Melinda Hammond (20 page)

‘I conclude you were not expecting me,’ he drawled.

This proved too much for Miss Pensford, and with a little moan she fainted away, to be caught by Mr MacCauley, who was standing close beside her. At that moment more footsteps were heard, and Mr Alleyne hurried in.

‘I can get no sense out of that rascally landlord,’ he was saying, as he entered the room. Vivyan held up a hand to stop him.

‘No need. We have found our quarry.’

Mr Alleyne halted, but at that moment he saw Mr MacCauley gently placing Miss Pensford’s lifeless form on the settle and he threw himself forward, crying:

‘Unhand her, you fiend!’

As Mr MacCauley stood up and turned Mr Alleyne was upon him, landing him a flush hit to the jaw and following in with several more well-placed blows, which sent Nathan MacCauley sprawling back against the wall.

‘Rupert, stop it! He was not harming her!’ cried Eustacia, grabbing at his arm and holding him back from his dazed opponent. She gave him a little push.

‘Go and look after Helen, do!’

Rupert needed no second bidding; he threw himself on his knees beside the settle.

‘Helen, my darling,’ he muttered, chafing her hands between his own. ‘If he has hurt you—’

‘Of course he hasn’t!’ snapped Eustacia, helping Mr MacCauley to his feet. ‘She merely fainted. Come along, sir, let me help you to the table.’

Miss Pensford opened her eyes at that moment and saw Rupert’s anxious face looking tenderly down at her. She clutched at his hands.

‘Oh, Rupert — thank heaven you have come! Pray do not leave me.’

‘We appear to be very much
de trop,’
murmured Vivyan, watching this little enactment with a faint, sneering smile.

Hearing his voice, Miss Pensford turned her head.

‘Vivyan! I — I think I should tell you. That is—’

‘It is quite unnecessary to tell me anything, my dear,’ he assured her. ‘I quite see how it is, and I am very happy to release you from our understanding.’ His glance switched back to Eustacia, who was handing Mr MacCauley a folded napkin for his bloody nose.

‘Not everything is quite so clear, however.’

‘No, indeed!’ retorted Eustacia. ‘Perhaps you will tell us why you are here?’

‘I came to reclaim my property.’ Vivyan glanced at the pistol lying on the table. ‘I trust you have its partner safe?’

‘It is in my bag. I had hoped you would not notice they were missing quite so soon.’

‘I didn’t. My groom brought the matter to my attention just after dinner. I take it that was the reason you waylaid me at Kennington Common today?’

‘Yes. I hid them in my surcoat. I — I thought I might need them this evening. I was going to return them as soon as I could.’

‘After you had used them to commit murder? Thank you.’

‘Well now, I did not think it would come to that, but — how did you know where to find me?’ She looked accusingly at Rupert. ‘I told you in my note to come alone!’

‘Oh, don’t blame Alleyne. When I realized you had the pistols, I followed you to Addingham House and arrived just as that girl of yours was trying to find a hack. She told me you had driven off with Miss Pensford in a travelling-chaise.’

‘Vivyan, you did not bully her?’

‘Of course not. She was relieved to tell someone what you had done. And then Alleyne appeared at the door, having received your note from the footman. I, er, persuaded him to let me see it.’

‘You see, I had gone to the ball on foot, and Mr Lagallan offered to take me up, there and then, in his chaise,’ put in Rupert, somewhat apologetically.

Vivyan’s hard eyes were fixed on Eustacia.

‘I could have left him to make his own way, of course, but that would have put him some distance behind me, and he would not have had the pleasure of seeing you receive the biggest thrashing of your life.’

Eustacia bit her lip.

‘Are you very angry?’ she asked, in a small voice.

‘Murderously so.’

Mr Alleyne, assured that Miss Pensford was no longer in danger, stepped forward.

‘I think, Lagallan, that some of the blame for this evening rests with me. Miss Marchant acted as she did because she believed — she was convinced — that I, that Miss Pensford and I—’ He paused, then, drawing himself up, said stiffly, ‘If you wish to name your friends, sir—’

‘Good God, do you think I want to crown this night’s folly with a duel? What I have yet to understand is MacCauley’s part in all this.’

Mr MacCauley, who was still nursing his bloody nose, looked up at him over the napkin that was still covering part of his face, but it was Eustacia who spoke.

‘Mr MacCauley and I are going to be married.’

The effect of these words was startling. Rupert goggled at her; Mr MacCauley gave a muffled exclamation and tried to rise, but Eustacia thrust him back in his seat. She was very white, but her gaze was steady as she met Vivyan’s eyes, noting that all trace of mockery had gone.

Rupert was the first to find his voice.

‘Do you mean to tell me you are in love with this . . . this
fellow?’

‘No, dearest, she is not,’ said Miss Pensford, sitting up and holding one hand to her head. ‘She is marrying him to save her reputation.’

Vivyan was still watching Eustacia, but his glance flickered briefly across to Helen.

‘Alleyne, do you think yourself up to the task of conveying Miss Pensford to her home? I think she has endured enough this evening. Take my carriage; I shall make other arrangements.’

‘By all means!’ declared Mr Alleyne, tenderly helping the lady to her feet.

Vivyan held open the door and, as she passed, Helen put out her hand to him.

‘Vivyan, I am sorry—’

He raised her hand to his lips.

‘Think no more of it, my dear. I shall call upon your father tomorrow to explain. And take heart, ma’am. I feel sure Alleyne will make you a much better husband.’

He closed the door behind them, and stood gazing across the room at Eustacia, such a brooding look on his face that she was unable to meet his eyes.

‘Well, Stacey, I think it is time you explained yourself.’

She tried to look unconcerned.

‘There is nothing to explain, sir. I have told you: I am to marry Mr MacCauley.’

‘And an elopement was necessary?’

Mr MacCauley looked up again. ‘No, I—’

‘Yes,’ Eustacia interrupted, forcing herself to meet Vivyan’s cold gaze. ‘I thought it would be exciting. And it gave me the opportunity to end your disastrous engagement to Helen Pensford.’

‘And am I supposed to be grateful for that?’

‘Well, I think you should be,’ she said, in her frank way. ‘Not only is Helen very much in love with Rupert, she is far too respectable for you, and would never make you happy.’

‘And that’s your reason for running off with MacCauley?’

‘No, but it also solves my problem of what to do about Nan and Tom. They will come with us to Dorset. I understand Mr — Nathan’s establishment there is quite large, so Tom can be a footman, and we will find Nan work in the kitchens or as a chambermaid.’

A muffled protest from Nathan MacCauley went unnoticed.

‘Then what did Helen mean when she said you were marrying MacCauley to save your reputation?’

Again, Mr MacCauley made to rise, and again Eustacia prevented him.

‘I do think you would do better to put your head back, and pinch your nose, so,’ she told him, ignoring Vivyan.

Mr Lagallan watched with growing impatience.

Well? Do I get an answer, Stacey, or am I to wring it out of you?’

‘She was much mistaken,’ said Eustacia, not looking at him. ‘Hysterical, even.’

‘Really?’ Vivyan’s voice was dangerously calm. ‘Let me tell you what I think she meant by it.’ He walked forward until only the table separated them, and above the folds of the bloody napkin, Nathan MacCauley’s eyes watched him warily.

‘I think,’ said Mr Lagallan, ‘I think that MacCauley threatened to spread the story that you had come to London under my protection.’

Eustacia’s sudden blush gave him his answer, although she quickly denied it.

‘What nonsense!’ she declared, with a derisory laugh. ‘I — I have come to know Mr Mac — Nathan — very well, and . . . and I thought it would suit me to marry him. Especially,’ she added, as another thought came to her, ‘especially since Rupert is in love with Helen.’

‘Oh, so you still love Alleyne?’

‘No - that is, I — I love Nathan,’ she declared, defiantly staring at Vivyan.

Mr MacCauley jumped up.

‘Oh no you don’t!’ he cried. He dabbed cautiously at his nose, which seemed at last to have stopped bleeding. He stepped away from the table, his anxious gaze shifting from Miss Marchant to Vivyan.

‘I’ll tell you what it is, Lagallan, the girl’s out other senses! In love with me, indeed! You guessed right, Viv, I
did
want to force her to marry me. I wanted to turn respectable, as I told you.’

‘It seems we all have our dreams, Nathan,’ murmured Vivyan.

‘Aye, well, I told her that if she didn’t agree to marry me, I would spread it about that she had come to London as your mistress! Well, she wasn’t having any of that, so we struck a bargain. But then what must she do but insist I hire a coach and bring it to Addingham House this evening, to collect her and her maid, only when I turn up it ain’t no maid at all, but your fiancée whom she bundles into the coach! Then, when the poor girl’s crying fit to burst, and I say I’ll have nothing to do with a kidnap, she draws out that popgun of yours and sits there as cool as you please, telling me we’ve to wait for young Alleyne to come and rescue the young woman! Well, I tell you to your head, Viv, I’ve never seen anything like it, not even when we was in Orleans, and that high-flyer you had taken up with thought you was playing her false!’ He looked at Miss Marchant. ‘I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, Miss, I’m going up to my bed, and you can take the coach back to Town and we’ll forget everything that’s happened. I want nothing more to do with you!’

Eustacia stared at him.

‘What of our agreement?’

‘Cancelled!’ he declared. ‘Finished! Null and void! I want no more to do with a woman who thinks nothing of kidnapping her friends and keeping pops in her pocket! And to cap it all, when I was helping Miss Pensford to lie down, as any Christian gentleman would, what must that young Alleyne do but draw my cork! I tell you, Viv, if those are the ways of the Quality, you may keep ‘em! I want nothing more to do with your world!’

The sneering look had vanished from Vivyan’s face. He laughed.

‘Nathan, my friend, I thought you liked a woman with spirit!’

A rueful smile curled MacCauley’s lips.

‘Aye, but not one that would drive me to Bedlam! I’ll leave this one to you, Lagallan, and wish you joy of her!’

‘Thank you. I think a spell abroad would suit you best, MacCauley.’

‘Aye, even the Frenchies was more civilized than this,’ he said, keeping the table between himself and Eustacia as he edged towards the door. ‘Maybe I’ll take myself off to Dorset to inspect my property. That should be far enough from you all. I bid you goodnight.’

Mr MacCauley slipped out of the room, and Eustacia stared at the door as it closed behind him.

‘Well!’ she exclaimed, an indignant flush mounting her cheeks. ‘How — how ungentlemanly. To go back on an agreement in such a fashion, simply because I wanted a tiny deviation from his plans.’

The amusement in Vivyan’s eyes deepened. ‘Did you
want to
marry him?’

‘Well of course not, but he said if I did not do so, he would tell everyone how you had brought me to London, which would quite ruin your reputation, and although I did not wish you to marry Helen, I did not want her to cry off because she thought you depraved!’

‘But, my dear girl, how on earth did matters reach such a pass? Why did you not come to me?’

She looked away. ‘I have imposed upon you far too much already, and I thought that if I told you about MacCauley, you would call him out, which wouldn’t solve anything, and he might even have killed you! I — I thought I could resolve it for myself.’ She put up her chin. ‘And I did just that! Rupert and Helen are happy, you are free, and even Mr MacCauley has decided he does not want to marry me, after all. So you see,’ she ended triumphantly, ‘there was really no need for you to drive all the way from Town.’

‘Oh, I think there was.’ He stepped around the table and reached for her hands. ‘You have been so busy rescuing everyone else that you have neglected your own case.’

She flushed. ‘No, I shall take the carriage back to Fanshawe Gardens and invent some tale for Godmama and — and everything will be well.’

‘Well, I think I should come with you, and we can inform Lady Bilderston of our engagement.’

Her eyes flew to his face.

‘Our — oh, but truly, Vivyan, there is no need—’

He caught her hands, laughing. There is
every
need, my adorable little nymph!’

‘No, no!’ she cried, much distressed. ‘I never meant to embroil you in any of this, Vivyan. Please don’t feel you have to —
oh!’

Mr Lagallan put an end to her discourse by the simple expedient of kissing her.

‘Oh,’ she said again, when at last he released her.

‘Before you say anything more, brat, let me tell you that I did not
have
to kiss you, but I
wanted
to. In fact, I have wanted to do that ever since you fell out of that tree and into my arms.’

‘You have?’ she murmured, nestling happily against him. ‘I think I have wanted it, too, for weeks now!’

‘So, do you think you could put up with me as a husband?’

‘It is what I want, more than anything in the world!’ She raised her head. ‘Oh, but there’s Nan and Tom to consider! I promised Nan that she and Tom would come with me to Mr MacCauley’s house in the country. Now what am I to do?’

‘You must think again, my love. In fact, I think I probably have the solution. Caro is setting up home in Worthing and I will send your precious lovebirds down to her — I am sure she will find work for them.’

‘Worthing! Vivyan, you are so clever; that is just the thing. And the sea air will be so beneficial for the baby!’