Grave Consequences (Grand Tour Series #2)

by Lisa T. Bergren

  I agreed, and we set off toward the big, curving staircase carpeted in red. Another series of windows alongside the stairs showcased the view of blue upon blue, and when we reached the top, the bellman led us down one hall, turned a corner, then down another. “Your key, mademoiselle?” he asked in heavily accented English. Here in Geneva, they spoke as much French as they did German.

  I handed it to him, and he quickly unlocked the tall door and entered, holding it open for me and then Anna. He moved past me and set down my two valises, then went to the windows and pulled aside the long, thick curtains, letting the sunshine stream in. Swiftly, he pointed out the hidden en suite bathroom door, as well as the door to my maid’s room, each cleverly papered to blend in with the rest of the wall. He disappeared for a moment and returned with a silver tray, on which was a pitcher of water, glasses, lemon slices, and a plate of cookies. “Anything else I might get for you, Mademoiselle Kensington?” he asked, straightening his white gloves.

  “No, thank you.” I fished a coin from my purse and handed it to him.

  “Ring for anything you need,” he said, pausing near the door and pointing to a pulley. “We’ll be at your door within a minute or two.”

  “Thank you.”

  Anna shut the door behind him and turned to me. “It’s a grand hotel, is it not?”

  “Truly.” Every time we checked into someplace new, I remembered being escorted from my beautiful room in Syon House in England to the servants’ quarters after the hosts learned of my scandalous parentage. Would I ever be free of that? It always made me glad to be staying in a paid room rather than relying on the kindness of distant relatives or acquaintances who might pass judgment on me and find me wanting.

  I strode toward the windows and gazed at the whitecaps blowing across the water. It was sunny but quite breezy outside, no doubt to the delight of the many sailors upon the water. “Do you think Arthur was serious?” I asked, looking at Anna over my shoulder. “That we might be able to sail tomorrow?”

  “No doubt,” she said, moving toward my valises. “Now let me see to your garden ensemble for tonight. And if tomorrow is to hold some sailing for you, you’ll need something ironed for that as well.”

  “Thank you, Anna.”

  She pulled a neatly folded pile of clothes from a valise, sorted through them, and selected a white linen blouse and a straight navy skirt. “What do you think? For tomorrow? I can fetch your white hat from the trunks.”

  “Perfect.”

  “And how about your light blue dress for tonight’s garden party? It’s so pretty with your eyes.”

  “Again, that would be perfect.”

  Someone knocked on the door, and Anna went to answer it. Outside, a bellman held a vase with a bounty of beautiful, long-stemmed red roses in a crystal vase. “Flowers for Miss Cora Kensington,” he said.

  “You can set them there,” Anna said, gesturing toward a small, round mahogany table between two wing-backed chairs.

  “Of course,” he said. Anna took care to tip him, and he exited, closing the door quietly behind him.

  But my eyes ran across the gorgeous blossoms, a perfect ruby red. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” I asked her.

  “No, miss,” Anna said, eyes round with awe. “There must be three dozen flowers in that vase!”

  I spotted a small envelope in the midst of all the foliage and reached for it. I tore open the flap and slipped out the tiny card. Look upon these flowers and think of me, it read. As I’ll be thinking of you. I smiled. Had Will done something so extravagant as this? When funds were so short? I tapped my bottom lip with the edge of the card and then read it again. How irresponsible and reckless of him…and romantic…

  “Who sent them, miss?” Anna asked, pausing with my clothes over her arm.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “There is no name.”

  “But you have a guess,” she said with an impish smile.

  “Indeed,” I returned dreamily. It was smart of him not to sign the card. If one of my sisters happened to come to my room and see it…

  “Well, get a little rest in, and I’ll be back to see you into your gown and re-pin your hair.”

  “Thank you, Anna.” I pulled off my gloves and unpinned my hat, setting both on a shelf in the armoire. Then I sat down on the edge of the bed, unlaced my boots, and lay down. I thought it wise—her suggestion I nap—but all I could do was stare at the roses again and again and think, He loves me.

  I hurried down the staircase, eager to join the others in the gardens, where they were gathering for the party. From snatches of conversation about me, I gathered that today had been the first of several days of racing, and tomorrow afternoon was to be a leisurely sail for which all of Geneva would turn out. I eagerly looked from face to face, looking for my travel party, but most of all, Will.

  A group of several gentlemen turned to watch me pass by, but I paid them no attention. I only wanted to see William and thank him for his grand gift. There they are. At least Lil and Nell and Vivian are here. I tried to adopt a more subdued, demure expression once I made eye contact with Viv. The last thing she needed was my giddiness in the face of trying to figure out whether she was in love or not. “Good evening, ladies,” I said, drawing near. I didn’t miss the quick, wary glances Lil and Nell shot in Vivian’s direction.

  Lil and Nell put on overly cheery grins, while Viv at least managed to smile in greeting. “Did you all get a little rest?” I said.

  “Who could rest?” Lil said, bouncing on her toes, her ringlets bouncing with her. “I can’t wait to go sailing. Can you?”

  “No,” I said. “I’m very excited about that. I’ve never been on a pleasure boat before. Have you?”

  All three shook their heads. Sensing that this might be the only opening I might have, I took Vivian’s arm. “Might I have a word with you, Vivian?”

  She paused and then nodded, and we stepped a few paces away from the girls. “Vivian, I’m so sorry that our conversation the other night seems to have led you into some trouble with Andrew. I never thought—”

  “No,” she said, lifting a hand to her temple. “It is I who am sorry, taking it out on you. It’s all right, Cora. You simply asked me a question I was unprepared to answer. And it seems that Andrew was unprepared as well.”

  I leaned closer to her. “You still care for him?”

  She nodded quickly. “Of course.”

  “But you are not certain you love him.”

  She paused and then slowly shook her head. She looked up into my eyes, cocking her head. “We’ve always been together, really. From the time we were toddlers, our mothers always talked about us getting married someday.”

  “And so it was simply…assumed?” I took her hands in mine. “Vivian, you must not feel entrapped. You are a beautiful woman of poise and class. Surely, this small separation will make Andrew examine his heart, and he’ll discover he loves you. And if he does not, he doesn’t deserve you!”

  Vivian slipped her hands from mine and bit her lip. “It is not that simple, Cora. Father wants this.”

  I considered her tone for a moment. It said that I couldn’t possibly understand. Because we were raised in such different circumstances? “Regardless, in a union of any sort—whether between farmers or the well-to-do—God ordains that it is love that binds us, does He not?”

  “I am fond of Andrew.” There was a measure of defensiveness in her tone now. But I couldn’t keep from saying what I thought I must—what I thought no one else dared. Simply because the copper kings wanted it to be so…

  “Vivian, I understand you are fond of him. But what of his quick temper?”

  She frowned at me, and I could tangibly feel her slipping away. “Many men have quick tempers. A lady simply learns to manage it. I think it rather attractive, actually. He’s so powerful.” She looked over my shoulder and scanned the crowd. I followed her glance and saw Hugh and Andrew approaching.

  “Vivian,” I said, catching her hand,
my desperation to reach her rising. “You’re fond of him. But I’ll ask it again. Do you love him?”

  “Sometimes, Cora,” she said with a sniff, “it is not love that is required of us, but other things.”

  She left me—feeling utterly confused—as she went to Andrew, offering him her hands and then her cheeks for him to kiss, one and then the other, in the European style. His eyes shifted over to me, with a mixture of suspicion and triumph. He’d not bothered to apologize for last night—not even a note of regret. Perhaps he didn’t even remember it, given how much he’d imbibed.

  I stifled a sigh. It was up to them, not me. And if their rift had been bridged, at least Andrew likely wouldn’t come after me again if he had a few too many glasses of champagne at the party.

  Were the Morgan and Kensington patriarchs so powerful that they forced even their children to kowtow to their wishes?

  “Did I see roses headed toward your room?” Hugh asked, sidling near.

  “Perhaps.” I gave him a brief smile, then looked through the crowds, hoping to see William.

  “A secret admirer?” he asked. By the lilt in his voice, I knew he knew more than he was saying. I quickly scanned his face, worried for a moment that it had been he who had sent the arrangement.

  “It appears so,” I said. “It was unsigned.”

  “Well, that is mysterious,” he said.

  “Indeed.” I squinted up at him, studying his expression. “Hugh…did you send them to me? To toy with my emotions?”

  “Me?” he said, bringing a hand to his chest, his eyebrows arching in surprise. “No, my dear. I require at least a kiss before I send such an extravagant gift to the women in my life,” he said. “Now that can be arranged….”

  “Hugh.”

  “All right,” he said. “You are truly in the dark as to who might have sent them?”

  “A bit,” I hedged.

  “Something tells me you’ll know before the night is over.” He turned to shake hands with Felix, and, a moment later, Art and William joined us too, followed by Yves and Claude. I smiled at Will, and his eyes flashed with curiosity at my bold manner. Quickly, I looked away; at least he’d know I was thankful for his grand gesture. I hoped there would be dancing at the party and he’d find an excuse to take me for a turn on the floor.

  Together, our group moved out of the hotel and down the front walk, then to the right, toward the private gardens and beach. I was thankful that the wind had died down, leaving the water fairly still, the boats moored just offshore, others in slips down in the harbor a half mile distant. The city spread upon the hills below, reaching higher and higher to mountains above. And down here, by the lake, there were orderly lines of trees and hedges. A tent had been erected, and inside were elegant tables full of food. Waiters circulated among the guests, bearing trays with glasses of champagne and sparkling pink soda water.

  I selected a glass of the soda, taking a sip. It tasted sweet, of raspberries with sugar.

  “Come, Cora!” Lil said, coming to take me by the hand. “The dancing has started, and no one will ask us to dance if we’re hiding up here in the tent.”

  “You two go on,” Nell said, a plate of food already in her hand. She appeared to have more interest in the mounds of food on the buffet table than any dancing. “I’ll join you in a moment.”

  Two gentlemen watched us pass, open admiration in their eyes. “You look beautiful tonight, Lil,” I said, glancing over to my younger half sister. “Is that a new dress?”

  “It is, but you know as well as I that those men were watching you pass, not me.”

  “You never know,” I said, smiling at her. “You’ve grown up while we’ve been on tour. You’re coming into your own. Soon you’ll have your own suitors.”

  “Maybe,” she said, her cheeks drawing a pretty blush at my praise. “Though Father will have a say in who will be welcomed at our door.”

  “Well, Father isn’t here now. What’s to keep a Kensington girl from a little innocent flirting?”

  Her green eyes—so unlike mine and Felix’s—went wide with surprise and delight.

  We reached the edge of the park where it bordered the lake. The sun was setting now, casting lovely reds and oranges into the sky, and mirrored in the water. The rows of electric lights extended out onto three floating platforms, where a string quartet was playing a lively tune and couples were already dancing. “Oooh, look,” Lillian said, pulling my attention to the right.

  I followed where she pointed. A juggler was sending seven balls up and into an oblong circle above his head; then, every third ball, he caught one behind his back. The small crowd gathered around him clapped as he took off his shoe and added that to the mix.

  “And there are games!” Lil said, pulling me forward. I looked around and saw Antonio following behind us. As usual, we had our guard, which comforted me more than irritated me in this distracting new environment. Antonio would make certain no harm came to me or Lil. I could simply enjoy the party.

  Lil and I did our best to toss beanbags through a board with five holes, failing miserably at the task, then we went on to watch a magician atop a wide, overturned barrel. His eyes moved over us, and he smiled. He beckoned Lil closer, and we stepped forward. “M’ladies,” he said with a British accent and a gallant bow. But when he straightened, he frowned at Lillian. “Are you American, miss?”

  “Why, yes,” she said.

  “Is it your custom to wear coins behind your ears?”

  “What? I don’t have—”

  But he was already reaching up to her ear and pulled a gold coin from it.

  “What… How did you…?” she said in delighted wonder, fingering the gold coin a moment before handing it back to him.

  “And My Lady of the Blossom,” he said, looking to me. He leaned closer, and I smelled it before I saw it. A red rosebud. He grinned and handed it to me, and I furtively looked around for Will. Had he arranged this? Or was it a coincidence?

  We moved on to the next station, a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Lil and I were both blindfolded, turned several times, and sent in the direction of the target. People laughed and shouted at us, mostly in French and German, which didn’t help us at all, of course. We called out to each other and eventually found our goal and pinned our “tails” on. I lifted my blindfold to see how I did, and there, at the top of the target, was a long-stemmed rose, sitting atop it. “Lil, did you see who put that there?” I asked, turning to peruse the crowd, looking for Will.

  “The tail?”

  “No, the rose!”

  She shook her head. “Wasn’t it there all along?”

  “I don’t think so,” I mumbled, disappointed when Will didn’t appear. I edged closer to Antonio. “Did you see who pinned the rose there, Antonio?”

  He gave me a confused look and glanced to the target. “No. It wasn’t there before?”

  “No. I don’t think so.” Maybe it was my imagination. I simply had roses on my mind, and I was paying more attention to them than any of my companions were. It was an odd coincidence, nothing more.

  The two young gentlemen who had watched us pass earlier were suddenly before us. “Ladies,” said one in a heavy German accent. “Might you favor us with a dance?”

  Lil smiled and ducked her head, blushing, but I looked from one to the other and then glanced over to make sure our guardian was still in place. “Certainly. We would have your names first, however.”

  “I am Gebhard Schlict,” said the younger one, his eyes shifting to Lil in open admiration. He had fair hair and beautiful blue-green eyes. “And this is my cousin, Sebastian Schlict.” His relative was taller, with sandy hair and brown eyes, pleasing enough to look at and friendly in demeanor.

  “We’re glad to make your acquaintance,” I said, giving them a small curtsy. “I am Cora Diehl Kensington, and this is my sister Lillian.”

  “You are Kensingtons?” said the younger man with a bit of awe in his tone. He shared a look with his cousin. “You
are kin to Wallace Kensington, of America?”

  “One and the same,” I said, wondering over the strange wave of pride I felt at the instant respect the Kensington name commanded. In the short time the name had been mine, I’d certainly come to enjoy that.

  I took the older cousin’s arm, and we made our way down to the floating platforms, walking across a gangplank to enter the least crowded one. The men spoke excitedly of their family enterprise mining in the Alps, and they wondered if our father accompanied us. They barely hid their disappointment when we let them know he did not, but still they managed to lead us gallantly through a turkey trot and then a waltz as the last rays of the setting sun gave way to the gathering dark.

  When we exited and thanked our partners for the dances, I spied Will, high on the hill beside Art, near the tent. He smiled at me and lifted his champagne flute. My stomach rumbled, and I thought it might be a most excellent time to return to the tent for food. But a servant came up to me then, a red rose in his hand. “Pardon me, mademoiselle,” he said, with a crisp bow. “My lord bids you follow the trail,” he said, gesturing back behind him. Even in the growing darkness, I could see the meandering trail of red rose petals up the grass to the top of the hill. “Your lord, is it?” I asked, taking the rose from him and looking for Will again. He had disappeared. Was he waiting for me at the end of the trail? I grinned, and, seeing that Antonio was absorbed in keeping watch over Lil, who was still chatting with the young, blond Gebhard, I turned and slipped away. A moment alone with Will, to thank him, would be so lovely.…

  I picked up my skirts and hurried up the grassy knoll, ignoring Hugh’s questioning gaze as I passed. The trail extended into a gazebo, illuminated by a gas lamp. I hesitated and looked back over my shoulder. The nearest people were now twenty yards away. “Will?” I whispered. I tentatively climbed the steps into the gazebo.

  A man in a formal black jacket leaned against the far railing, deep in shadow. It took me a moment, but before he had taken three steps, I knew he wasn’t William.