Mesalliance (26 page)

And pivoting
gracefully on his high, red heels, he strolled unhurriedly away
down the gravel path.

Not
unnaturally, the rest of the evening was a nightmarish blur in
which only the effort of appearing normal when she re-joined the
others made any real impression. And, once in the carriage, she was
equally oblivious of Thea’s gentle radiance, Nell’s silence and the
line of worry that was beginning to mark Cassie’s usually placid
brow. The truth, of course, was that by then her mind was on a
treadmill … and, until she was quite alone, it was only sensible to
leave it there.

‘
Richard
would say anything. I don’t believe it
,’ ran the refrain. And,
in counterpoint to it, ‘
Richard would say anything – but it
could be true
.’

Cassie was set
down in Conduit Street and Althea restored to South Street. Then
they were back in St James’ Square and Nell, with an unconvincing
yawn, made straight for her bedchamber.

Adeline
remained motionless in the hall for a moment, her hand on the
smooth end-sweep of the banister. Jeanne would be in her room,
waiting to help her undress. Someone else to be faced. She did not
think she could bear it.

Numbness was
turning to nausea and the house seemed suddenly stifling. Without
stopping to think, she turned away from the staircase and swept
across the marble floor to the salon … and from there into the
small, moonlit garden.

‘
Richard
would say anything. Richard would say anything. It could be
true.
’

It could be
true. And that, it seemed, was as good a place to start as any.
Adeline sat down on the stone parapet, drew a long steadying breath
and forced herself to concentrate.

What, exactly,
had he said? That she was a bastard.

Her hands
started to shake and she gripped them together, deciding to by-pass
this point for a while. Very well. He’d called her mother a slut.
Would a man speak so of his own sister if it were not the truth?
Richard might. But why? Well, that at least was easy. He took
pleasure in hurting. She’d known that for years. More … for, on
this occasion, he planned to kill two birds with one stone by
making a profit as well.

‘
Assemble
sufficient resources to incline me in your favour
,’ he had
said. In other words, ‘Pay what I ask or I’ll tell your husband
instead.’

It was hard to
examine the possibilities logically and stop her thoughts flying
ahead to the only thing that really mattered – but she knew that
she had to do it now or she never would. The trouble was that the
little she knew pointed both ways at once. There were reasons why
Richard might lie – but nothing that said he
was
lying; and,
if there were recollections from the past that aligned with his
tale, she could not remember them.

Stalemate then
… unless she gave him the satisfaction of asking him to finish what
he’d begun. And show her proof of it. She shivered and pulled the
silk domino more closely about her, thinking, ‘
I can’t – I
can’t. I don’t want to hear any more of it
.’ But that was no
solution – for if she didn’t buy the poisoned dart, it would be
aimed at Tracy. And that, of course, was something she couldn’t –
wouldn’t – permit.

She rose and
began restlessly circling the garden, her skirts sighing over the
dew-wet grass. She thought of Tracy’s face as it had been yesterday
morning … and the sweet, budding expectancy that had been growing
inside her ever since.

‘
Why
now
?’ her heart cried. ‘
Why now? It isn’t fair
!’

Not fair? No.
But then life often wasn’t. She’d known that for years, too. And
though this monstrous thing obviously had to be faced, there was
still a strong chance that it wasn’t true. So it would be stupid to
wallow in self-pity or give way to panic. If she wanted to protect
both Tracy and her own fragile promise of happiness, she would have
to fight.

She stopped
pacing and looked up at the first fingers of dawn striking the
sky.

‘It’s already
tomorrow,’ she thought. ‘Tracy may be home and it should have been
the happiest day of my life. But I – God help me –
I
have
got to send for Richard.’

Nell slept
badly and arose with a headache. Adeline had not slept at all and
it showed. The result, not surprisingly, was the nearest thing
they’d ever had to a quarrel.

It began over
breakfast when, tired of the silence, Nell said pettishly, ‘The
coffee’s cold. Shall I ring for some more?’

‘By all means –
if you want it.’

‘Don’t
you?’

‘No. No, thank
you.’

‘Oh. Then I
won’t bother.’ Nell toyed aimlessly with her knife for a moment and
then tried again. ‘I imagine Thea’s going to find herself being
scolded this morning – if that horrid uncle of hers told tales to
Lady Miriam, that is.’

For the first
time, the aquamarine gaze focused slowly on her face. Having
already despatched a message to Mr Horton, Adeline’s mind was busy
with the problem of how to receive him without Nell being aware of
it. She said, ‘I think it unlikely that he’ll trouble himself. Are
you and Cassie going for your fittings at Phanie’s today?’

‘No,’ replied
Nell tersely. And then, with a creditable attempt at nonchalance,
‘Do you suppose Ha– Lord Harry’s really taken with Cassie? He … he
certainly appeared so last night.’

Adeline
repressed a sigh and prepared, dutifully, to do her best for his
lordship.

‘Why not?
They’re both good-natured and fun-loving. I imagine they could deal
very well together. And, of course, Harry’s extremely eligible –
not to mention, attractive.’

‘Oh –
extremely,’ said Nell, past the pain in her chest. ‘It’s just a
pity he’s so rude, that’s all.’

‘
Is
he
rude? I can’t say I’ve ever noticed it.’

‘No. I daresay
you wouldn’t. But last night he virtually ignored me for the entire
evening. He didn’t even ask me to dance.’

Adeline
suddenly discovered that she had neither the energy nor the
inclination to be tactful. She said flatly, ‘Well, you can’t be
surprised by that, can you? As far as I can see, he’s merely giving
you your own again.’

Nell flushed
and her eyes grew rather bright.

‘What do you
mean by that?’

‘Isn’t it
obvious? You’ve made it plain to the world at large that you want
nothing to do with him so I expect he’s decided to leave you to
stew in your own ill-temper and look elsewhere.’

‘I’m
not
ill-tempered!’

‘No. But I
doubt if Harry knows that.’

‘He’s known me
since I was ten!’

‘So? Is that
any reason for treating him with contempt?’

Nell surged
impetuously to her feet.

‘I don’t! I
haven’t
! Oh – you don’t understand!’

‘No,’ agreed
Adeline. ‘I don’t. But I do know one thing. If you’re going to play
dog-in-the-manger and allow it to come between you and Cassie,
you’ll soon find yourself with no friends left to you.’

‘
Oh
!’
Nell quivered with indignation. ‘How can you suggest such a thing?
It’s not like that at all.’

‘Isn’t it?’
Setting down her cup, Adeline prepared to leave the table.
‘Good.’

‘
Good
?
Is that all you can say?’

‘No. I could
ask you why you dislike Harry when he’s done nothing to deserve it
– or tell you that it’s high time you stopped encouraging the
dubious attentions of Jasper Brierley. But I don’t somehow think
you’re in the mood to listen.’

‘I’m not in the
mood to be lectured, if that’s what you mean!’

‘It isn’t. But
let it pass.’ Adeline rose and shook out her blue taffeta skirts.
‘I’m sorry, Nell. I can’t sympathise with you because I don’t blame
Harry in the least. And now you’ll have to excuse me. I’ve a lot to
do today.’

For a moment
after she had gone, Nell continued to stare at the closed door out
of eyes stinging with tears. Then, brushing them angrily aside, she
sped off to order the carriage. Half an hour later, she was up to
her ears in an orgy of spending.

*

At much the
same time, Adeline was informed of the arrival of Mr Horton. She
had him shown to the library and then kept him waiting for ten
tactical minutes before joining him.

‘Good morning,
Uncle. I won’t say it’s a pleasure to see you because we both know
it isn’t, don’t we?’

Richard Horton
turned slightly from the large portrait he had been studying. ‘Your
predecessor, I believe … chosen, they say, from amongst the best
blood in England. You do well to stand in her shoes, Adeline. But
can you keep them?’

Her face
remained completely expressionless.

‘If you have a
tale to tell, tell it. If not, leave.’

‘All in good
time, my dear. All in good time.’ He settled himself in a chair and
smiled cordially at her. ‘First I should like to be assured that
you have the means to ensure my co-operation.’

‘He who pays
the piper calls the tune,’ she observed contemptuously. ‘If you
want your money, you’ll first have to earn it.’

There was a
pause. Then, ‘I want five hundred guineas.’

She stared at
him. ‘
What
?’

‘And do not, I
beg of you, waste time trying to barter with me. Five hundred or I
go to Rockliffe. Take it or leave it.’

The size of his
demand brought fright several steps nearer. She had placed four
hundred in the drawer of the escritoire and it was all the money
she had - for though Tracy was more than generous, she had already
settled several accounts and would have to leave others unpaid
until after quarter-day. She swallowed, pulled the purse from the
drawer and threw it on the table beside him.

‘I can’t give
you what I don’t have. Four hundred – and be damned to you.’

The seconds
ticked by in silence while he looked at her and debated the wisdom
of pushing her at this stage. The cards had been unlucky of late
and the remaining hundred would undoubtedly have been very useful.
On the other hand, it would be a pity to kill the goose which he
intended should lay him quite a number of golden eggs … and if he
frightened her too much, too soon, she might do the very last thing
he wanted and tell Rockliffe.

With a faint
sigh, he stretched out a languid hand for the purse and said, ‘It’s
probably very foolish of me … but I suppose I must give you the
benefit of the doubt.’

‘How kind of
you!’ said Adeline acidly. ‘Your generosity will be your undoing,
one of these days.’

‘And your sharp
tongue will be yours. If you wish to hear what I have to say, I
suggest you sit down and listen.’

She sat,
simultaneously thankful that he had not pressed her over the money
and dreading what was to come. She said, ‘Very well. I’m listening
– and I’d be glad if you were brief.’

He inclined his
head and smiled maliciously. Then, in silky tones and with his own
particular interpretation, he embarked on the history of his
sister, Joanna.

It did not take
very long but, by the time he ceased speaking, Adeline discovered
that every muscle and bone in her body was aching. For a long time
she remained silent and then, in a voice that seemed to come from a
long way off, she said, ‘You … you are saying that it – it’s
possible my mother is still alive.’

‘Yes.’

‘Have you any
proof?’

‘Again – yes.’
He drew a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to
her. ‘This came into my possession on the death of my father. I
always suspected I might find a use for it one day.’

Very slowly,
Adeline opened out the page and stared at the few faded lines
inscribed on it.

I am going
with Michel. I’m sorry for Tom and the baby – but I have to go. I
love him. This time you cannot stop me. Perhaps God will forgive
you your lies. I never shall.

Joanna
.

The blood
seemed to congeal in her veins. Whatever else she had expected, it
was not this. She said carefully, ‘Did you never hear from her
again?’

‘No. But that
was scarcely surprising. I was five years younger and scarcely knew
her. Miriam was only a year younger but resented the fact that
everyone – especially men – always preferred Joanna. Our parents,
of course – as you can see from the letter – had already sunk
themselves below reproach.’ He smiled. ‘So she may be alive – or
she may not. We have no way of knowing.’

‘I – I see.’
Adeline swallowed and kept her hands pressed tightly together. ‘Why
was I never told?’

‘Because Miriam
did not trust your discretion,’ he shrugged. ‘And what purpose
would it have served?’

‘But I had a
right
to know! She was my
mother
!’

The cry was
wrenched from her with a force that left her shaking. Her brain was
racing round in circles and it took time to control her breathing.
Richard waited with an air of gentle satisfaction until she said,
‘My grandfather – did
he
know?’

‘Old man
Kendrick? No. Tom went back alone, positively swathed in black and
said that Joanna had succumbed to a fever. As far as we were all
aware, his father believed him.’ He paused and then added sweetly,
‘As for the gentleman in question being your grandfather … that is,
as I have already explained, open to doubt.’

As far as it
was possible, Adeline completed the process of pulling herself
together. There was an obvious flaw in what he’d said and it was
important to expose it.

‘Is it? I don’t
see why. This letter was written after my birth and before my
mother disappeared. There is no reason to assume that my father
wasn’t Tom Kendrick.’

‘None, dear
heart – save that Joanna was besotted by du Plessis before her
marriage and ran off with him not so long after it. Also, if she
was clever enough to vanish without a trace, she was certainly
clever enough to conduct a discreet liaison, don’t you think?’