Lady Vixen (The Reckless Brides, Book 3)

by Shirlee Busbee

  Levelly, Christopher said, “I’m surprised you trust me to go to England. Do you want to change our plans?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! Naturally not! It is only with regard to your connection with Lafitte that I have any doubts,” Jason exclaimed exasperatedly. Then, a most charming smile lighting his harsh features, he offered another drink, saying, “Enough of our differences. Let us talk of your mission to England!”

  Christopher agreed readily enough, accepting the second glass of liquor, although he wondered cynically how the strong brew was going to sit on his empty stomach. “You mentioned that the sailing date has been moved up?”

  “Yes. As I said, day after tomorrow. I meant to tell you at our last meeting, but got sidetracked, that Monroe has accepted England’s minister of war, Castlereagh’s proposal for direct negotiations.”

  “Mmm. My only comment is that Monroe should have done that some time ago. Now the British will try all the harder to grasp all they can before the peace is declared.”

  “I suspect so. Certainly it becomes even more important to have someone in England that is attuned to our side.”

  “Have we no official representative?” Christopher asked.

  “Only a gentleman by the name of Reuben Beasley.

  He is our agent for our prisoners of war. I believe Monroe has included a letter of introduction to him for you. And there is also a young secretary of Albert Gallatin’s staying now in London. I believe he is there merely to observe and let Gallatin know the temper of London. Like you, he is there unofficially—more so than yourself—and he has no letters of introduction from the secretary of state.”

  “Do I see him?”

  “No. I do not feel he would be of any use to us. But I will give you what information I have on him tomorrow.”

  Another round of whiskey was poured, and swallowing it slowly, enjoying its stinging bite, Christopher decided that he was going to be drunk as a wheelbarrow if he stayed much longer. In no hurry to end the conversation, Jason said with amusement, “I must congratulate you on your ward.”

  Christopher’s brow lifted. “Congratulate?”

  “Yes. You said she wouldn’t shame me, and she didn’t—she did beat me at cards though. fortunate that you are sailing on Thursday, for the suitors will be clamoring outside your house. Her manners are delightful. We dined at the governor’s mansion on Saturday and Claiborne himself was very attracted, but only in an abstract way, you understand, as he is unusually devoted to his wife. And Sunday we took her to the opera. The opera itself was not a great success, but Nicole certainly was! I vow I thought I would have to fight our way clear.”

  A glitter gleamed in Christopher’s eyes that couldn’t be defined by Jason, but there was no mistaking the deadly smoothness of his voice as he asked, “And did Nicole find anyone who took her fancy?”

  “That, I couldn’t tell you. But I’m certain you will discover it for yourself—she is, after all, your ward.”

  “Perhaps.” And abruptly Christopher changed the subject. “If Monroe has accepted Castlereagh’s offer, has a place for the actual negotiations been settled upon?”

  “No. Remember that Monroe wrote his reply barely a month ago—it hasn’t even reached England yet. There has been a new commission appointed for us also—John Adams will be the leader and the others are a Federalist by the name of James Bayard, our speaker of the house, Henry Clay, Jonathan Russell, and Albert Gallatin. Madison finally appointed Campbell to Gallatin’s post as secretary of the treasury. It is an imposing group.”

  “But can they accomplish anything?” Christopher asked sarcastically.

  Jason shrugged. “Well, Gallatin and Bayard are at the czar’s court in Russia at this very moment supposedly negotiating for peace with England. Who knows what they will accomplish? You, I hope, will certainly have more success than they have had so far.”

  They stayed talking quietly for several more minutes and decided on two final and vitally important items. The first, and by far the easiest, was a simple code to be used for what news Jason could send to Christopher. Knowing the various improbabilities of the mail during the war, they had acknowledged that the letters might never reach England. But Jason had agreed that he would try to keep Christopher abreast with events in New Orleans.

  The second item was more difficult. Leaving England in this time of war with the United States was something they discussed at length. Obviously no British ships were sailing to American ports. If Christopher were successful in obtaining any documents of value, speed would be of utmost importance, and there would be no time in which to take a more circuitous route—to go from one port to another before heading to the United States.

  After much argument it was agreed they would make use of several privateers known by Jason to be plying the waters off the coast of England. Christopher jibed Jason about it, finding it vastly amusing that he would make use of them in view of his feelings about Lafitte. But Jason snapped, “These, my young friend, are honest privateers!” Christopher wisely held his tongue.

  The most difficult obstacle was the timing. Neither had any idea how long Christopher would be in England. They dared not set just one date for a rendezvous. There would have to be several different times that Christopher could meet with an American ship. It was decided each month, starting April 25, a privateer would be tarrying off the coast of Sussex, near the tiny village of Rottingdean. The ship would remain for several hours of darkness and sail with the midnight tide if Christopher’s signal did not appear. The date would change each month, the next month’s date being a day later than the previous month. The captain would know nothing except that he was to pick up one or two passengers and immediately set sail for New Orleans. A simple lantern signal would be used.

  It was perhaps not the best arrangement—it was risky and left much to chance—but it was the best they could do.

  The problems solved to their satisfaction, they had another glass of the rotgut whiskey. It was only when the bottle was finished and they were both as drunk as lords that Christopher and Jason strolled in the direction of their respective homes. It had started to rain and swearing with discomfort, Christopher pulled his thin jacket closer to him. Seeing his actions, Jason laughed, “Wait until England, my friend. Wait until it rains in England.”

  Part III

  Traces Of Love

  “Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point.”

  The Heart has it reasons that reason knows nothing of.

  French Proverb

  Chapter 11

  Brighton was not a happy place for Nicole. It had been here that her parents and brother had drowned, and when she and Regina had driven past the handsome Ashford manor one day, she couldn’t suppress the sudden pain that stabbed her as she remembered that day. Regina had suggested she might like to wander through the house to see if the Markhams had done any alterations or damages during their guardianship, but she shook her head. She didn’t think she could bear to go through that house, especially not to step out onto that balcony where she had sat that terrible day watching wide-eyed with terror as the gleaming white sloop had plunged into the sea.

  Time had lessened her pain, but she could not help associating Brighton with unhappiness. She missed the new Lady Saxon dreadfully, although Regina was kindness itself, evidently having forgiven her the lapse with Robert. But Regina was no substitute for Lady Saxon’s sweet, understanding manner nor Lord Saxon’s sarcastic gruffness, and the house seemed dull and empty without the newlyweds.

  There were advantages to Brighton, she admitted. For one thing, she could hear the crash of the ocean just beyond the seawall, and with Galena in attendance Nicole found solace in walking along the edge of the ocean, the sea breeze ruffling her hair and kissing her pale cheeks with color. There was a relaxed air in Brighton, despite all the members of the ton from London who crowded into the small city this time of year, and Nicole found herself with more freedom and with fewer restrictions. Perhaps, she tho
ught wryly, I have at last grown used to this life and will fade into a vapid existence, no longer straining against the restraints of polite society.

  As she sat in her room one mid-September afternoon, her mind wandered to Robert and the strange situation that existed between them. She tolerated his company much as she did Edward’s but her cool manner seemed in no way to disturb Robert as it did Edward. Edward continued his pursuit of her, but he was inclined to reveal his true character these days, realizing that his ardent display the night of the wedding had done him no good, and that Nicole was not a bit taken in by his lover-like air. Consequently, whenever Nicole refused his invitations to dance, or sought the company of others rather than converse with him privately, he pouted and showed his displeasure; with Robert it was a different matter.

  Robert took her snubs with good grace, smiling quizzically at her, his eyes asking why she had changed toward him. But she could not tell him that she no longer trusted him, or that she could never forget that he had been her mother’s lover and, worse, that he had betrayed Christopher. Robert never pressed her, but like Edward he never abandoned his refined wooing.

  On the surface Robert had taken Nicole’s withdrawal without any sign of anger, but underneath he was seething with jealousy. He had attempted to lure more information out of Jennings-Smythe about this Captain Saber, but the other man always turned aside with a laughing comment, mocking himself for his mistake. He learned more from casual inquiries, but nothing that would connect Christopher with the American privateer Captain Saber. Robert finally decided that the hiring of an inquiry agent was his only option, and in the middle of the second week of September he did precisely that.

  On the twenty-fourth of September Simon and Letitia arrived in Brighton, both looking incredibly happy. With their return the house on Kings Road seemed to wake and shake off its slumbering air and resounded now with lively laughter and gaiety as various friends and acquaintances came to call, offering their congratulations and welcoming them to Brighton.

  The air of passiveness that had overtaken Nicole vanished with their return, and she found she could bear with equanimity Edward’s persistent and increasingly annoying suit and that she could occasionally smile at Robert Saxon. She told herself firmly that this bubble of excitement in her breast was because Lord Saxon and his wife were once again part of the household, but her unruly heart acknowledged that the feeling might have something to do with the fact that in less than a week she would see Christopher again.

  Simon and Letitia had both noticed that Robert was no longer greeted with the same degree of warmth he had been in the past, and both were more than a little curious as to why Nicole had changed toward him. Simon, thinking it some work of Regina’s, had taken her to task for it the first moment they were alone.

  Glaring at his sister, he demanded, “Now, Gina, what is going on here? What have you said to Nicole to make her avoid Robert so? I told you to let the gel be, that if she wanted Robert, I wouldn’t throw a rub in her way. And I meant it! I don’t want her to marry Robert, but I’ve learned my lesson and I’ll not be a party to forcing them apart.”

  Regina drew herself up stiffly. “You wrong me, Simon and I do not know what you are talking about. Certainly, I have said nothing to Nicole to give her a distaste for Robert. I haven’t had to! She had been disenchanted with your son since before the wedding had you cared to notice.”

  “Just so you haven’t been meddling!”

  “Meddling! Why I would never do such a thing!”

  “Now don’t give me that! You are an unscrupulous woman, Gina. You are perfectly capable of telling an outright lie if it suits you.” Seeing his sister was becoming incensed, he added hastily, “Well, enough of that! Perhaps Letty can find out why the chit had taken such an obvious aversion to Robert.”

  Letitia was indeed able to find out what had happened when Nicole unburdened herself. Regina had gone to visit her close friend Lady Unton, and Simon was closeted with his man of business, leaving Letitia and Nicole to their own devices. They were seated under the spreading leaves of an elm tree at the side of the house, enjoying a glass of lemonade, when Nicole haltingly told Letitia what she had learned from Higgins.

  She hadn’t meant to tell anyone, but Letitia’s gentle probing about Robert loosened her tongue and the story came tumbling out. All of it.

  Letitia, the faded blue eyes round with astonishment and dismay, listened in silence, her only comment when Nicole halted, “Oh my! How dreadful!”

  “Yes, it is. It’s been rather beastly too, knowing that my mother was such a depraved creature.” Her face averted, Nicole said in a choked voice, “I’ve tried to make excuses for her, tried to remember her as I thought she was, but I can’t! All I can think of is that not only was Robert her lover, but Christopher as well!” Her face was anguished as she looked at Letitia. “How could she! How could Robert share her with Christopher!” she cried. “Oh, I know it was to distract my father, but you would have thought if Robert were in love with her, he wouldn’t have wanted to share her that way.”

  Letitia looked away and said carefully, “Perhaps Robert didn’t know.”

  Nicole stared at her. Dully, she asked, “You mean, mother also betrayed Robert? That he thought those meetings were innocuous, arranged solely for the look of the thing?”

  “Yes, my dear, I’m afraid that is precisely what I mean.” Letitia clasped Nicole’s hand. “My dear, listen to me! Your mother was a spoiled child. I knew her from a babe, and she absolutely had to have the adoration of any man, young or old, whom she met. I don’t believe she ever loved anyone, but that didn’t make her entirely wicked. Oh, dear, what I am trying to say is that she wasn’t malicious, she just did these things.” Sadly, she continued, “Christopher was so obviously suffering from a terrible case of calf love that I think it was beyond her to resist seducing him. She and Robert probably meant to use him as a blind, but her vanity drove her to make the lies she told her husband reality.”

  “Mrs. Eggleston!” Nicole burst out, so shocked she had neglected her new title. “How can you say that! Are you excusing what they meant to do?”

  Flustered, Letitia twisted her hands together, “Oh, no! What I am trying to say, is that your mother was selfish and thoughtless and that she used people, but in the way that a child uses people. She didn’t think about what she was doing to Christopher. She and Robert needed a scapegoat and he was available. She saw things only as they affected her! Can you understand what I mean?”

  Frowning, Nicole gazed off into the distance. “I think so. But it doesn’t lessen what she did.”

  “Oh, no, I never meant it did! I was trying to explain how Annabelle would have looked at things. It probably never even occurred to her that she was being unfair to your father by being unfaithful, or that she was betraying Robert by taking Christopher as her lover. She simply never thought.”

  “And Robert?”

  “Oh, my!” Letitia murmured unhappily. “I don’t wish to be brutal, my dear, but Robert would never have done for you. He was jealous and spiteful as a child, and I never liked him. From what you have told me, I blame him for what happened. It was probably his idea to use Christopher, and certainly it was his doing that sent Christopher from England. I cannot say that it was something done without a lot of thinking and planning. Robert meant for Christopher to die, and I’m certain he wanted Christopher disgraced more than—” she broke off, as though she had gone too far.

  Nicole smiled sadly. “But we can hardly say this to your husband.”

  “Oh my, no! Robert has caused Simon enough grief as it is. It is over with and finished; there is nothing any of us can do to change it. All we can do is to forget it and go forward.” Her eyes misty with tears, she leaned forward and said earnestly, “My dear, do not let it destroy you! Put it from your mind and forget it.”

  Nicole gave her that sad smile. “I think I will now that I have talked to you. I feel more at ease about it, less confused and angry. Perha
ps in time I shall view it more objectively.”

  “Yes, that’s it, my love. Do try!”

  Nicole discovered that she had spoken the truth; it was as if the conversation with Lady Saxon had softened the hurt.

  But if Nicole’s pain had been lessened by that conversation, Lady Saxon was in agony. The sight of Robert Saxon filled her with wrath, and without being aware of it, she glowered at him every time he looked at Nicole. She was tormented by what she learned and could not bear the thought of the horrors Robert had inflicted on those she loved.

  The night after her conversation with Nicole Lady Saxon’s distress was so acute that even sleep would not come to her. It was clear to her that she must do something to confront Robert with her knowledge, but she had no idea what she could do that would not involve Simon.

  She shifted again in her bed, trying not to disturb her sleeping husband. She almost jumped out of bed when his voice pierced the darkness. “Letty! What is it? You’ve been fidgeting for hours.”

  “It’s nothing, Simon. I’ve had the most dreadful headache all night and cannot sleep. I had hoped I would not disturb you.” Her voice quavered slightly.

  Simon heard that quaver and reached out to enfold her in his arms. “What is it, my dear, what is distressing you?”

  Determined to keep the truth from him, she made some comment, but Simon would have none of it. With paralyzing intuitiveness, he asked, “Is it Robert? I noticed that you have been strained in his company since yesterday.”

  Letitia went rigid, and aware of it, Simon said sharply, “Tell me what he has done. And don’t fob me off with some feeble excuse about a headache. I know you too well and it is obvious that Robert has done something to upset you. Now tell me what it is and no nonsense.”