Princess Charming (12 page)

“Good day to you, my lord,” she said politely, looking up at Beaufort. “Thank you for the pleasant ride.”

Maura was glad that he seemed to accept his dismissal for now, although not happy with his promise of future conversation. “I will call on you tomorrow morning, Miss Collyer, if that is agreeable. We can discuss a new plan while we ride.”

“Yes,” she murmured, “that is quite agreeable.”

He surveyed her for a long moment, as if distrustful of her amiability. Finally he tipped his hat to her and turned his bay gelding down the street.

Maura breathed a sigh of relief as the marquis rode away. She would be very pleased to see the last of him, for her own self-preservation.

She handed her mount over to the footman, to be returned to the nearby livery stable where the Collyer horses and vehicles were kept. Additionally, she asked to have her gig delivered at one o’clock that afternoon. “And please make certain that it is drawn by my chestnut, Fripon. The livery will know which horse I mean.”

“Very good, Miss Collyer,” the footman replied. “Also, Mrs. Collyer bade me tell you that she wishes to speak to you as soon as you returned.”

“Thank you, John.”

Maura ran up the steps, thinking ahead. She had a great deal to accomplish if she hoped to pull off her plan, yet for the first time in days, she felt almost calm because she knew exactly what she had to do.

First, however, she would have to face her stepmother, who would surely ring a peal over her head upon hearing the news of her public brawl.

Not surprisingly, Priscilla was alone in her favorite parlor, an elegant room done in shades of rose and cream that complimented her ivory complexion, raven hair, and blue eyes. Pris looked up from her needlework when Maura entered, and as expected, her beautiful features tightened with disapproval, confirming that the ton’s network of gossips had already struck.

“How
could
you, Maura?” she demanded at once. “I have had two reports from friends in the space of an hour. It is bad enough that your father left us mired in scandal. You have to go and make it even worse by humiliating a peer of the realm before all of London.”

Maura pressed her lips together at the unfair charge against her father. It was a huge point of contention between them. She believed utterly in her father’s innocence, but her stepmother seemed to have doubts. Certainly she had never refuted Deering’s false accusations with any vehemence, as Maura had. It was almost as if she blamed Papa for leaving her to deal with the disgrace. And now, even worse, she was taking his accuser’s side.

“Your outrageous behavior is shaming us all,” Pris continued scolding. “And honestly, can you not see that making an enemy of Lord Deering will only hurt your stepsisters? But I suppose you don’t care about Hannah and Lucy one whit.”

“Of course I care about them,” Maura said stiffly.

“Well, it will surely be your fault if they fail to make decent matches.”

Maura bit her tongue to hold back her retort, not wanting to say something she would regret.

Priscilla had no such qualms, however. “You are living under my roof. You at least owe me the courtesy of restraining your hellion ways while you are here.”

“You are right, Priscilla,” Maura agreed with effort, refraining from pointing out that this house used to be
her
roof before Pris had worked her wiles on Noah Collyer. “But you needn’t fear that I will disgrace you again in the immediate future. I am returning home to Suffolk this very afternoon.”

Her announcement clearly caught Pris by surprise.

“You are leaving London?”

“Yes, I would not want to inconvenience you any longer,” murmured Maura, unable to repress an edge of sarcasm in her voice. “I only came to London to try and retrieve my horse, and that has proved impossible.”

Priscilla lowered her gaze, looking almost contrite. She understood perfectly well that she had wronged Maura by delivering Emperor to the viscount for so many pieces of gold. “I am sorry you lost your pet, my dear,” she said in a softer tone, “but I had no other choice if I hoped to provide Seasons for my daughters to improve their chances of marrying.”

It was an apology of sorts, one that Priscilla had offered several times before, but Maura was unwilling to accept that excuse.

“As I
told
you,” she rejoined, “if you had only waited three months, I could have sold the spring foals to raise the funds you needed.”

“But I could
not
wait,” Priscilla argued. “Too much time has already been wasted waiting for our period of mourning to be over. It will be difficult enough to find husbands for Hannah and Lucy when they are still young, and the case will be hopeless once they reach spinsterhood as you have. And surely even you can see Lord Deering’s patronage is
vital
to their acceptance by the ton. Without his support, their matrimonial prospects are doomed.”

“No, I do not see that at all.”

Refusing to be drawn further into the familiar, futile dispute, Maura spun on her heel and left the parlor
without another word. She went straight up to her bedchamber to pack, her emotions simmering.

She was aware that losing her beloved horse had dredged up old childhood resentments against Priscilla for taking away her father and sending her away from home. But just then Maura couldn’t repress the painful reminders.

A half hour later, however, when her stepsisters burst into her room, she had to clamp down on her memories while trying to console them, for they were visibly upset at hearing the news of her impending departure.

“Mama says you are leaving, Maura. Please, won’t you stay?” Hannah begged. “How are we to manage without you?”

“I wish I could remain for your sakes,” she answered honestly before shading the truth with her next comment. “Gandy needs me at home, with so many foals and yearlings to care for. And there is no point in my remaining in London any longer. Emperor is lost to me.”

“It is so unfair that Mama sold Emperor,” Hannah said sadly.

“Yes,” Lucy seconded her elder sister. “We wish we could help you get him back.”

“You know we would do anything for you, Maura,” Hannah added. “You have always been so good to us.”

Maura was touched by their offer of help. The girls had attended the same academy for young ladies that she had, although not until a year after she had left. But she’d visited them regularly and sent them frequent packages from home to make their lives more bearable. She had also encouraged them to make
friends. She hadn’t wanted them to suffer the loneliness that she had known before she’d found Katharine and Skye to share her sorrows and hopes and dreams with.

“But what about Lord Beaufort?” Lucy asked unexpectedly.

Maura looked up from the valise she was packing. “What about him?”

“He seems very interested in courting you.”

She felt a blush stain her cheeks. “You are mistaken, Lucy. He only called this morning because Katharine thought he could advise me on how to deal with Viscount Deering. But I fear I sabotaged any hope when I lost my temper in the park this morning. Now, if you don’t mind, my dears, I need to pack my belongings and write several notes of farewell before I can leave.…”

At her strong hint, Hannah and Lucy hugged her earnestly and then trailed out of her bedchamber wearing long faces.

Maura resumed her packing in solitude, but found her thoughts dwelling much too intently on Lord Beaufort and her deplorable weakness for him. She was exceedingly glad to be leaving London just now. If she remained, she would very likely surrender to his wicked allure. She had never met a more irresistible man, Maura admitted. His sensual charm, the laughter in his eyes, his heart-stealing smile, his boldness, his wit, all worked to devastate her defenses.

Which was the height of foolishness.

She knew better than to let herself be dazed by someone’s charm and good looks. Her father had been seduced by a pretty face—Priscilla’s—so Maura was
doubly determined she would never fall into that particular trap. The fact that Noah Collyer had seemed content in his second marriage did not excuse Priscilla’s actions either.

Trying to dismiss both her stepmother and the marquis from her mind, Maura spent the rest of the morning carefully preparing, then went to the kitchens to gather supplies and fill a pair of saddlebags.

Her last order of business was to compose a farewell note for Katharine. She wanted to express her thanks and also to return the exquisite ball gown she had borrowed. However, Maura decided, she would wait until the next morning to have both the note and gown delivered. She knew better than to face Katharine directly, for she would have to lie about her intentions, and her bosom friend always knew when she was prevaricating.

This was a secret she couldn’t share with anyone, though. And she had to act entirely alone, for what she was planning could be a hanging offense.

Maura was particularly glad that Gandy was safely in Suffolk, so he could deny all knowledge of her scheme. Gandy had helped her devise a contingency plan for rescuing Emperor and they had worked out every minute detail, but she didn’t want him implicated in any way.

Finally, Maura dressed carefully in a dark traveling gown and warm woolen cloak. When one o’clock arrived, she descended the stairs with her valise and saddlebags.

Hannah and Lucy were waiting for her at the front door with embraces and kisses, although, thankfully, there was no sign of their mother. Maura promised
faithfully that she would write to the girls, and then went outside.

Her one-horse gig had been delivered by the livery stables as requested, and was harnessed to Fripon, a stocky, rather ugly chestnut gelding who happened to be Emperor’s favorite equine companion. Maura had driven Frip to London two weeks ago for this very purpose in the event her cause became desperate.

She greeted the horse fondly, then put her valise and saddlebags on the gig’s floorboard rather than handing them over to John, since she didn’t want him opening the vehicle’s boot and finding all the odd items stored there.

A leather trunk had also been strapped to the boot, Maura saw with satisfaction. She dismissed John and the livery groom and was just about to climb into the gig’s seat when she heard the sound of carriage wheels.

To Maura’s dismay, Katharine drove up in her dashing phaeton and pair, her young tiger perched behind.

Maura pasted a smile on her face, even though she was cursing at her ill luck. Two minutes more and she would have made her escape. Even though she had wanted witnesses to see her leave for home in Suffolk, she knew that Katharine would be much too hard to fool.

With an inward sigh, Maura waited as her friend halted the phaeton expertly. Leaving the young lad in charge of her pair of grays, Katharine climbed down and made her way over to the gig.

“I heard about what happened in the park, Maura,” she said in explanation, “and I was worried for you. You do mean to let my brother help you, do you not? You cannot handle the viscount all on your own.”

“I know,” Maura replied evenly.

“So what do you mean to do now?”

“I will think of something. For now, however, I am going home.”

Katharine’s raised eyebrows expressed astonishment and skepticism both. “Surely you cannot be serious. You cannot give in to that odious bully.”

“I am not giving in. I am merely retreating to fight another day.”

Kate’s green eyes narrowed. “Why don’t I believe you?”

Maura tried to keep her expression neutral, but evidently her pretense didn’t work.

“Maura Collyer,” Katharine said in a warning tone. “You are plotting something, aren’t you?”

“Whyever would you think that?”

“Because I know you too well.” Just then Katharine’s penetrating gaze swept Maura’s traveling attire. “What is this? You were sneaking out of town without even saying good-bye?”

“I said good-bye in a note to you—and I arranged to have your ball gown returned to you also.”

“I don’t give a fig about the dratted gown! I care about what happens to you.” When Maura remained silent, Kate frowned. “I never thought you would keep secrets from me, of all people,” she added in an attempt to shame Maura into confessing. “I won’t tell anyone, not even Ash. You know I am utterly loyal to you.”

“Of course you are.”

Kate gave a huff of exasperation. “You could at least let me in on the excitement.”

In spite of herself, Maura smiled. Leave it to Katharine to make an adventure out of a dire predicament.

“I appreciate your concern,” she said firmly, “but you need to let me deal with this problem in my own way.”

Oddly enough, Katharine didn’t press her further. “Oh very well. You handle Deering however you wish. But you cannot leave town just now. You will ruin all my plans.”

It was Maura’s turn to look suspicious. “What plans?”

“I wasn’t going to tell you yet, but you leave me no choice. Do you recall that my Uncle Cornelius is a scholar of classic literature? Well, I have developed a theory based on his expert knowledge.…”

A confusing minute of explanation ensued regarding Lord Cornelius Wilde’s understanding of famous lovers in history. Impatient to get away, Maura heeded with only half an ear, not really caring how similar her family circumstances were to Charles Perrault’s French fairy tale of Cinderella written more than a century ago … at least not until Katharine concluded with, “So you see, Ashton could be your prince.”

Maura blinked. “I beg your pardon? You know that I believe in solving my own problems. I don’t need to rely on a prince to save me.”

“Of course you don’t. But that is not my point. What I meant was, Ash could be your legendary lover.”

She stared in disbelief. “Have you gone completely daft?”

Katharine smiled. “No, I am in full possession of all my faculties. You can scoff all you like, Maura, but there could be merit to my theory.”

“I very much doubt that!” Grimacing, she shook her head. “And merit or not, it is mortifying that you
are trying to push me on your brother. I want nothing to do with your matchmaking.”

Turning away, she climbed into her gig and took up the reins.