Camilla's Conscience

by Sandra Heath

  He glanced at Camilla. “Elizabeth was savage with her.”

  Camilla felt a little guilty. “Dominic and I were going to tell you both tonight, and Elizabeth promised she wouldn’t say anything before then.”

  “My sister could hardly wait to break the news as poisonously as possible. It was as if seeing Sophie goaded her into it.” He told her what Elizabeth had said.

  Camilla lowered her eyes. What on earth had possessed Elizabeth? “I’m afraid she’s a little, er, unreasonable about this whole thing,” she said lamely.

  “Unreasonable? She’s positively vicious.” He stroked Sophie’s hair, and then looked at Camilla again. “She blames Sophie for more than just this affair with me.”

  “That can’t be so.”

  “It is, Camilla. I don’t know what it is, except that it’s something to do with you and Dominic, and it’s important enough to make her turn on Sophie.”

  She stared at him, but before anything more could be said Dominic spoke from the doorway behind them. “So dear Elizabeth couldn’t hold her tongue,” he said, taking off his wet coat and tossing it on to a marble-topped table.

  His voice shook with barely controlled fury, and Camilla looked anxiously at him. “I—I’m sure she regrets it now. She simply lost her temper.”

  “Don’t apologize for her, Camilla. She has no redeeming qualities, as I’ve always known but you’ve yet to comprehend. I want her out of this house tonight.”

  “Tonight? Oh, but—

  “Tonight, Camilla,” he interrupted. “Send riders with her as far as the nearest inn if you’re concerned for her safety, but see that she leaves here without delay.” He didn’t wait for her reply, but went up the staircase two steps at a time.

  Camilla stared after him, and then looked at William. “Take Sophie into the library, William, it’s always warm in there.”

  He nodded, and limpingly ushered his weeping beloved toward the library door.

  Hawkins was waiting nearby and Camilla beckoned him. “See that a hot drink is taken to them, Hawkins, and tell Mary she’s to attend Mam’selle directly.”

  “My lady.”

  Holding her damp velvet skirts, Camilla followed Dominic up the staircase, but long before she reached the top she heard angry voices coming from Elizabeth’s room.

  “I trust you’re satisfied with your efforts, madam?” Dominic said coldly.

  “It was no more than the little chienne deserved,” Elizabeth replied.

  “The little chienne, as you call her, is worth six of you.”

  “Sophie Arenburg needs taking in hand, sir, and as far as I can see you and Camilla have been singularly ineffectual so far.”

  “We don’t need your advice, madam. My God, I marvel you have the gall to set foot in this house again, but I suppose I shouldn’t really be surprised. You’ve always displayed an astonishing lack of principle, and this evening’s exhibition is typical.”

  “I’d prefer it if you left this room, sir.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you would, but I haven’t said my piece yet.”

  “You and I have nothing to say to each other,” Elizabeth said stiffly, but an uneasy edge had crept into her voice.

  “A great deal has been left unsaid for too long, madam. You’ve only escaped because I’ve held my tongue, but after tonight’s episode I’ve had enough of you.”

  “I think not, for you have Camilla to consider,” Elizabeth replied smoothly.

  Camilla had been about to enter the room, but now drew back out of sight to listen.

  Dominic spoke softly. “Yes, I have Camilla to consider, I’ve always considered her, and I always will, but perhaps the time has come to tell her the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

  “And destroy her? I think not.”

  “What an evil hag you are, to be sure,” he breathed.

  “Evil, no, but calculating, yes. I was afraid when I first heard you were accompanying Camilla here. Dear God, how I despise that little Russian hussy for the trouble she’s caused, but now I feel safe again. You’re not going to tell Camilla anything, you still love her too much, and that is my protection.”

  “Don’t be so sure.”

  “You made your decision, no one made it for you.”

  “Harry made it for me when he died with his damned reputation intact!” Dominic snapped.

  Outside, Camilla felt suddenly very, very cold, and it wasn’t simply because of her damp clothes. What hadn’t she been told? What did these two know that she didn’t?

  Elizabeth gave a clever laugh. “Yes, he did, didn’t he? And what a predicament that left you in. Poor Dominic, forced into honorable silence to spare dear Camilla. But there’s something I’ve always wondered—how did you find out?”

  “It didn’t take a genius. The pointers were there, and I followed him on the day he died. I saw him with you at that house. Dear God, it simply didn’t occur to Camilla why you managed to arrive so swiftly when she sent for you. She thought you’d come from London, but you were barely two miles away all the time. You and Harry were despicable in every way, and certainly deserved each other.”

  Camilla’s lips parted, and her heart stopped within her. Elizabeth and Harry?

  Elizabeth laughed again. “Yes, we did, rather. He was certainly my most inventive lover, and I have no doubt I offered him more satisfaction than a goody-goody like Camilla.”

  “You’re a whore, madam, with a whore’s skills and a whore’s heart. What would you know of a woman like Camilla? What would you know about winning a man’s love and keeping it? Your looks are already on the wane, and what will happen to you then? How many lovers will continue to worship at the shrine? Precious few, of that you may be sure. George even finds a hand of cards more stimulating. As for your sons, I doubt they appreciate the reputation their mother has gained. But what does all that matter? I daresay your memories will be a comfort in your lonely old age.”

  “Get out this instant,” Elizabeth hissed.

  “No, madam, you get out. I want you from this house immediately.”

  “And are you the master here?” Elizabeth challenged, but then her breath caught as Camilla appeared in the doorway. “Camilla!”

  Dominic whirled about in dismay.

  Camilla was cold and shaking. What she’d heard had torn her world apart. She wished it was a dream, but she was only too wide awake. She held Elizabeth’s gaze. “Dominic isn’t the master here, Elizabeth, but I’m certainly the mistress, and I want you to leave right now.”

  “Camilla, I—”

  “Don’t say anything, for every word you’ve ever uttered to me has been a lie. You’ve never been my friend, and I wish to God I’d never met you.” Camilla’s face was ashen with shock.

  Elizabeth hurried across to her. “Please listen to me. You misheard what I said.”

  “I heard everything only too clearly. Harry was your lover, and for that I will never forgive you. Or him. Now please leave this house immediately, before I have you forcibly thrown out.” Without waiting for Elizabeth to say anything more, Camilla turned on her heel and walked away.

  Dominic came after her and caught her arm. “Camilla, you must let me explain!”

  “Let me go, for I despise you for keeping the truth from me!”

  “I tried to protect you!” he cried, still holding her arm.

  She wrenched herself free and struck him furiously across the face. “You knew! All the time you knew, and you said nothing! What a fool you made of me, letting me believe Harry loved me when all the time he and Elizabeth were ...” She could not finish, but gathered her skirts to flee tearfully to the sanctuary of her apartment.

  Chapter 20

  It had stopped raining just before midnight when Elizabeth left Summerton Park.

  Her carriage drove smartly away from the house, its lamps swinging through the darkness as the coachman brought the team up to a smart trot. Two armed men rode behind to see she didn’t fall prey to a highwayman before
reaching the nearest inn. Only extenuating circumstances would lead to a female guest being ejected at such an hour, but no one could deny Camilla was more than justified in ordering her late husband’s mistress off her land.

  No one said good-bye. Camilla remained in her apartment, and William curtly declined his sister’s tentatively offered olive branch. It would be a very long time indeed before he forgave her for speaking to Sophie as she had.

  Dominic was the only one who saw the carriage drive away from the steps. He watched the lamps fade away into the darkness, and then glanced up at the night sky. The storm had moved to the east now, with only an occasional distant growl to mark its progress. The air was fresh and cold, an owl hooted in the woods, and stars could be seen here and there as the clouds began to break up.

  What a day this had been, he thought. The truth was finally out in the open, and he felt drained of emotion. He’d striven for so long to protect Camilla from Harry’s affair with Elizabeth that he could hardly believe the lies were at an end. But although the pretense was over, his punishment would go on.

  The anguish and accusation in Camilla’s eyes had stabbed him like a dagger. She felt betrayed by his silence, and maybe she was right to feel that way. He’d made a decision to shield her on the day Harry died, but who was to say it was the right decision? Camilla certainly didn’t think it was. Oh, God, what a mess...

  Taking a deep breath, he turned to go into the house. For a moment he considered trying to speak to her again, but then thought better of it. He was probably the last person she wanted to see. Besides, he had other obligations. He glanced toward the library. William and Sophie had the right to know everything, and William was certainly due an explanation for his sister’s conduct.

  The young lovers were locked in an embrace, and pulled guiltily apart as he entered. They expected him to be angry, but he merely smiled a little as he closed the door. “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, mes enfants,” he murmured. “Besides, I’m past outrage for the time being.”

  William looked closely at him. “Are you going to tell us what all this is really about?”

  “I am. It started before Harry Summerton’s death, and I’m ashamed to say I’ve allowed it to color my judgment where you’re concerned, William. You see, I found it impossible to regard you as a person in your own right, to me you were Lady Elizabeth Oxforth’s brother, and as such to be condemned out of hand. I trust you won’t blame me too much when you know why.” He went to pour himself a large glass of cognac. “Please sit down, for it’s a long story, and I doubt if you’re going to enjoy hearing it.”

  William sat down awkwardly, stretching his sore leg out before him. Sophie was about to take a chair opposite but then changed her mind and sat on the floor beside him, her head resting against his knee.

  Dominic took up a position by the fireplace, leaning a hand on the mantel and gazing into the fire for a long moment before speaking.

  “It really began before Harry and Camilla were married, because that’s when I first fell in love with her. She wasn’t indifferent to me by any means, but she remained true to her promises to Harry. She became his wife, but part of her has always been mine, even though she would be the first to deny it.”

  William and Sophie sat in silence as he related the tangled tale, although their silence turned to shock when they learned of Elizabeth’s affair with Harry.

  William sat forward in dismay. “My sister and Harry Summerton?”

  “Yes. It was a sufficiently passionate liaison for them to risk her being installed in a house near here so they could continue to meet. He was completely taken up with her, and was short-tempered and disagreeable toward Camilla.”

  Dominic glanced at William. “Pure ill chance caused you to arrange to meet Sophie close to that same house. You can see it from the bridge by the south lodge. It didn’t help your cause with me, as you may imagine.”

  William exhaled slowly. “Yes, I can understand that. Anyway, go on. What happened?”

  “It wasn’t until I followed Harry there and saw him with your sister that I actually knew for certain she was the one. I’d guessed he had a mistress, and I suspected it might be Elizabeth, but I couldn’t be sure. I wasn’t without sin at the time, for I tried to take Camilla from him, but she chose him, and I loved her too much to do anything but honor her decision. But I was determined to see he did the right thing by her.” Quietly he told them of the confrontation that led to Harry’s death.

  Sophie’s eyes widened and she put her hands to her mouth. William stared at him. “Harry thought you were dead?”

  Dominic nodded. “There’s no other explanation. He believed he’d killed me and he panicked. In truth I wasn’t even unconscious, just too stunned to do anything except lie there like a corpse. Anyway, he rode off into the storm on a horse that was barely controllable at the best of times. Seconds later he was dead.”

  Sophie’s hands trembled. “Oh, mon dieu,” she breathed.

  Dominic smiled ruefully at her. “When you tried to run away tonight in another thunderstorm, it was as if it was all happening again, but this time I was determined it wouldn’t end the same way. I couldn’t prevent Harry’s death, but I could certainly prevent yours.”

  Sophie got up and went to him, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “I have misjudged you, milord. I knew there was something terrible between you and Lady Camilla, and I asked Mary. She told me Lady Camilla blamed you for letting Sir Harry die. But you didn’t let him die, you behaved honorably, and I am sorry I ever thought badly of you.”

  “Don’t credit me with the next thing to sanctity, Sophie, for I don’t deserve it. Indeed I’ve been quite the hypocrite, wagging my finger at you and preaching about observing vows. I wanted Camilla to break her vows for me, and that is hardly the conduct of an honorable man.”

  Sophie smiled. “Did you wish her to be your mistress, milord!”

  William cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You can’t ask things like that, Sophie.”

  “I wish to know. Well, milord! Will you answer me?”

  Dominic sipped the cognac. “The answer is no, for Camilla is far too good to be merely a mistress, Sophie. If I’d won her heart, I would have wanted her to be my wife.”

  “Then you were honorable, sir,” Sophie replied simply.

  Dominic smiled. “You’re too kind.”

  William struggled to his feet, and looked at Dominic. “So it’s still unresolved between you and Camilla?”

  “And likely to remain so. I was wrong to keep the truth from her.”

  Sophie sighed. “But you did it for the best, Lord Ennismount, surely she will see that?”

  “She feels betrayed, not only by Harry and Elizabeth, but also by me, and I suppose I’d feel the same way if I were her. The situation was impossible from the outset, and I fear I’ve always been destined to lose. She wouldn’t leave Harry for me, and after his death I couldn’t destroy her illusions about him. Impasse.”

  He finished the cognac. “Anyway, that’s enough reminiscing. I wanted you to know what tonight’s rumpus was really about, and now you do. I wish I could offer you hope for your own future, but I can’t. The Prussian match is internationally important, and that’s what has to be considered.”

  William took Sophie’s hand and pulled her closer, as if by doing so he somehow warded off the inevitable.

  Dominic returned his glass to the table, and then paused. “One thing I can try to do, however, is see you’re not parted until the very last moment. William, I’m sure Camilla won’t hold it against you that you’re Elizabeth’s brother, and insist upon your early departure, especially if you swear to conduct yourself decorously. Do you give your word?”

  “Of course,” William replied.

  “As I said earlier, gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” Dominic went to the door, but Sophie hurried after him.

  “Milord! There is something I must say to you. Something you should know about Lady Camilla.”

  “
Oh? And what might that be?”

  She glanced archly at William, and then looked at Dominic again. “I must tell you this, milord, even though a lady should never refer to a gentleman’s, er, private life.”

  He was amused. “I haven’t had much of a private life for years now, so I can’t imagine what you’re about to say.”

  “It concerns the serving girl you stayed with at the inn on our way here.”

  William was appalled. “Sophie!”

  Her cheeks went a little pink, but she held her ground. “Lord Ennismount, what you do not know is that Lady Camilla was very jealous that night. She, er—what is the phrase? She bit my head off?”

  “That sounds about right,” Dominic murmured, smiling.

  “You see, I told her she was being horrid to me because she wished she was the serving girl,” Sophie explained.

  William closed his eyes.

  But Dominic only gave a quick laugh. “I can imagine how well she took that particular observation!”

  William squirmed visibly. “Please don’t say any more, Sophie,” he pleaded, but she was unrepentant.

  “It’s all the truth,” she declared, but then at last looked a little sheepish. “Have I offended you, Lord Ennismount?”

  Dominic smiled and shook his head. “No, of course not, but it has to be said that Camilla had nothing to be jealous of that night. I didn’t spend any time with the serving girl, I merely allowed her ladyship to draw that conclusion. It was perverse conduct on my part, but it made me feel a little better at the time, especially the following morning.”

  “The following ...?” Sophie’s eyes cleared. “It was All Fools’ Day! Poisson d’avril!”

  Dominic was puzzled for a moment. “April fish? Ah, of course, that’s what the French say.”

  Sophie lowered her eyes. “I—I merely wished you to know about it, milord. Lady Camilla may be angry with you now, but—”

  “But nothing, Sophie. I’m afraid she’ll probably stay angry with me, but thank you anyway.”

  “I know you think I am a foolish child, but I am not. I can see that Lady Camilla loves you as much as you love her.”