Nina Coombs Pykare (7 page)

His eyes gleamed. “A little more glee, please. We have indulged ourselves in a caper and must look like we’re enjoying it. I’m going to find that pea-brained nephew of mine. You seek out Dezzie immediately and tell her what has transpired. Do you think she can carry it off?”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure she’ll try.”

She found Dezzie almost immediately and drew her aside. It took only a few moments to tell her what had been decided on and to instruct her about what to do.

“Yes, of course,” she said. “I shall do it for my Lockwood. I shall not waver.”

Licia sighed. Dezzie was still a scatterbrain. But she was obviously in love. Now they had only to stand up under attack.

Chapter Six

The attack did not come until the next morning. Licia had lain awake long into the night, her mind busy with the events of the evening, reliving time after time the pleasure of those dances with the duke.

And Dezzie had tossed and turned, filling the night with endless, unanswerable questions.

But now, with breakfast behind them, they faced Mama and Aunt Hortense in the library. “Wager or not, that was a stupid thing to do,” Aunt Hortense said. “The Countess Lieven and all the others . . . they will be simply scandalized by this.”

“And why,” interjected Mama, “did you have to break the rules with
that boy?”

She fixed an accusing eye on Licia. “And you! What were you doing spending so much time with the duke? You know Dezzie means to marry him.”

“Mama, I don’t!”

Mama shifted her gaze to Dezzie again. “Quiet! I’m the one to say whom you’ll marry.”

Dezzie subsided with a sniffle. If only she didn’t lose her resolve, Licia thought.

Then help came from another direction. Penelope said, “Perhaps Dezzie lost count. Aunt Dorothea. When one has danced every dance, all night long, how can one be expected to remember?”

Mama’s face brightened at this reminder of Dezzie’s triumph. But Dezzie almost spoiled it by crying, “Oh, I re—”

She stopped, warned by Penelope’s sudden cough. “Cousin Penelope is right, Mama. It was a marvelous evening. Thank you, Mama. Thank you so much.”

Mama’s expression remained softened for a moment, but then it grew stern again. “It will all be to no avail if you insist on behaving so poorly.” She frowned. “The next time the duke comes to call, you must make it up to him.” She turned to Licia. “And you . . . you must refuse to see him.”

Licia felt as though the whole room had suddenly been tilted sideways. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Mama, the duke is Penelope’s friend. I cannot be rude to him. It’s true, the wager was wrong. But it was meant as a jest. I cannot refuse to see him, unless Aunt Hortense means to bar him from the house.”

Mama stamped her foot. “She can’t do that, you ridiculous girl. Dezzie has to be able to see him.”

“Then so must I. To do otherwise would be very rude.”

Mama stamped her foot again, so hard that the delicate Sevres porcelain on the mantelpiece quivered. “You are making me extremely angry.”

“Really, Aunt Dorothea,” Penelope intervened. “Licia had made a good point. Ravenworth has been most kind to your whole family. It would be very unseemly to treat him as you suggest. Scandalous, in fact.”

Mama digested this in fuming silence for several moments. “Well, since I mean for him to marry Dezzie, I suppose Licia will have to be civil to him. But I still don’t understand why she allowed him to waste his time talking to her when he should have been with Dezzie. She might have known better.”

It wasn’t a waste to me!
Licia wanted to scream.
It was the most wonderful evening of my life!
But of course she remained silent.

It was Aunt Hortense who spoke. “Dorothea, stop spouting such nonsense! Ravenworth is not a little boy to be ordered about. He will spend his evenings in the way he wishes.” She chuckled. “And not you or I or anyone else is ever going to convince him otherwise.”

Dezzie sniffled again, and Licia sent her a warning glance. Dezzie must learn not to openly oppose Mama. It was a useless undertaking. But evidently Dezzie could bear no more. “Mama, please, you must listen to me.”

“I have heard all I wish to hear,” Mama said sternly.

But Dezzie was not to be stopped. “You
must
listen. I shall never marry Ravenworth. He has said he wishes never to marry.”

“You will change his mind,” Mama said with that awful complacency that allowed for no will but her own.

“Mama! I do not love him. And he is all wrong for me.”

Dezzie had been goaded past endurance or she would never have stood up to Mama in this startling fashion.

“Love has nothing to do with it,” Mama cried. “I say you shall marry the duke. And you shall.”

“No, I shan’t!” Dezzie wailed. “I cannot marry him. I love someone else!”

Mama’s face grew an alarming red. “You impertinent girl! How dare you speak to me like that? Love someone else, indeed! I suppose you think you love that boy, that

Dezzie’s speech had raised in her throat. Dezzie had been foolhardy to face her mother like that. It was better to fight her unobtrusively, as Penelope did her mama. Still, Dezzie had done a very brave thing.

“Really, Dorothea, you must give it up,” Aunt Hortense was saying. “Obviously the child has no feeling for Ravenworth.”

“It will develop,” said Mama stubbornly.

“As yours developed for Mr. Dudley?” inquired Penelope far too sweetly.

Mama’s frown deepened. “Mr. Dudley was quite a different case. I was much more mature than—”

Aunt Hortense snorted and was not quite successful at turning it into a cough.

“I have heard enough,” said Mama, leaping to her feet. “Dezzie will wed the duke.” And she marched from the room in a dudgeon.

Aunt Hortense cast Licia a sympathetic smile. “I’d forgotten how difficult your mama is to deal with. Still, this escapade does trouble me. Dezzie might, as Penelope suggested, have simply not remembered how many dances she had with young Lockwood. But you, I’m sure, were aware of what you were about. And certainly Ravenworth was.”

Licia sighed. Aunt Hortense was a sensible person. It seemed wisest to confide in her. “You’re quite right
,
Aunt. When Ravenworth saw what his nephew was doing, he suggested that we do the same. It was his hope that the gossips would fix on us. I did not think that so possible since I am hardly in the marriage line.” She had to swallow before she could continue. “And then we hit on the idea of the wager. It takes the onus off us ladies and makes it all seem some prank of the gentlemen’s devising.”

“Very intelligent.” Aunt Hortense smiled. “And whose idea was that?”

Licia felt herself flushing. “I believe it was mine, Aunt.”

“
Very good.”

“Aunt, you will not tell Mama?”

“Of course not. And you will continue to converse with Ravenworth. It’s apparent that he enjoys your company.”

“Thank you
,
Aunt.” The thought made her feel warm inside. If Aunt Hortense believed it true, it must be so. “I suppose it is only that London ladies are not well equipped to discuss the things that interest him.”

“Perhaps,” said Aunt Hortense thoughtfully. “At any rate, he is always a welcome guest here. No matter what your mama says.”

“And will you continue to receive Lockwood?” Licia asked. “I’m afraid that when Mama thinks of it, she will try to have him turned away.”

“I will not turn him away,” Aunt Hortense promised. “Eglantine would not like it. Besides, it’s plain to see that the girl’s in love.”

“Do you think
,
Mama, that it’s wise to marry for love?” Penelope’s question was asked in the most casual of tones. But that did not deceive Licia.

“Of course,” said Aunt Hortense. “Providing other things are all in order.”

“Other things?” inquired Licia, watching Penelope’s face.

“Yes,” Aunt Hortense continued. “After all, it isn’t as though the girl wanted to marry a tradesman or some foreigner. She’s staying within the ton.”

Penelope’s complexion turned pale and Licia swallowed a sigh. Her cousin was not going to have an easy time of it. That much was certain.

Sometime later Penelope and Licia went upstairs to find Dezzie. She was lying on the bed, her face swollen and wet with tears. “Oh, Licia. I am so miserable! Whatever shall I do?”

“The first thing,” said Penelope sternly, “is to stop that sniveling.”

“But Mama is going to make me marry Ravenworth!”

“Nonsense! First off, your mama cannot
make
you marry anyone. And second, David has no desire to marry you. Listen . . .” She perched on the edge of the great bed. “There’s no need for these hysterics. Your mama is not nearly so fierce as mine.”

Dezzie stopped sniffling and sat up. “That’s true. But how did you—”

“We simply refused. And we kept on refusing. And finally Mama tired of insisting.”

Dezzie sighed. “I shall never give in. But Mama is so determined. And how long will Lockwood wait? Oh, if only the duke would fix his interest somewhere else!”

Penelope looked thoughtful. “That is not such a bad idea.”

“But, but . . .” Licia’s stomach had taken a sudden tumbling fit. “He doesn’t wish to marry.”

“He could pretend!” Dezzie cried. “He could find some lady and pretend till Mama gives up and lets me wed my Lockwood.” She reached for Licia’s hands. “Oh, dear Licia, I know I have not been the best sister, but would you do this for me? Would you ask the duke to fix his interest on someone?”

The room had taken on an alarming tendency to sway. “I? How can I ask such a thing? Penelope is the one to do it.”

Penelope shook her head. “No, I think Licia should do it.”

“But how .
.
.
” How could she ask Ravenworth to fix his attention on some other woman when she wanted him to .
.
. no, she could not allow herself to think like that. It would lead to no good conclusion.

“Please, Licia.” Dezzie’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I know you think I’m a foolish green girl, but .
.
.
”

Automatically Licia patted her sister’s hand. “No, dear. I don’t think that.”

“But I do love Lockwood. And if Mama prevents our marrying, I shall never wed another.” She cast her eyes heavenward. “As I live and breathe, I swear it.”

Licia looked to her cousin for help, but Penelope was nodding. “Listen to Dezzie,” she said. “In this matter of love she is right. When you love someone, really love someone, you love them forever.”

Dezzie turned and clasped her cousin in a fervent embrace. “Oh, thank you, dear Penelope. How lovely of you to understand.”

“Yes, I do understand.” Penelope looked to Licia. “So how shall you broach the subject to Ravenworth?”

With the two of them gazing at her like that she knew she had no chance of weaseling out. “I have not the slightest idea. I shall have to wait till the time comes.”

“Oh, dear!” Dezzie wailed.

“Now what is wrong?”

“Lockwood. He’s coming to call today. I did not have a chance to warn him. The duke spirited him away immediately. He will come and Mama will turn him away. And I shall never see his face again!” And she burst into fresh sobs.

Licia, whose own inclination was to join her sister in wailing, could find no comforting words to utter. She was feeling so desolate herself that it took all her effort to keep a calm expression.

It was Penelope who administered the comforting words, Penelope who said, “Don’t be such a goose. No matter what your mama wants
,
Mama will never turn Lockwood away. He is the duchess’s grandson after all. And Mama and the duchess have been bosom bows since childhood.”

Dezzie wiped at her eyes. “But what about this awful thing we did—dancing three times like that? Do you think the ton will forgive us?”

“It was not a wise thing to do,” said Penelope, “but I think the wager will carry it off.” She smiled at Licia. “That was a most inventive idea. Cousin.”

Licia shrugged and pressed a hand to her throbbing temple. “There was so little time. It was all I could think of.”

“Poor Licia,” said Dezzie, full of concern. “Do you have the headache? Come, lie upon the bed and let me bring you a cold cloth.”

Though no amount of cold cloths would relieve the ache she felt at the thought of Ravenworth showing attention to another woman, Licia sighed and acquiesced. For once in her life she lay down and let her sister do the ministering.

Licia lay in the darkened room for about an hour. Then, unable to bear the inactivity and the consequent rioting of her thoughts, she rose, pronounced herself fit again, and went downstairs with the others.

Once Mama had declared an intention, she fully expected it to be carried out. And since no one bothered to disagree with her over the future she so rosily painted, she prattled on in great glee.

But when she got to elaborating on the furnishings of the castle Ravenworth was going to purchase for Dezzie, Licia felt the headache returning in full force. She was about to say so when Herberts announced, “The Duke of Ravenworth. Viscount Lockwood.”

Mama’s expression went from pleasure to displeasure so swiftly, it was almost amusing.

But Aunt Hortense did not wait for her to speak. “A few moments, Herberts. Then show them in.”

As Herberts left, she turned to her sister. “Now, Dorothea, if you cannot behave yourself, you may leave the room. Ravenworth is the son of my dearest friend and I will not have him or their relations slighted.”

Mama looked pouty. But she said, “Very well. If you must put your friends above
your
relations.”

“Dorothea!”

But there was time for no more words. The duke and the viscount entered. Lockwood’s eyes went immediately to Dezzie, and Mama frowned fiercely.

“Good day, David,” said Penelope. “I see you are looking in good shape this afternoon.”

Ravenworth nodded. “Of course
,
Cousin. We have come to see how you ladies are faring.” His eyes met Licia’s and sent her a message of reassurance. But he could not know that the task that faced her now was far more frightening than anything Mama might say to her.