Beauty And The Brooding Lord

In very little time they were sitting comfortably, a decanter on the small table between them and a glass of ruby-red wine in hand.

Quinn watched in amusement as his friend made a show of sniffing the wine and taking a sip before nodding appreciatively.

‘Excellent. This came in through Bristol, you say? I must put my man on to it.’

‘Send him to Averys and they will see to it.’ Quinn shot a glance at his friend. ‘But you did not come here merely to taste my wine. What is it that has whetted your curiosity?’

‘Why you, my friend.’ Tony lifted his glass to the light and twisted the stem between his fingers. ‘I came to discover for myself if you have taken a mistress.’

The calm atmosphere of the drawing room became suddenly tense. Quinn schooled his expression into one of amusement.

‘What an absurd idea. You know I am not in the petticoat line.’

‘That is what I thought, but the rumours in town made me wonder.’

Quinn put down his glass. The way his hand had been tightening around it he was afraid he might snap the stem.

‘Then perhaps you would be good enough to tell me just what it is that you have heard.’

‘I was at White’s a couple of nights back and Walsham came in. You may not know him. Something of a mushroom, but with connections enough to give him entrée into most places in town. He strolls up to Hambridge and asks after his sister. Now, in general such a remark would pass unnoticed, but a sudden hush fell over the room, and Hambridge looked so put out there was no ignoring it.’ Tony settled himself more comfortably in his chair. ‘Walsham did not leave it there, however. He pulls out his snuff box and says, in the coolest way imaginable, “Your good lady told me I was mistaken in thinking Miss Russington was at the Swan and it must be so, because Jack Downing says she cried off from Vauxhall that very same evening, pleading ill health. I trust it is not serious, no one’s seen her for well over a week.” Well, by this time Hambridge is frowning like a thundercloud. He jumped to his feet, exclaiming that he had no patience with all the tattling busybodies who try to make mischief out of nothing. Then he stalked off. Quite out of character, I thought. He is generally such a dull dog.’

‘And this is all?’ Quinn refilled their glasses. ‘My dear Tony, I am surprised at you, to be taking note of such a trifle.’

‘And I should not have thought any more about it, had I not gone to Tattersall’s yesterday. You will recall there was a very pretty Arab mare I had my eye on, but that is by the by. I ran into Sir Timothy Forsbrook there, you see. He was selling his greys and mighty cut up about it, too. Blamed it all on a woman who had dashed his hopes. He was in his cups and happy to tell anyone who would listen how the mysterious Miss R. had persuaded him to run away with her on May Day, only to abandon him at Hitchin for a much richer prize.’ Tony’s shoulders lifted a fraction. ‘The richer prize was not named, of course, but I remembered you had travelled to Melham Court that evening, and would have passed the Swan.’ He paused. ‘It made me wonder—’

‘Hell and damnation!’

At Quinn’s violent exclamation Tony’s casual manner deserted him and he sat bolt upright.

‘Never say that there is any truth in this, Quinn!’

‘No. Yes!’ Quinn jumped to his feet. ‘Has anyone else connected me with this affair?’

‘Not yet, although at the clubs last night they were already beginning to link Forsbrook’s juicy tale to Walsham’s gossip. ’Tis commonly believed now that the lady is Serena Russington, Hambridge’s ward.’

Cursing softly, Quinn went over to the window. He said over his shoulder, ‘I stopped at the Swan on my way home. Forsbrook was there and I...er...removed Miss Russington from his company. She was unharmed, save for a few bruises, but it was already gone midnight so I was obliged to bring her here.’ No need to go into detail, Quinn. ‘I put her into Mrs Talbot’s care until the Hambridges could collect her the next day. As for her persuading Forsbrook to elope, I believe it was quite the reverse. He tricked her into accompanying him.’

‘Then why hasn’t Hambridge called him out?’

‘He thought it would cause the sort of scandal he was anxious to avoid.’ Quinn’s jaw tightened. ‘I agreed with him, at the time. I thought Forsbrook would be too embarrassed by what had happened to blab about it. Now I see we were wrong.’ He turned back and looked at his friend. ‘Well there, at least, I will be able to act!’

‘The devil you will. Confound it, Quinn, you are so rarely in town your mere presence there sets the ton by the ears. If you come back to call the fellow out, I won’t be the only one to remember you live within a stone’s throw of Hitchin. No, no, you keep well out of it, my friend. No need to become involved.’

‘I am already involved,’ Quinn reminded him, a trifle grimly. ‘And the devil of it is that Crawshaw met her here, the following morning.’

‘The vicar! That’s a dashed nuisance.’

‘Aye. I had no choice but to introduce him. So far he hasn’t said anything, but...’ Quinn let the words hang and a brooding silence fell over the room.

At last Tony gave a sigh. ‘Well, Crawshaw is a good fellow and not one to gossip. I suppose your servants know the whole?’

‘How could they not? I can rely upon Dunnock and Mrs Talbot to be discreet, but some of the younger ones may let it slip.’

‘And since most of ’em are related to my own staff, everyone at Prior’s Holt knows of your visitor by now. Not to worry. I’ll have a word, stop it spreading further if I can. Of course, it would be better coming from Lottie, as mistress of the house, but she’s still in town. I’ll write to her, tell her to do what she can to squash any rumours she hears.’

‘You are both very good, but I fear it may be too late for that.’

‘Well, there is no need to involve yourself further,’ said Tony with finality. ‘You know as well as I that once gossip starts it must run its course, and if Hambridge is wise he will remove his sister from town until this has all died down.’ He rose. ‘Now, I had best be getting on to Prior’s Holt or they will not have time to find me a decent dinner.’

‘If that is the case then you can come back here and take pot luck with me,’ said Quinn, accompanying him out of the house.

Once his friend had driven away Quinn returned to his study, but the letters he had planned to deal with that morning remained unopened. Instead he sat in his chair for a full half-hour, staring into space and thinking over all Tony had told him.

* * *

‘Smile, Serena. And sit up straight. Remember this is for your benefit.’

Dorothea’s hissed whisper was cut short as she turned to greet Lady Drycroft, whose carriage had drawn up alongside their own. It was the third day running that Dorothea had taken Serena out at the fashionable hour and the May sunshine had encouraged even greater crowds than usual to throng Hyde Park. Progress around the gravelled drives was little faster than a walk.

It was a nightmare, thought Serena. To be smiling, calmly exchanging greetings, when all she wanted was to hide from the world. It was her own fault, she had compromised herself by running off with a man and Dorothea and Henry were doing their best to mend matters. All that was expected of Serena was that she appear in public and act as if nothing had happened.

Two weeks ago, she would not have doubted her ability to ride the storm. But she was not the same confident lady who had set out to meet Sir Timothy Forsbrook. She had lost her self-assurance and no longer felt any interest in what was happening to her. However, it was easier to try to please Dorothea than oppose her, so she smiled and replied politely to the barbed comments of the spiteful. At the same time she discounted her friends’ kind words, knowing she had brought this fate upon herself. Her face ached with smiling. All she really wanted to do was to take to her bed. To go to sleep and never wake up.

* * *

They returned to Bruton Street an hour later and entered the house just as Henry was crossing the hall. He waited while they discarded their bonnets and spencers, then ushered them into the drawing room.

‘How was your drive around the Ring today?’

‘Humiliating,’ replied Dorothea. ‘We received only the coolest of nods from several matrons, including Lady Mattishall. The Duchess of Bonsall cut us altogether! No one believes Serena has been ill. I have had to suffer innumerable sly remarks.’

‘They will come to believe it, if you persevere. They have to believe it,’ Henry added, his teeth clenched. He shrugged off his anxiety and said more cheerfully, ‘Now that Serena is out and about again this little setback will soon be forgotten.’

‘Little setback?’ Dorothea retorted. ‘Have you not noticed how few invitations we have received recently?’ She waved towards the mantelpiece, which was usually crowded with cards. ‘And even when I do go out, I am teased about it constantly.’

Serena thought that if Dorothea had not been so cool to those she considered inferior, then society might have been a little more sympathetic, but she said nothing. It did not seem worth the effort.

‘Well, we must bear it for a few more weeks,’ Henry replied. ‘Then you can leave town for the summer. What say you to hiring a house at Worthing? You and Serena can travel ahead and I will join you as soon as Parliament rises.’

‘Worthing! What is the good of that, when everyone of note will be in Brighton?’

‘That is just the point, Dorothea,’ Henry explained patiently. ‘By the time you meet your acquaintances again, other scandals will have arisen to eclipse Serena’s disgrace. Poor Brummell, for one, the wolves are already circling his door. And who knows,’ he added hopefully, ‘you might by then have found a husband for her.’

‘You forget, Henry, I do not want a husband.’

Serena’s quiet words brought a cry of exasperation from Dorothea.

‘You see,’ she cried, turning to her husband. ‘You see what I have to put up with? If ever there was such an ungrateful wretch. Oh, go up to your room, girl, and change for dinner. Henry, where are you going?’