The Rebellious Debutante

by Meg Alexander

  ‘His Lordship dines out this evening, ma’am. If you would care to leave a message…?’

  ‘No…I must see him at once. Pray give me his direction. Is he at White’s or Watier’s?’

  Gorton, the butler, knew better that to continue this discussion in the open street. ‘Will you not step inside, ma’am? I should like to be of service to you.’

  ‘Well, you can be!’ Perdita told him bluntly. ‘I’ll find his lordship if you will tell me where he is to dine.’

  Gorton led the young lady through into the salon, pausing to order ratafia from one of his underlings.

  ‘With respect, miss, I should not advise it. The gentlemen’s clubs are mostly to be found in St James’s Street.’

  ‘And so?’ Perdita’s chin went up.

  Gorton looked hard at her. His ability to assess the position of his fellow human beings was legendary. He had no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that this was a Lady of Quality. Perdita was also a beauty. It was not his place to speculate upon her relationship with his master, although he had heard some talk of an orphaned ward. Perhaps this was the girl.

  ‘Ma’am, the area is not used by members of the female sex,’ he explained.

  ‘I can’t help that,’ Perdita cried. ‘Oh, don’t you understand? I have come from Bath to see His Lordship, and this matter will not wait.’ She rose to her feet. ‘Will you call me a cab, if you please?’

  It was clear to Gorton that her likely destination was St James’s Street. If this was indeed the Earl of Rushmore’s ward, he shuddered to think of his master’s reaction if he allowed the young lady to destroy her reputation.

  ‘That would mean an unnecessary delay,’ he said carefully. ‘No lady may gain admittance to the clubs. They may not even agree to take a message for you. Allow me to send out footmen, madam. That will be the quickest way.’

  Perdita tried to hide her impatience, but a moment’s reflection convinced her that he was right. She nodded, and he disappeared to give his orders.

  When he returned he was bearing a tray. ‘May I take your cloak, miss—?’

  ‘I am Perdita Wentworth. Yes, thank you!’ Perdita looked at the clock, and was shocked to find that it was almost midnight.

  The difficulties of her present situation struck her for the first time. She had made no plans beyond finding Rushmore, but unless his lordship left at once for Bath she would have no place to lay her head that night unless she took a chance upon finding her aunt and uncle still in residence at their London home.

  Now she bemoaned her own stupidity. She should have asked the jarvey to drive her past their house on the way to Berkeley Square. A glance at the knocker would have told her if they were at home.

  Gorton looked at her troubled face and poured her a glass of ratafia. The young lady appeared to be exhausted. She sipped gratefully at the wine, but refused his offer of food.

  ‘I am too tired to eat,’ she told him simply. ‘Will…will they be long, do you suppose?’

  ‘It’s hard to tell, miss, though I’ve warned them of the need for haste.’ Gorton poked at the fire, stirring the logs to flame. ‘Perhaps if you closed your eyes, Miss Wentworth, and tried to rest, the time would pass more quickly.’

  He knew now who she was. The elder Miss Wentworth was a famous beauty, and extremely well connected. Most certainly she was not his master’s ward, but she was a lady of some spirit. This was no time for speculation, but he could not help wondering at the reason for her errand. To present herself at Berkeley Square, alone, and at this late hour, meant trouble, he was sure of it.

  Should he have sent for Rushmore? It might have been wiser to have denied his master, but Gorton knew determination when he saw it. This young lady was perfectly capable of sitting upon the doorstep until the Earl returned.

  He looked down at her and saw that she was growing sleepy. The wine and the warmth of the fire had done their work. He waited until the sound of her regular breathing told him that she had drifted off. Then he slipped into the hall, prepared for a lengthy wait before the Earl returned.

  It was minutes only before he heard the sound of running feet.

  ‘Where is she?’ Rushmore burst into the hall, all his famous composure vanished.

  ‘Miss Wentworth is in the small salon, my lord. I believe she has fallen asleep.’

  Rushmore brushed past him though he slowed his pace. He opened the door to the salon gently, and walked towards Perdita on silent feet.

  She was sleeping like a child, long lashes hiding the lustrous eyes and resting softly upon her cheeks. As Rushmore looked at her, a wave of tenderness engulfed him. He took an unresisting hand and raised it to his lips.

  She stirred then and looked up at him. Her smile made his heart turn over.

  ‘Oh, Adam, I am so very glad to see you.’ She held out her hands to him with a gesture that could not be mistaken.

  ‘My darling!’ Rushmore gathered her into his arms. ‘Let me hold you to my heart! What is it, my dear one? The men assured me that not a moment was to be lost…’

  Perdita rested her head against his shoulder. ‘Didn’t you get my letter? I had to come. I could not think what else to do,’ she said. ‘Oh, my dear, I don’t know how to tell you.’

  ‘No, I didn’t receive any letter! Tell me what’s wrong!’

  Perdita responded to the urgency of his tone. Best to speak and be done with it. ‘Louise has been arrested,’ she said.

  Perdita sensed his shock before he spoke. ‘Tell me what happened,’ he suggested quietly.

  She kept the tale short. It was only when she spoke of the conditions under which Louise was living that her voice faltered. ‘We cannot leave her there,’ she said in broken tones. ‘Oh, Adam, I am sure that Verreker is behind this wicked charge. Have you learned nothing of him?’

  ‘I have!’ Rushmore’s face might have been carved in stone. ‘He is known by other names. In Tunbridge Wells he attempted to elope with an heiress. There he was known as Martin Vincent. He left a trail in London too. This time his target was a wealthy widow. She knew him as Michael Vardy.’

  ‘And it is the same man? How can you be sure?”

  ‘The description is exact. And the Bow Street Runners are no fools. They tell me that in planning an alias a man will almost always use the same initials.’

  ‘And is there evidence against him…enough to prosecute?’

  ‘Sadly, there is not. That is why he was able to appear in Bath.’

  ‘But what can we do? There must be something…?’

  ‘I don’t know, my dear one, but we shall beat him, rest assured.’ Rushmore rested his cheek upon Perdita’s hair. ‘Your father has written to me, my love. I am permitted to address you, but only after he has learned of your wishes. I must confess that my hopes were dashed by that condition.’

  ‘Really, my lord?’ Perdita gave him a demure look. ‘I wrote to my parents quite recently.’

  Rushmore held her away from him, searching her face for confirmation of his dearest wishes. ‘Then am I allowed to hope…?’ he said in disbelief.

  Perdita was no dissembler. ‘Yes,’ she told him shyly. ‘Oh, Adam, I love you with all my heart. I did not know it until you went away. Then I thought I’d lost you.’ Her lips quivered.

  ‘Never in this life!’ His glowing expression banished the last trace of doubt. He tilted her face to his and kissed her with a gentleness that stole her heart away. She clung to him, not wanting the kiss to end, but at last he put her from him with a rueful smile.

  ‘Have mercy on me!’ he begged. ‘I am not made of stone.’

  Perdita did not stir. She felt so safe within the shelter of his arms.

  ‘I must send you to your bed,’ he said at last.

  ‘Oh, I am to stay with you?’ The prospect filled her with delight, but his lordship knew where his duty lay.

  ‘I planned to send you to your aunt and uncle, Perdita, but Gorton tells me that they have already left the city, and I would not have yo
u return to Bath tonight. It would be too exhausting. We shall make an early start tomorrow.’

  Perdita nestled closer to his breast. ‘I never want to leave you again, Adam. These past few weeks have been a torment.’

  His lordship kissed her again, this time with rising passion. She was happy to respond to the urgency of his caress, but he checked himself once more. Her innocence was touching. Clearly she did not realise that he was on the verge of losing all self-control.

  ‘You would tempt a saint,’ he told her thickly. He rose and rang the bell. ‘My housekeeper will take care of you, my darling. Sleep well. You are safe beneath this roof.’

  Perdita clung tightly to his hand. ‘I shall always feel safe with you,’ she whispered. ‘Oh, Adam, is it wrong to feel so happy when Louise is in such trouble? You will save her, won’t you?’

  ‘All will be well, I promise.’ Rushmore dropped the lightest kisses upon her brow and delivered her into the care of the fresh-faced woman who was smiling at both of them.

  Alerted by Gorton, Mrs Derby now shared his belief that the young lady in her master’s arms would soon become the next Countess of Rushmore. She had known the Earl since boyhood and, like the rest of his staff, she had been troubled by the recent change in his demeanour.

  Always courteous to those who served him, he had seemed preoccupied and almost unaware of his surroundings. Now she knew the reason for it. A glance at his face told her that he was his old self again, merry and cheerful, but with an added glow.

  ‘He’s radiant,’ she told Gorton later. ‘That’s the word I’d use…but there’s something else upon his mind.’

  Gorton nodded, but there was no time for a discussion. His master had ordered the carriage and his fastest team to be ready at first light. There was packing to be done, and a groom to be sent ahead along the route to Bath. Of recent weeks Rushmore had kept fresh teams in readiness at certain coaching inns on the way and Gorton had wondered at it at the time. Keeping teams along the Great North Road was one thing, but Bath? It now seemed likely that the Earl had been expecting trouble.

  Perdita had fallen into a dreamless sleep, though it seemed only minutes before she was awakened by two smiling maids. One bore her breakfast tray, and the other carried her clothing, freshly washed and ironed.

  ‘Is his lordship waiting?’ she asked anxiously.

  ‘You are not to hurry, ma’am. My master hopes that you will make a good breakfast before you leave.’

  Perdita sipped obediently at her chocolate, and buttered two fresh rolls which she spread with raspberry jam and ate with relish. The bowl of fruit looked tempting, but she was eager to dress and hurry to her love again.

  He was waiting in the hall below. He came towards her and took her hands in his, kissing them each in turn.

  ‘Ready?’ he asked.

  Perdita nodded shyly, aware that she was under benevolent scrutiny from a surprisingly large number of servants. Everyone in the Earl’s household seemed to have found some task to perform in the hall that morning.

  Rushmore too was aware of it, but he made no comment as he led Perdita to the waiting coach.

  ‘Shall you require the services of a maid, my love?’ he asked anxiously. ‘One of the girls is ready if you wish it.’

  Perdita looked up at him and her heart was in her eyes. ‘No!’ she whispered. ‘I’d rather be alone with you.’ Then she gave him a mischievous smile. ‘I got here on my own, you know.’

  Rushmore winced. ‘So you did, my darling. The thought of that journey makes me shudder. I trust that you were not offered insult.’

  She did not mention the man who had approached her. ‘I was befriended by a farmer’s wife,’ she told him. ‘She couldn’t have been kinder.’

  Rushmore settled her comfortably within the crook of his arm as the driver gave his team the office.

  She was silent for so long that he grew worried.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked. ‘Are you regretting your promise to me?’

  ‘Oh, no, Adam!’ She gave him a look of perfect trust. ‘It’s just that…well…I can’t believe that I’m not dreaming. Am I truly to become your wife?’

  Rushmore chuckled. ‘I must hope so, otherwise you are in a most compromising position for a well-bred young lady.’

  ‘Oh, you mean that I should not have stayed with you last night?’

  ‘You did not stay with me my darling. You stayed in my home, guarded by a bevy of servants and an extremely moral housekeeper. I was referring to our present situation.’

  Perdita snuggled closer to his breast. ‘It can’t be wrong to feel so happy,’ she announced. ‘When did you first know…I mean, when did you change your mind about me?’

  ‘It took some time,’ he told her in solemn tones. ‘At times I was in fear of my life…those dagger looks were enough to fell me to the ground.’

  ‘Well, I thought I hated you, you see. I thought you bored and quite puffed up with pride.’

  ‘And the temptation to prick the bubble was too much for you? You were quite right, my love. I must have been insufferable.’

  ‘You were!’ She could not resist the opportunity to tease him. ‘I despised you so! I thought it unworthy of a gentleman to come to see my parents and insist that I be punished.’

  ‘I did not do so, dearest.’

  ‘Oh, I know that now, but at the time I did not know about Louise.’

  Perdita’s face grew sad. ‘We should have taken better care of her,’ she whispered. ‘I wish that we had never entered that wretched shop.’

  ‘You could not have known what was planned. Try not to worry so, Perdita. Louise is in no immediate danger.’

  ‘Oh, how can you say so? The conditions at the gaoler’s house are enough to kill her.’

  ‘No, they aren’t, uncomfortable though they may be. Louise is young and healthy. I doubt if she will take much harm as long as there is no infection in the house. I feared abduction more. If the Duke had not required my presence here in London I should not have left Bath.’

  ‘And now?’

  ‘I have an extended furlough. I shall not leave you again.’

  Perdita lifted her face to his. ‘I am so glad,’ she whispered.

  He kissed her then, gently but insistently. It was a kiss which banished all her worries. With Adam she would have no fears for the future. She responded warmly, pledging her love to him beyond all doubt.

  He held her close. ‘Now you shall tell me, my darling. When did you know you loved me? I had given up almost all hope, you know… You seemed determined never to forgive me.’

  ‘I have been so foolish.’ Perdita blushed and hid her face against his coat. ‘More than anything, my pride was injured. I soon knew that I was wrong, but I would not admit it. I am sadly stubborn, I fear.’

  ‘A shocking character, indeed!’ The Earl laughed and dropped a kiss upon her hair. ‘I thank heavens for your stubborn nature. You don’t give up, my dearest, do you? How many girls, I wonder, would have travelled unprotected on the Mail Coach?’

  ‘Amy would!’ Perdita assured him. ‘In fact, she cannot wait to do so.’

  ‘I believe you! But then, the ladies of the Wentworth family are quite out of the common way, are they not? I consider myself the luckiest man in the world to have captured the heart of one of them.’

  Perdita lifted her face to his. ‘You sound like Papa,’ she teased. ‘He always blesses the day he met my mother. He loves her dearly, as you must have noticed.’

  ‘Who could not?’ he answered gallantly. ‘Your mother is a most remarkable woman. Her elder daughter is likely to follow in her footsteps.’

  ‘Thank you!’ she said gravely. ‘You could not have paid me a more handsome compliment.’

  ‘You have not welcomed any others from me. You surprised me from the first, you know. I think it was your total lack of vanity about your beauty—’

  ‘But I told you, Adam. My appearance is an accident of nature, and not of my own making.’

&n
bsp; ‘That’s true, but many lovely women think it enough to absolve them from the need to use their minds.’

  Perdita laughed. ‘I’ve seen it for myself, but it must be very dull to sit about looking decorative, and without an idea in one’s head.’

  ‘You won’t suffer that fate!’

  ‘Perhaps not, but I wish I had some ideas as to how we can help Louise. Is there nothing we can do?’

  ‘There is a great deal, Perdita. I believe that Verreker is still in Bath.’

  ‘In hiding?’

  ‘I think so. He must be behind this plot to injure her. It cannot be coincidence that she has been accused so quickly after she refused all idea of an elopement.’

  ‘It was a wicked plan,’ Perdita cried.

  ‘But not original. Your aunt will remember the first occasion. That time no charges were laid against the perpetrators.’

  ‘So Verreker must have felt that he too would be immune from prosecution if he were caught?’

  ‘Possibly. He is a desperate man. He must have thought it worth his while to attempt blackmail.’

  ‘But if he is in Bath it must be possible to find him, and what of the owners of the shop? They must be party to this plot?’

  ‘There must be a strong connection, and we shall find it, never fear. I took some action after you retired last evening.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I sent for the experts, Perdita. The Bow Street Runners are already on their way to Bath. They will keep a close watch on the shopkeeper. Verreker will be anxious to know how matters are proceeding. He cannot fail to contact his friends before too long.’

  ‘I still don’t understand,’ Perdita told him. ‘What benefit can it be to him to lay these charges against Louise and have her taken into custody? It can only be a longing for revenge.’

  ‘Not necessarily. He knows that she has powerful friends. Will they allow her to stand trial? He must believe that they will go to any lengths to avoid that slur upon her character.’

  ‘But if she is found to be innocent, as she must surely be, he can gain nothing.’