Innocence (30 page)

“Has your father returned?” Lisa turned to Nathaniel in alarm.

“I wish. I’m afraid we’re being graced with the august presence of the Earl and Countess of Gladstone and their eldest daughter, Lady Lucinda.”

Sighing with relief, Lisa wondered at the annoyance in Nathaniel’s tone.

“Isn’t that the earl with whom your father is so keen to form an alliance? The one whose vote could make all the difference in the House of Lords?” she asked.

“One and the same.”
 

“Then why are you displeased at their arrival?”
 

“The problem is the
nature
of the alliance upon which the earl’s vote currently depends, the one my father is pressuring me to agree to, sooner rather than later, as I’d hoped.”

A shiver ran down Lisa’s spine.

“What alliance?” she asked.

Halting the horse, Nathaniel turned sideways in the seat to face her.

“The earl wants me to honour the betrothal Countess Gladstone and my mother arranged between Lucinda and me when we were babes. King George was capricious, but with William on the throne, both the earl and my father believe permission is more likely to be granted.”

It took a moment for the full import of Nathaniel’s words to register, but when they did, the world stood still.

Nathaniel was betrothed—to a lady of eminent suitability—whose father’s vote could make the difference to the passing of a law that would change the lives of thousands of suffering individuals, possibly millions.

And he’d not said a word.

Lisa swayed in her seat, and he grasped her shoulders.

“My marriage is not something we have to worry about yet. Lady Lucinda is only twenty-one. She won’t be considered on the shelf until she’s at least twenty-five. I just need to assure Lord Gladstone I will
eventually
marry his daughter.”

“Why wait?” Lisa said, her voice flat and lifeless. “If approval from the crown is likely, you mustn’t miss your opportunity. At least if you agree to this particular alliance,
something
good could come out of the arrangement other than an heir . . . a child.” She finished on a sob and clambered down from the carriage seat.

“Lisa!” Nathaniel caught up with her in half a dozen strides and spun her to face him. “Let me explain.”

“I think you’ve explained the situation very well,” she said in a voice surprisingly devoid of bitterness. “I don’t blame you for the way things are, Nathaniel, but you can’t expect me to just fit into your plans like a piece in a puzzle. I wasn’t raised to live this life. When I think of the ways I’ve compromised my morals and reputation.” She shuddered. “My father would be appalled if he knew what’s become of me.”

“Lisa, please.”
 

He went to pull her against him, but she resisted, pressing her hands firmly to his chest.

“We have an audience.” She glanced towards the house. “You mustn’t make a scene.”

“I’ll make a scene if I damned well want.” He looked past her to where the Earl of Gladstone, his wife, daughter, and Nathaniel’s cousin-by-marriage, Lady Cahill, stood observing them. The malicious smile on Eleanor’s face was impossible to miss, even from this distance. It was obvious she had orchestrated this visit and was in the process of wreaking her revenge.

“You’ll jeopardise the alliance,” Lisa said, as hopelessness overwhelmed her. “There’s more than our own happiness at stake.”
 

“You expect me to give you up?”
 

“I expect you to do what’s right,” she stated bleakly. “I’ll go around the corner to the servant’s entrance, and you go and greet your guests. You can tell them I’m the daughter of a tenant whom you saw walking along the way and kindly gave a lift up to the Hall. You could say I’ve come to visit a relative who works in the kitchen. Yes, I could be Chef Peter’s niece. That would work.”

For a moment, she thought Nathaniel would argue, but then his shoulders sagged.

“Very well, I’ll do as you suggest, but tonight we
will
resolve this once and for all. Agreed?”

Lisa nodded but did not meet his gaze. Her mind was made up, the solution to her dilemma painfully—
prematurely—
at hand.

Chapter 26

Suitable

“Are ye
sure
ye can’t trust Lord Marsden with yer secret?” Ruth asked. “His lordship is right taken with ye. Wot wiv the circumstances and all, ’e’d understand the need for yer deception. I’m sure of it.”

“But he’s betrothed, Ruth,
betrothed
, to the daughter of an earl!”
 

Lisa continued her pacing, the only thing keeping her from giving in to the futility of tears.

“Not formal like,” Ruth added.
 

“Formal, informal, it doesn’t matter.” She threw her hands up in the air. “He will marry eventually, and with so much at stake, I think he
must
marry Lady Lucinda.”

Tormented by an image of Nathaniel exchanging vows with the regal-looking blonde she had seen standing near the front of the Hall, Lisa crumpled to her knees, her skirts bunched around her on the sitting room floor.

“But he loves
ye
, not her.” Ruth came to sit beside her. “I think ye should tell ’im yer a
proper
lady. I’m bettin’ he’d do the right thing and marry ye instead.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
 

Ruth frowned, and Lisa attempted to explain the complexities of the Marriage Act that ruled Nathaniel’s life.

“I’m a
nobody
,” she concluded. “The King would never approve of me. Nathaniel may love me now, but if he was forced to marry me as a matter of honour, sacrificing his heritage and position in society in the process, I fear he would come to despise me. Besides, he doesn’t
want
to marry me. He’s already told me I’m not
suitable
wife material for one of his station.”

Ruth had no rejoinder, and they sat together for a time, the maid patting her mistress’s hand.

“Are ye
sure
ye couldn’t bring yerself to accept ’is lordship’s offer?” Ruth asked. “Tis the way of the world for powerful men to ’ave both wives and mistresses. At least ye’d know who he was wiv when he wasn’t wiv ye.”

As dreadful as the prospect of sharing him sounded, Lisa couldn’t deny she was tempted by the suggestion.
 

“It ain’t safe to strike out on yer own, Miss Lisa. Yer too pretty for yer own good. Without ’is lordship’s protection, yer sure to fall prey to evildoers. Whether the fellas that hurt ye are loftily placed or lowly, it won’t matter none in the end. Ye’ll regret holding on to yer genteel morals when yer at their mercy.”

A sob caught in Lisa’s throat at the dreadful pictures Ruth’s words inspired. A life as Nathaniel’s mistress, with all the complexities and moral ambiguity that entailed, was undoubtedly preferable to falling prey to faceless, nameless men. Without protection, she could easily end up mocked for her righteous stand. Ruth had reminded her there were worse fates than the life Nathaniel offered, and that shame and heartbreak came in many forms for the defenceless.

“What is Lady Lucinda like?” she asked, her voice the barest whisper.

“She and Lady Cahill are two peas from the same pod,” Ruth said glumly. “It’s not like she’ll be expecting Lord Marsden’s undying devotion, or would want it for that matter.”

The disclosure brought Lisa little comfort. “I can’t help thinking how
I
would feel if my husband was unfaithful. I don’t think I could live with myself knowing I was complicit in such a terrible betrayal.”

“Yer conscience will be the death of ye, Miss Lisa.”
 

“Maybe not,” Lisa said, though she feared it would bring her much loneliness and heartache. “You forget, I’m not completely without resources.”

Rising to her feet, she crossed to the dressing room, returning with the pouch containing her mother’s necklace. Spilling it into her hands, she looked upon the last connection she had with her mother. The pearls shone luminously, increasing in size from either side of the dark gold clasp.

“What ye goin’ to do with them?” Ruth asked, her eyes wide as saucers.

“Try to sell them. The proceeds could help me to flee to America or Australia. Somewhere remote.”

“How ye goin’ to find a buyer willin’ to give ye wot they’re worth without getting caught?”
 

“I don’t know. Lord McGivern might help me if he thought it was in Nathaniel’s best interests, but he’s friends with Lord Copeland—or acquaintances, at least.”

“Not worth the risk.” Ruth shook her head vehemently. “Wot about Sally? She’s got a cousin who’s a trader. He might know someone who could help us.”

“Us?” Lisa asked hopefully.

“Ye ain’t ’eadin’ off alone, Miss Lisa. Me and Ben will come with ye if that’s wot ye decide to do.”

Tears of relief and gratitude sprang to her eyes, though she still had to find a way to get Nathaniel to let her go. Unwilling to endure the hours that loomed ahead before he could make his escape worrying in her room, she decided to don her servant’s uniform and go with Ruth to offer their services to the harried staff. Not surprisingly, they were welcomed with open arms. Caught up in preparing a meal fit for such distinguished, if
unwelcome
, visitors, she focused her attention on the desserts she was assigned to bake, an integral part of the hard-working team. If the conditions were not so exhausting, and occasionally fraught with danger, she could almost have preferred the life of a servant. That’s if Nathaniel had been one with her.

Returning to her rooms after supper, Lisa discovered her monthly visitor had arrived. Nathaniel’s intriguing methods of protection had been effective, but she couldn’t help feeling melancholy. A baby would have tied them together far more effectively than the marital vows she feared he would feel compelled to utter if he discovered her true identity.

Waking alone in her bed the next morning, Lisa saw Ruth curled up in the padded chair by the wall. The maid’s neatly coiffed hair assured Lisa she had not spend the night in the uncomfortable position.

“Ruth?” she whispered.

Her friend’s eyes fluttered open.
 

“Did Lord Marsden not come by last night?”

“He came real late, miss, but ye’d fallen asleep, and he didn’t want to disturb ye. He told me to tell ye that he’d see ye later this mornin’.”

“Oh.” Lisa felt a mixture of disappointment and relief at the unexpected reprieve. The conversation awaiting them was not one she anticipated going easily or ending well.

“But that’s not the half of it.” Ruth sat beside her on the bed. “There was a huge ruckus last night with the staff kept up to the wee ’ours toing and froing like mad.”

“Goodness.” Lisa clutched the coverlet in front of her. “Whatever happened?”

“Well . . . I ’eard from Sally, who ’eard from Bevan, who opened the door to pass Stephens an extra bottle of brandy for the gentlemen, ’cos they was gettin’ low and they couldn’t risk the brandy runnin’ out, that the earl was tellin’ Lord Marsden ’e ’ad to ’urry up and set a date to marry Lady Lucinda or ’e’d not support those important laws His Grace wants passed.”

While it was painful to hear her fears confirmed, Lord Gladstone’s ultimatum was no less than Lisa expected.

“What did Lord Marsden say?”
 

“Apparently, Lord Marsden walked away, all upset lookin’, then ’e turned and told the earl ’e couldn’t marry ’is daughter ’cos ’e was in love with someone
else
and ’ad decided ’e would never marry rather than tell lies in church.”

Lisa’s hand rose to cover her mouth.
 

“Then the earl told ’im to stop being ridiculous, that of course ’e’ll ’ave to marry to provide Worthington with an heir. But Lord Marsden told ’im Lord
Cahill
can provide the heir in ’is stead them being cousins and all. Then the shouting started, and the ladies came rushing in, and it was a right ’ullabaloo.”

“Carry on.” Lisa rose up onto her knees.

“Well, as you can imagine, Lady Lucinda was not impressed and called Lord Marsden all sorts of ’orrid names. Then Lady Cahill realised what Lord Marsden was sayin’, that ’er ’usband would be the heir—but only if Lord Marsden dies, I’m thinkin’ so she could ’ave a very long wait in front of ’er’ afore she gets to be a duchess—and she started to support Lord Marsden. Then Lady Lucinda turned on Lady Cahill and said everyone knew she was barren and wouldn’t be
able
to provide an heir, so Lord Marsden would ’ave to marry or the Worthington line would die out altogether.