A Bright Particular Star (4 page)

“
He said that to your face?
”
asked Theo, incredulous.

“
Oh, yes!
Per
ry is an odd creature, a
mixture of
extravagance,
indolence and arrogance.
He has a reasonable figure and not all together unpleasing features, but he can
’t
be called handsome.
His eyes are to
o close together
and a little too prominent.
When he gets angry, they seem to protrude more and his face goes red
—
he reminds me of a lobster
.
”

Theo laughed.

“
Well, he does,
”
admitted Sophie, with a fleeting smile.
“
He is shockingly idle most of the time, but he spends a great deal of money and effort on his appearance, his horses and his carriages, and tries to ape the leaders of fashion.
He already has enough money to indulge his tastes, but Aunt Eudora encourages his greed.
Indeed, she
indulges his every whim
.
Perry makes no secret of the fact he would like m
y inheritance, but I am
determined he isn
’t
going to get it!
”

“
An admirable sentiment,
”
he re
plied, warmly.
“
Cousin Perry sounds as devoid of charm as his mother.
Besides, marriage to a man who loo
ks like a
lobster
, angry or not, is a fate
not
to
be countenanced
.
”

Sophie grinned.
“
I’m
prone to giggle when
he
gets an
gry
which annoys him even more.
”

Theo smiled, but said,
“
You must have other relatives
—
someone who could help?
”

”T
here is no one
,
”
she said, shrugging.
“
I have no siblings, m
y
mother died when I was young and
father died
suddenly
three
years ago.
T
hat
’s
when I came
to live with Eudora.
”

Glancing at her profile, Theo felt his heart constrict.
He had a loving family and could not imagine being alone in the world with no one to turn t
o.
Having met
Mrs
Sloane, he
could imagine
the pressure Sophie
had been subjecte
d
to
and the courage she had needed to escape it.
“
I’m
sorry to hear that, Miss
Devereux
.
I presume, thou
gh, you
have somewhere to go.
”

A blush rose to her cheeks.
”T
here is a dear friend who I intend to stay with.
”

“
Is this the person who is meeting you in Bath?
”

“
No,
”
admitted Sophie.
”T
hat is someone else.
”

Theo
had no time to ask what she meant as they had reached the Walcot Tur
n
pike.
He reined in his tea
m and tossed some coins to the toll keeper
, who
had emerged to collect the toll
.
Whe
n the gate had been opened, he
urged his horses back to a smart trot and they entered the outskirts of the city.

“
What is your direction?
”
he asked.

‘
The
White Hart, if you please.
”

He glanced down at her.
“
A happy coincidence
…
I am staying at the White Hart.
”

“
O
h
!
”
After a slight hesitation, she added,
“T
hen I am pleased not to put you t
o too much trouble
.
”

“
No trouble at all.
You may be an abominable bag
gage, but you have proved
charming company this
p
ast half hour.
”

Amusement gleamed in her eyes.
“S
till, you will be glad to be rid of me, I daresay.
”

“
I daresay
I will.
Helping a damsel in distress was not how I had planned to spend the day, but as you
’
ve guessed,
I’m
a man of honour.
I won
’t
abandon you
until I am satisfied you are safe.
”

“T
here is no need,
”
she
demurred
.
“
I don
’t
wish to embroil you further in my affairs.
You have been excessively obliging to bring me here and that is enough.
”

“S
ave your breath, Miss
Devereux
.
You will not persuade me otherwise.
”

Eyeing him
from under her lashes
, Sophie
judged it
useless to argue
; she would have to deal with his reaction to her plans later.
“
You are very good.
May I request another small favour before we reach the White Hart?
”

“
What is it?
”

“
Could you stop in Milsom
Street
please?
I have two errands to run, but I promise I will not keep you and your horses waiting long.
”

“
If you
wish.
I’m
not in any hurry
and have no other plans until this evening.
”

Sophie thanked him warmly.
They passed the York House Inn and traversed George Street before reaching Milsom Street.
When Theo aske
d where she would like to be set down, she
indicated a pr
operty at the top
of the street and
he
reined in his team outside
the building
.
A shiny brass plaque announced it
was home t
o the law firm of Smithson and Sands
, an anomaly among the smart shops
populating
most of Milsom
Street.

Theo, raising his brows at this, made no comment, but handed her down from the carriage and said he would walk his horses whi
le she completed her errands
.

She slipped
into the building and Theo moved off.
He saw her come out a short time later and when she gestured she
wanted to a visit a shop a little
distance a
way, he nodded
.
She then disappeared i
nto Madame Lavalle
’s
emporium
. A
glance at t
he window display confirmed Theo
’s
worst fears
—
Madam Lavalle was a dress maker.
He groaned, hoping Sophie would not be long.
His horses would soon
get restless
in the
traffic now thronging the street.

Time passed, and Theo walked his horses to the top of the street and back again several times.
There was still no sign of Sophie and he began to fume.
Like all women, it appeared even the practical Miss
Devereux
lost track of time when closeted in a dress shop.
He would have risked entering and urged Sophie to hurry if his groom had accompanied him.
As it was, he had left Stevens at the White Hart and there was no way he could a
bandon his curricle and team
.
H
is horses were in danger of taking a chill if
she did not reappear soon.
Theo
’s
lips compressed into a line
.
H
e had better things to do tha
n wai
t hours for the sad romp he had
agreed to help.

He pulled his bays to a halt and was formulating some pit
hy comments
to address to Miss Devereux
when he saw a figur
e emerge.
He watched as she
stood at the top of the steps, taking her leave of a fashionably-dressed older w
oman, presumably Madame Lavalle.
She
turned towards the street and
waved to acknowledge
him.

Th
eo
stared,
gulped in one deep breath and t
hen
another
.
T
he air seemed to have been squeezed from his lungs.
His limbs had frozen and his min
d had stopped
functioning.
He barely
recognised the girl
walking toward his carriage
.

Miss
Devereux was now
d
ressed in a blue silk
pelisse
trimmed with russet velvet and adorned with mother-of-pearl buttons
.
I
t fitted her per
fectly, revealing the
trim
figure her old garments had hidden.
Underneath the pelisse was a travelling dress of blue silk and she wore new half boots and
gloves.

Her face
had
be
en scrubbed clean
to reveal a countenance which
was striking rath
er than beautiful.
Its
appeal
lay not only in her
delicate
features, but
in a certain sweetness of
expression.
Her
complex
ion was
unfashionably
brown
yet it
enhanced
the vibrant
hue of her eyes.
Holding
a beguiling
sparkle
, they
looked out on the world
from beneath dark winged brows
without a trace of self—
consciousness
,
while the
arch of her
mouth
suggested
hidden
sensual depths.

Her
hair had been brushed until it
shone and now peeped out from under a bonnet.
The bonnet
’s
blue satin ribbons were tied at
a
jaunty an
gle and a single curled
feather adorned the high crown.
A hat pin with a topper fashioned as a bunch of
cornflowers completed the ensemble
.

She had presented an interesting prospect
when she had been covered
in dirt and moss
.
N
ow,
cle
an and dressed in a
n
outfit
that fitted her, she was
certain
to
draw attention
.
She loo
ked fresh and vital, exuding
an
indefinable
inner glow
.
The
grubby-faced
tomboy had been replaced b
y a
young woman, albeit one
supremely
unaware of
how attractive
she was.

He watched
in silence
as she
walked down the
ste
ps
toward his carriage
with
a natural, easy
grace
.

Seeing his expression, she gave him an apologetic glanc
e.
“
I am sorry to keep you waiting.
It took longer than I anticipated to get changed.
There is no chance your horses could have taken a chill, is there?
”

Theo
swallowed hard.
“
None at all,
”
he said men
daciously.
“
I wasn
’t
expecting
…
”
He hesitated,
and then
said in a constricted voice,
“
You look delightful.
”

“D
o you
think so?
”
A shy smile hovered on her lips.
“
Madame
assured me it was all the rage and
it suited me, but she can
’t
be considered an impartial judge.
I could not resist even though it was shockingly expensive.
It is th
e first
new outfit I have owned
for years.
”

“T
ake my word for it, M
iss
Devereux
—
you look
charming.
”

Sophie th
anked him and waited.
When he did not move, she said
with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes,
“
Could you help me into the carriage please?
I know I fell into it earlier, but I
’d
rather not ruin my new clothes straight away.
”

Theo jumped down
.
“
Of course!
Er, I think it would be best if we ordered a private parlour for luncheon at
t
he White Hart
.
”
He handed
her up into the curricle.
“
From what you have told me, there is little possibility of your aunt a
nd cousin pursuing you yet but
,
in the circums
tances
,
it might be advisable to stay out of the crowds
until your friend arrives.
”

“
R-Really, it is
not necessary,
”
she stammered
as he took his seat beside her.
“
I will be perfectly safe.
”

Theo bristled.
“
If you think,
”
he began, through shut teeth, as they set off down the street,
‘t
hat I am abandoning you
—
and looking like
that
, too
—
to
the rak
es and libertines who frequent t
he White Hart, you are mistaken!
”

“
But it
’s
a respectable inn!
And you are staying there, and
you’re
not a libertine.
”

“T
hat
’s
different,
”
he protested with dubious logic.
“
Why, the mai
l and stage coaches leave from the place!
It
will be thronging with humanity and all manner of undesirables might accost you.
”

“
I know about the mail coach,
Mr
Cavanagh.
I don
’t
understand why you wish to trouble yourself further with my stupid affairs, but if it will make you feel more comfortable—
”

“
It will,
”
he ground out
.

Sophie bit her lip and fell silent.
After crossing the junction with Westgate Street and Cheap Street, they arrived in Stall Street at the White Hart.
The inn was busy and Theo was obliged to hail an ostler.
Hearing his imperative summons, two appeared and when his horses and carriage had been attended to,
Theo ushered Sophie inside
.

It was almost one o
’
clock
and
,
in the hallway, the landlord, a burly, ruddy-faced man, was besieged by a number of travellers trying to organise rooms for the night.
When he spi
ed Theo approaching, he
directed his wife to deal with the group.
Mr
Cavanagh was already a favourite with the landlord, both for his easy ma
nner and the generous coin
he offered.

“
Welcome back,
s
ir,
”
said the landlord, with a beaming smile,
“
Will you be wanting luncheon?
”

Theo gave a brief nod.
“
For myself and the lady
—
in a private parlour, if you please, Johnson.
”

“
Very good,
s
ir.
”
Not for a moment did
Mr
Johnson b
etray his pleasure at having a
coin
slid
into
his palm
along with this request
.
H
e merely threw an interested glance in Sophie
’s
direction.

He
led the way into a pleasant oak-panelled room with a low ceiling which overlooked the bustling courtyard.
A fabric half-blind afforded some privacy from the outside world and two comfortable chairs
were set
either side of the fireplace.
A heavy oak sideboard, its deep patina polished to perfection, ran along one wall and a low-backed oak bench had been fashioned to fit underneath the window.
A vase of fresh flowers sat on the mantelpiece.
The covers were already laid on the table in the centre of the room, and, having advised Theo and his companio
n lunch would be served at once
,
Mr
Johnson turned to leave.

Sophie called after him.
“
Landlord!
”

“
Yes,
m
iss?
”

“S
omeone will arrive here soon
and ask for me by name
—
Miss Sophie
Devereux
.
Would you be so obliging to
show the person in here
?
”

Mr Johnson,
charmed by the smile accompanying
this request, assured her
that he would before going out.

Theo
tossed
his gloves and his driving coat
onto the bench
.
“
Well, at last we have a moment to draw breath.
”

“
We have a little time,
”
agreed Sophie,
“
but I intend to be away from Bath before the day is out.
”

Theo turned to face her.
“S
o your friend is escorting you out of the city?
”

She did not answer directly, but removed her bonn
et and gloves, saying
,
“
Once Aunt Eudora and Perry discover I am missing, Bath is the f
irst place they will look
.
”

“
I suppose so.
But where is your friend taking you?
Do they have a property nearby?
I hope there is a suitable female relative to act as chaperon
e
.
”

Sophie sat at the table, unconsciously twisting her hands in her lap.
“
Not exactly.
”

He walked towards
her, frowning.
“
Y
ou are keeping something from me, Miss
Devereux
.
After helping you thus far, don
’t
you think I am entitled to the truth?
”

A flush stained Sophie
’s
cheeks as she raised her eyes to his.
“
Yes.
You have been so good and deserve to know, but it
is
unfair to involve you further.
”

“
Let me be the judge of that.
”

“
But I fear you will be angry.
”

A smile touched his lips.
“
I
’
ll be angrier still if you won
’t
trust me.
What
precisely
are you planning, and who is this mysterious friend?
”

T
he arrival of lunch
saved Sophie from an immediate reply
.
There was no chance of private conversation while the meal was served, so they chatted
about
unexceptional subjects.

She furnished him with more details of her difficult life at Ludstone and
her childhood.
Sophie had an original mind
and
a lively intelligence, and
was more than willing to discuss things women usually had no
interest in.
She also
had an appreciation of fine wine, garnered from her father
who had b
een something of a connoisseur,
and Theo complimented her by saying he had enjoyed talking to her as much as he did to the female members of his family, who were the only other intelligent ladies of his acquaintance.