by Anne Herries
If he had any he would make them clear himself in time. Amelia’s thoughts turned once more to Marguerite. She fully intended to make sure that Marguerite had every chance to meet a decent gentleman—and to help persuade her parents if the chance of a marriage presented itself.
Chapter Six
‘Mr Sinclair’s father has died?’ Emily was shocked and distressed when Amelia told her the news the next morning. ‘How terribly sad! I had no idea that he was so ill.’
‘I do not believe anyone realised quite how precarious his health was—at least no one outside the family.’
‘I thought…how selfish of me to be so upset about my own concerns.’ Emily blushed. ‘If Toby has been caught up in family problems—’ She broke off and shook her head. ‘No, I must not allow myself to hope. If he wished to communicate with me he could have sent me a letter.’
‘I dare say he may have had too much on his mind.’
‘You said he wrote to Helene to tell her the news—could he not have written to us?’
‘He could…but perhaps he felt a letter inappropriate. What he has to say to you must be said face to face.’
‘You are trying to make me feel better, but you did not see his expression when I told him about my child.’ Emily raised her head. ‘It would be foolish to imagine that this changes anything. If Mr Sinclair comes to the ball, I shall greet him as if nothing has happened between us, but I dare say his mama will need him with them for some time.’
‘Yes, I think you may be right,’ Amelia agreed. ‘However, you should not give up hope entirely, dearest.’
‘It was foolish of me to think that I might marry. My father told me that no decent man would want me and he is right.’ The sheen of tears was in Emily’s eyes, but she held them back. ‘Perhaps we should go down now, Amelia. We do not wish to keep everyone waiting.’
Amelia did not answer. She knew that Emily was suffering, but there was no cure for a broken heart, as she had discovered to her cost when she was younger. Time alone would soften the hurt. She could only hope that Toby Sinclair would not visit Coleridge unless he was prepared to say something of importance to Emily.
‘Now that I understand the circumstances I am prepared to make allowances for Toby,’ Amelia told Gerard when they walked together in the long gallery later that day. ‘However, I think that he might have made an effort to write to Emily—if only to tell her of his father’s death.’
‘Letters are sometimes too difficult to write,’ Gerard said. He stopped walking and looked at her. ‘Think of the wasted years, Amelia. Had I written to you at the time, we might have saved ourselves so much unhappiness.’ He reached out to touch her face, remembered sorrow in his eyes. ‘If you knew of all the tortured nights I spent thinking of you…longing for you. I should never have let your brother poison my mind against you. I should have known that he lied when he said that you had asked him to send me a message.’
‘Is that what he said to you? How dared he? You must know that I would never have done something like that.’
‘Afterwards, when I had time to think it over, I began to see that I had been a fool to believe him, but at first I was too bitter. I married Lisette while still resenting both you and Michael, Amelia. And then it was too late…’
Amelia took a step towards him. Her body throbbed with a deep and urgent desire, making her discard her usual reserve. ‘You were not alone in your despair, Gerard. I thought that I should never know the happiness of loving…never feel the touch of a lover’s hand…because I could not forget you even though others asked for me.’
‘That would have been a sin.’ He smiled, his eyes warm with laughter. ‘I know there is passion in you.’ He reached forwards, bending his head to kiss her. Amelia did not hold back, clinging to him, giving herself to him without reserve. ‘I can hardly wait for our wedding night.’
‘Nor I.’
‘Perhaps we need not wait…’ Gerard was about to kiss her again when they both heard something. He looked beyond her at a woman who stood watching them from the other end of the gallery. ‘We are not alone.’
‘Forgive me,’ the woman said and came forwards. She was a tall woman, slim with silky blonde hair that was caught back from her face in a severe style, and her gown was a dull grey that did nothing for her complexion. ‘Lady Coleridge thought I might find you here. I wanted to let you know I had arrived, Amelia—but I did not mean to intrude.’
‘Marguerite!’ Amelia exclaimed in surprise. ‘My dear friend. I am so pleased that you came. I hoped your parents would permit it, but I was not sure. I have had no word that you were coming.’
‘I have not been well. Nothing serious, merely a chill. However, Mama thought it would do me good to have a change of air—and of course she is always willing to oblige you, Amelia.’
‘How is your dear mama?’
‘Very well, thank you.’
‘Gerard—this is Miss Marguerite Ross.’ Amelia turned to him. ‘I am not sure if you know each other? Marguerite’s family lived near my father’s home when I was a girl. You may have met her when you visited the area. You stayed with friends for some weeks one summer—Max and one other were also visiting in the district…Marguerite, this gentleman is the Earl of Ravenshead. We are engaged and it is his daughter that I have asked you to come and meet.’
Gerard extended his hand. ‘I do not think we can have met. I am certain I should have remembered. It is a pleasure to meet any friend of Amelia’s, Miss Ross.’
Amelia realised he was puzzled and explained, ‘Marguerite’s parents do not go out much in society. I asked her to come and stay with us. I believe she might enjoy helping me with Lisa. I do not think we need another nanny. Lisa has her nurse and Marguerite has often told me that she adores children—is that not so, my love?’
‘Yes, indeed that is true, Amelia.’ Marguerite did not take Gerard’s hand. Instead she dipped a curtsy, her head bowed. ‘I am sure we have not met, sir. I am delighted to be here and I hope I may be of service to Amelia and you.’
‘I am certain you will.’ Amelia smiled. ‘You are not to think you are a servant, Marguerite, though I shall of course make you an allowance. It will be a pleasure to me to have you live with us—and I shall always be certain that Lisa is safe in your care.’
‘I promise you that the child will be cared for as if she were my own,’ Marguerite said. ‘I shall not intrude on you longer, Amelia. I merely wanted you to know that I was here.’ She turned to leave, but Amelia put out a hand to stop her, giving Gerard an apologetic glance. ‘Forgive me, Gerard. I want to make sure that Marguerite is settled in—and to introduce her to Lisa…’
‘Yes, of course. I must speak to Max about something. I shall see you this evening.’
‘You will excuse us?’
‘Yes. Please go with Miss Ross.’
Amelia held out her hand to Marguerite, who smiled and took it. She felt a little regretful as she glanced back at Gerard and saw him staring after them. They had reached a new stage of their relation ship and it was a pity they had been interrupted. However, they had a whole lifetime ahead of them and she did want to make sure that Marguerite was comfortable.
Gerard stared after them as they left. He had said that he did not recognise Miss Ross; indeed, he could not recall having met her—and yet there was something at the back of his mind. She had looked at him oddly when he said that they had not met, a flicker of annoyance or resentment in her eyes.
Was it possible that they had met at some time in the past? He knew that any woman might feel offended if a gentleman they remembered claimed not to recall their meeting. The name Ross seemed to ring a chord in his subconscious, but he could not immediately find a reason for it.
He must be mistaken. Had they met before he would surely have remembered. Miss Ross was not beautiful, but she was not unattractive. Indeed, she might look very well dressed in a different style. She reminded him of someone, but he could not place the memory.
It wo
uld come to him in time. He gave it up and went in search of Max. He had hoped to spend an hour or so with Amelia, but since she was otherwise engaged, he would seek out his friend.
‘You look thoughtful.’ Max, Lord Coleridge, raised his brows as Gerard entered the library. ‘Has something happened to trouble you? You have not received another threat?’
‘No. Though the broken doll was, according to Northaven, a warning and not a threat. As you know, I expected there might be an attempt to hold up the carriage on the way here. It would have been easy enough to make it appear the work of a highwayman. However, we were strong enough to fight off a gang of ruffians and perhaps they knew it…which begs the question: how do they know where we go and what we do?’
‘A spy in our midst, you think?’ Max Coleridge frowned. ‘A servant, perhaps—the nanny you dismissed?’
‘She could certainly have passed on information after I asked Amelia to marry me, but I doubt she knew anything of her until then.’
‘Do you trust Northaven?’ Max asked. ‘You told me that he brought Miss Barton back to you after she was abducted—but could that not have been arranged to gain your confidence? A ruse to get close to you?’
‘Harry and I thought of that, but we believed him genuine in his desire to make amends. I believe we may have misjudged him. He is by no means a knight in shining armour, but may not be the traitor we thought him in Spain.’
‘You say he believed he knew where he might find this Lieutenant Gordon—if that is the rogue’s real name?’ Max picked a speck of fluff from his otherwise immaculate coat. ‘I suppose you have heard nothing from him?’
‘Not as yet,’ Gerard said. ‘Perhaps Gordon will give up his attempts now that he knows we are aware of him.’
‘Do you really believe that? If he hates you, as seems to be the case, can you see him just giving up and walking away?’
Gerard sighed. ‘If I speak truly, no. I suppose I hoped that he might have decided we are too well protected, but I dare say he will simply become more devious.’
‘Exactly. We must remain alert at all times, Gerard. Helene has invited so many guests to the ball that it would be an ideal moment to strike. I shall have the grounds patrolled all night, every night—-but I think we should have a man on guard outside Amelia’s door at night too, just in case.’
‘As long as the ladies are not aware of it. We must dress the guard as a footman or we may alarm the guests.’
‘Certainly. I am sure we have enough livery to accommodate your men, Gerard.’
‘Would you rather we went home and saved you the bother? It is a lot to ask of you, Max. I should not have brought this trouble to your house.’
‘Damn you, Gerard! We swore to be true friends in Spain, to help each other in time of need. If it had not been for you, Helene might have died last summer. You stood by me then and I shall stand by you now.’
‘Thank you. Both you and Harry have been the best friends a man could have,’ Gerard said. ‘I do not know why I am so uneasy. I have a feeling that the danger is closer than we imagine—but I have no idea why…’
‘Emily, my love. This lady is Marguerite Ross—I mentioned to you that she was coming to live with us.’
‘Miss Ross.’ Emily dipped a curtsy. ‘I am so happy to meet you. I am Emily Barton—Amelia’s companion. I hope you will be happy with us. Indeed, I know you must be. Amelia is the most generous of friends.’
‘Miss Barton—may I call you Emily?’ Marguerite gave her a nervous smile. ‘I am so fortunate that Amelia wrote to Mama. My life has been…less than happy since…’ She sighed and shook her head. ‘No, I shall not dwell on the past. I am here now and I am looking forward to my duties and helping Amelia where I can.’
‘You will not find your duties onerous,’ Amelia said. ‘Lisa has her nurse. Nurse Mary will continue to care for her clothes and to give Lisa her meals. All I ask of you is that you will read to Lisa, play with her—and perhaps help her to study books I shall provide for her pleasure. She is too young for a governess as yet, but she needs friends. I want you to be her friend, Marguerite.’
‘She is an adorable child. It will be no hardship to be Lisa’s friend,’ Marguerite said. ‘She is a fortunate child to have a stepmother like you, Amelia. Most women in your place would not wish to take on the daughter of their husband’s first wife. They would employ a strict nanny and stay away from the nursery.’
‘The earl has just dismissed one nanny for being too strict,’ Emily said with a little frown.
Marguerite turned her gaze on her. ‘Has he, indeed? I remember our nanny was very strict. Papa told her she must make sure we behaved ourselves. I dare say it did us no harm.’
‘I am sure it did not,’ Amelia said, ‘but I love Lisa as if she were my own. I intend to spend some time with her myself most days. However, there will be times when I cannot and then I shall be able to relax in the knowledge that you are caring for her. I know my dear Emily would care for her, but she may have other concerns. Emily does so much for me.’
Amelia smiled at her companion. Had it not been for Emily’s hopes of marriage she would probably not have thought of bringing Marguerite here, but she was pleased that she had done so. The young woman had been living a terrible life, because her parents had made her suffer for her sister’s shame and it was not fair.
‘However, you must not think that I asked you here simply to be Lisa’s friend, Marguerite. You will live as one of the family and accompany us when we go visiting. Lady Coleridge is holding a ball this weekend. I hope you have a suitable gown?’
‘I have not had a new ball gown for years.’ Marguerite looked distressed. ‘I have nothing suitable. I did not realise that I should need one and brought only a few things with me.’
‘We are of a similar size.’ Amelia’s eyes went over her. ‘I think that my clothes may fit you, though you may need to adjust the hems slightly. I have a new green gown that I have not worn. I think it will suit you well, Marguerite.’ She glanced at her feet. ‘I do not think my shoes will fit, for I have smaller feet than you do. Emily—do you have a pair of dancing slippers that might fit Marguerite?’
‘Yes, I think I have a pair I have worn only once. You can try them on and see,’ Emily said. ‘I shall be very happy to give them to you, for I have several pairs to choose from.’
‘You are both very kind.’ Marguerite’s eyes held a glimmer of tears. ‘I do not know how to thank you.’
‘When we go down to Ravenshead I will commission a seamstress and a shoemaker. I shall need a trousseau and you may as well be fitted out at the same time,’ Amelia said. ‘No, do not thank me, Marguerite. I have been very fortunate and it is my pleasure to help others less so. All I truly want is for us to live comfortably together.’
Marguerite dabbed at her eyes with a lace kerchief that smelled of rose water. ‘I do not know what I have done to deserve such kindness from you.’
‘I was distressed when Lucinda took her own life,’ Amelia replied. ‘She was my friend. I did not know you as well, Marguerite, but I have often thought of you. Had I realised sooner how your life had changed, I should have done more to help you.I know your mama refused to allow you to stay with me, but had I appealed to her personally, she might have done so. I shall write and thank her for allowing you to come to me.’
‘Mama admires you, Amelia. I am sure she needs no thanks for agreeing to something that costs her so little.’
‘Nevertheless, I shall write to her.’ Amelia smiled. ‘It will be so pleasant to have your company, Marguerite.’ She turned to Emily, missing the odd look in Marguerite’s eyes. ‘Will you help Marguerite settle in, dearest? I am going to sort out a few gowns that I do not need. I shall bring them to your room later, Marguerite. You would look well in green or blue—colours will suit you so much better than that grey gown.’
‘Come with me, Marguerite,’ Emily invited. ‘I shall show you the rooms we mostly use here—and then you may try on those dancing slippers
.’
Amelia found six gowns that she thought might appeal to Marguerite. She chose a green ball gown that she had never worn, ablue evening dress, a silver grey evening dress, two afternoon dresses and a striped green morning gown. She added a spangled shawl, two pairs of evening gloves and a velvet evening purse.
She judged that the gowns would be enough to see Marguerite through their short stay at Coleridge. Once they were at Ravenshead, she would order new gowns for all of them.
‘Martha, would you take these to Miss Ross’s room, please?’ Amelia said when she had finished laying out the clothes. ‘You may take the silvergrey gown first and the others can follow later. I am not sure whether Miss Ross has a gown pressed for this evening, but this one is ready to wear.’
‘Yes, Miss Royston. Are you sure you meant to give this ball gown away, miss? It is new and your favourite colour.’
‘It becomes me well, but I have many others. My friend was unable to bring much with her and she will need these gowns until new ones can be ordered.’
‘Yes, miss. I just wanted to be sure.’
Amelia smiled to herself as the maid took the gown away. She was dressed ready for the evening and she wanted to go down early. She had sensed that Gerard was surprised by Marguerite’s arrival and she ought to explain that she had said nothing to him only because she had not been sure her friend would come. She had not expected Marguerite to simply arrive, imagining that she would receive a letter from Mrs Ross in the first instance.
Now that she had a moment to herself, she was at last at liberty to think about the scene in the library with Gerard. He had kissed her and she had not held back. What might have happened had Marguerite not come in at that moment?
Gerard had told her more of his feelings when Michael had him thrashed and sent him away. He had spoken of his bitterness, his longing for her and lonely nights. For the first time Amelia understood how he had felt, realising that his pain had been as deep as hers, if not deeper. He had been hurt and humiliated—her brother’s bullies had been too many and too strong for him to fight back.
