she was going on ahead, and you would ride after her and overtake her along the way. I assumed the letter was from yourself, giving her instructions. . . . But then, I have remarked she is very decisive. The letter may have been from the Hall, and she made the decision on her own, expecting me to tell you...”

Claymore, somehow, did not think any such thing. “Do you think you might find the letter?” he asked, trying not to rip up at her.

“She was in the breakfast room at the time, and left the letter on the table as it happens, which I naturally did not open and read, but put it up on the side table. I’ll get it for you...”

His lordship had no such scruples about reading his wife’s private correspondence. A glance was sufficient to inform him the whole thing was a hoax. “You’re positive this is the same letter she received this morning?” he asked.

“Yes, and I do recall for
sure
now that she said it was from you, for she called you ‘his lordship’ and I was wondering before that how she’d refer to you, as ‘his lordship’ or ‘my husband.’ I thought it’d be ‘his lordship’ she’d say,” she added in a knowing tone. “Not from you, eh?”

For a fraction of a second Claymore considered prevaricating to hide his wife’s lie, but with Mrs. Meecham as his sole source of information, he decided she must be taken into his confidence. “No, not from me. She left half an hour ago you say. How did she go? What carriage I mean.”

“Why, the traveling carriage, that was all packed and ready to go. Took her Miss Pritchard with her, which made it seem all right to me, for if she were sheering off on you, I shouldn’t think she’d take the loaded traveling carriage, with your luggage on it, as well as her own...”

“Blackie driving?”

“Yes, and Pottrell went along too, so she’s safe at least.”

“It’s not her physical safety I’m worried about,” he said.

“After her accident last night I thought maybe …” She let it hang mutely. She was too experienced a retainer to let the least degree of encroaching curiosity show, but inside she was bursting to know what was afoot. So odd, Claymore getting hitched all of a sudden to a young girl none of them had ever heard of, though her connections seemed decent enough. Odder still that
two
beds should have been tossed the morning after their wedding night, and them up and streaking out of the house at the crack of dawn, not together either, whatever that blind Miss Pritchard might think, or let on to think.