A Conformable Wife: A Regency Romance with a spirited heroine

by Alice Chetwynd Ley

  “Then I’ll inflict no more of it on you, even though I was saying nothing but the sober truth. Never frown at me, ma’am! I have done.”

  True to his word, he paid her no more compliments, sincere or otherwise, and entertained her for the remainder of the walk home with his usual amusing chatter. She was grateful to him for making her laugh, as her mood had been subdued ever since the events of yesterday evening. When they reached Louisa’s house, she parted from him with a pang of regret, and realized she was looking forward with pleasure to their engagement for the following day.

  Louisa made no further attempt to dissuade her from keeping his company, but on the contrary seemed almost to approve. Perhaps, thought Henrietta, she would be glad of a few hours left to herself.

  This notion was given substance the next day, for on Henrietta’s return from what had been a most enjoyable outing in Mr. Colby’s curricle, Louisa was not at home. She had left a message with the housekeeper to say that she would be back by three o’clock. As it was then almost two, and Henrietta was made hungry by her ride in the fresh air, she decided not to wait for Louisa but to eat her luncheon alone and at once. Accordingly, the housekeeper sent a tray into the parlour, set out with fresh, crusty bread, cold meats, and fruit.

  Henrietta had just finished when the footman came into the room bearing a visiting card on a salver. Henrietta glanced at the name, casually at first, then a second time with more attention.

  Her heart missed a beat. She hesitated for a moment, uncertain what to do.

  “You may show the gentleman in,” she said at last, with a composure she was far from feeling.

  The footman departed and presently returned with the visitor.

  It was Aldwyn. One look at his face showed Henrietta that he was not in a pleasant mood.

  “Is Mrs. Fordyce at home?” he asked abruptly, with only a cursory bow in greeting.

  “No, she is gone out, but I expect her back within the half hour,” replied Henrietta, glancing at the clock. “Did you wish to see her, sir? Perhaps you would care to wait?”

  “No, it is you I came to see. I suppose if I were to observe the proprieties, I should not remain here while you’re alone. But since you pay scant heed yourself to matters of the kind, I intend to stay. What I have to say to you will not take long.”

  “I trust not,” returned Henrietta coldly, for his manner set up her hackles, “if you are to address me in such an uncivil style.”

  “I’m well aware that you have become more accustomed to fulsome flattery, ma’am, since you came to Bath and I regret that it’s quite beyond my powers to emulate your many admirers. However, I did not come to quarrel.”

  “You astound me, Mr. Aldwyn! I should certainly have supposed from your harsh, not to say ungentleman-like, manner, that quarrelling was exactly what you had in mind!”

  “All right, cut up at me if you will, but believe it or not, the office I’m here to perform is that of a friend. I tried to persuade my sister to undertake it, but since she won’t, the duty devolves on me.”

  “And if it’s an unpleasant duty, as I suspect, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it vastly,” she retorted with her chin in the air.

  He raised his brows in the familiar cynical gesture. “Spitfire, eh? But you’re wrong in that. I don’t relish my errand. I’ll spare you, therefore, all unnecessary preliminaries. What I’ve come to say concerns that fellow Colby, whose attentions you’ve been encouraging.”

  “I have been encouraging! How dare you say so!”

  “Do you attempt to deny it? How else, then, would you explain the marked preference you show him in all the public places in Bath, not to mention that you are in the habit of driving out with him alone?”

  Twin spots of colour showed on her cheeks. “I do not require to explain anything concerning my conduct to you, Mr. Aldwyn! Besides, I have not driven out alone with Mr. Colby; there has always been a groom present. I think you yourself were once kind enough to explain to me —” it was now her turn for sarcasm — “that the presence of a groom made any such outing perfectly proper.”

  “So it does in the normal way, but not with a fellow like that. I must warn you that he is not at all the thing.”

  “Indeed? I may tell you that I have always found him charming, attentive, and prodigiously entertaining company — unlike some I could mention!”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt the fellow’s an accomplished lady-killer,” he replied scathingly. “I dare say you fancy he’s head over heels in love with you, but allow me to inform you that he’s much more likely to be after your fortune! I’m sorry, but it’s the very truth of the matter.”

  “You’re not at all sorry. You’re enjoying every moment and every insult you make upon me. And pray what substance is there, if any, in these accusations against Mr. Colby?”

  She had not invited him to sit, and now they both stood angrily scowling at each other.

  “I ran across him in London at a gaming house and was warned that he was a wrong ’un. What’s more, he was going there by some other name, though I can’t recollect what it was. Is that sufficient evidence for you, ma’am?”

  She made no answer for a moment. She was trying to think, but her heated emotions were scarcely conducive to the exercise.

  “You could be mistaken,” she said in a calmer tone. “It is only hearsay, after all. We all know how little credence can be placed in gossip.”

  “My informant was certainly not the man for idle gossip,” Aldwyn replied coldly. “However, I see how it is, Miss Melville. You’re too infatuated with this rogue to see him for what he is.”

  “Infatuated!” she exclaimed indignantly. “It’s no such thing! I find him excellent company, charming and —”

  “Well, if you’re not infatuated, you give a devilish good imitation of it, let me tell you! But of course I am forgetting what an accomplished flirt you are become, madam.”

  “How — how dare you!”

  “It’s not only Colby, is it?” he continued ruthlessly. “There’s that young chap Fortescue. Cradle snatching is the only way to describe that conquest! And then there’s the worthy Mr. Burke, though perhaps you have deeper designs on him than a mere flirtation, who knows? Evidently you are much changed from the female whom I once thought suitable to be my wife, fool that I was,” he said bitterly.

  “Well, I was not foolish enough to accept you, at all events, for which I’m prodigiously thankful!” she retorted, her eyes flashing. “I am seeing a side of your character that I never before suspected. And so you think that I may be entertaining hopes of a match with Mr. Burke, do you? Well, allow me to tell you, sir, that had I been that kind of female, I would have accepted your offer, since it would have held out the promise of far greater status!”

  “I’ll allow that once you were not that kind of female. But that was before you gained the freedom to try out a new way of life — I believe that was your phrase — and so to discover what you really wanted for yourself.” His tone was heavy with irony. “It appears that your aims have been achieved. You’ve now settled for a romantic infatuation with one man, flirtations with many others, and marriage with a wealthy suitor whom you can lead by the nose. I congratulate you, Miss Melville; the change in you is nothing short of miraculous.”

  She gave a furious gasp. “Oh, I detest you!” she cried. “Go! Go at once, and never speak to me again!”

  Almost beside herself, she stepped forward and raised her arm threateningly, as if to strike him in the face.

  But he seized the arm with one hand and held her tightly.

  For a long moment, he looked deeply and searchingly into her eyes, while conflicting emotions raged within him. Meeting his blazing look, she became confused and frightened, yet even more determined to stand her ground. He pulled her closer and she steeled herself to withstand his strength. So they stood, tense, poised, motionless…

  Then he released her so abruptly that she staggered, and he strode out of the room, closing the door with a r
esounding slam.

  Chapter XX

  For some time after he had gone Henrietta stood without moving, as if paralysed. Gradually thought and emotion crept back, and she threw herself down into a chair and gave way to a passionate outburst of weeping.

  She rarely allowed herself the indulgence of tears, but there was no one else present to be disconcerted by this relief for her overtaxed feelings.

  The storm soon subsided, spent by its very violence. She was attempting to mop her face with a hopelessly wet handkerchief when the door opened to admit Louisa.

  Her friend stood staring for a moment, then uttered an exclamation of concern.

  “Hetty! You’ve been crying! What is it, my dear? Not bad news, I trust?”

  Henrietta shook her head. “No, no, nothing of that kind. I’ll tell you in a minute. But pray lend me a dry handkerchief.”

  Louisa supplied one and watched anxiously while her friend wiped away her tears.

  “It’s not anything to do with — with Colby, is it?” she asked with a worried frown. “You were out with him this morning, and if he’s distressed you in some way —”

  “No, it’s nothing to do with Mr. Colby. At least, only indirectly,” replied Henrietta, now rapidly gaining control of herself. “We had a most pheasant drive together. But when I returned I had an unexpected visitor.”

  “Do you wish to tell me who it was? You need not if you’d rather keep it to yourself, you know.”

  “It was Mr. Aldwyn,” replied Henrietta in an unnaturally calm voice.

  Louisa started. “Mr. Aldwyn!” she repeated in astonished accents. Then, as an afterthought occurred to her, “Hetty, is there something wrong at Almeria’s? Is that why —?”

  “There is nothing wrong with anyone except myself, and it appears there’s too much wrong with me,” said Henrietta bitterly. “Mr. Aldwyn called to set me right on one or two points in my conduct.”

  “Mr. Aldwyn!” repeated Louisa. “But you scarcely know him!”

  Henrietta coloured. “I fear I’ve not been entirely open with you, Louisa.”

  “Well, as to that,” put in her friend hastily, “there’s no reason why you should be. But if you’re certain you wish to tell me —”

  “It would be a relief,” replied Henrietta with a deep sigh. “Louisa, you may perhaps recall my telling you of two proposals of marriage I received before coming to Bath?”

  Louisa nodded.

  “Well, one of those was from Mr. Aldwyn.”

  Her friend sat down abruptly, staring in amazement.

  “Mr. Aldwyn! Well, this is certainly a surprise!” She was silent for a moment, then continued. “Since he is not a widower with children, I take it that he must be the other suitor you mentioned, the one seeking a conformable wife?”

  Henrietta nodded, a faint blush mounting to her cheeks.

  “But was he not to all intents and purposes a stranger to you when he arrived at Aldwyn Court? He must have gone to work prodigiously fast to make you an offer in such a short time!”

  “Yes, that’s true, and I did puzzle over his apparent determination to pursue the acquaintance since I knew well it could not have been —” she choked a little, then quickly turned it into a strangled laugh — “because he had fallen a slave to my charms! There was a degree of calculation in his manner that quite gave the lie to anything of that nature, even had I been naive enough to expect it,” she concluded wistfully.

  “Stuff!” said Louisa forcefully if inelegantly. “But pray continue, Hetty. I am fascinated!”

  Henrietta gave a wan smile. “When I look back and consider matters, Louisa, I think perhaps Almeria may have given her brother the notion by telling him something of my circumstances at home. She had confided to me that Mr. Aldwyn had begun to think it his duty to marry, in view of his father’s poor health. She also said that it would be only a marriage of convenience, as he was determined to avoid any further emotional disasters. There was something in his youth — I don’t know if you ever heard anything about it —”

  “Oh, yes, I recall Mama hinting at some scandal connected with him, but naturally I wasn’t allowed to know the full story at the tender age of sixteen,” said Louisa with a chuckle. “No more were you, I dare say. But no matter for that; I’m the last person to desire to delve into what’s past and done.”

  “I must say that the details of that story as related to me by Almeria filled me with compassion. He was only twenty, you know, and shamefully used! However, I only mention this to explain his attitude toward marriage, which might otherwise appear somewhat cold-blooded.”

  “What a magnanimous creature you are, Hetty! Here’s a man who made you a proposal of marriage for reasons that any other girl would find insulting, and who has today upset you dreadfully in some way, and yet you’re actually defending him!”

  “I’m certainly not defending his conduct today — that was monstrous!” Henrietta’s eyes kindled at the remembrance of it. “But one must be fair, and I don’t consider he can be blamed in the other matter. He could scarcely think it an insult to offer to make me mistress of Aldwyn Court one day, whatever you and I may feel about a loveless marriage. And I dare say, you know, Almeria may have given him a hint that I would be relieved to have an establishment of my own. After all, she didn’t know that I had already refused one offer of a marriage of convenience.”

  Louisa considered for a moment. “I must say that does seem likely. Almeria would welcome you as a sister-in-law more than any other female of her acquaintance, for you’ve been devoted friends since childhood. So all this is doubtless the reason why you and Mr. Aldwyn appear so very reserved with each other? But tell me, Hetty, what did occur today to upset you so? Never say that he came to renew his proposals and that you quarrelled in consequence?”

  Henrietta shook her head. “Far from it! The impression he left was that he wouldn’t marry me if I were the last woman on earth! No, he came to warn me about my friendship with Mr. Colby.”

  Louisa started so violently that she knocked her hand against a side table close to her chair. She nursed the hand for a moment, looking down at it to avoid Henrietta’s eyes.

  “Warn you?” Her voice sounded strained.

  “Yes. It seems that while Mr. Aldwyn was in London, he saw Mr. Colby in some gaming house and was told by a friend that Mr. Colby was — I use his words — ‘a wrong ’un’. I don’t know precisely what that signifies, but the implication is plain enough. And he said that Mr. Colby was, at the time, going under another name.”

  She paused and tried to make Louisa meet her eyes, but without success.

  “Louisa,” she continued in a pleading tone, “you must know if any of this is true. After all, you did have some acquaintance with Mr. Colby when you were both in Ireland.”

  “A woman learns little about the bachelor friends of her husband,” replied Louisa evasively. “It’s different with married friends, of course, for wives will chatter to each other.”

  “But you must know something of his background and character,” persisted Henrietta, “else how could you have warned me that he was a — a womaniser, and that I mustn’t take him too seriously?”

  Louisa looked uncomfortable. “That much I could observe,” she answered reluctantly. “But I have the impression that since meeting you, he has turned over a new leaf and will not look at any other woman.”

  “Oh, we amuse each other vastly, and that is all! But was he a gamester in those days in Ireland, Louisa? Did you have any reason to suppose —”

  “Most gentlemen are gamesters,” interrupted Louisa quickly. “The world doesn’t seem to think any the worse of them for that, I believe. But tell me, was this the reason you quarrelled with Almeria’s brother, because of what he said about Colby?”

  “I suppose it started with that.” She passed a hand across her eyes, trying to recall exactly what had been said during that heated interview. “He told me not to flatter myself that Colby was — in love with me, because it was
far more likely that he was after my fortune! That made me angry to begin with, but then he went on to make things worse. He said I had become an accomplished flirt. He mentioned Fortescue, as well as Colby, and even suggested that I might be angling for a marriage with Mr. Burke, with the intention of — oh, I can’t tell you! It was too monstrous!”

  “I believe I can hazard a guess. He thought you were willing to accept a wealthy husband who would be complaisant while you pursued affairs with other men, did he not? You know what I think, Hetty? He is jealous, my dear! He sees you have blossomed into a woman whom other men admire, and he’s regretting that he lost you.”

  “If so, it is only pique,” said Henrietta scornfully. “He really seems to believe that I’ve changed my character, so he cannot now feel even the respect that once he avowed. But don’t let us speak of him anymore. I wish I might never set eyes on him again, I can tell you!”

  Louisa considered her thoughtfully for a moment, then abandoned the subject. But inwardly she was troubled by thoughts she could not share.

  After Aldwyn had quitted the house, he set off at a rapid pace along Pulteney Street, but he had not covered more than a hundred yards when he changed his mind and retraced his steps to the house next door to that of Mrs. Fordyce.

  “Is Captain Barclay at home?” he asked the footman who appeared in answer to his knock.

  “I will inquire, sir,” replied the man, taking the proffered visiting card.

  Aldwyn stepped inside and watched while the servant knocked upon a door leading off the hall at the rear of the house. In another moment the Captain emerged.

  “This is an unexpected pleasure, Aldwyn,” he said cordially. “Come into my snug.”

  Aldwyn followed him into the room he had just left. The captain’s snug, as he termed it, was a thoroughly masculine apartment, furnished for comfort rather than elegance. Two of the walls were lined with books, and against one of the others stood a mahogany bureau bookcase with a revolving globe close beside it. What space remained on the walls was covered with maps and pictures of seascapes. Several deep armchairs, a table, and a small sideboard with decanters set out upon it, completed the furnishings.