The Portrait of Lady Wycliff

by Cheryl Bolen

  What a selfish beast she was! She must be turning into her father. Why had she not even inquired why Mr. Coke wasn't looking after poor Ellie? Louisa had been so concerned over her own welfare she'd completely forgotten about her sister. Poor Ellie. All alone in that big, strange city.

  As she and Harry moved toward the parlor, she said, "I know you've got to see the magistrate, but we must leave as soon as possible for London. I'm terribly worried about my sister."

  Harry patted her hand. "I give you my word. Have everything packed, and as soon as we're finished, we'll push off to London."

  The innkeeper came hurrying down the corridor. "Mr. Smith, you'll have to share the Quality's parlor with another couple this morning. Don't ye fret. They be Quality, just like yerselves."

  Harry nodded.

  Louisa was disappointed to see two seated men — or were they boys? — facing the fire, their backs to them. She was disappointed because she had thought of it as their private parlor since there were no other persons of Quality staying at the inn. Harry led her to the table farthest away from the fire so they could enjoy privacy.

  She and Harry held hands as they waited for the serving maid. Feeling thoroughly content, she smiled up at Harry. "I believe Mrs. Winston may have been a most intelligent observer, after all."

  He smiled back.

  The serving maid re-entered the room to bring steaming tea to the room's other occupants. Louisa could have sworn she heard a familiar voice. "Does not that lad sound much like my sister?"

  Harry cocked his head and listened. "That's Edward."

  Louisa crossed the room. "Edward Coke, as grateful as I am to you for our rescue, I am out of charity with you. Were you not supposed to be keeping an eye on my poor sister in London?"

  First Edward turned around to meet her gaze. Then the boy turned. And he was Ellie!

  Edward stood, kicking his chair back as he did so. "I will have you know I have come here with my future wife."

  Now Ellie stood. "Your what, Mr. Coke?"

  Edward turned to Ellie. "I am not so dishonorable a gentleman as to travel all the way to Cornwall with a young lady and not offer marriage."

  "Then you will marry me solely for the sake of propriety?"

  "Told you I was an honorable man, Miss Sinclair."

  Her hands thrust to her hips, Ellie glared at him. "You can forget your noble offer, sir! I would not marry you were you the last man in England."

  "But. . ." he stammered, throwing a questioning glance at his cousin as Ellie stomped off to sit down with her sister.

  "Oh, Louisa, I am so glad you are unhurt. Has your quest been successful?"

  "How did you know of the quest?"

  "That. . ." Ellie elevated her brows haughtily, "that horrid man told me."

  "Mr. Coke?"

  Ellie nodded. Then the two women turned to see the cousins talking animatedly.

  "You mean you actually had Aunt Isobel's portrait in your hands?" Edward asked.

  "Yes," Harry said, walking toward the table shared by the two women. "Let's all sit together and eat."

  They went through enough food to feed half the village of Falwell. And throughout the meal, Harry narrated the events of the past three days.

  Edward hastened to brag on what good time he had made coming from London, despite being slowed down with a lady.

  "You were not slowed down by me. I wasn't a lady!" Dropping her mouth, Ellie amended her statement. "That is, I behaved as a boy the duration of the journey." Then, pouting, she said, "I mean. . ." then faltered.

  Harry laughed and squeezed Louisa's hand.

  Edward watched smugly, then whispered to Harry. "Knew you'd succeed with the bluestocking. I always thought you fancied her, even though you're so vastly different." He then faced Ellie. "Did you know your sister's to wed my cousin?"

  Ellie's eyes rounded as she eyed her sister. "Do you agree to this match?"

  Louisa nodded happily. "Oh, yes."

  All was silent the next few minutes, and then Ellie spoke, "I beg you will allow me to ride home in your carriage, Lord Wycliff. The thought of returning with the noble Mr. Coke is quite repugnant to me."

  "I am sure you'll be far more comfortable in my carriage than in Edward's curricle."

  Louisa patted Ellie's hand. "Yes, my pet, and you will have to tell me all about Mr. Bentham's talks."

  "Lucky Harry," Edward lamented, rolling his eyes. "Timing your journey so it just happened to coincide with the silly Bentham man's talks. I believe you'd fight wild tigers rather than sit in the room with all those bloody bluestockings."

  Brows lowered, Louisa looked from Edward to Harry. And with a sickening realization knew that Edward did not speak in jest.

  Harry's face went white as Edward spoke.

  From the look on his cousin's face, Edward knew he had said something wrong. "Why. . .if the two of you are to be married and knowing your feelings about honesty in marriage, I assumed Mrs. Phillips knew your true feelings toward the reformers." Edward swallowed hard. "I can see now that she does not."

  Louisa rose, pulling her sister with her. "Mr. Coke, I beg that you take me back to London. I cannot ride home with your. . .your odious cousin!"

  "And I will ride home with your odious cousin," Ellie asserted. "Riding with a liar is preferable than riding with an insincere snake."

  Edward's shoulders slumped as he followed Louisa. "I seem to be putting my well-shod feet into my mouth rather thoroughly."

  Harry raced after her. "I beg a word with you, Louisa."

  She turned to him, her eyes hollow, her voice hard. "You can say nothing to me, my lord, for I shall never believe you again."

  "But, Louisa . . ."

  She turned her back to him and stormed from the parlor.

  A half hour later the groom had brought around Mr. Coke's curricle, and Louisa hoisted herself onto it without assistance from Edward. He got in on the other side, took up his crop, and drove the horse from the inn yard.

  Edward made even better time returning to London than he had coming. For the first several hours, Louisa choked back tears. From the beginning, Harry had been lying to her. He possessed none of the qualities she had credited him with. She had only been a pawn in his game of reclaiming the family riches. Had he even meant it when he told her he loved her, or had it been a sham?

  Every tree, every blade of glass they passed reminded her of the journey over this same land with Harry by her side. During the nights of their journey, she and Edward secured separate rooms. Sharing a room with a man would have reminded her of all the nights she and Harry had slept together. She should have trusted her original instincts. There was no such thing as a trustworthy man.

  She began to ask Edward about his and Ellie's trip.

  "It would have been bloody boring, indeed, miles and miles of bleak scenery, if you ask me. Thank goodness for Miss Sinclair's lively recounting of the Bentham man's talks. First time I ever understood him was through El . . . er, I mean, through Miss Sinclair's intelligent comments. You should be proud of your sister. Got a head on those pretty shoulders. Never thought I'd ever be interested in a smart woman, but now I don't think I'd want one who wasn't."

  Pretty shoulders? Could Edward Coke be smitten over Ellie? Was that really why he stepped forth with an offer to marry Ellie?

  "Tell me, Mr. Coke," Louisa began coyly, "was it difficult procuring a room for the lad Ellie pretended to be?"

  He coughed, and she wasn't certain, but she thought he blushed. "Actually, I didn't like to think of her alone in a strange inn. She's such a tiny, helpless little thing, you know. And she wasn't keen on it, either. Never saw a gal with fears as great as hers. A good thing she trusted me. . .then." His face fell.

  "Sir, I believe you are in love with my sister."

  "In love with your sister?" he said incredulously. "I admit we have grown close, and I am truly fond of her, but love?" He whipped at the horse. "Never gave it a thought."

  "A pity because I bel
ieve my sister is very fond of you."

  "She told you so?" he asked.

  Louisa would swear there was hope in his question. "Not exactly, but I know my sister quite well."

  "You are, after all, almost a ringer for her."

  She smiled.

  He waited for ten minutes before he decided to continue the conversation. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble for you, I would be obliged if you could. . ."

  "Ask Ellie what her feelings are toward you?"

  He shrugged. "I would hate her to have any hard feelings toward me. After all, we did share a bedchamber together — quite innocently, I assure you. I slept on the floor."

  "Then I was much kinder to Lord Wycliff."

  He blushed.

  She giggled. "It was all quite chaste. Your cousin was a gentleman. A pity he's a liar. And a pirate."

  "Former pirate. You're one of the only people who know the source of his wealth—and you're the only female. Myself and his two closest friends from Eton, Lord Jack St. John and Lord Alex Haversham."

  "A pity I cannot be gratified that he was only partially dishonest to me."

  * * *

  When Louisa reached the Grosvenor Square House, Harry was waiting for her on the pavement. "I have to talk to you, Louisa."

  Refusing to make eye contact with him, she brushed past him as if he were invisible. She walked up the two steps, opened the door herself, then called back to him. "My butler will tell you I am not in, my lord."

  Then she slammed the door on him.

  Ellie ran down the stairs, threw her arms around Louisa's neck, then burst into tears.

  Tears springing to her own eyes, Louisa held her close. "I know. You have fallen in love with Edward Coke, have you not?"

  "Yes I have," Ellie said through sobs. "And it's not at all pleasant as I thought it would be."

  Louisa held Ellie with straightened arms and wiped a tear. "That, my dear sister, is because you acted very foolish."

  "How?"

  "By getting mad at Mr. Coke when he offered for you."

  "But he didn't offer for me. He only said what he said because he was obliged to!"

  "Come, my pet, he was obliged to offer for someone dressed as a boy?"

  "What are you trying to say?"

  "That whether he was consciously aware of it or not, Edward Coke is in love with you."

  "Did he tell you that?"

  "That is not what matters, pet. Your feelings are all I care about. If you truly love someone, you must put aside foolish pride. Are you willing to do that?"

  Ellie burst out crying again. "He's all I could think of with every churn of Lord Wycliff's carriage wheels. Every village and every rock seemed to bring back memories of our journey together. I've never in my life enjoyed myself so much."

  Louisa held her close. "I know, my pet."

  "What should I do?"

  "Mr. Coke made the first move when he offered for you. Since I've always promoted honesty above everything and never believed in feminine coyness, I believe you should make the next move and tell Mr. Coke your true feelings."

  She handed Ellie a handkerchief.

  Ellie dried her tears. "I don't know how I shall do that, but I must."

  Chapter 28

  During the following week, Harry called every day at the Grosvenor Square house, but the butler's grim reply was always the same. Mrs. Phillips is not in. After that week, he did not call any more.

  When it was clear to Louisa that Harry would not call again, she convinced herself that his remonstrances were merely to assuage his conscience—that and the instructions she received from his solicitor explaining the process by which she could claim her annuity and the money to purchase a residence. Harry hadn't let her down in that regard.

  While he would resume the usual practices of men of fashion, she felt she had nothing to return to. The pain in her heart was irreparable. She lost interest in her Tuesday meetings with the bluestockings. She did not feel like writing essays. She spent a great deal of time dwelling on the month she and Harry had spent together. Every glance, every conversation that had passed between them continued to invade her thoughts. And the intimacy they had shared invaded her dreams.

  Ellie, too, was glum and full of remorse over her refusal of Mr. Coke. Like Louisa, she spent hours on end reliving in her mind those few glorious days she had spent with the most wonderful man on earth. She had decided that Louisa was right. She was the one who needed to make the first step toward repairing the damage, but she did not know how, nor did she know if such a move would meet with any success at all. It wasn't as if Mr. Coke were beating her door down, as Lord Wycliff for Louisa.

  Ellie resigned herself to the fact that she and Louisa would live a most sedentary life together. No more gentlemen of quality paying morning calls. No reason whatsoever to dress fashionably for no one who mattered would ever see them.

  So it was that she and Louisa were sitting in the drawing room sewing one afternoon when Williams entered the chamber. "I have taken the liberty to show Mr. Coke into the morning room." Looking at Louisa, he said, "Your denial to Lord Wycliff did not extend to his companion, did it?"

  Smiling, Louisa assured him that Mr. Coke was most welcome. Then, turning to Ellie, she said, "It appears you will have your chance with Mr. Coke. It is hoped you will not destroy it — for you may never get another." Inwardly, Louisa ached with her own regrets. Perhaps she had been too unwavering with Harry. But she knew her chance was long gone. Harry had already lost interest in her.

  Ellie leapt to her feet, her hands on her cheeks. "I cannot go to him like this. Just look at what a horrid sight I am!"

  Louisa laughed. "You are not, my pet. You always look lovely." She took Ellie's hand. "Remember, Mr. Coke made his offer to you when you were dressed like a lad. I think he loves you however you look."

  "Pshaw!" Ellie protested.

  "Trust me." Louisa squeezed her hand. "Mr. Coke will find you beautiful."

  * * *

  Edward had never been so nervous in his life. It had taken him a week to gather the courage to come see Miss Sinclair, then another week to think of an excuse for his visit.

  When Miss Sinclair walked into the morning room, the air nearly swished from his lungs, fairly robbing him of breath. Demmed but she was a deuced fine looking girl. Or was eighteen considered a woman? Her looks were so extraordinary, she even made a fine-looking lad. At the thought of her dressed as a lad, sitting up beside him on the box hour upon hour, he grew melancholy. Never before in his life had he wished to turn back the clock. Until now.

  His throat grew dry. His pulse accelerated. "How very good it is to see you again, Miss Sinclair."

  As graceful as a swan gliding across a pond, Miss Sinclair strolled to him and offered him her hand.

  He took it in both of his hands and bent to kiss it. When he straightened, his face was flaming. He could not even remember what excuse he had come up with to explain his presence. Fortunately, she did not ask for one.

  "How very good it is to see you again, Mr. Coke," Ellie said, her eyes alive and dancing. "Won't you please sit down."

  He sat on one of the twin settees that faced each other in the middle of the room, and Miss Sinclair sat on the other one.

  "I see the fine weather we enjoyed on our journey to Cornwall has continued," she commented.

  "Yes. Very fine indeed." Then he had no idea what he was going to say next.

  "You have enjoyed good health?" she asked.

  "Excellent. You?"

  She sighed. "Physically, quite excellent." Then she took a deep breath and continued. "I find myself reminiscing with unexpected fondness over the journey you and I took together." She could not meet him in the eye.

  A smiled flashed across his face. "By Jove! It's the same with me! I find I think most fondly of the journey."

  "Not just the journey," she said coyly. "The degree of closeness we gained — you and I — during the journey. I have found that I enjoyed that excee
dingly."

  "'Twas the same with me! I'd give my next quarterly to do it again."

  "A pity I was so beastly proud when you felt compelled to offer for me, for I believe I should very much have enjoyed being married to you." She had not been able to look him in the eye when she spoke.

  He leaped to his feet, bounded across the patterned carpet, and dropped to one knee in front of her. He took her hands in his. "It's the same with me, Ellie." He looked up into her smiling face.

  "Oh, Edward, I am so very happy to hear you say that. Would it be too presumptuous of me to ask you to procure a special license so we could be wed quickly? I find myself wanting to be with you every minute of the day."

  He rose up and joined her on the settee. "I will have it today."

  Then he took her in his arms and kissed her soundly.

  * * *

  The following week, they married one morning at St. George's Hanover Square. Louisa and Harry stood up with them. It was the first time Louisa and Harry had seen one another since the day she returned to London.

  After the ceremony, he said, "I beg that you will allow me to escort you back to the house."

  To protest would only be to make things difficult for everyone.

  She allowed him to hand her up to his carriage. They rode in silence for some five minutes. "You might be interested to know," he began, "That I alerted the House of Lords about Tremaine's murder attempt."

  "Had the magistrate confronted the vile man?"

  "We did together, that is my friends Alex and Sinjin, along with the magistrate and me. The magistrate said he'd been waiting for a long time for proof of Tremaine's evil doings."

  "I wouldn't have gone back to that castle for all the money in the world."Her hand flew to her heart, and she directed a frightened gaze at him.

  "You'll be pleased to know Tremaine is now being incarcerated. I don't know if I'll ever regain Wycliff House, but doing so is no longer as important as it once was to me."

  Her pulse quickened. What, then, was important to him? "What of your mother's portrait?"

  He smiled. "I have it."

  "Lord Tremaine gave it to you?" she asked incredulously.

  His eyes danced with mischief. "Let's just say I convinced the magistrate it was my property, and I actually filed a theft complaint against Tremaine."