Rob looked down at her. A faint smile touched his mouth. Jemima had a sudden and strange feeling that matters were about to get very complicated indeed.
‘We do indeed go to Oxfordshire, Grandmama,’ Rob said. ‘In fact, we plan to travel to Delaval as soon as possible to begin the restoration work. We are hoping to set off tomorrow.’
Jemima felt cold with shock. She drew an indignant breath to refute the statement, then froze as Rob put his lips very close to her ear. His breath tickled her and sent a little shiver down her spine. He said, softly but very firmly, ‘Don’t say a word.’
Their gazes locked for a long, tense moment, then Jemima let her breath out again silently. She supposed that she could understand his dilemma. If Rob had said that they were to be in London for any space of time, then his grandmother would surely have insisted on seeing them for dinner that very night. Jemima repressed an exasperated sigh. They were well and truly trapped, but she wished that Rob had left them slightly more room for manoeuvre.
She felt Rob relax as he realised she was not going to argue. He gave her a slight smile that conveyed his gratitude and Jemima gave him a look in return that promised retribution.
Fortunately Letty and Lady Marguerite had largely missed this byplay.
‘It is good that you have a project to occupy you once you return home,’ Lady Marguerite said. ‘A husband and wife should always be busy or in other company. It spares them the boredom of spending the whole time together. We shall let you know as soon as we return to Swan Park, Robert, and we shall expect a visit.’
‘Thank you, Grandmama,’ Rob said. ‘We shall be delighted to call.’
‘Perhaps we may go shopping together in Cheltenham, Lady Selborne,’ Letty said enthusiastically. ‘For although London has the finest shops of them all, Cheltenham is most elegant and exclusive. I should be delighted to take you there.’
‘Thank you,’ Jemima said, feeling that matters were spiralling a little out of control, ‘you are most kind, Miss Exton.’
‘Oh, call me Letty as we are to be friends!’ Letty said warmly. ‘I shall call you Jemima, if I may.’ She turned to Jack and smiled at him most charmingly.
‘Will you be visiting your sister at Delaval, Mr Jewell?’
‘You may depend upon it, Miss Exton,’ Jack said, ignoring Jemima’s discouraging stare.
Lady Marguerite looked down her nose at him. ‘Are you in property as well, Mr Jewell?’
‘Frequently, ma’am,’ Jack said. He bowed. ‘If you will excuse me, I have an appointment.’ He turned to Jemima. ‘I assume that I will see you before you…ah…leave for Oxfordshire, Jem?’
‘Of course,’ Jemima said, trying not to feel cross with her brother for adding colour to the deception. ‘Good day, Jack.’
Jack went out and Letty gave a little sigh. ‘Oh, Lady Selborne, your brother is quite the most charming and handsome man that I have met in a long time! Is he spoken for?’
‘Letty!’ Lady Marguerite said with a fearsome frown. ‘Such forwardness in a gel is most unbecoming.’
‘I fear he is,’ Jemima said, trying not to feel sorry for Letty as the girl looked quite crestfallen at both the reproof and the unwelcome news of Jack’s engagement. ‘Jack’s betrothal is of long standing and is to a family friend.’
Lady Marguerite at least seemed pleased to hear this news. She held her hand out to Jemima in a much more cordial fashion.
‘We will see you again soon, I hope, Jemima, and then we shall have time to get to know one another.’
‘I shall look forward to it, ma’am,’ Jemima said politely and untruthfully. She turned to Rob. ‘Robert, I do believe that we have certain urgent matters to discuss…’
Rob tucked her hand through his arm. ‘Of course, my love. I am at your disposal. Grandmama, Letty—’ he kissed them both ‘—we shall see you shortly. Enjoy your stay in Town.’
He ushered Jemima out.
‘Oh, Grandmama,’ she heard Letty say, as the door to Mr Churchward’s office closed behind them, ‘isn’t it famous to have Robert home! And of all the wonderful things—he is in love at last!’
‘I do believe, Lord Selborne,’ Jemima said coldly, ‘that you have taken leave of your senses. Whatever induced you to say that we were returning to Oxfordshire together tomorrow? Not to mention the tempting offer to visit your grandmother once she returns home! You have left us no space for compromise. Have you utterly forgotten the terms of our agreement?’
They had left behind the bustle of High Holborn and were sitting on a bench in the quiet of Gray’s Inn Gardens. The sun was high and the trees cast a cool shadow. Jemima was glad of their shade. The champagne she had taken in Mr Churchward’s office had gone straight to her head and, when taken alongside the agitation engendered by their situation, it was making her feel very hot and bothered.
Rob, on the other hand, looked cool and undisturbed. He sat half-facing her on the bench, long legs stretched out in front of him, the slight breeze ruffling his dark hair.
‘I apologise if you feel that I have overstepped the mark,’ he said. ‘I had to make a quick decision in response to my grandmother’s arrival, and that was the decision I made. If you do not like it—’
‘Of course I do not like it!’ Jemima narrowed her eyes at him like an angry cat. ‘How could I possibly like it? Our agreement was that we should go our separate ways, you to Oxfordshire and me to Twickenham. Now I find that I am promised to accompany you to Delaval without so much as a by your leave! And to visit that starch pants of a grandmother of yours as well! And that is another matter. You promised me that you had no relations, my lord, yet here they are, scuttling out of the woodwork faster than mice!’
‘I am sorry.’ Jemima did not think that Rob looked particularly apologetic. ‘My grandmother so seldom leaves Oxfordshire that I thought the risk was negligible. How was I to know that she would choose to come up to London just as I was returning from abroad?’
‘You should have guessed!’ Jemima snapped, thoroughly out of sorts. ‘That makes one grandmother and a cousin on the Exton side, and one aunt, one uncle and three cousins on the Selborne side of the family…Oh, and a sister who will probably reappear from the Indies at any moment! Do you have any other relatives you forgot to mention, my lord?’
Rob frowned slightly. ‘I do not believe so. I have godparents, but they do not count.’ He took her hand. ‘Jemima, please stay calm—’
‘I do not feel calm!’ Jemima said sharply. She took off her straw bonnet, which was making her head itch in the sun, and ran her fingers through her hair impatiently.
‘You might have anticipated that your whole family would use the same lawyer, my lord. Such an omission shows a great lack of foresight!’
‘I knew that everyone in the family uses Churchward, of course.’ Rob bent an amused look on her. He seemed untroubled by her display of temper. ‘I simply did not think that it would signify.’
‘You have this collection of relatives and yet you thought that you could get away with not telling any of them that you were married?’
‘Precisely.’ Rob shifted a little on the seat. ‘I thought that you would go to Twickenham and I to Delaval and that once the inheritance was secured, the marriage would be annulled and no one would be the wiser.’
Jemima bit her lip. ‘But now your family know that we are wed. Your grandmother will interrogate all your other relatives about your marriage, and they will all be curious and want to know what is going on. She will ask Mr Selborne—’
‘Very probably. I know that Ferdie will be discreet, but this is why I need you to be with me at Delaval. I have no wish to make my entire family aware of the terms of my father’s will, so we must make this look like a genuine love match.’ Rob moved a little towards her. ‘Would that be so difficult for you, Jemima? I am sorry for the way that this had happened, but you carried off the meeting in Churchward’s office with aplomb. There is no reason why you could not do carry off the role of Countess of S
elborne in the same manner.’
Jemima fought against several conflicting emotions. She liked Rob Selborne, even if he had been foolish enough to get them into this situation. She liked him very much, and a part of her strongly wanted to fall in with his plan and agree to accompany him to Delaval. But the consequences of that were too great. Instead of being his wife in secret she would be the Countess of Selborne in reality and everyone would know it.
She knew she could carry off the part. That did not worry her. It was all the other difficulties that provided the rub—the need to conceal her background, the risk of someone who had attended Anne Selborne’s wedding recognising her and, most importantly, the abandonment of her own plans of independence. She had wanted her school very badly and now it had all been snatched away from her.
And yet her very freedom had in fact been dependent on Rob’s generosity all along. It had been an illusion to think that she was independent. If Rob chose to break their agreement, if he rescinded the offer of the house in Twickenham and the money, if he insisted that she accompany him to Delaval, then she had no choice. She was his wife. She was trapped.
She made a small noise of despair and fury. ‘Oh! You swore that you would not cheat me.’
Rob’s gaze was very steady. ‘I am not seeking to cheat you, Jemima. I wish to persuade you to my way of thinking.’
Jemima made an angry gesture. ‘Semantics! Fancy sentiments! I am obliged to change my plans because you wish me to do so.’
Rob sighed. She could tell that he was holding on hard to his own temper and a part of her wished that he might lose it so that they could have a big quarrel and relieve the frustration. Except that that would never do in the Inns of Court Gardens, and especially not if one was the Countess of Selborne. She took a deep breath.
‘I am sorry, my lord. I simply cannot do this. We must stick to our original agreement.’
Rob nodded slowly. ‘Very well.’ He raised his brows. ‘May we discuss this?’
Jemima scuffed at the grass beneath her feet. She did not wish to talk about it because she knew just how persuasive Rob could be. When he had first asked her to marry him she had been determined to refuse him, yet he had convinced her. She would not be in this predicament now if she had stuck to her guns.
‘There is nothing to discuss,’ she said. ‘Can you not simply explain matters to Lady Marguerite?’
Rob shook his head. ‘Jemima, you have met my grandmother. She is a noticing sort of person. For a wife to appear suddenly is suspicious enough, but for her to disappear again is most irregular, and I doubt that any explanations of mine would persuade her otherwise.’
‘Then tell her the truth!’
Rob shook his head. ‘That would cause an unnecessary scandal and it would damage your reputation as much as mine. More so, in fact, since a lady’s reputation is so fragile a thing. I would not want anything to hurt you, Jemima.’
Jemima shot him an exasperated look. ‘Do you imagine that I care about that? Such a consideration has never been in the least relevant to me!’
‘That may be so, of course.’ Rob shrugged. ‘But it matters to me. This touches my honour and I cannot allow your reputation to be damaged.’
Jemima sighed. ‘Then I shall think of an excuse to stay in London. I could have a sick mother…’
‘Permanently sick and permanently requiring your presence? It is a possibility, but not a very convincing one!’
‘Then tell Lady Marguerite that I have left you—’ Jemima broke off. For a moment Rob looked quite angry; angry and as stubborn as she, and it shook her. He spoke very quietly.
‘I cannot do that, Jemima. Not unless that is truly what you wish to do.’
Their gazes met and held. Jemima was the first to look away. She knew that her words had hurt him even though he had not said so. When they had made their agreement they had had no intention of keeping their wedding vows but somehow—already—something had changed. There was a link that bound her to this man now. She had made promises to him, promises that she had not imagined she would be obliged to keep. Yet now everything was different. She even felt different…
‘I am sorry, Rob,’ she said, at last. ‘I should not have said that.’
Rob relaxed a little. The shadows of the trees played across his face. He was watching her very closely and Jemima felt a little breathless under his scrutiny. She dropped her gaze.
‘It is not that I do not feel I could fulfil the part of Countess of Selborne,’ she said after a moment, ‘but I believe there are those who would think it most inappropriate. I am persuaded that Lady Marguerite would not wish you to marry into trade, even were I bringing a fat dowry.’
Rob looked rueful. ‘My grandmother’s bark is much worse than her bite. Once she decides to like you, you will find her the kindest of creatures.’
Jemima gave him a frankly disbelieving look. ‘And when will she start to like me? Before or after we tell her I am a chimney sweep’s daughter?’
Rob’s jaw was set in a stubborn line. ‘I am not ashamed of marrying you, Jemima, chimney sweep’s daughter or not. If people discover your antecedents, then so be it. If they choose to cut you, then they are not people I would wish to have as my acquaintance.’ He laced his fingers through hers. ‘You are my wife, Jemima, and that is all that counts.’
Jemima smiled and let it go. She knew that matters were not so simple. Rob’s family could hardly be expected to applaud his marriage to a penniless girl of poor family and country society would probably be even less forgiving. She remembered Jack’s fierce words about snobbery and self-respect. ‘They will never accept you…’ If she tried to keep her background a secret, it would be bound to come out sooner or later. Secrets always did. Yet if she was open about it, then people would shun her. It was another impasse.
She was distracted by the realisation that Rob had moved closer to her along the bench. She was not sure whether it was deliberate or not, but it certainly flustered her. His thigh was pressed lightly against hers through the lilac silk; his arm brushed hers. Jemima tried to wriggle surreptitiously away and found she was already backed into a corner. She closed her eyes for a moment. She was not at all sure that she could concentrate with Rob in such close proximity.
‘Jemima?’ Rob sounded concerned.
Jemima opened her eyes and squinted at him. She put her straw bonnet back on to shade her eyes. Her head still felt muzzy from the champagne and suddenly she had a strange desire to rest it on Rob’s shoulder. She could even feel herself starting to lean towards him. She sat up straighter.
‘Jemima, are you quite well?’
There was a gleam in Rob’s eyes that made Jemima feel very hot. ‘Oh, yes, thank you! I am merely a little sleepy from the sunshine…’
‘Well,’ Rob said, his gaze warming from speculation to outright interest, ‘if you wish to take a nap, then please feel free to do so. You could rest your head against my chest and I could put my arm about you.’
Jemima jumped and blushed at the images he had conjured. ‘I would not dream of doing anything so improper, my lord! Besides, we were talking.’
‘Talking,’ Rob murmured. ‘So we were. Anything else will have to wait, I suppose…’
Jemima frowned. ‘There will not be anything else, my lord. If I fall in with your plans, then this will be a pretence of a love match, not the actual thing itself.’
‘Of course,’ Rob said. He raised his brows. ‘So are you going to fall in with my plans, Jemima?’
Chapter Eight
‘I do not know.’ Jemima frowned. ‘I had such high hopes for my school. It is very difficult to relinquish something that I was looking forward to so much.’
Rob nodded. ‘I understand that, but if you come with me to Delaval you may open as many schools as you may choose.’
Jemima laughed. ‘Almost you persuade me, my lord!’
Rob leaned closer. ‘I understand that I have defrauded you in a way, Jemima. We made an agreement and now I am asking
you to accept a change of terms, but—’ he made a slight gesture ‘—I would be honoured if you were to help me restore my home at Delaval, and the village there will need a school, if you still wish to set one up. There is no reason why you cannot follow Mrs Montagu’s example.’
For a moment Jemima felt her heart soar at the prospect, then she forced herself to be sensible. ‘I doubt that it would be appropriate for the Countess of Selborne to teach in a school, would it?’
Rob looked slightly uncomfortable. ‘Not to teach, no. But you could establish it, show a benevolent interest…That is what your mentor did, after all—’ Rob broke off. ‘What is wrong?’
Jemima gave him a wry smile. ‘My lord, I have worked for all of my life and am not accustomed to sitting around being benevolent. You yourself commented as much when you asked me what I would do in Twickenham. I need to be active.’
Rob laughed. ‘Believe me, Jemima, there would be plenty for you to do at Delaval. The place is falling apart!’
Jemima rubbed her fingers over the rough wood of the bench. ‘And the annulment, my lord?’ she asked, looking at him from under her lashes. ‘I take it that there would not be an annulment now?’
‘No,’ Rob said. ‘There would be no annulment.’
Jemima felt her heart twist just as it had when Rob had been so tender to her that day in her parents’ house. For all his kindness, he had never intended her to take her place as Lady Selborne of Delaval. Their marriage was supposed to be an expedient match, quickly ended. But if they took this course, there would be no annulment and no quick end to the marriage. The Earl of Selborne would be stuck with a chimney sweep’s daughter as his countess when he had never intended for that to happen. Jemima felt a lump come into her throat at the sudden irrevocable nature of it all.
‘Pray remember,’ she said, with difficulty ‘that it was not a part of your original plan to be encumbered with a wife.’
Rob’s expression softened. ‘That’s true. Originally I had no such intention. But now I believe I would like it very much.’
The Penniless Bride Page 10
