The Accidental Marriage (23 page)

Julia shook her head. ‘I believe it’s the doing of Mrs Webber, but I cannot understand why she is so persistent. Frau Gunter may have instigated the gossip in Vienna, to punish me for arguing with her. She said I would regret it. But that fails to explain why Mrs Webber is so vindictive towards me still. From what I have heard, and from what a few people we knew in Vienna have told me, she is spreading rumours that I trapped you into marriage.’

‘It must be more than that,’ Sir Carey said.

Julia hesitated. ‘She may have resented not being permitted to share the parlour, where - where you told her we were betrothed,’ she said slowly. She hadn’t wanted to appear to blame him, but they had to consider all possibilities.

‘That’s a poor reason. There must be something else. Leave it to me, Julia. I have an idea, and need to make some enquiries. But I will stop her tongue one way or another.’

‘Maybe the only way is to cut it out! Thank you. I confess she makes me uncomfortable, when I should be revelling in the Season, and enjoying all the new clothes and other gifts you are lavishing on me.’

‘You deserve them, for you are making my life more comfortable than it has been for years. Look at the new curtains you have had made in this house. It looks better than ever before. I will deal with Mrs Webber.’

* * * *

It took Sir Carey two days and numerous enquiries of friends, and a visit to an insalubrious office in the City before he acquired the information he needed. When he did, he gave a satisfied nod and set off for the house the Webbers had hired in Mount Street.

‘Is Mr Webber at home?’ he asked the footman who answered his knock on the door.

‘He’s at White’s, I believe,’ the footman replied.

‘Thank you.’

Sir Carey was thoughtful as he walked towards St James’s Street. It was fortunate he would be able to confront Mr Webber on neutral territory. He hadn’t relished the possibility of a shrill Mrs Webber joining in what would be a difficult encounter.

He found Mr Webber ensconced in one of the deep armchairs in the club reading a copy of
The Times
. Fortunately no one else was in earshot, so Sir Carey dropped into a chair facing, and called for a bottle of claret.

‘Join me, sir?’ he asked.

Mr Webber nodded cautiously and lowered the newspaper. ‘Thank you, Evelegh.’

When they both had full glasses Sir Carey leant forward. ‘Mr Webber, this is a delicate matter. It has come to my attention that your wife is making slanderous allegations about mine. I ask you to control her, and do what you can to refute these slanders. Or Mrs Webber will regret it, and lose what credit she has with the
ton.
I know she craves acceptance, but I have high connections. I can make life exceedingly difficult for her.’

‘I don’t know what you mean! My wife isn’t slandering anyone!’

‘You are blustering, sir. You know full well the malicious gossip she is spreading, and I believe I know the reason. Her brother John was at a house party near York at Christmas, was he not? He is an intimate of my own cousin, Daniel Fitzhugh, who was also there, and who has his own reasons for preventing my marriage. Between them they induced Angelica Philpot to break off her engagement to me, and accept a proposal from John. He’s a plausible rogue, but he has no income apart from a hundred pounds a year, and I hear he loses much of that in gambling debts. He’s being pursued by the moneylenders. To him Angelica’s portion would seem a fortune, and she was ripe for the picking. I thought at first she had been tempted by a title greater than mine, but now I know better. Then she changed her mind, and he wanted revenge, but if he targeted her it would be obvious why, even though they have kept the news of that brief engagement quiet. So he blames me, and my wife. It is hardly logical, but then his debts are such I doubt he sleeps much at night, and his wits have gone begging. He and his sister, who began a campaign of slander while she was in Vienna, for a different reason at first, are trying to hurt Julia. I will not have it, sir. If you cannot control your wife, be assured I will bring a suit for slander against her. That will hardly improve her standing.’

Mr Webber had reddened during this speech, and for a full minute he did not reply.

‘You must know how difficult it is to control a woman’s tongue,’ he said at last. ‘I assure you, I have no hand in it, and it embarrasses me. But what can I do?’

‘Take her home. Tell her that if she will not go she will soon be in court. And her precious brother might find himself there too. Or in the Fleet. I could buy some of his debts, and have no illusions, sir, I would use them.’

* * * *

Julia was visiting Fanny when Elizabeth came up to say Frederick was asking to see his wife.

‘Don’t go, Julia,’ Fanny said in panic. She did not relish the prospect of seeing Frederick alone.

‘You cannot talk to him properly with me here,’ Julia said gently. ‘Fanny, be firm. He’s showing contrition by sending you all these flowers.’

Fanny looked round the room and giggled. ‘It does look rather like a florist’s shop, doesn’t it?’

Elizabeth laughed. ‘Your husband seems unusually anxious to see you, Fanny. We’ve denied him for a few days, but I think it’s time you listened to what he has to say.’

Fanny sighed. ‘I suppose I must. But I’m afraid I’ll give in if he’s as conciliatory and apologetic as his letters have been.’

‘Say you’ll consider and reply in a few days,’ Julia advised. ‘I’ll go. I have to purchase a mask for the masquerade we attend tonight.’

Elizabeth left too, and a few minutes later Frederick entered the room.

‘You look pretty today,’ he said, and Fanny felt herself blush with pleasure. It had been a long time since Frederick had paid her compliments. ‘They said you’d been ill. Not the child, I trust?’

‘Do you care only for the child?’ Fanny asked, her initial pleasure at seeing him in this mood diminished.

‘Of course not. Fanny, let us stop this fencing. I know you’ll come back to me in the end, so why not admit it?’

‘I am not so sure, Frederick. I need some guarantees, that you will treat me always with consideration. You made me look very stupid in Vienna, while you were chasing that trollop.’

‘I know, and I’m sorry. I was bewitched, but I promise it will not happen again. I’d grown used to you, Fanny, I took you for granted. It will not happen again, I swear. I want you and the children back at home with me.’

Fanny looked hard at him, and saw he meant it. She was tempted to throw herself into his arms and tell him there was nothing she wanted more, but the words of Julia and Elizabeth stopped her.

‘I will consider,’ she said. ‘But I cannot yet travel, Sir William insists I do no more than walk about these rooms until the child is born.’

‘If I hired a house nearby, could you be moved there? We can stay in London as long as necessary. When will the child be born?’

‘Not until October. I don’t want to stay in London during the summer, but Elizabeth says they will remain until Napoleon is dealt with, and I would be welcome to stay here afterwards, should they go to the country before October.’

‘You would be better in your own house, with your own servants. Mr Pryce told me his coachman and your maid will be here in a few days. They sent a message from Brussels.’

‘Maggie? Here? That’s good news,’ Fanny said.

‘So you could be perfectly comfortable in our own house. The girl will do anything for you.’

‘I’ll consider it,’ Fanny repeated. ‘But London is crowded, Julia tells me. People are waiting for news of Napoleon. There may not be houses available.’

‘If you’ll forgive me, I’ll find one somehow.’

* * * *

Some days before, Julia had confessed she had never attended a masquerade during her one London Season. ‘It was not considered proper,’ she said, laughing.

‘Then we will go to one.’

Sir Carey had hired a box, and for a while Julia was content to sit and watch the masked dancers in their dominoes. She thought she recognized a few people, but it was difficult to be sure. Then they danced, and Julia basked in his full attention. Here there was no need for Sir Carey to observe the conventions and ask other girls to dance. He had ordered a supper in their box, and Julia was sipping at champagne when something about one of the dancers made her look closely.

‘Carey,’ she exclaimed, unaware that for he first time she had omitted his title. ‘Look at the girl in the pale pink domino. I’m convinced it’s Caroline!’

‘Caroline? How can you be sure?’

‘When I taught her to waltz, she would sway about like that. Very few women do, They move their upper bodies, but they don’t usually swing their - their lower bodies - about with quite so much abandon!’ Julia said, blushing.

At that moment a young man, somewhat the worse for drink, touched the girl they were watching on the shoulder. Laughing, her partner gave her up, and she moved away, held more tightly than was seemly in the other man’s arms.

‘Stay here, I will deal with this,’ Sir Carey said, his voice grim.

He vaulted over the low wall which bordered the box, and marched across the dance floor to intercept the pair, who were now almost galloping round the room rather than performing the waltz.

The man objected vociferously to Sir Carey’s attempts to halt them, until the girl broke away from him and ran across the ballroom. She was heading in Julia’s direction, and Julia moved swiftly to intercept her.

She grasped the girl’s arm, and Caroline, for it was she, gasped in fright.

‘Come with me,’ Julia said, and almost dragged Caroline back to their box. By this time Sir Carey, having dismissed the erstwhile partner with a few choice words, had joined them. ‘Sit down, calm yourself, and then tell us what you are doing here,’ she said calmly.

Caroline gulped, and made to remove her mask in order to wipe the tears from her eyes. Julia held out a hand to stop her. ‘Don’t be foolish. You don’t want to risk being recognized.’

‘Who brought you here?’ Sir Carey asked, and Julia could feel the suppressed fury in his voice.

Caroline shook her head. ‘I won’t tell you!’

‘Very well, you will go straight back to Courtlands.’

‘Oh no! Please, Carey, I won’t do it again,’ Caroline pleaded.

‘Who was it? Some infatuated youth? Though how you’ve met any I can’t imagine.’

‘It was Angelica, and two of the men she knows,’ Caroline whispered. ‘She said it would show me a little of what entertainments there are in London. I didn’t think it was wrong!’

‘Not wrong? To sneak out of the house without telling me or Julia where you were going with two men you don’t know! Have you no sense of propriety? Has Miss Trant not taught you better? I think, my girl, you need to be sent to a really severe school where you might learn a little decorum, and try to behave as a well-brought up young lady.’

Caroline grasped his hand. ‘Don’t blame Miss Trant,’ she said, beginning to sob in earnest. ‘Indeed, Carey, I know it was wrong, but when Angelica suggested it I couldn’t resist. I promise I won’t do it again, if you let me stay in London.’

‘You will go to Courtlands as soon as I can arrange it. Now we will go home.’

‘I must tell Angelica where I am,’ Caroline protested. ‘She’ll be frantic with worry if I don’t!’

‘That young woman can look after herself, I am learning. Come, and try to hold your head up. We don’t want everyone staring at you.’

Sir Carey had spent all day at the Foreign Office. Last night he had meant to make arrangements to send Caroline and Susan home with Miss Trant today, but Lord Castlereagh had sent for him early in the morning.

Caroline had sulked all the way home from the masquerade the previous evening. She had rushed up to her room without a word, and he had shrugged and let her go. Julia had touched his arm and said not to worry, girls took things hard, and she would no doubt be more herself in the morning. He had not discovered whether she was right, for Caroline had not been up when he left the house. She was probably in bed now, since it was late, and she would no doubt be anxious to avoid him. He did not much care. The news from Brussels was bad. Napoleon’s army was growing larger by the day. Many of the old regiments had changed sides and joined him, and he was moving northwards. He had no time to spare for rebellious sisters. Thank heaven for Julia, who would know how to deal with her.

Julia had retired, Foster told him when he arrived home. Sir Carey nodded and climbed the stairs to his own room. He wondered for a moment whether to go to Julia, but he had never been into her bedroom here, though at this house their rooms were separated only by his own dressing room. Then he shook his head. He had promised her he would make no demands. They could talk in the morning, and he would send Caroline home straight away.

Tanner was waiting for him in his dressing room, and Sir Carey undressed swiftly. He dismissed the man and put on his night robe. He spent a few minutes writing a letter to his steward at Courtlands, and then picked up the candle and walked through to his bedroom.

Setting the candle down on the night table he pulled aside the curtains, and blinked. There was someone in his bed. For a moment his heart leapt as he wondered if Julia, for some reason of her own, had invaded his privacy, and then he saw that the curls peeping from beneath the covers were paler than Julia’s bright locks. He snatched up the candle and bent closer.

‘Just what the devil do you think you are doing?’ he demanded.

Angelica smiled lazily up at him. ‘I came to you, my love. I thought it was time to stop this silly game.’

‘Get out! You’ll go home at once, and I never want to see you again. By heavens, I had a fortunate escape when you jilted me!’

She stared up at him, disbelief and anger striving for supremacy in her face. ‘But you love me!’ she almost screamed. ‘Carey, it was all a mistake! Mrs Webber told me you know it was her brother. He and your cousin kept telling me of the women you had in Vienna. They made me think you were unfaithful, and I only meant to show you I didn’t care, to make you come and plead with me to forgive you! I never meant to marry him!’