Lady Vane's Secret (Regency Secrets and Scandals Book 1)

by Elizabeth Hanbury

‘Then tell me only as much as you feel comfortable with.’

  ‘Very well,’ murmured Isabella. She took a breath and began, ‘I had a contented but lonely childhood. My mother, whom I can only remember vaguely, died in childbirth when I was three years old. The baby – a boy – was stillborn. My father was not a rich man and with her great beauty and reasonable dowry, my mother had been expected to marry a wealthy and titled man. Instead she chose to elope with my father, to the bitter disappointment of her family who disowned her when they heard of the marriage.’

  ‘That must have been difficult for your mother.’

  ‘Yes, but she had anticipated their disapproval and she and my father were very much in love. He never truly recovered from her death. He became withdrawn afterwards, although he still went into society occasionally and ensured I was allowed the company of other children. He was a fond and doting father, but he never entered into the lively pastimes that a young child craves. I therefore grew up with a vivid imagination, spending hours weaving tales of love, adventure and excitement to amuse myself in my solitude. Perhaps that contributed to my later problems.’

  ‘In what way?’ he asked.

  ‘I think that I imbued my late husband with some of the chivalrous traits of my imagination, rather than discovering more about his character.’ Isabella paused for a moment, lost in thought, and then continued, ‘When my father became gravely ill, he grew concerned for my welfare after his death; he felt strongly that I needed the protection of a husband. Edward Vane’s estates were ten miles distant to our land. He was generally talked of as a handsome young man, albeit slightly wild, and my father had respected Edward’s father who had died some years earlier. On his few visits to us, Edward gave no indication of his true nature and perhaps my parent, in his anxiety to see me taken care of, saw only the face that Edward wished us to see.’

  ‘What did you think of Edward?’ Hal was anxious not to say too much and stem the flow of information.

  ‘I was seventeen and had little knowledge of the world. In nursing my father through his last weeks, I spent only a short time in Edward’s company and then always with a chaperon or my father. Edward seemed genuinely to love me; he fêted my beauty and told me he was desperate for us to marry as he had fallen in love with me on sight. He said we would see London after our marriage and he would strive to make me happy in the future. It was exactly what I wanted to hear when I felt so vulnerable.’ She shook her head and added quietly, ‘Much later, I saw that I should never have married him. I agreed to it then, in part to give my father some peace in his final days, and also to stem Edward’s desperate pleas that his life would be blighted if he could not make me his. With my youthful optimism and romantic notions, I thought Edward and I would deal well enough together, but I could not have been more wrong. I blamed myself – never my father. I was not forced into marrying Edward so no one else was culpable. It was my poor judgement that was responsible for the circumstances I found myself in afterwards.’

  ‘Isabella, do not judge yourself so harshly,’ said Hal. ‘You were very young and could not have been expected to make a judicious decision when your father was dying. And no doubt Edward was also an accomplished actor.’

  ‘He was and I was completely fooled by him. Dominic’s birth was the only bright moment during those dark years and as for how Dominic came to be … it – it was not how I would have wished it.’

  Hal noted that the fingers which rested against his coat sleeve were trembling. He covered them with his hand, raised them to his lips and said tenderly, ‘Tell me more when you feel able – I shall not press you further now. What happened between us yesterday meant more to me than I can put into words and if I told you how much passion is in my heart, I am half afraid you will run away.’

  ‘And I was afraid that you would think me too forward,’ whispered Isabella, looking up and seeing her smile reflected in his eyes. ‘My feelings have been stifled for so long, yet it is you who have brought them to life, Hal. I feel happier, and more loved and protected than ever before because of you.’

  ‘That is all I need to hear for the moment, my love,’ said Hal, feeling both joy and satisfaction to know that he was responsible for sparking her emotions back to life. Gazing intently into the sapphire brilliance of her gaze as the breeze toyed with a stray curl which caressed her cheek, he added in a husky voice, ‘We had better walk back to the carriage because you are looking at me in such an adorable fashion that I am sorely tempted to kiss you again for everyone to see.’

  They retraced their steps back to where the groom was waiting. After Hal handed her back into the curricle, they returned to the more crowded area of the park and Isabella noticed another carriage coming towards them. It was a luxurious phaeton and its passenger was the beautiful redheaded woman Isabella had seen at the theatre. The older man who had been her companion that night and whom Isabella assumed was her husband was driving the phaeton. The lady flashed a beguiling smile at Hal before directing a look of dislike at Isabella.

  Shocked at this venomous glare from someone she did not even know, Isabella tensed. She looked under her lashes at Hal, wanting to observe his reaction, but he acknowledged the occupants with an almost imperceptible nod and fixed expression.

  Isabella forced herself to ask nonchalantly, ‘Who is that lady? I saw her when we were at the theatre – she and that gentleman were in the box next to you, I believe.’

  ‘Lady Felicity Portland. The gentleman is her husband, Lord Cedric Portland,’ he replied. ‘They have lived on the Continent for several years and only recently returned to London.’

  ‘You are obviously acquainted with Lady Portland,’ she prompted.

  ‘I was once engaged to be married to her.’

  ‘Oh! I – I did not know,’ she replied, stammering in her confusion. ‘I am sorry for causing any distress.’

  ‘You have not caused me distress,’ said Hal with a shrug. ‘It happened a long time ago. When I was twenty-one I became infatuated with a woman who, even at the age of eighteen, knew precisely how to excite a slavish following. I was blind to her faults – like you with Edward, I saw the beautiful and gracious icon of my imagination rather than the real woman, in spite of my parents’ efforts to advise me otherwise. I made an offer of marriage in a rash moment which was accepted. Another offer followed quickly after mine, and Felicity, deciding that she needed a husband with a larger fortune, eloped with Lord Portland. It caused a scandal at the time and nothing else was talked of for a whole week.’ His last few words were spoken in a voice heavy with sarcasm. Hal then added, ‘For a while, I thought my life had been blighted forever until I recognized my lucky escape. I have not seen her since until a few weeks ago and, while she has every right to come back to England, I wish that she had stayed away.’ After a pause, he gave a short laugh as if to lighten the mood. ‘But that is enough – we should not spoil a fine afternoon by discussing Lady Portland.’

  So that was it, thought Isabella. Now she knew who the woman was, but doubt still gnawed at her. If Hal had once been engaged to Lady Portland, could he still care for her? He had said that he was devastated when she left and when Isabella had observed them at the theatre, they had appeared intimate. Perhaps he still admired Lady Portland but could not admit to it. She was very beautiful and sophisticated, after all, but Hal seemed too principled to dally with a married woman while courting another. He had also just spoken movingly of his feelings for her and surely an honourable man would not dissemble at such a moment or during their tender exchanges of yesterday? Suddenly, she wished she had asked Hal to explain what she had seen at the theatre, but now the opportunity had slipped away – they were almost back in Curzon Street and Hal’s conversation had been confined to general matters.

  Her lips compressed as she made her decision. It was Julia’s ball tomorrow and she would ask Hal then about what she had seen at Drury Lane. She would also tell him the full details of her marriage, Edward’s death and, most importantly, how mu
ch he had come to mean to her.

  When they arrived outside Isabella’s house, he said with a wicked grin that she should be prepared to have her attentions monopolized by him tomorrow evening. Then, he brushed his lips over her knuckles, climbed back into the curricle and with a wave of his hand, drove away. Isabella watched his tall figure until it disappeared into the distance.

  In Hyde Park, the thrill that had run through Lady Portland when she realized it was Lord Bramwell in the approaching carriage had been swept away by jealousy when she saw the beauty beside him. Here was proof of his interest in someone else, and to see him enjoying another woman’s company was like rubbing salt into the open wound of her lack of success.

  If his companion had been his mistress, it would have been difficult enough to accept, but feminine intuition told Felicity that the lady was not a high-class piece of muslin and the thought that he might be in love filled her with anger. She did not crave Hal’s love, but she did covet his undivided attention and an affaire de coeur would make the task of securing him more complicated. She needed to know, and who better to ask than her husband who heard all the latest gossip at his club.

  ‘Portland, who was the lady with Lord Bramwell?’

  ‘Diamond of the first water, ain’t she?’ acknowledged Lord Portland. ‘That is Lady Vane – she is the talk of the clubs, where she is referred to as the Ice Angel because of her beauty and reserve. There are bets being taken as to how long it is before Bramwell offers her marriage – the on dit is that he is much taken with Lady Vane and here they are, driving in the park for all to see.’ He chuckled. ‘I’ll enter an extra fifty pounds in the wager book on the banns being read within two months – the odds are still worth having at five to one.’

  Lady Portland mulled over this information. If Hal was indeed on the cusp of marriage, there seemed little hope that he would agree to being her cicisbeo at present. But Felicity was not yet willing to admit defeat; he might see her offer as the last opportunity for a liaison before marriage, and she was very willing to be the partner in an adieu to his bachelordom. She decided she must find a way of seeing him alone in order to offer herself to him again. His capitulation was now essential – her lust demanded satiation and made her reckless.

  Chapter 13

  Theo surveyed the crush of people in the ballroom; at least 150 people had been invited this evening and it seemed that most were already here. The room, situated at the back of the house, had been liberally decorated with flowers and greenery, the best musicians had been hired for the evening and the chandeliers sparkled in the candlelight. In the adjoining rooms, tables struggled under the weight of cold ham, beef, roast quail, truffles and pheasant pie, while the finest wines, champagnes, jellies, tarts, soufflés and other confectionery delights had been supplied by Gunther’s.

  Hal, Julia and Lady Bramwell were still in the hall greeting arrivals and Theo, relieved to be excused from that duty, mingled with the guests and spoke to several acquaintances. Reaching the corner where the formidable array of dowagers was sitting, he was unable to avoid Aunt Jane, who motioned for him to join her. Aunt Jane was hard of hearing and for that reason alone, a two-way conversation would have been difficult, but she also had a never-ending flow of inconsequential chatter about the recent warm weather, Lady Sefton’s jewels and Eliza Hennefer’s flirtatious behaviour. As well as this, she insisted on calling him Hal and, recognizing he was fighting against an irresistible current, Theo gave up his feeble attempts to respond and merely smiled as Aunt Jane told him for the sixth time what a sweet boy he was. It was therefore with great relief when Theo noted Freddy’s entrance into the ballroom.

  ‘Dear Aunt Jane,’ he said in a loud voice, jumping to his feet, ‘you must excuse me because Mr Isherwood has arrived and I have a pressing matter of business to discuss with him.’

  Aunt Jane blinked in surprise. ‘One should not discuss such things at a ball!’ she said, indignant. ‘You young men are forever rushing about and scarcely have time to draw breath. Oh well, go if you must, but before you do, I must tell you about my rheumatism—’ She stopped when she realized she was speaking to thin air: Theo was already heading across the room.

  Theo disliked seeing his family or his friends miserable and, moved by the unhappy state of affairs between Julia and Freddy, he had spent at least a quarter of an hour that afternoon considering how to bring about a reconciliation.

  He surmised that until they had quarrelled, Freddy would have visited almost every day, eager to accompany Julia on outings, shopping expeditions and even to that most tedious of places to Theo’s mind, Almack’s. Julia had no doubt given Freddy to understand that she wanted him to behave in this way, but Freddy did not know Julia as well as he did.

  Theo loved his sister dearly but she was like other females: contrary creatures who said one thing and meant another. He had experienced Julia’s contradictory behaviour in the past – if he told Julia a gown suited her, not five minutes later she had changed it for another; if she said she wanted Theo to drive her out to enjoy some fresh air, she actually wanted him to take her shopping. For Theo, all women, including his sister, never said exactly what they meant. With this in mind, and helped by some other specious reasoning, Theo had hit upon the notion that Freddy could solve the impasse with his sister by altering his tactics.

  In Theo’s opinion, Freddy should be less eager this evening. He should only admire Julia from afar; he should only indulge in conversation with her when the evening was well advanced and even then, give no indication of his feelings; he should only dance with other ladies and, finally, Freddy should wait before renewing his addresses. This behaviour would be the opposite of what Julia was expecting and, piqued that Freddy had not followed her slavishly, Julia would then snap out of her melancholy and beg him to marry her. All this seemed very reasonable to Theo; really, he thought, it was fortunate that he was here to smooth true love’s path.

  What was needed now was a quiet word with Freddy to convince him of the merits of this course, so Theo made his way through the crowd and cried, ‘Freddy! Over here, if you can get through this crush.’

  Freddy grinned in response and came over. ‘By Jupiter, it’s good to see you, Theo!’ he said, shaking his hand, ‘how are you? I heard about your lark up at Oxford.’

  ‘Oh, that!’ Theo gave a mischievous wink. ‘Just high spirits, Freddy – you know how it is.’

  ‘I know exactly – in my day, I had trouble with a travelling fair,’ replied his companion, looking sheepish. ‘These things blow over eventually.’

  ‘I’ve been obliged to rusticate until the fuss dies down which is why you see me here this evening.’

  ‘Hal has told me what happened with Lady Vane’s son,’ said Freddy. ‘I wish I had been here to help! You should have sent for me at Newmarket; you know I always stay at The Red Lion.’

  Theo shook his head. ‘There was no time. Luckily, we received help from an unexpected source and thank the Lord we did. However, all is now well and as this evening looks a sad crush, it will go down as one of the season’s successes. It seems Ju is very popular.’

  ‘She is,’ agreed Freddy, with a sigh. ‘I haven’t been able to get near recently, no matter how hard I’ve tried – Hearn and Dryburgh are always in the way. We quarrelled, and I’ve been licking my wounds.’ His expression brightened as he added, ‘But I intend to make amends this evening.’

  ‘Have you spoken to Julia yet?’ asked Theo, in an urgent voice.

  ‘No, she was engaged when I arrived so I spoke to Hal and came straight in here. As soon as I can have a moment with Julia, I’ll apologize and tell her exactly how I feel.’

  ‘Then I’m glad I’ve managed to catch you first. If you take my advice, Freddy, you’ll tell Julia no such thing.’

  ‘Eh? Why on earth not?’ said Freddy, puzzled. Then he added in concern, ‘Look here, has she confided in you?’

  ‘She told me that you had quarrelled, but no more.’

  Freddy, hi
s brow clearing, heaved a sigh of relief. ‘I thought you were going to tell me she hates me now. But then why shouldn’t I tell her how I feel?’

  Theo patted him on the shoulder in a confiding gesture. ‘Call it brotherly intuition, Freddy. Ju has been looking rather peaky in your absence, and having given the matter a great deal of thought, it struck me only today that she might need more time before you declare yourself. You know how females are.’

  ‘No,’ said Freddy, looking bemused. ‘Frankly, I have no interest in other females, only Julia, so if you have any advice where she is concerned, tell me what it is.’

  ‘Well, ladies always want you to do entirely the opposite to what they say,’ explained Theo in a low voice. ‘If Julia gives the impression she wants your company this evening, ten to one she means you should stay away from her. She’s young and enjoying her first season; all the invitations and adoration she’s had have probably turned her head a little. I’ve only recently arrived, but if I know you, Freddy, you’ve spent the last few weeks dangling after Julia like a love-struck numbskull.’

  Freddy looked decidedly guilty at this and Theo nodded in satisfaction, pleased that his assumption had been correct. ‘I knew it!’ he said triumphantly. ‘Now, my reasoning is if you crowd Julia tonight, you’ll just annoy her. On the other hand, I’ll lay you odds that if you stay in the background and give her the impression that you are nonchalant about the whole thing, she will be throwing herself on your chest and begging you to marry her just as soon as you can get a special licence.’

  ‘Be nonchalant,’ murmured Freddy, staring at his companion in amazement.

  ‘Exactly!’

  ‘… stay in the background,’ continued Freddy.

  ‘That is what I advise,’ agreed Theo, nodding.

  ‘… and don’t crowd her!’ concluded Freddy, his voice rising in disbelief.

  ‘Must you keep repeating everything?’ said Theo, testily. ‘It is quite simple – staying away from Julia this evening will have the effect you desire and afterwards, my sister will want to drag you down the aisle as soon as possible.’