No Greater Love (31 page)

“There is no need,” Nicholas said, pushing himself to his feet and straightening to his full height. “I have a town house of my own. It is not only large, it is also respectably located.”

“You have a house in London? My goodness. Wait—does that mean you agree? Oh, Nicholas!”

“I will not have you look upon me as self-pitying. It is a most unattractive trait. And if you are bound and determined to do this thing, then who am I to stand in your way? But, Georgia, I will not warn you again of the hell you will be put through.” He smiled briefly. “I admit, if you hadn’t brought our children into it, I might have stood my ground forever. I am sure you introduced the subject quite deliberately in order to twist my arm.”

“Oh, Nicholas,” she said lightly, “never mind the children. What about Binkley? You forget his reputation. He deserves to have some respectability after everything you’ve subjected him to.”

“Yes, in truth, I hadn’t considered Binkley. I am sure he will be pleased in the extreme to return to London and force sartorial splendor upon me. Very well, Georgia. You will have it your own way, and the consequences be damned. But when you walk into the full force of the havoc Jacqueline has wreaked, then remember it was you who asked. You have never experienced the sort of snubs and subtle digs the
ton
is capable of producing.”

“It will be perfect,” Georgia said with satisfaction, standing and looking across the garden. “We will bring Pascal, naturally, for we cannot leave him behind, and Cyril is guaranteed to insist on coming, for he will not be willing to let go of his personal crusade. It might, in fact, be a perfect solution to the problem of Cyril, for he needs an introduction to life outside of Ravenswalk if he is to properly take on his responsibilities. He has been shut away too long. He’s been bandying about Lily’s name, by the way, implying all sorts of things between them. Martin is not in the least pleased. I said I’d mention it to you.”

“The blasted young cub,” Nicholas said impatiently. “I’ll have a word with him. And you’re right. He could use some town polish—and apparently some exposure to young … young ladies. I suppose he is that age, isn’t he?”

“Apparently,” Georgia said dryly. “I think he’s been coming to it for some time. He showed up one night in my turret with a most interesting suggestion. I dispatched him. In fact it was the night before I found you in the woods. I thought Cyril was upset that I’d given him an earful.”

“Good God. I don’t know whether to laugh or to take his head off. Ah, well. No harm done, and he hasn’t tried it since, has he?”

“Certainly not. He was a bit miffed that I married you so shortly thereafter. I think it must be hard on him, resembling you so closely but not yet being grown.”

“I would imagine so. In fact I’ve worried a great deal over the fact that Jacqueline would not be pleased by the resemblance and would take out her pique on him. I wonder how she’ll react to Cyril coming to London with us—and that’s a problem, isn’t it?” He frowned heavily. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“What, Nicholas?”

“I certainly don’t want any of my reputation rubbing off on Cyril. If things do not go well, and they might well go very badly, it wouldn’t be fair to have Cyril connected to me. I’ll have to have a talk with him about that as well. He should certainly be set straight on some things, and it is only fair to forewarn him. We are inviting him to a bloodbath, after all. Georgia, sweetheart, are you not frightened?”

“Naturally I am,” she said cheerfully, “but it is only because I have much to learn. Nicholas, you cannot so quickly have lost sight of what is important?”

“I know that I love you. Other than that I know that I would like to have this damned onus off my head. I know that I would like to see my uncle well again and free of Jacqueline. And I know that I would like many children, and that you will no doubt refuse to give them to me until I have accomplished the second and third matters. So. I will send a note around immediately to Ravenswalk to let Marguerite know of our decision.”

“There is no need. You can tell her yourself. She will be coming by later this afternoon to help me mix the medicine for your uncle. We’ve agreed it is best if it is she who gives the formula to Mr. Jerome, saying that Jacqueline sent it with her from London. That way he will have no doubt about administering it. It is a very new remedy Jacqueline discovered in Italy, a wonder cure. He is to dispose of the old medicine immediately. Naturally Marguerite hurried down with it when Jacqueline found herself taken with a chill and unable to travel.”

“You sly puss—when did you have this conversation, may I ask?”

“When you went out to call for Marguerite’s carriage.”

Nicholas chucked her chin. “You are dangerous. It’s a very good thing for me that you’re on my side.”

“Nicholas, I am always on your side—except when I’m arguing with you,” she said with a grin. “And then it’s only because you make no sense.”

“I’m not even going to attempt getting into that with you. I’ve had quite enough conflict and emotion for one day. And where are those confounded boys? Surely they should be back from Ravenswalk by now? I miss their noise.”

“I am sure that they will be returning any moment. No doubt Cyril is showing Pascal over every square inch of his vast property.”

“Then I shall get on with catching up with my paperwork. I may not have a property anywhere near the size of Ravenswalk, but I do have a small empire on paper. Georgia, love, you’re quite sure you can deal with it?”

“Nicholas, I’ve always longed for an empire, didn’t I tell you?” She laughed and kissed him. “Now, I must get on with my gardening, for if we are to go to London shortly, there are things that need doing. Go about your business, for no doubt there will be many other matters to claim your attention before we leave.”

“No doubt,” he said. “You being one of them. All right, sweetheart. I’ll begin preparing for the onslaught. God only knows, we’re going to need preparation. A good two weeks should be appropriate.”

“For a troll-slayer you are extraordinarily reticent,” she remarked. “Or perhaps you are just extraordinarily modest. Whichever it is, sharpen your sword, for you’re going out to do battle again, and this time you’re going to have me at your side.”

His face sobered and he touched her cheek with his finger. “Do you know, my love, with you at my side I believe almost anything is possible. But we shall see. We shall see. This is still against my better judgment, I’ll have you know. But who am I to refuse you anything you desire?” He kissed her softly, and Georgia watched after him until he had disappeared through the door. She was not going to let Nicholas know in any fashion just how terrified she really was.

Marguerite, who had been delighted to hear of Nicholas’ decision, chatted easily as she worked side by side with Georgia, and Georgia found that she felt surprisingly comfortable in her company, for Marguerite had no grand airs at all. “Have you any clothes that will suit for London?” Marguerite asked.

“Only one simple muslin dress I made myself, and a winter walking dress. We have not needed finery down here.”

“It is time for all of that to change. If Nicholas does not plan to leave for two weeks, then I shall take your measurements and have my modiste begin work on a wardrobe immediately.”

“It is an extraordinary thought, having someone else make clothes for me.”

“And a nice change. Have no fear. You can have absolute faith in Madame Girondaise. She is deliciously expensive, and worth every penny.”

“Oh, but Nicholas—”

“Is a very wealthy man. He will be delighted to finally be allowed to lavish money on you.”

“I haven’t quite adjusted to the idea,” Georgia said, a dimple appearing in her cheek.

“He most certainly had the wool pulled over your eyes.

What a very wonderful story it makes. And what a dear man to court you as a pauper. I like him more by the minute. Was he correct, my dear? Would you have refused to marry him had you known the truth?”

“Most probably,” Georgia said, “for it would not have seemed right. I would have felt I was taking advantage of his plight. But now it is hard to say, for I did not love him, nor even know him at the time. I was in desperate need of escape, and Nicholas’ offer was the only avenue open to me.”

“Was my sister really that cruel to you?”

Georgia hesitated. “She kept me very busy,” she finally said as tactfully as she could manage.

“What you mean is that she exploited you.”

“I have never needed much sleep,” Georgia said, a little smile creeping onto her face. “What are a few lost nights here and there? And as I was not to leave my turret unless I was taking exercise or attending to a fitting, sewing gave me something to do.”

“Oh, my dear—it was worse for you than I thought. Jacqueline never has liked to have anyone prettier than herself about, so no doubt that was why she kept you shut away. She’s always been dreadfully jealous. And here you are, so young and fresh and attractive, as sweet as she is sour. I should think it drove her quite mad.”

“I don’t know,” Georgia said dryly. “She never said.”

Marguerite laughed lightly. “She wouldn’t, though, would she? She would only gnash her teeth and make your life as miserable as possible. I’ve seen it before. And it sounds as if she succeeded.”

“She did—until the night that Nicholas scaled the walls and came through my bedroom window, suggesting that I marry him.”

Marguerite grinned with delight. “He didn’t.”

“But he did. He was very businesslike about it. He had a problem, and I had a problem, and it made no difference to him in the least that we’d met only once before in the woods, or that I had absolutely no breeding. He wanted the Close, and he needed a wife in short order if he were to have it. He was very much a gentleman,” she hastened to add.

“I begin to see the origin of Jacqueline’s rumors. But the truth could not be more different. I was most interested,” she continued, cutting a piece of dried root and putting it in the mortar, “to hear at Ravenswalk of a ship foundering off the coast. I also heard that Nicholas became gravely ill as a result of his actions that night, and that he was ill until very recently.”

Georgia explained everything that has happened, and her theory about it. “There has been a change in him since his recovery,” she said, taking the ground angelica Marguerite handed her and adding it to the bowl. “I don’t know quite how to explain it, except to say that he seems more at peace with himself.”

“It is a most fascinating story,” Marguerite said, considering. “And I think your theory sound. How fortunate that you kept the doctor away from him.”

“I felt Nicholas needed every drop of blood in his body,” Georgia said, smiling. “My mother taught me a healthy disregard of most doctors.”

“She was very wise, your mother. You learned about herbs from her?”

“Yes, although she died when I was fairly young, so much of what I know I have taken from her notes. But I could not find anything at all about mental absentia. I had to improvise as best I could.”

“You were very successful. Nicholas seems perfectly well. I would never have guessed anything had been amiss. Tell me, what sort of treatment did you use?”

Georgia happily launched into a description, and was in the middle of giving Marguerite a formula she had devised, when Pascal came flying through the door. “Pascal, where have you been? I was beginning to worry!”

“Je m’excuse, madame,”
he said to Georgia, looking at Marguerite curiously. “Cyril took me out on a horse and taught me almost all of the day. It was
fort amusant.
I fell many times. Did the monsieur enjoy the surprise?”

“He did, very much. Pascal, make your bow to Lady Clarke, please.”

“Madame, “
he said, bobbing at the waist.

“Enchantee,”
Marguerite replied, and Pascal’s face broke into a huge grin.

“Vous parlez français!”
he said with delight.

“I do indeed. So, you are young Pascal, the Frenchman. I was just hearing all about you.”

“From the madame? She has been everything that is good to me, and the monsieur also. Did you know he saved me from the sea? He is a very brave man.”

“Yes, indeed,” Marguerite said. “I believe he is. I cannot be surprised.”

“He is the finest man I have ever known—except for my dear
papa,
of course, but he is dead. And Cyril is very fine too, naturally.”

“And where is Cyril now?” Georgia asked. “Did he stay at Ravenswalk?”

“But no, he has just gone into the sitting room with the monsieur. The monsieur appeared very grave. Is there trouble, madame? Did we stay away too long?”

“No trouble. But there are plans, and I believe Nicholas must have wanted to discuss them with Cyril.”

“Because Cyril is a lord?’’

“No, because Cyril is his cousin, and the plans concern him—and you too,
petit.”

“Me? It is a good plan?”

She knelt down and touched his face. “How would you like to go to London?”

“To London, madame? Truly?” And then his face fell. “Are you sending me away?”

“Oh, no,
cheri,
not away, not ever. I have told you, you belong to our family, for always. Nicholas and I are going as well, and I believe he is inviting Cyril to join us. And Lady Clarke will be in London also. There are all sorts of wonderful things that we can do.”

“I have a little boy just your age,” Marguerite said. “His name is Rupert, and he will be delighted to have someone to play with. He finds his younger sisters a terrible trial.”

“It sounds very nice, madame. Thank you.”

“Now. Georgia, I have been thinking. There are a great many things that must be planned…”

“Please sit down, Cyril.” Nicholas indicated a chair, but elected to stand. Cyril appeared uncommonly nervous, and Nicholas imagined it was due to being shut up in the same room with him.

“H-have I done something?” Cyril asked, twisting his hands together.

“Not recently that I’m aware of. Relax, Cyril. I’m not going to box your ears. However, it’s long past time that we had a talk, and there are a great many things I wish to say to you.”