Alex tightened his grasp and pulled her closer. He whispered ominously in her ear. ‘Oh it is hardly something that can be discussed on the dance floor my dear. Do as I bid you if you do not wish to incur my displeasure.’
‘It appears I already have,’ she retorted spiritedly, ‘so all the same My Lord. I think I shall decline to meet you.’
‘If you do not appear I shall come and seek you out in your bedchamber. I will give you up until precisely 1 am to appear. You may choose where it is to be, but wherever you choose, I will speak to you. Do not underestimate me for I mean what I say.’
Felicity tried to pull away in extreme displeasure but he had anticipated it and held her firmly preventing her from doing so. ‘Oh no you do not! You are not going to embarrass either me or yourself by stalking off the dance floor in humdugeon and if you make a scene I cannot answer for the consequences.’
Felicity was wise enough to realise that it was better to brave it out and did as she was bid. Much to his amusement but not to his surprise, she spent the remainder of the dance deliberately standing on his toes in an effort to make his experience as unpleasant as possible. She was not going to let him treat her this way without exacting some punishment for his uncouth behaviour. Alex reflected with perverse satisfaction that he could not have expected much less and loved her all the more for it.
No matter how hard Felicity tried to enjoy the rest of the evening her peace had been cut up and she could not be comfortable. She did however make an extremely good effort to conceal the fact as the guests continued to seek out her company and she continued to act with all the decorum of an honoured guest. Alex noted with satisfaction that she could behave impeccably when the situation demanded it and even under adverse circumstances, she was very much the Lady. She was not going to let anyone guess that she was seriously indisposed. She occasionally looked across at Alex who seemed to be acting very much as usual and playing the perfect host for his grandmother. Despite his observations, Felicity would frequently catch him glancing across to her with a dark and brooding look, and she knew with no question that it was solely meant for her. Her mind began to race, my goodness whatever could she have done to warrant such displeasure.
After the last of the guests had left, Felicity returned to her bedchamber still none the wiser. Sarah helped her to undress and she dismissed her early advising her that her services were no longer required. She lay restlessly in bed watching the ormolu clock on the mantelshelf above the low embers of a comforting fire; it was twenty-five minutes past twelve. She toyed with the idea of dancing none attendance but after some deliberation thought better of it. She did not doubt him when he threatened to seek her out in her bedchamber and between the two venues, the library was infinitely the safest place, but all the same, she was going to make him wait until the very last moment.
She spent the time fidgeting and trying to recollect the events of the evening. It was immediately after her performance that she had noticed a change in Alex’s demeanour. She remembered that she and Richard had played out a joke at his expense. Had he been annoyed that he was the only one who did not realise that Felicity could sing? She could not think that Alex would be so shallow as to take offence at such a small prank, however she could not think of anything else. She realised however after some thought that it could not be that, for she could see that he was still on good terms with Richard.
Not that Richard would have noticed if the devil incarnate had bore down on him for he had spent a considerable part of the evening captivated by the charms of young Jenny Allon. She smiled to herself for she was rather diverted by the fact. Watching her twin brother succumb to the charms of another female had been amusing and had helped to keep her mind off Alex’s dark humour but the thought could not distract her for long. She glanced again at the Ormolu Clock. It was a particularly beautiful piece with cherubs posed gracefully on either side of the clock face and doves of peace perched on the top. How ironic she thought for she felt anything but peaceful. It was now ten minutes to one. ‘Ah well,’ she sighed to herself as she pulled back the bed covers and reached for her white satin dressing gown, the sooner it was over the better.
Alex had retired to the library with a brandy decanter and was sitting in front of a roaring fire that he had just banked up. He sat with a glass in his right hand and the long fingers of his left hand were gently tapping on the arm of his Queen Anne chair. The decanter was a third empty but he had not imbibed enough to dull his senses. Alex looked at the clock in the candlelight, it was five minutes to one and there was still no sign of Felicity. He knew she would be playing a game and leaving it to the last possible minute before she appeared. He could expect no less of her but he had not joked when he said he would seek her out. He would be true to his word however and give her up until the hour.
It was exactly one o clock when he heard the tentative knock on the library door and she slipped quietly into the room. She remained standing by the door and they looked at each other for some seconds, each weighing the other up. Alex had been drinking and she could not decide whether he was in his cups. The room reeked of brandy but his eyes were bright and his perception particularly keen. In her usual intrepid way, she could not be frightened. She had known Alex long enough now to know that he would not hurt her, besides she had the protection of her brother. She was still however decidedly nervous, as his humour had not appeared to have improved and she had no idea what this interview was about. Indeed, he looked larger and more ominous in the flickering candlelight and she could not help but feel somewhat anxious.
Alex watched her for a few seconds. She was dressed in a white satin dressing gown with fell to her feet in gentle folds and it had long flowing Tudor style sleeves. Her hair, which she had brushed out, hung loosely about her shoulders in luxuriant dark golden curls and her violet blue eyes sparkled even in the dim light. She was dressed modestly in pure virginal white and looked like Venus rising, causing Alex to hold his breath. Alex realised how subconscious she was of her alluring attraction and realised that he was going to have difficulty keeping his hands off her.
A few hours of contemplation had done nothing to subdue his anger but his desire for her was stronger than ever and he felt a familiar stirring within his loins. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms, hold her close and kiss her senseless. He wanted to tell her all was well, but his need for explanation won the day and he took a firm hold of his self-control.
Alex rose out of his chair and walked over to the door, which she had left slightly ajar. He locked it and consigned the key securely to his pocket. ‘A precaution my dear,’ he said dourly, ‘after all it would not do to be disturbed would it?’
Felicity walked further into the room if only to put some distance between herself and this dark smouldering man, but to her trepidation he followed her in her wake, suddenly picked her up and sat her unceremoniously on the desk. She tried to wriggle off it and onto her feet but he leaned over her with one arm planted firmly on each side of her thighs, his hands planted firmly on the desk. He was leaning intimately close and brought his face close to hers. She could smell the brandy and she was totally bewildered by his humour. ‘Suppose you would care to explain,’ he whispered intently in her ear.
‘Explain what,’ she queried somewhat thrown. He roughly grabbed her right arm, slid up the long satin sleeve and forcibly turned her wrist over to reveal the unsightly disfigurement she did so well to hide. ‘Explain that!’ he retorted harshly.
Felicity was confused, the scar was unsightly but surely, he could not have been annoyed to discover that she had kept it a closely guarded secret.
‘Surely you have seen a scar before,’ she responded bewilderedly. ‘I know it is unsightly but I do not understand why it should upset you so, it is hardly that you own me or that I have agreed to be your wife. You will not be forced to look at it for the rest of your life.’
‘Oh yes my dear I have seen many a scar before. In fact I saw this very scar as I clutche
d this very pretty hand the night you dangled from my balcony some weeks ago.’ Alex felt Felicity stiffen. So he knew! Her secret was out and she felt her interminable spirit buckle under the weighty burden of discovery. She looked into Alex’s solemn face, his voice was distant but as she gathered her wits, she realised that he was asking her a question. ‘Is that why you refused to marry me that day in the rock garden? Is that your secret? You are a thief and you could not bear to admit it. You dared to call me a thief that night at Almack’s and it turns out that you are no better yourself.’
Felicity’s eyes glistened with tears. ‘That is hardly fair considering the great effort I made to ensure that the necklace was returned,’ she retorted with spirit.
‘That is hardly the point,’ he growled. ‘I should have you whipped for your behaviour. Do you not realise that if I had of caught you I could have broken every bone in your body before I had taken good measure of you. The risks you took were beyond foolish and for what? That doxy Emily whom you considered a friend.’
‘I did not know that at the time, but I can see that you feel very strongly about it even though I tried to make amends. At least you can be thankful that I had the decency to refuse to marry you and now you can be grateful that you have had a very lucky escape. Just think of it, a Marchioness who turned out to be a thief. You would be a laughing stock if it ever got out. At least I had that much consideration for you. Now if that is all you have to say I think I will return to my room. It is not proper that I should even be here and if we were caught, you would be well in the suds. Just think if you were made to marry me now!’
Felicity attempted to wriggle off the desk but he blocked her with his body and held her wrists firm. I am not finished with you yet. I have a lot more to say.’
‘Well I am quite finished with you.’ she retorted as she struggled to get free. ‘Let me go you tyrant,’ she cried out and as he relaxed his grip, she hit out and caught his eye with one angry balled fist. He realised to his cost that Felicity was indeed robust as he felt the sting of pain across his temple. He had to exert more power that he would have liked to restrain her again, but eventually she stopped struggling. Tears now rolled down her cheeks. ‘Well now you know,’ she murmured quietly, ‘I know you have a disgust of me, goodness I have a disgust of myself. Now let me go and I will persuade Richard to cut our stay short and we will leave your house as soon as we possibly can.’
Alex realised that she was in distress and his heart softened, ‘that is not what I want Flick,’ he answered as he bent over to kiss her wet cheeks. She just sat there stunned as his kisses became more passionate and he moved to cover her mouth with his. She would have liked so much to succumb to the strength of his embrace and lean into his broad chest for comfort. He was so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin but as his anger melted hers was fuelled with resentment and all she wanted to do was render him another almighty slap. ‘How dare you,’ she cried out, ‘You bring me here, act like the devil incarnate and hope to resolve matters with a kiss. Let me out of here you beast. Richard was right in his first estimation of you before he became your friend; you are nothing but a rake. Now let me out of here!’
Alex reached into his pocket for the key. He realised that she was far too worked up for reason and he was annoyed with himself for being so heavy handed. He sighed, ‘I will let you go but tell me before you do; does Richard know anything of this?’
‘Of course not,’ she retorted, ‘I am not a total fool. He would be as mad as you are, so I pray don’t tell him or I shall never forgive you, ever!’
‘And yet he would still love you.’ Alex added, ‘think about it Flick,’ and with that cryptic comment he unlocked the door and let her go.
Alex returned to the Queen Anne chair by the fire and poured himself a stiff drink. He had let his anger get the better of him and things had not gone well. His feelings towards Flick had not changed, he still loved, he still wanted to marry her, but he had only succeeded in letting her think he despised her. He admired her spirit but she had to know that by breaking into a gentleman’s home, she had gone too far and the outcome could have been extremely different. On the other hand however, he knew that he had gone about it the wrong way, and now all she wanted to do was leave this place and him.
Alex cursed under his breath, he should not have let her leave the library without telling her his true feelings but she had worked herself up into such a fury that somehow, he did not think she would have listened. He put his head in his hands in despair. He would have to wait until they had both calmed down and had time to think and then he would remedy the situation. He knew she loved him and now that her secret was out there was nothing standing in the way of their marriage, she would just have to be made to realise it.
Chapter 17
Felicity takes Flight
Felicity made her way back to her room. Her secret was out and she was mortified. She looked at the offending scar on the underside of her arm and could not have believed that such a simple thing could have given her away. It was so second nature to her that it had never occurred to her that Alex would have spotted it on the night she had escaped from him. She rued the day she acquired it for that had also been as a result of her own reckless behaviour when she was a child, and she had not changed much since. She reached her bedchamber and flung herself down on the bed. Drat the man. Oh how could she face him in the morning, she had to leave this place.
Felicity knew Richard would not be prepared to leave on a moment’s notice without so much as an explanation and she certainly was not going to tell him. Persuading Richard would be almost impossible as he was enjoying himself so much. What is more she suspected that after having met Jennifer Allon this very evening, he would have added impetus for staying. She only hoped Alex would keep a silent tongue in his head, for she did not relish a repeat of this evening’s interview with her brother. His temper was not easily raised but he had his limits and she did not doubt that he would remonstrate at this escapade.
Felicity lay on the bed with only the light of the moon lighting up her chamber. It was now 3am and she had long since stopped crying. She was not one easily prone to tears and could never be overcome for long, for her own impermeable spirit always won through. It was not long before her impetuous mind began weave and work its magic. Two things she was sure of, she had no desire to face the Marquis of Thorndale tomorrow at the breakfast table and she could not keep avoiding him forever. ‘Oh,’ she murmured discontentedly, ‘I do not care if I never see him again. Oh how I wish I could just go home.’ She knew that she would not be able to persuade Richard to leave but as she pondered, she concluded that there was no reason why she could not return home herself. It could only be about 40 miles from Harrogate to Lealholme Manor, her own countryseat in Richmond. A distance that was not impossible on horseback. If she stopped to rest her horse, it should take no longer than a full day to reach home and if she left at the first light of dawn, she could reach home before darkness began to fall, even in the shortened November light.
She was not sure of the way but she was not discouraged, surely, it would be clearly signposted. She was well aware that they were not too far away from the Great North Road and once she found it, the journey home should be a simple one. The thought daunted her a little. She knew there would be tollgates and perhaps a woman on her own would be questioned. In addition, it had not escaped her that although highwaymen were not the problem they used to be, there was still a small risk that one could accost her. She was also aware that the Great North Road had been one of their most popular haunts. No, she thought to herself, she would make her way up through Ripon and Masham. It may be a little longer but she reasoned that there would be fewer obstacles along the way. She would less likely be noticed, and she would still reach home for dinnertime. Besides Richard would probably guess that she would take the Great North Road and the last thing she wanted, was Richard on her trail trying to haul her back to Stansfield Park.
&nbs
p; Her decision made, Felicity jumped out of bed and reached into the wardrobe. She carefully dressed in warm clothes and donned her favourite deep blue riding dress and feathered hat. A large pistol would have been as asset but as Richard kept his Manton’s beside him, she would have to make do with her own small jewel encrusted pistol, which she had used on the night she had broken into Alex’s London house. She scribbled a quick note; it was short but said all it needed to.
Dear Richard and Mama
I feel that I have overstayed my welcome and I am on my way home. Please give my apologies to Lady Stansfield for my abrupt departure and thank her for her wonderful hospitality. She has been most kind to me along with his Grace, Lord Sheraton. There is no need to worry about me as I expect to be home before sundown. It is only 40 miles so all will be well. Love Flick
She propped the note upon her pillow, and stuffed a bundle of money into her reticule, not noticing as she did so that the note fell onto the floor at the side of her bed. Before she had time to think about what she was doing she was creeping down the back stairs of the servant quarters towards the back door. Tiber jumped out of the shadows to greet her, eagerly wagging his short tail, excitement mounting at the anticipation of an unexpected early morning walk. She grabbed his snout, ‘Hush Tiber! Hush, you will give me away,’ she whispered, ‘and no I cannot take you with me.’ She gave the dog a comforting pat. ‘I know,’ she said but I will send for you I promise. Now be a good little dog and please please be quiet.’ She slipped out of the back entrance regrettably leaving Tiber whining and scraping the door with his paw. Fortunately, he did not bark and as it was still very early and the servants were not up to hear him whining.
Lady Ellingham and the Theft of the Stansfield Necklace: A Regency Romance Page 18
