An Introduction to the Pink Collection (28 page)

“Just to flirt with him? I see. Let me warn you against that. I will not be made a fool of.
Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

“Good. In that case I will bid you goodnight.”

He walked ahead without a backward look, leaving her to run to her room, throw herself on the bed and thump the pillow.

*

Despite this, life moved on fairly contentedly for another week. Lavina was entranced by the beauties of Scotland, and when she rode it was mostly at Lord Elswick's side. When not annoyed he was good company.

She was almost allowing herself to relax and push her fears aside, when, one morning, Lady McEwuan came rushing into the drawing room, full of excitement.

“There's a carriage coming up the drive, and it has the royal crest on the panels.”

Lavina's blood ran cold, and her frantic eyes sought her father's.

He rose to his feet, pale but determined. The family would have followed him, but Sir Ian said firmly,

“It will be confidential business from Her Majesty. We will not intrude.”

Holding each other's hand for comfort, the Earl and Lavina went out into the hall to greet whoever should appear. The front door was pulled open.

“Papa,” Lavina said in horror, “Look who it is!”

The man who appeared was Sir Richard Peyton, the same man that they had deluded and left behind at The Towers. Lavina and father exchanged alarmed glances, wondering what he could be doing here.

Sir Richard approached them, his face rigid, paused and gave a small, curt nod.

“What are you doing this far north, Peyton?” the Earl asked with an attempt at geniality.

“I am with Her Majesty at Balmoral,” the man replied stiffly.

“Balmoral?” The Earl exclaimed. “It's too early in the year for that. The Queen never comes north until next month.”

“Her Majesty has decided to make an exception this year,” Sir Richard declared. “She has a special guest who particularly wished to see the glories of Scotland.”

Lavina felt as though the world had stood still. There was a strange ringing in her ears, and suddenly she was full of dread.

“What – special guest?” Lord Ringwood asked in a hollow voice.

Sir Richard drew himself up until he was practically standing to attention. In a loud voice he announced,

“Her Majesty has been pleased to invite Lord Ringwood, and his daughter, Lady Lavina Ringwood, to a reception tomorrow evening, at which they will have the honour of meeting Prince Stanislaus of Kadradtz.”

A ghastly silence greeted this pronouncement. Sir Richard then handed over the invitation card.

“But – er – ” the Earl stammered, “Is there not another invitation, for Lord Elswick?”

“Her Majesty is unaware of Lord Elswick's presence in the neighbourhood, and has therefore not been able to include him on the list.”

“But now that she is aware – ”

A shout of laughter interrupted him. Everyone turned to look at the Marquis strolling into the hall, his face alight with hilarity.

“It's no use, Ringwood,” he said. “Wild horses wouldn't persuade the Queen to acknowledge my presence if it meant inviting me to a reception to which, in any case, I do not wish to attend.”

At the sight of the Marquis Sir Richard drew himself up.

“My Lord, I consider you treated me most shabbily at our last meeting.”

“No choice. Anyway, you seem to have got your own back. I wonder how the Queen knew where we were?”

Sir Richard glared at him.

“You told her, of course, and how did you know where we were?” the Marquis mused.

“Your butler was as misleading as you instructed him to be,” Sir Richard said stiffly.

“But you managed to bribe some of the others, I suppose. I dare say there was one listening at the library keyhole the night before. Well, I hope Her Majesty rewards you for it, but I doubt it. She doesn't like sneaks any more than I do, even though she isn't above using their services. You can leave now.”

“I have to take back an answer.”

“The answer will be delivered without help from you. Take yourself off.”

Catching the Marquis' baleful eye Sir Richard scuttled away into his carriage.

“I can't go to this reception without you,” Lavina said urgently. “You know what the Queen is doing, don't you?”

“Certainly I do, and there is no fear of your going without me. You may safely leave this in my hands.”

“At least tell me what you mean to do.”

“There is not the slightest necessity for you to know,” he informed her with a touch of loftiness. “When I tell you that I shall take care of the problem, you may be assured that all is well.”

Lavina's eyes kindled.

“You're very high-handed, sir.”

“Indeed I am. You have always known as much.”

“I only meant – ”

“I know very well what you meant. You knew what I was like when we began this venture. It's too late to complain now. Ringwood, it is my intention to call upon Her Majesty. I suggest that you come with me.”

Lord Ringwood paled.

“But the Queen is not expecting us,” he protested.

“Her Majesty is well known for appreciating informality when at Balmoral,” the Marquis replied smoothly. “She will be overjoyed at a visit from her neighbours.”

Lord Ringwood only wished he could be as certain, but the Marquis was in a determined mood.

“At least tell me what you intend to say to her,” Lavina insisted.

The Marquis regarded her with a touch of humour.

“I think I had better not tell you,” he said. “You might explode with rage.”

He walked away without a backward glance, leaving Lavina glaring after him.

Half an hour later the carriage departed for Balmoral, bearing the Earl and the Marquis, both superbly dressed as befitted men who were about to enter the royal presence.

It would be hours before they could return, and the thought of twiddling her thumbs was intolerable. Lavina rushed upstairs to put on her riding habit, took a horse from the stables and went for a long ride.

When she returned there was still no sign of them, so she began pacing up and down, grinding her nails into her palms. She was a prey to the most violent agitation, but whether it sprang from fear for her father, for herself, or from annoyance at Lord Elswick, she could not quite decide.

If only they would hurry up and come home!

At last she saw the carriage appear in the distance, heading for home. She controlled her impatience until both men were walking into the house.

“All is well, my dear,” the Earl said, embracing her. “Lord Elswick will be coming to Balmoral with us tomorrow night.”

“But do not tell your daughter how I arranged it,” the Marquis murmured, “until I am safely out of throwing distance.”

Lavina took her father's arm and marched him into the garden.

“Papa, what has he done?”

“Oh my dear, if only you could have seen him! He was magnificent, the way he stood up to the Queen. He insisted on the Chamberlain announcing us, and when we walked in he greeted her, and said he knew that she would wish to congratulate him on his betrothal to you.”

“The Queen was very taken aback, but she recovered and actually declared that there was no betrothal, as you were a member of the royal family, and could not marry without her consent.”

“Papa!”

“You will never believe what he replied.”

“I'd believe anything of him. What did he say?”

“He said, ‘Nonsense!'“

Lavina's response was all that he could have hoped. She stared as though her eyes would pop out of her head, and whispered,

“He said ‘Nonsense!' to the Queen?”

“He did. He said that nobody had ever considered the Ringwood family royal before, and it was too late to start now.”

“Oh my goodness!” Lavina exclaimed, full of admiration. “He really stood up to her. What a brave man!”

“He isn't afraid of the Queen, my dear, and she knows it.”

“Even so, to defy the Queen to her face!” Lavina said, deeply moved. “We have misjudged him, Papa.”

“We have, indeed, my dear.”

“I must thank him, and assure him of my true gratitude.”

She turned quickly to go in search of the Marquis, but in the doorway she stopped and looked back.

“Papa, what did he mean about being ‘safely out of throwing distance'?”

A look of distinct unease passed over the Earl's face.

“Well, my dear – ”

“Papa!”

“You have to understand that his first aim was to protect you – ”

“Papa!”

The Earl sighed and abandoned himself to his fate.

“He said that there was no question of your attending the reception tomorrow, because, as your fiancé, he would not permit you to do so.”

“Permit?”

“Well my dear,” said the Earl, wishing he could die, “when a woman becomes engaged to a man, it is understood that he assumes a certain authority – ”

“Permit?”

The Earl gulped.

“That man talked about what he would and would not allow me to do?” she demanded, outraged.

“Only to save us, my dear, by diverting the Queen's wrath to himself. He said that it would not be proper for you to attend a reception to which he was not invited, and that he positively refused you his permission to do so. Lavina, where are you going?”

“To commit murder,” she flung over her shoulder.

Her inquiry after the Marquis from a passing servant produced the information that he had gone to the stables. Lavina hurried on, but while she was still some distance she saw him galloping in the direction of the hills.

She ran on to the stables.

“I need your fastest horse,” she told the astonished hands.

“His Lordship just took the fastest,” a groom told her.

“The next fastest then. Hurry.”

In minutes they had brought out a lively animal and struggled to put a side saddle on his back, while he danced about disobligingly, snorting fire.

Lavina knew just how he felt.

At last she leapt onto his back and galloped off into the distance, headed the way she had seen the Marquis go.

After going for a few miles at full speed she saw him, far ahead. He slowed and stopped, then looked back at her, before continuing. She urged her mount to even greater speed until at last she was galloping beside him.

Neck and neck, mile after mile, until at last the horses slowed from weariness. The Marquis pointed to a stream ahead.

“Our animals have certainly earned the chance to drink,” he said. “Let us see to their needs first, then you can tell me what you think of me.”

She agreed, and only when the beasts had dipped their heads thankfully into the cool, running water did she allow herself to say,

“When you said you were getting out of throwing distance, I didn't think you'd go to these lengths,” Lavina said.

“Well, I knew you would be unreasonably angry.”

“Unreasonably? How dare you talk about what you will allow me to do, as though I were a child.”

“Not a child, an engaged woman with a sense of propriety.”

“But you know that isn't really true,” she said furiously.

“Not true that you have a sense of propriety? I hope, for both our sakes, that you are mistaken.”

“I mean that I am not an engaged woman.”

“For the moment, you are. That gives me certain rights over your behaviour, some of which I am certain that you know about. You're an heiress, aren't you? Your mother left you a great fortune.”

“How did you – ”

“You surely don't imagine I consented to an engagement without first ascertaining your wealth.”

“You didn't have time,” she retorted swiftly.

“True, but the wealth of every heiress is known throughout the London clubs. I believe there are even places where fortune hunters can obtain lists, for a fee.”

“And are you a fortune hunter, sir?”

“No, luckily I can afford not to be, but that is not true of all men. Picture the poor fellow's dismay if he proposed for your money and found you'd dissipated it before the wedding. So, to protect him, the law says that his fiancée may not dispose of her wealth without his permission.

“Don't breathe fire at me, I am merely giving you an illustration. Your behaviour is very much my concern, and, as I have always made plain, I intend to exercise my authority over you.”

“How many times must I say that you do not have any authority over me?”

“You may say it as often as you like. It remains the case that I do. I warned you at the start that I expect you to behave with propriety.”

“Are you saying that I do not?”

“I am, indeed. No lady of delicacy would be alone with a man in this isolated spot. If I should insult you with my advances there is nobody to help you.”

“I rely on you, as a gentleman,
not
to insult me with your advances.”

“But how if your reliance is mistaken?”

Lord Elswick's eyes were glinting strangely.

“Suppose I force my unwelcome attentions on you?” he asked.

For a moment Lavina found it hard to speak. Something seemed to be fluttering in her throat, and her heart was beginning to thump erratically.

“Since we are engaged,” she managed to say with spirit, “the presumption would seem to be that your attentions are not unwelcome.”

“Do you mean that you pursued me here in the hope of receiving them? Fie on you!”

“I – that is not what I meant – ”

Suddenly he was standing very close to her.

“Didn't it occur to you that you were doing something dangerous in coming here alone with me?”

She took a shuddering breath. She would have moved backwards but she found she was standing against a tree.