His next words were no help in solving the conundrum.
‘I know it hurts,’ he said, ‘but it will get better. Believe me.’
But what was he talking about? Was he talking about her damaged shoulder? Or, sensing what she felt for him, was he talking about her heart?
Chapter Ten
That night Will’s carriage rolled slowly through the streets of Bath with its curtains drawn. Eleanor, lying comfortably inside, was wearing a cloak over her gown. It had been lent to her by Will, along with a travelling rug, and they kept her warm. After eating a light supper and following it with a glass of port, she had been well enough to travel. And now here she was, almost back home.
Suddenly she felt apprehensive. What had happened whilst she had been away? Would Arabella and Charles have believed Drayforth’s lies? And if they had, how would she be able to convince them otherwise without telling them the truth?
As the coach rattled along she wondered whether she should tell them just that. But it was not an idea she liked. Arabella would be worried, and feel guilty that she had been the unwitting cause of Eleanor’s abduction, whilst Charles - no, she could not possibly explain to Charles. He knew nothing about the stolen letters, and therefore nothing about Mr Kendrick, so she could not tell him what had really happened without revealing Arabella’s secret. And that was something she was determined not to do.
Then what should she say? What could she say?
She decided at last that she must claim she had been ill and had gone home early, neglecting to tell anyone because she had been too poorly to think clearly. She did not like to lie, but some reason must be given for her sudden departure and it was the most convincing story she could think of. She would write a note to Arabella as soon as she got home to let her sister know that she was safe. And she would ask Arabella to call on her, so that she could set her sister’s mind at rest.
The carriage rolled to a halt.
The footman Will had kindly sent with her opened the door and let down the step. Wrapping her cloak around her to hide her bandaged shoulder, Eleanor hurried into the house.
To her surprise, when she opened the front door she heard a cry of ‘Eleanor!’ and Arabella came flying out of the sitting-room.
‘Eleanor! I have been so worried about you. I came home as soon as our guests had left, to find out if you were here. But what has happened? Where have you been? Come, let us go into the sitting-room. You look pale. Here, let me help you off with your cloak.’
‘Careful — ’ began Eleanor. But it was too late. She winced as Arabella removed the cloak, dragging it across her bandaged shoulder.
Arabella gasped. ‘What -?’ She looked at Eleanor in consternation.
‘It’s a long story,’ said Eleanor.
‘Oh, Eleanor. I never dreamt that you would have come to harm like this. But you are tired. You need to sit down.’
She arranged a chair with a footstool in front of it, and waited for Eleanor to sit down.
‘And now, before you tell me what happened you must have some tea.’ She went over to the bell.
Eleanor was surprised at Arabella’s practical tone. It seemed that, in the last twenty-four hours, Arabella had started to grow up.
‘Marriage must be good for you,’ she said. ‘You wouldn’t have been able to take charge like that a few days ago.’
‘I suppose I did not know what I could do until I tried,’ Arabella replied.
‘Does Charles know you are here?’ asked Eleanor, hoping that her escapade had not put a strain on her sister’s new marriage.
‘Yes. Oh, Eleanor, I have told Charles everything. When you disappeared he was so understanding that I knew I could trust him completely, and I decided to tell him all about it.’
‘About the letters?’ asked Eleanor.
‘About the letters, Mr Kendrick, everything,’ said Arabella. ‘I decided that if he was horrified with what I had to say and wanted an annulment then I would not oppose him, for if his love could not stand the truth then perhaps it wasn’t the kind of love I really needed after all.’
‘Goodness!’ said Eleanor. It seemed that Arabella had grown up even more than she had guessed.
The door opened and Molly entered the room.
‘Miss Grantham would like some tea,’ said Arabella.
Molly dropped a curtsey and left the room.
‘Does she know I have been gone?’ asked Eleanor.
‘No. I thought it best not to tell her. No doubt she thinks you have just returned from the celebrations.’
‘But tell me more about Charles,’ said Eleanor. ‘I take it he did not want an annulment,’ she smiled.
‘No.’ Arabella laughed. ‘He said he could not blame Thomas for falling in love with me, as he had done the same thing himself, and he could not blame me for having written such silly letters when I was young and foolish.’ She smiled mischievously. ‘And he said he would have to fulfil my craving for poetry by writing a sonnet to me himself!’
‘Oh, Bella, I’m so pleased! I always felt it would be best if you could confide in Charles, but I was afraid that if he proved false it would break your heart.’
‘And so it would have done,’ Arabella said. ‘But I am older now, and wiser.’
The door opened and Molly entered with a tray of tea.
Eleanor gratefully drank a cup of the refreshing beverage.
After she had finished it Arabella said, ‘Now tell, me, Eleanor, what happened?’
‘You did not believe Mr Drayforth’s rumour, then, that I had run off with Lord Silverton?’ asked Eleanor. ‘I’m glad.’
Arabella flushed. ‘I must confess that when you were nowhere to be found, and Lord Silverton had similarly disappeared, I wondered. But once I thought about it, of course I knew that you would never do such a thing. At least, not without telling me,’ she said mischievously. She hesitated, then said, ‘Was it something to do with Mr Kendrick?’
‘Yes.’
‘Charles thought it might have been. After I had told him everything he sent one of his most trusted servants to Mr Kendrick’s Bath address and discovered that Mr Kendrick had been murdered a short time ago. Then he came here and questioned Cooper.’
‘He knew that Cooper was here to protect us?’
‘Not at first. But he suspected that Cooper was somehow involved, as he had appeared suddenly in our lives, and Cooper at last told Charles the truth.’
‘Where is Cooper now?’ asked Eleanor.
‘With Charles, at Ormston House. They are discussing what is best to be done. Oh, Eleanor, what a lot you didn’t tell me.’
Eleanor sighed. ‘I wanted to protect you. It wasn’t a pleasant business, and I felt the less you knew the better. But perhaps now the time has come to tell you everything.’
Little by little Eleanor told her sister all about her adventures with Mr Kendrick, leading up to her recent abduction. The only thing she left out was that Lucien was working for the government and that Mr Kendrick, as well as being a blackmailer, had stolen military documents: that kind of information was best kept to herself.
‘Well!’ exclaimed Arabella, when she had finished. ‘And to think, I never suspected Mr Drayforth. I thought he was a scandal-monger, but nothing else. I see now I was mistaken.’ Her face fell. ‘He won’t come back, will he? You’re not still in any danger?’
‘No. Lu - Lord Silverton is taking care of him.’
Thoughts of Lucien made her grow quiet. He had handed her into the carriage with the utmost tenderness, but that had only made things harder as she did not know if she would ever see him again.
‘Good.’ Arabella heaved a sigh of relief. ‘What an odious man he was. It was not enough for him to abduct you, he had to slander you as well, and all so that no one would think to look for you when they discovered you were missing.’
She took out her handkerchief, a pretty scrap of muslin, and twisted it in her hands.
Eleanor looked at her in surprise. She knew that
gesture of old. It meant Arabella was worried.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘Oh, nothing,’ said Arabella nonchalantly. Then said in a rush, ‘The thing is, Eleanor, it has created something of a scandal. In fact, the gossips are already calling it the Silverton scandal. There was a lot of talk this afternoon, and although Charles and I did everything we could to discourage it, still the rumour spread.’
‘Then we must do what we can to dispel it,’ said Eleanor practically.
Arabella nodded. ‘I was thinking, if you are well enough, we ought to take a turn in the carriage tomorrow. If people see you taking the air as though nothing has happened, they will believe that nothing has happened. I will go back to Ormston House now and tell Charles and Cooper that you have returned, but I will call again tomorrow and I will bring Charles with me. We will need his countenance if we are to silence the scandal mongers.’
‘I’m sorry to bring this on you, particularly on your wedding day,’ said Eleanor.
‘Pish!’ said Arabella. ‘All that matters is that you are safe.’
She stood up.
‘Rest now,’ she said. ‘Charles and I will call for you tomorrow.’
Shortly after handing Eleanor into the carriage, Lucien arranged for reinforcements to meet him and then took his leave of Will.
Everything that had happened had intensified his feelings for Eleanor: his admiration for her courage and resourcefulness, his respect for her loyalty, his delight in her company, his desire for her and his need to make her his wife.
He had been shaken by the sight of her embracing another man in Sidney Gardens, it was true, but on reflection he knew there could be an innocent explanation for the scene and he meant to ask her about it, for he no longer believed she would value a safe life above everything else. Above even love.
Besides, once Drayforth was captured the danger would be over.
All the more reason for him to catch Drayforth quickly. Because once it was done he could propose to Eleanor and then make her his wife.
Dressed in her best carriage dress, Eleanor sat by Arabella and Charles as they took the air the following afternoon. As the carriage turned down a fashionable thoroughfare, Eleanor’s appearance caused a stir. There were whispers and glances, but no one stopped to speak to the party and one or two people actually turned their horses’ heads away. After a few minutes of this, Charles decided to take a hand. Thumping on the floor of the carriage with his cane, he signalled it to stop next to Lady Chawford.
‘Good afternoon, Lady Chawford,’ he said pleasantly. ‘It’s a fine day we’re having.’
Lady Chawford, taking a walk with her companion, stood as still as a statue. But then, evidently deciding that the goodwill of a future duke should not be lost, she inclined her head and remarked that it was a very fine day indeed.
Charles repeated the manoeuvre with a number of other notable people, and although their replies were cool they spoke to him. He made it unavoidable they spoke to Eleanor, too. But Eleanor knew that if she had been on her own they would have cut her.
It was a lowering thought.
‘Well, we’ve done what we can,’ said Charles, as at last the carriage turned back to Eleanor’s home. ‘We must just hope it is enough to scotch the rumours. I had hoped that Silverton might have paid a call. He could save your reputation instantly if he had a mind to . . . but no matter.’
Eleanor said nothing. The thought of Lucien saving her reputation filled her with dread, for there was only one way he could do it: by offering her his hand. To have him offer it to her for the right reasons would have filled her with happiness. But to have him offer it for the sake of her reputation - it didn’t bear thinking about.
The carriage came to a halt outside the Granthams’ house and the three of them went inside.
They had just divested themselves of their coats when there came the sound of a carriage rolling to a halt outside.
‘Oh, no. Not someone come to crow over us in our misfortune,’ said Arabella anxiously.
Charles went over to the window.
‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s the one person I hoped to see. The one man who can put an end to this mess and save Eleanor’s reputation. It’s Lord Silverton.’
‘He has come to offer you his hand,’ said Arabella to Eleanor.
Charles nodded. ‘As a gentleman, he can do no less.’
‘No.’ Eleanor spoke out loud. Her revulsion to the idea was so strong that the word came out bluntly.
‘No?’ enquired Charles. It was clear he had misunderstood her. ‘Then you can think of another way for him to save your reputation?’
Eleanor regained control of herself with difficulty. ‘That is not what I meant.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I meant that I cannot marry him.’
‘Of course you can.’ Charles spoke kindly. ‘I know it’s not ideal Eleanor - no one wants to be coerced into marriage - but like it or not, your reputation has been tarnished, and Silverton must take steps to protect it.’
‘No.’ Eleanor’s voice was as heavy as lead.
‘Come now, it won’t be as bad as all that. I know Silverton has a wild reputation, but he’s an honourable man, and you will have nothing to complain of as his wife. I was at school with him, and I know him to be basically sound. He will not ill-treat you. On the contrary, I suspect he will treat you very well. He is rich and titled. As his wife you will have a position in Society, and a house in town. It will be all right, you’ll see.’
‘You don’t understand,’ cried Eleanor, realizing that Charles had misunderstood the reasons for her reluctance to marry Lucien.
‘Ah. You think he will resent you because he has been forced to marry you. But I don’t think that will be the case. He needs to settle down sometime: his nurseries need filling, and that cannot happen until he takes a wife. You are a respectable young lady with good connections. He can have no objection to the match. In fact, if I may say so, I think he will do far better in marrying you than he would have done if he had had a free choice.’ Charles smiled kindly. ‘Ten to one he would have chosen someone wildly unsuitable and would have been miserable for the rest of his days!’
Eleanor’s spirits plummeted. This was even worse. But there was nothing she could do about it. She could not tell Charles what was really worrying her, and so she must try and put a good face on it.
Besides, there was not time for anything more, as Lucien was already being announced.
‘We will leave you for a short while,’ said Charles. He took Arabella’s arm. ‘If you need assistance, you have only to pull the bell.’
Eleanor nodded miserably.
Arabella looked at her sister with concern, but then accompanied Charles out of the room.
A minute later Lucien strode in. His clothes were crumpled, and there was an air of urgency about him that made her heart turn over in his chest. His face, shaped by its high cheekbones and dimpled chin, was etched with an emotion that made him look more vibrantly alive than she had ever seen him. But what that emotion was she could not decide.
‘Eleanor.’ He stood looking at her, then said, ‘I had to come.’
Her spirits sank. ‘I know.’ As Charles had said, hearing of the scandal, he had had no alternative but to come and see her and offer her the protection of his name.
‘Then you have been expecting me.’
She nodded. To postpone the evil moment, she said, ‘Will you take some tea.’
‘Tea?’ He looked surprised.
‘I can ring for some refreshment if you would like some,’ she persevered.
‘No. I haven’t come here for tea.’
He was about to continue when she forestalled him by saying, ‘Won’t you take a seat?’
He hesitated, then sat down on a Hepplewhite chair. His long legs were stretched in front of him, and his breeches were pulled tightly across them. His boots were spattered with mud.
The sight gave her inspiration.
‘Tell me, have you
succeeded in catching Drayforth?’ she asked, as she, too, perched on the edge of a chair.
He looked perplexed, as though this was not what he had come to talk about, but he could not avoid replying to her question. ‘Yes. I sent for reinforcements and then led them to Drayforth’s house. He was just about to set out to interrogate me.’
‘It must have come as a terrible shock to him.’
‘It did.’ Lucien’s voice was grim. ‘He thought he had taken care of everything.’
His face darkened, and she could tell he was replaying the scene.
‘He put up a determined fight. He had a number of ruffians in the house, and for a while it looked as though he might escape, but a stray bullet caught him in the leg, and then we had him.’
‘And the general?’ Eleanor asked.
‘It wasn’t easy to get Drayforth to divulge his whereabouts. He tried to use the general’s life to bargain for his own. But in the end we didn’t need him to tell us. We searched all his addresses, and found the general in the attic of Drayforth’s town house.’
‘Was he hurt?’
‘He had not been treated well. But he wasn’t badly injured, and he will make a full recovery.’
Eleanor nodded. ‘Good.’
Lucien started to speak, and to forestall him she said, ‘And the two men we saw at Mr Kendrick’s house?’
‘They were simply there to reclaim some letters. Kendrick had been blackmailing their sister, and they had gone to his house in order to demand he return them. On finding the house was empty, they took the letters and left without ever knowing that Mr Kendrick was dead.’
‘Then everything has turned out for the best,’ said Eleanor.
‘Yes.’ Then he broke out, ‘Eleanor, I have not come here to talk to you about Drayforth. I have come here to ask you to marry me.’
It was the moment she had been waiting for, and the one she had been dreading. In order to protect her reputation he was offering to make her his wife. But she could not go through with it. She could not accept his hand, and read the notice of their betrothal in the Times. She could not make arrangements for the wedding, stand next to him in a church, live in his home, bear his children, knowing all the while that he did not love her.