James watched him go, then turned to look round the room. Lord Croxton was nearby, his eyes fixed on a group making their way across the now empty floor, their progress constantly impeded by people stopping to talk to them.
‘Look at them,’ he sneered. ‘Look at the way they’re all fawning on him—Sir Henry Calverley, the white knight of Westminster, damn him! And his lovely daughter…’ He drank his wine and then laughed unpleasantly. ‘I could tell you a thing or two if I wanted to—’ He stopped, threw a quick glance at James and frowned, his face closing up. Then he was gone.
James felt a cold shiver down his spine. He had never liked Croxton, but this man now was like a dangerously injured animal. Someone should warn Calverley to be careful.
* * *
James’s grandmother was still talking to Sir Charles, though he was obviously on the point of leaving her. As he moved away Lady Aldhurst looked around, caught James’s eye and beckoned him with an imperious wave of her hand. As soon as he reached her she said, ‘I should like to meet these Calverleys, James. Frances Pendell would be happy to introduce us. Would you be kind enough to ask her to bring them over?’
James was reluctant to have any more to do with the girl who was so like, and yet so unlike, his Anne, but he couldn’t think of an excuse that would satisfy her. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘But I would like to know your motive.’
Lady Aldhurst gave him a bland smile. ‘Why do I need a motive? They are newcomers to London, James. That poor girl needs dancing partners who are a little younger than Percy Greville and Arthur Porteous, wouldn’t you say? Even in his early years Percy Greville hadn’t the least notion how to keep in step, and Porteous was always a dead bore. Surely she deserves better than that piece of inflated self-importance. She has style! I like the look of her! Do go, James!’
Lady Aldhurst was still a respected member of society, and Lady Pendell readily agreed to her request. She brought both Calverleys over to Lady Aldhurst, who received them graciously, smiling benevolently as Sir Henry bowed over her hand.
‘And this is your daughter, Sir Henry,’ she said, eyeing the girl who was standing demurely at her father’s side.
‘My daughter, Antonia, ma’am.’ Antonia curtsied.
‘Charming!’ said Lady Aldhurst. ‘Quite charming.’ She turned round to James, who till now had remained in the background. ‘I should like you to meet my grandson. Lord Aldhurst, Sir Henry.’
Miss Calverley stiffened as James took a step forwards. He bowed, and then, smiling ruefully, he said, ‘Miss Calverley and I have already met. I’m afraid she has a poor impression of me. I…I mistook her for someone else, and probably disconcerted her. Will you forgive me, ma’am?’
‘Certainly,’ she said coolly and dismissively. ‘But whatever made you think I was disconcerted? Annoyed perhaps, but that was only briefly. Anyone can make a mistake.’
Sir Henry laughed. ‘Antonia has no nerves,’ he said. ‘It would take a great deal to disconcert her.’
James had a brief and unworthy desire to test this out some time in the not-too-distant future, but at that moment Sir Henry put his hand affectionately on his daughter’s shoulder…and James froze as he caught sight of the ring the man was wearing on his third finger. It was of heavy gold, set with a black stone. James could clearly make out the initials carved on it—HJC. It was unmistakably the one Holford’s son had found in the stream.
After a moment of shock his mind raced. Antonia Calverley was the girl who had been with him at Hatherton! That ring proved it beyond all doubt. She had picked it up from the table on that last evening at Hatherton and now here it was on Sir Henry Calverley’s finger. Incredible though it was, Sir Henry’s daughter was undeniably the girl he had rescued and kept with him at Hatherton! He remembered asking her what her name was and she had begun, ‘I’m An…’ and stopped. He had called her Anne because of it. But she had been trying to say Antonia! AC on the purse for Antonia Calverley!
His heart missed a beat, as he realised what else this meant. Antonia Calverley was neither married nor, if Charles Stainforth was to be believed, betrothed. Her ring with that message of love inside it belonged not to a husband, but to her father. His Anne was not only found—she was free to love and to marry where she pleased.
The elation caused by this discovery faded a little as he was faced with the unpalatable truth that her memory had played another trick on her. Unless she was a consummate actress, she was not pretending. Anne had completely forgotten him, along with everything to do with her life at Hatherton. The love affair that had changed his life simply didn’t exist for the girl he loved.
The thought was bitter, and the present situation ironic. In Hatherton she hadn’t remembered her previous life. In London she had forgotten Hatherton. ‘I couldn’t imagine ever forgetting you,’ she had said on their last evening together. But apparently that was exactly what she had done.
* * *
His grandmother’s voice broke in on these gloomy thoughts. ‘James?’ She had finished talking to Sir Henry and was giving him an impatient look.
‘Ma’am?’
‘James, Miss Calverley tells me she has no partner for the next set of dances.’
Miss Calverley said hastily, ‘Lady Aldhurst, you misunderstood me…’ But she was no match for James’s grandmother. While the ladies exchanged polite denials and excuses, which were met with equally polite counter-suggestions, James had time to come to a rapid decision. He must not do anything at the moment that would betray the young lady who was, and yet was not, his Anne. Antonia Calverley could well lose every scrap of her reputation if it became known that she had just spent a week with him at Hatherton, unchaperoned except for one or two servants. No, he must keep that potentially explosive information strictly to himself for the moment—though he would have given much to know what she had told her family!
One all-important question remained. Was their love affair as dead as he feared? Or were feelings as strong as theirs impossible to destroy completely? He turned to her. She gave him a cool little smile, and began, ‘Lady Aldhurst is very kind, but I really don’t think—’
But before she could go any further James interrupted with a particularly attractive smile of his own. ‘What an excellent idea!’ he said. ‘Miss Calverley, please! You cannot refuse me. If you do, I shall think you have not forgiven me after all. I am truly sorry to have annoyed you. Please dance with me again.’ He held out his hand, challenging her to accept it.
Chapter Twelve
Antonia had never backed down from a challenge in her life, and she was not about to start now. But as she stared at the hand held out in invitation she felt a strong reluctance to take it. He might have smiled when she had been so rude to him a short while ago, but the smile hadn’t reached his eyes. He had been very angry. Why was he looking at her now as if he knew and liked everything about her? As if they were old friends? Or was that just part of the infamous Aldhurst charm her aunt had warned her about?
* * *
She had seen him as soon as she had first entered the ballroom and had felt straight away that she knew him. Throughout the introductions to various dignitaries that followed, she had continued to look for glimpses of him, trying but failing to remember where she could have met him before.
In the end she asked her hostess. ‘That is our famous Lord Aldhurst,’ said Lady Carteret. ‘He’s very handsome, is he not?’
Antonia turned to her with a smile. ‘Lord Aldhurst? For a moment I was sure I had met him somewhere, but I don’t think I can have. I don’t remember the name.’
‘Lady Aldhurst is his grandmother. His fondness for her is one of his few redeeming features.’
Antonia laughed. ‘Dear me! You are severe, Lady Carteret. What has Lord Aldhurst done to offend you?’
Lady Carteret pursed her lips. ‘James Aldhurst is an accomplished flirt and you would be wise to avoid him, Miss Calverley. He has broken the heart of more than one poor young woman.’
&nbs
p; ‘Has he indeed?’ said Antonia.
‘I dare say one day he will bow to his grandmother’s wishes and marry, if only to please her. He is very attached to her. But no other female has held his interest for long. Indeed, the sad truth is that once he is sure of a woman’s affection his interest in her fades. He may be handsome, rich, and, of course, extremely eligible, but I would advise you not to risk becoming another victim of his undoubted charm.’
The spite that was evident in Lady Carteret’s voice was most unpleasant, and Antonia found her advice impertinent. So she gave the lady one of her cool smiles and said, ‘Thank you, ma’am. I’m sure your warning is kindly meant, but it really isn’t necessary. I believe I am too sensible to become any sort of victim of any man’s “undoubted charm”, however rich or eligible he may be.’
Lady Carteret looked slightly taken aback. ‘Indeed,’ she said a touch coldly. ‘Forgive me, I had forgotten. I hear you are an intrepid traveller, and have had all sorts of adventures. You are no doubt well able to take care of yourself. You must tell me about your travels some time, my dear Miss Calverley.’ She walked away, and Antonia’s aunt came over, shaking her head.
‘Antonia, Antonia! What did I tell you? What happened to the prettily demure air I recommended? Débutantes don’t tell their hostess she is an interfering busybody, my dear!’
‘But she was!’
‘That is not relevant. Actually, you probably touched a nerve. Lady Carteret’s daughter was one of the foolish girls who thought she was in love with James Aldhurst. He paid no more attention to her than to anyone else, but her own hopes and her mother’s ambition persuaded the silly girl that he was in love with her, and she almost went into a decline when it became clear he was not. My sympathies are with him in that particular case. I am quite sure he never encouraged her. The girl is now to marry someone else, but her mother still bears Lord Aldhurst a grudge.’ She looked thoughtfully at Antonia. ‘All the same, he is dangerous. Look at him now. He has already broken poor Barbara Furness’s heart once, and now he appears to be trying to break it all over again.’
James Aldhurst was on the other side of the room talking to a young woman in a green dress. He was looking down at her, with one hand on the pillar behind. Neither his urbane air, nor the elegance of his beautifully cut evening clothes, could disguise the fact that, with his black hair, broad shoulders and long legs, he was all confident male, and Lady Barbara’s expression showed how very aware she was of the fact. She laughed when he made some remark that amused her, and with a flash of white teeth he joined in. Looking at the two of them, Antonia experienced a sudden fit of angry disappointment, which was so intense that it left her trembling. In a moment it had gone again, and she was left dazed and wondering where on earth it had come from.
‘I wonder how long it will last this time?’ her aunt said, her eyes on the pair across the room. She shook her head and, taking Antonia’s hand, said very seriously, ‘Antonia, dear, I am not suffering from Lady Carteret’s particular spleen, but at the risk of having you bite my head off, I should warn you—Aldhurst is not husband material. You are a lovely newcomer, and he is almost bound to try to add you to his list of conquests. That man is far too attractive for any female’s peace of mind, so don’t let him lead you astray! Please!’
Antonia looked at the couple again. Lady Barbara was now giving Lord Aldhurst an outrageously flirtatious look, and he was laughing again. That dress was only just the right side of respectable—no wonder he looked so interested. How could any man be charmed by such an obvious sort of creature? ‘I am surprised you think he could,’ she said with unwonted force. ‘You may set your mind at rest, Aunt Pendell. I am not at all at risk.’
* * *
But later she had seen him looking at her from the other end of the room, and for a moment she knew she knew him and had been filled with delight at seeing him again. She had smiled before she could stop herself. And only then she had realised that he was the infamously charming Lord Aldhurst.
After they had been introduced she had discovered how charming James Aldhurst could be. His dark grey eyes had seemed to hold a special smile for her, what he said seemed to convey a special meaning, and the feeling of his hand on hers had taken her breath away. The man was not just charming—he was lethal! She had been furious with herself and with him for the effect he was having on her, and the waltz that followed had been a disaster. She had finally been unpardonably rude to him. He had smiled, but his eyes had been cold, and they had parted company with relief.
* * *
And now here he was inviting her to dance again, apologising for having annoyed her, holding out his hand and challenging her to take it. She could see he was watching her closely. The warmth was back in his dark grey eyes, and again it was almost as if he knew her better than she knew herself. That was nonsense, of course. She would accept his challenge, but this time she knew its extent and would be ready for it. Antonia lifted her chin and gathered up the train of her dress with one hand. ‘Very well, Lord Aldhurst,’ she said. ‘I will.’ And she put her other hand firmly in his.
His hand enveloped hers and even through her glove she was achingly conscious of every part of it—flesh, bone, sinew, its warmth, its strength…It was incredibly familiar. She wanted to pull it towards her, feel his body close to hers. She stumbled as she took a step back and snatched her hand away. He caught hold of her.
‘Miss Calverley!’ he said, putting a steadying arm round her waist. ‘Are you not well?’ He was looking at her with sympathy…and something else in his eyes. Satisfaction? How dared he feel either! She gathered her wits together and pulled away.
‘Perfectly well, thank you!’ she said with as much composure as she could muster. ‘Shall we dance?’
He led her onto the floor and bowed as the music began. Grateful that it wasn’t a waltz, but a set of country dances, Antonia curtsied and they danced down the set together.
* * *
Four pairs of eyes watched them with interest. Sir Henry’s thought was quite simple. The two made a handsome couple. He would ask his friends about Aldhurst—the fellow might be just the sort of man he wanted for Antonia.
Lady Pendell was worried. She had forgotten how much society loved gossip, and this ballroom was full of it. How much longer was Antonia going to wait before she told her father the truth about her delayed arrival in Upper Grosvenor Street? She looked round the room and was petrified at the thought of the scandal if anyone here ever caught a whisper of those missing days. And as if that wasn’t enough, James Aldhurst showed every sign of embarking on a flirtation with her headstrong niece, exposing her to the full force of his dangerous charm.
Lady Aldhurst’s expression was inscrutable, but her mind was working overtime. This evening the deep unhappiness that James had tried but failed to hide from her had suddenly disappeared. Why? She could see, even from where she sat, how her grandson, normally so punctilious in his manners, was practically ignoring everyone else in the set to focus his attention on the Calverley girl. There was a mystery here which she found extremely intriguing…Lady Aldhurst began to review her engagements with the aim of inviting the Calverleys to dine.
* * *
And at the back of the room, shunned by many who had formerly been only too glad to be seen in his company, was the man who was following Antonia Calverley’s progress with a look of bitter hatred. Lord Croxton was making arrangements to leave England in the near future, and he burned with resentment at his downfall, for which he blamed Sir Henry Calverley and his accursed daughter. Why had Briggs and his useless accomplice let her escape? Disaster could have been avoided if only the fools had held on to her. And it would have been a real pleasure to see Calverley squirm when he was told that his precious Antonia was in the hands of a man he was trying to destroy and given the terms for her release—her eventual release. But Briggs had failed him in that, too…
Another former friend passed him, studiously avoiding his eye. Croxton muttere
d a curse and left the ballroom to escape onto the terrace.
* * *
At first, tension made Antonia as stiff as she had been before, but she found she could relax as the dance continued. In view of his reputation Lord Aldhurst was behaving surprisingly well—with more circumspection than most of her previous partners, in fact. He seemed almost reluctant to touch her, holding her very lightly, keeping his arm round her waist for no longer than the demands of the dance dictated, and seeing to it that they were never too close.
‘London must be new to you, Miss Calverley,’ he said after a while. ‘I understand you have travelled a great deal abroad.’
It wasn’t easy to concentrate when her nerves tingled every time he touched her, but Antonia’s long training in difficult situations helped. ‘It is new, yes,’ she said with a fair degree of composure. ‘I haven’t yet seen a great deal of it. And I suppose I have travelled quite widely. After my mother died, my father took me with him wherever he went.’
* * *
‘That must have led to some strange adventures.’ She managed a smile. ‘You might say so!’ ‘Weren’t you ever nervous—or frightened even?’ Her moment of ease was over as she had a sudden and vivid vision of the cellar, Lawson’s body, the coach. She shut it out. If he really possessed the ability to read her mind he must not see those pictures. They belonged to a part of her life she would rather forget. She bit her lip and said curtly, ‘Of course! But I prefer not to think about it, Lord Aldhurst. Especially when I am dancing.’
She had a moment’s respite as they started off back down the set, but then he began again, ‘Why haven’t I seen you before? Have you been in town long?’
Her heart missed a beat, but she said calmly, ‘Not nearly long enough, Lord Aldhurst. There is so much to see.’ She cast around in her mind for something to say. ‘Lady Carteret has found a very pretty way of decorating the ballroom, has she not? The…the way she has…she has arranged the greenery round those arches is particularly effective.’
Reawakening Miss Calverley Page 15
