Marriage Gamble Page 15

  Well, she was committed, she had to abide by her actions, but she would do her utmost to win the final game. The groom she had sent, travelling post, to the Castle, with a list of the most important of her grandfather's books on the game of chess, had brought them back to London some days since, but until now she had been too listless and too stupidly confident, she admitted, to bother with them. Now she would spend every spare minute consulting them, devising some new strategy, to save her home.

  *

  Humphrey accepted an invitation to a musical evening, hoping to see Damaris. He had not seen her for some time, since the woman who claimed to be the Earl's wife had approached him. He had called once in Cavendish Square, but Damaris was confined to bed, and afterwards he had decided he must have proof before saying anything to her. He could not think of any way of finding such proof, unless he saw the woman again.

  It was his intention to try and discover whether the Earl was courting Damaris. He had seen them driving in the Park the previous day, and it was becoming urgent to foil any attempt by the Earl to propose to her. He had only a few weeks left before she would be free of his control. He needed to do something to bind her to him, and making her disgusted with the fellow was, he thought, his only chance. If he never again saw the woman who had claimed to be married to his lordship he must risk telling Damaris what she had said, and hope Damaris would at least have sufficient doubt about the Earl's actions to make her hesitate to accept any offer he made.

  Damaris and Lady Gordon did not appear, and Humphrey was trying to decide how soon he would be able to slip away when Jennifer Frayne came across the room towards him. He leapt to his feet and made a slight bow. That was, he had seen, what many of the men did when meeting a lady. He wondered if, by some remote chance, the Earl's cousin knew anything of his affairs, and this supposed secret marriage. Women seemed to have a knack of discovering secrets. It was probably all the hours they spent gossiping about their friends and acquaintances.

  'Mr Lee, may I sit here by you? Mama is at the front, and I find the music too noisy for my taste.'

  He made room for her, solicitously drawing one of the uncomfortable, spindly chairs closer to his own.

  'Miss Frayne, of course. Delighted. Please do join me. Are you enjoying this evening?'

  'I like the harp and the violins, but neither of the singers is very good, do you think?'

  He abominated harps, but he needed to persuade her to talk to him, so he agreed.

  'Lord Frayne is not here?'

  'He is probably playing cards at White's, which is where he seems to go every evening. He hasn't dined at home for weeks. Mama feels he neglects us.'

  'Playing cards? Then he does not have – er – friends he visits?'

  She laughed, somewhat bitterly.

  'You mean his mistress? The woman Cartwright? I believe he finished with her some time ago and has not yet replaced her.'

  He tried not to show his gratification that she knew so much about the Earl's affairs, but this could make his task simpler. He would be able to find the mysterious woman now. But if Miss Frayne referred to her as the Earl's mistress, she presumably had no knowledge of any secret marriage.

  'Do you know what has become of her? I believe it goes ill with these unfortunate women when their protectors discard them.'

  He always gave his own discarded mistresses enough money to keep them for a few weeks, he thought with complacency. It helped until they could find employment either in the manufactories, or as servants. He even provided characters for them if they asked, but fortunately most did not. It might have been awkward if anyone calculated how many maidservants apparently left his employment.

  Jennifer was shaking her head.

  'All I know is that she is now Lord Stanton's mistress. These women have no shame, to live in such a fashion, permitting a man to support them.'

  What difference was this to girls who married in the expectation of being kept for life by a man, he wondered. They just had a wedding ring, and the poor men had to endure them for life, they could not cast them off when they grew tired of the wenches. But he had a name, Stanton, and would be able to discover where he lived, and where he provided his little love nest. Then he could ask Miss Cartwright for proof of what she had told him.

  He was feeling so much gratitude to Jennifer that he invited her to drive in the Park with him the following afternoon. The astonished delight with which she accepted cause him a moment's dismay, but he felt he owed her some pleasure for the unwitting help she had given him, and afterwards he need never see her again, for he would soon be going back to Yorkshire with a chastened Damaris, beholden to him for saving her from ruin.

  *

  Jennifer donned her newest gown, a pale pink muslin, for the drive with Humphrey. It was a very hot day, so she wore a spencer in a deeper shade of pink and a poke bonnet trimmed with pink ribbons. For an hour while he drove around the Park she bowed and waved to all her acquaintances, and whenever she saw one of them walking begged Humphrey to stop so that she could chat to her dearest Sophia or Caroline or Jane.

  'I expected to see dear Damaris here,' she said after some time. 'I do hope she has not succumbed to another chill. Would you mind terribly if we drove round to Cavendish Square just to enquire after her health?'

  'Not at all. I have to ask her what she intends to do, as I hear Lady Gordon is thinking of going to Weymouth, and I really feel my cousin would be better advised to return to Yorkshire. I fear she may be tempted into sea bathing, and I do not consider it would be wise for someone just recovering from an illness.'

  Lady Gordon's butler admitted them, saying her ladyship and Miss Hallem had just returned and would be down in a few minutes. He showed them into the drawing room. Humphrey, who had never before had the opportunity, strolled round the room inspecting the paintings and the Meissen figurines on the mantlepiece, while Jennifer seated herself on a sopha.

  Lady Gordon soon arrived, and ordered tea. Damaris came in a few minutes later, carrying a book. Jennifer was intrigued to notice the look of exasperation she cast at Humphrey. It was quickly concealed, but returned when Humphrey began to tell her she must return to Yorkshire instead of going to Weymouth.

  'I have not yet decided where I am going, Mr Lee,' Lady Gordon said. 'I am hoping, however, that Damaris will accompany me. My daughter Amelia is so very fond of her, since she looked after her during her illness, and I fear the child would suffer a relapse if she had to lose her favourite person.'

  'Damaris needs to be at Frayne, to prepare for her birthday celebrations,' Humphrey said. 'Surely the child will forget her, in the excitement of being at the seaside? I believe children are very adaptable, and she has a nurse. Children ought not to be indulged.'

  It was clear to Jennifer that he was not pleased to be opposed, and she hoped he would prevail. Surely, as Miss Hallem's guardian, he could insist? Then the wretched girl would be away from Luke, and perhaps his mad scheme to marry her for the sake of the Castle would come to nought.

  Lady Gordon merely smiled, but did not argue. When Damaris began to speak she gave her a slight shake of the head, and Damaris subsided. Humphrey would have his way, Jennifer thought. He was a determined man, and moreover had right on his side, and the two women had recognized it.

  Soon afterwards Humphrey said they must be going, he had to return the horses to the livery stables. Outside in the Square the groom had been walking the horses, and they had to wait until he brought them round. Humphrey, looking annoyed, stepped forward to speak to him while Jennifer waited to be helped into the curricle.

  'Miss Hallem?'

  She turned to find a small, wizened man wearing the striped waistcoat of a tiger standing beside her.

  'What do you want?'

  He thrust a letter into her hand and turned away. There was no superscription, and before she could decide what to do Humphrey had come to assist her into the curricle.

  She held on to the letter, and was silent all the way back to U
pper Brook Street. Having thanked Humphrey for a delightful afternoon, she went straight to her bedroom, tossed aside her spencer and bonnet, and sat down to contemplate the letter.

  What should she do? The man had obviously mistaken her for Damaris Hallem, so she presumed the letter must be for her. Her curiosity grew until it consumed her. Surely, she told herself, it could not hurt if she eased off the wafer and read the letter. It could be some clandestine note arranging an assignation. The manner in which it had been delivered was, she told herself, suspicious. Normally a footman, not a groom, would have brought a note and waited for a reply. Most notes would have the name of the recipient on the outside. It was altogether too smoky, and if, by reading it, she could save poor dear Luke from making a great mistake of allying himself with a girl who received clandestine letters, he would owe her immense gratitude.

  She hesitated for a while as she recalled Luke's anger the last time she had opened a letter which had not had any name on it. Perhaps she could reveal the contents without admitting how she came to know about them. She would contrive some way once she had discovered whether Luke needed to know.

  If the note were entirely innocent, she could reseal the wafer and send one of their own footmen to Cavendish Square to deliver it.

  She lit a candle and in the flame heated a small penknife. Then she applied it to the wax and eased up the wafer, taking great care not to break it. At last she was able to unfold the sheet of paper and read what was written on it. There were just a few scrawled lines.

  If you wish to discover what your guardian has been doing with your inheritance, come tonight at ten to the address below. A friend.

  How very intriguing. What did it mean?

  There was no signature, just an address Jennifer thought was in the village of Chelsea. What was she to do?

  If she had the note delivered to Damaris, would she go to this house? What was the information she would be told? How was Mr Lee involved? Did whoever had written the note intend to try and blacken his name, accuse him of deceiving Damaris, perhaps using his guardianship to defraud her? It read like that. Would this create a scandal, one he might find difficult to deny?

  Jennifer, over the years, had watched more than one reputation destroyed by unfounded allegations. The people involved had been able to prove their innocence, but there were always some suspicions left behind, and they had been cut by some former friends, who claimed there was no smoke without fire.

  She did not like Damaris, wanted her out of Luke's life. Mr Lee, on the other hand, had been kind to her. He had asked her to drive with him, and danced with her. She could not believe he was dishonest. If she sent this letter to his cousin might she be helping to destroy his reputation?

  Jennifer had never thought of herself as bold. She had always obeyed her mother, but now she decided it was time to act on her own. She would plead a headache to avoid going to the theatre tonight, and instead go to this house and discover exactly what allegations were being levelled against Mr Lee.

  ***

  Chapter 13

  Francis Willett strolled into White's and found the Earl of Frayne slumped in a chair, cradling a glass of port, and staring with unseeing eyes at a couple of men playing backgammon. He sat down beside his friend and tapped him on the arm.

  'I thought you were going to the theatre tonight?'

  Luke looked round and shrugged.

  'I went, but I took in nothing and decided it was a waste of time. Besides, my aunt had decided to use my box tonight as well, and had compelled Clarence to escort her. He did nought but grumble about being forced to be there, and my refusal to buy him a commission. He almost persuaded me to do so just to be rid of his complaints, but then, fortunately, I realized his mother's lamentations would be far worse.'

  'Was not the Hallem wench there?'

  Luke shook his head.

  'No. She and Lady Gordon have been out only a few times of late. I think Miss Hallem is still not recovered from her illness.'

  'It takes time.'

  Frank was puzzled. Why should Luke be so concerned? He'd never before seen his friend in such a dejected frame of mind. Had he actually come to care for the girl, unlikely as that seemed?

  'I won the second game,' the Earl said abruptly.

  That should have pleased him, not thrown him into a fit of the dismals.

  'So there has to be a third. Congratulations.'

  'But it was close, and she was not well. I cannot help feeling I took advantage. She made one mistake, close to the end, and if she had not the result would have been in doubt.'

  'Are you saying you don't wish to win?'

  'Of course not, but I want it to be a fair contest.'

  'You take chivalry too far, Luke. She offered you this way of regaining the Castle.'

  'I should have insisted on waiting for longer.'

  Willett eyed his friend closely. There was certainly more to this than a chivalric impulse, indulged in after the game had been won.

  'There has to be a third, deciding game. If you really feel this one was unfair you could lose that.'

  Lord Frayne laughed.

  'I have thought of it, believe me. I did contemplate making a deliberate mistake in order to even the score, but she would have known what I was doing, and she would probably have accused me of patronizing her. I could see, the moment she had made the false move, she realized it was a mistake. But I cannot help thinking it was a lapse in concentration after two intense hours. If she had been quite herself she would never have done it. Frank, I just do not know what to do.'

  This was certainly not the Luke Frayne he had known for years, who always knew his mind, and flirted with the prettiest debutantes, then left them without a pang.

  'Are you beginning to think marriage would be a better result?'

  'Marriage? To Damaris? But she rejected me very decisively, and I doubt she would change her mind even if I asked her again.'

  'If you win the next match, she might be willing to consider it as an alternative to losing her Castle.'

  'I would not wish to constrain her, Frank. If I marry, and whoever it will be, I want a willing bride, not one who accepts me for some mercenary motive.'

  'You have changed, Luke. When Miss Hallem first came to town you were prepared to marry her without having even seen her.'

  'I was a fool. I had been obsessed with getting the Castle by whatever means. I now know that if she had accepted me it would have been a disaster.'

  'Marriages arranged to consolidate estates often turn out to be successful,' Frank said.

  'I don't think I ever confessed to you that five years ago, before the old man died, I went to him and made him an offer for her hand.'

  Frank blinked, and took a deep breath before he spoke.

  'Did you see her then?'

  'No. I had never seen her until she came to town this year. When I wrote to him he refused to meet me at the Castle. We met at an isolated ale house some miles away. It was a short and embarrassing affair. He behaved rather like a Duke chastising a blockish retainer for whom he had the utmost contempt. I left feeling rather lower than a worm. He threatened to horsewhip me if I made any attempt to contact her, or even to see her.'

  Frank chuckled.

  'And you received your horsewhipping the first time you did see her. Was that poetic justice?'

  Luke was forced to laugh.

  'You could look at it like that.'

  'Now, though, I think you would not regard marriage to Miss Hallem as a matter of convenience, simply a way of recovering the Castle.'

  Luke did not respond for some time, then he sighed and tossed off the remainder of his port, and signalled to a waiter for more.

  'I would certainly regard marriage to her as preferable to a connection with any other debutante I have ever met. She is unlikely to think the same, I fear. So whoever wins the final match, I will have lost. I will take no pleasure in depriving her of her home.'

  *

  Humphrey left t
he theatre during the first interval. He had hoped to see Damaris there, and talk to her while they strolled between acts. Lady Gordon's box was empty, and the play did not interest him. He had seen Lord Frayne was present with his aunt, though Miss Frayne was not there. As he left the theatre, though, he thought the man in front of him was the Earl. He hung back. He had no desire to speak with him.

  He did not belong to any of the clubs in St James's, which were the exclusive preserves of members of the ton, and after one visit he did not intend to patronize any of the less aristocratic gambling houses. Though he could not prove it, he strongly suspected the cards had been marked at the one he had been to, where he had lost heavily until he had been able to extricate himself from the game and leave. He had a fierce dislike of losing, whether it was by his own incompetence or the cheating of others. If anyone in Whitby attempted to cheat him he knew it, and took appropriate revenge. Neither the tradesmen there, nor his suppliers and customers would even think of cheating him.

  None of the other entertainments available attracted him. He considered them juvenile and time-wasting. There was nothing for it but to go back to his hotel. As he passed through the lobby he ordered a bottle of brandy to be sent to his room, and climbed the stairs. He tore off his cravat and pulled off his shoes, then sank into a chair in front of the empty fireplace and picked up a copy of The Times. He did not read novels, considering them a waste of time, or poetry, which he regarded as self-indulgent posturing by milksops, and did not feel like reading more of David Ricardo's treatise on The High Price of Bullion, the only book he had with him.

  When the waiter came in with the brandy he also brought a note which he said had been left there earlier in the evening.

  'Who left it?' Humphrey asked, glancing idly at his name on the outer cover.

  'A footman, I think, sir. I didn't see him, but the landlord said he'd been asked to give it to you as soon as you came in.'

  Humphrey nodded, and ignored the suggestively held hand. He did not see the need to reward a man for doing his job.

  'Thank you. That will be all.'