Loe raamatut: «Lord Exmouth's Intentions»

Chapter One

A distinct lack of enthusiasm induced Robina to allow the half-folded garment to slip through her fingers, and her attention to wander aspeered through the window to follow the progress along the street of a very smart racing curricle, pulled by two superbly matched greys.

Considering the Season had officially come to an end the week before, London remained surprisingly bustling with life, its many springtime visitors seemingly reluctant to return to their country homes, or to move on to those coastal towns which had become such fashionable summer retreats in recent years.

It just so happened that she would have been more than happy to return to her Northamptonshire home, to sample once again the sweetly fresh country air, and be reunited with her father and sisters once more. She was not so foolish as to suppose that it would not take a little time to adjust to the tranquillity of the vicarage in Abbot Quincey again, after spending more than three months here in the capital, thoroughly enjoying all the delights of a Season which, even though she said so herself, had been something of a success.

For a simple country parson’s daughter, with no dowry to speak of, she had managed to attract the attention of two very worthy gentlemen, either of whom, she didn’t doubt for a moment, would have made a very considerate husband. She had been encouraged by her mother to turn down both offers for her hand, which she had dutifully done without, she hoped, causing lasting hurt to either erstwhile suitor. And certainly none whatsoever to herself!

Neither Mr Chard nor the Honourable Simon Sutherland had succeeded in igniting that illusive flame which every romantically inclined young woman longs to experience. She had come through what was likely to be her one and only London Season a little more worldly-wise and certainly heart-whole. An involuntary sigh escaped her. Whether or not she would be able to say the same by the end of the summer was a different matter entirely.

Without the least warning she experienced it yet again: that sudden surge of blind panic. Why, oh why, hadn’t she flatly refused when the suggestion had first been put to her? Why had she allowed herself to be persuaded into accompanying the Dowager to Brighton, when she had in her heart of hearts known from the very first that what Lady Exmouth truly wanted was not a young companion for herself, but a biddable little wife for her son?

Abandoning the packing entirely now, Robina slumped down on the bed, not for the first time cursing herself for not being a little more assertive on occasions.

It wasn’t that she had taken the Dowager’s son in dislike. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Lord Exmouth was a very personable gentleman. If he was not quite the dashing, handsome hero of storybooks, he was certainly most attractive, blessed with a good physique and noble bearing. Just because he happened to be the wrong side of five-and-thirty was not such a drawback either, for older gentlemen, she had been reliably informed, tended to be rather more dependable.

That he rarely smiled, had more often than not a cynical glint in those very attractive dark brown eyes of his, and frequently relapsed into periods of brooding silence were traits, she didn’t doubt, to which she would grow accustomed in time. What she knew she could never reconcile herself to, however, was always figuring as second best in the eyes of any man she agreed to marry. And that, she very much feared, would be precisely her fate if she was ever foolish enough to consent to a union with Lord Daniel Exmouth!

A sympathetic sigh escaped her this time as the many rumours concerning the very personable widower filtered through her mind. If half the stories circulating about him were true then the poor Baron was a mere shadow of his former self.

His heart, according to many, had died with his first wife in that tragic accident eighteen months ago. Many believed that, because he had been tooling the carriage when it had overturned, killing both his wife and the nephew of a near neighbour, the combination of both grief and guilt had changed him from the most companionable of gentlemen into a die-hard sceptic who now attained scant pleasure from life. Yet, for all his brooding glances and frequent periods of self-enforced solitude, he could still on occasions be both affable and charming. Sadly, that didn’t alter the fact that whoever agreed to become his second wife would always live in the shadow of the beautiful Clarissa, who, many believed, had taken her husband’s loving heart with her to her grave.

Her mother’s unexpected appearance in the bedchamber put an end to these melancholy reflections, and Robina automatically rose to her feet to continue her packing.

‘Great heavens, child! Haven’t you finished yet? What on earth have you been doing all this time? You know full well that Lady Exmouth’s servants will be here at noon to collect your trunk.’

Robina cast a glance in her mother’s direction, not for the first time wishing that she were more able to assess her moods. The tone she had used had been mildly scolding, but her expression betrayed no hint of annoyance.

Would now be an appropriate moment to admit that she, too, would much prefer to return to Northamptonshire at the end of the week? Could she possibly succeed in making her mother, who was not always the most approachable of people, understand her grave misgivings about spending the summer in Brighton? Or had she foolishly left it rather too late?

‘Mama, I have been having second thoughts about accompanying Lady Exmouth,’ she said in a rush, before she could change her mind. ‘I should much prefer to return with you to Abbot Quincey at the end of the week.’

The seconds ticked slowly by while Robina scanned her mother’s face in the hope of glimpsing some visual reaction to the belated confession, but as usual Lady Elizabeth’s expression remained as inscrutable as ever.

‘Why this sudden change of heart, child?’ Once again there was just the faintest hint of impatience in the beautifully cultured voice. ‘Not so very long ago you were overjoyed at the prospect of spending the summer weeks by the sea. No pressure was brought to bear when the suggestion was first put to you. It was entirely your own decision to accept Lady Exmouth’s very kind invitation.’

Robina could not argue with this. She had never made any secret of the fact that she had liked Lady Exmouth from the first moment they met, and the prospect of extending the period of frivolous enjoyment by spending several weeks as the guest of that delightful and highly sociable lady had been just too much of a temptation for the country parson’s daughter, who had discovered that she had rapidly acquired a taste for the finer things in life. It was only when she had paid that short visit to Hampshire to be amongst the select few who attended the small party to celebrate the engagement of the Duke of Sharnbrook to Lady Sophia Cleeve that grave doubts had begun to assail her.

‘In that case we shall not be seeing each other again until the autumn,’ her good friend Sophia had remarked, after Robina had casually divulged her intention of spending the summer in Brighton as the guest of the Dowager Lady Exmouth.

They had been standing outside the glorious ducal mansion, bidding each other a final farewell, and there had been an unmistakable teasing glint in Sophia’s eyes as she had added in an undertone, ‘So, do I congratulate you now, or wait until the announcement is officially made, you sly old thing?’

Even now Robina could recall quite clearly gaping like a half-wit at her lifelong friend. ‘I—I do not perfectly understand what you mean, Sophia. You are the one to be congratulated, not I.’

‘At the moment, yes,’ she had laughingly agreed, ‘but it is quite obvious to anyone of the meanest intelligence that it will not be too long before you also are sporting a splendid betrothal ring on your left hand.’

Robina clearly recalled also her friend’s teasing laughter before she had gone on to add rather tauntingly, ‘Why, you cannot possibly go about refusing reasonable offers of marriage, while encouraging the attentions of a certain party, and happily accepting an invitation to spend the summer with that favoured gentleman’s mother, without causing a deal of speculation. Surely you don’t suppose that people haven’t already put two and two together and realised that your affections are engaged! I have fallen desperately in love myself, and so am able to read the signs, my dear. But if you would prefer that I wait a little longer before offering my heartfelt congratulations, you only have to say so.’

Robina had been too stunned to say anything else at the time, and had been prey to the most guilt-ridden reflections and fearful conjecture ever since.

Had she in truth actively encouraged Lord Exmouth to suppose that a proposal of marriage from him would not be unwelcome? She had asked herself that selfsame question time and time again in recent days, and even now wasn’t perfectly sure that she knew the answer.

She couldn’t deny that, up until she and her mother had paid that short visit to Hampshire, she had not once refused to stand up with Lord Exmouth whenever they had happened to be attending the same party. Which, she now realised, had occurred far too frequently to have been mere coincidence. She could only marvel at how credulous she had been for supposing that pure chance had brought them together so often, and not, as she now strongly suspected, the designs of their respective mothers.

If her suspicions were correct then the Dowager believed that in the quiet and undemanding vicar’s daughter she had found the ideal person to care for her two motherless granddaughters, and make the life of her heartbroken son more bearable, without demanding too much of him in return. It was also fairly safe to assume that her own mother was of a similar mind, and that she had every expectation of her eldest daughter receiving a very advantageous offer of marriage in the not too distant future.

‘May I ask you something, Mama?’ She did not wait for a response. ‘Are you hoping that Lord Exmouth will make me an offer before the summer is over?’

Lady Elizabeth’s expression remained inscrutable, and yet Robina sensed that her mother had been momentarily taken aback by the directness of the question. In truth, she had rather surprised herself that she had summoned up enough courage to ask such a thing. She was wont to treat her mother with the utmost respect as a rule, and had never been encouraged to query any decision she had chosen to make.

Evidently Lady Elizabeth did not deem the question an impertinence, for she said after a moment’s quiet deliberation, ‘I certainly believe he is not indifferent to you, Robina. And I cannot deny that, should he decide to make you an offer of marriage, I would be delighted, yes. It would be a truly splendid match, far better than I could ever have hoped for you. Carriages, jewels, fine clothes would be yours for the asking. You would want for nothing, child.’

Nothing except love, Robina longed to retort, but remained silent as she watched her mother move in that graceful way of hers across to the window.

‘You must appreciate of course that if you did marry Exmouth, your sisters’ chances of finding suitable husbands would be vastly improved. By reminding you of this, I hope you realise that I would never expect you to forfeit your own happiness in order that your sisters might attain theirs. Nothing could be further from the truth! And if I thought that your feelings were already engaged, I would not suggest for a moment that you further your acquaintance with the widower…But your affections are not engaged, are they, Robina?’

‘No, Mama, they are not,’ she responded, scrupulously honest, but with a hint of wistfulness which Lady Elizabeth’s sharp ears had little difficulty in detecting.

She turned away from the window to look directly at her daughter once more. ‘But you wish they were, is that it? You wish that during your time here in London you’d met just one young man who had succeeded in sending your heart pounding…? A knight in shining armour who might have swept you off your feet?’ The sudden shout of laughter, though unexpected, lacked neither warmth nor sympathy. ‘Ah, child, I was your age once and know what foolish fancies pass through a young girl’s mind. Remember, my dear, that very few members of our class marry for love. And perhaps that is no bad thing…Love, after all, is a luxury few can afford.’

After a moment she moved slowly across to the door. ‘Your father and I would never dream of forcing you into a marriage with a man you could neither like nor respect. I do not believe for a moment that you are indifferent to Lord Exmouth, child. So I would ask you to think long and hard before you turn down what might well prove to be your one and only chance of making a truly splendid match.’

Robina, watching the door being closed quietly, realised that her mother had divulged far more about herself during the past few minutes than ever before.

She had long held the belief that her parents’ union had been a love-match. Lady Elizabeth Finedon, proud and aristocratic, the daughter of a duke, no less, had chosen to marry the Reverend William Perceval, a younger son of an impoverished baronet. If love had not been the reason for the union then Robina was at a loss to understand what it might have been. Maybe, though, during the passage of time, there had been occasions when her mother had regretted allowing her heart to rule her head.

Her father, a worthy man of rigid principles, had made no secret of the fact that it had been his wife’s substantial dowry which had enabled him and his family to live in relative comfort, if not precisely luxury. Even so, it had been only the practising of strict economies over the years that had enabled the Vicar of Abbot Quincey and his wife to fund a London Season for their eldest daughter.

Robina knew that her parents had every intention of offering her three younger sisters the same opportunity as she herself had received. The twins, Edwina and Frederica, would have their come-out next year, an even greater expense with two of them to launch. Little wonder, then, that her mother was wishful to see her eldest daughter suitably established before next spring.

Her conscience began to prick her as she gazed at the half-filled trunk. Her parents had found it no easy task to finance this enjoyable London Season. Her mother especially had deprived herself of so much over the years to ensure that each of her children possessed at least a small dowry to offer a prospective husband. Was it not time for the eldest daughter to show her appreciation by doing something in return?

She reached for the lovely gown which she had allowed to slip through her fingers a short time before and, folding it with care, placed it neatly on top of the other garments in the trunk.

Those perfectly matched greys which had momentarily captured Miss Robina Perceval’s attention were brought to a halt some twenty minutes later outside a fashionable dwelling in Curzon Street. The middle-aged groom, sitting beside his master on the seat, willingly took charge of what he considered to be one of the finest pair of horses he’d seen in many a long year, and watched with a hint of pride as the greys’ highly discerning owner jumped nimbly to the ground.

Although perhaps no longer in his first flush of youth, his master was none the less in the same prime physical condition as the animals he had purchased that very morning. Tall, lean and well-muscled, Lord Exmouth was still a fine figure of a man who, most people considered, was at last beginning to show definite signs of recovering from the tragic blow life had dealt him.

But there were those who knew better. There were those who knew the truth of it all and whose respect and devotion continued to hold them mute, Kendall mused, watching his master disappear inside the house.

Another prominent member of this touching band of loyal retainers was in the hall, ready to relieve his lordship of his hat and gloves. ‘Her ladyship’s compliments, my lord, and could you possibly spare her a few minutes of your time before incarcerating yourself away in your library.’ The butler permitted himself a thin smile. ‘Her ladyship’s words, sir, not mine.’

‘Where is the Dowager? Not still abed, I trust?’

‘No, my lord. But still in her bedchamber, supervising the—er—packing of her trunks, I believe.’

White, even teeth flashed in a sportive smile. ‘I didn’t suppose for a moment, Stebbings, that she was undertaking the task herself,’ his lordship responded and, swiftly mounting the stairs, did not notice the butler’s slightly stooping shoulders shaking in appreciative laughter.

Her ladyship, now well into middle age, was not renowned for exerting herself unduly, not if she could possibly avoid it. So it came as no great surprise to her lean, athletic son to discover her prostrate on the chaise longue, one podgy, beringed hand poised over the open box of sweetmeats too conveniently positioned nearby.

She paused before reducing the box’s contents further to turn her head to see who had entered her room. ‘Daniel, darling!’ She greeted him with every evidence of delight, proffering one soft pink cheek upon which he might place a chaste salute, and then waiting for him to oblige her. ‘I was informed you went out bright and early this morning. I sincerely trust you didn’t forgo breakfast.’

‘No, ma’am. You will be pleased to learn my appetite remains hale and hearty.’

‘Yes, you do take after your dear papa in that, as in so many other things. He was not one to pick at his food, and yet he never seemed to put on an ounce of superfluous fat.’ Her sigh was distinctly mournful. ‘And yet here am I, eat like a bird, and have a girth like a Shetland pony!’

‘Mmm, I wonder why?’ his lordship murmured, casting a brief glance at the half-empty box at her elbow, before lowering his tall, lean frame, the envy of many of his friends, and much admired by more than one discerning female, into the chair nearby.

‘You wished to see me, Mama?’ he reminded her.

‘Did I?’ She looked decidedly vague, but as her son knew very well the Dowager’s appearance was deceptive. She might have grown quite indolent in recent years, rarely bestirring herself if she could possibly avoid it, but little escaped the notice of those dreamy brown eyes. ‘Ah, yes! It was only to remind you that the trunks are being sent on ahead today. We don’t wish to be burdened with piles and piles of luggage when we set forth on Friday.’

‘I believe Penn has seen to everything in his usual efficient way.’

‘What a treasure that valet of yours is, Daniel! Just like my own dear Pinner.’ She turned to the birdlike female, busily occupied in folding clothes into a sizeable trunk, and gave the faintest nod of dismissal.

‘I trust you are looking forward to the forthcoming sojourn in Brighton, dear?’ she continued the instant they were alone. ‘And quite content to bear your feeble old mama company for several more weeks? I must confess I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together here in London.’

His lordship’s eyes, so very like his mother’s in both colour and shape, held a distinctly sardonic gleam. ‘You are neither feeble-minded nor old, my dear. And neither am I a moonling. So you can stop trying to hoodwink me, and voice the question which is quivering on the tip of that occasionally ungovernable tongue of yours! Which is, of course, am I looking forward to furthering my acquaintance with Miss Perceval. The answer to which is…yes.’

His mother’s gurgle of appreciative laughter was infectious, and his lordship found it impossible not to smile. ‘Possibly just as well that I am anticipating a pleasant time by the sea, since Montague Merrell, together with half my acquaintance, is firmly convinced that the Reverend’s delightful daughter would make me an ideal wife.’

‘And so she would!’ her ladyship agreed, not reluctant to add her voice to those which in recent weeks had urged the personable Baron to consider seriously taking the matrimonial plunge once again. ‘She is without doubt the sweetest-natured gel you could ever wish to meet.’

‘I wouldn’t argue with that,’ he agreed amicably. ‘She is compliant and dutiful. She would never interfere with your pleasures, or cause you the least concern.’

‘I should wish to know her a little better before voicing an opinion on certain aspects of her character.’ He took a moment to study the nails on his left hand. ‘I strongly suspect that Miss Robina Perceval possesses rather more spirit than most people realise.’

Her ladyship was inclined to take this as a criticism, but was not one hundred per cent sure that it was. Her son was one of those irritating people who always managed to conceal what they were thinking and feeling remarkably well. A disturbing possibility, and one which had never occurred to her before, did suddenly pass through her mind, however. ‘I hope, my dear,’ she said gently, ‘that you were not hoping to find a second Clarissa. You never would, you know.’

His lordship regarded her in silence for a moment, his expression inscrutable, then he swiftly rose to his feet and went across to stand before the window, his body straight, but not noticeably tense.

‘I realise that,’ he said at length, his voice level and, like his expression, giving absolutely nothing away. ‘Clarissa was undoubtedly a rare creature. I have yet to meet her equal in beauty…And I doubt I ever shall.’

Her ladyship, masterfully suppressing the threat of tears, looked across the room at him, at a loss to know quite how to respond. Not once since the tragedy occurred had he attempted to talk about the accident, at least not to her, and on the few occasions Clarissa’s name had been mentioned she had watched him withdraw within himself, shrouding himself in his own private gloom.

‘Do not look so stricken, my dear,’ he advised gently, turning in time to catch that unmistakable expression, that look he had seen flit over scores of faces during these past months. ‘I didn’t come to London with the intention of searching for a mirror image of my dead wife. I came for the sole purpose of finding someone who would happily take care of my daughters, be kind to them and yes, I suppose, take the place of their dead mama.’

If this admission was supposed to relieve the Dowager’s mind, it fell far short of the mark. ‘I had hoped, Daniel, that you might have taken account of your own feelings in the matter, and not just your daughters’ needs. Do you feel nothing for Miss Perceval at all?’

He was silent for so long that she thought he would refuse to satisfy her curiosity, but then he said, ‘I think Robina Perceval is one of the most charming, good-natured and innately honest people I have ever met. I would feel a great deal easier in my mind, however, if I thought she really did wish to spend the summer with us in Brighton?’

‘Daniel, whatever do you mean?’

She looked so utterly bewildered that it was as much as he could do not to laugh outright. ‘Mama, I have always had the utmost respect for your acute understanding, but I must confess there have been occasions when you have allowed preconceived notions to cloud your judgement.’

‘But—but…’ The Dowager was momentarily lost for words. ‘I’m sure you are wrong, Daniel. The dear child simply jumped at the opportunity to bear me company when I first asked her.’

‘I do not doubt for a moment that she did, ma’am,’ he concurred. ‘It took me a short time only to discover that, although Miss Perceval possesses an innately charming reserve, she is by no means averse to socialising and has attained a great deal of pleasure during her time in London. Therefore it is quite natural that she would wish to continue the period of frivolous enjoyment if the opportunity arose. What appears to have escaped you completely, however, is the slight constraint in her which has been quite apparent to me since her return from Hampshire.’

The Dowager had not observed this. Which was extremely remiss of her, she decided, for she didn’t doubt for a moment that her son, discerning demon that he was, had spoken no less than the truth. ‘I wonder what could have occurred to make her have second thoughts about accompanying us?’

The look he cast her was more than faintly sardonic. ‘Come, come, ma’am, isn’t it obvious? Something or someone has made her realise what your real motive was for asking her in the first place.’

‘How thoughtless some people are! And just when things were progressing so nicely too!’ She looked as annoyed as it was possible for someone with her naturally amicable disposition to appear. ‘Why must people interfere, Daniel?’

‘Strangely enough, Mama, I have been asking myself that selfsame question during these past weeks,’ he murmured, casting her a smile which managed to convey both loving affection and exasperation in equal measures. ‘The damage has been done, however. She now knows what fate both you and her own mother have in store for her.’

‘Daniel, that simply is not true!’ She managed to hold his openly sardonic gaze for all of ten seconds before she made a great play of rearranging her shawl. ‘I admit I may possibly have mentioned in passing that, now your official period of mourning had come to an end, you might be considering a second marriage.’

He raised his eyes heavenwards. ‘You do surprise me!’

‘And Lady Elizabeth may possibly have remarked on the fact that her eldest daughter, clearly betraying all the signs of truly motherly instincts, was unfailingly patient with her younger sisters,’ she continued, just as though he had not spoken. ‘But I assure you, Daniel, that I never suggested for a moment that I thought she would make an ideal wife for you. I would never dream of doing such a thing! You are far too much like your dear father. You are always willing to listen to someone else’s viewpoint, but will make your own decision in the end.’

‘I’m pleased you appreciate that at last, Mama, because it makes what I have to say to you now a great deal easier.’ Although he was still faintly smiling, there was no mistaking the note of hard determination edging his deep, attractive voice. ‘I was quite willing for you to cajole me into accompanying you to Brighton, even though I knew from the first your real motive for doing so…No, kindly allow me to finish,’ he continued, holding up a restraining hand when she was about to interrupt. ‘I wish to further my acquaintance with Miss Perceval, as I’ve already mentioned. She intrigues me. I believe there is much more to that young lady than either you or I realise. One thing I’m firmly convinced of, however, is that she had no thought of becoming the future Lady Exmouth until some well-meaning individual pointed out to her that that might well be the fate which awaits her. She may yet come to welcome that eventuality with open arms, but I am resolved that it shall be her decision, and not yours or her mother’s…Now, do I make myself clear, my dear?’