Finessing the Contessa

by Wendy Soliman

  “I’m sure she didn’t mean you shouldn’t eat. After all, you must have had to stop to change horses.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t like the places where we stopped. They were full of odd people and some of them frightened me.”

  “Oh dear.” Leah seemed genuinely sympathetic.

  Gabe supposed that posting inns would be disturbing places for a child and felt a modicum of pity for Julia’s plight.

  “When did your mother leave Hampshire?” Hal asked.

  “We left on the same day. We took the carriage to Portsmouth and waved Mama off.” Julia’s lower lip wobbled. “Then the carriage was dismissed and Miss Dawson and I had to travel by public coach.” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t care for our fellow travellers much and didn’t want to eat with them.”

  “Why did your mother not send you on in your own carriage?” Leah asked.

  “We don’t have one anymore. Mama sold it and hires one when we need to go anywhere.” The brothers exchanged a glance. Gabe hadn’t realised the Dowager Lady Denby’s circumstances were quite so desperate. Nor, apparently, had Hal. She had a comfortable income but presumably gambled most of it away. “We came as far as Dover on the public coach and then hired a curricle to bring us the rest of the way. It was very exhausting.”

  Gabe wondered at their stepmother’s neglect at sending a young girl on a long journey in such a slipshod manner. Gabe and his siblings had ample cause to criticise their father’s second wife, but on one subject they were all agreed. She adored her daughter and had bred her to expect nothing but the best, in spite of not being in a position to provide it for her. Julia was indulged, had been taught to think herself above her company, and lacked order and discipline in her life.

  Julia reached for a cake as soon as they appeared. Hal stopped her with a look and the child’s hand hung in the air halfway towards the cake stand.

  “If you’re hungry, Julia, eat some sandwiches first.”

  “I prefer cake.”

  “And you shall have some after you’ve eaten sandwiches.”

  She glanced up at Hal, appearing to assess her chances of getting away with insisting upon cake. With an elongated sigh, she reached for a sandwich instead.

  “How’s the new stallion been in my absence?” Gabe asked.

  “He’s settled well,” Hal replied. “You were right about him. He’s a decent beast.”

  “Oh, I have great plans for him. He’ll be the making of this stud, you just mark my words.”

  “He likes carrots,” Beth said.

  Gabe, who’d been unconsciously trying to ignore her, turned to her now. “You’ve met Rominus? I thought you didn’t care for fierce horses.”

  “There’s nothing fierce about Rominus. In fact he’s a sweetheart. He and I have cosy conversations almost every day.” Beth’s smile was radiant. “I’ll admit he doesn’t have a great deal to say for himself but he’s a good listener and does so enjoy the carrots I take him.”

  Hal laughed. “He clearly recognises a soft touch when he sees one.”

  “You enjoy horses, Miss Elliott?” Garman asked.

  “If they don’t try to bite me, I do.”

  “Well then, I hope I can—”

  Gabe didn’t learn the precise nature of Garman’s aspirations because the door opened again and Rob walked though it with one of the most beautiful women Gabe had ever seen on his arm. He exchanged a glance with Leah, whose face had lit up with lively interest.

  The lady wore a velvet travelling gown of deep green that wasn’t in the way of English fashion but which became her well. A straw bonnet failed to contain a riot of dark curls, and the enticing fragrance of gardenias clung to her.

  “Rob.” Hal stepped forward and shook his hand. “You made good time.”

  “Three days on the road and we’re exhausted.” He turned to his companion. “Contessa, may I present my brother Hal, Marquess of Denby? Hal, this is the Contessa Falzone.”

  Hal shot Rob an appraising glance over the contessa’s head as she dipped a curtsey.

  “Contessa, I’ve heard much about you and am delighted to make your acquaintance,” Hal said, taking her hand. “Welcome to my home.”

  “Thank you, Lord Denby. It’s most gracious of you to accommodate me at such a time.”

  Rob introduced the rest of the party. “And this,” he said, finishing with Julia, “is my half-sister.”

  “Are you foreign?” Julia asked, screwing up her eyes to peer at the contessa.

  “Julia!” snapped several Forster voices.

  “It’s all right,” the contessa said. “Yes, I come all the way from Sicily. Do you know where that is?”

  “My mama says foreigners are never to be trusted.”

  “Julia, go upstairs and find your governess,” Hal said.

  “But I want to—”

  “Now.”

  Julia, her face burning with the expression Gabe knew spelled trouble, rose to her feet and flounced from the room.

  “My apologies, contessa,” Hal said. “We’ve yet to drum manners into her.”

  “It’s of no consequence.” The contessa took the seat beside Leah and glanced at her midriff. “I’ve obviously come at an inconvenient time for you, for which I apologize.”

  “On the contrary,” Leah said. “I look forward to your companionship. I’m sure you and I will become firm friends.”

  The three brothers stood together, slightly apart from Leah and the contessa. “Wherever did you find such a gem, Rob?” Gabe asked.

  “That, little brother,” Rob said, yawning, “is a long story.”

  Gabe grinned. “And I have all the time in the world.”

  Rob shrugged. “You kept telling me chess was a dull business. Still feel that way?”

  Gabe muttered something rude and both his brothers laughed.

  “What’s to do with Julia?” Rob asked after Hal explained the reasons for her presence.

  “A very good question.” Hal looked annoyed. “I see three possible explanations. Either our stepmother has gone to do something underhand for Pallister, or she’s gone because her debts in this country have become too pressing—”

  “Hence leaving Julia, which is something I thought she would never do,” Rob said.

  “Nor me,” Gabe agreed.

  “Or, she’s decided that remarrying is her only option,” Hal said. “Her reputation precedes her in this country, reducing her chances of arranging a good match. But abroad, where she isn’t well known, she’ll be able to reinvent herself.”

  “And having a young daughter clinging to her skirts would be an inconvenience,” Gabe surmised.

  “But if she does remarry, she’ll lose her Hampshire home,” Rob reminded them.

  “Then she really must be desperate,” Gabe said. “But why mention Pallister in her letter?”

  “To annoy me, I expect,” Hal replied. “I don’t know if he’s involved in her affairs abroad or not, but something tells me I won’t remain in ignorance for long.”

  “Whatever she’s up to,” Rob said, scowling, “I don’t like it.”

  “Nor me,” Hal agreed. “But in the meantime, we can hardly turn her out, which is presumably what Lady Denby was relying upon.”

  “What about Giles?” Rob asked. “In a few weeks, school will be out for the summer.”

  “I imagine he’ll arrive on our doorstep, too,” Hal said.

  “I don’t mind Giles,” Gabe said. “I enjoy his company. He has a way with horses too, so he can make himself useful in the stud.”

  “I’ll write to Giles,” Hal said, “and see what he has to say for himself. But, in the meantime, what about Julia?”

  “It’s hardly Julia’s fault that she’s in this situation,” Leah said. “We shall m
ake her feel welcome and see what we can do to improve her manners whilst we’re about it.”

  “You’re a brave woman, Lady Denby,” Hal said, resting a hand on her shoulder and smiling down at her.

  “Certainly am I,” she replied, returning his smile. “After all, I married you, didn’t I?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rob changed for dinner and returned to the drawing room before either of his brothers, too anxious to talk to them privately to dawdle. When Hal and Gabe appeared, Rob poured whiskey for them all.

  “Okay, Rob,” Hal said. “Before the contessa comes down again, tell me everything you’ve learned about her situation.”

  “Everything?” Gabe echoed, raising both brows. “You sure about that?”

  “Trust me, little brother.” Rob grinned at Gabe. “You wouldn’t believe me, even if I was tempted to tell.”

  “It’s obvious from the way you treat her that you no longer think she’s the guilty party, Rob,” Hal said. “I need to hear what’s happened to make you form that view.”

  Rob spoke for ten minutes, telling them everything he knew about her marriage, her brother’s kidnapping, and the manner in which she was being manipulated.

  “What you say doesn’t come as that much of a surprise,” Hal said. “Everyone I spoke to in Sicily told me Gravina had fallen from grace rather spectacularly.”

  “How so?” asked Rob.

  “No one was precisely sure, but I wager it’s a familiar story. His judgement was impaired by greed. He saw the war as an opportunity to increase his wealth and position, but backed the wrong horse and took a pounding.”

  “He’s short of blunt?” Gabe asked.

  Rob scowled. “You think he was for Napoleon?”

  “Yes to both of those questions,” Hal replied without hesitation, turning his back to the fire and making protracted eye contact with Rob in the loaded silence that ensued.

  “How can you be so sure?” Rob asked.

  “Because it explains why he’s so anxious to get his hands on my report. If he knows which British merchants intend to renew their trading links with Sicily when its own government is restored to power, then he’ll have an advantage that will enable him to recover his position. But is the contessa trying to gull you?”

  “I didn’t believe her at first,” Rob said. “Her brother being produced in a public place like that just seemed too implausible. And the risks Gravina’s taking to get hold of the report seemed extreme. But I saw her meet with Maynard on Billingham’s estate. I couldn’t hear everything they said, but if they were acting, then they’d be a sensation at the Savoy Theatre.”

  Hal grunted. “Even so, she knew you were watching her so she had time to prepare her act.”

  “Yes, on that occasion, but she had no idea I was there when she met with Maynard in that posting inn. She sounded absolutely disgusted with him then.”

  Hal nodded but Rob could see he wasn’t convinced.

  “Now you’ve told me about Gravina’s financial situation,” Rob continued, “his actions make more sense. Desperate people and all that.”

  “Even so,” Gabe pointed out, “you have no independent way of confirming her story.”

  “Actually, I did.” Hal sent Rob an appraising glance. “After you sent me the address of the house she was sharing with her brother, I had it checked out. They have a cook and cleaning maid who go in daily but no live-in staff. Falzone hasn’t been seen for over a week. He apparently left a note for the cook saying her services wouldn’t be needed until further notice.”

  “He could have been forced to do that,” Rob retorted.

  “Yes, but was he forced to return and remove some of his clothing?”

  Rob’s head jerked up. “How do you know he did?”

  “The maid still goes in daily to dust and keep things tidy. She told my man that things had disappeared and she was worried she’d be accused of stealing them.”

  “The contessa said that her brother had been mistreated. Perhaps he was in need of clean clothes.” Rob knew it was a miserable explanation.

  “Very considerable kidnappers.” Hal patted Rob’s shoulder. “But I’m not entirely sure that you’re thinking with the correct part of your anatomy.”

  Rob felt his temper rise. “You trusted me with this mission.”

  “And I still trust you, but it pays to be cautious.”

  Rob swallowed down his drink along with his anger. He picked up the decanter and topped up his brothers’ glasses, then his own. “Did you meet Gravina when you were in Sicily?”

  “I didn’t actually speak with him, but at a reception someone pointed him out as a person of consequence.”

  “What did you make of him?”

  Hal sipped at his drink, taking a moment to consider Rob’s question. “I didn’t really have time to form an opinion. People seemed to either go out of their way to avoid him, or deliberately kowtowed.”

  “Strange he didn’t try to speak to you,” Gabe mused. “He must have known why you were there.”

  “Perhaps that’s why he didn’t.” Hal set his glass aside. “He didn’t want to show too much interest in my findings. Men of his ilk prefer underhand tactics.”

  “The contessa dislikes him intensely and couldn’t wait to remove herself from his control after her husband died.”

  “Did she give you reasons why?” Hal asked.

  “He was a bully and a tyrant, and tried to control everything she did.”

  Hal frowned. “Did she tell you he supported the French during the war? Or that he might be short of blunt?”

  “Well, no, but that doesn’t mean anything. She implied his trading business had suffered as a result of the war, which I suppose would imply a loss of income.”

  “If he supports the French still, then it means a great deal. You know as well as I do that there are still a lot of ambitious men in France smarting from Napoleon’s defeat, anxious to restore France as a leading power.”

  “I still don’t see what that has to do with...damnation!” Rob hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Sicily’s strategic position. He wants to find out how much money the British are prepared to pour into the country and for what purpose, so that the French can undercut us and gain a foothold in Sicily.”

  “It’s a game of political roulette, which Sicily can’t lose. The important location of their country assures them of that much, and well they know it,” Hal said. “It’s one of the reasons the content of my report is being so carefully guarded.”

  “Even so,” Rob retorted, “we have no way of knowing if that’s the game Gravina is playing.”

  “It’s one possibility,” Hal replied mildly. “Even you must concede that much.”

  “For what it’s worth, even if that is Gravina’s purpose, I’m convinced the contessa doesn’t know anything about it and isn’t working with him.” Rob flexed his jaw. “Unfortunately I have no way of proving it. Yet.”

  The entrance of Beth and the contessa brought this discussion to an end. Rob’s eyes were exclusively for the contessa, beautiful in the shimmering yellow silk he’d admired on her once before. The moment her gaze fell upon him he didn’t hear a word anyone said to him, barely even remembering there were others in the room.

  He stepped forward, took the contessa’s hand and kissed the back of it. His lips lingered as he met her gaze and smiled into her eyes. “Do you have everything you need?” he asked softly.

  “Thank you, yes.”

  “I called upon the contessa especially to make sure that she had,” Beth said in her usual quiet way. “The contessa has been telling me about Sicily and I have a longing to see it for myself.”

  “You once told me that you get seasick,” Gabe remarked.

  “True.” Beth pulled a face. “But
it might be worth the discomfort, if only to see the splendours of the Greek temple at Selinunte, or the Roman amphitheatre that Lady Falzone was just now describing to me.”

  As the contessa stood before him, serene on the surface but probably a bundle of uncertainty inside, Rob began to think the unthinkable.

  He’d been telling himself ever since he met her that his attraction was a transitory affair, but had probably always known he was deluding himself. Her intelligence, her beauty, her poise, her ability at chess—all these things made her stand out among her peers. He needed to protect her against all the slings and arrows being shot her way. He was convinced she wasn’t being deliberately deceitful, and would fight his brother tooth and nail to prove it.

  * * *

  Electra listened to the family chat away with an easy familiarity that tugged at her heartstrings. Her own family had been accustomed to communicate in such a fashion before she was torn from it and entered Gravina’s austere establishment aged just sixteen. The Forsters included her in their discourse but she still felt like the outsider that she was. Beneath his veneer of suave civility she was well aware that the marquess looked upon her with suspicion and distrust and could think of no way to convince him of her innocence.

  She learned that Lord Robert’s sister, Lady Felicity—nicknamed Flick—had recently married. Her husband was not only a barrister, but one who prosecuted famous treason cases. Electra wondered if the gods were sending her some sort of warning. Well, she heard them loud and clear and knew that remaining in England for one moment longer than absolutely necessary was now out of the question.

  She said little. All three brothers were impossibly handsome, attentive and charming, wearing their pristine evening clothes with an ease born of familiarity. But for Electra, Lord Robert was head and shoulders the most glamorous of the three. Each time he looked her way she was reminded of his passionate kisses, his engaging smiles, the longing he could stir within her with just one knowing look, and her insides melted with desire.

  She had dared to hope that a true friendship, or more, might spring up between them when this business was resolved, if only through their mutual love of chess. Now that she saw him in his magnificent ancestral surroundings, she realised just how unlikely that ambition was. The Forsters had been appalled at his half-sister’s comment about foreigners being untrustworthy, but the child had only said aloud what the majority of Englishmen probably thought. After all, someone must have put that notion into the girl’s head.