Regency High Society Vol 3: Beloved Virago / Lord Trenchard's Choice / The Unruly Chaperon / Colonel Ancroft's Love

‘Don’t talk such rubbish, girl!’ he snapped, his expression no less harsh than his tone. ‘You’re no more a curse than I am. Your parents’ deaths were tragic, but had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with you. And how you can suppose you were responsible for your grandfather’s heart attack when you were in Bath at the time beggars belief. And as for your aunt Augusta,’ he went on, without granting her the opportunity to edge in a word, ‘she was an elderly spinster who died of old age, and would have done so had you lived in the house or not. It is much more likely that you made her last years much happier with your presence.’

His expression, if anything, darkened. ‘So I want to hear no more of such foolishness, understand? Otherwise I shan’t hesitate to shake some sense into you!’

Stunned by the vehemence of the outburst, it was as much as Katherine could do to watch him steer a path through the last few yards of woodland towards the open countryside. By the time she had gathered her scattered wits together sufficiently to formulate a response, he was already some distance ahead.

She quickly discovered that, although her own mount was both healthy and strong, the gelding possessed a decidedly stubborn streak and was determined to progress at his own pace. Consequently she found herself always trailing those few yards behind, a circumstance which didn’t appear to bother Daniel to any great extent, for apart from taking the trouble to inform her that they would stop somewhere for luncheon, and would risk putting up for the night at a village inn, he continued to ride on ahead, and remained in an unusually quiet mood for the remainder of the day.

The following morning, after the sheer joy of sleeping on a horsehair mattress, Katherine awoke feeling wonderfully refreshed. As she swung her feet to the floor, and padded across to the washstand, she couldn’t help smiling to herself as she recalled the expressions on the faces of the landlord and landlady when she and Daniel had walked into their inn the previous evening, without an item of baggage between them, and looking travel-stained and altogether dishevelled, just like a couple of vagrants.

Daniel, once again proving himself equal to any situation, and improvising quite beautifully, had explained that they had been set upon by rogues who had deprived them of all their belongings, except for several items of jewellery which his sister had cunningly hidden in the lining of her cloak, and which they had subsequently been forced to sell to purchase mounts in order to get home. From that moment the landlord and landlady’s attitudes had changed dramatically and they simply couldn’t do enough for the poor, unfortunate siblings.

Katherine would have been the first to admit that she had grown increasingly impatient of her dear Bridie’s incessant cosseting in recent months, but she had to own that she had been immensely grateful for the landlady’s thoughtful attentions. Not only had the kindly woman provided her with a few basic necessities, including the loan of a night-gown, but she had also taken the trouble to wash and dry all Katherine’s clothes. It felt wonderful being attired in freshly laundered garments once more, and no less satisfying being able to brush and arrange one’s hair.

Once Katherine had completed this task to her satisfaction, she went downstairs to join Daniel for breakfast. She hadn’t seen him since he had accompanied her upstairs as far as her bedchamber door the evening before, where he had informed her, prior to disappearing into the chamber opposite, that he had arranged for her dinner to be brought up on a tray. Just why he had taken it upon himself to organise this she had no way of knowing. Nor had she any idea how he had spent the evening. None the less, one glance was sufficient to convince her that he too had received the landlady’s kindly attentions. His linen had been laundered, his coat had been sponged and pressed, and he had made excellent use of mine host’s razor. The only thing that hadn’t improved, she swiftly discovered, was his morose state of mind, for although he rose to his feet as she joined him at the table, and did not fail to ask if she had slept well, he displayed yet again a marked disinclination to indulge in small talk.

Throughout breakfast and later, after they had set off on the last leg of their journey to Normandy, Katherine racked her brains, trying to think of what might have brought about Daniel’s strangely subdued state. She would have been the first to admit that there was much she still had to learn about him, but she wouldn’t have thought that he was a man prone to brood unnecessarily. So she could only imagine that he was concerned that there might still be pursuers hot on their trail. It would be foolish to advise him not to worry. Besides which, she clearly recalled her mother saying once that gentlemen would share their troubles only if they wished to do so; if not, they were best left alone to resolve their concerns in their own way, for eventually they would return to normal.

And how right her mother had been! As the morning wore on Daniel began to betray definite signs of shaking off his strangely subdued mood, and by mid-afternoon, as they arrived at the town where his friend resided, his spirits had lifted noticeably.

‘Except for crossing the Channel, the most arduous part of our journey, sweetheart, is now over,’ he announced, sounding relieved.

‘Are we so close to the coast?’ Katherine asked, surprised that they had managed to cover so many miles.

‘We’re about ten miles away. We’ll have no difficulty reaching it from here. The problem besetting us now is finding someone to take us across to England. And that is where I’m hoping my friend can help. At the very least we’ll be offered a bed for the night.’

The certainty that he could rely on his friend ought to have offered some comfort, and to a certain extent Katherine didn’t doubt that it had. So she couldn’t quite understand what lay behind the troubled look he cast her before he swiftly turned his mount off the busy main street and into a fashionable thoroughfare, lined with large dwellings set a little way back from the road.

Drawing his horse to a halt in front of the last dwelling but one, he dismounted, and then helped Katherine to do so, before securing their mounts to the railings and leading the way towards the front door. Once again Katherine detected that fleeting look of concern before he raised the polished door-knocker and administered several short, sharp raps. They were forced to kick their heels for several minutes before the summons was eventually answered by a middle-aged woman, built on generous lines, who bore all the appearance of a housekeeper.

Grim-faced, she cast disapproving grey eyes over Daniel, before betraying surprise as she glanced in Kath-erine’s direction. ‘Yes, what is it that you want?’

Her openly hostile tone didn’t deter Daniel from demanding to see the lady of the house. ‘She’ll see me,’ he interrupted, when the woman attempted to inform him that her mistress did not receive callers at this time of day. ‘Have the goodness to inform her that Major Daniel Ross is here and wishes to speak with her immediately.’

It was quite evident that the woman had never set eyes on Daniel before, but she certainly recognised the name, for her demeanour changed immediately, and she became almost reverential as she stood to one side and bade them enter.

‘Madame usually does her accounts at this time of day, monsieur, but I’m sure she will see you. If you’d care to make yourselves comfortable, I’ll inform her that you’re here.’

Unlike Daniel, Katherine availed herself of one of the gilt chairs positioned against the wall, and looked about with interest. Directly ahead was an ornately carved wooden staircase that swept upwards in a graceful arc, and to the left was a wide archway, surrounded by plasterwork cupids, by which one gained access to a large, crimson-carpeted salon. There were several low tables dotted about the very spacious room, surrounded by numerous chairs and several chaise-longues, all of which were upholstered in the same shade of dull yellow velvet. The walls were covered with gilt mirrors and paintings of females in various states of undress, or wearing absolutely nothing at all, between which sconces in the shape of cupids held their candles aloft.

The furnishings were undoubtedly expensive, but far too ornate and faintly vulgar. The strong odour of perfume about the place was a trifle overpowering too, Katherine decided, before the door on her right, through which the housekeeper had disappeared a few minutes before, opened. A moment later a woman of about Daniel’s age entered the hall, uttered a squeal of delight, and then cast herself upon his chest, planting full red lips upon his mouth.

After recovering from the shock of witnessing such wanton behaviour in a member of her sex, Katherine felt herself in the grip of an emotion quite foreign to her nature, before anger and acute resentment won control. For almost two days she had been forced to endure the humiliation of being virtually ignored for most of the time. But be damned if she would be overlooked yet again whilst he enjoyed an amorous woman’s embrace! she decided, inwardly seething, and drew immediate attention to her presence by clearing her throat quite pointedly.

Large brown eyes, clearly betraying surprise, peered above Daniel’s left shoulder. ‘But what have we here, mon cher Daniel?’ the woman enquired in a voice that was both silky smooth and seductively husky.

Suddenly appearing highly embarrassed, Daniel disengaged the slender arms from about his neck and held her away. ‘Josephine, may I present Miss O’Malley … Katherine, this is my good friend Madame Carre.’

Katherine swiftly discovered that dark eyes could glint with seductive invitation one moment and become quite disconcertingly direct in the next, when Madame looked her over from head to toe, her gaze openly assessing and remarkably astute.

Her full lips curling into a provocative smile, Madame then returned her attention to Daniel. ‘You naughty, naughty man! What have you been doing that you must bring this girl to me?’

‘Not what you might suppose, Josephine,’ he hurriedly assured her before she could give voice to further outrageous assumptions. ‘But I do require your help. Katherine and I need somewhere to stay tonight. And, more importantly, we need to find someone who’ll be willing to take us across to England as swiftly as possible. I shall explain everything to you presently. But first, have you a room where Katherine may go … where she’ll be safe and—er—left quite undisturbed?’

A look clearly betraying immediate understanding flickered over the Frenchwoman’s expressive features. ‘Of course, my friend,’ she assured him as she reached for the tiny silver bell on the table by her elbow.

Quite some time later, after having been plied with refreshments, and having experienced the sheer luxury of bathing and washing her hair in rose-scented water, Katherine’s opinion of the formidable housekeeper had undergone something of a change. From the moment Madame Carre had instructed her servant to take good care of their unexpected guest, the housekeeper could not possibly have done more to oblige, and was even now taking the trouble to groom the long red hair which she had patiently dried on a fluffy towel.

‘Your hair is beautiful, mademoiselle,’ she remarked, at last setting the brush aside. ‘Many women would give much to call it their own.’

Maybe, Katherine mused, smiling up at the surprisingly kindly servant through the dressing-table mirror. She knew, however, of at least one person who didn’t hold her auburn mane in the highest regard.

‘There will be time for you to rest a while before dinner, mademoiselle. I shall return presently to dress your hair and shall bring some suitable garments for you to wear. Your own clothes will be freshly laundered and will be returned to you by morning.’

Surprisingly light on her feet for a woman of her size, the housekeeper went over to the door, her expression clearly troubled as she turned back to add, ‘Should you require anything further, please do not hesitate to make use of the bell-pull. But I beg of you, mademoiselle, under no circumstances leave this room. The house is large, and I should hate for you to lose yourself.’

Puzzled, Katherine watched the housekeeper withdraw. How on earth was she supposed to take that strange warning? she wondered. Was the woman truly concerned over her safety, or was she perhaps afraid that the unexpected guest might be tempted to purloin the family’s silver?

What an odd creature the housekeeper was, to be sure! Bemused, Katherine shook her head, sending her long hair floating about her shoulders like a swathe of silk. It was almost as if the woman had a dual personality, not unlike the house in which she worked. One half totally at variance with the other, Katherine mused, as she gazed with renewed interest about the apartments into which she had been escorted some little time before. In stark contrast with the vibrant colours in the ground-floor salon, the bedchamber was charmingly decorated in subtle shades of primrose and cream. Foolish though it might be, it was hard to believe that she was in the same house.

Rising to her feet, she went over to the window, which offered a view of an enclosed garden. Madame Carre too, like her house and devoted servant, was something of an enigma. Who was she? More importantly, what part had she played—did she continue to play—in Daniel’s life? The way she had greeted him in that over-familiar fashion suggested strongly that at some point they had been rather more than mere friends.

The cruelly stabbing thorns of that unfamiliar emotion once again made themselves felt, but Katherine steadfastly refused not to face the very real possibility that at some period in the past the vivacious Madame Carre had been Daniel’s mistress. But if that was the case, what had become of Monsieur Carre? Had there in truth ever been such a person and, if so, where was he now? More importantly, where was Daniel himself? And why had he left her here alone with only strangers?

A blessed surge of anger began to protect her from those wickedly stabbing barbs, and she swung away from the window, as bored with the restricted view as she was with the confines of this bedchamber. But what could she do? Her clothes had been removed for laundering, and she had been given the flimsiest of dressing robes to cover her modesty.

Suddenly feeling weary, Katherine glanced across at the four-poster bed, and after a moment’s indecision decided to avail herself of its comfort. A book lay open on the bedside table, and she decided to make use of that too. Fortunately she could read and understand the French language far better than she could speak it, and was able therefore to follow the story of a pair of star-crossed lovers reasonably well. Eventually, though, the effort of translation became too much, and her eyelids grew increasingly heavy.

* * *

Katherine would have sworn she had dozed for a few minutes only. Be that as it may, when she opened her eyes it was to discover the drapes drawn across the window, the bedchamber bathed in soft candlelight, and to see a pile of clothes neatly placed at the bottom of the bed.

The position of the hands on the mantel-clock confirmed that she had, surprisingly, slept soundly for more than two hours. Hurriedly slipping her feet to the floor, she wasted no time in scrambling into the clothes, which were a perfect fit, and exactly to her taste, except for the slightly immodest neckline on the pretty muslin gown. This minor defect was immediately remedied by the donning of a silk shawl, which she arranged carefully about her shoulders as she crossed to the bell-pull.

She raised her arm, but her reaching fingers were stilled for a second or two by a disquieting sound, somewhere between a scream and a squeal. Then, clasping the velvet cord and tugging sharply, Katherine momentarily wondered what the noise might have been—the wind, whistling about the eaves, or perhaps two cats at odds in the garden? Then she clearly detected the noise again, clearer and more shrill this time, and definitely coming from somewhere inside the house.

Certain that someone must be hurt, and perhaps in need of help, she conveniently forgot the housekeeper’s warning and immediately went to investigate. The long passageway outside the room had doors leading off at intervals on both left and right, but she judged the odd cry must have come from behind that single closed door at the very end. Beneath her guiding fingers its key turned easily in the lock and the wooden barrier swung wide to reveal the continuation of the passageway in a dazzling blaze of light, its floor, walls and ceiling decorated in the same garish colours as were to be found in the main salon below, its atmosphere heavy, too, with the aroma of cheap perfume.

For a few moments it was as much as Katherine could do to gape in wonder, in disbelief. It was like suddenly finding oneself in another world, a totally alien place—intriguing but unnerving, and undoubtedly littered with unseen snares primed to entrap the unwary. Faint-hearted she had never been, and yet some sixth sense kept her rooted to the spot, as that cautionary little voice in her head gave clear warning not to venture further.

Prudence won the day and Katherine was on the point of retracing her steps to find the housekeeper, when a door suddenly burst open, and a squealing female, dressed only in a pair of frilly pantalettes, erupted into the passageway, quickly followed by a balding, middle-aged man, sporting only a pair of under-breeches, and brandishing something suspiciously resembling a feather duster.

As the ribald pair disappeared round the corner of the passageway, the woman squealing with delight as she received a thwack with the feather-ended stick across the buttocks, stark reality hit Katherine with all the force of a physical blow, and was no less disconcerting than the fingers which suddenly grasped her arm and hauled her backwards. The door was then firmly closed and re-locked and she found herself confronted by the highly disapproving housekeeper.

‘I warned you not to go wandering about, mademoiselle!’ Her tone was scolding, like that of a governess reprimanding a disobedient child. ‘Come, dinner is almost ready, and I have yet to dress your hair.’

In something of a daze, Katherine allowed herself to be led back into the bedchamber, and made no demur when requested to sit before the dressing-table. The housekeeper’s demeanour changed the instant she began to set about the task of arranging the auburn curls, and she became once again that very obliging woman who had willingly catered for her unexpected guest’s every need. Would that Katherine could summon up one ounce of gratitude now for all the care and attention she’d received!

A house of ill repute! A surge of anger swiftly mastered Katherine’s searing sense of shame. It beggared belief that any man purporting to be a gentleman would ever think of housing a virtuous young woman in a brothel, let alone leaving her there to fend for herself. Yet her so-called protector, the unprincipled wretch, had done precisely that!