Last Gentleman Standing

by Jane Ashford

  Now that the duchess appeared to be all right, Elisabeth’s curiosity awakened. “What happened?” she asked. “What upset you so?”

  But her guest was not in the mood for revelations. “Never mind, young lady. An old woman may faint as she pleases, I suppose.”

  Elisabeth directed a puzzled glance at her son, but he shrugged helplessly, obviously as mystified by this development as she.

  The duchess heaved herself up a little higher on the sofa pillows and made an obvious effort to change the subject. “You must tell me what you think of these wedding plans,” she said to Elisabeth. “Lavinia and I have discussed everything with Belinda, but I have not heard your opinion.” The engaged pair, hearing this subject broached, returned to their private dialogue. The duchess smiled. “I believe Belinda wants to dazzle the ton and properly cap the season with the festivities. It is to be the final week, you know.”

  Though her curiosity remained strong, Elisabeth allowed herself to be diverted. “Yes,” she nodded. “I think you are right. She means it to be dazzling.”

  The duchess leaned back, smiling slightly. “Well, that is permissible, I suppose. My mother felt the same; she sent me off with a flourish.”

  “You had a large wedding?” replied Elisabeth encouragingly.

  “Mammoth. Do you remember, Lavinia?” The duchess’s eyes grew faraway as Lavinia enthusiastically affirmed that she did.

  “I imagine that everyone dressed in satin coats and knee britches then. Mr. Aldgate still wears them. Isn’t that odd?” Elisabeth couldn’t resist one more try to find out what had upset the duchess.

  The older woman’s eyes regained their customary sharpness. “Indeed,” she replied dryly. “It was the fashion of the time.” She sat up straight again. “I believe I am fully recovered, but perhaps I should return home early to rest. John.” Her son rose and gave her his arm; a footman was hurriedly sent to summon her carriage.

  “Well,” said Elisabeth when they were gone, “that was certainly curious. I wonder what made her faint?”

  “Oh, I hope she’s not ill,” added Lavinia.

  “She’s no longer young,” Belinda put in from the doorway. “I suppose some weakness must be expected.”

  Elisabeth shook her head. “It was something else, I think, but what?” She had no chance to speculate further, for the duke reentered the room then, followed by Lord James Darnell and Ames with the tea tray.

  The new caller came directly to Elisabeth’s side and took the seat vacated by the duchess. “Thank heaven you are back,” he said. “Town has been utterly flat without you. I cannot count the dull parties where I longed for your presence.”

  “Good evening, Lord Darnell,” replied Elisabeth with a smile. “How is your mother?”

  The young man looked at her suspiciously, but Elisabeth’s expression was bland as she bent to make the tea. “She’s well,” he answered. “You missed Lady Sefton’s rout party, you know. And the balloon ascension in Hyde Park. That was fascinating.”

  “And how do your sisters do?” asked Elisabeth, handing Lavinia her cup.

  Lord Darnell paused before answering; a twinkle started in his eyes. “They are also well. Longing to see you again. They were quite thrown into raptures over you, you know, particularly Aurelia.”

  Elisabeth choked with laughter as she gave him his tea, shaking the cup and nearly spilling it over his knee. “Really?” she said when she could speak. “I am flattered.”

  Lord Darnell took a sip of tea. “Of course you are,” he agreed with his engaging crooked smile. Elisabeth found, somewhat to her surprise, that she was truly glad to see him again.

  “And I am trying desperately to amuse you,” he continued, “so that you will realize how you missed me off in the country. What made you rusticate in the middle of the season?”

  Elisabeth’s merriment faded a little. She remembered that she hadn’t told Lord Darnell about Tony’s disappearance. “Ah, well,” she answered lightly, “there is a great deal of construction going on at my country house, you know.” This was not a lie, she told herself guiltily.

  Her companion nodded. “I’m certain it will be the showplace of its neighborhood. I should like to see it.” He looked at Elisabeth suggestively, his blue eyes wide.

  She laughed. “Were you not taught that it is improper to dangle after invitations?” she asked him teasingly.

  “On the contrary, I was taught that it was vital. How else is one to be invited?”

  “Oh, how can you be so outrageous?”

  Lord Darnell looked solemn. “It is a rare talent,” he said. “Many have remarked on it with envy. It appears one must be born to it. I have not succeeded in teaching anyone how to do it properly.”

  Elisabeth laughed again, shaking her head helplessly.

  Darnell smiled at her once more. “Admit it,” he cried. “You have missed me. Who in the country amused you so?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “My cousin is quite amusing,” she replied.

  “Tony?” Lord James looked incredulous. “Oh, he is well enough, but just a boy.”

  “Young but promising,” laughed Elisabeth, “and his dog is a continuous source of surprises.”

  Darnell seemed both pained and astonished. “Are you comparing me to a dog now?” He fell back onto the sofa in mock prostration. “Tipped me a settler once again.”

  Just then, Jane Taunton came into the room, followed soon after by Lord Larenby and his wife and daughter, and their group assumed the dimensions of a small party. Elisabeth was kept busy serving tea and greeting them. But there was no sign of Derek Wincannon, and his family made no mention of him.

  When Elisabeth told Jane something of her adventure, she was frankly envious. “Why did you not take me along?” she asked. “It is just what I have needed, some real excitement. I’m getting a bit tired of sitting in my two little rooms day after day. And what a story I could make of it!”

  Elisabeth smiled. “I am sure you could. But I found that adventures make much better reading than doing. I spent much of my time feeling anxious and acquiring a host of sore muscles.”

  Jane looked at her ruefully. “Now you sound just like everyone who has done exciting things. But I’m not taken in. You do it just to discourage me, I know, and keep me from poaching on your ground.”

  Elisabeth shook her head. “I promise you it isn’t so,” she replied. “I give you leave to take on any adventure that comes to me in future. You are welcome.”

  “I may hold you to that,” said the other girl in an oddly intense tone. Elisabeth glanced at her with amusement and some surprise, but at that moment they were joined by Lord Larenby, and she could not ask Jane about it.

  “It is good to see you back,” said the viscount as he joined them. “And even better to know that everything has turned out well. I congratulate you on your success in finding your cousin.”

  Elisabeth looked at him a bit uncertainly. Perhaps he, like his son, was angry with her? But his green eyes showed nothing but friendliness, and she smiled in return. “I was lucky,” she said. “Who would have thought that Growser could lead me to Tony?”

  “Not I,” replied Lord Larenby. “None of us, in fact, but you.”

  Elisabeth shrugged. “But I didn’t think of it, either. It was thrust upon me.”

  He laughed. “Well, whatever the case, it was well done”—he held up his teacup in a salute—“though we were very worried about you at first.”

  “When you disappeared,” agreed Jane, “your cousin thought you were kidnapped also, I think.”

  Elisabeth looked down. “It was heedless of me, I know. But I did leave a note.”

  The viscount laughed once more. “Yes. It was that which frightened everyone and sent your cousin searching for help. But I think you did very well. When does Tony come home?”

  “I’m not sure. Soon
, I hope.”

  They were joined by Lady Larenby, and the talk turned to other matters. Elisabeth looked about the room. Amelia Wincannon was talking with Belinda and the duke, and Lord Darnell was amusing Cousin Lavinia with some anecdote. He caught her eye as she watched and beckoned her over to them. She hesitated, glanced at the chatting group around her, then went across. “I’ve just been telling Miss Ottley about the balloon,” said Lord Darnell as she came up.

  “Then you must tell me, too,” replied Elisabeth promptly. “I’ve never seen one.”

  “Ah, they are amazing constructions. This one was easily fifty feet in height, and as it filled up with hot air, it grew to be as much around as well.”

  “Did you watch the whole process?” asked Elisabeth with some surprise. “I wouldn’t have thought it would interest you.”

  “Yes, I know,” replied Darnell, looking directly into her eyes with a mocking gleam. “You think me a worthless fribble without two thoughts to rub together.” He held up a hand as Elisabeth started to protest. “No, no, I know it’s true. But you have mistaken me. It’s coins I have none of; I’m oversupplied with thoughts.”

  Elisabeth laughed, shaking her head at him.

  “How high did the balloon go?” put in Lavinia.

  “It rose well above the treetops and floated out across the city,” he answered. “It was a splendid sight, like a great flower drifting over the rooftops. The balloon was red, you know.”

  “Lovely,” said Elisabeth. She gazed at him with respect. “I wish I had been there.”

  “That’s what I told you,” he answered. “You missed a real treat.”

  “It’s too bad,” added Lavinia. “Belinda and I were to go, but at the last moment, she decided to stop in Bond Street instead. I must tell her how it was.” And Lavinia trotted over to the corner where the young people sat talking.

  Lord Darnell smiled at Elisabeth. “Your cousin has a kind heart,” he said, surprisingly.

  The girl agreed. “I realize it more and more.”

  Jane came up then. “I must take my leave,” she said to Elisabeth. “I have work to do this evening.”

  Elisabeth held out her hand. “Then you must go, I know. Let us meet soon for a real talk.”

  Jane nodded and said goodbye. The Wincannons soon followed, and finally, Lord Darnell also went on his way, after making an appointment with Elisabeth to go driving the next day. Only the duke remained.

  “I hope your mother is fully recovered,” Elisabeth said to him.

  He looked up from the fire, frowning, and nodded. “She seemed all right when I took her to the carriage, else I should have accompanied her home. She insisted I should stay. But I admit it worries me; I can’t remember that she has ever done such a thing before. In fact, I’ve always thought of her as invulnerable.” He smiled a little to show that he knew this was silly.

  “We were talking of the man who rescued Tony,” continued Elisabeth. “Mr. Lucius Aldgate. Have you heard the name?” She remained curious about this point.

  The duke thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t believe so. I have no memory of it.” He frowned again. “You think this had something to do with Mother’s attack?”

  “I don’t know,” replied Elisabeth.

  “It’s quite mysterious,” added Lavinia.

  “I cannot understand it,” the duke replied after a moment’s thought. “It seems to make no sense at all.”

  “It’s silly,” said Belinda, appearing bored with the subject. “I don’t believe it has anything to do with the duchess’s fainting. She only felt ill.”

  “Perhaps,” answered Elisabeth.

  A silence fell. They all looked into the fire. After a while, the duke rose to go.

  “I’ll see you out,” Belinda said, and the young couple went out of the drawing room.

  When they were gone, Lavinia shook her head. “I’ve known Judith thirty years, and I’ve never seen her act so. There is some mystery. I am concurrent.”

  “But what can it be?”

  Lavinia frowned and shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  Later, in her bedroom, Elisabeth considered the problem again, pacing back and forth in front of the fire. But soon the thought of Derek Wincannon displaced it. He couldn’t be so angry that he meant to drop her acquaintance, she thought, frowning. That would make no sense. But the longer he stayed away, the more she wished to have the opportunity to speak to him and explain herself. Surely, he would understand, and all would be as before.

  She sat down again and leaned back in the armchair. And how had things been before, she asked herself? What exactly was her relationship with this man who preoccupied her now? As she considered, a small smile grew on Elisabeth’s face and her cheeks flushed a becoming pink. She sat thus a moment, then shook her head and rose. She climbed into bed and picked up a book. For a moment, it lay open in her lap and she stared across the room. Perhaps Derek would be in the park tomorrow, and she would have the chance to speak to him, she thought.

  Nineteen

  Lord Darnell arrived in good time and in good spirits the next day, blond and handsome in a coat of light blue superfine and dove-colored pantaloons. His waistcoat was a marvel of varying shades of blue. He handed Elisabeth into his curricle with a flourish, and soon they were driving through the crisp morning air at a spanking pace, Elisabeth was carrying a new parasol that had arrived from the maker during her absence from town, and she felt very modish as she raised it.

  “What a lovely day,” she said as they started. “The air is so clear.”

  “And you are looking even more beautiful than usual,” Lord James replied gaily. “How do you manage it?”

  Elisabeth shook her head at him. “How can I convince you that I don’t like fulsome compliments?” she replied. “My looks will never be more than passable.” She smiled at him, her violet eyes sparkling. “Though I must admit that I think my new parasol dazzling.” She spun it above them, making the light flicker through the ivory silk and delicate frame.

  Lord Darnell grimaced. “And when shall I succeed in convincing you that you are quite stupid on the subject of your appearance? Indeed, it’s hard to credit in such an otherwise intelligent creature.”

  Elisabeth shrugged impatiently. “Tell me what’s been happening in town while I was away. I wish to hear all the gossip.”

  “All?” asked Lord Darnell, a wicked twinkle springing into his eyes.

  Elisabeth laughed. “Well, perhaps not quite all. I don’t care for on dits.”

  “Ah. Then there is little to tell,” he answered, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “There have been several engagements, and Prinny has sold some of his horses. The Queen was ill, but she is now better. Things are much as usual. I’d much rather talk about you.”

  “What about me?” asked the girl.

  “Everything!” he replied, throwing out a hand. “I wish to know everything about you.”

  “What a hackneyed phrase,” said Elisabeth pleasantly. “And quite impossible, too.”

  Lord Darnell goggled at her as they turned into the park. Then, he laughed. “You are dashed difficult to make love to, you know.”

  “Exactly,” she replied. “So do let us talk about something interesting.”

  Her companion’s expression was rueful, but he laughed again. “I don’t know how to talk to you. Nothing I say seems quite right.”

  Elisabeth turned to him, surprised. “Nonsense,” she told him. “You are a wonderfully amusing conversationalist.”

  “Am I? Amusing?” He urged the horses onto the crowded avenue that extended down the length of the park. “Well, that’s something, at least.”

  Their dialogue was interrupted by the greetings of several acquaintances, and thus Elisabeth found it easy to change the subject. “I am thinking of giving an evening party,” she
said.

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Partly for Belinda, to celebrate her engagement. I should have done it ere this. And partly to gather my friends together and return their hospitality.”

  “Shall I be asked?” responded Lord Darnell hopefully.

  “Do you think I would speak of it to you if I weren’t planning to invite you?” Elisabeth laughed at him. “How rude you must think me.”

  “Oh, no,” he answered, “but you might do so for a reason. To punish me perhaps.”

  Elisabeth frowned. “Punish you? For what?” He shrugged, and Elisabeth continued to watch him in puzzlement. “You are strange today,” she said finally. “Is something wrong?”

  Lord Darnell didn’t look at her; he stared out over the horses’ heads into the park. He shook his head, then spoke quickly. “Will you go out of town after the season? Or have you had enough of the country for a while?”

  There was a short pause. Elisabeth gazed at him speculatively. At last, she said, “I believe we will go down to Willowmere. I haven’t really thought, as yet. We will have Belinda’s wedding, you know, before that. It is to end the season; had you heard?”

  Lord Darnell nodded, keeping his eyes on the avenue before them.

  “That will be a great deal of work. When it’s over, I daresay we’ll all welcome a rest in the country. Will you go to Brighton?”

  He smiled crookedly. “Perhaps. My mother will wish to; she always does. I’m not certain whether I shall go.”

  Elisabeth was only half attending. She’d seen Derek Wincannon riding down the other side of the avenue, and she was wondering whether he would speak to her or ride past without noticing them.

  “Have you been to Brighton?” Lord Darnell went on.

  “What?” Elisabeth turned back to him. “I beg pardon?”

  Her companion looked out over the people around them. He did not seem to find what he sought. “I merely inquired whether you’ve seen Brighton?”

  “Oh, no.” Derek was now closer; in a moment, he would be opposite them. He hadn’t seen them, she thought, or he gave no sign if he had.