The Elusive Heiress (5 page)

The middle-aged lady sitting on an inlaid ebony sofa set in the centre of the room rose to her feet at their entrance, a smile of welcome wreathing her plump face.

Standing, her figure was revealed as a little too buxom to be elegant, but her morning gown of striped gauze was the latest mode and she wore a smart lace cap trimmed with ribbon perched upon her elaborately dressed blonde hair. There was a slight hint of brassiness about the golden curls, indicating that Lady Edgeworth’s hairdresser was helping nature along, but her complexion had retained its girlish bloom.

Kate decided she looked good-natured; a first impression reinforced by the kindly way in which she instructed the footman to take Mary along to the kitchen, where Kate knew her friend would be regaled with tea and gossip while she waited.

‘Come and sit here beside me, Kitty, and let me have a proper look at you.’ Lady Edgeworth patted the cream satin upholstered sofa invitingly.

Kate obeyed, hiding her nervousness behind a polite murmur of appreciation for her surroundings as she moved across the room.

Lady Edgeworth beamed. ‘How kind of you to say you like my furniture. It is new, you know. Gillow and Sons, the cabinetmakers, made it for me specially when I asked them for something in the French style.’

Kate sat down next to her and she paused, peering more closely at her visitor.

‘Why, Kitty, you have grown up into a beauty!’ she exclaimed.

‘Thank you, Godmother,’ Kate replied demurely.

‘Lud, pray call me Alicia, my dear! Godmother makes me feel positively ancient.’ A twinkle appeared in Lady Edgeworth’s somewhat protuberant hazel eyes. ‘And, although it is several years since I was left a widow, I hope I’m not in my dotage yet.’

Kate smiled, liking her cheerful humour. ‘I’m sure no one would think so, ma’am.’

‘Well, my figure is not what it was and my eyesight is getting worse, but at least my health remains robust.’ Alicia gave a little chuckle. ‘To be honest with you, Kitty, I should be very unhappy if I were truly invalidish and could not go about and enjoy all the events society has to offer.’

She beamed at Kate. ‘I was delighted to receive your dear Mama’s communication. Nothing could please me more than having Charles’ daughter to stay. I love to entertain!’

Kate’s heartbeat quickened. ‘I am happy to hear Mama’s letter arrived safely,’ she murmured. ‘When we did not receive a reply we were a little worried that my visit might not be welcome.’

‘I expect you had set sail before my answer was half way over the ocean, but indeed there was no need for your Mama to ask. I have been longing to see you again!’ Lady Edgeworth reached out and touched Kate’s shoulder in a little gesture of affection. ‘Oh I shall enjoy taking you about with me and introducing you to all my friends! My marriage was not blessed with children, but having you here will almost be like having a daughter of my own.’

A faint tinge of colour crept into Kate’s cheeks.

‘Oh dear, I hope I have not embarrassed you?’ Anxiety shook her hostess’s rather high-pitched voice. ‘I dare say I must seem sentimental talking in such a vein when I scarcely know you, but I was extremely fond of your Papa. Not in any romantic way I hasten to add, but he took the place of the brother I always wished for.’

Kate hastily reassured her, wishing it was not necessary to deceive such a transparently nice woman.

‘It was a great shock when he quarrelled with your grandfather and, although I suppose I ought not to speak ill of the dead, I believe their rift was entirely old Mr Nixon’s fault. Your Mama was a charming girl.’

Lady Edgeworth stared hard at Kate. ‘Strange, when you were a baby I thought you resembled her, but now…’

‘Memory can play some odd tricks, can it not?’ Kate said quickly.

‘Indeed. I could have sworn your hair and eyes were a much lighter brown.’

‘I believe my hair was,’ Kate responded airily. ‘Mama says it became darker with every year I grew older.’

Lady Edgeworth nodded, her faint frown fading as she mentally dismissed the subject. ‘Now, am I right in thinking that you are presently at the Hop-Pole?’

Kate confirmed it.

‘A very good sort of place, but, and you may call me old-fashioned and you will, my love, I cannot altogether approve of your staying there. In fact, I wonder at those friends of your Mama’s! Why did they not escort you to me immediately?’

Kate hesitated. She had made the mistake of assuming Lord Redesmere would not get to hear of Kitty’s Irish sojourn. Her carelessness had rebounded on her head with a vengeance!

‘Actually, ma’am, you must not blame Mr and Mrs Hogan. They did as Mama asked and gave me their escort to my Uncle Sullivan’s.’

‘You went to
Ireland
?’

Kate launched into explanation and, without appearing vulgar, managed to thoroughly condemn Kitty’s Irish relatives before concluding with a rueful, ‘So you see, ma’am, I thought it best to leave. Naturally, I should have preferred to travel with an escort. However, since my presence was so plainly unwelcome, I didn’t care to linger until a suitable person could be found but departed with great haste.’

A vigorous nod of approval greeted this statement, emboldening Kate to continue. ‘Frankly, ma’am, their lack of courtesy angered me and I fear I spoke my mind a little too freely.’ She sighed softly. ‘I am sorry for it now. I did not wish to be on bad terms with my uncle.’

‘You must not blame yourself, my dear. I have heard it rumoured Gerald was furious over the terms of your grandfather’s will. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that he behaved uncivilly towards you. He was always a hot-head and I dare say he is eaten up with jealousy.’

There was warm sympathy in Alicia’s tone and for an instant Kate was tempted to confess the whole, but caution held her back. Even if Alicia disapproved of the Sullivans, it didn’t mean she would be willing to lend her support to Kate’s daring plan to save Kitty’s inheritance.

All I can do for now is play the situation by ear
, she thought. And pray that oaf Crawford doesn’t interfere!

Remembering the steely glint in those vivid eyes this seemed extremely unlikely!

Kate squashed the panicky flare of apprehension suddenly curdling her stomach. She was behaving like a ninny to let that man impress her so!

All you have to do, she told herself sternly, is drop a few hints about his atrocious behaviour. Alicia knows he stands to lose a fortune. Let seeds of doubt grow in her mind and his claim that you are an adventuress will lose its credibility!

‘I applaud your action, but how did you manage to find a ship on your own?’ Unable to curb her curiosity, Lady Edgeworth broke into Kate’s silent meditation. ‘Docks are no place for a young lady!’

Kate answered that her maid had undertaken this task. ‘She managed everything wonderfully.’

‘How fortunate she accompanied you from America! I suppose she has been with you for many years?’

Kate nodded, glad that Alicia had made this assumption. Pretending that Mary was an old family retainer was a little risky, but it was the best way to explain her presence and it seemed unlikely that any one would bother to check the credentials of a mere servant.

‘I’ve always been very glad of Mary’s company. She is completely trustworthy and is very skilled at dressing hair and every kind of needlework,’ Kate added with perfect sincerity.

It was true. She had regarded Mary Porter as a friend ever since the first day they’d met nearly seven years ago. Kate could still remember it vividly. She and Francis had just joined the Gillman Players. It was only a few weeks after their elopement and, still trying desperately to come to terms with the fact that her new husband was a completely different man to the gentle, ardent suitor he’d so recently been, she had been totally bewildered by the strange environment into which she’d been pitch-forked.

Mary took pity on her and Kate was grateful for her cheerful help and advice. Barely seventeen, Kate still missed her own mother who had died just two years earlier and, in a way, Mary had taken her place, giving Kate the support which Francis never bothered to offer.

The nature of their friendship had changed over the years as Kate had matured and grown in confidence. She had eventually risen to be the company’s leading lady while Mary had begun to concentrate on backstage work, but Kate would always be grateful for Mary’s kindness and encouragement.

Not that she could mention a word of such matters to Alicia, of course!

‘On our arrival in England,’ she continued instead, ‘I felt I ought to present myself first to Lord Redesmere. He is, after all, my blood relation.’

‘Very proper, my love.’

Kate gave her a shy smile. ‘I must also confess that I did not want to appear on your doorstep practically a pauper. Getting to England has taken most of the money my step-papa generously gave me. I thought that, as the custodian of my fortune, Cousin Randal would agree to advance me immediate funds against my inheritance.’

A sigh escaped her. ‘Sadly, it appears I was mistaken.’

Lady Edgeworth frowned. ‘Trust the lawyers to make a hash of things, but don’t worry. I am sure Randal will sort out whatever it is that is causing them to delay.’

‘I don’t think Messrs. Hilton, Tyler and Dibbs can be blamed.’ Kate paused delicately and dropped her gaze to her skirts. ‘The money is apparently available, but Lord Redesmere refuses to loan me a penny.’

‘What? I don’t understand! What can he be thinking of!’ Lady Edgeworth exclaimed, her surprise metamorphosing into indignation.

Kate shrugged, her expression a picture of demure confusion.

‘Now I consider it, his behaviour seems entirely reprehensible. Why didn’t he ask you to stay overnight at the Hall, instead of letting you go rushing off to an inn?’ Lady Edgeworth demanded. ‘I know he has no one to act as his hostess, which makes things a trifle awkward, but in the circumstances I’m sure not even the highest stickler would object. You are family, after all.’

‘The connection is quite distant,’ Kate murmured, staring modestly at the tips of her neat half-boots.

‘That signifies nothing!’ The golden curls shook in agitation. ‘Really, I am surprised at him! He should have brought you straight here to me if he was concerned at what people might think, though Heaven knows, it would be the first time he has ever let such a consideration weigh with him!’

Kate permitted herself a small mirthless laugh. ‘I very much doubt either such thought crossed Lord Redesmere’s mind. To put it plainly, ma’am, I was not welcome and he couldn’t wait to be rid of me. Not that I minded having to leave straightaway. I found his manners just as atrocious as Uncle Gerald’s.’

Alicia goggled at her and demanded to know the whole.

Adopting an air of puzzled disappointment, Kate quickly sketched in the broad outlines of her visit to Crawford Hall.

‘Lord Redesmere obviously felt I should not have run away from my uncle.’ Kate’s lovely face suddenly darkened. ‘He even said my behaviour was not that of a lady!’

‘Lud, that don’t sound like Randal at all!’ Lady Edgeworth looked astonished. ‘Are you sure you understood him aright?’

‘He practically threw me out of the house, ma’am!’

Alicia let out a small sound of shocked dismay. ‘How…how very dreadful for you, my love.’

Kate quickly reassured her. ‘I am quite recovered, although I must admit it was distressing at the time. I had not expected to be greeted with such ill-tempered hostility.’ She paused. ‘Not twice.’

Alicia threw her a startled look. ‘Oh you must not compare Randal with Gerald!’

Kate shrugged. ‘As you will, ma’am.’

‘I’m sure there must be a simple explanation.’

Delighted to hear a note of uncertainty in her tone, Kate pressed on. ‘If Lord Redesmere has no interest in hanging on to my fortune, then I can only assume he took my person in dislike.’ She could feel her teeth clench as she strove to produce a regretful expression.

‘I doubt that, my love.’ Alicia chuckled and shook her head. ‘He has an eye for a pretty woman.’

Kate barely prevented herself for making a very rude remark.

‘I take it that you know him well, ma’am?’ she asked after a moment.

‘Oh since he was in leading strings! The Crawfords are one of Cheshire’s foremost families, you know. What’s more, Godwin Crawford was my husband’s oldest friend.’

Kitty had told her that Randal had two sisters, but she had never mentioned that particular name. Panic tore along Kate’s nerves for a few seconds before she decided to bluff it out. ‘I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid I cannot quite place the gentleman,’ she murmured, surreptitiously crossing her fingers within a concealing fold of her skirts.

Alicia looked faintly surprised. ‘Godwin is Randal’s uncle,’ she enlightened her. ‘On the paternal side so no connection of the Nixons, but surely your Papa mentioned him? They were quite friendly. Indeed, I believe they were at school together.’

‘You must forgive me, I’m afraid I don’t know all the ramifications of the family tree.’ Kate hastened to repair the damage. ‘My parents rarely spoke of their past.’

‘I dare say their memories of England were tainted by your grandfather’s spite.’ Alicia sighed and then her expression brightened. ‘Still, I vow you’ll like Godwin immensely. All the ladies do, even though he is the most confirmed bachelor.’ She laughed. ‘He has a roguish twinkle in his eyes that charms us all and the most beautiful manners!’

Unlike his nephew
, thought Kate sourly as she asked if Mr Crawford lived in Chester.

‘Indeed he does. He has a very pretty house in Stanley Place.’

‘Does Lord Redesmere ever visit Chester, ma’am?’ Kate’s voice was perfectly level as she put this question, but her heartbeat quickened when Alicia nodded.

‘He has many acquaintances here in the city and often attends parties and entertainments.’ Alicia coughed slightly. ‘In fact, he sometimes pays a call on me when he is in town.’

‘Then in that case, perhaps I had best stay at the Hop-Pole.’ Kate smoothed her skirts in a brisk gesture. ‘Our dealings seem likely to be fraught with difficulty and I have no wish to cause any unpleasantness in your house.’