Harlequin Historical May 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Unwed and UnrepentantReturn of the Prodigal GilvryA Traitor's Touch

by Marguerite Kaye

  Chapter Seven

  ‘I shall return to Killellan tomorrow. It is a pity you cannot come with me, Isabella seemed quite taken with her new sister.’

  ‘And I with her,’ Cordelia said to Bella with a smile, accepting a cup of tea. They had spent the best part of the day together with all of the children. Isabella was a most taking little thing, not at all in awe of her, and eager for stories of her other sisters, quite unlike her brothers who were, sadly, already exhibiting that combination of extreme exuberance and shyness in the company of females which their school seemed to encourage. They were, in fact, all four of the boys, rather too much like her father for comfort. She had no doubt that she loved them, but as to liking, she was much more ambivalent—and that, she thought rather guiltily, was unlikely to improve with age. ‘Isabella is very different from her brothers,’ she said.

  ‘I believe she takes after me,’ Bella said with what seemed to Cordelia a very secretive smile. She was still struggling to come to terms with the changes in her stepmother. It was not simply the alteration in her form, but her manner, which verged on the warm and the confidential, neither of which traits had ever been in evidence before.

  ‘You find me changed,’ Bella said, as if she had been reading Cordelia’s thoughts.

  ‘I confess—yes, I do.’

  ‘Having a daughter is part of it. I had so wanted a daughter, and had quite given up hope, for your father—frankly, he was never actually interested in that sort of thing, save for the procreative purpose, and he considered four boys more than sufficient. My needs—of any sort—were never a consideration for him.’

  Cordelia, who considered herself a woman of the world, was both embarrassed and intrigued by this confidence, which put her father in a very different light. She couldn’t help wondering what Iain would make of it, or of Isabella, whose colouring, of dark-brown eyes and black hair, was either a throwback to some distant generation, or, as seemed increasingly likely, testimony to another parentage all together. Though Iain was not likely to make anything of either thing, because she most likely wouldn’t hear from him again, and in fact, there was no reason for her not to visit Killellan as Bella suggested, except she could not face the explanation that entailed and...

  ‘Is there something wrong, Cordelia?’

  ‘I’m sorry. I—I have the headache.’

  ‘You were not used to have headaches. Cressie it was, who claimed to have a headache when she wanted to be left alone. You now, you were always rather more inventive with your lies.’ Lady Armstrong surveyed her complacently. ‘I always did see more than you realised. I remember saying so to Cressie—oh, it must have been around about the time you were in London and she was having an affaire with that Italian she eventually married.’

  ‘You knew she was having an affaire?’ Cordelia positively goggled. ‘And you did nothing to stop her?’

  Bella shrugged. ‘A pointless waste of energy. Nothing I said would make a difference, and frankly, it suited me to have her out from under my feet.’

  ‘But my father—good heavens, if he had known...’

  ‘Then no doubt he would have acted as he did with you. And with Caro, now I come to think of it. Off with her head. He does so like a dramatic gesture, it makes him feel as if he is in control.’ Bella pursed her lips. ‘I tried to stop him, you know. When he found you were Gideon D’Amery’s mistress, I mean, after he returned from Russia. If you had not been so pig-headed, he would have been able to cover it all up. But there—you are all the same, Catherine’s daughters, determined to have your own way, and in the end—you know, I really do think it’s one thing I’ve learned from you. It took me a long time, but since I too decided to go my own way, as all of you have, I have been very happy.’

  Cordelia put down her empty teacup and brushed the crumbs of rather good seed-cake from her gown. She could not be mistaken. Bella was positively bursting to be asked. ‘Isabella is not my father’s child, is she?’

  ‘Of course not. After the twins, save one time, he did not come near my bedchamber. He had enough sons, he told me, and he’d had enough of servicing me—not that he put it in such words, he is far too much the diplomat, your father, to be so blunt,’ Bella said with a sneer.

  ‘But—but—but he does not deny...’

  ‘He tried to, but I pointed out to him how very bad it would look, that such a prominent figure as he could be cuckolded, and I suggested that he would not relish having the details of his shortcomings revealed to the world.’

  Cordelia stared at her in utter astonishment, then burst into a peal of laughter. ‘Good grief. How absolutely—marvellous!’ She covered her mouth, but it was too late, the words were out, and her stepmother was actually preening. It was shocking too, absolutely outrageous, but more than anything, she wanted to applaud Bella for her unique form of restitution.

  ‘I am relieved to hear you say so,’ Lady Armstrong said. ‘The outcome has been most serendipitous. Had Isabella been a boy, it would have been a different matter, needless to say, but your father has a very poor opinion of what he believes to be the gentler sex. And I have to tell you, Cordelia, as one woman to another, that since I met my—Isabella’s father, it has been quite a revelation. I did not realise it before, for I had none to compare your father to, but suffice it to say, I know now that such things do not have to be simply endured.’

  Cordelia caught her jaw just before it dropped again. ‘Now? So you still see Isabella’s father?’

  ‘Oh, yes. It is what the French call a grand amour. I believe I have finally shocked you.’

  ‘I rather think you meant to.’ Cordelia replied drily.

  ‘Let us not pretend, my dear. You very much disliked my taking your mother’s place, and I very much disliked having you girls foisted on me. However, that is all water under the bridge now. I think we can both appreciate that we were all miserable in our own ways. In fact, the only person who benefited from the arrangement was your father.’

  ‘You are right, and I am sorry for it.’ Impulsively, Cordelia gave her stepmother a hug, surprised and touched when Bella returned the embrace.

  ‘Do you know, that is the first time that you have ever done such a thing of your own free will?’ Bella said.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Cordelia said, aghast, trying in vain to remember a single other occasion when she had done so. ‘I really am sorry, Bella. It never occurred to me that you— I was so selfish.’

  ‘Yes, in that sense you are very like your father.’ Bella poured herself another cup of tea. ‘In fairness, I never encouraged any of you to be tactile. Even with my boys— It is only since I had Isabella, who is so very fond of cuddles. But I see no point in recriminations. Your father married me to play the broodmare, not mother to you and your sisters. If he had wanted that kind of woman, he’d have married someone else.’

  ‘I have often wondered why it took him so long to marry again, to be honest. Mama had been dead more than ten years before he married you. I used to think that he must have loved her very much, but from what you’ve said...’

  ‘No, he didn’t love Catherine.’

  Cordelia frowned at the certainty in Bella’s tone, remembering Aunt Sophia’s hints about skeletons. But Aunt Sophia must have been referring to Bella, surely. ‘How can you be so sure?’

  Bella pursed her lips. ‘You will be looking forward to seeing Celia. If anyone was a mother to you, it was she, I gather. You must ask her.’

  ‘Yes. If I— To be honest Bella, I am not sure that I— Iain and I, we had an argument.’

  ‘After last night’s fiasco, I am not surprised. No man likes to be confronted with the evidence he has not been the first to possess his lover.’

  Once again, Cordelia stared at her stepmother in astonishment. ‘How on earth did you know that we have— That is what you meant, isn’t it?’

 
‘Come now, Cordelia, have I not just told you I’m not a fool?’ Bella sighed in exasperation. ‘For a start, there had to be a reason behind your sudden desire to please your father, other than your wish to have your name restored to the family bible.’

  ‘You know perfectly well that I can’t see Celia and Cassie without his consent.’

  ‘I also know that you could have obtained his consent without agreeing to marry Iain Hunter,’ Bella responded tartly. ‘I know too, having seen the pair of you together, that your acquaintance is not of a mere few days’ duration. And I can recognise from my own experience, that particular—familiarity—between a man and a woman which makes it very clear that they have shared more than a few chaste kisses.’

  ‘Bella!’ Cordelia’s face was flaming.

  ‘Oh, spare me your blushes.’ Bella got to her feet, putting her slice of cake untouched on its plate, back on to the tea tray. ‘You are nigh on thirty years of age, Cordelia, far too old to pretend to be coy, and most likely far more experienced than I, for I believe Gideon D’Amery’s reputation as a libertine must mean he is rather more than competent in that area.’

  Bella looked as if she were waiting on some sort of commendation. Cordelia could only nod. ‘I thought so, though I have to say, I can perfectly understand your preference for Mr Hunter. That combination of the primitive and the powerful is very appealing. There is something about him that draws the eye, is there not?’

  This whole conversation was beginning to feel quite surreal. ‘Yes. Yes, there is,’ Cordelia replied, dazed.

  ‘A man who has made his fortune with his own hands. A very manly man. Your Aunt Sophia was most taken with him.’

  ‘She was?’ Cordelia asked faintly.

  ‘Oh, very. So, as I was saying, I am not at all surprised that he became rather possessive. A man such as Mr Hunter, who fights for what he wants, that sort of man is worth having. I should know, having lived with one who would not lift a finger for me.’

  ‘Iain said that I should consider Gideon’s offer.’

  Bella frowned. ‘I expect what he meant is that he won’t be second choice.’

  ‘But he’s not.’

  ‘Were you clear about that?’

  ‘He pushed me to accept. He said that Gideon came from the same side of the fence.’

  ‘An undoubted truth. It didn’t occur to you, I suppose, that Mr Hunter might be jealous?’

  ‘Of Gideon!’ Cordelia snorted. ‘Why should Iain be jealous of Gideon?’

  ‘He is rich—and not from trade either.’

  Cordelia shook her head. ‘I got the impression that his gambling— I rather thought he was in need of money, Bella.’

  ‘Cash flow is not really a problem when one has an inheritance to fall back on,’ her stepmother replied dismissively. ‘The point is, his wealth comes from the land. He is very good-looking. He comes from your own milieu. He knows the people you know. And he knows you, Cordelia. Intimately.’

  ‘But—but he doesn’t know me.’ Not the way that Iain did. And she didn’t want Gideon, had never wanted Gideon, the way she wanted Iain. ‘Besides, why on earth would Iain be jealous when...?’ He doesn’t love me, she had been about to say, biting back the words when she remembered what Iain had told her father.

  Bella though, was not so easily taken in. ‘Men are like dogs with a bone. It’s not about love, it’s about possession. Iain doesn’t want to be reminded that you belonged to someone else, and he certainly doesn’t like to be confronted with the evidence.’

  ‘Gideon did not possess me. Just because I have— Just because we shared a bed does not mean he had the right to my mind—or my body, for that matter.’

  ‘You were his mistress, Cordelia. He paid your bills.’

  ‘At the start, that’s true, but as soon as I could, I paid my own way. I’m a rich woman now, you know.’

  Bella raised her brows. ‘Congratulations,’ she said, sounding not a whit impressed.

  ‘I don’t need a man to support me, and I certainly don’t intend to allow one to claim ownership of me—ever.’

  ‘Not even when you are married? Or perhaps you have no intentions of actually getting married?’ Bella drew her a quizzical look. ‘Your father was right, when he said you had unorthodox views. I wish you luck treading that particular path. It is a man’s world, Cordelia. It would be easier if you came to terms with that.’

  ‘Aunt Sophia said the same thing.’

  ‘Lady Sophia is right.’ Bella looked at the clock and sighed. ‘It is Isabella’s bath time. I must leave you—unless you wish to help me?’

  ‘No, thank you. I need to think.’

  ‘Don’t think too hard. If I were you, I would come down from my high horse and apologise to your Mr Hunter before it is too late.’

  ‘I’ve nothing to apologise for.’

  Bella sighed again. ‘Cordelia, do you want to go to Arabia?’

  ‘You know how much it means to me.’

  ‘Then is not a little compromise a price worth paying? You are due to leave for Plymouth in three days. I would prefer to return to Killellan, but I am willing to compromise, and would like you and Isabella to be better acquainted before you go.’

  ‘If I go.’

  Bella ignored this. ‘So we will remain here until you leave. You understand, she may not be your flesh and blood, but I want you to think of her as your sister.’

  ‘Bella, since we are being frank, I suspect I will like Isabella a great deal more than my brothers, who are, as you put it, my flesh and blood. Thank you.’ Cordelia embraced her stepmother again. ‘I mean it. I appreciate the sacrifice you’re making, I really do.’

  ‘Until tomorrow then, by which time I trust you will have resolved this other matter. Whatever your reasons for engaging yourself to Mr Hunter, I advise you to have a care. He is not a man to play games with, but he seems to me a man who would be worth having on your side. If I were betrothed to him, I would work very hard to keep him there.’

  * * *

  It was after six when Cordelia left Cavendish Square, her mind awhirl with Bella’s various confidences. She felt as if she barely knew the woman revealed to her today. Subversive, selfish, insightful, with her own particular brand of morality that was in its own way every bit as wayward as Cordelia’s own, this Bella was, shockingly, a much more interesting person than the one Cordelia had known previously. Aunt Sophia would condemn Bella for not protecting Cressie, but Bella’s deliberate neglect had allowed Cressie the freedom to pursue her true love. And Bella’s adultery had given her the daughter she craved. A lovely child Isabella was too, her mother was quite transformed in her company. Bella had done her duty, and now she was pleasing herself.

  ‘Good for Bella,’ Cordelia said under her breath, ‘though it would not be me.’

  She paused on the corner of Margaret Street. The sensible thing would be to go back to Milvert’s and send Iain a note asking him to call on her in the morning, by which time she would have had plenty of time to think matters over. But she didn’t feel like being sensible and she had already spent one tortuous, self-castigating night with her mind going round and round in circles, so she turned her steps impulsively towards Regent Street. It was absolutely not the done thing for a lady to call at a gentleman’s lodgings, or indeed for a lady to walk alone at this time of the evening down St James’s, but Cordelia was not in the mood for convention. She wanted to know where she stood, and she didn’t want to take a chance on due reflection imbuing sense or cowardice.

  Last night— Oh, God, last night. She came to an abrupt halt at Conduit Street. Had she been thinking of Gideon when Iain was kissing her, touching her, taking her clothes off? Not at first, she was certain of that. But he had been there, in the back of her mind, all the same. Confronted with the flesh-and-blood man she had once desired, whose body
was once as familiar to her as her own, had been such a shock. She did not recognise the woman he had tried to recall as herself—or did not want to, more likely. No, she had not been thinking of Gideon when she was with Iain, but she had been using Iain to blot Gideon out.

  It had never happened to her before, that—that failure. Her body had betrayed her. And Iain—was it worse for him? She suspected so, from his reaction. That had never happened to her either. Was it her fault, or perhaps Gideon’s fault—which was the same thing, in a way? It was ironic and rather dreadful that something she wanted so much had been such a catastrophe. They could not ignore it, no matter how wretched she felt at the thought of discussing it, for it would taint everything. Gideon would taint everything.

  Bella had said that Iain had pushed Cordelia towards Gideon as some sort of test. She had also said that men like Iain didn’t play games. Cordelia had not precisely been playing games, but she had most decidedly been cautious with the truth. All very well to tell herself it didn’t matter, that her past was none of Iain’s business, that if she were a man it would not be an issue. The fact was, she was a woman. The fact was, it mattered to her what Iain thought, and it was making her uncomfortable because she was not being honest with the one man in the world she had ever wanted to be honest with.

  Which was such a disconcerting thought that Cordelia cut it off immediately, taking off again along Regent Street apace, arriving at Jermyn Street slightly out of breath and so caught up in her inner lecture, to speak the truth and damn the devil, that she was fortunately quite oblivious to the increasing amount of attention she was attracting from the gentlemen she passed.

  The lodging-house was situated next door to a tavern— At least, Cordelia hoped it was the right lodging-house, suddenly aware of the fading light and the extreme masculinity of her environment as she waited for her knock to be answered. A suggestion put to her from a very drunk man standing outside the inn made her laugh. She was about to tell him that she doubted any woman capable of such contortions, when a very severe-looking man answered the door. In reply to her query as to the whereabouts of Mr Hunter, his expression turned positively disapproving, but he allowed her to wait—in the narrow hallway—while he ascertained whether Mr Hunter would receive her.