Courting Miss Vallois

‘I cannot imagine Sophie looking any better than she does.’

Lavinia’s lips twitched. ‘Spoken like a true diplomat. No wonder you do so well in the House.’

‘It does but pass the time.’ Nicholas set his cup and saucer on the table. ‘But now that we’ve all had a chance to become better acquainted, I think our guests would like to know why they are here. It isn’t every day a stranger from one’s past invites you to come to London.’

‘Especially when that stranger happens to be a member of the English aristocracy and an intelligence agent for the British government,’ Antoine added.

‘Former intelligence agent,’ Nicholas said. ‘I am happy to say those days are behind me. But it does bring me to the reason for my invitation, the first and foremost being to thank you properly for having saved my life. Without your discretion and most excellent care, I would certainly have died. A man doesn’t forget something like that and because I am in a position to repay you, it is my sincere hope that you will allow me to do so.’

‘But there is nothing to repay,’ Sophie said. ‘We did what anyone would have done under the circumstances.’

‘On the contrary, given the political instability of the time, finding an Englishman shot and left for dead should have raised any number of questions. You asked none.’

Antoine shrugged. ‘By your own admission, you had no answers to give.’

‘But you must have wondered.’

‘Bien sûr. But at the time I was more concerned with keeping you alive than with trying to find out why you had been shot.’

‘And therein lies the difference, Antoine.’ Nicholas got to his feet. ‘Where others would have waited until they knew why I had been shot, you went ahead and removed the bullet regardless. That is the mark of an honourable man.’

Sophie had no need to look at her brother to know that he would be uncomfortable with the praises being heaped upon him. Whatever services he had rendered had stemmed from a genuine desire to save a man’s life: the natural inclination of a man who one day hoped to become a doctor. For that, he expected neither praise nor reward. But equally aware that he was a guest in the gentleman’s home, Antoine said simply, ‘What is it you wish to do?’

‘For you,’ Nicholas said, ‘a letter of recommendation that will open the doors to whatever university you wish to attend, as well as a financial endowment to help offset the costs of your studies towards becoming a doctor.’

Antoine went very still. ‘You are offering me … money?’

‘I prefer to think of it as a means to an end.’

‘C’est la même chose. But we are not in need of your charity, my lord. Sophie and I have managed well enough on our own.’

‘Have you?’ Nicholas linked his hands behind his back. ‘I may not be familiar with all the ins and outs of becoming a doctor in France, but in England, there are considerable fees involved in the study of medicine. Not to mention the costs of establishing your own practice.’

‘None of which, if you’ll forgive me, are your responsibility.’

‘But all of which became my responsibility the day you saved my life and so drastically altered the course of your own. Let us not mince words, Antoine. Because of me, you and Sophie had to hide out in the French countryside with the fear of discovery hanging over your heads like the sword of Damocles; upon reaching Paris, you took whatever manner of work you could find. First as a labourer, then as a clerk, then briefly as a—’

‘Thank you, my lord. I am well aware of the means by which I earned enough money to cover our expenses,’ Antoine said. ‘It is enough you had us investigated. Pray do not compound the injury by prying into matters that are clearly none of your concern.’

‘But it is our concern,’ Lavinia said gently. ‘We care what happens to you and Sophie.’

‘Of course we do,’ Nicholas said. ‘Why else would we have gone to all this trouble?’

‘I really don’t know,’ Antoine said coldly. ‘But we did not ask for your help and our situation is not so desperate that we are forced to come to you with our hands out. It was Sophie’s wish to see you again and I agreed to make the trip with her. A decision I am now beginning to regret! ’ He abruptly got to his feet. ‘Now, if that is all you wish to say—’

‘It is not all I wish to say—! ’

‘Nicholas, please!’ Lavinia said. ‘Antoine. N’ira pas faire vous s’asseoir et nous écouter jusqu’au bout.’

Her low, quiet voice seemed to inject a note of calm into the escalating tension and Sophie was relieved to see her brother sit back down. She knew this was difficult for him. Antoine was proud. Too proud to accept what he would only see as a handout, even from a man whose life he had saved. ‘Listen to what Nicholas has to say, Antoine,’ Sophie urged softly. ‘Then let common sense, rather than pride, dictate your answer.’

‘And please understand it was never our intention to offend you,’ Lavinia said.

‘Indeed it was not,’ Nicholas said gruffly. ‘My only desire was to try to make things better for you. I apologise if you see that as an intrusion into your lives, but the fact is I was worried about the two of you. Those were dangerous times and hardly a day went by I didn’t wonder what had become of you. I owe you my life, Antoine. Perhaps to a doctor that doesn’t mean very much, but to me—to us,’ Nicholas said, glancing at his wife, ‘it meant … everything.’

There was a poignant silence as Nicholas sat down and took Lavinia’s hand in his. Watching them together, Sophie knew he had spoken from the heart. Whether or not his plans for their future came to pass, his reasons for bringing them to England could not be faulted. They stemmed from a genuine desire to thank them for the most noble gesture one man could make towards another.

Sophie glanced at her brother and was relieved to see that he, too, was regretting his hastily spoken words. ‘You have nothing to apologise for, my lord. Sophie’s right. Sometimes a man’s pride gets in the way and prevents him from seeing what is truly before him.’

‘I fear we’ve all been guilty of that.’ Nicholas offered him an apologetic smile. ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.’

‘But pride can be a good thing too,’ Sophie said. ‘It gives us the courage to fight for what we believe in.’ She leaned over and touched her brother’s arm. ‘It enabled you to pursue your dream of becoming a doctor.’

‘Yes, it did,’ Nicholas agreed. ‘But a surgeon is not a doctor. And if your wish is still to become a doctor, I can help you. For all the right reasons.’

For a moment, Antoine was silent. There was a great deal at stake and Sophie knew her brother would not make a hasty decision. He would take time to think the matter through, weighing his options before giving them his answer. ‘And Sophie? What would you do for her?’

This time, it was Lavinia who answered. ‘It is our wish that Sophie stay here in London with us for a while. Not only so we can get to know her better, but so that we might introduce her to English society. It is our hope she will form lasting friendships with the young men and women to whom she is introduced.’

‘Naturally, we will provide her with all things necessary to a young lady entering society,’ Nicholas said. ‘A suitable wardrobe. A maid to attend to her needs. A carriage. Or if she prefers, a decent mare to trot around Hyde Park—’

‘Why?’

Antoine’s one-word question stopped Nicholas in his tracks. ‘Why?’ He looked at the younger man and frowned. ‘Is it not obvious?’

‘Not to me.’

But to Sophie, who had been listening with growing concern, the answer was suddenly all too clear. ‘I think, Antoine, that Nicholas and Lavinia wish me to find … a husband.’

‘A husband?’ Then, her brother’s eyes opened wide. ‘An English husband? C’est de la folie! Sophie has no intention of marrying an Englishman! She is perfectly capable of finding a husband in France!’

‘But what kind of man would he be?’ Lavinia asked. ‘The son of a boulanger? A shop assistant barely making enough to feed himself, let alone a wife and eventually a family.’

A flush darkened Antoine’s cheeks. ‘You assume too much, my lady.’

‘Do I? You forget that I’ve lived in France. I am well aware of the practicalities of life as they apply to a young woman in Sophie’s position and they are not without their limitations.’

‘Let us speak plainly, Antoine,’ Nicholas said. ‘Sophie’s chances of making a good marriage where she is are extremely limited. For all your noble aspirations, a surgeon is little better than a tradesman and your sister will not benefit by the association. Here, we can offer her so much more. She will move in elevated circles; accompany us to soirées and balls held at some of the best houses in London. And when a gentleman does offer for her, as I have no doubt several will, he will have to meet my standards as far as wealth and station go, and seek your approval as the man who will be your brother-in-law.’

‘May I be permitted to say something?’ Sophie asked, torn between annoyance and amusement at the conversation going on around her.

‘But, of course, dear,’ Lavinia said quickly. ‘It is, after all, your future we’re talking about.’

‘Yes, it is. And while I appreciate what you’d like to do, I really have no wish to be married.’

She might as well have said she wanted to strap on paper wings and fly to the moon.

‘No wish to be married?’ Lavinia said. ‘But … every young lady wishes to be married, Sophie. It is the only respectable option open to a woman.’