AmandaQuick-Affair.txt

by Affair (lit)

  it a practice to 'a require me to go into Society. I have made i jVOf

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  s-CLIations that are likely to produce titillation and rumor. I cherish

  1vacv @Ibove all else." my Pr "Perfe(tly understandable."

  He looked out into the rai n-drenched garden and saw scenes from his (-vn Past. "I do not conduct scandalous affairs with dashing widows. I do not allow passion to create chaos in my life. I do not become I .tivolved in liaisons that may oblige me to defend my pararnour's honor at dawn. I do not conduct outrageous rows with my lover in the center of a crowded ballroom while my five-year-old son watches from the balcony."

  111 can well believe that." Baxter's hand tightened on the windowsill. "I do not sire illegitj.mate children who must answer the taunts of their companions with their fists. I do not produce offspring who, because they are born on the wrong side of the blanket, are forever denied the lands and the heritage that should have been theirs." "In short, Mr. St. Ives, you do not conduct your personal affairs in the same manner in which your parents conducted theirs. Is that what you are telling me?" "Yes." What in bloody hell had come over him? Baxter wondered. He gave himself a small mental shake to dispatch the old Irnages. He had never intended to say such things to Charlotte. He never discussed his most personal memories with anyone. "I congratulate you, sir," Charlotte said very quietly. "And I admire you."

  He turned so swiftly that he caught the globe with his elbow. The world spun away and plummeted toward the floor. Furious With his uncharacteristic clumsiness and all that it implied about his lack of control, he made a quick grab for the globe. He barely lught it before it struck the carpet. "I)amnation." Feeling a complete idiot, he concentrated on r1ght1ng the world and setting it back in place on the sill. Then he looked at Charlotte, who was watching him very intently. "For God's sake, why do you say that you admire me?"

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  "You are obviously a man of strong will and great fortitude. ) @ have created your own rules. Although you do not possess the tj f 4, that should have been yours by right of blood, you do possess hoi and courage. "

  The sincerity of her words stunned him. To conceal his sense of disorientation, he folded his arms across his chest and propped one

  shoulder against the wall. He took refuge in cool amusement. "Kind of you to say so. "We do have something in common on this score." Charlotte touched the ornate silver inkstand on her desk. "It is not only illegitimate offspring who must sometimes stand by and watch asJ. their inheritance is stolen. My sister and I lost most of what shoul( have been ours to my mother's second husband." "Winterbourne."

  "Yes." Charlotte's mouth tightened. "Whenever I think of all the things that Ariel has missed because of him, of all the things could never give her, I . . . well, I'm sure you understand."

  He watched her closely. "So long as we are being completely honest with each other, I should confess that I have a great deal of admiration for you, also."

  She looked up quickly. "You do?" "I'm aware that there are not many options available to a lady who finds herself cast adrift with a young sister to support. F impressed by what you have accomplished."

  She gave him a small, surprised smile. "Thank you, Mr. St. Ives'

  Coming from you, such a compliment is gratifying, indeed." "And given my deep admiration," he continued deliberately, "I'm certain you can comprehend why I do not intend to allow you to destroy your reputation in this venture."

  The moment of mutual understanding that had flashed between them vanished with the speed of a magician's illusion.

  Charlotte glared. "You are attempting to manipulate me, sit.

  "I'm trying to convince you with logic and reason. if you are correct in your belief that Drusilla Heskett was murdered by on( of

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  ,,,,r suitors, the" that man may well be someone who moves in the police World. Correct?" "yes, all hut one of Mrs. Heskett's recent suitors were members of the ton,'' she said impatiently. "Mr. Charles Dill was the only one

  ,vho did vot t-nove in Society, and as I told you, he died of a heart @eizure nearly two weeks before Mrs. Heskett was murdered." "Indecd. Then one of those whose suspicions might well be aroused h@ uncharacteristic behavior on my part could well be her killer."

  Charlotte opened her mouth and then closed it quickly. She grimaced. "You may be correct." "Therefore, given my personal inclination to avoid scandal and

  I iness, we gossip and your desire not to ru*n the chance of future bus' are left with only the one alternative. We shall announce our en-

  gagement. It will give us the perfect excuse for going about in

  Society while we conduct our inquiries."

  A short, tense silence gripped the room.

  "We?" Charlotte repeated very politely. "You are still determined to track down Drusilla Heskett's killer, are you not?"

  She was a client who may have been killed because I failed to uncover certain crucial information." Charlotte drew a deep breath. A owe her some justice." "I disagree. You do not owe her anything of the sort. But I realize that I cannot dissuade you from your goal." "No, you cannot stop me." "As I have explained, I am committed to the same goal because If the promise that I made to my aunt." Baxter met her eyes. "It seems we must cooperate to achieve our mutual ends."

  Charlotte shook her head slowly in a gesture of mingled resignaand disbelief. "Everything I sensed about you at our first meetMg has proven to be true, Mr. St. Ives."

  He frowned. "What do you mean?" "You are, indeed, a very dangerous man."

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  Sngaged? To Charlotte Arkendale?" Rosalind crashed herr dainty teacup down into Its saucer. "I do not believe it. You cannot

  have gone and engaged yourself to such a creature. You must be mad. " "It's a possibility that I have considered closely," Baxter admitted. "Are you joking with me?" Rosalind gave him a reproving

  frown. "You know very well that I have never entirely compre-

  hended your decidedly odd sense of humor. Tell me precisely what is going on here." "I thought I had explained. It's the logical course of action,

  assuming you wish me to pursue my inquiries."

  He walked across the drawing room to examine the ne

  chimneypiece that had just been installed above the fireplace. T

  elaborately carved design was in the new Zamarian style, as

  virtually everything else in the chamber. Rosalind had recently re

  decorated. The Egyptian-styte drawing room with its hieroglyph covered wallpaper, palm trees, strange statues, and artificial column

  had been converted into a Zamarian courtyard scene.

  It was the latest in a long line of such alterations for the larg town house. Growing up here with his mother and his aunt, Baxte

  had played in an Etruscan cottage, studied in a Chinese garden

  practiced fencing in a Greek temple, and, mercifully, moved out of

  Roman sepulchral monument.

  >From the day he had taken his own lodgings Baxter had established one cardinal rule for his household. No changes in the interior design were made solely for the purpose of accommodating a

  new fashion.

  It occurred to him as he surveyed the gilded chimneypiece that he had always resisted change and the turmoil it brought.

  As a child, the major upheavals in his life had always seemed to

  follow on the heels of some strong, emotional outburst between his parents. The pair had been experts in the fine art of conducting

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  flarnboYant lo,,,-rs' quarrels and passionate reunions. Indeed, they had thrivec' of' such scenes and had shone particularly well in front

  of an audience. They had not cared if that audience sometimes

  consisted of only one small boy.

  Baxter had dreaded the Inevitable battles, waited anxiously for the reunions, and in be
tween endured the cruelty of his peers.

  Frorn J-ns earliest years, he had set out to suppress any trace of

  his parents I tumultuous natures that he might have inherited. He had fashioned a life for himself that was designed to be hermetically scaled against strong emotion In the same way that he sealed a bell

  J.at against contaminating vapors.

  He told himself that the only excitement that intrigued him was that which took place in his laboratory. But now Charlotte had

  entered his self-contained, well-ordered world and he feared that he would not be able to resist conducting a few risky experiments.

  If he was not very careful things would explode in his face.

  "Are you completely convinced that this Miss Arkendale is truly innocent?" Rosalind asked.

  "Yes." Baxter turned away from the fireplace frieze. "I no longer have any doubts at all on that point. When you meet her, you will understand, " "If you're quite certain," Rosalind said hesitantly. "There is little choice in the matter. She is as determined to track down Drusilla Heskett's murderer as you are. I cannot talk her out of the business so I am obliged to work with her." "You intend to use this fictitious engagement as an excuse for ,he two of you to go about together." "It is the only way."

  Rosalind looked unconvinced. She rested one arm on the elegantly curved arm of the Zamarian green sofa and examined Baxter closely. "I do not know what to say." "As it happens, I don't want you to say anything at all. Not e'v"I to your closest friends. No one must know that this engage- ""'It is a fraud, do you understand? Absolutely no one."

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  "This is to be a conspiracy? Really, Baxter, you can hardly pect me to go along with such an outlandish scheme."

  "On the contrary, I know you very well, Rosalind. I suspect you will enjoy the whole thing very much. It's just the sort of playacting that should appeal to your taste for the melodramatic."

  Rosalind managed to look affronted. "What a thing to say

  your own aunt. "Think of it this way: a gentleman in your circle of acquai tances may be a murderer."

  Rosalind shuddered. "Are you even sure that you are searching 'i for a man? The killer could have been a woman."

  Baxter shrugged. "Mrs. Heskett sent Charlotte a note sayin that she believed someone was trying to kill her. She was concerne

  that one of her recent suitors might had become enraged when sh rejected him." "I see. This could be quite a fascinating endeavor, Baxter." "I thought you'd come to that opinion. Charlotte and I must

  start somewhere, so we intend to begin our inquiries with Mrs. Heskett's suitors. The last one to be rejected was Lord Lennox."

  "Lennox." Rosalind frowned. "Drusilla was quite fond of hi for a time. Claimed the man had stamina."

  "Stamina?"

  Rosalind looked amused. "Drusilla liked stamina in a gentleman. She also liked it in a footman or a coachman or a groom. To be quite blunt, Drusilla was fond of any man who could keep up with her in bed." "I see." Baxter removed his eyeglasses and pulled his handkerchief from his pocket. "Assuming that it was one of her lovers who

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  killed her, we could be looking at a- very long list of potential murderers."

  "I doubt it. Few of her conquests would have had a motive for murder. Perhaps I could be of some assistance, Baxter." "I do have a favor to ask of you."

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  ,Vhat is that?" Baxter replaced his spectacles. "I would very much appreciate it if you would take my fianc6e shopping." "ShopPing, "And her sister as well. You may send the bills to me."

  Rosalind's eyes gleamed. "Good God, Baxter, I'm stunned. This Is so unlike you. I do believe you are beginning to sound a bit like your father. " "Thank you for the warning. I shall be on my guard."

  @711ree days later Charlotte stood at the edge of a crowded ballroom and smiled with unconcealed pleasure. "I must tell you, Mr. St. Ives, whatever the result of our venture, I shall be forever indebted to your aunt."

  Baxter glanced at her as he took a sip from his champagne glass. "My aunt?" "Lady Trengloss has made my sister a spectacular success. I know that was not the point of the evening, but I am delighted, nonetheless. I vow, Ariel has had a partner for nearly every dance. Just look at her out there on the floor. She is a diamond of the first water, is she not?"

  Baxter frowned as he searched the dancers for Ariel. It was not difficult to spot her. She was taller than most of the other women on the floor. He saw that she was whirling about in an exuberant waltz with a young man who wore a distinctly jazzled expression.

  She appears to be enjoying herself," he said. "Yes. My parents would have been so proud. Lady Trengloss was correct when she declared that Ariel must wear only blue and gold. The colors are perfect for her."

  It dawned on Baxter that Charlotte looked very good in the c1liary yellow satin gown that she wore. It set off the dark flames in her hair and emphasized the green of her eyes. The bodice was low

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  and square-cut, revealing her creamy shoulders and a decorous hint of the gentle swell of her breasts. There was a dashing little confection of a cap trimmed with a yellow plume perched on her head.

  This was the first time he had seen her in anything other than high-necked, long-sleeved day gown, he realized. He was no exl)(2rt on fashion but in his opinion she was the most attractive womaii in

  the room.

  He took a swallow of champagne. "Blue and gold are all -,,!rv well. I prefer yellow." "Yellow would have been quite atrocious on Ariel."

  He slid her a sidelong glance. "I was referring to your gown." "Oh." Charlotte gave him a brilliant smile. "Thank you, You look very nice in black and white, Mr. St. Ives. It suits you."

  He did not know whether that was a compliment or not. He

  suddenly felt compelled to explain his limited selection of evening attire. "As I told you, I don't go into Society very often." "You did mention that you try to avoid the Polite World."

  "No logical reason to order a great many evening coats when

  one has a limited social life."

  "Very practical of you to stick with black."

  "Haven't paid much attention to the latest fancy cravat knots."

  "I see."

  "Damned silly for a man to tie his neckcloth in such a tricky way that he can't even turn his head."

  "There is a lot to be said for simplicity," Charlotte agreed politely.

  He was sinking deeper by the second. Baxter glanced around, searching for inspiration, and was, for once, inordinately relieved to

  see his aunt on the horizon. Rosalind had Lord Lennox in tow.

  "Time to go to work," Baxter said softly. "That man coming

  toward us with Rosalind was Drusilla Heskett's last suitor." "That gentleman with the bald head and the bushy whiskcrs 11 Lennox?"

  "Yes. Would have thought you'd recognize him on sight."

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  she froxiied- "I never actually saw him, you know. It's not g,,,,,,Ily necessary to know what a gentleman looks like in the flesh

  order to discover whether or not he is a rakehell or a gamester." "No, I suppose not." Charlocte pursed her lips. "Nevertheless, I had imagined him to

  be a yOUligrer man.

  -'Wh@itever gave you that notion?" 'Alrs Heskett's description of him, I Imagine." "Whilt did she say about him?" Baxter asked. "Something to the effect that Lennox resembled a stallion in the bedchamber. She said he had stamina."

  Baxter coughed on his last swallow of champagne. "I see. Why did she reject him?" "She felt he was too old for her. She was uncertain how long his starnina would last."

  "He's no youngster. Lennox has got two married daughters. His heir, who is the youngest of the brood, is twenty-one or so. I saw him a short while ago at the buffet table."

  11 Lennox's heir?" "Yes. Norris is his name, I believe. He was talking to Hamilton. They're close friends."
"Who is Hamilton?" "I beg your pardon." Baxter deliberately set his empty glass down on a passing tray. "I should have said the fifth Earl of Esherton. " "Oh, yes. Your brother." "My half brother." "Whatever." Charlotte turned to greet Rosalind with a warm sf11Ile* "Good evening, Lady Trengloss."

  Rosalind beamed as she came to a halt. She caught Baxter's eye and winked. He stifled a groan. As he had anticipated, his aunt was 'h'DrOughly enjoying herself.

  Rosalind dangled Lennox triumphantly in front of Charlotte as thlugh awarding her a prize.

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  "My dear, allow me to present an acquaintance of mine, Lord Lennox."

  "My lord," Charlotte murmured.

  Baxter barely managed to conceal his surprise as he watched her sink into an elegant little curtsy. The graceful dip was accenttd with an equally gracious inclination of her head. It all spoke volumes about her past and her upbringing. She had, indeed, been bred for a much higher position in the social hierarchy than the one in,

  which she moved.

  "Well, well, well, this is a pleasure, indeed, m'dear." Lennox bent his gleaming head over Charlotte's gloved hand. "Allow me to

  tell you that you look lovely. A vision, indeed. As bright as Spring itself."

  "Thank you, my lord," Charlotte murmured.

  Lennox shot Baxter a knowing look from beneath his bushy brows. "It's about time you found yourself a wife, St. Ives. A man

  your age should have more interesting things to do than spend his time mucking around with a bunch of chemicals in a labora-

  tory, eh?" "Indeed." Baxter avoided Charlotte's eye. "Volatile things, chemicals." Lennox leaned close to Baxter and lowered his voice so that Charlotte and Rosalind could not hear. "If I were you, I'd avoid 'em entirely now that you're about to get married. Never know when you might damage something vital in an explosion. Be a shame to crawl into bed on your wedding night and discover you'd accidentally blown off your ballocks in some

  damn experiment." "I'll keep your advice in mind," Baxter said. "That's the spirit, St. Ives." Lennox clapped Baxter oil the

  shoulder. "I say, any objections to my having a spin around the floor with your lovely fianc6e?"

  Now that he thought about it, Baxter realized that he did have a