Sally James (15 page)

For a seemingly endless moment Isabella stood, Lord Fordington's arm tightly around her. Then, as he moved to place himself in front of her the newcomer spoke.

'Who is there? Ned, what are you doing with your candle lit at this hour?'

'Cousin Roderick! I'll handle him. Stay here,' Isabella breathed softly, and slipped round Lord Fordington and towards the door into the yard before he could prevent her.

'Cousin Roderick, there is no difficulty,' she called, loudly enough for Ned to hear and be warned.

'Isabella! What the deuce are you doing here? I saw the candle light and was afraid Ned had gone to sleep and would set the stable afire.'

She laughed, a creditably confident laugh.

'No, he's more wit than that. I saw the light too, and came to see if his wrist was paining him. You recall, he has hurt it.'

'Aye, and couldn't do his job,' Sir Roderick said peevishly.

'It has been paining him, but I have bound it more firmly and he is comfortable now, and will be able to sleep. I was about to come back to bed. Don't let us disturb him now. See, he has put out the candle,' she added, blessing their good fortune Ned had had the wit to douse the light which might have revealed Lord Fordington's presence. She hoped he would contrive to appear in the morning with a bandage on his wrist.

'It is not fitting,' Sir Roderick grumbled, but permitted Isabella to take his arm and turn him in the direction of the house.

'Not fitting? What in the world can you mean?'

'Well, the very thought of having you dance attendance on a stable lad in the middle of the night! It's not proper! If it had been anyone else but you, Isabella, I'd have suspected an assignation!'

Isabella chuckled. 'With Ned? Oh, Cousin Roderick!' she exclaimed. 'How ridiculous,' she added, and wondered, blushing at the notion, what he would have thought if he had discovered her with Lord Fordington's arm about her, innocent though that had been.

She drew him back to the house, and swiftly bade him goodnight and escaped while he was bolting the kitchen door. Once safely in her room she watched through the windows to see whether she could detect Lord Fordington leaving, but either he was very skilled at moving unseen through the shadows or he had made good his escape before she had reached her vantage point. Slowly she undressed and got into bed. What would be the outcome of this mad prank, she wondered. At least Ninian had not killed anyone, but it would be difficult to prove the dice belonged to Sir Frederick. Only the small case with his initial gave any indication and he could so easily disclaim knowledge of it. Even if it could be shown to be his, and the dice were false, he could declare that other dice had been substituted for his own. Might the fact he had not said the dice had been taken along with the jewels prove suspicious?

* * * *

It was a difficult problem, but Isabella realised she had not given it her full attention. The major part of her mind had been concerned with recalling the strange delicious sensation of having Lord Fordington's arm about her, of being pressed against his chest when she had literally fallen into his arms, and the sudden startling realisation she was in danger of suffering from all the pangs of first love she was busy warning Lydia against.

She tried to steady her tumultuous thoughts and consider the situation calmly. Why had she not realised earlier that she was becoming more and more fascinated by him? Had it been a gradual process or had she, incredible as it might seem, fallen unknowingly in love with him that first night when he had been pitchforked into the ludicrous affair of Georgiana and the fancy-dress ball? Vividly recalling the twinkle in his eyes then, she admitted she had immediately been attracted to him. No wonder she had been so positive he would make an ideal husband for Georgiana.

At that thought she sighed. He would undoubtedly be the best possible husband Georgiana could find. Any idea he might look at
her
was ridiculous, she told herself firmly. How could such a man, courted for so many years and apparently resistant to the many lovely girls who had in the past attempted to ensnare him, consider the idea of marriage with her? She had no fortune or beauty, and was in a fair way to becoming an old maid, for she was already six and twenty. Her birth was respectable but that was her only advantage. He was captivated by Georgiana and, while their first involuntary embrace that evening had been purely accidental, the second time must have been mere helpfulness as he guided her down the ladder from the loft. The pressure she had imagined, and the way he had kept his arm about her, had simply been from the surprise of the sudden appearance of Sir Roderick. She would be foolish, indeed, to read any more into it.

* * * *

Isabella was heavy eyed on the following morning when Sir Frederick Hill appeared.

Georgiana was avid for information about the hold up, and Sir Frederick equally eager to impart his grievances to anyone who would listen, so Isabella was able to sit back while Georgiana and her mother plied their visitor with questions.

'We had been delayed and were late. Two of the girls were asleep and they were terrified to be woken up by the sound of a pistol shot!'

'Poor little things!' Lady Sharman exclaimed in sympathy.

'Indeed, Ma'am. No punishment is too severe for a villain who would so frighten children!'

'Have you any idea at all who it was?' Georgiana demanded.

'A tall man, broad shouldered, but dressed in black and with a mask. It was impossible to be sure.'

'Lord Fordington's horse was found nearby, was it not?' Lady Sharman asked.

'Indeed, but I do not wish to jump to conclusions,' Sir Frederick replied, pursing his lips and frowning. 'Someone else might have been riding the animal.'

'It could not have been Lord Fordington!' Georgiana protested. 'Could it?'

'What was taken?' Lady Sharman interposed quickly. 'Did you lose much of value?'

'That is one of the oddities about the whole thing. You may know I met Lord Fordington's half-brother at the house where I was staying before I went to London to fetch my daughters. He was visiting with friends nearby, I understood. However, Mr Bembridge is a gamester, and despite his apparent lack of money insisted on staking several items of jewellery, which I won. I had them in a small bag separate from my own valuables and intended, naturally, for one does not care to win from a mere boy, to return them to his brother. Those were the only items stolen. Not even the large sum of money I had on me was taken.'

'How very odd,' commented Lady Sharman.

'Was he disturbed, perhaps, before he could have taken anything else?' Isabella asked, feeling compelled to contribute.

'No, I do not think so.'

'Was your footman badly hurt?' Georgiana asked.

'Fortunately only a minor wound. I think the thief was in more need of help than my fellow,' he added with satisfaction.

'He was wounded? How?'

'As he was riding off I shot him. I had been surprised, and unable to get at my pistols before,' Sir Frederick explained. 'That foolish governess was utterly helpless, indulging in hysterics, and most of my attention was taken with her and the girls! But I went back to the spot yesterday and found something that appeared to be blood along the track the man had used. Unfortunately there was no trail of it to follow, but it led towards where the horse was found, and he had blood splattered on his mane and on the saddle. It seems clear he was the animal used.'

'If you shot him, whoever it was might be badly hurt,' Lady Sharman suggested.

'Indeed. An interesting thought, is it not?' Sir Frederick said, smiling unpleasantly, and then his smile froze as he realised the door had opened and the butler had appeared, followed by Lord Fordington.

'What is so interesting, Sir Frederick?' Lord Fordington asked after he had greeted the ladies.

'I was relating my experiences with the villain who robbed me,' Sir Frederick replied after a slight pause. 'The fellow was wounded. It might not be easy to conceal an injury.'

'Indeed, it is a pity you did not kill or capture him. All thieves are despicable, particularly when they take unfair advantage,' Lord Fordington said easily, and Sir Frederick shot him a glance of dislike. 'I'd like to get my hands on the wretch myself, having the infernal impudence to steal my horse!'

'Is that what happened?' Sir Frederick sneered.

'But naturally, my dear Hill. What else?' Lord Fordington raised his eyebrows superciliously.

'I believe Sir Frederick suspects you, my lord,' Georgiana said daringly, and he smiled lazily at her.

'Oh dear, does he indeed? I trust I can produce a reliable witness to vouch for my movements. At what time did this outrage occur?'

'About ten,' Sir Frederick said, annoyed at Lord Fordington's apparent nonchalance.

Lord Fordington breathed a mock sigh of relief.

'Oh, how fortunate! I was at home with my stepmama and Great-Aunt Selina.'

'And your brother?' Sir Frederick asked curtly.

'Why, no, Ninian is away with some friends,' was the innocent reply. 'Did you not know that?'

'How very convenient!' Sir Frederick retorted. 'And when will he return?'

'Oh, in a day or so. I am not certain when, for he has gone to escort a young cousin who comes to stay with us.'

Baffled, Sir Frederick began to talk of the terror caused to his children, and the more Lord Fordington agreed with him that it was a deplorable affair, and the attacker was cowardly and deserved the most frightful punishments, the angrier and more frustrated Sir Frederick became. Isabella had great difficulty in hiding her amusement, especially when Lord Fordington was blandly assuring him that since the stolen property had once belonged to Ninian he felt in some way duty bound to give assistance in the search for the thief.

* * * *

'
Could
he have done it?' Georgiana demanded almost before the visitors were out of earshot.

'Nonsense!' Isabella said, more vehemently than she had intended. 'He was plainly not injured,' she added quickly.

'Sir Frederick might have been mistaken, or it could have been a very slight wound,' Lady Sharman said slowly. 'I wonder? It seems so very unlikely, and yet it is so suspicious that only those jewels were taken, and his own horse was used.'

'There must be a simple explanation for it, Fanny. No one would be so foolish as to invite suspicions in that way.'

'Could it have been someone
wanting
to throw suspicion on Lord Fordington or Ninian?' Georgiana asked in excitement. 'Have they any deadly enemies?'

'You are being too melodramatic,' Isabella chided, but Georgiana was so enarmoured of the notion she chatted about it for the rest of the morning.

Lady Sharman, however, to Isabella's secret dismay, seemed to be convinced Lord Fordington was the culprit. She speculated on the matter throughout the light luncheon of cold meat and fruit, eventually asking her husband whether he thought they ought to refuse the invitation to the ball at Priory Dene.

'Not go? Mama, you
could
not refuse!' Georgiana exclaimed in dismay.

'Why the deuce should we?' Sir Roderick asked in surprise.

'Well,' Lady Sharman explained reluctantly, 'this robbery, it is so suspicious, and so very unpleasant, and, after all, it
might
have been Lord Fordington or his brother that did it! The circumstances are very peculiar.'

'Nonsense! Never heard such rubbish. As if a man like Fordington would act the highwayman,' Sir Roderick scoffed.

'It could have been Ninian,' Georgiana suggested, her eyes gleaming. 'For my part, whichever of them did it had the
right
to! The dice were false.'

'That is only Ninian's story,' her mother reminded her. 'There is a deal of talk, and I think many people will be reluctant to attend the ball!'

'But it is not Lady Fordington's fault,' Isabella pointed out quickly, and wondered whether her sudden anxiety was because Ninian might be thought guilty, or dismay at missing the ball. Though what she had to look forward to there she did not know, she sternly told herself. Lord Fordington would be far too busy attending to his more important guests to have time to dance with her even if he wished to, and she could not imagine why he should when there would be many far more attractive partners for him. Besides, she added regretfully, since it was utterly pointless to dream about him she had far better avoid him than devise meetings which could only lead to heartache. That there was heartache she freely admitted to herself, having accepted she had fallen in love with him and that love was not, could not be, returned. However, there was no time to brood for Sir Roderick was speaking again.

'They are more likely to wish to go out of curiosity!' he snorted.

'We do not have to behave in the same vulgar fashion,' Lady Sharman replied with unusual spirit.

'Nonsense! You would look very silly if you had cut him and then it all turned out to be a hum. You will accept, my dear, and we will go. Have you not eyes in your head? Why do you think Lord Fordington comes here so often? I was puzzled why he made so many excuses to come and see me about the farms at first, but it is clear he does not feel the need for such excuses any more. Mark my words, Fanny, he's on the point of offering for Georgiana. Surely you could not wish to offend him and lose the prospect of such a connection?'

Lady Sharman looked undecided. 'It would not be so fine a connection if he were to be shown a thief,' she remarked slowly.

'Bah! There's little chance of that. But we would be cautious and not agree to a betrothal until this other foolish matter is settled, if that would satisfy you. Lord, Fanny, you'd not deny Georgiana such a triumph, would you? Fordington! The man's been pursued by all the marriageable females these past fifteen years or more. To think my little girl should capture him. But I always said she was a pretty little puss!'

'He hasn't offered for me yet, Papa,' Georgiana said, laughing at the unaccustomed praise he was bestowing on her.

'Not yet! But why should he decide to abandon London before the end of the season, and leave that Flaxton chit who's been so sure she had him, eh? Tell me that. Why should he come here almost every day? And why should his stepmother, who had never previously had much to do with the local gentry, suddenly start entertaining in such a lavish way? No, mark my words, he has had something to do with this plan for a ball and there's a purpose behind it which is plain enough to me.'