Mesalliance (34 page)

‘Thank you,
Barrow. You relieve my mind.’

‘Not at all,
your Grace. Does your Grace wish to be announced?’

‘An interesting
question.’ Rockliffe appeared to consider it. ‘But no. I think not.
I believe I am inclined to … make an entrance … if you will be so
good as to humour me.’

Then, smiling a
little, he opened the door and went in.

Harry was the
first to see him. He said resignedly, ‘I might have known it! You
smelled the pheasant.’ And thus heralded a melée of bantering
welcome.

Adeline stopped
breathing and narrowly avoided choking over a morsel of turbot. She
was so glad to see him she could have cried and an epic blush
stained her skin. Mercifully, everyone’s attention was on her
husband as he bowed extravagantly over Rosalind’s hand. Or so she
thought. Lord Amberley, seeing her breath catch and the way the
light suddenly flared in her eyes, smiled to himself before turning
his gaze on his friend.

‘Rosalind, my
love … you look radiant,’ Rockliffe was saying. ‘Motherhood must
suit you. Dare I hope you will also be charitable enough to forgive
me for ruining your party?’

‘It’s
possible,’ she retorted. And then, lightly touching his cuff, ‘I
thought so. You certainly wasted no time, did you? I hope Adeline
is suitably flattered.’

Fortunately,
since Adeline was still incapable of speech, Jack filled the gap by
saying easily, ‘I daresay she would be – except that, like us, she
suspects he is merely eager for his dinner.’

‘Damned
Jack-in-the-Box,’ grinned the Marquis, signing a footman to lay
another place. ‘He only does these things for effect.’

Rockliffe, by
this time, had reached his wife’s side and was melting her bones
with the lazy glinting smile that was so peculiarly his own. He
said, ‘I am maligned. And why does everyone talk about me as if I
weren’t here?’

‘Probably,’
responded Adeline creditably, ‘out of habit.’

‘Do I detect a
note of displeasure over the length of my absence? How
charming!’

‘Is it?’

‘But of course.
Only think of the fun you can have encouraging me to make it up to
you.’ And, possessing himself of her hand, he placed a warm,
lingering kiss in her palm.

Laughter became
the key to the evening. Only Nell, nervous lest Rockliffe discover
her misdemeanour, stayed unhappily on the fringe until Harry took
pity on her and said quietly, ‘Stop worrying. It’s all in the past
and Rock won’t eat you. In fact, just to make sure he doesn’t, I
thought I might have a word with him myself.’

The great dark
eyes regarded him wonderingly.

‘Would you
really? That’s kind of you. I – I don’t know why you should bother
to help me, though.’

‘Don’t you?’ he
asked dryly. And then, ‘No. Come to think of it, you probably
don’t. I haven’t been very kind recently, have I?’

‘N-no. But I
deserved that.’

‘True – but
that’s not the reason. I don’t suppose it occurred to you that,
under the circumstances, a defence that was too obviously partisan
would be seen as no defence at all?’

It took Nell a
moment to work this out. Then, a faint glow touching her cheeks,
she said, ‘Oh – I see. You wanted everyone to think you didn’t
c-care about me in the least.’

‘You could put
it that way.’

‘How clever of
you. And is that why you were … flirting with Diana?’

‘Oh no.’ An
unholy gleam lit the seraphic blue eyes. ‘That was for a different
purpose altogether.’

Later, while
Rockliffe was above stairs admiring his friend’s son and heir,
Isabel took the opportunity to say softly to Adeline, ‘I take it
Rock doesn’t know about Nell’s little escapade?’

‘No. You’re
going to suggest I tell him before someone else does – and you’re
right. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.’

Isabel looked
at her for a moment and then sighed.

‘Don’t tell me.
The fell hand of Harry. Has he
any
idea what he’s asking of
you?’

‘Oh yes. And
when the thunderbolt strikes, I’ve his full permission to disclaim
all knowledge. But since I can’t do that, I suppose I’d better have
a stern word with him. Why is nothing straightforward any
more?’

But his
lordship, when she approached him, proved to be surprisingly
amenable.

‘I’ve been
thinking that myself,’ he said. ‘If Rock hears about it elsewhere –
and he’s more or less bound to – we really
will
be in the
soup. So would you rather I told him?’

‘No. But if you
want to take your share of the blame, you can come and do it when
I’ve finished. Shall we say tomorrow morning?’

‘I’ll be there.
Are you going to warn Nell or am I?’

‘You are.’
Adeline smiled sardonically. ‘You’ve begun to figure as a cross
between Sir Galahad and the Oracle … so it would be a pity not to
put it to some good use, wouldn’t it?’

Upstairs in the
nursery, having promised to stand sponsor to Amberley’s son,
Rockliffe said, ‘Rosalind looks very well and is clearly happy. A
weight off your mind, I imagine?’

Leading the way
out of the room and away from the ears of the nursery-maid, the
Marquis said, ‘Yes. I’ve written to the German doctor I told you of
– so perhaps, in a few months, depending on his reply… well, we’ll
see.’ He paused. ‘Meanwhile, how are things with you?’

Rockliffe
shrugged slightly. ‘If you are asking about my marriage … it’s not
exactly what I either hoped for or expected. But I persevere.’

Amberley opened
his mouth to say, ‘
But she’s besotted with you
!’ and then
thought better of it, realising that, since Rock must know that,
the problem – if there was one – had to be something else. He said
lightly, ‘Including your wedding, this is only the second time I’ve
met her – but I like what I’ve seen. And Jack and Harry both seem
exceptionally fond of her.’

‘Yes. They do,
don’t they?’ drawled his Grace. Then, pointedly changing the
subject, he said, ‘You may recall a conversation we had quite some
time ago about the mysterious whereabouts of Francis Devereux.’

‘Vaguely,’
agreed his lordship, somewhat taken aback. And then, ‘Are you
saying you’ve found him?’

‘Possibly. I
could, of course, be completely wrong … but I rather think he’s
currently treading the boards at the Comédie Française under the
fanciful stage-name of
L’Inconnu
.’ And, smiling a little,
‘If it
is
him, he’s actually surprisingly good.’

*

The short
journey home found Nell decidedly subdued and, in the darkness of
the carriage, she slid her hand surreptitiously into Adeline’s for
comfort. Then, escaping to her chamber, she spent a large part of
the night wondering whether Harry’s words offered any basis for
hope.

Finally left
alone with his wife, Rockliffe smiled and said lightly, ‘If I
promise to do nothing alarming, would you agree to drink a glass of
wine with me?’

Adeline gazed
back at him and was invaded by a sudden recklessness.

‘It has to be
said that – to some of us – everything you do is alarming. But just
this once, I’ll take my chance.’

He opened the
door the salon and stood back to let her pass.

‘Am I supposed
to applaud your courage?’

‘No. Just watch
out for my elbows.’

He was still
laughing as he poured the wine. Then, handing her a glass of
Burgundy, he said, ‘So what else have I missed – apart from the
unheralded descent of Dominic and Rosalind?’

‘The equally
unheralded descent of Lewis and Cecily. Which reminds me. I have to
plan a reception.’

‘For Lewis and
Cecily?’

‘Who else? It’s
quite simple. I pave Cecily’s way in society and she keeps quiet
about what happened in Oxfordshire.’

‘I see. Very
resourceful.’ He contemplated her over the rim of his glass. ‘And
how does dear Lewis like all this?’

‘Lewis,’ came
the demure reply, ‘is not a problem.’

‘And will not,
I trust, become one,’ returned Rockliffe blandly.

The new,
temporarily audacious Adeline merely shook her head and smiled
provocatively. Then she said, ‘Paris was obviously entertaining. I
trust your business prospered?’

‘Eventually,
yes.’ His mouth curled in a slow smile. ‘And no. I neither extended
my absence in order to worry you nor took … unhusbandly advantage …
of my liberty.’

The narrow
brows soared. ‘Didn’t you? Why on earth not?’

‘In the first
instance,’ replied Rockliffe gently, ‘because I was quite
legitimately detained; and in the second … because of all the women
who came my way, not one compared favourably with my wife.’

He paused and
watched her cloak of levity disintegrate. Then he said, ‘And if
that is alarming, I apologise. But you did ask for it, didn’t
you?’

Rising betimes
on the following morning, his Grace was conscious of a strong sense
of optimistic well-being. He breakfasted alone, allowed his
secretary to bring various matters to his attention and then began
sifting through the heap of correspondence engendered by his
three-week absence. Half an hour later and with every trace of lazy
contentment effectively wiped from his face, he strode from the
room and virtually collided with Adeline who had been on the point
of entering.

‘How
fortunate,’ he said with unusual crispness. ‘I was just about to
come in search of you.’

‘And I you,’
she smiled. Then, uncertainly, ‘Is something wrong?’

‘Why yes, my
dear. I rather think it is.’ Rockliffe ushered her grimly into the
library and closed the door. ‘I should like to know why – when Nell
sees fit to make herself the talk of the town -
you
do not
see fit to inform me of it.’

Adeline’s heart
sank.

‘Oh,’ she said
feebly. ‘I suppose it’s no good saying I was just about to do
so?’

‘Were you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then no doubt
you had an excellent reason for not telling me last night.’

‘Well, yes – I
thought so.’ She met his gaze with wry candour. ‘I felt that there
was no purpose to be served by immediately ruining your home-coming
- and that therefore this morning would do. Obviously I was
mistaken. Do you mind if I ask who told you?’

‘Who but
Lucilla?’ His tone was caustic but his mouth had relaxed a little
and, handing the letter out to her, he said, ‘Read it for
yourself.’

Adeline skimmed
swiftly through the tightly-scripted page and learned that Lucilla
had been apprised of Nell’s disgrace by her friend, Maria Fitzroy.
The details, moreover, appeared to be depressingly accurate.
Sighing, she looked up at the Duke and said, ‘It’s difficult to
tell from this which Lucilla enjoys most; blaming you – or
criticising Nell.’

‘Quite. But
it’s an ill wind, they say, that blows nobody any good.’ He paused.
‘It is true?’

‘I’m afraid
so.’ She braced herself and then continued simply, ‘Nell attended a
public ridotto with Sir Jasper Brierley and was brought home by
Harry – who not only gave her a thundering scold, by the way, but
also tried to break Sir Jasper’s jaw into the bargain.
Unfortunately, she was seen and there was some gossip. The only
consolation I can offer is that it’s over now – and no real harm
was done, so far as one can tell.’

‘That,’
observed Rockliffe, ‘remains to be seen. But enlighten me. How did
Nell manage this feat? And how come Harry was the one to put an end
to it?’

‘She told me
she had a headache – and I was stupid enough to believe her,’ came
the bitter reply. ‘I let her persuade me to leave her and go to the
Crewe’s ball with Isabel as planned. Then Harry came … and of
course I told him. It was sheer luck that he knows Nell well enough
to guess that she was up to no good. We came back here, found her
missing and put two and two together.’

There was a
long silence when she finished speaking and Rockliffe’s expression,
though it defied interpretation, made her distinctly uneasy.
Finally, when he showed no sign of answering her, she said
defensively, ‘Harry was a great help, you know. And Nell is truly
sorry.’

‘I daresay she
is. It is, after all, the usual result of being found out.’ His
voice was smooth as silk. ‘Correct me if I am wrong … but did not
the Crewe assembly take place the night before I left for
Paris?’

Adeline’s
breath leaked away.

‘
Damn
,’
she thought weakly. ‘
That’s torn it. Now he’ll never believe I
meant to explain
that
as well.’

‘Yes,’ she said
flatly.

‘I thought so.
The occasion is distinguished in my memory as the one on which I
found Harry here with you … on the point, I believe he said, of
bidding you goodnight.’

‘Yes. He – he’d
just brought Nell home.’

‘So I gather.
And yet, so far from telling me what had occurred, the two of you
seem to have actively chosen to keep it from me.’ The dark eyes
examined her coolly. ‘Unless, of course, I am missing
something?’

‘No. No –
you’re not missing anything. Harry had hopes of hushing the thing
up and he thought that, if you knew, you’d send Nell to Lucilla. So
he asked me not to tell you.’

‘And you
agreed.’

‘At the time,
yes. I suppose I thought that there was no point in worrying you
needlessly.’

‘My dear! Such
touching concern for my welfare!’ he exclaimed sardonically. ‘I
only wish I could appreciate it. Sadly, however, I find myself
unable to be grateful to you for first conspiring with Harry to
deceive me and then allowing me to leave for Paris ignorant of the
fact that my sister might at any moment be facing social ruin.
Quite apart from the damage you might have done Nell by denying her
my support, it makes me wonder what exactly you think I am – and
whether you take
all
your troubles to Harry.’ He paused, his
mouth curling in something that wasn’t a smile. ‘The only thing I
know for certain is that you don’t confide them to me.’