The Rebel Wife: Book Four in the Regency Romps Series

by Elizabeth Bramwell

  “What a horrid thing to say to me,” she said, handing the mirror back to Kate before seeking out a handkerchief with which to dab at her eyes.

  “Not as horrible as I would be if I let you attend the ball tonight looking such a fright. You should try to rest for an hour before dressing, you know, or you’ll look positively haggish. You are a great beauty, Helena, but even you are not immune to the detrimental effect crying has on one’s complexion!”

  Helena crossed her arms over her chest, but the pout was fast losing the battle to her innate sense of amusement. “I’m still angry at you for trying to ruin my chances at marrying Jonathan.”

  “If I wanted to do that, dearest, then I’d let him see you with a runny nose, blotchy skin and your eyes puffy from crying.”

  Helena seemed much struck by this observation, enough to allow Kate to lead her over to her bed and tuck her in tightly under the covers, still fully dressed but visibly exhausted from her own outburst.

  “You mean you don’t intend to bar me from attending the ball tonight?” she asked suddenly.

  “Lord, no! Imagine the scandal!” laughed Kate.

  “And you won’t stop me dancing with Jonathan?”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because I’ve to save two waltzes for him!”

  Kate nodded. “Yes, I thought you would. Quite smart of you as well, really, for Mr Rumble is a very capable dancer.”

  Helena stared at her for a moment, then shook her head.

  “I do not understand you, Kate. Not in the slightest.”

  Kate kissed her spoiled sister-in-law on the forehead. “Now that is one of the few things that we agree on. Your hair is still damp, by the way. I’ll ask your maid to set some extra time aside to style it before dinner.”

  “Kate…” called out Helena just before she left the room.

  “Yes, dearest?”

  “I don’t mean to be such a harpy, truly I don’t, it’s just that I love Jonathan. I really, honestly do.”

  “I know,” she replied with a smile she knew Helena couldn’t see.

  “Then why do you oppose my marriage to him so much? Is it because of how Alex treated you? Because I might be young, but even I know that not all men are as selfish as either of my brothers are.”

  Kate took a moment before replying and was proud of how even her tone was when she finally spoke.

  “Simply that I believe it would be better for your future marriage if you learned how to control your temper before your wedding, my dear.”

  The silence from Helena’s bed was so thick that for a moment Kate worried that her poor attempt at a jest had instead awoken the fury of sister-in-law once again.

  But then she heard Helena chuckle.

  “You don’t – what was it that Arthur says? – you don’t pull your punches.”

  “You’d like me less if I did.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” said Helena on a yawn. “Go away, Katie, please. I’ve enough to cry myself to sleep about as it is.”

  Kate closed the door without another word, her heart racing at hearing Helena address her as Katie for the first time in years. She stood outside her sister-in-law’s room for a good five minutes, staring in silence at the wooden door. She allowed herself a small smile as she thought of the grubby, fearless child that Helena had been, and decided that – all things considered – the girl hadn’t turned out so badly, after all.

  She made her way down the corridor back to her mother-in-law’s rooms. Alex was nowhere to be seen, but Sarah had returned after being unable to prevent Arthur from leaving the house.

  Calming Sarah had been easier that it had with Helena, for her mother-in-law wanted nothing more than to lie in her bed for an hour in order to recover from the revelation that Eugenia Pulford might be her new daughter-in-law.

  “For that, I could not accept, my darling! Even if he loved her which he obviously does not,” Sarah had said in a sad voice. “How I am to keep from strangling that girl when she arrives this evening is beyond me.”

  “Rest assured that Arthur will not marry Eugenia,” said Kate, “even if I have to put him on a boat to India myself.”

  “I know I can always rely on you to pull us out of a scrape,” sighed Sarah, clutching her hand. “What would we do without you?”

  With both Sarah and Helena asleep and Alex engaged in devising a plan to rescue Arthur, it fell to Kate to oversee the last-minute arrangements for the Ball. It was only when her own maid came searching for her that she realised how late the hour had become and rushed upstairs to prepare herself for the evening.

  Her dress – an exquisite cream silk gown dressed up with a blue robe adorned with silver trimming – was simple yet extremely elegant, while her hair was braided about her head with silver ribbons. Matching silver bangles graced her upper arms, while large drop earrings, a simple chain necklace, cream silk slippers and silk gloves completed her outfit. Despite her rushed toilette, she was confident that she appeared every inch the Duchess, and thus entered the parlour with serene calm despite the tumultuous day.

  Their dinner guests comprised of numerous cousins to the Lexboroughs, her own relatives, and a range of friends that could be counted on to be entertaining. She waited until the last possible moment to serve dinner, for the one person she had thought utterly reliable was inexplicably – and worryingly – absent.

  Arthur had not arrived.

  Considering the company, his lack of appearance was laughed off despite it causing the dinner table to be uneven. Kate, however, began to worry. Alex looked irritated, Sarah concerned, and Helena blithely oblivious as she chatted away with one of her cousins.

  Dinner ended, and the Ball officially began. Kate took her place in the receiving line beside Alex, greeting their worthy guests as it seemed that the entirety of London turned out for the ball. The Seftons, the Jerseys, the Lambs, the Rutlands; even that young sprig of fashion, Beau Brummell, deemed to show his face.

  Which made it all the more concerning that Arthur was yet to be seen, for Kate could not think of a single thing on God’s green Earth that would prevent Arthur from being in the same room as Mr Brummell, up to and including death or dismemberment. She risked a glance at both Sarah and Alex, but as they were both engaged in showing off their finest Society manners it was impossible for her to read their faces.

  She tried to keep her attention on the task of being the perfect Duchess, but just as she thought she had her anxiety under control, Lord and Lady Flamborough made their entrance with their daughter Eugenia in tow.

  The girl was dressed quite well, all things considered, in a cream muslin gown with a gauze overdress, while her hair was dressed plainly. Eugenia’s affection for gaudy baubles, however, were still evident. Her asymmetric, sleeveless tunic of duck egg blue was unexceptionable save for the pewter buttons that were fashioned into cherubs so ugly that Alex was at a momentary loss for words when he spied them.

  “Your Grace,” said Eugenia, dipping a curtsey as Alex recovered his senses.

  “Lady Eugenia, so good of you to come,” he replied.

  “I would not miss such a grand family occasion for all the world,” she replied, moving on before he could respond.

  Kate wanted to wring her neck and would have done so gladly at the slightest provocation. Instead, Eugenia made a very pretty bow and had the most perfect of manners, as did her parents. Other than that one comment, there was nothing from any of them to suggest they were expecting the announcement of a betrothal.

  “Perhaps it wasn’t Eugenia and Arthur in that gossip column after all?” murmured Sarah, although her expression showed it was a faint hope at best.

  “She’s up to something,” replied Kate, before turning her attention to Sir Joseph and Lady Putney, who had been so good as to bring their three handsome, wealthy, and good-looking sons along with them for the evening.

  In short, other than Arthur’s absence, there was no reason to suspect that it would be anything but a c
omplete squeeze that would be remembered by all who attended as a great success.

  It did not matter. Until she knew what had happened to Arthur, Kate would know no peace.

  *

  “Your earnest swain does not appear to be in attendance,” said Eugenia’s mother with a smug smile. “Perhaps joy at your approaching nuptials overwhelmed him.”

  Eugenia forced herself to keep a smile on her face, no matter how brittle. “I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

  Her mother shook her head, the ostrich plumes in her turban bobbing as she did so. “It is a blessing in disguise, Eugenia. Lord Arthur may be personable, but he is only a younger son with no real hope of achieving anything of note in life. You can do better.”

  Eugenia ruthlessly thrust down all the objections that came to mind before she could utter them. Saying them out loud would make them real, and that was not something she was prepared to face.

  “I think I shall go and talk to Lady Helena,” she announced, getting to her feet. Her mother gave a sigh that suggested that it would put her out immensely, but that she would do the dutiful thing and let Eugenia have her way.

  “Go if you must, but make sure that you solicit a dance with Lord Standish! He may not be related to a Duke, my dear, but he at least has rank and fortune in his own right.”

  Eugenia chose not to respond, instead of walking away with her head held as high as she dared.

  Helena was easy to locate, for she always attracted the young gentlemen of the Ton to her like a candle enticing some particularly stupid moths. She seemed to be in particularly high spirits, even for Helena, as she laughed loudly, flirted outrageously, and generally pulled the interest of all around her, good or bad.

  Under usual circumstances, she would have thought her young acquaintance feverish but decided that the size and prestige of the ball, which dwarfed even Helena’s extravagant come out, had gone to her head. Besides, it didn’t matter much to Eugenia what Helena was feeling. She wanted to know where Arthur was, and since she was not on good enough terms with the Duchess to request the information, his younger sister would have to do.

  “Helena, dearest, you simply must come for a walk with me,” she said, breaking into the group without any regard for their conversation. “Mother wishes to talk with you most desperately.”

  “Why would Lady Flamborough want me?” asked Helena, looking doubtful.

  Eugenia tucked her arm firmly into Helena’s and began to walk, dragging the girl along with her.

  “Because it is a matter of great importance,” she replied loudly so everyone could hear. “It won’t take more than a few minutes, I promise.”

  “It can’t be that important, then,” said Helena, shaking her head. “And do try not to grab me so, Eugenia. You are hurting my arm.”

  Eugenia did not let go. She leant in close so she could whisper into Helena’s ear. “Where is Arthur?”

  Helena slowed their pace. “Is that what this is about? My brother?”

  “What else would it be about?” said Eugenia, half wishing she could just slap the spoiled beauty. “My future happiness is at stake.”

  Helena laughed. It was too high and bordered on hysterical. “Yes, and so is my brother’s. I tell you this, Eugenia Pulford: stay away from Arthur. I don’t know how you tricked him into thinking he should marry you, but everyone is against the match. Mother, Kate, even Alex. In fact, you put all of them into such terrible moods that you undid all my good work promoting my own marriage to Jonathan.”

  “Mr Rumble is nothing more than a country bumpkin, whose father ranks as nothing more than a local squire,” said Eugenia, unable to hide her contempt for the match any longer. “He is barely a step above the middle classes.”

  Helena’s eyes narrowed. “Not only is his birth considerably better than that of your own mother, I have the advantage of being loved by the man I want to marry. Arthur despises you, and rightly so. I am sorry that I ever considered you a friend.”

  And with that, in full view of the entire ballroom, Helena turned on her heel and walked away, the insult on par with her delivering a Cut Direct.

  Eugenia reeled backwards, her mouth opening and closing like that of a fish. Already she could hear the sniggers and comments from the members of the Ton around her, and her cheeks began to burn.

  She looked around the room in desperation, looking for some form of hope to cling onto. Her eyes fell on the Duke of Lexborough, and she began to make her way toward him.

  *

  Alex debated the various methods in which he would murder his siblings when the evening was done.

  Arthur was yet to put in an appearance, even though the hour grew late and the family had long ago abandoned the receiving line to mingle with their guests. Arthur’s absence was causing both Kate and his mother to worry, and while he didn’t believe his brother was doing anything save avoiding having to confront Lady Eugenia, he had nonetheless sent some of the staff out to search for him.

  Helena, on the other hand, was a problem all of her own.

  On the surface she seemed extraordinarily well; she flirted with lots of the eligible men present and seemed particularly taken with the youngest Mr Putney, but her laughter was too loud, her eyes too bright, and her movements too agitated for him to believe that she was as carefree as she wished to appear. He watched her in earnest conversation with Mr Rumble on more than one occasion, and he gathered that none of their exchanges resulted in happiness for either of them.

  Consequently, he did his best to avoid being cornered by Mr Rumble, but as he was also trying to avoid being cornered by an irritated-looking Lady Eugenia, it was inevitable that he would have to face one of them sooner or later.

  Later seemed the best option.

  If he discounted his siblings and their relative dramas for an instant, Alex found he was rather enjoying himself. The entirety of the Ton had turned out to celebrate his return to the fold, and he was surprised to find that it did not chafe or constrain him as much as he had feared.

  Kate and his mother had done an exceptional job on the arrangements, somehow turning the ballroom into a space reminiscent of the ruins of a Roman courtyard overrun with flowers. The guests seemed to adore it – although only slightly less than they adored the pink champagne that flowed freely into their glasses.

  High above them two of the most beautiful chandeliers he had ever seen hung above them like twin suns. The glow they cast, supplemented by the ornate candelabras all about the room, was brighter than he had thought possible, although he winced when he thought about the exorbitant cost of so many beeswax candles.

  And then smiled when he thought about what would happen if he complained to Kate. He could still detect the whiff of bad pork whenever he was in his book room.

  “Your Grace, may I beg the indulgence of a few moments of your time?” said Mr Rumble.

  Alex winced. He’d been lost in reverie for a moment, and the boy had managed to track him down.

  “Anything for a neighbour,” he replied. “How is your family, by the way? I look forward to renewing my acquaintance with them all.”

  Mr Rumble seemed surprised at his question. He glanced around as though looking for some guidance – most likely from Helena, who at least seemed to have the good sense not to be present for this conversation.

  “My family are very well, thank you, and my mother expressed her joy at your return to England in her last letter. I hope to have her express her joy at other good news in the near future, your Grace, but perhaps a more private location?”

  He looked miserable. Alex smiled to himself. From what Kate had told him, he had no doubt that Mr Rumble very much wanted to marry Helena, but the poor man had likely been badgered into choosing this inopportune moment to press his suit.

  Alex took pity, and set in place the plan he’d been formulating over the last few weeks.

  “Yes, no doubt she will be deeply appreciative to have you home soon! Take it from someone who cau
sed his own mother great heartache through his selfishness: never stray away from home for too long.”

  “I… yes… well, perhaps we could retire to your book room, your Grace?”

  “No need for that,” said Alex, with a cheerful grin. “There’s nothing secret about our conversation.”

  Mr Rumble frowned. “No, I suppose not, but it seems indelicate.”

  “Indelicate to discuss being dutiful sons to our mothers?” said Alex, feigning surprise. “I’d rather think it an excellent topic of conversation. Which brings me to a very important point, Mr Rumble, for I have been meaning to speak with you for the last few days about a matter of great importance to us both.”

  “You have?” said Mr Rumble, looking thoroughly bewildered.

  “Indeed! Kate informs me that you believe that the remains of a Roman fort lie across our lands. Is this true?”

  He straightened up, his eyes shining as his passion was engaged. “I’m certain of it, your Grace! In fact, I believe the stone used to construct West Cottages includes some that were likely scavenged from the original ruins. Some of the men have found the odd bit of metal while ploughing the fields as well, and Father has a lovely boat brooch in his collection that his grandfather found as a child.”

  “Do you think it is worth us mounting an investigation, then?”

  Mr Rumble’s eyes went wide, and he looked as delighted as a schoolboy offered a sugar plum. “Of course I do, your Grace! It would be father’s decision about the area that crosses our land, of course, but if you were interested then I’m positive that he would be as well! He was an avid reader of Stukeley’s works, you know, and if you tell him there is likely to be pre-roman finds on our land then he will agree in a trice, I am sure of it.”

  Alex nodded gravely, keeping his expression non-committal. “I was hoping to begin sooner rather than later. I’ve been considering purchasing some land further north that looks promising, but cannot reasonably fund two excavations at the same time.”

  Mr Rumble looked momentarily crushed but rallied quickly. “But how dull it would be to dig on a strange property when you are only just reunited with your family, your Grace! And if I can but speak to my father then I am sure we can get the matter all ready to go before the Season is done.”