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

‘Ah, yes. Now you mention it, I do believe Osborne remarked upon the fact,’ Sir Joshua disclosed, before his frown returned. ‘Deuced odd that young Gifford should put himself to the trouble of paying me a visit on so brief an acquaintance, especially as he didn’t seem inclined to remain very long after we’d returned, don’t you agree?’

‘Perhaps he didn’t wish to outstay his welcome,’ Daniel responded, staring intently at an imaginary spot on the carpet. Or maybe he discovered what he came here to find out, he added silently to himself.

That evening, while she busied herself getting ready for the party, Katherine succeeded in maintaining a flow of light-hearted conversation with Janet who, showing no little expertise, was arranging those striking auburn locks in a more elaborate style for the occasion. Yet beneath the carefree exterior Katherine felt as if she were being ripped in two. She knew her stay at Rosslair was rapidly drawing to an end, and she found the mere thought of leaving excruciating, while at the same time she knew it was for the best, for she was not made of iron, and sooner or later she would buckle under the strain of striving to keep her feelings towards the master of the house well hidden.

She was under no illusions that this evening would prove to be the greatest trial of all, for not only must she continue behaving like some fond sister towards Daniel, she must also adopt the role which Sir Giles expected her to play: a double burden, but one she refused to attempt to postpone. So, after taking one last look at her overall appearance in the full length mirror, she picked up her shawl, and left the room.

She discovered Daniel awaiting her in the hall. Although he possessed some fine clothes, he hadn’t taken the trouble to acquire any fashionable evening apparel since his return to England the previous year. Consequently he had chosen to don, of all things, the Rifleman-green dress uniform he had worn on the occasion of her cousin’s engagement party, which she found a faintly poignant coincidence, for she had chosen to wear none other than the gown she had worn on that particular occasion.

Daniel turned as he detected her light footfall on the stairs, and smiled wryly as he cast appreciative eyes over her faultless appearance. ‘I have seen you wearing some charming dresses during these past days, Kate, but I think that particular gown will always retain a very special place in my memory long after it has been consigned to the rag box.’

She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. ‘Yes, it is somewhat ironic, is it not, that we should have chosen to dress in these particular garments this evening?’ She came to stand before him, her eyes gently teasing as she stared up at those ruggedly attractive features. ‘I hope it isn’t an omen and we end the evening by being at outs with each other.’

She had intended the remark as a joke, but it was clear that he wasn’t amused. ‘You do not have to go through with this, Kate. It isn’t too late to change your mind. No one would think any less of you if you did cry off.’

One would have needed to be deaf not to have detected the note of deep concern in his voice, and blind not to see the worry etched in each rugged contour of that beloved face, which would remain imprinted in her memory until her last breath.

He had been in a strangely subdued mood since he arrived home early in the afternoon, after his visit to the market town. He had openly admitted to enjoying the visit, and yet something had occurred to trouble him during his absence from home. ‘I should,’ she countered softly. ‘I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t a little apprehensive. But you know that Mr Ashcroft assured us both that I will be guarded throughout the entire evening.’

The troubled expression remained. Clearly he was unconvinced, but Katherine had more faith. ‘Sir Giles has done everything humanly possible to ensure my safety thus far, Daniel,’ she reminded him. ‘He could not have provided me with a better protector than you. If our roles were reversed, I know that you would see this thing through to the end.’

He didn’t attempt to deny it, and yet she sensed that he was suppressing the strong desire to sweep her up in his arms, carry her back up the stairs and lock her in her room. He was more than capable of doing it, too! Surprisingly, though, all he did was merely raise his hands and take a gentle hold of her upper arms. ‘Then I would ask only one thing. At the risk of receiving a second rebuff, my precious virago, will you dance with me this evening?’

For several moments Katherine was obliged to grasp her bottom lip between her teeth to stop it from trembling, as a surge of conflicting emotions, not least of which was a searing sense of shame, came perilously close to crushing the praiseworthy self-control she had managed to exert over herself during these past days. Only the tenuous thread of determination she still managed to retain enabled her to meet the tender gaze of the man she had once so naively held in such foolish contempt.

Raising her own hands, she placed them on the shoulders of the black-braided dark green jacket that suited him so well. ‘I would be so very honoured to stand up with you tonight … my grasshopper.’

For one heart-stopping moment she thought he might kiss her, and feared she could never summon up enough will to resist if he tried. Fortunately her reserves of resolve were not further depleted, for McGann, forcing them to part, came striding into the hall to inform them that the carriage was ready and waiting at the door.

‘I wish you’d let me come with you, sir,’ he remarked with a hopeful glance in his master’s direction.

‘No, McGann.’ Daniel’s voice brooked no argument. ‘Those two bodyguards Sir Giles sent have proved reliable. They will provide sufficient protection for the journey. Besides, I want you to keep watch here, to look after Janet, just in case we should receive an unwanted visitor.’

Mention of the housekeeper thankfully enabled Katherine to turn her thoughts in a new direction, as it brought forcibly to mind a conversation she had had with Janet earlier in the day, and prevented her from dwelling on the fact, as she went outside to the waiting carriage, that in all probability she would never again set foot in the house which she had come perilously close to treating as her very own home.

‘Janet wishes to retire, Daniel,’ she enlightened him, as the carriage began to move out of the yard. ‘Apparently your father promised her one of the cottages he had constructed on his land,’ she went on when he made no comment.

‘If she said my father promised her that, then I for one do not doubt it,’ he eventually remarked, appearing more subdued than ever.

‘I can appreciate your reluctance in parting with her,’ she responded softly, understanding his feelings perfectly. ‘Good housekeepers are hard to find, and Janet is a treasure. But you must take her wishes into consideration. She’s no longer young and the work is too much for her.’

‘Yes, you’re right, of course,’ he agreed. ‘Do you happen to know of anyone suitable who could fill her shoes?’

Oh, yes—she knew of someone, sure enough. She knew of the ideal replacement. But not for the world would she ever part with her dear Bridie, not even for him. Besides, she had the feeling that she was going to need that unfailingly loyal Irish woman’s loving support during the weeks, months, maybe even years ahead.

‘You must be aware by now, Kate, that I value your opinion,’ Daniel prompted, when the view from the window appeared to have captured her interest. ‘I wouldn’t have dreamt of purchasing this comfortable carriage and team of fine horses if I hadn’t received your full approval.’

‘Liar,’ she said softly, while praying her resolve, which was weakening with every passing second, did not crumple completely. ‘You had made up your mind to purchase this fine turnout the instant you set your eyes upon it. And you’ll manage to acquire a housekeeper without any help from me, too.’ You are going to have to do so, she added silently.

Blessedly the journey to her grandfather’s old house was soon accomplished, and Katherine was able, with a reasonable degree of success, to concentrate her thoughts on the vital role she had been entrusted to play that night.

No sooner had they been greeted by their host and hostess than Sir Giles Osborne approached them, appearing remarkably composed. ‘Well, mes enfants, all goes well, I think,’ he purred silkily.

‘And it had better continue to do so,’ Daniel muttered at his most grim, the effect of which was to bring one of those rare smiles to the taciturn baronet’s thin-lipped mouth.

‘I do not doubt that my days on this earth would be well and truly numbered if, indeed, it does not prove to be the case,’ Sir Giles parried before instructing Daniel to go away and mix with his friends and neighbours. ‘You may safely leave your so charming cousin in my care.

‘Well, how goes it with you, Mademoiselle Durand?’ he enquired, when Daniel, much to Katherine’s surprise, did as bidden. ‘I trust you didn’t find the journey from France too—er—fatiguing, child?’

‘It was certainly memorable,’ she answered, refusing to divulge more of what for her would undoubtedly prove to be the happiest period in her life.

Sir Giles’s eyes glinted with a flicker of amusement. ‘Knowing the good Major as I do, I do not doubt it,’ he murmured. ‘Your ordeal, however, will not last for much longer. I have every expectation that an attempt to abduct you will take place this evening. Have no fear, child. Even as we speak, your every movement is being closely monitored by my people. We have not much time,’ he went on hurriedly, ‘for unless I much mistake the matter there is a certain young gentleman about to request you to dance with him. Do so. Refuse the company of no one. You may safely even promenade in the garden, for I have several men stationed outside. When the attempt comes, do not put up the least resistance. Be assured you will not be in unfriendly hands for long.’

Although Sir Giles had sounded supremely confident, Katherine experienced a moment’s disquiet as she stepped out on to the dance floor. Undoubtedly the traitor was here in the room, watching her every move, studying her features to see if indeed she did bear some resemblance to the young Frenchwoman whose life he had not hesitated to extinguish four years before. It went without saying that he would as readily put a period to hers also.

Resisting the temptation to gaze about her at the fashionably attired gentlemen lining the walls, Katherine did her best to maintain her role by speaking in a marked French accent to the diffident young man who had asked her to dance. So determined was she to adhere to Sir Giles’s instructions that she refused none of the gallants who subsequently requested her as a partner and, when the evening was almost half over, even went so far as to step outside with a dashing young cavalry officer in a scarlet coat to take an exploratory stroll about that section of the garden which had been illuminated for the occasion by brightly coloured lanterns.

Thankfully nothing untoward occurred even then. Unfortunately the relief she experienced was short-lived, for the first person she glimpsed on returning to the salon was Daniel, heading purposefully towards her to claim her hand for the supper-dance.

All at once she felt as if all eyes instantly turned in their direction as they took to the floor. She was being incredibly foolish, of course, she told herself, and even if it was true, it was possibly owing to the fact that they made a striking couple in their corresponding dark green attire. Sadly she was not so successful in thrusting from her mind the realisation that this was the first and possibly the last time she would ever stand up with the man who would always possess her heart.

Forced yet again to call upon those rapidly depleting reserves of resolve, she somehow managed a semblance of a smile as Daniel began to swirl her about the dance-floor with remarkable grace for a man of his size.

‘You never cease to amaze me, my big cousin,’ she announced, maintaining quite beautifully the false accent. ‘Where on earth did you learn to dance so well? On the battlefields out in the Peninsula, I suppose?’

Clearly he noticed nothing false in the teasing manner, for he did not hesitate to respond in kind. ‘Naturally. One needs to be nimble of foot to dodge bullets.’

Although the foolish response was spoken lightly enough, she could not fail to detect the underlying tension in him. ‘Have you received further instructions from Sir Giles?’

‘Yes, damn his eyes! I’ve been told to keep away from you as much as possible.’

‘Then perhaps we ought not to be dancing now.’

‘Yes, we should,’ he countered, his tone becoming increasingly clipped. ‘And I’ve told the old rogue that I’ve every intention of escorting you in to supper.’

Knowing him as she did, Katherine didn’t suppose for a moment that he had been unduly polite when he had made his intentions perfectly plain. ‘Sir Giles knows what he’s about, Daniel. You cannot deny that he’s shrewd. He did not say as much, but I gained the distinct impression that the man he’s after is indeed among the guests this evening.’

‘Oh, yes, he’s here right enough, my angel,’ Daniel confirmed, after neatly avoiding a collision with the dashing young officer who had escorted Katherine outside a short time before, and who was now twirling his partner about the room with far more zest than grace. ‘And, unless I much mistake the matter, that devil Os-borne now knows precisely who he is too. He’s certainly not been idle during these past weeks.’

‘Admit it, Daniel!’ she prompted. ‘You’ve a grudging respect for the man.’

‘Ha!’ he scoffed. ‘I’d sooner trust a snake!’ He saw the hint of scepticism in the turquoise eyes gazing up at him, and relented. ‘He knows his business—I’ll give him that. And he’s taken every precaution to ensure your safety. If I wasn’t firmly convinced of it, you wouldn’t be here now.’

Daniel cast a brief glance over at one corner of the room, where their host stood conversing with several of his guests. ‘Cranford, as we both know, is in the old demon’s confidence. It wouldn’t surprise me to discover that he’s being groomed to step into Osborne’s shoes when the time comes for Sir Giles to retire. And Cranford, I noticed, has engaged extra staff for this occasion.’

Until that moment Katherine had not paid too much attention to the three footmen moving about the room, bearing trays of champagne. ‘Then I’ve truly nothing to worry about. But I’d dearly love to know who the traitor is.’

‘I’m afraid I cannot help you there,’ Daniel admitted. ‘Cranford may know, but I doubt too many others are in Sir Giles’s confidence. I’m certainly not. But you can bet your sweet life our traitor is among the pot-bellied peerage here tonight, high up on the social ladder. That, I suspect, is why Osborne is so keen to catch him here, in this quiet backwater, where there will be few witnesses to the event. It goes without saying that if Os-borne is successful, the whole business will be hushed up. That is how these people work. The traitor’s identity will never become generally known.’