From London With Love: Disgrace and Desire / The Captain and the Wallflower

‘If it is too much trouble for you—!’

‘Did you say Vauxhall, my lady?’ Sir Ronald stepped up. ‘I would be more than happy—’

‘Thank you, sir, but having offered to go with Major Clifton, it would be very cruel of me now to deny him.’ She gave Jack a glittering smile. ‘Would it not, Major?’

Her heart missed a beat as he hesitated.

‘It would, of course,’ he said slowly, ‘but if Sir Ronald is willing…’

There could be no mistaking the venomous look that passed between the men. Sir Ronald said coldly, ‘If the major is not able to escort you, madam…’

Jack put up his hand.

‘And yet I do not think that will be necessary. I have not been to Vauxhall for some time, ma’am. It will be amusing to visit the gardens with you.’ His eyes laughed at her. ‘Shall we go by water, or the road?’

‘We will take my carriage, naturally,’ she replied, her calm tone quite at odds with the fury inside her.

‘Naturally,’ he murmured. ‘So much more…intimate.’

Eloise knew her smile did not reach her eyes. She sipped at her punch, determined not to make a hasty retort.

‘Then you will not be requiring my services.’ Sir Ronald’s angry mutter recalled Eloise to her surroundings. She held out her hand to Sir Ronald and gave him a warm smile.

‘Perhaps another time, sir.’

‘Perhaps, my lady.’ He bowed over her hand and walked away.

She and Jack were momentary alone at the table.

‘And what was that little charade about?’ she demanded icily.

‘Just that, a charade.’

‘You made me almost beg you to come with me!’

He laughed.

‘You have the whole of London at your feet: there has to be some reason for the Glorious Allyngham to accept the escort of a mere major. Everyone will think I played my hand very cleverly and piqued your interest.’

She placed her cup back on the table with a little bang.

‘I wish I had turned you down!’

‘What, and accepted Deforge as your escort instead? You would find him a dead bore, I assure you.’

She ground her teeth in frustration.

‘I do not need you! I could write to Alex: he could be back here tomorrow.’

Jack refilled her cup and handed it back to her.

‘But you do not want him to know what you are about: what excuse would you give him, calling him away from his business just to escort you to Vauxhall?’

She eyed him resentfully, hating the fact that he was right. He laughed again.

‘You may as well accept my help with a good grace, my lady. Now drink your punch and we will let the world see that I have fallen under your spell!’

After a solitary dinner on Tuesday night, Eloise went up to her room to prepare for her trip to Vauxhall Gardens. She chose to wear an open robe of spangled gauze over a slip of celestial blue satin. Her cap was a delicate confection of lace, feathers and diamonds that sparkled atop her golden curls. Looking in the mirror, she was pardonably pleased with the result.

‘You look elegant and very stylish,’ she told her reflection, adding, as thoughts of a certain tall, dark soldier entered her mind, ‘and you do not look in the least fast!’

With her domino of midnight-blue velvet thrown over her arm she made her way downstairs to wait for Major Clifton. Minutes later he was shown into the drawing room, attired in a dark blue coat that seemed moulded to his figure, as did the buff-coloured pantaloons that encased his legs and disappeared into a pair of gleaming, tasselled Hessians. She put up her chin a fraction as she was subjected to his swift, hard scrutiny.

‘Well, Major, do I pass muster?’

Her spirits lifted a little when she saw a flicker of admiration in his face: she had seen that look too often to be mistaken.

‘I have never questioned your beauty, my lady.’

‘Only my morals!’ she flashed.

He put up one hand.

‘Shall we call a truce, ma’am? We will need to work together if we are to succeed this evening.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘We have no idea who is writing these letters, but you may be sure that they will be watching you tonight. We must make everyone believe that I am there purely as your escort, to be easily dropped while you slip off to…where is it?’

‘The Druid’s Walk.’

‘Yes, the Druid’s Walk for your assignation.’

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

‘Do you really think you can act the role of a mooncalf, Major?’

He grinned back at her.

‘Oh, I think I can manage that, madam.’ He held out his arm. ‘Shall we go?’

The journey to Vauxhall was accomplished much more quickly than they had anticipated, the traffic over the bridge being very light, and they were soon part of the line of carriages making their way to the gardens. Despite her anxiety, Eloise enjoyed Major Clifton’s company far more than she had anticipated. He said nothing contentious, and treated her with such courtesy and consideration that she soon relaxed.

Jack, too, was surprised. He had heard enough of the Glorious Allyngham to expect her to be a witty and entertaining companion but he was taken off guard by the generous, unaffected nature that shone through her conversation: she was as happy to discuss the government or the plight of the poor as she was Edmund Kean’s latest performance. She had little interest in gossip and confessed that she was happier living quietly at Allyngham than being ogled in the ballrooms of London. Intrigued, Jack regarded her across the dim carriage.

‘This is a very different picture of you, my lady. You are not at all the Wanton Widow you are named.’

‘She does not exist.’