Fenella J Miller (7 page)

He cupped her face in one hand
gently brushing his lips across hers, sending spirals of delight twirling down
her spine. ‘You must not dwell on it, sweetheart. It was probably quite
innocent. Smugglers are common in this area. It could have been nothing more
sinister than a guest ordering illegal contraband.’

‘I hope you’re correct, my lord.
I heard the clock strike seven. Shall we go up? I don’t wish to be late on my
first night here.’

He gently restrained her by
dropping his hands to her shoulders.
‘A moment longer, my
love.
There is something else we need to discuss. I wish you to call me
by my given name, I’m heartily sick of hearing by future wife refer to me as if
I was a stranger.’

She giggled. ‘I don’t know your
given name. I rather thought I should call you Weston in future. Is that not
the normal practice?’

‘My name’s Edward, but my
intimates sometimes call me Ned.’ His smile made her toes curl. ‘I wish you to
use that.’

‘I shall not use either in
public. But when we’re private I will endeavour to use Ned, but it will be
hard. I’ve never thought of you as anything but
Lord Weston
.’

‘Are you afraid of me, Penny?’
His voice was soft, his expression almost anxious as he waited for her reply.

‘At this moment, of course not.
But you’re formidable and I
must admit that the thought of angering you does frighten me a little.’

He kissed the corner of her mouth
then whispered in her ear. ‘Then you must behave yourself and avoid my wrath.’

She froze, attempting to pull
away. His sudden shout of laughter made her look up. ‘You’re despicable, sir,
to tease me in that way. I don’t like to be made a figure of fun, even by my
betrothed.’ She tossed her head, enjoying the playacting. ‘I’m to be a countess
soon and expect to be treated with respect.’

‘Baggage!’
He pulled her undamaged arm through his. ‘I’ve asked Foster to have champagne
ready. I shall make the announcement now, if you’ve no objection?’

‘Could you give me time to
explain to my aunt that matters have changed between us? I don’t wish her to
believe this is still a masquerade.’

Chapter Seven

The hum of voices was clearly
audible through the open double doors of the drawing-room. Penny glanced
nervously at her escort. ‘We’re late, Ned. Everyone will stare. I hate being
the centre of attention.’

He chuckled, squeezing her arm
against his side. ‘Then, my angel, you should desist from wearing that gown.
All the ladies will be green with jealousy and the men ….
well
,
let’s say the men will be equally jealous, but of me, not you.’

She was still smiling as they
entered the elegant room. The guests turned and several were open mouthed.
Penny was thankful Foster had not seen fit to announce them. She was tingling
with embarrassment and wished she hadn’t placed her arm quite so firmly in his.

Mr Weston was the first to move.
‘Miss Coombs, Ned, we have been bereft without your company.’

Penny slipped her hand free and
curtsied prettily. ‘Good evening, Mr Weston. Lord Weston was kind enough to act
as my guide. He found me lost in the emptiness below.’ Her answer caused a
ripple of amusement to travel around the assembled company. She caught the eye
of her aunt and moved smoothly in her direction, leaving Ned to charm his way
round the group.

‘My dear, what has happened to
your gloves? You are the only lady present not wearing a pair.’

‘It’s a long story, Aunt Lucy.’
Penny kept her left hand hidden in the folds of her skirt as she ushered her
aunt to a convenient corner away from prying ears. ‘Lord Weston, Ned, has asked
me to marry him. It’s a true arrangement now. We realized tonight our feelings
are engaged and he proposed. We’re to be married in September.’

Her aunt’s
expression could only be called smug.
‘As I thought, my dear.
It is no surprise to me, I can tell you. You are made for each other.’ The old
lady beamed and stared pointedly at the hidden hand. ‘Well, my dear, are you
intending to show me your betrothal ring?’

Impulsively, Penny leant down and
kissed her aunt’s papery cheek. ‘So your sudden interest in balloons was a ruse
to get us together again? If I’d known I would have refused to come here.’ She
smiled affectionately. ‘However, I shall insist that you ascend when the time
comes. It shall be your punishment for deviousness.’

‘I shall do no such thing, my
girl. I have no need to dissemble about my dislike of such things. If anyone
steps into the basket from this family it will have to be you.
Now, the ring, if you please.’

Ned had been watching Penny
closely, waiting for a sign that Lady Dalrymple knew the truth. He smiled as he
saw his darling girl discreetly hold out her left hand with the ring. He smiled
politely at Hastings, the recently acquired bride of his friend, Sir Richard
Hastings.

‘Pray excuse me, Lady Hastings, I
wish to speak to Miss Coombs.’

He nodded to Foster, who was
hovering by the concealed entrance at the far side of the room, before
strolling casually towards the girl who made his life complete. He didn’t
consider himself a sentimental fellow, had never understood the posturing and
soul-searching that appeared to afflict some gentlemen when they viewed the
lady of their choice.

 
From tonight this was clear to him. A veil had
been drawn aside to reveal Penny as she really was. How could he not have
realized she was perfect in every way? To think, if it hadn’t been for
Wellington he might never have renewed their acquaintance, might never have
discovered that he loved her. Shocked to the core by this revelation he almost
fell over his feet, much to amusement of Lady Dalrymple and his beloved.

‘My lord, surely you have not
imbibed too much so early in the evening?’

He grinned as he bowed low. ‘No,
Lady Dalrymple, I have not. I am merely drunk with happiness.’

Penny’s smile sent coils of heat
into his groin. He was going to insist that their nuptials took place at the
earliest possible opportunity. He couldn’t wait until September.

‘Weston, you look a trifle
flushed. Would you care to borrow my fan? I believe I have one somewhere in my
reticule.’

He stepped closer in order to
whisper in her ear. ‘You’re impertinent, my darling. I shall expect you to pay
penance when we’re alone again.’ He watched with satisfaction as her face
suffused. ‘Good, I see we understand each other perfectly.’

‘Weston, I think now would be a
good time to make your announcement,’ Lady Dalrymple commented dryly.

Penny felt an inappropriate giggle
escape. ‘Oh dear, is everybody staring at us? It’s your fault, Ned. You’ve no
sense of propriety.’

‘None at all,
where you’re concerned, my love.’
He placed a possessive arm around her
waist and they turned to face their audience.

She kept her eyes lowered, not
wishing to see the knowing looks, the nods and winks, or the lascivious leers
from the older gentlemen.

‘Lords, ladies and gentlemen it
is with great pleasure that I announce my engagement to Miss Coombs.’ He waited
for the footmen to offer the champagne before continuing. ‘I ask you to raise
your glasses to the most beautiful lady in England. Miss Penelope Coombs.’

Penny heard her name repeated and
nervously raised her head to receive the congratulations. The stem of a crystal
glass was being pressed into her hand. Instinctively her fingers closed. By the
time to Foster announced dinner her mouth was stiff from smiling as she
received the felicitations of each member of the house party. If Ned had not
kept close by her side she would have fled the room and hidden until dinner was
served.

‘That wasn’t so bad, was it,
sweetheart?’ Ned enquired as led his future bride into the dining-room.

‘It was horrible; you know I
hated every minute. If it’s going to be like this when we marry I wish to
elope.’

His bark of laughter startled
Foster who was heading the procession; seeing the dignified butler lose his
composure restored Penny’s good humour.

The party eventually broke up
after midnight. It had been a delightful evening after all, Penny decided as
she snuggled down amongst her feather pillows. The French count had been
charming. She had also enjoyed the company of Mr Weston, who as Ned’s heir,
might have been put out by their announcement. However, he had been as pleased
as they were.

Ned had told the assembled
company that as soon as the remainder of his guests arrived the next day,
Monsieur Ducray was going to inflate his balloon and tether it on the lawn.
Flights would then be available for any foolhardy enough to wish to leave the
ground.

She stretched contentedly,
remembering the few minutes they had spent alone before parting. Ned was
insisting they brought forward their wedding day. However he had been strangely
evasive when she had tried to press him to fix the date. He had insisted he had
business matters to finalise before he was free to marry.

From the fierceness of his
goodnight kiss, the reluctance with which he let her go, she knew he was as
eager as she to tie the knot. She was strangely restless, just the thought of
him made her pulse race. Penny rolled over, enjoying the coolness of the sheets
on her overheated skin.

He had
eventually persuaded her to agree to be the first to ascend in the wretched
balloon. If the weather was still clement then they had a secret dawn
assignation for the day after tomorrow. She hoped it would rain.

Ned poured himself a large
measure of brandy before collapsing into an armchair in his study. He needed to
think - he couldn’t retire until he had matters straight. There was something
about the French
émigré
that unsettled
him. He was charming and glib, but Ned had spent too long in the clandestine
service of his government not to be aware when something was not quite right.

The count’s slippers had been
soiled when he arrived in the drawing-room. They had obviously been hastily
wiped dry with a cloth. He was certain the figure Penny had seen in the park
had been this man and intended to send someone over to look tomorrow morning.
It was a matter of urgency he finished this business for Wellington. Until that
was done he wasn’t free to marry.

There was
a
tightness
in his pantaloons and he shifted uncomfortably. Dammit! He was
letting his desire to bed his bride overcome his duty. This had
never
happened before – but then he’d
never been in love before. Over the past ten years he had worked assiduously
for his government, putting his personal wishes to one side. He grinned - well,
if he was honest he did run a ladybird or two when he was at his townhouse in
Brook Street.

He shot upright sending a spray
of liquid over his jacket. Damnation! He would have to sever the connection to
the actress he had stowed away in a small house near Vauxhall Gardens. His man
of affairs could see to that, after all he had done it several times before.

He would be celibate from now
until the night he could make love to Penny. How could he have been so blind
last year? If he had only recognized his feelings they could have been married
already and he would have been free of his obligations to the duke.

Thoughtfully he considered the
facts. The full moon coincided with high tide at the end of the month - this
would be an ideal time for any traitor to transfer gold to a smugglers’ ship.
The count had joined Ducray recently, but was this before he had issued the
invitation to fly in Ipswich, or after?

But what about
the attempt to abduct Penny?
He was sure her decision to ride
to
had been overheard by someone. This person was an
opportunist who had seen his chance and seized upon it. It was quite possible,
having
failed,
he wouldn’t make a further attempt;
especially as his quarry was now under the protection of a powerful local
magistrate. He frowned. Perhaps it would be better to let the matter drop; she
was in no danger now.

No! He would find the bastard and
deal with him. No one threatened his beloved and got away with it. He had to
lure the villain out of hiding, make him show his hand again. He would hold a
party for all his tenants and villagers to celebrate his betrothal. Ducray was
booked for a month; he would arrange for an event to take place and this would
allow the man he sought to gain access to
Headingly
.
He would do the rest.

His band of trained men, who
worked as grooms when he was home, would check every single gentleman that came
in. It shouldn’t be difficult to ferret out the fortune hunter. There could not
be more than a handful of single gentlemen who were unknown to him in the
county.

There was a noise outside in the
corridor. Instantly alert, he uncoiled from the chair and, on the balls of his
feet, moved silently behind his desk. His right hand slid open a drawer and he
reached in to remove his pistol. This was already loaded; all he had to do was
cock it. He dropped his hand down, hiding the weapon from view. The handle on the
heavy door began to run and his finger closed on the trigger. He held his
breath, waiting, watching.

‘Good God! James! What the hell
are you doing creeping about down here at his time of night?’ Ned returned the
pistol to the drawer and pushed it closed with his hip.

‘Sorry, Ned.
I’ve been outside to blow a cloud and seeing light coming from under your door
wanted to come in and congratulate you. I’m delighted you’ve finally found
someone that comes up to your exacting standards.’

‘Come in and have a drink. I must
apologize for not telling you privately, but I had no idea I was going to
propose until I did so.’

James laughed. ‘In that case, I
forgive you. I never considered you impulsive. How can you be sure you’ve made
the right decision, if you’ve not given it your usual weighty consideration?’

Ned’s eyes narrowed and
immediately his cousin raised his hands. ‘It’s my turn to apologize, Ned. My
remark was intended as a jest.’

‘Pour yourself a brandy and sit
down.’ He waited until his cousin was seated before continuing. ‘I’m intending
to hold an open day to celebrate my betrothal. I should dearly like your
assistance in the planning.’

‘Pleased to
help you.
Why don’t you have a ball in the evening as well? I’m sure
Miss Coombs, and the other ladies, would love an excuse to don their finery.’

‘An excellent
notion.
However, I think two occasions on the same day too much. I
rather thought I should hold the public one whilst I have Ducray here, which
means sometime in the next three and a half weeks.’

‘And the ball?
When shall we have that?
The following week?
That
would mean towards the end of June. Why not have it on midsummer’s eve and then
you already have a theme for the decorations.’

‘Perfect. That gives us ample
time to send out invitations. I want Venetia and Elizabeth to attend - you know
how long it takes my sisters to prepare for any journey.’ He yawned hugely.
‘Sorry, James.
You’re not boring me, but I think it’s time
we both retired. Can we continue this tomorrow, when Miss Coombs is present? I
wish her to be involved in the planning too.’

The following day sped past.
Penny was introduced to the new arrivals but knew she would never remember all
their names. The
Remingtons
were a large family with
two gangly sons, who seemed in awe of their surroundings, and three giggling
daughters. They were friendly and good-humoured and as they were
Headingly’s
nearest neighbours she would be seeing more of
them.