Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager

by Sarah Mallory

  ‘Well I am not asking you,’ he snapped ‘You applied goose-fat to the horses’ feet, didn’t you, to prevent the snow from balling? So we should be good for a few hours yet. We shall turn back once I have discovered Miss Prentess’s secret and not before.’

  The journey had done much to cool Jasper’s temper but nothing to quell his determination to find out what could persuade Susannah to drive out on such a morning. This had nothing to do with Gerald, it was purely for his own satisfaction. His wrists were still sore from that silk rope, but he was not a vindictive man, he bore her no grudge for that... Well, not much of a grudge. The woman intrigued him. She had rejected him, and he was not used to that. On the contrary most women were only too willing to accept his advances.

  When he and his twin had entered society as young men they had the advantages of being wealthy and handsome. The ladies had literally fallen at their feet and they had learned to take such adulation as their due. They had flirted outrageously and become known as the dark and notorious Coale twins. Now, Jasper had the added advantage of a title. He had never had to fight for a woman in his life. He had only to cast his discerning eye upon a female and in most cases she would fall eagerly into his arms. If a lady showed any reluctance then he shrugged and moved on. No rancour, no regret.

  He wondered if he had become too complacent, arrogant, even, where women were concerned. He had never had to work for their good opinion, merely taken it for granted. He had always assumed that when he eventually fell in love the lady would feel the same and it had come as something of a shock three years ago when he had proposed to Zelah Pentewan and been refused. However, she was head over heels in love with his twin and he could understand that, only berating himself for not discovering the state of the lady’s affections before offering her his hand.

  Zelah had taught him a salutary lesson and Jasper had been content to leave his heart behind when he returned to town to continue his bachelor lifestyle. The women in London were as eager as ever for his attentions, but somehow the attraction of such a carefree life had palled. Perhaps it was seeing his twin so happily married, but for the past three years Jasper had felt a curious restlessness. He had hidden it well, continued to flirt with all the prettiest ladies, was the most obliging guest at any party, but knowing his heart to be safe at Rooks Tower with his sister-in-law he had never felt the least inclination to offer marriage to any one of the beautiful débutantes paraded before him, much to the

  chagrin of their hopeful parents. Not one of them had made any impression upon him, had stirred him to make the least effort. Yet here he was, risking his precious team on snow-covered roads to pursue a woman who had made it abundantly clear that she did not want his attentions.

  But this was nothing to do with the fact that she was a woman, and a very beautiful one at that. She had got the better of him, and that rankled. Lord, what an arrogant fool he had become!

  ‘Beggin’ yer pardon, m’lord, I don’t see there’s much to laugh at,’ grumbled Morton, sinking his chin deeper into his muffler.

  ‘I am laughing at myself,’ Jasper told him, still grinning.

  ‘You’ll be laughing yerself into the parson’s mousetrap if you ain’t very careful.’

  ‘What?’ Jasper’s head whipped round and he stared at his groom. ‘I have no interest in the woman in that way. Marriage to such a virago? Good God, I can think of nothing worse.’

  ‘Seems to me you are putting yerself out a great deal over her.’

  ‘Fustian! It’s just that there is something smoky about Miss Prentess, and I am determined to find out what it is.’

  Jasper gave his attention to his driving. Perhaps he was being foolish. He could have paid someone to find out everything about the woman and saved himself the trouble.

  ‘Turning’s up here, sir,’ said the groom. ‘On the right.’

  And if this outing did not solve the mystery that is what he would do, he decided as he turned into a narrow lane,

  The snow lay inches deep and unbroken through the lane. Jasper proceeded cautiously. There could be deep ruts beneath the snow, waiting to catch the unwary. The track was descending into a wooded valley and the groom pointed out their destination on the far side. Jasper slowed and peered through the trees at the collection of buildings.

  ‘It looks like a gentleman’s house, my lord. What will they say to us turning up uninvited?’

  ‘I shall use the weather as my excuse.’ Jasper gave a little flick of the whip to move the team on.

  * * *

  Ten minutes later they drew up in front of the house. No one came out to greet them and apart from the smoke spiralling up from a couple of the chimneys there was no sign of life. Jasper jumped down and went to the door. The weathered oak panels shook as he forcefully applied the knocker. A biting wind had sprung up and when a flustered housemaid opened the door he immediately stepped into the hall.

  ‘Good day,’ he said pleasantly. ‘Pray tell your master or mistress that—’

  He got no further. Standing in a doorway at the far end of the hall, and holding a baby in her arms, was Susannah.

  Chapter Nine

  ‘Miss Prentess. Good day to you.’

  Jasper made his bow, his brain reeling. Whatever he had expected, it was not this. He had seen Susannah’s horrified look when he had appeared, but she recovered quickly.

  ‘Lord Markham.’ She hesitated and glanced down at the sleeping baby. ‘Will you not come in, sir?’

  He could see behind her a comfortable parlour with a cheerful fire.

  ‘I would be delighted, madam, but first I must look after the horses, I do not like to leave them standing in this weather.’

  He let the words hang and watched her expression carefully. She would like to send him to the rightabout but she knew he would not go quietly. Her gaze shifted to the housemaid still hovering by the door.

  ‘Bessie, direct my lord’s groom to the stables, if you please.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Jasper followed her into the parlour and shut the door.

  As soon as they were alone she turned on him.

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I followed you.’ He stripped off his gloves, surprised to find his hands were shaking slightly. ‘I am curious to know what you are about.’ There was an odd lightness in his chest, but he dare not ask the question that was now uppermost in his mind. He must be patient. Now he was here she would tell him everything. She must.

  She was looking uncertain and his surprise and anger gave way to concern. He said gently, ‘Will you not sit down?

  She did so, gently settling the baby more comfortably in her arms before fixing her eyes upon him once more.

  ‘My lord, why do you persist in this? I can assure you this has nothing to do with you, or your cousin. Is that not enough for you?’

  ‘No. I want to know what is this place, and why you are here. I will not leave until I have answers.’

  With a sigh she sank back in the chair.

  ‘Very well. You are in Florence House, sir. A home for...distressed gentlewomen.’

  ‘And the child in your arms?’

  ‘The son of one of our...guests. He is only a few weeks old. His mother is very tired and the babe was crying so I brought him downstairs to see if I could settle him.’

  Jasper realised he had been holding his breath until that moment.

  ‘But why have you kept this so secret?’

  Her lip curled.

  ‘You were in Royal Crescent when the Magdalen Hospital was discussed with Amelia Bulstrode and Mrs Farthing. I am sure you overhead the whole. It is considered quite...improper for an unmarried lady to have any interest in such matters. That I have strong views about it is considered shocking enough. If they knew the extent of my involvement—’

  ‘And what is the extent of it, Miss Prentess?’

  She put up her chin and looked at him defiantly.

  ‘This is my house, one of the properties my uncle left me in his w
ill. When I came to Bath last year I met up again with Mrs Logan. During one of our conversations it emerged that a young lady she knew was with child. She had eloped, left her home and her friends to run off with a man who had sworn to marry her, but later he abandoned her. She could not go back to her family, and fortunately Kate—Mrs Logan—came upon her and took her in. When she told me of it, I too was keen to help the poor girl, and others like her, so we decided to open up this house to give them refuge.

  ‘At first we had no idea other than to take them in and give them somewhere safe to stay until the baby was born, but it soon became clear that more was needed. These are gently bred girls, they are not educated to be anything other than a gentleman’s wife. They need more skills than that before we can turn them out into the world again. We teach them housekeeping—some are good with a needle and can earn their living as a seamstress, others have a talent for lacemaking.’ She raised her eyes to his. ‘We give these young ladies hope, my lord, and the opportunity to be independent.’

  ‘And their families, their parents?’

  ‘Most of these girls have been abandoned by their kin—some are in danger of being packed off to an asylum, as if...as if their predicament is some kind of mental affliction. When they come to us they are assured of anonymity. They come here and we treat them as guests, not inmates to be punished. At present only those involved in Florence House know of its existence, and I need that to continue for now, until I have control of my inheritance and can set up a trust fund to support it.’

  ‘But if that is the case, how do those young ladies in need know where to find you?’

  ‘We find them,’ said Susannah. ‘After that first unfortunate case, Mrs Logan heard of two more. And household servants gossip a great deal. A maid will know her mistress’s situation almost as soon as the lady herself. My own maid is always ready to listen to the gossip, and if a young lady’s family is not prepared to support her, then she offers an alternative. We have already helped about a dozen young women.’

  ‘I did not know Bath had so many.’

  ‘Word spreads, my lord. Some of them come from surrounding villages.’

  ‘All very laudable,’ he remarked. ‘And how successful are you at finding employment for your, ah, guests?’

  ‘Very. That first young lady had a remarkable eye for fashion. Kate and I purchased a house in Henrietta Street. She is now able to pay her rent and is quickly becoming established as a modiste.’

  ‘Ah, would that be Madame Odesse?’

  She nodded, smiling a little. ‘The very same. I wear her gowns and the fashionable of Bath flock to copy me, but of course that will only continue as long as I maintain my place in Bath society. Odesse employs several of our young ladies as milliners and seamstresses, and she purchases lace from a little group we have established in another little house in Bath. They all earn enough to make a modest living.’

  He looked about him.

  ‘But a house like this does not come cheap.’

  ‘No, indeed. And it is in need of repair. We have made a start, but much more is required. Once I have control of my uncle’s fortune I will be able to do more, but for now...’

  There was a knock at the door and Morton looked in.

  ‘Beggin’ yer pardon, m’lord, but it’s started to snow again, and the wind is picking up. We had best be going.’

  ‘Yes, very well.’ Jasper looked at Susannah. ‘Shall I order your carriage to be prepared?’

  ‘I cannot leave.’

  Jasper looked at the window. For the first time he noticed the howling wind rattling the frame and the soft white flakes swirling around outside.

  ‘You must, I think, or risk being stuck here, possibly for days.’

  She shook her head.

  ‘There is no one here to look after the girls. Mrs Gifford, the housekeeper, was obliged to go away on Tuesday to nurse her sick sister. We engaged a temporary housekeeper, but I am afraid we were sadly deceived in her. When I arrived this morning I learned that she had packed her bags and left yesterday, as soon as the weather began to turn.’

  ‘But you cannot stay—surely that was not your intention when you came here today?’

  ‘No, I planned to visit with Mrs Logan.’ She frowned a little. ‘Only when I called for her I was told she was not at home. These young ladies—girls—are my responsibility, my lord. There are only three of them in the house. The eldest is but nineteen. I cannot abandon them.’

  ‘What of the other servants?’

  ‘There is Bessie, the scullery maid who opened the door to you.’

  ‘That is all, no manservant?’

  ‘Only old Daniel, who lives next to the stables and does a little of the outside work. We decided that the girls would feel more at ease if there were no other menservants in the house.’ She glanced at the window. ‘You had best be gone, my lord. I would not have you snowbound on my account.’

  * * *

  Susannah shifted in her seat, no longer facing him. She had enough to think about without the viscount being here to distract her. The defection of Mrs Jennings was a blow and she had arrived at Florence House to find the household all on end. Jane had opened the door to her, looking desperately tired. She explained that Lizzie and Violet were too frightened to sleep in their own rooms, so they had spent the night huddled together in one big bed, with Lizzie’s baby in its cot beside them. Susannah had helped Bessie to prepare a simple breakfast for them all before sending the girls back upstairs to rest and bringing the baby downstairs to make sure Lizzie’s sleep was not disturbed. She had been walking up and down the little parlour, trying to decide what to do next, when she heard the imperious knocking on the front door and looked out to find Lord Markham standing in the hall, his broad shoulders made even wider by the many-caped driving coat so that he appeared to fill the small space.

  For one dizzy, heart-stopping moment she thought he had come to rescue her, before common sense reasserted itself. She did not need rescuing, and Lord Markham was more her nemesis than a knight in shining armour. The sooner he left the better, then she could concentrate on the problem of what to do here.

  ‘If you are staying, then so, too, am I.’

  ‘Nay, my lord!’

  ‘You cannot do that!’

  Susannah’s voice and the groom’s protests were immediate but had no apparent effect upon the viscount.

  ‘Morton, go back to the stables and make sure the horses are bedded down for the night. I take it there is space for my groom to sleep somewhere?’

  He addressed this last question to Susannah, who answered distractedly, ‘Yes...yes, there is plenty of sleeping space above the stables—my coachman will show him where to find straw to make a comfortable bed—and Daniel will arrange to feed him, too, but...my lord, I cannot, cannot put you up here.’

  He dismissed his groom before turning back to her.

  ‘You have no choice.’ He looked faintly amused at her consternation. ‘Pray do not look so alarmed. I am not expecting you to wait upon me.’

  ‘But, last night—’

  ‘We will forget that, for now.’

  His smile grew, and with it her embarrassment. The baby stirred in her arms and she got up, murmuring that she must take him back to his mother. The viscount opened the door for her and with a mutter of thanks she fled from the room. The young ladies were gathered in the upstairs sitting room, but Bessie had informed them of the viscount’s arrival and they looked anxiously to Susannah for an explanation.

  ‘Who is he, Miss Prentess?’ asked Lizzie as Susannah gently handed over the baby. ‘Has he come to fetch you away?’

  ‘He s-spoke to me at the ball once.’ Violet Anstruther’s voice quavered. ‘Perhaps Papa sent him to fetch me...’

  ‘You may all be easy, the viscount has not come to take anyone away. He is an acquaintance of mine and a perfect gentleman.’ Should she have crossed her fingers against the lie? Despite all that had happened between them it felt like the truth. �
�He is stranded here in the snow, as are we all now.’ She hoped she sounded suitably reassuring. ‘You are at liberty to come downstairs and join us, if you wish.’

  This suggestion was quickly rejected, the girls declaring that they would prefer to remain above stairs.

  ‘Very well, I believe there is a little soup left, so I will ask Bessie to heat it through and bring it up for you. I will ask her to bring more coal upstairs, too, so that you may keep the fire built up in here. Then we must think what we can do for dinner tonight.’ She looked at the three girls. Lizzie was confined to her bed and had her baby to nurse. Jane was leaning back in her chair, her hands rubbing over her extended stomach. Only Violet Anstruther looked fit enough to help with the cooking, but when Susannah suggested it, she immediately shook her head and admitted that she did not know how to do anything more than boil a small kettle to make tea. She looked so frightened at the prospect of venturing into the kitchen that Susannah did not press her.

  ‘I will help,’ offered Jane, ‘when my back has stopped aching.’

  ‘No, you must stay here,’ said Susannah quickly. ‘Bessie and I will manage.’

  ‘At least the larder is full,’ observed Jane. ‘I made sure Mrs Jennings sent Daniel for the supplies yesterday before she left the house.’

  ‘I cannot forgive the woman for leaving you all in such a way,’ declared Susannah. ‘As soon as I can get back to Bath I will make arrangements for another housekeeper to come in to look after you until Mrs Gifford returns.’

  She went downstairs to find that the viscount had built up the fire in the parlour. A patch of melting snow near the hearth caught her eye.

  ‘Did you send Bessie out to find my footman? I meant to do it before I went upstairs, and charge him with bringing in coal for the fire.’

  ‘No, I brought it in myself.’ He laughed at her shocked countenance. ‘As Gerald told you, Miss Prentess, I am not at all high in the instep.’ He pointed to a tray on the side table. ‘I also found the coffee pot, so I have made some. I thought we might sit by the fire and take a cup together.’