The Captain's Christmas Bride (8 page)

Her own cheeks ached with the effort of smiling back at everyone. Her neck was stiff with the effort of keeping it still, instead of tossing her head, or shrugging either of her shoulders. And the tension that had started to form between her brows that morning was working into such proportions that she was sure to have a splitting headache before much longer.

It didn’t get any easier when it was time to abandon their post and go through to the ballroom where they walked out, arm in arm, to form part of the opening set. She always felt a twinge of sadness when she was one of the first to dance upon a floor so beautifully decorated for a ball. Because the very first dance would obliterate the work of the artist who’d spent all day on his knees chalking it out. But tonight it felt especially poignant. Her own designs, for her own life, had been just as swiftly erased.

When the set ended and Captain Dunbar escorted her to a chair at the edge of the room, she noted sadly that there was nothing left of the artist’s work but the tail of what had once been a comet, and the crowned hat of one of the huntsmen he’d drawn leaping over a five-barred gate. The rest was just smears on the floor, and smudges of chalk dust on the hems of the ladies who’d danced all over his best efforts.

And suddenly, it was all too much.

‘If you will excuse me,’ she said to him. ‘I need to go to the ladies’ retiring room.’

His grip on her arm didn’t slacken. For a second or two he gave a very good impression of a man who couldn’t bear to be parted from his bride-to-be for more than a second. Probably because he suspected her of getting up to mischief the minute she was out of his sight.

‘You do not need to look at me like that,’ she snapped. ‘I really do need to take a few minutes to...collect myself. Or I am going to end up prostrate with a headache.’

He let her go with grudging acceptance—for, really, what mischief could one get up to in a ladies’ withdrawing room? There was always at least one maid in attendance, ready to pin up torn flounces. As well as a steady stream of ladies making use of the chamber pots handily situated behind a bank of screens.

Julia made straight for the table upon which various restoratives and emergency provisions were laid out, and reached for the bottle of lavender water. She tipped a generous amount onto a handkerchief, and pressed it to her temples. Closed her eyes, and gratefully, deeply, breathed in the calming scent.

She felt someone sit on the stool next to her.

‘I’ve been wanting to speak to you all day,’ said the woman in a low voice.

Julia opened her eyes, and met the concerned ones of Nellie in the mirror before which they sat. Nellie picked up a pot of rice powder, placed there for any lady who needed to counteract the redness of a face overheated from her exertions on the dance floor. She began dabbing it on her face, though she didn’t look the slightest bit flushed, and spoke, moving her lips as little as possible.

‘I don’t know what to say...’ she began.

‘Please, don’t say anything,’ replied Julia.

‘But, last night...that wasn’t meant to happen, was it. I mean...’

Julia sighed. Braced herself for the lie she was about to utter. ‘I do apologise for dragging you into one of my schemes. It was infamous of me to use the disguise you lent me to lure poor Captain Dunbar out to the orangery. You mustn’t blame yourself for anything that happened.’

‘Yes, but I might have known
some
gentleman would try and cross the line. I should have kept a closer watch on you. Everyone will think so,’ she finished gloomily.

‘Well, if anyone
says
so, you just let me know, and I will deal with them. I shall assure them that you had no idea what I planned. That you were an entirely innocent party in all this.’

‘Nobody has said anything iffy to me,’ she said. ‘But I still can’t help feeling responsible. You couldn’t have planned
that
. If only I’d known exactly why you wanted to swap costumes with me. I could have warned you that it wouldn’t work out the way you wanted. Men don’t treat me with the respect they accord a young lady of your quality.’

‘I found that out for myself,’ she said drily.

‘Yes, I could see on your face what a shock it was to you.’

‘Mmm,’ she said vaguely. For her shock had been at seeing the man she thought was lying on top of her, standing in the doorway instead.

‘I certainly didn’t expect Captain Dunbar’s, um, ardour,’ she admitted with complete honesty. ‘But indeed, he didn’t do anything I didn’t like. I mean...’ She flushed and reached for the rice powder herself. ‘I could have stopped him at any time, I’m sure I could. He didn’t...force me, if that is what is worrying you.’

From the relief on Nellie’s face, it clearly had been worrying her.

‘I heard you arguing in the summer house this morning, you see. Then saw you running away. And I wanted to tell you that if you couldn’t bear to marry him, then I could speak out, if you like, and see if we can’t put a stop to it all...’

‘No!’ The thought of stopping the wedding filled her with panic. ‘There is no need for that,’ she said as calmly as she could. ‘It was a tiff, what you overheard this morning, that is all.’

‘Well, if you’re sure?’

Nellie still looked a little worried. So Julia patted her on the hand, and summoned up her most sincere smile. ‘I’m sure.’

‘There’s just one other thing. When Eduardo realised it was you wearing my costume all evening, he started saying some very peculiar things. And now I’m worried your father is going to be so mad about it he’ll send the lot of us packing.’

‘Good heavens, no! Your troupe is central to most of the entertainment over the next few days. We need you to keep the younger ones busy with rehearsals for the play, during the day, as well as continuing with your musical items for the rest of the family at night. Besides which,’ she added, thinking of the hostilities simmering between Nick and Papa, Nick and his wife, and all the aunts in varying, fluctuating combinations, ‘if we were left to our own devices, someone would be strangling someone well before twelfth night.’

‘Well, good.’ Nellie sighed. ‘That’s good.’

A sudden horrid thought struck Julia. ‘You...you haven’t told anyone what you saw, in the orangery, have you? When you said, about Eduardo—’

‘No, no, nothing like that. He just got worried because of some liberties he said he took with you, without knowing who you were, is all. I won’t
never
tell what I saw in the orangey. Don’t you worry about that.’

Nellie’s gaze flicked to the bottle of lavender water, then back to her reflection in the mirror. ‘I see a lot of things you gentry don’t expect anyone to see.’ She shook her head and clucked her tongue. ‘Which I suspect you’d all blame on the mistletoe anyway.’

‘I wasn’t the only one misbehaving last night?’

Nellie grinned. ‘Lawks, no. You wasn’t the worst-behaved neither,’ she said, lapsing into her rather less-refined accent.

‘Really? How...? I mean... But...’

‘Well, put it this way. Neither of you was married, was you? Not hurting anyone else with what you was doing.’ She shrugged.

‘Oh. Oh, my goodness.’ Though she was a little shocked by what Nellie implied she’d witnessed, for the first time that day, some of her guilty shame lifted. She’d felt wretched that her plan to force her father to allow her to marry David had gone so badly awry. But at least she hadn’t ended up with someone else’s husband in the orangery. Her stomach hollowed out. How dreadful that would have been. She truly couldn’t have lived with herself if that had happened.

Which wife had betrayed which husband, though? She ran through the various family members, and the local gentry who’d been at the ball last night, a swirl of disquiet eddying through her. Such things happened at house parties like this. All the time. Because marriages in her class were generally arranged for financial or dynastic reasons, rather than for love, which was why she’d been hoping never to have to make such a match herself.

* * *

What could be taking her so long in the withdrawing room? Alec pulled out his watch, and glared at it, then back at the door through which she’d vanished more than a quarter of an hour before.

He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there was another exit to the room. He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she’d sneaked out of it, to escape him, and further some nefarious scheme she was hatching.

After last night, he wouldn’t be surprised by anything.

‘Do you have to stand there glaring at the door?’ The plaintive voice drew his attention to the speaker.

‘Lizzie!’

‘Nobody dare visit the ladies’ retiring room,’ she continued, ‘because it means getting past you first.’

‘Never mind what I’m doing standing here, right now. Where the devil have you been all day? And yesterday?’

‘Avoiding you, of course,’ she replied with an impudent smile.

‘You admit it then? You have something to hide? I knew it. What have you done? And more importantly, where is the man in the case?’

‘Oh, that,’ she replied with an airy wave of her hand. ‘Oh, there was never any man.’

‘Never any man? Then why...?’

‘Well, it was the only thing I could think of to get you here.’ She tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, and tugged him to one side. ‘If I’d told you that I wanted you to come and meet my friends,’ she said, lowering her voice, ‘you wouldn’t have even bothered replying. So I had to resort to a little deception.’

‘A little deception?’ He flung her arm off, and turned so that they were standing face-to-face. ‘You wrote that you were involved with a man. You wrote that you were going to meet him at Ness Hall, no matter what I said. You wrote...’

‘I wrote what I had to, to get you here.’

‘You lied to me,’ he growled.

‘Not exactly. I am involved with a man. A man I love very much.’

‘What? But you just said—’

She giggled. The minx actually giggled. Then laid her hand on his chest, smiled naughtily up at him, and said, ‘You, you nodcock.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes, you. I’ve been so worried about you. You hardly ever come ashore, and when you do, you always look so grim. And here was I, invited to the kind of place where I knew you were bound to have some fun, for once, and perhaps even meet someone who could make you happy
all
the time.’

You could have knocked him sideways. He’d never dreamed she could have lured him here because she’d been trying to make him happy. It was his job to make her happy, not the other way round.

‘The more I thought about it, the more determined I became to get you to Ness Hall, in spite of your stupid objections about being too busy. You’re always too busy to have any fun, or meet anyone suitable to become your countess.’ She pouted. ‘But you have to admit, now, that I did the right thing by you.’

Yes, he supposed he did have to admit that he’d completely misinterpreted her motives. But then, he’d been a fighting man for so long he saw enemies everywhere.

‘As soon as they announced your betrothal I knew I didn’t need to avoid you any longer. Oh, you are a clever man. You only needed a little nudge in the right direction, didn’t you? Here only two days and you’ve secured just about the richest prize on the marriage mart!’

‘Lizzie!’

They both started guiltily at the sound of Julia’s disapproving voice. Neither of them had noticed her come and join them, so intent had they been on their quarrel.

‘You make it sound as though your brother deliberately valued all the girls here and then cold-bloodedly seduced me! When you know full well he had no intention of marrying
anyone
when he came here.’

Lord Dunbar blinked at Julia. Was she actually defending him? Although...it wouldn’t be the first time. Last night, when her father had accused him of the same crime, she’d hotly denied it.

Well, well. She might not love him. She gave no sign of even feeling anything as lukewarm as liking him. But she didn’t like anyone laying false charges against him.

It was...a start.

‘I didn’t mean that,’ Lizzie was continuing.

‘Well, you should be more careful about what you say, when anyone can overhear you. Think how dreadful it would be should anyone think you believe your brother is a fortune hunter.’

Julia went to stand at his side, and tucked her hand through his arm, presenting a united front.

Alec could only surmise that whatever she thought of him, whatever she chose to say to him in private, at least in public, he might be able to hope for her support.

‘But I can’t be sorry you’re so rich,’ Lizzie protested. ‘It’s about time he had the means to enjoy his life. So far he’s spent every penny he has on me. Don’t think I don’t know what sacrifices you’ve made, Alec,’ she said, when he took a breath to protest. ‘It’s about time I did something for you. And I’ve met so many girls, wealthy girls, at the school you sent me to, and all of them wanting to marry someone dashing, and brave, and handsome, like you, I thought the least I could do was introduce you to some of them. And they did all like you. You could have had any of them for the crooking of your finger.’ By this time, tears were filling her eyes, almost ready to spill over. ‘Why shouldn’t I be glad you’ve managed to capture the heart of the richest?’

He opened his mouth and then closed it. For there was nothing he could say to Lizzie, not with Julia standing right there. He had to settle for glowering at her.

‘Oh, Lizzie,’ said Julia, letting go of his arm to delve into her reticule for a handkerchief. ‘It was sweet of you to try and help find your brother a wife. I can see that you only did what you did because you are so very fond of him.’ She nudged him sharply in the ribs while Lizzie was distracted, blowing her nose.

‘Aye,’ he admitted brusquely. ‘But a man likes to find his own wife, you know.’

‘You would never have bothered even looking if I hadn’t given you a nudge,’ Lizzie retorted, stuffing the used hanky in her own reticule. ‘You’d have gone on saying you hadn’t the money or the prospects to marry, when all the world knows that any girl would swoon with delight to have a genuine naval hero paying her court, when society is so full of dull, overweight, pompous men. And any parents would be thrilled to have you for a son-in-law.’