Lord Ilchester's Inheritance (10 page)

‘My mother chose to elope with my father, and cut herself off entirely from her family. I doubt that Uncle John could have traced us, especially as she was now Mrs Palmer and not Mrs Stanton. But as far as I knew there would have been little to inherit anyway as my maternal grandfather was a gambler and a profligate.’

‘That is obviously a Bishop failing. Perhaps it’s something that runs in the family as my father was also that way inclined. I believe your grandfather was my great-uncle – so we are only tenuously related.’

‘Some sort of cousins, several times removed, but you are a Bishop and so is Uncle John.’

He sat back shaking his head as if displeased with her explanation. Then he looked at her, his eyes blazing. ‘Mr Bishop is to blame for the situation you found yourself in. He made no push to find his sister after he returned to England, he might have known she would be in need of financial assistance.’

They chatted companionably for a further half an hour and then he rose and excused himself politely. ‘I have yet to speak to Mr Bishop, it is quite possible he still thinks I have departed. You might also be a little surprised to discover I have requested that we dine formally tonight.’ His smile was endearing and she instantly forgave his high-handed interference in their lives.

‘Whilst we are on the subject, my lord, I trust it was a slip of the tongue when you said that you were intending to be involved in a personal way in the upbringing of my brothers?’

His smile slipped and he looked a little shifty. There was something going on here and she did not like it one little bit. She smiled sweetly at him. ‘Is there something you would like to tell me, Lord Ilchester? Have you and my uncle been scheming behind my back?’

He shrugged and did not answer her question. ‘I’m not at liberty to say what took place in a confidential conversation with Mr Bishop. You must speak to him yourself.’ He raised an irritating eyebrow. ‘Oh dear! Of course, you are unable to do so for two days at least. I shall return to collect you at six o’clock; I trust you will be ready by then?’

‘Even incapacitated as I am, I do not require more than an hour to get ready. If you wish to speak to Uncle John you had better go immediately. He will not be expecting to have to change for dinner and it takes him far longer than either you or I do.’

He jumped as if stabbed by a sharp hatpin and instantly became a formidable aristocrat. He gave her a fulminating stare. She must curb her tendency to issue requests that sounded like orders – for he obviously did not take kindly to them.

He nodded curtly and strode from the room leaving her feeling a little deflated. She must do her best to be charming and conciliatory when he came to fetch her at six o’clock.

Chapter Ten

Sapphire stared at her bandaged ankle with dismay. ‘There is no help for it, Jenny, I shall be obliged to go downstairs with no stocking or slipper on this foot. It hardly seems worthwhile putting anything on the other one, does it?’

‘No stockings on at all, miss? I should think not! Whatever next! It’s a good thing your evening gown is long, so it should cover your feet when his lordship carries you downstairs.’

‘I have made other arrangements. Two of the new footmen are coming at a quarter to six to transport me to the dining room. I have no wish to be carried by Lord Ilchester. I suppose I should ask to be placed in the drawing room, but that would just complicate matters.’

The gown she had selected had a dark golden, silk underskirt covered by diaphanous sparkles, also in gold. Her hair had been dressed in a loose arrangement on top of her head and several russet curls framed her face. She tugged at the revealing neckline. ‘I think this is far too low. Could you find me a
fichu
to tuck in as I do not wish to have quite so much bosom on display?’

‘That would quite spoil the look of the gown, Miss Stanton. What about the pearl and topaz necklace with the matching ear bobs? That would look very pretty and cover up a lot of your front.’

When the jewellery was in place, Sapphire agreed with her maid. ‘That looks much better. I am ready to go down and I am sure I heard my escort arriving.’

With Jenny’s arm firmly around her waist she was able to hop smoothly into the sitting room. To her consternation Lord Ilchester was waiting for her. He bowed.

‘I heard that you were eager to be down earlier than we planned, Miss Stanton, so here I am to take you.’

There was nothing she could do. This was a
fait accompli
and she had no option but to smile sweetly and accept his assistance. Her heart began to hammer as if it wished to escape from behind her overtight bodice and she dare not meet his eyes. The very thought of being held so close when there was so much of her flesh on display was quite unnerving.

‘I had hoped to spare you the arduous task of carrying me about the place. However, as you are here, I am ready to depart. How did my uncle take the news that he had to dress for dinner tonight?’

‘He was not unduly put out, in fact he gave the appearance of being pleased. Now, shall we go?’

She wasn’t quite sure of the etiquette involved when a young lady was about to be carried by a gentleman. Jenny remained supporting her until he moved to her side. ‘Put your arm around my shoulder, that will make it much easier for me to lift you.’

She did as instructed knowing that her fingers were trembling and her cheeks an unbecoming shade of scarlet. He muttered something impolite under his breath. ‘Relax, sweetheart, I am not going to ravish you, merely carry you like a sack of potatoes to the drawing room.’ He put one arm around her shoulders, and the other under her knees, and she was in mid-air.

Her nervousness was replaced by annoyance and instead of gripping his shoulder she grabbed hold of his immaculately tied neckcloth. How dare he refer to her as a sack of potatoes? Her grip tightened involuntarily.

‘You are choking me; kindly remove your hand from my stock and put it on my shoulder or I shall dump you in the corridor and leave you to find your own way down.’

Immediately she stopped strangling him as she was quite certain he would carry out his threat – he was not a gentleman to make false promises. ‘I am sorry, my lord, my hold was quite inadvertent I do assure you.’ They both knew she was speaking falsehoods, but her words smoothed the matter over.

He strode along the spacious passageway and positively bounded down the stairs jarring her ankle most painfully. She yanked on his stock. ‘Put me down at once, I would prefer to hop the rest of the way rather than be mistreated by you.’

With studied care he did as she requested. ‘I shall summon your footmen to carry you the rest of the way.’ He didn’t ask why she had made this demand, just stared at her through narrowed eyes before leaving her marooned halfway down the staircase.

She had two choices – to wait until the promised help arrived or continue her journey on her derriere, which would be safe, but most undignified. She decided on the latter, it could be a considerable time before anyone was free to come to her aid and she had no intention of standing on the staircase like a forgotten item.

After carefully lowering herself she began her cautious descent. It was surprisingly easy and far less painful to travel this way then to be jounced and bounced by Lord Ilchester. She had reached the bottom step when Jarvis appeared with her uncle’s bath chair. ‘I thought as you would like a ride in this, Miss Stanton, seeing as his lordship saw fit to dump you on the stairs.’

This was hardly a respectful comment, but his sentiment was correct. ‘Thank you, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself. I take it my uncle is already safely seated somewhere?’

‘He managed with just one stick tonight, miss, I reckon he’ll not need this for much longer. I hope I’ll still have a position here after that.’

She edged into the bath chair before replying. ‘Of course you will, Jarvis, this is a vast establishment and there is always room for a reliable and honest worker.’

*

Gideon regretted his actions before he had reached the drawing room but he was damned if he was going to go back. He paused in front of a handsome gilt framed mirror and viewed his mangled neckcloth with dismay. There was nothing for it, he would have to return to his room and replace it. Just as he was about to do so his host appeared in the doorway of the drawing room.

‘Ah, there you are. What have you done with my niece?’

‘She insisted she would prefer to be carried by the footmen as she originally arranged, so I have left her on the stairs and am about to go in search of them.’

The old man stared at his disarrangement and nodded. ‘Probably wise, young man. I wish to speak to you, don’t concern yourself about your stock, there is no one to see it apart from family.’

There was no option but to follow his host, who was, of course, immaculately turned out himself. Sapphire was wearing a stunning ensemble, an evening gown as fine as any he had seen in Town. Despite his attraction to her, which was growing with every moment, he wasn’t sure she would make him a suitable wife. He had never envisaged himself married to a young lady who contradicted him, gave him orders as if he were her lackey, and had an unfortunate tendency to screech like a fishwife.

Whether Sultan was sound or not, he would leave first thing tomorrow morning before he got further entangled and found himself pushed into a position where he was obliged to make her an offer. He would have to bring his family in three weeks’ time as he had already accepted the invitation and he knew that his mother and sisters would be disappointed if he cancelled the visit.

Mr Bishop was moving remarkably well, he barely had need of the silver-topped cane he carried. Once they were comfortably ensconced conversation began.

‘I’ve been thinking about your offer to ride around my estates, my lord, and it would be most appreciated. After all, you will be responsible for keeping them in good heart once I am gone. My niece will have the right to remain here until she marries, but she will be unable to manage things herself. Society does not consider a female to have the wit to do so – which is patent nonsense – as I’m sure you will agree.’

‘Indeed I do, sir, but the law thinks otherwise. However, it would make more sense for Miss Stanton to accompany the boys to Ilchester Abbey.’ He frowned, this was not a conversation he wished to continue. ‘However, I’m certain that by the time you do go to meet your Maker the point will be academic. The boys could well have reached their majority and my interference will not be required.’

Bishop chuckled into his glass. ‘A kind thought, my boy, but my physician tells me otherwise. Outward appearances can be deceiving you know.’

As Gideon was sipping his drink he recalled that he had not sent word for anyone to fetch Sapphire. He shot to his feet just as Jarvis trundled her into the room in her uncle’s strange conveyance. She ignored him and spoke solely to her uncle.

‘See, Uncle John, I have my mobility returned to me thanks to your chair.’ She waved away the servant who approached with a tray. ‘I do not wish for any sherry wine, I have no taste for it.’

She chatted brightly about this and that as if he were invisible. He was not used to being disregarded, especially by a chit of a girl. ‘Miss Stanton, have you arranged for your return to your chamber later this evening?’

Slowly she swivelled in the chair and fixed him with a disapproving look. ‘I shall certainly not be requiring your services, sir, your cavalier approach to carrying me caused me a deal of pain and distress when you knocked my ankle against the wall on more than one occasion.’

It was as if he had been struck in the chest by a blow from a pugilist. Small wonder the poor girl had demanded to be set down. He had quite forgotten the reason he had been carrying her in the first place. ‘Then my mangled neckcloth is well-deserved. We should have thought of conveying you in that contraption, it is perfect for the job.’ His previous ambivalence towards her began to dissipate. ‘That is a beautiful gown, you look quite
ravisante
. My mama and sisters will be green with envy when they see it.’

The smile she bestowed on him melted the last of his reserve. He was as giddy as a schoolboy with his first crush, and knew himself to be in danger of falling in love with this enchanting girl. The rest of the evening spent in her company only reinforced his opinion.

The elaborate meal was served
à la français
e, a cluster of dishes placed in the centre of the table for them to dip into as they chose. A small team of flunkies constantly removed plates they had tried and replaced them with different delicacies.

‘I have never eaten anything like this in my entire life, Uncle John, I had no notion that Cook was so accomplished. There has been a prodigious amount of food, most of which we have barely touched, I am assuming the staff will enjoy it later.’

‘An excellent repast, my dear, but a little too rich for my delicate digestion I fear.’ Mr Bishop waved at the waiting footman and immediately he vanished to reappear moments later with Jarvis and the bath chair.

‘If you will forgive me, I’m going to retire.’

Before Gideon could scramble to his feet his host had hopped nimbly into the contraption and was whisked away leaving him with Sapphire. The manoeuvre had taken place so quickly he was convinced it had been prearranged in order to leave him alone with her.

*

Good gracious! Uncle John had winked at her as he vanished. Botheration! Unless Jarvis returned the bath chair she would be obliged to rely on his lordship to return her to her room.

Her companion looked as annoyed as she was at this obvious manipulation by her uncle. Something prompted her to be open. ‘I fear we have been set up, my lord. For some unfathomable reason my uncle is determined to push us together. I can assure you that I have no designs on you, you will not find yourself compromised in this house.’

This bold statement did not shock him as she had expected. Instead he raised his glass to her. ‘I am well aware of how you feel about me, Miss Stanton, and I can assure you that I reciprocate your feelings.’ With that cryptic comment he drained his glass of claret and got to his feet.

‘Are you going to run away as well, or will you join me in the drawing room – perhaps outside on the terrace?’

She was tempted to agree but this would entail being in his arms for far longer than she wished. Being held so close to him was unnerving and she thought it would be wiser to cut the evening short.

‘I would love to have spent a further time with you, however, my ankle is throbbing unpleasantly and I think it would be best if I retired so that I might elevate it once more.’ In fact she had quite forgotten her injury until that moment and, as if to punish her for her prevarication, she inadvertently knocked it against the leg of the chair and a shaft of agony made her flinch.

He was on his feet in an instant and at her side, his face etched with concern. ‘I am a brute to think of my own pleasure when you are in such pain. I shall return you to your apartment right away.’

He lifted the chair with her in it with ease and then scooped her up. This time she was more relaxed and was happy to put her arm around his shoulder and rest her cheek against his jacket. For some reason he was tense, as if he disliked being so close to her.

Her journey was accomplished more smoothly this time as he made every effort not to jar her ankle. Although dinner had gone on for over two hours, the evening was still light, and she was too full to contemplate her bed just yet.

‘Please place me on the
chaise longue,
my lord, I’m not retiring.’

He did so and then hastily stepped away. ‘Goodnight, thank you for your company; I cannot remember having spent a more pleasant evening.’ He bowed, gave her one of his toe-curling smiles, and vanished.

Jenny helped her out of her evening gown and into her negligée and Sapphire settled down with the latest novels that had arrived from Hatchards that very day. She finally went to her bed after ten o’clock but found it difficult to sleep.