They rode mostly in silence, while they warmed up their mounts. Then Sommerforth suggested that she see how Joy did. He grinned at her. "Go — ride."
Elaine swiftly took Joy through her paces. Joy was smug Elaine thought; showing off. The mare changed legs, and moved smoothly through an extended and collected walk, then through a slow and faster trot, and into a slow, collected canter.
The mare even backed up smoothly when Elaine asked it of her. Elaine's slightest nudge, or change of balance, triggered an instant response.
Sommerforth's stable master was indeed a master, she thought.
When Sommerforth caught up with her, she told him so.
He laughed. "Yes, he is. In his youth, he trained young officers at the Spanish Riding School. Many people have tried to hire him away from me. He's constantly receiving offers. Even the Prince Regent made him an offer, but he's remained loyal."
"I can't thank him — and you — enough."
He looked serious. "My dear Miss Eardley, no thanks are needed. Joy is special, and… so are you." He winked at her, and she blushed.
When Sommerforth had arrived at the park, she'd feared that there would be awkwardness between them, especially after the kiss. Perhaps he'd forgotten about that. No doubt he kissed many women.
There was also the incident at the ball, with Count Volkov and Sir Oliver.
She broached that topic with him now. "Catherine said that you might assist Lady Foxton?"
"Yes, of course. Just a moment." He turned in the saddle, and lifted his hand for his grooms, two of whom were following them, with Cormac. "Shall we walk for a moment?"
She nodded. The grooms rode up to them and dismounted. Sommerforth's groom took his mount, and Cormac lifted Elaine from the saddle.
The duke held out his arm, and they walked at the side of the Row.
As the sun drew higher, the early morning mists were disappearing.
"Lady Foxton," the duke queried gently.
Elaine sighed. "She wishes to marry the count."
"I see… I haven't spoken with him. Should I sound him out? He's Worley's friend, and I don't believe that he would trifle with Lady Foxton… I can warn him away."
He cared about what she thought? That warmed her. "Felicity is concerned about Sir Oliver, and Mr. Baynes. Sir Oliver doesn't care about Felicity, he only calls on her in town because of the count."
"I'll speak with Mr. Baynes, after we've spoken with Volkov, and Lady Foxton."
Felicity looked back, but the length of the Row had taken them out of sight of the grooms and Cormac.
She looked up at Sommerforth when he stopped, and turned to look down at her. "I — Elaine," he said huskily.
She stared up into his eyes, the dark grey warming as he smiled, and didn't move away. She knew that he was about to kiss her, so she stepped forward, not removing her gaze from his.
Soft, she thought again, as his lips touched hers. And again, he held her so lightly, that she only had to step away, if she wanted to. She didn't. Instead, she lifted her hands to rest on Sommerforth's shoulders, and stood on tiptoe, so that he wouldn't take his mouth from hers.
Every thought fled. She was solely aware of him, surrounding her. Her body tingled, and heated.
Suddenly, he stepped away from her while holding her shoulders.
She held his arms, righting herself, and tryed to regain her balance. "What…"
"Miss Eardley," he said softly.
He said nothing more. He held her gaze captive, while he waited for her senses to return.
Finally she remembered where she was. What on earth had happened to her? She blushed, looking down at the grass.
"Shall we?" He offered her his arm, and they strolled back.
Elaine had just collected herself sufficiently to speak when she heard pounding hooves. Cormac rounded the curve in the Row, followed by Sommerforth's grooms who were leading Joy and Sommerforth's mount.
Sommerforth put his hand on hers where it rested on his sleeve.
"What's happened?" She didn't have time to say more.
Cormac jumped from the saddle, and bowed to them both. "Miss Eardley, a message from Mrs. Grove — she sends her apologies, and asks that you return to Eardley House immediately."
Elaine nodded. "Of course."
Within a few minutes, they were in Sommerforth's carriage, and he'd given the order to take them to Eardley House, at speed.
"Someone's ill," Elaine said. She realized that she'd lost both her hat and her riding crop. She adjusted her curls as best she could with shaking hands.
She glanced at Sommerforth. He appeared calm, so she calmed too.
At Eardley House, Morley opened the front door, and bowed to the duke and Elaine. As they passed him, he murmured that Mrs. Grove was in the drawing room.
When they entered the drawing room, they found Catherine with Talverne.
"Pierce?" Elaine asked, staring at her friend. "Why are you here — and so early? What's happened — is it Christobel? Or your mother?"
He'd risen from his chair when Elaine and Sommerforth entered.
Catherine rose, curtsied to the duke, then moved to take Elaine's hand. "Your pardon, your grace," she said to him.
He nodded. "Not at all, Mrs. Grove."
Then she turned to her sister. "It's Felicity… Elaine, please tell me the truth. What do you know of this?"
"She's bolted — gone," Pierce said, without waiting for Elaine to respond.
She stared at him. "What? Oh no."
Talverne bowed to the duke. "Your grace," he said cheerfully.
"Talverne," the duke responded calmly.
Elaine swallowed hard. Felicity had gone? Where? Why? Had she run away with Volkov?
"Let's sit down," Catherine said. "I've sent for some tea and a little breakfast." She cleared her throat.
Sommerforth took Elaine's elbow, and guided her to a chair. Then he pulled a chair next to hers.
Catherine subsided onto a sofa opposite, and told Talverne to sit down.
Talverne sat beside Catherine, and shook his head at Elaine. "Bolted, by heavens. I just arrived. Wanted to leave a message with Morley, but the house was in an uproar — not a sign of the Foxton chit anywhere. Clothes gone, too. Thought I might be able to help."
"Pierce," Catherine admonished him. "We'll wait for the tea, I think."
A tap on the doors, then two footmen entered with trays.
Morley poured the tea and the footmen handed out cups.
Catherine waited until the servants had left the room. "Lady Foxton has gone… Her maid is in a fine state. She helped Felicity undress when we returned after the ball. But when she went in with Felicity's chocolate this morning, her bed hadn't been slept in. I've spoken to the servants."
She stared hard at Elaine. "Denise said that Felicity has been leaving the house at night, Elaine."
Elaine couldn't look at Catherine. She flushed. "I know," she said. She glanced at the two men, not sure whether she should say more. Felicity was ruined.
"Tell me — just tell me what happened," Catherine said impatiently. "You can speak — Sommerforth and Talverne are gentlemen, and our friends." Catherine inhaled deeply. "Tell me, Elaine."
Elaine clenched her fists in her lap. This was her fault. She told Catherine about Felicity leaving the house. "She promised me that she wouldn't do it again."
"I sent her maid to check her clothes. She's taken a couple of carriage dresses, and other things too. So, it seems that she's gone somewhere. Let's all pray that she's taken herself back to Foxton Park, but without her maid?"
"This is all my fault," Elaine said. How could Felicity do this?
Sommerforth touched her arm briefly. "You think that Volkov is involved?" He asked Catherine.
Catherine shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps that was what they discussed in the garden last evening?"
The duke stood. "I'll send word to Worley. I'll ask whether Volkov is with him." He left the room without another word.
"Is Christobel in town too? Pierce, please, not a word to her," Elaine said, eyeing Talverne.
He shook his head, then laughed. "No danger of that. She's handed me my hat, and bolted too. Left The Oaks after wishing me to the devil. Said I was a horrid old pinchpenny, among other things. You wouldn't believe the expressions she used — her language gave me a shock, I can tell you. She knew words I've never used… I'm well out of it."
He shuddered. "What a mouth Christobel has. Should have married Melly, as it turns out." His brown eyes twinkled with glee.
"You don't sound too cut up about it."
"I told you — I told her too, said I'd get myself a mistress. That wasn't what set her off."
Sommerforth entered again, and resumed his chair beside Elaine.
"No," Pierce went on. "I dared to question a bill of hers, for scented gloves, ten pairs… embroidered. I said that the price would pay for a large family to live on for a couple of years, and refused to pay. She didn't believe me at first, but I set her straight."
Catherine laid her hand on Pierce's arm, and he stopped looking cheerful. "Sorry," he muttered. "But glad to be out of that arrangement."
"I sent a footman to Worley. He took the carriage, so we won't need wait too long for news," Sommerforth said.
"Mother mustn't know," Catherine said to Elaine. "I warned her maid, and the other servants. I won't have her upset, until we learn what's happened…" She paused, then said to Sommerforth, "I asked Morley to check whether anyone heard anything early this morning."
She stood, and handed around slices of bread and butter.
Elaine found that she was hungry. She added some cheese to her plate, as well as a couple of slices of ham.
They ate in silence for several minutes. Finally Elaine asked Catherine, "if Elaine and Volkov are together, what will we do?"
"We'll try to avoid bloodshed when Sir Oliver learns of it," Catherine said, her tone grim.
Morley entered a moment later with Cormac.
Cormac bowed, then said to Catherine: "A footman next door saw a carriage in the back alleyway very early this morning, before the house was awake. He took a couple of the next-door ladies' dogs outside, and they barked."
"What kind of carriage?" Talverne asked.
Cormac shook his head, and shrugged. "I don't know, my lord. Just a large carriage, he said. He was only concerned with the dogs — he didn't think anything of it. He thought that the carriage was from the mews. Perhaps from the new people on the other side of Eardley House."
"Did he see Lady Foxton?" Elaine asked.
"No ma'am, he didn't see anyone. Just a carriage, unmarked. I asked about the coachman, but he was concerned with the dogs. He thought they might get under the gate and escape... He caught the dogs, and returned them to the house."
"Thank you, Morley — and Cormac," Catherine said.
The men bowed, and left the drawing room.
Catherine sent Elaine upstairs to change, warning her not to say anything to Mrs. Eardley, although it was unlikely that Mother would be up so early.
All the way to her rooms, Elaine berated herself for not telling Catherine that Felicity had been meeting Volkov.
Denise was pale. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry — I —"
"No, it's my fault. I should have —" But what could she have done?
Half an hour later, when Elaine entered the drawing room again, she found that Lord Worley had arrived. He told them that when he checked Count Volkov's rooms, the rooms were empty. Both Volkov and his valet had left. Worley's servants said that the count had returned from the ball, then he and his man had left within the hour.
Sommerforth and Worley had decided that they would look for the runaways.
They told Catherine and Elaine that they would call later in the day. If they learned anything about where Volkov was taking Felicity they would send word at once.
Talverne announced that he was off to Linton House to let Linton's people know that he was in town, and to change. He lived at his uncle's London home when he was in town.
"Not a word to anyone, Talverne," Catherine warned, her tone stern.
He looked shocked. "On my honor, Mrs. Grove — I know how to keep my mouth shut. I'll come back here later today. Anything I can do, I will."
"Thank you, Pierce," Catherine said gratefully, when he bowed over her hand.
Catherine told Elaine that she'd see Talverne out, then she'd speak with Anne. "Anne should be up by now."
"What shall I tell Mother?" Elaine asked.
"We'll have to tell her, I suppose. It will upset her dreadfully. She'll be concerned about the scandal." Catherine's green eyes looked bleak.
"I'm so sorry," Elaine said again.
Catherine hugged her briefly. "No. I understand that Felicity asked you not to speak, and I would never expect you to betray a confidence. And you weren't to know that Volkov would forget himself so much that he would run off with the girl."
An hour later, when Mrs. Eardley came down for breakfast, Catherine told her.
"We're ruined," Mrs. Eardley said, looking at her three daughters. "How could she? That silly, silly girl."
"Don't worry Mother," Anne said, her tone calm. "Sommerforth and Lord Worley will find them, I'm sure. And won't they say anything. We can keep it quiet."
Mrs. Eardley shook her head. "That's all very well, but you know how servants talk. I might as well pack now, so that we can return to Gostwicke Hall."
Catherine's eyes widened, then narrowed. "No, indeed. We will not. Calm yourself, Mother. Let me deal with this."
"I'm for my breakfast. I'm only pleased that today isn't an at-home day for us."
"You and Anne will pay calls today, and shop," Catherine said. She turned to Elaine. "You know that that wretched man will call today. We'll have to throw dust in his eyes again."
12
Elaine was alone when Sir Oliver called. Mrs. Eardley, Anne and Catherine were out, paying calls. Catherine had decided that they must go through their everyday routine. It would be thought odd if they didn't.
Morley announced him. She was in the drawing room.
"Sir Oliver." She rose from the table containing two of Catherine's account books, and closed the books carefully. Sir Oliver was a close friend of Major Grove. She didn't want him to see the books; they were Catherine's secret accounts. "How kind of you to call... you find me alone, as you see."
Cormac followed the handsome nobleman into the room, and stood at the doors. Elaine met his gaze briefly, and was relieved at his presence.
"Felicity is out? I should have sent a note that I'd call, but it was an impulse. I wanted to see how she is." He smiled at her, but the smile didn't reach his blue eyes.
How handsome he was, she thought. And how she'd misjudged him in the past. How dared he kiss her? She suppressed a shudder. Of course he'd known she didn't welcome the kisses. He'd kissed her, so that he could control her — to lessen her influence with Felicity.
She kept her her thoughts from her eyes. "Of course," she said lightly. "Lady Foxton came down for breakfast, but returned to her rooms. The heat last night made her indisposed. I went up to see her, but — she's asleep."
Catherine had told her that if Sir Oliver called, she wasn't to babble. "The more you say, the more likely it is that you'll be caught out — just tell him that Felicity is in her rooms, and must not be disturbed."
Sir Oliver stared, but she merely smiled at him. "You enjoyed Lady Merrill's ball? What a sad crush that was." Her heart was beating like a drum. She suspected that she looked pale, because she felt faint.
"Indeed."
"Please sit down, sir." Elaine knew that he couldn't sit down before she did, so she sat at the desk, relieved, because her legs felt too weak to hold her.
She waited for him to take a chair.
He hesitated. Then he glanced at Cormac. "Well, if she's not up — I won't stay."
"Would you like me to check whether she's awake?" Elaine asked brightly.<
br />
She had a bad moment, when Sir Oliver hesitated again. What would she do if he insisted on seeing Felicity?
"No — no, don't disturb her," he looked uncomfortable. "You said that I don't call as often as I should."
"I'm sure you're busy, with the season just begun."
"He looked down at his boots. "I still think that Elaine should not have come up to town."
Elaine opened her eyes wide. "How foolish we must seem, but it's a girlish thing, you know. My sisters are always saying that my head is filled with nothing but frippery... but — the gowns, Sir Oliver! I know that Felicity is happy to be in town. It's most kind of you to allow it."
She hated her mendacity, but it was also challenging, to put Sir Oliver off the scent.
"I suppose... Is Felicity happy about our marriage?"
What had inspired that question? And what if she told Sir Oliver that Felicity was NOT happy? Elaine knew that she couldn't do it. "Of course she's happy… She's looking forward to it. Mother has been helping us — we've been shopping for her trousseau."
Why didn't the wretched man leave? He was studying her, as if he sensed that she wasn't being truthful.
Suddenly someone knocked on the doors. Cormac opened them, and Morley entered to announce his grace, the Duke of Sommerforth.
Sir Oliver held her glance for another long moment, then he rose, and bowed to the duke. "Your grace."
Elaine smiled. "Your grace — how kind of you to call. Sir Oliver and I were just talking about Lady Merrill's ball. What a success! But dear Felicity is still a little unwell."
Sommerforth bowed over her hand. "Miss Eardley — and Sir Oliver. Forgive the intrusion. I called to assure myself that Lady Foxton had recovered. She remains unwell?"
"Mother feels that she's merely over-tired," Elaine said smoothly. "I fear she's right. Catherine insists that we forego some invitations… A few nights at home will do us all good."
Sir Oliver had remained standing. "Thank you, Miss Eardley. I'll take my leave now. Sommerforth — where might I find Worley and Volkov at this hour?"
"Doubtless at White's."
The Lady and the Duke: A Dangerous Season (The Eardleys of Gostwicke Hall Book 2) Page 14
