No Greater Love (40 page)

He wondered if it was apparent to anyone else. Sometimes he thought Pascal guessed at it. But Pascal was uncanny when it came to guessing at what was inside of people. And there had been a time or two recently when he had wondered just how much Nicholas understood. Funny how he had hated him for so long, so deeply, and now all he could feel was a strange detachment. He knew Nicholas was trying his best. But there were so many things Nicholas did not know, things Cyril could never tell him. Maybe that was the worst of all—the darkest secrets he could never speak. As hard as he had tried to run away from them, they were always there, waiting.

“So there you are.”

Cyril spun around and stumbled with his shock. “J-Jacqueline … Oh, G-God. You s-scared me.”

“Did you think to hide from me out here? You should know better, Cyril. And what have you been up to, I wonder? Just what do you think you are doing in London with your cousin? Have you suddenly changed camps, Cyril? Do you really think I would allow that?”

He raised his chin. “It is n-not any l-longer a question of what y-you w-will allow.”

“So. Have you been corrupted by your cousin? I never would have thought it possible, but I can see that you must have been.”

“S-strange for you t-to use a w-word like ‘c-corrupt,’ “he countered, “g-given that you have b-been p-poisoning my f-father.”

“This is a fine time for you to start objecting,” she spat. “Do you really want him back? Do you want him remembering, Cyril? Surely you haven’t forgotten what made him fall ill in the first place?”

“I’m n-not likely to f-forget,” Cyril said furiously. “And d-don’t think I w-won’t have to l-live with the l-look on his f-face for all eternity. B-but he would have b-been b-better off d-dead than the way you’ve k-kept him.”

Jacqueline was silent, staring off into the distance. “Yes,” she said. “Maybe it is time for that. You are growing up, Cyril, I can see it now. You have become much stronger. Maybe it is time for you to take charge, and with me behind you, we can make Ravenswalk even greater.”

“T-tell me,” Cyril asked, “what would you d-do if my father r-recovered? How would you explain m-matters? Would you explain them as you explained them to m-me? Would you t-tell him how you l-loved m-me, how you p-preferred my attentions to his?”

“What is this nonsense, Cyril? He will never wake. I promised you that. It is a moot point. I can see I have left you alone too long, and you are feeling neglected. But truly, Cyril, I could not bear being in the same vicinity as your cousin. I really could not. I had hoped by this time he would have given up on trying to restore the Close and left. Imagine my shock and dismay to find him here tonight, spreading his lies. And to bring his whore—it is beyond belief! But what I cannot understand is your presence here. Have you been keeping an eye on his activities, perhaps, playing along with him? Of course that must be it. I knew you would not betray me, my sweet one.

Cyril said nothing. He felt thoroughly sick and weary. He wanted nothing more than for Jacqueline to vanish into thin air, never to be seen again. He wouldn’t have minded vanishing himself.

“Cyril? Why are you so silent?” She put her hand out and touched his chest, her fingers moving sensually on him.

“You are a f-fool,” Cyril said, taking her hand and violently moving it away. “D-do you want p-people to s-see?”

“You are quite right. How masterful you have become. I find it most attractive in you, Cyril. Do you know, I find I have missed you. Why don’t we leave for Ravenswalk tonight? We could be together again. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“N-not p-particularly,” Cyril said. “As a m-matter of f-fact, I can think of n-nothing more d-distasteful.”

He turned abruptly and walked down the stairs into the garden, leaving her standing alone.

The minute he was out of sight, he was violently sick.

Pascal listened with rapt attention as Nicholas described the ball over breakfast the next morning, detailing for him the food, the music, the lights, the bright colors. Nicholas was amused to see that Binkley was also listening with rapt attention from his post by the sideboard, where he was taking rather longer than usual with the teapot.

“And then what happened, monsieur? Did people stand back with great admiration and watch you dancing?” Pascal’s hand still held the untouched piece of toast he had picked up five minutes before and forgotten.

“No, they were far too busy admiring themselves and each other. Those who weren’t dancing were very busy gossiping. But once the music had finished, all sorts of people were very eager to be introduced to Georgia, for they thought her very beautiful and fine.”

“But of course. And did they think you very beautiful and fine too?”

“They most certainly did not, although there didn’t seem to be any objection to my presence. Binkley, do you think I might have that tea now?’’

“Certainly, sir.” Binkley brought the pot over and poured.

“And what of Cyril?” Pascal asked. “Did he dance many dances and flirt with all the ladies?”

“Actually, I didn’t see Cyril at all, not until just before we left. He must have been playing cards.”

“Yes. He likes to play cards very much, although he does not like it when he loses. And the wicked
bellemere
of Cyril’s? What happened to her?”

“Who told you she was wicked?” Nicholas asked with exasperation.

“Cyril did. And I have heard you and madame talking, of course. She is wicked, is she not?”

“Yes, Pascal, she is. Very wicked indeed, although I do hope you have not picked up Cyril’s habit of listening in on other people’s conversations.”

“Oh, no, monsieur. But one cannot help sometimes hearing. And what became of her?”

“She left early. She discovered quite quickly that the tide of public opinion had turned against her, for she had told some nasty stories about Georgia and me that were not at all true. The
ton
is so fickle. In any case, I expect she is feeling rather cross with me this morning. As a matter of fact, I expect her to appear on the doorstep sometime today.”

“Why would she do that if she is cross with you? When I am cross with someone, I do not want to see them at all.”

“Very understandable,” Nicholas said, stirring a spoonful of sugar, an almost forgotten luxury, into his tea. “But Lady Raven is not like normal people. She likes to make trouble in any way she can. And you see, I want her to come to visit me, for I have a great many things to say to her. So I shall wait for her.’’

Pascal’s smooth brow puckered slightly. “You will be careful of her, monsieur? I think she sounds very evil, this Lady Raven.”

“I will be careful, Pascal. But I cannot let her continue to hurt people as she has been doing.”

“Yes, I understand. It is only that I do not have a good feeling.”

Nicholas smiled broadly. “I think you are overprotective of me, Pascal. I am not quite as feeble as you might think.”

“You are not feeble in the least, monsieur!” Pascal said indignantly.

“Well, I try not to be. But I should like you to stay out of the way today, for it could become slightly complicated. I think it would be nice if you and Cyril spent the afternoon riding in the park.”

“Very well, monsieur, although it is very dreary being sent away from the excitement, and I should very much like to see this wicked woman.”

“I am quite sure you would, my little man, but you will simply have to bow to my dictates on this matter. And as I don’t want Cyril anywhere near her, you can be the excuse for him to leave for a time.”

“Ah, if it is for Cyril, then naturally I will ask him to take me away. The morning grows late, monsieur, and the wicked woman might come at any time. I will go and wake Cyril now and take him out of the house.”

“Thank you, Pascal. You are most considerate.”

Pascal threw down his uneaten toast and disappeared, and Nicholas looked over at Binkley. “That child,” he said, “is quite beyond belief.”

“Indeed, sir. More tea?”

“No, thank you, Binkley. I believe I will go up and have a word with Georgia. She was so tired last night when we came home that she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. Oh, and I expect we will have quite a few visitors this afternoon, Binkley; Georgia was a great success last night. Should Lady Raven be foolish enough to appear while anyone else is here, have her shown into my study. However, I do not look for her until later.”

Binkley bowed. “May I express my delight, sir, that your campaign has been successful?”

“Let us not be premature, Binkley. My campaign will not be a success until Jacqueline de Give is out of the country, never to return. However, the situation looks favorable for such a thing. If my guess is correct, she will discover today that she is
persona non grata
among the very people whose acceptance she has so craved.”

“It wouldn’t be surprising, sir. People do not take well to being deceived.”

“So it seems. But that is the least of her troubles, and so she will discover. Would you have Florentine take up a tray to my wife, Binkley? And you might want to take a tray to Cyril. He was looking very pale and worn last night and could probably use something to eat.”

“As you say, sir.” Binkley went back into the kitchen, and Nicholas started upstairs.

Georgia woke to find Nicholas pulling back the curtains and letting the light in. She pushed herself up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Nicholas said, coming over to her and dropping a kiss on her head. “You are absolutely enchanting and I should like to take every advantage of you, but I shall have to restrain myself. The hour grows late and you have things to do.”

“What a shame,” she said, yawning and squinting at the window. “What time is it?”

“Coming up to eleven. I’ve never known you to be so lazy, woman, lying in bed till all hours, frittering away the day. There are cows to be milked, you know.”

Georgia hit him with a pillow. “I am a very fine lady now, in case you haven’t noticed. Very fine ladies not only do not milk cows, they are absolutely expected to wallow in their beds until all hours.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed and kissed her hand. “Well, see here, my fine lady. Unless you plan to entertain the
ton
from your boudoir, you had better think about rising fairly shortly. You are going to be having a busy afternoon.”

“Oh!” Georgia said with alarm. “Do you mean we must start this all over again? It seems we just went to bed.”

“I’m afraid we must. Actually, it’s all on your shoulders this afternoon. I am expected to stay well out of the way, which suits me very well indeed.”

“It makes the Close seem more inviting than ever,” Georgia said, yawning again. “I would far rather be putting my energies into gardening than entertaining a slew of curious women.”

“A slew is exactly what you can expect. Now, up, my love, for if you are not out of this bed within a minute, you shall find me in it with you, and that could seriously delay matters. Your callers await.”

He was right. There was a flood of callers that afternoon. Georgia knew they’d been motivated by curiosity more than anything else, but nevertheless she was gratified to see how readily they had decided to accept Nicholas and her. Lady Horsley had led the pack, and Georgia could see how very wise George and Marguerite had been in their decision to appeal to Lady Horsley’s sense of justice. Once convinced of their innocence, she had spared no effort to bring other people of influence over to her side. And she had indeed gone after people of influence. Lady Sefton, Lady Cowper, and even Princess Esterhazy had been persuaded that Jacqueline had grossly misbehaved, and they had descended upon Number Two, Upper Brook Street in tandem and pronounced themselves satisfied that a terrible injustice had been done. Lady Jersey, not to be outdone, arrived shortly after.

It was all Georgia could do not to laugh. She felt not unlike an animal in a zoo. She knew well enough that this afternoon parade had more to do with a dislike of Jacqueline than it did with any admirable qualities on her part, but she was truly amazed at how quickly the story had spread. People must have been up and running about very early in the morning, for they seemed to know an uncanny amount about it all. And on one thing they agreed universally: Jacqueline had deliberately set out to destroy Nicholas’ reputation.

Lady Horsley contended that Jacqueline had also deliberately set out to destroy her sister and Charles Cameron, and took great pleasure in the telling of that story.

Lady Sefton decided that Jacqueline must have known that Georgia was her niece and had done everything in tier power to see that Georgia suffered ostracism.

Mrs. Drummond Burrell, sniffing, announced that Jacqueline would most certainly never be allowed inside the doors of Almack’s again, and that she would be the first to offer Georgia and Nicholas vouchers. She also hailed Marguerite as a heroine for having had the courage to present Nicholas and Georgia at her own ball and the moral fortitude to denounce her own sister.

Marguerite had also been busy, for the story of Nicholas’ heroism during the shipwreck had spread. He would be most annoyed, Georgia knew, but it only enhanced his good character in the eyes of society and so it was all for the best, one more piece of ammunition against Jacqueline.

By the afternoon’s end it had become clear that it was Jacqueline’s reputation that was in shreds. It almost teemed to Georgia as if people had been waiting for an excuse to turn their backs on Jacqueline, and she wasn’t particularly surprised. Maybe the
ton
had better taste than he’d thought, although she could easily have done without some of their stuffiness. It made her even more thankful for Nicholas’ easy manner.

She saw the last of the callers out, than wandered over to the window, looking out onto the street. London. How different it seemed to her now. Here she was standing in her very own drawing room, having just received a good portion of the aristocracy. Last night she had been to her first ball, had curtsied and danced and conversed as if she’d been doing it all of her life. At her side had been her husband, not only a magnificent figure of a man but also kind of heart and keen of wit, with a sense of humor to match.

Baggie flashed into her mind. She saw him lumbering into the kitchen, throwing himself down onto a chair and demanding his supper, wiping his greasy mouth on his sleeve when he had finished his meal. And then she saw him lumbering off again, this time to the tavern to play dice and drink himself half-senseless. She shuddered. That life sometimes seemed more real than the life she was living now. There were still times that she thought she might be dreaming and would wake up to find herself back there, if not in Baggie’s kitchen, then in her turret at Ravenswalk.

“Georgia? Love? What are you dreaming about?”

She started, and turned around. Nicholas stood inside the door with a quizzical smile on his face. “Are you feeling pleased with yourself? Binkley is over the moon. I think he feels his life is back on course. He can now finally hold his head high and be proud of his charges.”

“I can well imagine. Funny how we work so hard to please Binkley, isn’t it, Nicholas?”

“But he deserves our every effort. Just think of the sacrifices he has made in the name of love, Georgia.”

“Do you know, I felt his watchful eye on me all of the afternoon as he came in and out. I think I managed most of it correctly, though, for he never once cleared his throat.”

Nicholas gave a short laugh. “A sure sign. So. What were you thinking when I came in? You seemed very far away.’’

“I was thinking that the very same blood thrums in my veins as always has. It is only society’s opinion of it that has changed.”

“Hmm. I suppose that is true enough. But my opinion of your blood remains exactly the same as it has always been. It is very, very red. And I should know.”

“Nicholas,” Georgia said, laughing. “You have never seen a single drop of my blood. Not one!”

“That is what you think,” he said. “What about the time that you jabbed your thumb with a needle when you were talking about the vicarage?”

“Oh, yes. Then.”

“You see? And you think to doubt me.” He took her in his arms. “All teasing aside, I am very proud of you. I know it has not been an easy time, but you have come through beautifully. I must confess, I never thought I would be married to a darling of society.”

“I am no darling of society. I am merely the latest
ondit
and a convenient way for some of these tabbies to get their own back on Jacqueline, who I suspect has needled them for years.”

“Likely as not. God, it was satisfying seeing her face last night when she realized that she had made a few serious miscalculations. Today the full implications of the matter must be sinking in. I wonder what she is doing now.’’

“Walking up the front steps, by the look of it,” Georgia said softly.

“Is she, by God? It took her long enough. I don’t know that you want to stay for this, sweetheart, although you have every right.”

“I think it is best if you handle her, Nicholas. I would only serve to distract.”

“Yes, you are probably right,” he said. “Better to give her only one target.”

“Be careful, Nicholas,” Georgia said, suddenly feeling anxious.

“Don’t worry, my love. I have promised Pascal the same thing, for he seemed to think she might take me down with her. But she will not. This shouldn’t take very long.”

The door to the drawing room opened, and Binkley appeared. “Lady Raven requests an audience, sir. Shall I show her in?”

“If you please, Binkley,” Nicholas said in a very haughty voice, and Georgia had to smile.

“Good luck,” she whispered, then kissed him and went out the door.

Jacqueline was standing in the hall, looking around her with a degree of incredulity, and Georgia gave her a brief glance. “Good afternoon, Lady Raven,” she said, then started up the stairs.