by Beth Elliott
At this point Kitty played a wrong note.
‘Come and drink some of this excellent tea, my dear,’ said her aunt, ‘and let me look at Miss Dilworth’s latest creation.’ She nodded approvingly as Kitty pirouetted for her. ‘You look very well in primrose – and I like the ruffled neckline and cuffs. And what will you wear to go out tonight? The amber crepe gown? And do you have a suitable fan?’
When they entered the theatre that evening, Kitty was in a sparkling mood. ‘What a change a mere fourteen days has brought about in my life,’ she said to Amelia and Caroline, as they got out of the coach and went up the steps of the imposing entrance.
‘Whatever you do with your life in the future, I think this is an excellent way to show you how most young ladies have to start out in the world’ Caroline remarked. ‘Yes, I know you consider it to be a market but how else can they find a husband and set themselves up in life? And some people do marry for love. Look how fortunate I was to meet my dear William.’
‘You certainly did find a treasure,’ agreed Kitty, ‘but admit, Caroline, that it takes great wealth to maintain this lifestyle.’
‘Now, don’t start telling me about how many poor people I could feed on the money I spend to give a dinner party,’ implored Caroline. ‘I have told you how all these social events serve many important purposes as well.’
Kitty nodded. ‘I have grasped that.’ A smile lit her face. ‘And I would be less than honest if I did not confess that I am enjoying it all far more than I expected to.’
‘Well, that is an admission! What about you, Millie?’ Caroline turned towards Amelia, who was following them in silence as they made their way up to where the gentlemen awaited them. When there was no reply, Kitty glanced round to see that Amelia was smiling up at Freddy.
‘Oh,’ she stammered, realizing that they were both looking at her for an answer, ‘I-I still prefer to be among friends. That is why I am feeling happy tonight.’
Greg and Lord William were also in their party. There was no sign of Theo. Kitty gave a tiny sigh of disappointment. The discussion would have to wait a little longer. Still, she consoled herself, there was plenty to enjoy on her first visit to a London theatre. Everything was very grand, the large building, the décor and the elegant costumes of the crowd.
She felt a flutter of excitement as William ushered them all into their box. She stood quite still, gazing round at the other boxes with their gilding and red plush curtains rising up in tier after tier. They were all filling with elegant ladies and gentlemen. Silks and satins shone and jewels flashed, fans quivered and the sound of voices and laughter seemed to fill the air.
She looked at Caroline who smiled. ‘Well, Kitty, I can see you are impressed. But do sit down.’ It was then Kitty noticed that Freddy and Greg had taken seats one each side of Amelia.
She looked to see what Caroline thought of this, but Caroline was inclining her head at someone on the opposite side of the theatre. Kitty realized, with surprise, that a great number of people were exchanging bows and smiles with them.
‘I told you, I am always in the very latest fashion, darling.’ Caroline raised a hand to acknowledge a greeting from a turbaned dowager nodding to her from another box. ‘Oh look’ – she gestured with her fan towards a box in the upper row – ‘there is Etienne, in Lady Kent’s box. If he sees you, Kitty, we shall certainly receive a visit from him in the interval.’
Kitty shot her a startled look, but Caroline serenely continued her survey of the company. ‘Freddy, will you stop monopolizing Amelia, the Walmseley sisters are trying to catch her eye.’
Freddy reluctantly sat back and looked towards Kitty with an apologetic grin. While exchanging a few polite remarks with Freddy, Kitty managed to keep Greg under observation. His eyes were on Amelia, his face so softened that nobody could doubt his infatuation. How could Millie remain so calm and unmoved at such devotion? Then Greg seemed to recollect himself. He turned his head towards Kitty and forced a smile. Then he looked away.
She had an odd feeling that he had just recollected a problem. He was twisting a ring he wore round and round on his finger and sighing as he stared at the wall opposite. He glanced at Kitty again and seemed about to speak when the lights were dimmed. At once, Kitty’s attention was drawn to the stage. She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with delight and gave her full attention to the play, following every word and gesture eagerly.
At the interval, William laughed at Amelia and Kitty’s spellbound expressions.
‘It was tolerable,’ he teased them and they protested hotly that it was wonderful and the actors magnificent.
‘Come on, everybody,’ he said, rising to his feet, ‘refreshments.’ He tried to get everyone out of the box quickly, but, as she reached the door, Kitty exclaimed that she had lost her fan and turned back to look for it.
‘You carry on,’ said Greg to William, ‘I will wait for Miss Towers.’ He stood by the open door. As she peered under the chairs, Kitty was surprised to hear him address her in a whisper.
‘Miss Towers, do not look up, there are people still in their seats overlooking us. Can you help me? I am sorry to ask this, but it is a very urgent matter.’
‘What do you want me to do?’ whispered Kitty after a moment, still searching round her seat.
‘If I drop this packet near you, can you keep it safe for me until tomorrow?’ His voice was so low she only just made out the words.
‘Yes,’ she breathed, wondering what could be so desperate. She remembered his clenched fists and tense face earlier. At once a slim package slid to the floor. She picked it up and at the same moment saw her fan by it. He must have had it!
‘Kitty darling, do hurry.’ Caroline put her head round the door just as Kitty slipped both items into her reticule. Several times during the second act Kitty wondered why she had so unhesitatingly agreed to help Greg. Whatever could be in the packet? She stole a glance at him. As if he felt her gaze, his eyes met hers. He smiled faintly. But there was an air of anxiety about him.
Well, Kitty sighed, I have to go through with this now. She found it a little harder to concentrate on the play during this act. But she must follow the whole of the story, Aunt Picton as well as her family, would want to hear all about it.
At the end of the evening there was no opportunity to speak to Greg alone. How was she to return this secret packet to him? They reached the steps and Caroline’s carriage was waiting for the ladies. As they said their farewells to the gentlemen, Kitty asked loudly, ‘Do you think we shall be able to meet at Hookham’s Library at eleven tomorrow?’
Across the general chatter, she saw Greg look relieved.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The clock in the entrance hall struck two. Theo roused from his thoughts and reached for the brandy glass on the drum table by his armchair. It was empty. He stood up and stretched. There was nothing he could do at the moment but the feeling of unease was hard to overcome. He had spent the evening in discussion with his cousin Tom, who worked at Horseguards. Tom had confided in him that Lord Dalbeagh was determined to end Wellington’s campaign in the Peninsula. Lord Dalbeagh, said Tom, had plans for a new military campaign in Holland. Besides, he disliked Wellington and wanted to prevent him distinguishing himself any further.
Theo shook his head. The slack way they ran things at Horseguards, it was amazing any army got money and supplies. But Wellington was the only hope the country had of defeating Bonaparte. It was vital to see he got the funds he was requesting. Theo knew he must warn Greg urgently not to go about without protection. He grimaced. Since Greg had met that blonde girl, he had lost his common sense. He spent his time running after her at every social event.
Theo picked up his glass and wandered over to the sideboard by the window where the decanter stood. He pulled out the stopper and then changed his mind. As he set it down again he heard a tap at the window. He frowned and turned his head, listening intently. There was a second tap on the glass.
Who would come at
this time of the night? Theo pulled the blind aside and peered down. There was a figure slumped against the railings by the basement steps. He was bent almost double. Then as Theo watched, he straightened up again and raised his arm to tap at the window again with his cane.
‘What the deuce…?’ Theo exclaimed in horror. The bloodstained face gazing up at him was Greg’s. On seeing Theo, he gestured towards the door. As fast as his lame leg would allow, Theo strode through the hall, slid the bolts back and made his way down the entrance steps to where Greg was clinging on to the railings.
‘How bad is it?’ he asked.
‘I – knocked on the head … just a little dizzy …’ mumbled poor Greg.
Theo braced his weak leg and pulled Greg’s arm round his shoulder. ‘Come on, old man. One step at a time. Lean on your cane. That’s it. One more,’ he encouraged, heaving his friend along, ‘we will soon have you inside.’ Slowly, awkwardly, they struggled up the steps, Greg breathing hard and Theo pulling him up as best he could.
At last Theo got him into the sitting-room and Greg dropped thankfully into the nearest armchair. He leaned his head against the back of the chair and Theo grimaced at the spectacle revealed. There was blood down the side of Greg’s face as well as on his neckcloth and shirtfront.
‘Here.’ Theo thrust a glass of brandy into Greg’s hand and guided it up to his mouth. ‘This will make you feel more the thing.’
Greg swallowed, choked and swallowed again. He nodded. ‘Better already,’ he gasped, his eyes closed.
Theo left him to go and lock the front door. He went to the kitchen and returned with a basin of water and a cloth.
‘Thought you went to the theatre with William and Caroline,’ he remarked, as he began to wipe the blood off Greg’s face, ‘so when did this happen?’
Greg winced. ‘Easy, old fellow. Must have caught me there.’ He put up a shaking hand to feel the side of his head tenderly.
Theo continued to sponge his face and neck. ‘I cannot find any wound here,’ he said at last. ‘It must be on your scalp. But you have bled very freely.’
‘Someone hit me here,’ Greg felt the back of his head. ‘Went back to my rooms after the theatre. Saw at once that the place had been ransacked. He must have been waiting for me. As soon as I got into my sitting-room I felt a mighty blow. Next thing I knew, I was lying there with blood dripping all round my face.’ He drank a little more brandy. ‘Whoever it was, he searched my pockets as well – they were all pulled inside out.’
Theo eyed him grimly. ‘So you have lost those precious letters. My God, Greg, this could be a catastrophe.’ He swung away and brought his fist crashing down on the table. He glared at his friend from under his dark brows. ‘Only this evening I learned that Lord Dalbeagh plans to do his utmost to end Wellington’s campaign. You have just handed it to him on a plate!’
‘No, no, not as bad as that,’ protested Greg.
Theo wheeled round and pointed accusingly at him. ‘If you were not so taken up with following the golden-haired Miss Warrington everywhere, you would have been more careful. When that information reaches Lord Dalbeagh.…’ He groaned and raked a hand through his hair. ‘Oh, I cannot bear to think of all our soldiers betrayed by that fat and scheming politician. Just think of the sacrifices already made by our men out there. All those poor wounded wretches sent home to beg until they starve to death. It makes me choke with rage.’ He darted a furious glance at Greg, clenched his fists and made a visible effort to check himself.
Greg tried again. ‘Nothing was taken, I assure you. I had delivered all my letters except the one to the Prince of Wales.’
Theo’s eyes sparked. ‘That is enough to give that cur all the information he needs.’
Greg shook his head. ‘No, I tell you! I did feel uneasy – just that instinct you develop to know when the enemy is close but hidden. Came over me at the theatre. But, thank heavens, I found a solution. It helps me to feel better now.’
‘You have not hidden the letter somewhere?’
‘Not quite that. I asked Miss Towers to keep it overnight.’
‘What? You asked an outsider – a female? How could you?’
‘Miss Towers is a splendid girl, very level-headed. Feel sure I can trust her.’
‘Just suppose you were seen giving her the letter. Maybe she is now nursing a broken head as well? And even if she is not,’ he went on savagely, ignoring a mumbled protest from Greg, ‘she is a female and she may be overcome with curiosity.’
Greg gave him a sharp glance. ‘I do not believe you mean that,’ he said, ‘Miss Towers is a very dependable young lady.’
‘It ought to have been kept strictly between ourselves,’ raged Theo. He did not know why he felt so angry that his friend had involved Kitty. ‘Now we have more complications.’
There was a silence. Eventually, Greg tried to rouse himself. ‘I shall have to get myself decent again to go and collect my letter. She said she would be at Hookham’s Library at eleven in the morning.’
Theo looked down at him and sighed. ‘You are not fit to go out. Your face is swollen and you are going to have a fine black eye by morning. Anyway, you are still half dazed. Come, have another brandy then let’s get you to sleep. I will see Miss Towers in your place.’
‘But perhaps she will not give you the letter.’
‘I shall persuade her, never fear.’
Greg allowed Theo to pull him to his feet and strip off his coat and bloodstained shirt. He tottered over to the sofa and gladly lay down again. ‘See in the morning,’ he muttered.
Theo watched while Greg wriggled about to make his sore head comfortable. As he extinguished the candles, his face brightened. He was going to see Kitty in the morning. He grinned suddenly – Hookham’s Library, indeed. She was still reading novels.
CHAPTER TWELVE
From ten o’clock onwards Theo Weston was seated in Hookham’s Lending Library, apparently absorbed in his newspaper. He was looking decidedly smart in a coat of dark-blue cloth and a snowy cravat. His buckskins were impeccable and his boots shone like mirrors. His black curls were neatly brushed. His face, however, warned everyone that he was in one of his grimmer moods.
It was a little before eleven when Kitty entered Hookham’s. He recognized her tall figure and graceful movements and watched carefully from behind the camouflaging Times. She deposited several volumes on the table and walked through into the inner room. He sensed rather than saw her return then realized she was peeping over his newspaper at him. Theo lowered the paper and looked at her quizzically. Her face fell. He felt his temper rise another notch but he got to his feet and bowed.
‘Good morning, Miss Towers. Are you all alone today?’
‘I was expecting to meet some friends here, but I have arrived a little early.’
‘Well, perhaps I may bear you company until they get here. Tell me, Miss Towers, have you come here quite alone?’
She looked slightly puzzled. ‘No, sir, my aunt does not like me to go out unattended. I have my maid with me.’ She sighed. ‘I must say I find these London conventions very restricting.’
Theo’s lips twitched. ‘You prefer to be quite independent?’
She raised her face to his and nodded. ‘In our part of Cheshire we frequently need to walk quite long distances; we could not be forever requiring a maid to go with us – besides, there is not the slightest need.’
‘How pleasant to be so free. But, I fear, as you are realizing, in London, young ladies need constant chaperonage.’ He said this with a wicked gleam in his eye. Her colour rose. It was obvious that she was remembering the one occasion when he had taken advantage of her lack of a chaperon. She was saved from having to answer by the sound of the door opening.
She looked round at once. Theo watched the way her head turned on her slender neck, enjoying the movement of her chestnut curls as they stroked against her white skin. How pretty she was and how well she looked in her green bonnet and coat.
After examining
the newcomers she turned her large brown eyes back to him. He considered those eyes with a feeling of pleasure. So clear and honest, such speaking eyes, fringed by thick dark lashes. His mood lightened. This task was going to be more pleasant than he had expected. He gave her a courteous look and indicated the well-filled shelves.
‘What type of book are you seeking today?’
Kitty eyed him suspiciously but he kept his expression polite. At last she decided he was in earnest. ‘For myself, I hope to find some information on travel in Southern Europe, but I daresay my friends will be selecting all kinds of material’ – her eyes challenged him – ‘even novels.’
He inclined his head, trying to hide his amusement. So Miss Towers was on the attack!
‘Do you often frequent this library, Mr Weston?’
‘Only when I have business here.’
She puzzled over that. Her face became a little wary. She glanced towards the door and made as if to leave him.
‘Miss Towers.…’ Theo kept his voice low. ‘I know you have a packet for Greg – er – Mr Thatcham. I am here in his place and you can safely entrust it to me.’
Kitty opened her eyes very wide. ‘I am not sure what you are talking about, sir.’
He breathed hard. ‘Miss Towers, I assure you I am here on behalf of my friend.’
Her face was pale. ‘I believe I will wait for Mr Thatcham. Excuse me, sir, my friend has just arrived.’ She turned towards Amelia who was putting books down on the table.
Theo bit back an oath. He stood rigid, feeling foolish and burning with anger at her refusal to trust him. She had trusted Greg! Damn Greg for involving her in this business. Of course, she had no idea just what she was carrying. When he returned to Stratton Street he would have something to say to his friend about putting an innocent girl in such danger.
Still trying to subdue his rage, he pretended to study the books on the shelf nearest to him. He had to get that letter and fast. Who knew whether someone was even now following her. Theo repressed a shudder at the idea of seeing Kitty in anything like the state Greg was in.
