The Maiden At Midnight (9 page)

‘Quite unnecessary. We are returning home
and we are not that far away, sir. I think we can manage.’

‘I would like to, just the same.’ There was
a grim note in his voice and Isabella was sudden grateful to have
Audrey beside her, a handy plug for unwelcome questions.

‘Then of course, we would be delighted.’ It
was amazing, she reflected as they began to walk once more, how
much one was forced to lie during polite conversation. Having
obtained her objective, what she really wanted Mr. Carstairs to do
was to leave. Naturally, he was not so obliging, reinforcing her
earlier opinion that the man was difficult.

Exiting the gardens via the Alexandra Gate,
their maid trotting along behind, they began walking along the
Carriage Drive, heading towards Hertford Street. Despite her desire
to be rid of him, Isabella was terribly conscious of the tall
figure walking beside her. He cut a rather fine figure, it had to
be admitted. He certainly received his share of admiring looks from
ladies as they passed and he spent an inordinate amount of time
making his bow to simpering females. What had the earl called him?
A nonpareil? Isabella could not help but wonder if that was another
way of saying rogue. Despite the fact that he looked a little like
her ex-beau Willett, there was a slightly rakish air about him that
Willett had certainly never possessed. She would have liked to say
it did not add to his allure but actually, it gave him an edge that
was decidedly attractive.

Not that she was attracted. No matter what
her nature might dictate, Isabella had decided that she had quite
gone off brunettes.

Audrey, a little overawed by the presence of
a male escort, had fallen silent, a common occurrence when she felt
uncomfortable and it fell to Isabella to make conversation.

She set about it with determination. ‘Have
you been enjoying the Season so far, Mr. Carstairs?’

‘Tolerably well. Although I often find that
it all starts out well and then devolves into tedium.’

Hardly helpful. She shot
him a reproving look. The rules of social engagement stated that he
was supposed to make suitably bland conversation when offered an
unexceptional sally.
She
was the one who did not guard her tongue whereas
more was expected of Mr. Carstairs. ‘How unfortunate for you. Why
tedium, if I may ask?’

He shrugged. ‘The endless social whirl. And
as time passes, so does the desperation of hopeful females. By
September, a fellow is exhausted.’

‘Oh dear me. You are considered such a
catch, then, that you are put upon by hopeful females all day
long?’ She heard Audrey’s gasp at this but ignored it. He had
started this topic, after all.

‘I am male and unmarried. It seems to follow
hard upon the heels that such a state creates a certain level of
expectation. Why, a man cannot stand up for more than two dances
with a girl before London Society has him proposing.’

‘You are not called to that happy state,
sir?’

‘Not quite yet. I hope to have a few years
of peace and quiet before me before I give myself over to wedded
bliss.’

‘It is so wearing, having to tolerate the
expectations of others. I felicitate you on your single state.’

He gave her a slow smile
and a small fillip of something warm and unexpected flip-flopped in
the pit of her stomach, disconcerting her. ‘You understand my
situation completely, but I daresay I shall survive. And what of
you, Miss Hathaway? Have
you
been enjoying the Season?’

‘We have only been in town for a short while
so it is difficult to judge. I believe we are a few dances short of
tedium yet.’

‘I am sure you will have a delightful time
of it.’

‘Indeed? What makes you so sure?’

He cast her a sideways glance. ‘The charm of
your personality must necessarily make you exceedingly
popular.’

Well, really! What a bold
insult from a man who had all but aided and abetted in her
abduction. She elected to ignore the fact that he had only
appeared
after
the
deed was done. Under the circumstances, she would have expected a
certain level of consideration but his manner was far from
conciliatory. ‘As must yours,’ she told him sweetly, ‘I am not in
the least surprised that you are forced to beat those worshipful
debutantes away. Do you use an actual implement or are your dulcet
tones enough?’

‘Isabella!’ Audrey whispered, appalled.

‘Be assured, your sister has not offended
me, Miss Audrey,’ Mr. Carstairs spoke in quite a different tone of
voice when he addressed Audrey, giving the girl a reassuring smile,
‘for I have her measure. She is merely full of japes and strange
humors.’

‘That sounds positively Shakespearian,’
Isabella observed suspiciously.

‘You must bring out the scholar in me.’

‘Clearly, I am a great deal
more gifted than I gave myself credit for. You do not strike me as
a scholarly man,’ Isabella retorted immediately. She did not mean
to cross swords with him like this. Of course she did not. The
words just tumbled out as words so often did and he was
ridiculously vexing. Besides, with this man she did not as
constrained by the usual inhibitions that silenced others at
gatherings, especially not when he insisted on uttering things that
were patently absurd. No, she decided. She owed him no especial
consideration. She had been kidnapped by his best friend and forced
to listen to while they debated her future. He had secured her
clothing the better to smuggle back into her own household and
offered all manner of advise that she had not asked for and did not
need. All things considered, it had effectively collapsed the usual
social barriers. It was all very well for Audrey to be shocked, but
was she not similarly shocked by
his
conversational
efforts?

He gave her a narrow glance. ‘Are you always
this forward?’

‘Are you always this unpleasant?’

Mr. Carstairs grimaced. ‘We seem to be going
around in circles. Will you not, at least, tell me the reason you
wish my friend to pay a call?’

‘I don’t see why I should. The matter is a
private one.’

‘May I ask if you have changed your
mind?’

It took her a moment to
understand what he was saying but when she did, she gave an
involuntary spurt of laughter. Did he really think that she had
decided to marry Stornley after all? ‘Oh dear me no! I have not
changed my mind about
that
.’

‘Then I am uncertain as to why you would
want to see my friend.’

‘I suppose you are.’ She did not feel
inclined to help him out. There was no doubt in her mind that he
would disapprove. Men like Harry Carstairs disapproved on things on
principle, not thinking that the best way of achieving an objecting
was to come at the problem from a different perspective.

There was a pause. When it became clear that
Isabella had no intention of saying anything further, Mr. Carstairs
turned his attention to a mortified Audrey. ‘Is your sister always
this aggravating, Miss Audrey?’

‘Well… yes. But she tries very hard to
control it.’ Audrey confessed in a rush.

Her response elicited a
surprised – and entirely genuine – chuckle from their escort. ‘I am
relieved to hear it. Imagine if she did
not
try to control it.’

‘Excuse me,’ Isabella shot
them both an incensed look, ‘but I am
right here
.’

‘I am sorry, Isabella,’ Audrey said, voice
contrite, ‘but what would Mama say?’

It was a very good question to which there
could be only one answer. The rest of the journey, for Mr.
Carstairs insisted on accompanying them to their door, was
completed with a great deal less conversation. Perhaps he was more
conscious of the fact that Audrey found the entire encounter
alarming for suddenly he was on his best behavior, charm itself in
fact for he could certainly turn it on when he chose to. While she
was pleased that the shift helped her sister to relax, Isabella was
not deceived. Harry Carstairs would take great pleasure in
undermining her. With that in mind, she had no intention of telling
him anything, She wished to speak only to the Earl of Stornley. It
concerned him after all and he, at least, would be likely to
consider her plan favorably. Why would he not when they both stood
to profit?

Mr. Carstairs left them at the foot of the
steps leading up to the front door. He bowed over Audrey’s hand and
the girl blushed and gave a shy smile. Then he took Isabella’s
hand, green eyes glinting down at her as he held it for a
moment.

‘I will find out what your after,’ he told
her softly.

An unusual constriction seemed to grip
Isabella’s throat for a moment and she cleared it. ‘You may
certainly ask your friend after I have seen him,’ she said, with
creditable serenity.

‘Oh, I shall. For I suspect you are up to
mischief, Miss Hathaway.’

Isabella blinked wide blue eyes at him, the
picture of innocence. ‘I am hurt by your mistrust, sir.’

But innocence cut no ice with him, either
feigned or – she suspected – real. He quirked a wry smile, dropping
a kiss on her gloved hand before releasing it. Tipping his hat to
them both, the turned and strode down the street. Isabella watched
him go with a frown. What a troublesome man he was! She was sure
her first impression of him had been correct. Managing and
meddling. Well, he could certainly know what she planned after she
told the earl for by then it would be too late for him to
interfere. She hoped it frustrated him intensely.

The minute Mr. Carstairs
was out of earshot, Audrey burst into speech. She had clearly had a
very trying walk. ‘And just what was all
that
about? How do you know that man,
Isabella?’

Isabella gave her a limpid look, untying the
satin string that had kept her bonnet in place as they stepped
inside. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You know perfectly well what I mean! Who
was that man? And why were you so… so particularly horrid to
him?’

Isabella sighed. ‘I was not horrid. His
behavior was just as bad as mine was.’

‘You were very rude to him.’

Isabella shrugged. ‘Good. He irks me. So
very managing. I do dislike that kind of thing.’

‘Yes, but who
was
he?’

‘He was involved in that silly prank the
other night.’ Not strictly true, but she did not want to go into
all the details.

Audrey gasped. She knew a
little, of course, but by no means all. ‘He was the one who
kidnapped
you?’

‘Goodness, no. He’s merely a friend of the
gentleman who did that. It was all a mistake, Audrey. A foolish
joke. There is no need to be alarmed for truthfully, no harm was
done.’

Audrey eyed her sister for a long moment.
She knew her very well indeed and loved her dearly but was by no
means blinded by the fact that, every once in a while, Isabella
could get up to all kinds of nonsense if she put her mind to it.
The past year she had been so cast down into dejection by events
that she had showed no glimmering of her usual spirit but now it
seemed to have returned with a vengeance.

‘What
are
you up to?’

‘Nothing too dreadful. Believe me when I
tell you, I would never do anything to distress Mama. Or you and
Millie, for that matter.’ Isabella gave her sister a searching
look. ‘We are at a standstill, my love. You do know that, don’t
you? We have not a feather to fly with and it is up to me to change
our fortunes. Which I fully intend to do, I promise you but it
might not be plain sailing.’

Reaching out, Audrey
grasped both of her sister’s hands tightly. ‘I do know our
situation. Mama has told me and I think it is
very
brave of you to put yourself
forward like this.’

Isabella gave a gurgle of laughter. ‘Brave!
Oh now, I am not in the least bit brave. I have always known that I
must marry. Now, I must marry advantageously, that is all.’

‘But… it cannot be easy for you. After
Willett.’ It displayed a measure of Audrey’s concern that she said
Lord Proctor’s name for none of Isabella’s family did so
willingly.

‘The thought of Willett still stings, I
admit it. But it taught me a valuable lesson. I intend to leave the
orange blossom nonsense to you and Millie. My union will be based
on expedience and, with any luck, mutual respect.’

Audrey wrinkled her nose. ‘Ugh! It sounds
like something Miss Entwhistle used to say. Right along with eating
enough roughage to make us regular.’ Miss Entwhistle had been their
governess, an upstanding woman who had found the Hathaway girls a
sad trial.

‘
I have adopted her
outlook,’ Isabella returned briskly. ‘Practicality in all things. I
must be sensible, Audrey. I need to make a good match of it but it
is no easy thing. I have no dowry and we are the equivalent of
social pariahs.’

‘People seem to be very kind.’

‘People are often kind to
ones faces and quite the opposite behind ones back. I can’t imagine
many mamas will be encouraging their sons to marry
me
.’

‘Oh, but you
will
find somebody,’
Audrey said quietly, ‘how could you not? You are so very beautiful
Isabella.’

‘Oh, poo! I am no more so than you and you,
at least, have the kind of nature any man would love. I must bite
my tongue at all times, which, let me assure you, is most vexing.
But pretty or not, it will take more than that to secure the kind
of husband we need. So I have come up with a plan, a way to help
further us along.’