The Unknown Heir

by Anne Herries

  Going upstairs to change a little later, Hester found her maid waiting to assist her and took as little time as she could dressing in the pretty yellow silk gown she had had made especially for the evening. She went to the duke’s apartments as soon as she was ready, discovering that he was already in his evening clothes and the footmen were preparing to carry him downstairs.

  ‘Are you ready, Grandfather?’ she asked. ‘Everyone has been asking for you. I think they realise what an event it is for you to come down to dinner.’

  ‘Go ahead of me, Hester,’ he told her. ‘These fellows will see me right and there’s nothing you can do.’ He surveyed her appreciatively. ‘You look well in that, girl. I shouldn’t wonder if you’re as pretty as anyone here this evening.’

  Since the majority of guests were the duke’s friends and therefore of a similar age, Hester was amused by the compliment. She had invited some of her own friends, of course, and there would be daughters and granddaughters, but in the main the guests were the duke’s contemporaries.

  ‘You are a flatterer, sir!’ she said and laughed.

  Hester kissed his cheek and then left him to the care of his valet and the footmen. She was a little early, but she wanted to make sure that the table was set correctly, and she went first to the grand dining room. It was a large room in the main building with a lofty ceiling; they seldom used it when it was just the family as there was a more comfortable parlour in the east wing. Mrs Mills was taking a last look round as she entered.

  ‘Will it do, Miss Hester?’

  Hester’s eyes moved over the gleaming silver, fine porcelain and beautiful cut glass and nodded her satisfaction. ‘It is perfect,’ she said. ‘Please tell everyone that I sent my grateful thanks for all the work they have put in.’

  ‘It was a pleasure to do it for you, miss,’ the housekeeper said. ‘Oh, the viscount said as I was to tell you he was in the library if you came down before the others.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Hester said. She left the dining room, making her way to the library. Jared was standing with his back to her, a book open in his hand. He turned, letting his gaze move over her with deliberate intent. The expression in his eyes brought heat to her cheeks. She felt a tingling sensation at the nape of her neck, and her insides seemed to melt as their eyes met and held. She averted her gaze, for another moment of looking into his eyes would have had her near swooning, such was the intensity of her feelings.

  ‘You look beautiful, Hester. That shade of yellow suits you well. You should wear it more often.’

  ‘Thank you, but I am not beautiful, you know.’

  ‘You may not think it, but I find you beautiful.’

  She smiled at the compliment, but decided to turn the subject. ‘You asked for me?’

  ‘Yes. I wanted to give you this trinket,’ he replied, taking a little box from his pocket and holding it out to her. It was a leather ring box and she took it in silence, opening it to find a pretty little ring with a mixture of small, semiprecious stones.

  ‘Oh, how lovely. This is kind of you, cousin, though I do not know what I have done to deserve it.’

  ‘Do you need to do anything?’ he drawled, a look of amusement in his eyes. ‘I believe the jeweller called it a friendship ring—the first letter of each stone spells regard.’

  ‘Yes, I have seen them before,’ Hester said. She took the ring and slipped it on to the third finger of her right hand, where it fitted perfectly. ‘I love it and I shall treasure it always.’ She put the box on the table, planning to retrieve it before she went up that night.

  ‘It is a trinket, no more. Perhaps one day—’ He broke off. ‘It is difficult to say what I mean at the moment, Hester. I do not wish to bring you into danger.’

  ‘That reminds me,’ Hester said. ‘I have been wanting to tell you that I have found what you were looking for, Jared, the journal you hoped to find.’

  His head came up at that. ‘Indeed? Did it confirm what I suspected?’

  ‘The child was not mentioned by name, but it states that the second duke had discovered his existence and intended to set him up with an army career.’

  He nodded, looking thoughtful. ‘Then I believe we may have found our missing link. Knighton’s father was in the army for a time, though I believe he may have left under a cloud. I trust you have put it away carefully?’

  ‘Yes, of course. I knew at once that you must be right.’

  ‘Be careful, Hester. It is best not to speak of these things. You might be overheard.’

  Hester nodded, accepting what he said, but still thoughtful. ‘Does it seem odd to you that Mr Grant has not come for the ball?’

  ‘Perhaps he felt he was not welcome,’ Jared said with such a casual air that she immediately suspected him. ‘No, do not look at me that way, Hester. I shall not tell you—but believe me, it is for the best that Mr Grant stays away.’

  ‘You are up to something!’

  ‘Whatever happens, Mr Grant cannot be blamed if he is not here.’

  ‘Yes, I see,’ she said, her gaze narrowing. ‘I thought when Mr Knighton told me—’ She broke off, her cheeks warm. ‘But it is not my business.’

  ‘Damn him for his loose talk,’ Jared said, a dangerous glint in his eyes. ‘I knew something was wrong. A gentleman would not have told you. It concerned the bastard child, of course.’

  ‘I did not regard it,’ Hester replied, a faint flush in her cheeks. ‘You are an attractive man in the best of health. You could not have been expected to live like a monk.’

  Jared stared at her for a moment in silence and then chuckled deep in his throat, laughter dancing in his eyes. ‘You are priceless, my very dear Hester! Believe me, everything will be explained in time.’

  ‘I did not doubt it,’ she said. ‘Besides, you are not obliged to explain anything to me.’

  ‘Obliged, no,’ he said. ‘Nevertheless, I shall tell you the whole—but not yet. He must not doubt what I do or say…do you understand me?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ Hester said and smiled. A warm curl of happiness had begun to spread through her. She ought to have known that the tale of his bastard was a part of his plan to trap Mr Knighton. ‘I think I should go to the drawing room now, and you should not be long in following, cousin. I must be there to welcome Grandfather down.’

  ‘Yes, go now,’ he said. ‘You will save a dance for me, if you please—a waltz, the first of the evening, I think.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Her cheeks were a little pink as she turned away, because the thought of dancing in Jared’s arms was sending little spirals of happiness throughout her body.

  She saw Mr Knighton coming down the stairs as she went into the hall leading to the drawing room. He called to her and she paused, turning to look at him as he approached her, a polite smile on her lips.

  ‘Hester,’ he said. ‘I was looking for you. Did you receive my gift?’

  ‘Oh…’ She hesitated, for she did not wish to accept anything from him, but it was difficult to refuse without giving offence. ‘Really, you should not, sir.’

  ‘It is merely a spray of flowers, which I asked to have sent to your room. I thought you might wish to wear them this evening.’

  ‘How thoughtful of you,’ Hester said. ‘Unfortunately, they did not arrive before I came down. I must hope that they have been placed in water so that I can see them later. I do not think I can spare the time now to find them. Shall we go in? I do not wish to keep Grandfather waiting.’

  She preceded him into the drawing room, where she found her grandfather seated in a rather grand chair, which had been provided with large wheels so that when the time came he could be moved easily from one room to another and would not suffer the humiliation of being carried. Her mother was with him and so were several of the guests. He was surrounded by his older friends, who seemed very pleased to see him downstairs again, and there was a little buzz in that area of the large room.

  ‘Have you seen Viscount Sheldon?’ Lady Raven said, coming up
to Hester at that moment. ‘I have saved the supper dance for him, as he asked, and I wanted to remind him that he is engaged to me for supper.’

  ‘I am sure he will not forget,’ Hester said. The smirk on Lady Raven’s mouth was rather irritating and it took every ounce of her willpower to remain calm and composed. ‘I have found Viscount Sheldon very reliable.’

  ‘Oh, my dear,’ Lady Raven trilled, a look of contempt in her eyes, ‘I swear you make him sound positively dull. He is far more than reliable, I do assure you. A man like that is not easy to find—’ She broke off as Jared entered the room. ‘Oh, there he is! I must speak with him.’

  Hester watched as she sailed majestically across the room to corner her quarry. She was about to join her mother and grandfather when Mr Knighton came up to her.

  ‘Do you not think it a little odd that Mr Grant has not turned up?’ he asked, frowning. ‘He told me most particularly that he intended to come for the ball.’ He glanced across the room to where Jared was standing, joined now by Lady Raven, Lady Mallard and one or two other ladies. ‘Do you have incontrovertible proof that he is actually who he claims to be?’

  ‘Whatever can you mean?’ Hester asked, startled by the question. ‘He has made no claims, but he looks very like his mother—and it was Grandfather’s lawyer who approached him.’

  ‘Yes, but you know nothing of him, Hester. He might be any sort of man…a gambler and a rogue…’

  ‘I think you should be careful what you say,’ Hester replied. She had to curl her nails into the palms of her hands to stop herself showing her anger too plainly. ‘Viscount Sheldon has already done more for this family than we could possibly have hoped for. I must tell you that anything he gains from this situation is far less than he has given.’

  ‘Well, I dare say, but I still think it is very odd that Mr Grant hasn’t come,’ Knighton said, a scowl on his face. He was clearly angry and had forgotten to be careful when speaking of Jared. ‘He would be the heir if the American was proved an impostor.’

  ‘Since he isn’t, I think this conversation has gone far enough, sir,’ Hester said crossly. ‘Excuse me, I must join Mama.’

  She had fought her anger as best she could, but knew that it must have shown. Had they been alone, she might not have been able to control her temper, for his words had been malicious and she had wanted to defend Jared in a much stronger manner. Only his warning that she must be careful had held her tongue, but it really was too much! Knighton was obviously hinting that something had happened to Mr Stephen Grant, and that the viscount was to blame. Had she still been in doubt of Jared’s character, it might have led her to think all kinds of dreadful things! Fortunately, she had only one question left in her mind and that was personal.

  ‘Ah, there you are, dearest,’ Lady Sheldon said as her daughter came up to her. ‘Your grandfather was just asking after Mr Grant. I told him that I had no idea why he hasn’t come. It is a little strange, do you not think so?’

  ‘Oh, perhaps he had another engagement—or he may not be well,’ Hester said. She was relieved as the housekeeper came in to announce that dinner was served. ‘I am sure he will be in touch with us soon.’

  ‘Yes, I am sure you are right. I told his Grace that he must either be a little unwell or have some important business elsewhere.’

  Hester smiled and nodded to one of her grandfather’s oldest friends, listening to him as he proceeded to tell her a very long story about the fox that had recently got in amongst his chickens.

  Dinner was a light meal that evening since no one wished to eat too much before the ball, and after three courses with a selection of removes had been served, Lady Sheldon led the ladies from the room. They all went upstairs to tidy themselves, coming down again as the guests invited simply for the ball began to arrive.

  The long gallery had been cleared of furniture for the dancing, and three reception rooms were thrown open, the impressive double doors fastened back out of the way, so that the guests could move freely. Footmen were circling with large silver trays and glasses of champagne, and there was a buzz of laughter and excited voices when the music began.

  Jared asked Lady Sheldon to open the dancing with him. Flushed with pleasure at being singled out, she claimed that it was so long since she had danced that she would tread on his toes, but it was a false claim and they twirled around the floor for a few minutes on their own before being joined by other dancers.

  Hester found herself surrounded by gentlemen asking to be her partner and it was not long before her card was filled. Many of the gentlemen were old enough to be her father, but she was equally happy to dance with them, as with the younger gallants, for they were all so kind to her.

  Her dance with Mr Knighton was fortunately a country dance, which meant that they did not stay together all the time, but changed partners, and she was relieved when it was over. She was afraid that her reluctance must have shown, because when she glanced at him later, she saw he was watching her and his expression was brooding.

  However, she put the slight feeling of anxiety from her as Jared came to claim her for the first waltz of the evening. He smiled down at her as he placed his gloved hand at the small of her back, sweeping her into the throng of swirling dancers, proving that he was well skilled in the art and had needed no tuition from her. He was, in fact, accomplished in all the arts he needed to carry out his duties as the duke’s heir, and had already proved popular with both the ladies and the gentlemen.

  ‘Are you enjoying yourself, Hester?’

  ‘Yes, very much,’ she replied. ‘It is a long time since I have had such a pleasant evening. I like to see Grandfather looking so well.’

  ‘I like to see you happy, and to hear you laughing.’

  ‘Oh…’ Hester replied, a faint colour in her cheeks, because his words made her heart race. ‘I am happy and much of it is because of what you have done for us, cousin. Are you having a pleasant evening?’

  ‘To be in company is always pleasant,’ Jared replied. ‘But I would rather keep company with some people than others.’

  Her eyes quizzed him, but she shook her head as he would have spoken, ‘No, do not tell me. I believe I know what you mean.’

  ‘Yes, I dare say you do. I have always found you intuitive and intelligent, Hester.’

  ‘I hope that is a good thing?’

  ‘Oh, yes, I believe you may take that for granted,’ he replied, his eyes alive with devilment. ‘I have observed that Mr Knighton seems to be a little out of sorts this evening. Would you have any idea why?’

  ‘I think he is puzzled because Mr Grant did not come. He made some rather unfortunate remarks earlier and I may not have received them as he hoped.’

  ‘Ah…’ Jared nodded. ‘That would explain it.’

  ‘He tried to cast aspersions on your character, cousin.’

  ‘Yes, I dare say he might. His options are narrowing.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Hester was asking as the music came to an end. She stood looking up at him for a moment, attempting to read his mind, but finding him as inscrutable as ever.

  ‘We shall speak of this tomorrow, Hester. Be wary of finding yourself alone with him—for my sake.’

  She caught her breath as she saw something in his eyes, watching him walk away, her heart racing madly. However, in another moment Hester’s next partner claimed her and she was forced to give him her attention, bringing her thoughts back to the present.

  The evening passed pleasantly as Hester went from one partner to another. She ate supper with her grandfather and some of his friends, her laughter ringing out again and again as they showered her with extravagant compliments, teasing her and making a great fuss of her. If she had not taken during her first Season, she certainly had admirers enough that evening and more than one gentleman turned his head to look at her as she flirted prettily with her grandfather’s friends.

  ‘Well, girl, I think it has been a success,’ the duke said to her after supper. ‘I shall let them ta
ke me upstairs in a few minutes. I’m satisfied that they have accepted him. He will do well enough now. If I die tonight, I know the family is in good hands.’

  ‘Oh, Grandfather,’ Hester cried. ‘Please do not say such a thing! You will live for a long time yet.’

  He smiled at her ruefully. ‘I’m not ready to go just yet, girl, but I know that you will be all right. He will take care of you and your mother—and that is all I really care for now. When I was younger I was proud and I thought of the family’s good name, but I know now that nothing but love and the people you care for matter a jot.’

  Hester bent to kiss his cheek, wishing him a good night before returning to the gallery, where the dancing had begun again. Some of the guests were still dancing, but others had begun to leave. Hester helped her mother to see them off, sending for cloaks and their carriages. She went back to the ball after bidding farewell to the last of those who were returning to their homes, finding that only a handful of couples were dancing, though some ladies and gentlemen lingered, drinking a last glass of champagne before going upstairs. There was no sign of her mother or godmother, and she guessed that they must have gone up. Jared was still talking to a group of three gentlemen. She glanced round the room, but could not see Mr Knighton. Indeed, she had not seen him since before supper.

  Hester went up to Jared. She smiled at the gentlemen, who turned to her with friendly greetings. ‘Is there anything more I may do for anyone?’ she asked, but was met with smiling refusals. ‘Cousin Jared, if you do not need me for anything else, I think I shall go up now.’

  ‘You go up, Hester. I dare say you are tired.’ Jared gestured towards her as he said, ‘Miss Sheldon has worked tirelessly these past few days to make the evening a success, gentlemen.’

  ‘Very well done, Miss Sheldon. You’ve brought this place back to life again. It was sad to see it as it was.’

  ‘You must thank Lord Sheldon for that,’ she said.

  ‘You make a good team, Miss Sheldon.’

  ‘Yes, we do,’ Jared agreed with a look that made her drop her gaze. Her cheeks were warm as she walked away from them, but her heart was thudding with excitement. Jared had been saying things recently that made her believe he truly cared for her and she looked at the ring on her finger, smiling to herself. She had been about to go straight upstairs, but, remembering the box for her ring, she turned towards the library.