Intriguing Lady (19 page)

As Roberta sipped her drink, her thoughts strayed to Sir Nicholas. “Exceptionally worthy!” she mused, and then laughed. “He should feel honored that he stands so high in Ashley’s estimation.”

She was still
thinking
about Sir Nicholas when the comte arrived. He was at his most charming, and bent low over each lady’s hand.

“Are you ready, ma chérie?” he murmured to Roberta, and frowned when she shook her head.

“I’m—I’m afraid I don’t feel well enough,” she said. “There was no time for me to send a messenger to tell you of my change in plans. I beseech you to forgive my beggarly manners.”

His frown deepened, and he looked at her in disbelief.

“You must blame me, monsieur,” Mrs. Ashley interposed. “I have forbidden Roberta to stray far afield today. She has been overdoing things of late.”

“I trust you don’t hold me responsible for overtaxing your charge, madam.”

“No, of course not. If there is any blame, it must be laid at Lord Bromley’s door. He kept Roberta up until the small hours this morning.”

Roberta shrugged as the comte looked to her for confirmation. “Then I will have to wait until another day for your advice on the horses,” he said.

“Indeed not,” Roberta responded. “Such is the shame I feel, I have asked our coachman to join me outside so we can all examine them.”

Mrs. Ashley pursed her lips in disapproval but refrained from commenting. Roberta moved to the bell rope and tugged it. Now that she knew she no longer had to endure the comte’s lovemaking, she felt extraordinarily calm. Perhaps, she thought, when she talked with him outside, she might introduce Mr. Lambert’s name into the conversation. If she were able to report some strange reaction, that would surely prove to Sir Nicholas that she hadn’t been completely cowed by her recent experiences.

“You rang, Miss Roberta?” the butler inquired patiently.

“Please ask Williams to join me outside,” she said, “and have Polly bring my cloak and bonnet to me.”

The butler withdrew.

Roberta smiled at the comte. “Shall we go?” she asked. He took his leave of Mrs. Ashley and followed Roberta out of the room. “I don’t think your companion approves of my company,” he said as he closed the door behind him.

“Pay no attention to Ashley,” Roberta said. “She’s merely worried about my health.”

Polly joined them in the hall and helped Roberta into her cloak; then the comte took Roberta’s arm and led her outside.

“Do you like the look of the horses?” he asked as his groom sprang to attention. “I think the look is as important as the performance, don’t you?”

“I most certainly do not, monsieur,” she said emphatically. “Showy horses do not necessarily perform well, and I think the ones you have today will prove my point. Ask your man to walk them a few paces.” She paused as the comte issued some instructions to his servant, and then watched as the man led the horses down the road. Williams joined her and stood awkwardly to one side as she suggested, “Why don’t you bring them back, Williams, and get a feel of them yourself?”

He grunted and moved away.

“Although, monsieur,” she continued, “I can tell by the way your coachman is handling them that they have hard mouths, and will prove difficult to control.”

“And I was convinced you would agree with me,” the comte murmured.

“But that would have been most unfair of me,” she protested. “You did ask me to give an honest evaluation, didn’t you?”

The comte nodded. “It is sometimes easier, though, for one to pretend to feelings one doesn’t really have.”

“Really, monsieur! If that is what you believe, then I am surprised you asked me for my opinion.”

“Please don’t take offense, Mademoiselle Rushforth. Most women of my acquaintance are not so forthright. And I am glad I asked you for your advice. I will inform Sir Geoffrey that I’m not interested in purchasing his roans, after all.”

“A wise decision,” Roberta replied. “I know of some other horses that will suit you. I also happen to know that, if you make an offer for them now, you will be able to get them for a reasonable price.”

“You interest me. I have not heard of such a team to be had in London.”

“The animals I refer to are not to be found here—yet. An old and dear friend of my uncle’s died recently in Yorkshire, and as executor of the estate, my uncle is putting the entire stables up for sale.”

“How do I know that these beasts will suit me?” he asked curiously.

“Ask anyone you wish what they think of Mr. Lambert’s horses,” she responded airily. “He was well known in London for keeping one of the best stables in England.”

She watched him closely as she spoke and thought she saw his eyes narrow in speculation for a fleeting second.

“A Mr. Lambert, you say? I don’t think I ever had the pleasure of meeting him.”

He sounded thoughtful, and Roberta pressed on, determined now to shake his confidence. “That does surprise me,” she said casually, “for he was quite a gadfly in his day. Indeed, he was proud of the fact that he never missed an important social function.”

“I said I had never met him,” the comte interposed quickly. “But now that you mention it, I do believe I recall his name being spoken by Lady Jersey. A gambler, wasn’t he?”

Satisfied that she had at least forced him into making that admission, Roberta merely nodded. “He certainly enjoyed the dubious pleasure provided by card games. However, be that as it may, would you like me to inform my uncle that you are interested in seeing the horses? They will be in London next week.”

“Indeed. You are most kind. Perhaps you will be well enough to ride with me then?”

Roberta laughed nervously and shook her head. “I have no wish to offend you by my lack of interest in your horses. It’s just that my uncle wouldn’t approve of my venturing so far afield unchaperoned. Indeed, after yesterday, I am most anxious not to overset him further, in case he does as he threatened and sends me to the country.”

“After yesterday?” he questioned with obvious interest. “What did you do to give Lord Bromley such offense?”

“I—I—nothing, really. But sometimes he can be a stickler for convention.”

“You can tell me what you did, Mademoiselle Rushforth,” the comte said. “You know I won’t be shocked.”

“If you must know, I discovered that my maid was being hounded by one of Sir Nicholas’s servants. The poor girl was in tears and didn’t know what to do.”

“So you decided to visit this man at Sir Nicholas’s lodgings?”

There was a note of incredulity in his voice that Roberta ignored. Instead, she nodded firmly. “I know it’s not the thing one normally does, but I could not stand by and let Polly suffer. And I’m pleased to say that my call wasn’t in vain. It was unfortunate for me, though, that my uncle called for carriage before I returned, else he would never have known about what he termed my ‘distressing escapade.’”

“I’m glad you told me about it,” the comte said quietly. “You see, I was walking down Albemarle Street yesterday and saw you leave Sir Nicholas’s lodgings. I was surprised, as you can well imagine. Especially after what you had told me about your feelings toward Sir Nicholas. Your visiting him didn’t make any sense at all.”

Roberta’s reaction was to recoil, as though shocked by the implication of his words. “I should think not!” she declared. “Why, I didn’t even inquire whether he was at home, for the only thing on my mind was to insure that his man ceased his pursuit of poor Polly.”

“Did it not occur to you that Sir Nicholas might have instructed his servant to form that particular connection?”

“What on earth could he hope to gain by such a move?” she exclaimed. “No, monsieur, I would never consider that a possibility.”

The comte smiled knowingly, which Roberta didn’t like it at all.

“You think I’m being silly?” she asked.

“No, no, ma chérie. It’s just that I can see exactly what Sir Nicholas would hope to gain by such a move. But let us say no more about it. You have resolved your domestic crisis in a most resourceful way, and I commend you.”

Roberta relaxed slightly and beckoned to Williams. “What is your verdict?” she asked.

“They’re as mealy-mouthed a pair as you are likely to find,” Williams responded disdainfully. “I wouldn’t want them in my stable.”

“Mademoiselle’s sentiments exactly,” the comte said. “Please accept my thanks for the trouble you have taken.” He pressed a coin into Williams’s hand, not realizing that his action insulted Williams, and turned his attention back to Roberta. “I will bid you a reluctant farewell, mademoiselle, and look forward to the next time we meet.”

“Perhaps that will be at Lady Carmichael’s,” Roberta suggested quickly in an effort to hold his attention. She didn’t want him to see the look of outrage on Williams’s face.

“Unfortunately, no, mademoiselle. I shall be out of town. However, I will definitely return in time to see the horses you spoke of earlier.”

Roberta allowed a look of disappointment to flit across her face, but, in truth, she was surprised at this piece of information and wondered if Sir Nicholas knew. With a dainty shrug, she said, “Then I will not bother to keep a dance open for you.”

“But I will insist on standing up with you twice the next time we meet at a rout, which I hope will be Lady Devonshire’s, next week.” He moved closer. “Have you given any thought to what I asked you at Lady Winthrop’s?” he whispered.

Roberta, taken aback by the directness of his question, bowed her head demurely. “I daren’t, for the present,” she murmured. “If my uncle discovers I have agreed to a secret rendezvous, he will not hesitate to banish me from London.”

“I am content to bide my time, ma chérie,” he responded. “We will manage to be alone eventually; of that I’m certain.”

The confidence with which he spoke caused her to feel some concern, but she forced herself to look at him and smile.

“I do hope so.”

Chapter 15

Mrs. Ashley maintained a disapproving silence throughout luncheon, and Roberta did nothing to break it. Indeed, she was thankful not to have to bear with her companion’s chatter, for she was thinking about what she had learned from the comte. It was really too exasperating not to know what was happening. She drummed her fingers idly on the table, which drew a sharp rebuke from Mrs. Ashley.

“Dear Ashley,” Roberta cajoled. “Please don’t be in such a taking. I know you don’t like the comte, but I can’t believe my actions this morning warrant the strong reaction you are now displaying.”

“If you continue to behave in such a fast and loose manner, Roberta, I’m afraid I’ll have to recommend to Lord Bromley that we leave London for a time. I refuse to be subjected to any more visits from the comte. I find his presence quite terrifying.”

Roberta ran round the table to Mrs. Ashley and hugged her tightly.

“The truth is, Ashley, I’m just as frightened as you are. However, I keep thinking of your dream, and I’m certain the comte will do something dreadful to Sir Nicholas if I sever my connection with him too abruptly.”

Mrs. Ashley sighed unhappily. “Dearie me, I wish I had never told you of it. I’m so afraid nothing good will result if you continue to see that man.”

“It won’t be for much longer, Ashley. Anyway, he is going out of town for a while, so we will have a little time in which to recover before we see him again.”

“Then I suppose I must be thankful for that small mercy.”

She sighed again and pulled nervously at the fringe of her shawl. “If you don’t mind, Roberta, I will retire to my room. Maybe a rest will restore my spirits.”

Roberta watched her go and then picked at the remains of her food. She wasn’t in the least bit hungry but was at a loss to know what to do to occupy her mind. She noticed that outside, the sunny sky had clouded over, and it was now raining steadily. At least the spring flowers were getting a much-needed soaking.

She knew she ought to visit some of her friends, for the pile of invitations increased daily. Yet it seemed almost indecent to resume her normal social life while Sir Nicholas faced such danger from the comte. But the idea of spending another afternoon in fruitless contemplation of her future was also unappealing.

A discreet cough interrupted her reverie, and she looked up to see Perkins hovering in the doorway.

“Sir Nicholas is here, and would like to have a word with you.”

“I—I—eh, please ask him to join me. Perhaps he would care for something to eat.”

A few minutes later, Sir Nicholas appeared, and Roberta silently gestured for him to take a seat opposite her. She felt momentarily overwhelmed by his presence and didn’t dare trust her voice to speak.

“This is most kind of you, Roberta,” he said. “I have been so busy all morning, I forgot to eat.”

“I—it’s my pleasure. There is plenty of food, as you can see. Our chef is of the firm opinion that Mrs. Ashley and I need fattening up, and always presents us with an embarrassing number of dishes.” She looked at him as he filled his plate, and marveled at his nonchalant attitude. He didn’t appear to be suffering any discomfort as a result of their last meeting. She wished she could be as casual.

He glanced up, and they stared at each other as though transfixed, until Sir Nicholas abruptly turned his attention back to his plate.