A Season of Romance

by Wendy Soliman

  Those Englishmen had fled the country when they realised that they had backed the wrong horse. But the traitor had remained here undetected. He was too wily to have exposed his true beliefs. Ezra assumed that during England’s darkest hour he too had shared the view that it could only be a matter of time before Napoleon’s army swept across the country, ousting the current regime. So he had looked to his own interests and given away secrets in return for wealth and a position of consequence in the new French regime.

  If Ezra never caught him, at least he could console himself with the knowledge that the man had well and truly miscalculated. What’s more, the shadowy figures across the Channel—the ones who mirrored Gaunt’s occupation—would be aware of the traitor’s identity and could reveal it if and when it suited their purposes. Ezra had every intention of beating them to it.

  Which is why he had changed his habits and called upon Lady Adela, aware that his presence in her drawing room would create quite a stir. His interest in the lady would imply to the traitor that she had possession of the information her father had collated, or at least knew where to lay her hands on it. Guilt washed through him when he was obliged to admit that he had taken advantage of her. Damn it, Ezra didn’t like what honour and duty had forced him to do! He tried to convince himself that she would always have been in danger anyway—from the traitor, from unscrupulous curs who wooed her for her fortune, from her miserable cousin…from every damned person in the ton, himself included. And that situation would not ease until the traitor was exposed, made to answer for his crimes and forced to face up to the responsibility of all the needless deaths his actions had caused.

  One woman’s safety paled into insignificance when compared to the man’s crimes, or so he tried to tell himself. But his conscience was having none of it. Harker had damned well better keep her safe. He was the most reliable person that Ezra knew, tough and resourceful, but he was still only one man. Fallible, as they all were.

  His cogitations brought his carriage to the door of White’s, where he surrendered his hat and gloves to the porter who stepped forward to take them from him.

  ‘Afternoon, my lord. Pleasant weather.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  Ezra straightened his cuffs and climbed the wide marble staircase lined with pictures of past members. It brought him out into the main body of the club, where a steward immediately descended upon him.

  ‘Whisky,’ he said, nodding to acquaintances as he selected a chair.

  The place was as crowded as ever at this time of day, and his appearance created the stir that Ezra had been depending upon. He had barely accepted his drink from the steward’s tray with a nod of thanks before several acquaintances descended upon him.

  ‘What’s this I hear about you paying court to the Gantz gal?’ Charlie Barker asked. ‘Not like you to put yourself out. Handsome, is she? Never mind that. You can take your pick of all the handsome chits. I can’t imagine you need Lady Adela’s blunt, so you’d best leave the field clear for those of us who do.’

  ‘Go away, Charlie. You’re annoying at the best of times, and impossible when you try to be amusing.’

  ‘Nothing amusing about being in dun territory,’ Barker said glumly, sinking into the chair across from Ezra and asking the hovering steward for whisky. ‘Put it on his lordship’s account,’ he added, with a wave towards Ezra. ‘He can afford to stand me a decent drink.’

  ‘If I must.’

  The steward went off to get Charlie’s drink.

  ‘So, tell me about the girl.’ Several other members, Ezra noticed, had wandered close to their table, shamelessly eavesdropping. ‘They’ve started a book already,’ Charlie added, nodding towards those hovering. ‘Your ring on her finger within a week. Obviously, she won’t decline a proposal from you, and everyone knows your old man is getting impatient because you’re so damned selective.’

  ‘No wonder you’re short of money, if all you have to do all day is gamble and indulge in pointless speculation.’ Ezra paused until the steward had served Charlie’s drink and moved away again. ‘You would be better advised to concentrate upon making your estate more profitable.’

  ‘Damn it all, Ezra, a man has to have a little sport. You might remember who your friends are and tip me the wink before you pop the question. That way I can clean up.’

  ‘Hardly sporting.’

  ‘Ha!’ Charlie took a long swig of his drink. His cheeks were florid, his hair already in full retreat, compensated for by an expanding waistline. Charlie was charming, the greatest possible fun, but lazy as sin. ‘You going on anywhere tonight?’

  ‘I hadn’t thought.’

  Charlie’s name was on Ezra’s list of suspects, albeit close to the bottom. He complained of being broke, never seemed to do a stroke of work but always had money to throw around. The traitor would have been well paid by the French, even if that source of funds had come to an abrupt end with the cessation of hostilities. It wouldn’t occur to Charlie to exercise economy to avoid arousing suspicion, but that didn’t mean he was stupid, despite his best efforts to project that image. Charlie and Ezra had been at Oxford together. They both came away with firsts, the only difference between them being that Ezra had to work for his, whereas he never saw Charlie open a book.

  Ezra knew his father hadn’t left him well situated and wondered where his wealth came from. That was not, obviously, a question that Ezra could ask him. He suppressed a smile, thinking that in his situation Adela might very well ignore the conventions and ask it anyway. Charlie had no obvious connection to the Secretary of State for War, from whose office the leaks had emanated, which was why his name remained at the bottom of Ezra’s list. If the traitor had an obvious connection to the seat of power, he would have been identified without any help from Ezra.

  ‘What about you?’

  Charlie yawned behind his hand. ‘Not sure I can make the effort. What of your little heiress? Is she out and about? That might galvanise me. I dare say she’d prefer me to you if I put myself out to be nice to her.’

  ‘Ah, then I have nothing to worry about, since you can never find the energy to put yourself out.’

  ‘Ah-ha! So you are interested? You’ve just admitted it. Put me down for ten guineas, Heston,’ Charlie shouted across the room. ‘Ten guineas that says Bairstow here will be engaged to the Gantz girl before the month’s out.’

  ‘Oh lud, don’t do that, Bairstow,’ one gent begged. ‘You’ll send all the rest of the trollops in London into a collective state of decline if you remove yourself from the marriage mart.’ Others mumbled good-natured agreement. ‘For reasons that escape me, they all have you in their sights. My own silly chit included.’

  Ezra ignored the joshing, all the while casually scanning the crowd. As well as Charlie, there were two more of his suspects present. Neither showed any signs of concern regarding his supposed attachment to Adela, but then the actual traitor wouldn’t give himself away that easily. All Ezra could do was hope that he had galvanised the guilty party into action.

  Then the sea of bodies parted, and he noticed another member seated directly across from him, taking no notice at all of the conversation. His name was not on Ezra’s list, but his lack of interest seemed almost forced to Ezra, making him wonder. Their gazes briefly clashed, and Ezra was almost sure that the man offered him a brief, mocking smile.

  *

  ‘We should have broken our journey in Hertford when I suggested it and entered London at a reasonable time tomorrow,’ Daniel’s mother complained. ‘We can hardly descend upon Eaton Square at this hour. It will make us seem desperate.’

  ‘We will not go directly there tonight. There is someone I need to see before anyone else knows I am in town. A matter of business.’

  His mother stared out the window, wrinkling her nose when a drunken individual stumbled along beside the carriage, making suggestive gestures. ‘You might have said.’

  ‘I’m telling you now. I assume Lady Jordan will not mind if we impose up
on her for one night.’ Daniel raised a combative brow. ‘You were keen to renew your acquaintance with your old paramour, if memory services.’

  ‘Don’t be vulgar, dear. That was over years ago.’ She chuckled. ‘I doubt whether Jordan is still capable. But I shall enjoy seeing Lady Jordan, and I am sure she will not mind us arriving unannounced. I will make some excuse about a horse having cast a shoe and not wanting to worry dear Adela by arriving so late, given that she is still finding her feet in London.’

  Daniel didn’t care what excuse she offered. His mother was right to suggest that they should have taken an extra day on the road and arrived in a more seemly fashion. If he had his own establishment in London, as a man in his position had every right to aspire to, then he would have been able come and go as he pleased.

  Daniel quietly seethed when he considered the manner in which his uncle had deprived him of his rightful inheritance. He had milked off all the most valuable assets—wealth and property that Daniel couldn’t actually prove had been accrued as a direct result of the Ripon Hall estate’s previous prosperity. Property he had naturally assumed would become his. When the will was read he had been shocked rigid, convinced that he had been cheated and that the will could be contested, but his fool of a solicitor insisted that it was watertight and there was no point in challenging it. Daniel was not convinced, but knew he would lose face and that a judgemental society would turn against him if he openly contested the wishes of a war hero. Since one of his dearest desires was to become a popular figure at the heart of the ton, he could not take that risk.

  A war hero! Daniel puffed out his cheeks disdainfully. His vindictive uncle was a bitter and devious cad. He had arranged things so that he could maintain his grudge against Daniel’s father from beyond the grace. To do so, he had bled his estate dry whilst filling his personal coffers, leaving Daniel nothing to inherit other than a crumbling house and a pile of debts.

  As a consequence, Daniel was in danger of becoming a laughing stock. He had exercised patience in waiting for his uncle to toddle off to the next world, suppressing his frustration when he went into battle time and again and emerged with barely a scratch to show for his bravado. Then, just when Daniel’s patience was in danger of becoming exhausted, he died of a trifling cold. That, at least, had given Daniel something to smile about.

  He had anticipated his inheritance and spent lavishly in advance of it. He found it hard to imagine that any man in his situation would not have done so. To discover how little he had actually inherited had come as a severe blow. Word that his expectations had not been met spread through Ripon and beyond on a tidal wave of gossip, bringing demanding creditors running to his door.

  Daniel hadn’t panicked. Not yet, at least. Adela would come home, overwhelmed by her circumstances, and would depend upon him to advise her.

  Except it hadn’t happened that way. Adela seemed mature beyond her years, and decidedly uninterested in his advice. She’d even had the audacity to look down her pert little nose and him, rejecting all his offers to relieve her of responsibility for her affairs. The little upstart couldn’t possibly be expected to understand their complexities. At first affronted by her rebuff, the longer she and her mother remained in Ripon, seemingly in no hurry to leave Yorkshire, the more confident Daniel became that she would eventually turn to him for help.

  But she had not.

  Daniel was accustomed to enjoying the company of any lady who took his interest. He knew how to make himself agreeable and they all seemed anxious to make a good impression upon him; especially the unmarried ones. All except Adela, whose father had clearly poisoned her mind against him. There could be no other explanation. It was most unreasonable. It wasn’t as if the dispute between her father and his had been Daniel’s fault.

  He should perhaps have put himself out a little more, he accepted with the benefit of hindsight, and not just assumed that she would fall into line in the way most women did when he bestowed his attentions upon them. Perhaps becoming an heiress had turned her head. She was certainly not as needy, as reliant upon him, as his mother had assured him she would be. Since he hadn’t seen her since she turned seven, he himself could hardly be held to blame for misunderstanding her character.

  Young women had no business getting independent ideas into their silly heads and Daniel was no longer in the mood to indulge her. He had tried to be supportive. Now he would take what was his—one way or another. Once he was living in Eaton Square, it would be easy enough to force her hand and even that snooty butler who’d had the audacity to turn him away when he had called at his property after his uncle’s death, would not stand in his way.

  ‘You will have to change your strategy with Adela,’ his mother said in a reflective tone. ‘I admit that her desire for independence took me by surprise, but I cannot imagine that it will survive for long now that she is immersed in society. She will soon realise that she needs a husband, and you are the obvious choice.’

  ‘You said that before.’ It infuriated Daniel to be reminded of his failure. ‘Give her space and time. That was your advice and I foolishly heeded it.’

  ‘I got it wrong. Now she will be a target for every fortune hunter in London.’

  ‘I seem to recall you advising me to look for other heiresses if I failed to charm Adela. Now you want me to focus my attentions upon her.’

  His mother fixed him with a sapient look. ‘Because I know it’s what you want. You and I are very alike, and neither of us enjoys being outwitted, especially not by a green girl who thinks a little too well of herself.’

  ‘What are you suggesting?’

  ‘She needs to see you in a heroic light.’ His mother’s expression turned scheming. ‘If she were to be attacked, for the sake of argument…Well, London is a dangerous place. It happens.’

  ‘She will hardly wander the streets unprotected.’

  ‘Oh, I dare say something can be managed. You, naturally, will rescue her and earn her undying gratitude. And it will bring her to her senses.’

  ‘And if it does not?’

  ‘Oh, for goodness sake, Daniel. Do whatever is necessary. Take her by force if all else fails, then she will have to marry you. Don’t leave all the thinking to me.’

  Daniel didn’t bother to tell his mother that he was not. Adela’s rejection had been eating away at him and he’d had her watched since her arrival in London. Before the night was out he would know everything she had done.

  They arrived at the Jordans’ mansion in Highgate and were received with muted affability. Daniel behaved charmingly towards their hostess; a lady who was a good twenty years younger than her husband, but not much older than Daniel himself. From the manner in which she flirted with him from the outset, it was apparent that she wouldn’t mind redressing the balance by having a dalliance with him, much as his mother had with her husband years before. If time permitted…

  The family dined early, after which Daniel excused himself to keep his appointment.

  ‘She’s turned London on its ears already,’ his contact said over a tankard of ale in a nearby tavern. That was not what Daniel wanted to hear. He grunted and buried his nose in his own tankard, draining half its contents in one long swallow. ‘Everyone’s talking about her and the vultures are already gathering.’

  ‘Anyone in particular?’

  ‘Lord Bairstow.’

  Daniel put his tankard down with a loud thump. ‘Damnation!’

  ‘He’s just amusing himself. He don’t need her blunt, but a lot of his friends do. He does so enjoy his little jokes, does his lordship. Lady Adela ain’t much to look at and everyone knows his lordship has an eye for a pretty face, so it stands to reason that he ain’t serious about her.’

  Daniel nodded, feeling a little calmer. ‘Who else?’

  The names the man provided didn’t mean much to Daniel. It didn’t matter. Daniel would find out for himself the following day. If recent events had taught him nothing else, at least he now knew that it was dangerous to
rely upon anyone other than himself.

  ‘Word is that she’s just taken delivery of a spritely young Arabian that no one else can handle.’ Daniel’s informant sniffed. ‘Plans to try her out early in the park tomorrow, so it seems.’

  ‘Does she indeed.’ With great good fortune she would break her neck. Daniel pretended boredom, whereas his informant had just given him some very useful information. ‘To other matters,’ he said, motioning to the barmaid for refills.

  Chapter Seven

  Adela could see that returning to London at the height of the season had tired her mother. They enjoyed an early dinner and retired shortly afterwards, leaving Adela at leisure to study her father’s papers without fear of interruption.

  ‘Wake me at seven in the morning please,’ Adela said, as Bess braided her hair.

  ‘If you like, my lady.’ Bess looked dubious. ‘But it’s awful early. It’s not like being in the country, if your ladyship will excuse me for pointing out the difference. No one who’s anyone is up and about at that time. It might not be safe.’

  The girl—a young woman herself—was probably trying to be helpful, but Adela resented being told that she didn’t know how to conduct herself. Bess was a proficient maid, but Adela didn’t feel entirely at ease in her company and would never take her fully into her confidence.

  ‘I shall be perfectly safe,’ Adela replied briskly. ‘Please don’t question my orders again. Lay out my bronze habit. I intend to ride my new horse in the park before it gets busy.’

  ‘As you wish, ma’am.’

  Bess lifted her chin and conducted the rest of her duties in resentful silence. Adela didn’t appreciate having a maid who sulked and would not let the situation rest if it happened again. She was young, but that didn’t mean that she lacked the confidence to exert herself. Her horrible cousin had tried to tell her that she would be taken advantage of because of her youth, implying that she required his guidance. He now knew better. Bess would do well to remember her place, too. She could be replaced easily enough.