"I see," she said, with the strangest feeling she was living in some kind of bizarre nightmare. Her emotions were already so raw and close to the surface with Beau leaving, that to add this melodrama to the misery of the past weeks was almost more than she could bear. She could only be glad that the shock of it had numbed her for the moment so that her voice did not tremble when she spoke. "I thank you for taking the time to come and divulge such unpleasant tidings to me, sir. I hope that you have taken enough satisfaction from the delivery of them and pray we do not keep you a moment longer from your affairs."
He laughed, a cold and unaffected sound that quite chilled her.
"Oh, but that isn't why I'm here, child," he said and when she looked up she discovered that her uncle had taken on the persona of every villain she had ever read of in all the Gothic novels she loved most. All she needed to complete the picture was that it be night time in a castle instead of afternoon in their cramped drawing room, that the candles should be guttering in their sockets and a thunderstorm raging outside.
To her relief this ridiculous notion made her smile as it cast her as the heroine, who must outwit her wicked relative, no doubt bent on murdering her or something equally nefarious. She thought perhaps her sensibilities must have suffered enough for one day and she was overwrought, as she began to laugh. Her uncle looked at her in astonishment.
"What the devil is wrong with you now?" He paced back across the room to stand beside the fireplace, and with such a furious look on his face that she was put strongly in mind of the wicked Marchese de Montferra, in The Orphan of the Rhine. The idea quite overset her and she had to bite her lip rather hard to restore her equilibrium. It did however remove some of her fear of both the situation and her uncle, and gave him a rather ridiculous character in the light of all his airs and graces.
"Why nothing, Sir. Pray do continue," she said, staring at him in quite a new light.
He stared at her with a cool expression for a moment before he spoke again. "I will speak with you alone, Miss Dalton."
"That you will not!" her aunt shrieked, though she trembled visibly now and Georgiana was alarmed by the high colour on her cheeks.
"There, there, Aunt Jane, please don't worry. You go and have a lay down. I will speak with my uncle and show him out as soon as he has said his piece. I'm sure it won't take but a moment," she added, glaring at the man.
With difficulty Georgiana calmed her a little and sent for Mrs Gurney who took one look at Baron Dalton, gave a sniff of outrage as she summed the man up with one disparaging glance and went to her mistress. Supported by Gurney, Aunt Jane was persuaded out of the room, leaving Georgiana alone with her uncle.
Chapter 12
"Wherein truths are uncovered."
Once alone Georgiana stood and faced her uncle. She did not know what it was he wanted from her but the sooner she discovered his purpose the sooner they could be rid of him and that, currently, was her only objective.
"Well then," her uncle said, clearly as eager to conclude his business as she was for him to be gone. "I'll make things nice and simple for you. Your father and my own wife's brother were very dear friends and it was his wish that you marry my brother-in-law's son, Swithin Rufford. You were in fact betrothed at birth. Personally I think the fellow is getting a bad bargain. But it was my brother's dearest wish and I mean to see that it is carried out now that, thanks to your mother's wickedness, he is no longer here to do so."
Georgiana grasped the back of the chair she stood beside and prayed she didn't do something as lowering as falling into a swoon. Though she felt that if anyone was due a swoon after everything that she had endured over the past weeks it was her.
"But I am only nineteen. I am not yet of age," she replied, astonished that she spoke the words without stammering, and grasping at whatever straw she could bring to mind.
"No. But I am your legal guardian and I consent to the match."
"But I do not!" she replied, staring at this already hated figure of a man and vowing to never do anything that he desired her to do. "I have not the least intention of marrying a man I have never even heard of before this day, just because my long dead father wished it!"
She was bestowed with a look of such frigid disdain that her nerve quailed for a moment, but she held his icy gaze, though her fingers were white where they held tight to the chair.
"No," he said, every nuance of that one word dripping with scorn. "I never imagined you would do anything to oblige your father. Indeed I find myself correct in supposing that you would be every bit as capricious and flighty as your mother was. Bad blood will out," he added.
"If you have quite finished insulting myself and my family, I would request that you leave now, sir. For I certainly have nothing further to say to you."
"Oh, but I have not yet concluded my business with you, Miss Dalton." He took a step closer to her and she could see the implacable nature of the man burning in his eyes. This was not a man used to being thwarted and he didn't expect to come away from this meeting without getting what he wanted. "I will make myself plain."
"Upon my word, Sir. If you haven't already been doing that I wonder if my poor feminine sensibilities can bear the strain," she retorted, narrowing her eyes at him.
He gave a snort, looking ever more disgusted. "You will never lead me to believe there is anything approaching feminine morals or sensibility about you, Miss Dalton. You are the daughter of a woman who was known to be a common flirt."
Fury brought colour burning to her cheeks as she raged at him in return. "Then I wonder that you would be so eager to pursue a match between one such as me and a man you apparently hold in some regard."
"Aye, and I wonder at it too!" he shouted. "But Rufford wants to wed you and I gave my word and the marriage will go ahead. I have arranged for you to meet Mr Rufford on Sunday next, at which time he will make his proposal, and you will accept him."
Georgiana gathered her strength and held on to the towering rage which seemed to be the only thing keeping her on her feet.
"You have spoken plain, sir, and now I will repay you in kind. There is nothing on this earth that would induce me to do anything of the sort. If and when I marry it will not be someone who has been chosen by either a dead man or someone I hold in utter contempt."
For a moment she wondered if she had gone too far as she saw his fists clench and he took a step towards her. He froze at the last moment, but she was left in no doubt at all that if she ever allowed herself to come under this man's power that she would be in very grave danger.
"Miss Dalton," he said, the words full of cold rage. "Your mother was a whore and the scandal she wrought is talked about to this day. I have only to utter one word about your true parentage and you will be ruined. And you may rest assured that I will not utter just one word, I will destroy you. No man will ever touch you unless they paid coin for your services, no polite society will ever welcome you. You will be a pariah, belonging nowhere and to no one."
"So be it," she flung back at him, barely holding back her tears but determined not to crumble before this hateful man. "I'd rather die an old maid than oblige a despicable and vicious man like you!"
"Then it seems there is no more left to say. I will be here on Sunday with Mr Rufford. I trust after you have taken the time to look at your circumstances you will have a change of heart, for in a very short matter of time you will find those people here who were your friends, will no longer wish to receive you. Good day, Miss Dalton."
She waited until she heard the front door close until her trembling knees gave out and she sank to the floor, crying and shaking, and wishing with all her heart that Beau could save her from such an ignominious fate. But Beau had gone and was never going to be able to save her, and if he ever discovered the truth, perhaps he would no longer wish he could. She would simply have to manage and find a way to survive that wouldn't bring disgrace to her aunt and uncle.
For a moment visions of nunneries and of fleeing abroad fil
led her head until she could scold herself away from such fanciful notions and get a firm grip on the real world. The first thing she must do was check on Aunt Jane, and then she must find her uncle. Between them, they would find a way. Between them they had to.
***
The next morning Georgiana sat at the breakfast table turning an untouched piece of toast in her hands and awaiting her uncle's return. Her aunt was still abed, too traumatised by the previous day's events to be able to face getting up. Georgiana didn't blame her. She had wanted nothing more than to bury her head under the covers and pretend it all away. But that was never going to happen.
On returning late yesterday afternoon and finding the household in hysterics, it had taken her uncle some considerable time to calm her aunt and get the facts of the matter from Georgiana. He had not denied any of the events involving her parents, as some childish part of her had hoped he may, but he'd been furious at her uncle Dalton's behaviour. Indeed she had never seen her kindly Uncle Joseph in such a towering rage once he'd vented his spleen.
But the only way to fight fire, her uncle said, was with fire. And to that end he had gone to pay a call upon the Earl of Falmouth. What Falmouth could do for her, Georgiana could not for one moment imagine. As far as she knew the man had a very black character and was a confirmed rake. Though she had seen notice of his marriage in the papers some weeks earlier so perhaps he had reformed.
Any speculation on the matter had to wait until late in the afternoon when her uncle returned and ushered her into his study.
"Well, child, I hope you are not too low in spirits after such a dreadful day you suffered yesterday."
"No, sir," she said, offering him a smile to reassure him as she settled in the chair opposite his desk. "But I confess I am in desperation to know what it is you have been discussing with Lord Falmouth."
"Ah," her uncle said with satisfaction, rubbing his hands together. "As to that, I believe we have a plan."
"We do?"
She watched as her uncle rang the bell to summon one of the maids and waited in anticipation as Mary opened the door and her uncle ordered tea be brought forthwith.
Once Mary had gone to fulfil his command he returned his attention to his niece.
"Now, Georgiana. I know that everything that has happened must have been the most appalling shock to you and I feel I ought to offer you our apologies for not having given you any idea of your circumstances before this."
"Whatever for?" Georgiana exclaimed. "Of course you didn't wish to discuss such a dreadful scandal, and how could you? It is hardly the kind of thing you can easily discuss with your niece."
Her uncle smiled at her and gave a sigh. "Georgiana, I hope you know this already, but your aunt and I, we always have and always will love you as our own daughter. It was a terrible sadness to us that we never had a child of our own, and when you came into our lives, despite the circumstances, we were so grateful and happy to have you. You have been nothing but a joy and a delight and to see you forced into such ... such ..." His voice broke and Georgiana reached across the desk and clasped his hand in hers. She could not speak any further than he could manage as her throat was tight with emotion and her vision blurred with tears.
"Well now," her uncle began again, offering her a rueful smile as Mary brought them in a tea tray and then hurried away. "To the facts, lest we become prey to our emotions again. First of all, Georgiana, I utterly forbid you to marry Swithin Rufford, is that perfectly clear?"
Georgiana choked on her tea and had to put her cup down on the desk before she spilt it down her dress as laughter shook her. "Oh, Uncle, yes indeed, it is quite clear and I've never been so happy to have a suitor rejected."
"Oh? Have you rejected many?" he asked with a twinkle glittering behind his spectacles.
For a moment Georgiana blushed, though it was nonsensical as Beau had never proposed. Obviously imagining it was just her maidenly modesty that caused her cheeks to glow, her uncle continued.
"So as for the rest of it. Your father as you now know was the Baron Dalton, and whilst his title went to your uncle when he died, he was in fact a very wealthy man and the majority of all of his estates and monies ... belong to you."
Georgiana gaped at him. "B-but ..."
He held out a hand to her. "Perhaps we should have told you sooner, my dear. But we could only feel that if you'd known about the vast sum settled upon you that it ... well it might be a burden to you or ..."
"Or it might turn me into the most shockingly spoilt creature imaginable," she offered and let out a breath as she tried to absorb the information. She was an heiress! Her heart gave a leap in her throat and unconsciously her hand covered that sorely bruised organ as she thought of Beau. "Uncle, I thank you with my whole heart," she replied, her voice shaking as she was torn between crying and laughing. All of her wildest dreams seemed to be coming true on the heels of the worst nightmare. "Indeed it seems incredible. Surely you know I could never reproach you for anything and in this I think you were undoubtedly quite correct. I would have been beyond bearing I'm certain. But surely there is some mistake? Are you perfectly sure that such wealth is mine?"
Uncle Joseph sipped his tea and nodded. "Your father had a steward. A very fine man indeed and it is to him that we owe a great debt. It was he who brought you to us. He always felt your aunt had been harshly treated when she chose to marry me, but your father was a cold man, much in the style of your uncle Dalton I'm afraid. However, it was he who acted so swiftly in putting all of the papers that left everything to you into our hands. For your father and your uncle despised each other, that much I will say, and your father wouldn't have settled so much as a groat on him if he didn't have to. So everything was tied up in trust, and while your uncle is officially your guardian until you come of age, there was and still is no way for him to touch anything that belonged to you in any way other than as a caretaker."
She frowned at him as her uncle's plan fell into place. "So you believe he wants me to marry this Rufford so that he can control me and my inheritance through him?"
Her uncle grimaced. "Quite so," he said shaking his head. "Indeed whilst he had no power to touch your money, your uncle Dalton took no time in installing himself in your father's house and taking charge of the estates. To be fair I believe he has managed them well enough, but now of course he faces the prospect of being evicted when you come of age."
"Good God!" Try as she might to take it all in Georgiana would have easier believed that she was trapped in some bizarre dream, than accept everything she'd just heard. "But if he was so determined to control me through me my inheritance, why did my uncle not make greater efforts to be conciliatory?" she asked, more perplexed than ever.
"Because your uncle is a bully just as, I'm sad to say, was your father. And I promise you this, Georgiana, I have every sympathy with your poor mother for I cannot imagine what she must have endured as his wife." He took a breath and set down his tea cup, pushing it away. "I am sorry to speak of your father so, my child. I cannot imagine that it is anything but distressing."
Georgiana shrugged. "They seem like minor characters I have read about in a book," she admitted, smiling at him. "They have never been a part of my life and I knew so little of them that now they just don't seem real. There are not enough of them left to hurt me I think." She looked up and reached over, patting his hand. "And how could I possibly miss them when I have you and Aunt Jane. I am more than blessed in that I assure you."
Her uncle returned her smile with just as much affection. "It's an ill wind, I suppose, and your uncle didn't know you any more than your father understood your mother. He thought he could come here and force you to bend to his will but he didn't reckon with your spirit, Georgiana. He didn't realise that you would not be so easily manipulated or cowed by such ruthless behaviour." He grew serious then and his face was grave as he spoke again. "And you are going to need that spirit, child and all the courage you possess to face what comes next."
Chapter 13
"Wherein our heroine meets the countess and finds an ally."
It occurred to Georgiana, in the light of these forbidding words, that she still didn't know the outcome of his meeting with Lord Falmouth.
"As I see it we have two choices,” her uncle explained in with rushed words. “The first is to do as your uncle wishes and marry Rufford." He grinned, looking over the top of his spectacles at her. "I feel we are of a like mind on this particular subject."
"Indeed we are, sir," she replied, smiling in return, though her nerves were once more all of a jitter.
"Then that leaves us but one course of action. We must face the scandal head on and in such a way that it dies away and no one has any further interest in speaking of it."
Georgiana felt her heart plummet and her stomach appeared to somersault, accompanied with a quite nauseating wave of heat that washed over her. "Oh dear," she murmured.
"Now then, love. You won't be alone in this by any means and that was why I contacted the earl. You see the man owes me a debt after his fool physician nearly killed him last year. A wound got infected and he was running a fever. If he hadn't called me in for a second opinion it could have been quite nasty indeed. Anyway, he told me he was in my debt and if I ever needed anything ... Well I do need something, and I didn't hesitate to tell him so."
"Uncle!" Georgiana exclaimed in growing horror. "Whatever have you asked him for?"
She watched as he sat back in his chair and stroked his thick white sideburns with the back of one hand. "Now don't panic, child. The whole idea is that you must avoid any scandal attaching to you. You must act with the utmost propriety and good sense, of which I have no doubt at all you will be able to do quite admirably."
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