Secret Heiress (14 page)

“Giles!” she shrieked. “What are you doing here? Does Mama know where I am? How did you find me?”

“Wait a minute!” said Giles, laughing. “I can only answer one question at a time.”

“I must tell you, Giles,” Arabella said seriously, “that I shall not return to London. I intend to find a position as a governess. I was on my way when Caroline—Miss Chessington—persuaded me to come here for a few days. I shall not marry Lord Warriner!” Her voice rose.

Exchanging a glance with Caroline, Giles interrupted her. “I believe we should return to London, but in the meanwhile, if you will permit me a word, I have other news for you which I am certain will please you. Miss Chessington has yet another guest, who arrived with me last night.” Taking slight liberties with the truth, he added, “I tried to dissuade Mr. Tarkington, but he insisted on accompanying me. What do you say to that?”

Arabella squealed with delight. “Jeremy? Here? Where is he? When may I see him?”

Caroline laughed. “He seems to be still abed,” she said dryly. “But I am certain he will arise soon enough. And now, Mr. Kendal, you were telling us your plan.”

“As I started to say, we shall return to London immediately, for the sooner this is settled, the better. When we get to London I shall speak to your parents, Arabella, and to Lord Warriner, if that is necessary. I fancy there may be some slight difficulty, but I do not think either your parents or his lordship will press the issue. I am tolerably certain of that. For your part, let us have no more foolish talk of governesses, Arabella. I can imagine no one less suited for such a role! And now, if you will excuse me, Miss Chessington, it is time to waken Tarkington and begin to make preparations for our journey.”

“Will you not have some breakfast first?” asked Caroline, hoping to avoid a retort from Arabella, who was looking mulish.

“Thank you, yes, although I do not wish to delay, as I know the Chedworths are very worried, despite your letter.”

“I should like to speak to you before you leave,” said Caroline. “Will you see me in the library before you go?”

Giles bowed. “Of course, Miss Chessington, I shall. But I must remind you that I have a long journey ahead.”

“It will not take long,” said Caroline.

“I will see you shortly,” said Giles. He bowed again and left the room to awaken Jeremy.

“I am so happy!” said Arabella, pirouetting about the room. “I did not really wish to be a governess, even though Giles was mean to say that I wouldn't be a good one! Now I can hardly wait for Jeremy to awaken!” She stopped and looked at Caroline. “What have you to say to Giles?” she asked curiously.

“I have some commissions I wish him to execute for me in London,” she said. “Do have some more to eat, Arabella, whilst you wait for Mr. Tarkington. If you will excuse me, I have some matters to attend to in the library.”

After breakfast, Giles joined Caroline in the library.

“How may I be of service, Miss Chessington?” he asked.

“I would like to explain to you why I did not reveal my true situation to you or to anyone else,” said Caroline.

“That is not necessary,” said Giles. “Your personal life is your own concern.”

“But it is important to me that I tell you,” said Caroline. “Why must you be so stubborn?”

“I believe I am not alone in that trait,” said Giles. “Pray continue, Miss Chessington.”

“When I came to London, I had just refused another offer for my hand—”

“How boring that can be!” said Giles.

“Will you listen to me?” asked Caroline. “Another offer for my hand . . . and my fortune. I had received many offers, but none came from the heart. I was tired of being desired for my fortune alone, and so I decided to go to London as a mere ‘Miss Chessington,' a provincial nobody of modest means. I did want to see London, and I wanted to see if there existed a man who could love me for myself.”

“And so you found Adrian Bradford instead,” said Giles sarcastically, “who turned out to be no better than a common blackmailer. How could you have succumbed to his threats and given him money? If you had not stopped me, I would have thrashed him and sent him packing!”

“I can see, Mr. Kendal, that you are not truly interested in what I have to say,” said Caroline, her color rising. “You have decided to judge me on appearances, without consideration of the circumstances. It is a pity that you have not returned to diplomatic service. I fear that your long absence from diplomacy has robbed you of the ability to think rationally and speak tactfully.”

“Have you quite finished, Miss Chessington?” asked Giles. He was very angry, the more so because he realized that he was in the wrong in not listening to Caroline's story. Matters between them, however, had gotten out of hand. It seemed that whatever he said sounded ungracious or petty, and yet he could not seem to make his words reflect his feelings, which had become clearer to him when he realized how distressed it had made him to find Bradford at Brampton.

“I have finished,” said Caroline. “There is nothing more for me to say on this matter. I should like to turn to your plans for Arabella's return to London. She can scarcely be expected to travel back to London today after her arrival late yesterday. And she should not travel alone with you and Mr. Tarkington. Appearances aside, I strongly doubt whether either of you has the ability to keep her calm. Arabella is too high-strung to be without a suitable traveling companion and chaperone. I believe that we should return together. I am willing to accompany the party. It is true that it will delay the return to London, but I think it will be for the best.” She did not admit to him, as she was forced to admit to herself, that she did not want him to leave, perhaps for the last time.

“Perhaps you are right,” said Giles. He realized with a pang that he did not want to part from Caroline Chessington while things were still so disagreeable between them.

“And Mr. Kendal,” said Caroline.

“Yes, Miss Chessington?”

“It will be a long and difficult journey back to London. I trust that we can both be depended upon to set an example for our charges. Our personal feelings should not be permitted to intrude on our responsibilities.”

“I quite agree,” said Giles, nettled again. “There is no reason for our personal difficulties to affect the discharge of our duties. Your opinion of me to the contrary, my professional training has indeed prepared me to carry on regardless of the unfortunate circumstances.”

“Are you regarding me as an unfortunate circumstance?” asked Caroline, her eyes flashing.

“Certainly not,” said Giles. “It is the necessity of my continued involvement with you which is the unfortunate circumstance. And now if you will excuse me, Miss Chessington . . .” He turned and left the room, the door receiving an unnecessarily hard pull as it closed behind him.

“Again!” said Caroline through gritted teeth. “Again that insufferable man has had the last word!”

The journey to London was not a happy one. Arabella would not enter a carriage without Jeremy by her side, so Caroline, in her role as chaperone, found herself crowded into a carriage with a silly widgeon who wavered between despair and joy, and a foolish halfling who bravely offered to call Lord Warriner out if that gentleman approached his beloved. It was trying enough to cause Caroline to wish she were in Giles Kendal's carriage, but as the thought of Giles was quickly accompanied by similarly unsettling feelings, she brushed aside such thoughts and applied herself to controlling her companions.

They stopped for meals and lodging at inns along the road. At each stop Giles reserved a private parlor and the best rooms for their use. He was feeling considerably ashamed of himself for his outburst at Brampton. He bitterly regretted that he, a trained diplomat, had succumbed to such pettiness. It was, he reflected moodily, time he returned to Vienna. In retrospect, it was evident that Caroline Chessington had only been trying to help; that, in fact, she had very probably averted a scandal. But he found it difficult to speak to her, to tell her how he felt, for she refused to leave Arabella and Jeremy alone and her reserved demeanor and coolness when he spoke to her did not make him feel that she had forgiven him.

Before leaving Brampton, he and Caroline had agreed to stop in Woburn Square and leave the two lovers under her chaperonage while Giles went to see the Chedworths. For Caroline it was an awkward entry into London. She had left under uncomfortable circumstances and was not looking forward to explaining that situation to Aurelia. And then there was Giles Kendal to deal with. She had avoided him so successfully on the journey to London that it was possible that she had discouraged any further attempts to renew their friendship. Now, removed by time and distance from their quarrel, she was not at all certain that she wished Giles Kendal out of her life.

It was true that he had made her very angry, but now that her good temper was restored she reflected on how solicitous of her comfort he had been on the journey, reserving private parlors and ordering special meals. It had not been easy, finding suitable accommodations on short notice for such a party, and much persuasion had been required, as well as money changing hands. Caroline had noticed at their last stop that Giles looked drawn and tired; for someone still not completely restored to health he had overexerted himself—perhaps even risked permanent harm—to save Arabella Chedworth's reputation. Then she shook off these thoughts. As things stood between them, it was foolish to think of Giles Kendal any more than she had to.

It was a surprised Briggs who answered the door and greeted the returning party in Woburn Square, but he quickly regained his aplomb.

“Welcome home, Miss Chessington,” he said, helping her out of the carriage.

“Thank you, Briggs,” she replied. “I realize this is most sudden and I am afraid I have caught the staff unawares.”

“The staff, Miss Chessington,” said Briggs with dignity, “is always prepared. Miss Peakirk is still in residence.”

“Of course,” said Caroline. “And is she at home now?”

“Miss Peakirk has gone out,” said Briggs.

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. “Then please show Miss Chedworth and Mr. Tarkington into the morning room,” she said.

“Very good, miss,” said Briggs. “And I shall have a light repast sent in.”

“Thank you, Briggs.” She turned to Arabella, who was looking frightened.

“Do go with Briggs,” she said. “I shall be in presently and he will make you comfortable.”

Arabella followed, but Jeremy lingered behind.

“I believe . . . that is, it is my duty . . .” he began, but Caroline interrupted him.

“Mr. Tarkington, I must entrust to you the care of Miss Chedworth. She is very apprehensive and I am relying on you to reassure her. We do not wish her to work herself into a hysteria. Do go to her.”

Thus appealed to, Jeremy followed Arabella inside. Just then Giles's carriage, which had been behind them, pulled up in front of the house. Caroline waited to greet him.

“Welcome to Woburn Square,” said Caroline as he descended from the carriage.

“Are you pleased to be back in London, Miss Chessington?” he asked.

“My return here, Mr. Kendal, was purely a matter of necessity. I shall not remain longer than is required.”

“I trust this matter shall be resolved shortly,” said Giles. “I stopped here to tell you that it is my intention to go to the Chedworths' immediately. The sooner this affair is at an end, the sooner I can make plans for my return to Vienna.”

“Will you be returning soon?” asked Caroline.

“As soon as the doctor says I may,” said Giles. “After traveling the length of the country, a mere trip to Vienna should not be too arduous.”

“I think I should be going inside,” said Caroline, her voice carefully expressionless. “I must see to my guests.”

“I shall return as soon as I can,” said Giles. He bowed, and as their eyes met, he said simply, “Good day, Miss Chessington!”

“Good day, Mr. Kendal,” said Caroline. She turned and went inside.

Briggs had set out a lovely meal, to which Jeremy was doing justice. Love, thought Caroline wryly, had not affected his stomach. Arabella, however, was picking at her food. She constantly shifted her gaze to the door as if she expected her papa to walk in at any moment.

Caroline was entreating Arabella to try some cold meat when the door opened and Aurelia burst in. She gave a little shriek when she saw Caroline.

“When Briggs told me you were here, Caroline, I could scarcely credit it! I thought you were at Brampton! How come you to be here again? Caroline, you cannot mean to continue in this helter-skelter manner. It is not at all the thing. I declare, I am nearly distracted!” She pulled out her vinaigrette.

“Dear Aurelia,” said Caroline. “I know you have sustained a shock. Pray come with me so that I may explain to you what has happened.” She was eager to remove Aurelia before she noticed Arabella and Jeremy and before her heedless remarks could set Arabella off again. Caroline put her arm around Aurelia and led her into the library. Briggs, who had been lingering near the door, followed with two glasses of ratafia and exited wordlessly.

“Now Aurelia,” said Caroline, firmly sitting her down and handing her a glass. “Let me explain.”

“Oh, Caroline,” said Aurelia, dabbing at her eyes. “I do not understand what is happening. Things used to be so comfortable. You never used to do such unexpected things. Leaving town suddenly, with no explanation . . . and then reappearing, just as I was preparing to leave for Brampton. Oh, I begin to wish we had never come to London!”

Caroline forbore reminding Aurelia that she had always urged Caroline to visit London and had been delighted when she'd learned of the planned trip.

“And why is Arabella Chedworth here?” Aurelia asked querulously. “How came she to be in your company? And who is that gentleman?”

“Arabella is with me while Giles Kendal speaks to her parents,” said Caroline.

“Giles Kendal!” exclaimed Aurelia. “I do not understand what he has to do with this. Do tell me that there will not be a terrible scandal and that we will not be mined! We must return to Brampton and stay there. Perhaps all will be forgotten before I die!”

“Pray calm yourself, Aurelia,” said Caroline with a laugh. “You take too dismal a view of the situation. There will be no scandal. Mr. Kendal will explain to the Chedworths why Arabella does not wish to marry Lord Warriner. I have no doubt that they will accede. Mr. Kendal will see to that! The betrothal will be terminated—not such a rare occurrence, you know!—and all will be forgotten as soon as something more interesting occurs.”

“I do not understand you, Caroline,” said Aurelia weakly. “First you reject Adrian Bradford, who was such a gentleman. Then you leave London and return with Giles Kendal! Perhaps,” she said, her eyes brightening, “you are going to marry him?”

“Certainly not,” said Caroline sharply. “I do not intend to marry Giles Kendal and I am certain he does not intend to marry me.”

“Oh, dear,” said Aurelia, dabbing at her eyes, “it would be such a good thing if you did. Then you would not go pelting about the country.”

“No,” said Caroline, laughing. “I would be in Vienna, so I could scarcely pelt about the country. But I would be far from Brampton and you, and I should not like that.” She kissed her cousin. “No, I should not like that at all.”