by Beth Elliott
‘Prepared for what?’ asked Richard, leaping into the salute as Greg advanced on him with the sabre.
Sarah excused herself from going out with Lizzie that morning.
‘You can walk down with Mrs Keating and Lavinia,’ she told Lizzie. ‘If you will excuse me, I wish to avoid James for a while longer.’
Reluctantly, Lizzie accepted this. ‘I do hope you will find that things are not as bad as you fear … with Russeldene, I mean.’ She placed a charming new bonnet with a turned-back brim and long pink ribbons over her dark curls and turned to the mirror as she tied the bow under her chin.
Sarah watched from the window as Lizzie set off down the street. Once she felt sure that Lizzie would not change her mind and come back, she ran upstairs and surveyed herself in her bedroom mirror. She was dressed neatly in a sober blue gown with no frills or trimming. Her hair was smoothly brushed back and arranged into a neat twist on top of her head.
She made a face at her neat but dowdy image. There was no other way open to her. Through the long night she had tried to quell her longing for a different future, one in which Greg featured. In all honour, she could not stay where she was going to move in the same circles as he and Lizzie. The more she saw him, the more she wanted him. The knowledge that he could never be hers was costing her too many sleepless nights.
Since she had come upon Lizzie and Greg sitting so close together in the sitting-room yesterday, she had been waiting for Lizzie to tell her of her engagement to Greg. But maybe they had to wait while Greg informed his father. Perhaps Sir Thomas was not yet ready to consider a marriage, while still grieving for the loss of his oldest son.
Sarah was sure that General Gardiner would approve of Greg as a suitable husband for his darling niece. Indeed, she thought with a sigh, what was there to disapprove? Handsome, honest, brave and charming, he had every quality. In addition he was wealthy. There was no way she could endure staying with Lizzie when she and Greg became engaged. That would be torment indeed. She looked in the mirror and saw the dark shadows under her eyes.
Giving herself a little shake, she put on her plainest bonnet and her grey cloak. It was time to act! Leaving her room she checked to see that the hallway was empty, then tiptoed downstairs and out. She drew a deep breath. Her heart pounded and her mouth was dry.
It was not far to Queen Square but it seemed to take her a long time to get there. At last she walked across the road into the open centre of the square. Standing under the bare trees, she looked again at her old school. It was a respected academy and Miss Howard was a sensible and just headmistress. Sarah swallowed hard. She walked slowly up to the entrance, but at the last second she swung away and set off to go round the square once more.
That was cowardly, she scolded herself. When she reached the school door again, she would knock and go in. There was no point in lingering. If Russeldene was no longer her home, there was nowhere else to go. She must accept that she had to work to earn her living as a teacher. Yet here she was, dawdling in the middle of the square once more. Clasping her hands together tightly, she took a deep breath and strode forward across the open space. She reached the pavement and was advancing up the broad path to the door when a hand on her arm checked her.
Startled, Sarah jumped and jerked her head round. It was Greg. There was a strange expression on his face. She could almost believe he was angry.
‘Come!’ he said urgently. ‘Let us walk a little.’
Sarah shook her head. ‘No, no, I assure you, I must—’
‘You must not!’ His voice was quiet but he spoke with finality. Helplessly, Sarah felt him pull her away from Miss Howard’s Academy. She stole a sideways look up at him. His face was hard, his eyes narrowed and his normally sensual lips were tightly compressed. Yet she felt no fear. This man would never do her any harm.
He drew her up the road and towards the open land on the outskirts of the town. Turning to the right, they reached the Gravel Walk. Greg nodded towards it.
‘We will be more sheltered here,’ he said. She murmured an assent. For the moment she was overcome by his closeness and his apparent knowledge of what she had been about to do. They paced on slowly. At length, Sarah pulled herself together.
‘Why did you stop me just now? How did you know…?’ She looked at him earnestly.
He halted and turned towards her. Again she saw his face harden. His thick brows made a solid bar above his nose and a muscle moved along his jaw. Then, as he looked at her, a smile came, his eyes shone and she could not prevent herself from smiling back at him. He took hold of both her hands.
‘I just happened to be passing through the square. You seemed to be very agitated so I regret to say I stood and watched. It seemed to me that you were intending to do something you might very soon regret.’
Sarah turned her face away. She blinked and felt a tear slide down her cheek. How could she explain this to him, of all people? ‘You cannot know the reasons,’ she managed to whisper. ‘I have no other choice.’
He squeezed her hands. ‘I think I do know why you went there. And I still say you would be making the wrong decision to leave your own world. Heavens above! You cannot become a drudge for troublesome schoolgirls.’
‘Well, at least I would be independent and no longer forced to watch my brother bring ruin on us,’ she flashed, her eyes stormy. ‘I cannot endure to see him following in the steps of that evil man he calls a friend.’ She pulled a hand free and pressed it to her lips. ‘I am s-sorry,’ she gasped. ‘Please forget what I just said.’
‘You are not telling me anything I did not know,’ replied Greg calmly. He caught hold of her hand again. ‘And now I will tell you that I also have great reason to suspect that same man of – what shall I call it? – behaviour that is unworthy of a gentleman.’ His voice became harsh as he said those last words.
Sarah felt the tension in the hand that was holding hers. She stared wildly up at him. As his meaning sank in, her mouth opened in a gasp of shock. For a second Greg stared at her. His eyes fell to her mouth. He swallowed. Slowly, slowly he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. His mouth felt warm and firm yet gentle. It was such a pleasant sensation that Sarah clung to him and tilted her head up to respond.
With a groan, Greg slid a hand to the back of her neck, pulling her closer, deepening his kiss. All Sarah’s troubles vanished in the sweet sensation. She ran a hand up his jacket, against the hard muscles of his chest. She leaned closer, closer…. Suddenly, both of them recollected where they were and jerked back at the same instant.
Sarah’s cheeks became very red but she kept her eyes on him steadily. She raised a trembling hand to touch her lips. Her breath was coming in little gasps. Greg’s eyes glowed as he watched her and his mouth curved into a breathtaking smile. They stood there, staring at each other, unaware of the wind, the cold and of various nursemaids and servants passing them in both directions.
It seemed a very long time before Sarah said, ‘We should not have done that. It was very wrong of us.’
‘I cannot believe that something so pleasant can be entirely wrong,’ protested Greg. He raised an eyebrow and grinned at her. After a moment in which she continued to stare at him, he added, ‘But if I have distressed you, I apologize.’
She looked down, veiling her eyes with long dark lashes. Her head was whirling. Why had he done it, when he was as good as engaged to her best friend? Why had she responded? And yet, somewhere in her mind, she rejoiced at that sweet contact, oh yes, and she wanted more of it. Which meant she must put herself out of danger, not just from the man she loathed but from the man she loved.
It burst upon her how much she loved him. And with that realization, she knew how desolate her life was going to be. The loss of Greg was more important than the loss of her home. One great sob escaped before she rigidly quelled her emotions. Later, she would find somewhere to deal with that.
Greg looked horrified at that sob. ‘Oh, Sarah!’ The words burst from him. He seized her hands
again. ‘I do not want to say sorry for something so beautiful….’
‘It is – is only because ….’ she faltered, blinking away a tear, ‘because….’
‘Come, you are shivering,’ he said when it became obvious she could not get out any more words. ‘Let us walk on.’
He tucked her arm under his and drew her on up the slope. She kept her head bent down as she struggled for composure that could not come while he was so close.
Greg also appeared to be deep in thought. They had reached the top of the rise before he roused himself to speak. He tilted his head down to look in her face. ‘We were discussing your intention to become a teacher. Promise me you will not do that.’
When she shook her head silently, he added, ‘Not yet, anyway. Please give me a little time to sort things out.’
‘But how can that make any difference to me?’ In her surprise, she forgot to feel embarrassed with him.
‘We were speaking of your brother and his friend,’ Greg’s voice was sarcastic as he said that word, ‘and I told you I also have an interest in that man.’
They paced on, reaching the top of the walk. ‘He has such a hold over my brother,’ admitted Sarah with a shudder, ‘and I do wonder if James has lost everything to him fairly.’
Greg stopped abruptly. She glanced up in surprise. His face was white and frowning. ‘Why do you say that?’ he asked, his eyes painfully intense.
Sarah stared at him, puzzled.
‘It is absolutely vital for me to find out anything I can about this man.’ His eyes were pleading now.
She made up her mind. ‘I will trust you to keep this a secret. One evening at our home, I watched Lord Percival encouraging James to drink until he was fuddled before they began to play cards. James was losing. But when the housekeeper and I sat by them and watched the play, James began to win. It may have been just a coincidence that evening, but when he plays with Lord Percival he loses constantly. And there is something else,’ she added, frowning, ‘my brother seems afraid of this man – but I do not know why.’
Greg drew in a deep breath. His face relaxed slightly. ‘Thank you for trusting me. You can have no idea how important that information is.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
In silence, Greg and Sarah threaded their way down through the winding roads in the general direction of Milsom Street. They were both so deep in thought that neither of them saw Lord Percival as they walked past him. He stood and watched them until they turned the next corner. The expression on his face was very ugly. He grasped his ebony cane and struck it angrily against the railings of the basement area outside his lodging.
Sarah was walking automatically. She did not notice where they were, her mind was in such turmoil. She still felt as if she was on the edge of a cliff, staring down but unable to move backwards. Her plan to seek employment had come to nothing. Why had she let him persuade her? Why had she let him kiss her? Even worse, why had she kissed him back?
She knew the answer to that, of course, and it brought colour to her cheeks to admit it. She was still dwelling on the matter when she realized that they had stopped walking. She raised her head in surprise to discover that they were outside General Gardiner’s house. She turned to Greg. Suddenly she was shy and it took a great effort to meet his gaze. Those glorious eyes were fixed on her face. He gave her a rueful grin.
‘We have been on a long journey this morning,’ he said finally.‘Will you please promise me not to go near Queen Square for the present?’
‘I cannot leave it very long.’
His expression became serious. A muscle clenched in his jaw. ‘Be patient for a while. Things may improve.’ He beat his usual tattoo on the knocker. ‘I shall do myself the honour of calling this afternoon to see how you and Lizzie go on.’
He touched his hat as the door opened. He watched her go inside. When the door closed behind her, Greg drew a deep breath. A lot had changed in the past hour. He strode briskly down to the Pump Room, where his father would be expecting to see him. Then he must find Preston. It was time to put more pressure on James Davenport.
The crowd in the Pump Room was quite dense as it was now the middle of the day. Greg found his father in conversation with several old friends. He made his bow to them all, and seeing that his father was well content to remain where he was, Greg wandered round in search of Richard. It was not long before he came across Lizzie and her friend Lavinia Keating. He greeted them politely and smiled around at the group of friends surrounding them.
Richard was among them. Greg gave him a significant look and shortly afterwards, Richard made his way to his brother’s side.
‘More fencing?’ he asked with a touch of apprehension.
‘Not at the moment. Be a good fellow and fetch my curricle into town.’
‘What, now?’ asked Richard with obvious reluctance. He glanced at the group of young people around Lizzie. ‘We are just making arrangements for a theatre visit.’
‘It is important,’ said Greg, ‘and tell Preston to meet me in half an hour. Say it is on business. I shall be at The Swan, down the road from here. Oh, just a minute,’ he added, as Richard was turning away, ‘here is a little gift for you.’ He dug a hand into the pocket of his riding coat and produced a small packet. Richard unwrapped it and gave a nod of appreciation at the fob that Greg had bought the day before.
When Preston entered The Swan, he was dressed like a gentleman in a caped driving coat over a discreet dark suit. He joined Greg at a scuffed wooden table and looked enquiringly at his master.
‘Adventure?’ he asked. Greg nodded. Preston’s eyes lit up. ‘Not before time,’ he said, ‘it was getting very dull, Major, for both of us.’
‘Speak for yourself,’ replied Greg.
Preston took on a knowing look. ‘So that’s what you were doing … as if I didn’t know. All them fresh shirts and neckties….’ He shook his head.
‘Never mind that,’ said Greg, just slightly embarrassed at being so transparent to his valet, ‘I need you to make the acquaintance of a young gentleman called Davenport. He is very fond of card playing. I need to find out how skilled he is but he is wary of me.’
Preston nodded. ‘Just show me who he is, Major.’
Greg nodded. ‘Richard will show you. Now you get to the shops and rig yourself out for an evening or two in the card room. You need to play the part of a wealthy businessman with money to burn.’ He pulled out his watch and frowned. ‘I must go now, I have another errand to deal with. I shall be at the Upper Rooms by ten. You will not know me.’
Preston nodded. He raised his brows. ‘How deep shall I play?’
Greg considered. ‘Not too deep, but enough to see if he is skilled with the cards or merely a young fool.’ He waited until Preston had left the taproom, then stood up himself, ducking his head just in time to avoid hitting it on a beam. He made his way out cautiously. It felt good to be able at last to move upon these two men who were almost certainly hiding vital information from him.
In the doorway of The Swan he almost bumped into Richard, who was rushing in to find him.
‘My horses?’ Greg frowned in alarm at his panting brother.
Richard grabbed at his arm. ‘Horses – are – fine….’ he gasped and gestured towards the bar. ‘Need – a drink….’
Greg looked at him from under his brows but turned back and called for ale. As soon as it was placed before him, Richard grasped the tankard and tilted the brew down his throat.
Greg tapped his fist on the bar counter. ‘Well, man? I am in a hurry!’
Richard wiped his mouth. ‘This is serious,’ he muttered. ‘Jenkins and I went to harness your bays to the curricle. I started to drive off, but as I set the horses to trot, the carriage did not feel right. Almost at the same time, I could hear Jenkins shouting at me to stop.’
Greg leaned forward. ‘Were my horses injured?’ he asked urgently.
‘No, no, told you, they are fine. But the outside wheel was loose and just ready
to fall off.’ He gave his brother a sharp look. ‘Jenkins swears he checked everything after you returned from your visit to Theo.’
Greg’s face hardened. Eventually he sighed and gave a shrug.
Richard took another gulp of his ale. ‘Things are hotting up,’ he remarked. ‘First your “accident” in the street and now this. You have annoyed someone.’
‘Hmm!’ Greg nodded, his frown deepening. ‘That was supposed to throw me out under the wheels of any other vehicle in the street.’
Richard shook his head. ‘Father is not going to like this.’
‘He must not know.’ Greg raised a warning finger as Richard seemed about to protest. ‘I shall have a word with Jenkins. Father is just starting to look better. I will not have him made anxious.’
‘Very well,’ said Richard reluctantly, ‘but it seems to me that you need to be extra careful yourself.’ He finished his drink and pushed the tankard back across the bar. ‘Whatever your errand was, I fear you will have to cancel it for the present.’
The brothers went out into the street. Richard glared around as if he expected a gang of hired assassins to be waiting there. Greg had to smile. ‘They do not operate like that,’ he said. ‘No doubt we are being watched but we will act as normal.’
‘I shall return to the Pump Room to keep an eye on Father.’ Richard announced. His hands clenched into fists.
‘If you wish. I doubt if he is in danger: it is me they are after.’
‘But why?’
Greg clapped his brother on the arm. ‘I can think of two possible reasons. Now I must hurry. I want to see the damage – and check on Jupiter!’ he added grimly.
‘Good God, do you think they would harm him?’ Richard was appalled.
‘We must be alert for anything.’ Greg gave Richard a grim nod and strode away towards the Pulteney Bridge. This was a worrying development. He had taken great care over his contact with Josiah Whitby, but perhaps the meeting had been reported. A vast amount of money was at stake as well as the reputations of several high-ranking gentlemen.
