But she wasn’t angry any more. She was relieved.
‘And shocked.’
Yes, she was definitely shocked. She had not though Lieutenant Smollet was the kind of man to sneak around like this. But then what had she really learned about him? About any of Rose’s suitors? She had been so wrapped up in Lord Rothersthorpe she had taken hardly any notice of any of them.
A wave of guilt almost swamped her. What kind of chaperon was she? She ought to have been watching her stepdaughter like a hawk, not allowing her to run amok in grottoes with any Tom, Dick or Harry.
Or Rothersthorpe.
‘I have behaved disgracefully,’ said the Lieutenant. ‘I should never have—’ He broke off, running his fingers through his already rather disordered blond locks. ‘Of course, I will go and speak to Morgan at once and explain myself. I hope both you and he will forgive me when I tell you that Rose has agreed to be my wife.’
Rose whirled towards him, her face lighting up.
In unmistakable triumph.
‘I will come with you,’ she said eagerly, ‘and help you explain.’
‘Oh, no, you don’t,’ said Lydia, suddenly starting to question just exactly who had been seducing whom just now. Between the Lieutenant’s hangdog expression, and Rose’s triumphant one, she was beginning to draw her own conclusions.
‘You will stay here, Rose,’ she said firmly. ‘You have a deal of explaining to do.’
‘Please, do not be angry with her, Mrs Morgan,’ interposed the Lieutenant. ‘The fault is entirely mine.’
‘That I very much doubt,’ muttered Lydia. Rose was looking at her with her most wide-eyed expression of innocence. It was an expression with which Lydia was all too familiar: the one Rose always adopted when she’d been caught in some enterprise red-handed.
When he turned and marched off, Rose made as though to follow him. Lydia’s hand shot out and stayed her.
‘For goodness’ sake, let him have the illusion of thinking that at least he is in control of the proposal,’ she said in an urgent undertone, since he was not yet out of earshot. ‘Though I am quite sure he will soon discover he will never be in control of any aspect of his life again.’
‘Why, Mama Lyddy,’ said Rose, her eyes widening even further. ‘Whatever can you mean?’
‘Do not take me for a fool. He could not have found his way into the grotto unless you showed it to him, which you must have done quite deliberately and not for any good reason. Unless you expect me to believe you and he were discussing the irrigation methods your father put in place and both felt a burning desire to inspect the pumping mechanism.’
She coloured at the unfortunate connotations her choice of words had conjured up, but at least it caused Rose to drop her air of injured innocence. Her eyes dancing with mischief, she broke into a peal of giggles.
‘How could you, Rose? Have you no shame?’
Rose grasped her hand. ‘I had to do something. Or he might have left without ever plucking up the courage to propose.’
It was only when Rose took her hand that she realised it was trembling. In fact, she was trembling all over. Her mistaken belief it had been Rothersthorpe in there with Rose, her anguish, her fury, her subsequent relief, all of it had taken a heavy toll after her sleepless night. ‘Rose,’ she said faintly, ‘I thought I had taught you better than that. Whatever were you thinking?’
‘But I love him,’ Rose cried.
And she hadn’t the heart to give Rose any sort of lecture. She had no right to take the moral high ground, when she’d only just learned how badly astray a woman could go, for the sake of being with the man she loved.
Loved.
Lydia turned away, stumbled to one of the stone benches encircling the grotto pool and sat down heavily.
She loved Lord Rothersthorpe.
In spite of everything. Even when she’d thought him the worst sort of villain, her heart was deaf to reason, and logic, and even common sense.
‘Why him?’
‘Because I have never met anyone like him,’ said Rose, thinking she had been questioning her about Lieutenant Smollet.
When Lydia hadn’t even been aware she had spoken out loud.
‘What about Lieutenant Tancred?’ After all, she’d always had trouble telling the pair of naval officers apart. And she had to say something that sounded sensible, instead of sitting there reeling with shock.
‘Oh, him,’ said Rose dismissively, sinking to the grass at her feet. ‘Cissy had the measure of him the very first night, when she spoke of him polishing up his buttons.’
At Lydia’s puzzled frown, she went on, ‘Have you never noticed the way he cannot resist inspecting his reflection every time he passes a mirror? Everything he does is for effect. Although I am grateful to him, in a way. If not for him, and the rivalry that exists between him and my Toby, they would never have both started courting me.’
‘And you do not object to being the...the object of some sort of competition between them?’
‘Well, it only started out that way. And back in town, I knew very well they were more interested in besting each other than actually winning me, but since we’ve come down here...’ She sighed. ‘It is the way he looks at me. Well, you know...’ she sent her a conspiratorial smile ‘...exactly the same way Lord Rothersthorpe looks at you.’
When Lydia made a dismissive gesture with her hand, Rose plunged on. ‘Oh, I know you say he doesn’t truly love you, but I just know Toby really does care for me. Only...he’s got this ridiculous notion into his head that he isn’t worthy of me. And he’s been growing more and more tormented at the thought I would favour someone else. Well, don’t you see? I had to put him out of his misery!’
Rose knelt up and clasped Lydia’s hands, her whole face alight.
‘He is so good with Cissy. And Cissy adores him. She couldn’t trust him if he wasn’t a good man. And he is such a brave man, too. I have heard about life on board ship and what it is like for a naval officer during a sea battle.’
‘From him?’
‘Oh, no. He is far too modest to puff himself up the way Lieutenant Tancred does, trying to impress me. Only when he goes on about how heroic he is, and Toby just glares at him, I know the truth, you see.’
‘You do?’
Rose nodded her head vigorously.
‘He is a far better man than any of the others.’
‘Really?’
‘Well, surely you must have noticed the way Lord Beagle looks at the house, at the furnishings and the choice of dishes on the table, and compels his sister to swallow their dislike of my lineage, in the hopes of getting his hands on some of my wealth. And Mr Lutterworth is perfectly beastly to Cynthia whenever he gets the chance.’
‘And...what has poor Mr Bentley done to disqualify himself?’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘Oh, pooh. Mr Bentley is just a boy. I do not dislike him. But he is not really a man. Not like Toby. There is not another man like him in the world,’ she sighed.
‘I hate to mention this, but...well, are you sure he is as wonderful as all that? After all, he did not appear to have noticed that you...press-ganged him into marriage.’
‘Well, that is because we planned it so carefully. Lord Rothersthorpe and I.’
‘Lord Rothersthorpe?’
‘Yes. I do like him, Mama Lyddy. He is so clever and so understanding. I knew he would be just the person to help me give Toby a nudge.’
‘You did?’
‘Oh, yes. It was the way he kept looking at Toby yesterday, during the match, then shooting me sympathetic glances. Toby was glowering at everyone else when they flirted with me, but couldn’t think of a word to say himself. He gets so tongue-tied at times and it infuriates him.’
‘Was it...was it Lord Rothersthorpe’s idea...?’ She gestured towards the grotto.
‘Oh, please! Give me some credit for being able to think up my own stratagems.’
Lydia squeezed her eyes shut for a few moments. How could Rose be proud
of having deliberately entrapped the poor man?
But then it hit her. ‘I saw you leaving the house with Lord Rothersthorpe, earlier. This was what you were discussing?’
‘Yes. I could tell he is just the sort for engaging in such a lark. Nothing stuffy about him, is there?’
‘No,’ she said faintly.
‘And as soon as we saw the others in the pavilion of Suraya, he seemed to know instinctively what to do. He made straight for Cynthia, poor dear, who was drooping over one of the railings gazing into the water and being totally ignored by the others, and told her he was dying to hear more about her poetry. Begged my forgiveness for cutting our walk short, but was sure one of the other gentlemen would be only too pleased to escort me and then practically pushed me into Toby’s arms...’
Lydia couldn’t help wondering why he’d been so helpful. If he genuinely wanted to help Rose get married, there had to be a reason.
‘And then I just sort of steered Toby down to this pool. When we got here, I told him about the grotto and what a magical place it was, and darted inside. He followed, of course. Only I forgot to warn him to duck his head as he came in,’ she admitted, with the first sign of contrition since being discovered.
And Lydia went cold inside as it all became clear. If Lord Rothersthorpe could help Rose marry the one man that Cissy plainly adored, too, he would think she would be content to let her go and live with them. He’d seen how attached Rose was to Cissy, how dependant Cissy was on her, and had hoped that if he could get her out of the way, she would have no reason for turning down his proposal.
‘And because it suddenly gets so dark just there, he bumped his head, quite hard. But that,’ said Rose, brightening up, ‘gave me just the excuse I needed to get close to him. I made him sit on the bench, got out my handkerchief and dipped it in the spring at the back, then leaned in very close as I dabbed at his forehead.’
‘So, in effect, you kidnapped him, bashed him over the head and then stole a kiss under the pretext of tending to his hurts?’
Rose hung her head. ‘I suppose if you put it like that, it does sound rather bad. But I didn’t make him do anything he didn’t want to do, I promise. In fact, it was not I who kissed him first,’ she said with a smile of triumph. ‘I only had to sigh and look into his eyes, and he...well, he finally forgot all about his stupid principles and the fact that he’s only a half-pay officer from an ordinary family.’
‘Yes, but why, Rose? Why go to such lengths to wrest a proposal from him?’
‘Because we were running out of time. Everyone will be leaving in a day or so and I might never have seen him again. He could get orders from the Admiralty any day. Once he sets sail, I might not see him for years and years, and he would forget all about me!’
Lydia only just managed to refrain from pointing out that if he really could forget all about her, just because he was at sea, he couldn’t really be all that much in love with her.
She didn’t want Rose to face that kind of disillusion, just yet.
No more than she wanted her to have to spend years pining for the man she thought she loved.
Not that Rose was the type of girl to pine. She was very much like her father in that respect. When they saw something they wanted, they just reached out and grabbed it.
Rose had decided she couldn’t live without her lieutenant, so she’d done what she had to, to ensure he couldn’t get away from her.
She looked at her stepdaughter with something approaching awe. At her age, she would never have dared compromise a man.
Although she’d thought about it. She’d had umpteen opportunities, had she been brazen enough to take them. But she’d drawn the line at trapping Lord Rothersthorpe into a marriage she’d been convinced he hadn’t wanted. There had been too much at stake.
Although...now he was saying he might not have minded after all.
Though he would surely have changed his mind again once he’d found out about Cissy.
She pressed her hand to her forehead as her mind started veering to and fro all over again.
‘What is it? Oh, Mama Lyddy, please do not say you are disappointed in me?’
‘No, no, of course not...well, perhaps I was at first. But now, to be truthful, mostly I...I envy you your confidence. Though I am a little worried, too. I do hope you will not regret this day’s work.’
‘Well, if I do, you may be sure I will not blame Toby. It was all my doing. I know that. I will be a good wife to him, no matter what.’ She nodded her head decisively.
Lydia felt another wave of pity for the hapless lieutenant, envisioning Rose managing him ruthlessly if he did not take her in hand right from the start.
‘May we go back to the house now?’
Rose was hardly able to sit still in her eagerness to find out how Lieutenant Smollet’s interview with her brother had gone.
‘No. We must give them time to talk it out. If he’s even back from his ride yet. And knowing you,’ she put in quickly, when Rose made as though to object, ‘if they are still closeted in Robert’s study, I won’t be able to stop you listening at the keyhole.’
Rose grinned at her, acknowledging the hit.
‘And I feel I ought to prevent him from discovering what a ruthless baggage you are, just until after the wedding ceremony.’
‘Oh, then you are on my side after all? You mean to help me?’
‘Yes. I can see that you have your heart set on him. And I understand,’ she said slowly, ‘that when you fall in love, it grows very hard to hang on to your principles, especially when you fear losing the object of your affection.’
What was more, she’d learned that when you did hang on to your principles, and did the right thing, it felt as though you were going to die from grief. She’d only survived those first months of marriage because the Colonel had been so patient with her and so good with Cissy.
Rose had no reason to suffer, the way she’d done.
So why should she?
Chapter Fourteen
Somewhat to Lydia’s surprise, Robert drew her aside, just before dinner, to talk about Rose and Lieutenant Smollet.
‘I gave him my blessing,’ he said with a frown. ‘And then I wondered whether I’d done the right thing.’
Naturally, he hadn’t asked her opinion before he’d made his decision, but then he was Rose’s legal guardian, after all. It was for him to say whom she could marry.
‘Given the scene he described in the grotto, I felt I had no choice,’ he said. ‘And if Rose didn’t want to marry him, she would have come flying into my study after him, vowing nothing could make her do so.’
He looked at her searchingly.
‘Have you not worked out yet that she arranged the whole thing?’
Robert looked relieved. ‘I had wondered...it all sounded so far-fetched. And I’d always thought of him as a man of integrity, not the sort to lure innocent girls into secluded nooks and make free with them.’
‘Secluded nooks that nobody outside our family, and the gardeners, know anything about,’ she said drily.
‘Good lord,’ he said. ‘Do you think he really is the man for her, if she’s managed to run rings round him like this?’
‘Well, according to Rose, he loves her to distraction. And the only thing that stopped him from proposing off his own bat was the fear that she was too good for him.’
Robert let out a shocked bark of laughter. ‘Quite. And although I am a little concerned by the haste with which she has fixed upon him, he does appear to genuinely care for her, rather than her wealth. Which was what we wanted for her in a husband, was it not?
‘And...’ Robert tugged at his earlobe thoughtfully ‘...he is used to maintaining discipline on board ship. Perhaps he will be able to keep Rose in line.’
The trouble with that train of thought was that Lieutenant Smollet probably wouldn’t give tuppence for any of the crew he had to discipline, whereas he loved Rose.
But Rose had sworn she would be a good wife to h
im. She wouldn’t want to forfeit his good opinion. That would be what kept her in check.
* * *
Robert announced the engagement during dinner, though anyone with eyes in their head could already tell that something momentous had happened to Lieutenant Smollet. And it wasn’t just the enormous bump on his forehead and the bruise which was already discolouring his skin that brought the dazed look to his eyes. It was Rose. He kept looking at her as if he couldn’t believe his luck.
None of his rivals could possibly harbour any ill feeling towards a man who was so clearly besotted. Lieutenant Tancred even went so far as to shake his hand and declare that the best man had won.
The atmosphere in the music room after dinner was positively festive. Which probably had something to do with the copious amounts of champagne with which Robert had toasted his sister and her intended.
Lord Rothersthorpe took advantage of the rather noisy gathering to lean and speak right into her ear.
‘Will Robert be making another announcement before this house party breaks up?’
She tensed. She could not give him her answer here. A simple no would not suffice and the explanation he deserved was one she could not risk anyone else overhearing. But she’d already decided it was far too dangerous to go to his room again, even though it would give them the necessary privacy.
‘Come and meet me in the pavilion,’ she said, ‘when things begin to quieten down. You will find some lanterns by the garden door of the orangery, which will help to light your way.’
* * *
When the ladies began to yawn, Lydia sent Rothersthorpe a look before quitting the music room. He gave an imperceptible nod. It wouldn’t be very difficult for him to break away from the other men when they started making for the billiard room.
She arrived at the pavilion first, and sat down on the bench where earlier that day Lord Abergele’s sister had granted audience to Lieutenant Tancred and the Prince of Pickles. She set her lantern on the ground at her feet. The pavilion could not be seen from the house, but the light might attract attention if anyone decided to take a stroll through the grounds which looked almost magical on moonlit nights like this. And were bound to tempt the newly engaged couple outside, for one last kiss...if Rose had her way.
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