The Rake's Rebellious Lady Page 17

  Nicolas agreed. ‘Twenty guineas it is!’

  The details settled, they repaired to the dining room.

  * * *

  They spent the next hour or so very pleasantly eating and drinking. The conversation veered from prize fighting to horse racing and the likelihood of Bonaparte staying put on Elba for long, and then back to town gossip. The time passed so pleasantly that it was almost three in the afternoon before they rose from the table.

  ‘Will you walk with me for a while?’ Freddie asked Caroline as they went out into the hall. ‘I am sure your brothers have other things to do…’

  ‘I can take a hint,’ Nicolas said and grinned at his brother. ‘Come along, Tom. I dare say we know when we are not wanted. I’ll give you a game of billiards if you’re up to it.’

  ‘What do you mean if I’m up to it?’ his brother demanded. ‘Tell you what, we’ll settle on the best of three…’

  ‘How are you feeling now?’ Freddie asked as they left the house and began to stroll across the lawns towards the rose arbour. His eyes moved over her with some concern. ‘I know the accident was an unpleasant shock for you the other day, though you claimed you were not hurt—and of course you were denied your trip in that balloon.’ He said nothing of the affair at Almack’s, for he knew she would shy away from it like a young filly being put to its first fence.

  ‘As if I cared for that,’ Caroline said. ‘I should still like to go up one day, but my only concern was for Tom. I think we were lucky that more serious harm did not result from such an accident.’ She stopped walking for a moment to look at him. ‘For myself, I cannot understand why anyone would do such a thing as to tamper with that rope. Why should anyone wish to harm Tom or me? Or you, sir, for that matter?’

  ‘Indeed, it was more likely so, for the change was made only at the last moment, and I think the damage must have been done earlier that morning.’

  ‘Yes, perhaps,’ she said, looking at him doubtfully. ‘Have you any idea who it might have been, sir?’

  ‘None at all,’ Freddie said. ‘But I have not been idle, Caroline. I shall discover the truth in the end, I promise you.’

  Caroline nodded. ‘I think that you would always do what you set out to do, sir.’ She blushed and dropped her gaze as she saw the expression in his eyes.

  ‘Miss Holbrook…Caroline,’ he said and looked down at her face. ‘You do not have to answer me now unless you wish, but I—’

  He was interrupted by a shout from the house and then Nicolas came sprinting across the lawns towards them.

  ‘I am sorry to interrupt you,’ he said, ‘but Caroline must come at once. Grandfather has had some kind of a seizure and he is asking for her.’

  ‘Oh, no,’ Caroline said and looked at Freddie anxiously. ‘You must forgive me, sir. May we speak again another time?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ he said. ‘Go to your grandfather, Caroline. I shall come tomorrow to inquire how he is—perhaps we may speak then?’

  ‘Yes, thank you,’ she said. ‘Please excuse me…’

  She fled across the lawn towards the house, her heart racing. These past couple of days her grandfather had shown his true affection for her, and she had felt happy that at last she was getting to know him. It would be a sad thing if he were to die just as they were truly becoming acquainted.

  ‘Forgive me for disturbing you,’ Nicolas said to Sir Freddie after his sister had left them. ‘But I had no choice.’

  ‘Obviously my meeting with Lord Bollingbrook must wait for another time,’ Freddie said. ‘It is unfortunate, for there were one or two matters I wished to discuss with him. I shall return tomorrow and in the meantime I hope that your grandfather is not seriously stricken.’

  ‘He is as tough as old boots,’ Nicolas said with a grimace that hid his affection. ‘At least he has been, apart from the gout—but of course there is always a first time. But please do feel free to call whenever you wish.’

  ‘Thank you. I shall,’ Freddie said and nodded. ‘I trust we shall not have to postpone our race. Good day to you now, Nicolas.’ He tipped his hat and set out for the stables to have his phaeton made ready.

  Nicolas turned and walked back to the house. He was almost certain that Sir Frederick had been about to make Caroline an offer, and he wished it might have happened before he had interrupted them. It would have secured his sister’s future.

  Tom was talking about making arrangements for his journey to Jamaica and Nicolas would need to return to his regiment in just over a week’s time—which meant that Caroline would have no one to look out for her. If Tom was right and the attempts on his life were down to money, she might also be in some danger.

  * * *

  The doctor was still with Bollingbrook when Caroline arrived. He turned his head as she entered, smiling and beckoning her closer, though he had a finger to his lips, warning her to speak softly.

  ‘The Marquis is resting, Miss Holbrook. I have given him something that will help him to sleep for a while.’

  ‘Will he be all right?’ Caroline looked at him anxiously. ‘He isn’t going to die—is he?’

  ‘It was fortunate that I was here,’ Dr Harris told her with a frown. ‘I believe that it was merely a slight seizure and he should be well enough in a few days. However, the next few hours are all important. He must rest—and he should not be upset in any way. However, you must be aware that it could happen again, and if it does…’

  ‘Yes, I see,’ Caroline said and looked at her grandfather, who was now sleeping soundly. ‘It is odd, but I have never considered him old. He is always so full of pepper that we take him for granted.’

  Doctor Harris looked at her kindly. ‘Do not despair, Miss Holbrook. He may yet be spared to you for some years to come.’ He took his large silver watch from the pocket of his waistcoat and glanced at it. ‘I have another call to make—but if you should need me at any time, please do not hesitate to send for me.’

  ‘Thank you, sir. You are very kind.’

  Caroline brought a chair to the side of her grandfather’s bed and sat down beside him. His right hand was lying on the cover and she reached out to touch it with her own, wondering what he had wanted to say to her so urgently. The doctor’s medication had obviously worked before he could communicate with her, and so she would sit quietly with him until he woke from his sleep.

  She let her thoughts return to the few minutes she had spent alone with Sir Freddie. She had sensed that he was about to ask her to marry him—but did he truly care for her or was he merely offering out of a feeling of responsibility?

  She had tried to deny her feelings for Sir Freddie, but, as her grandfather had said, you either loved or you did not; if she admitted what was in her heart, she had loved Freddie from the very beginning. There was something about him that had drawn her to him as a moth to the flame, a certain look, his smile and the way his ready wit matched hers. Whenever he was with her she felt alive and happy. She had not wanted to admit it, but now she could no longer pretend to herself that she was not head over heels in love with him.

  But she must not reflect on her own feelings now. She glanced towards the bed as her grandfather stirred restlessly in his sleep, and she thought she heard him murmur a name.

  ‘Angelica…’ The words were slurred, indistinct, but had a desperate ring to them. ‘My beloved…do not leave me…’

  He was calling for the young wife he had loved and lost, Caroline thought. None of them had truly understood his grief, she realised now, or the loneliness he had imposed on himself after Angelica’s death. Why had he done that? Was it grief or for some other reason that he had punished himself? Feeling her heart twist with pity, she stood up and bent over him, kissing the papery softness of his cheek.

  ‘I am here, dearest,’ she said. ‘Rest now. There is nothing to fret for. I am here…’

  He murmured something, but the frown faded from his forehead and he seemed to rest easier. Caroline stroked his brow for a moment and then resumed her se
at until he seemed to settle. She sat with him, watching as he slept peacefully until Jenkins came to tell her that her brothers wished her to go downstairs and eat dinner with them.

  ‘I shall watch over him, miss,’ the valet said, nodding at her encouragingly. ‘He speaks of you often to me, Miss Holbrook. If there is any change, I shall send one of the maids to fetch you at once.’

  ‘Yes, perhaps…’ Caroline got to her feet. She bent to kiss her grandfather’s cheek once more. ‘I know he is safe in your hands, Mr Jenkins. I shall come again for an hour or so later this evening.’

  She went down to the dining parlour, answering her brothers’ anxious inquiries as they sat down to dine together. As children, they had found the Marquis daunting, a figure of awe, but of late they had begun to know him and a shadow of anxiety hung over them all. He had been a dominating figure in their lives, and it would seem odd if he were no longer there.

  * * *

  It was just as Caroline and her brothers were about to rise from a rather sombre meal that one of the maids came to tell her that her grandfather was awake and asking to see her.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness!’ she cried, feeling the relief sweep over her. ‘I shall come at once.’

  She went quickly up the stairs and hurried to her grandfather’s bedchamber. She tapped the door and went in as she was bid, halting as she looked towards the bed, hardly knowing what she would find. However, the Marquis was sitting up against a pile of pillows, taking a little refreshment from a cup that his valet held for him. He waved Jenkins away as he saw her.

  ‘Enough for now, thank you.’ Lifting his hand, he motioned to Caroline to come forward. She did so, thinking that he looked a little weary, but seemed to be otherwise much himself. As far as she could see he had not been paralysed and it appeared that his doctor had been right in saying that the seizure had been slight. ‘Well, there you are, Caroline. Jenkins told me you were anxious, so I thought it best to have you up to see for yourself that I am as right as ninepence. It was just a little unpleasantness, nothing to worry about at all.’

  ‘I am glad to see you recovered, Grandfather,’ Caroline said with a smile. He was clearly not as well as he claimed, but he was not at death’s door, for which she was heartily grateful. ‘We have all been a little anxious, you know.’

  ‘Humph,’ the Marquis grunted. ‘I hope you had the sense not to send for the rest of the family?’

  ‘We thought it best to wait, sir.’

  ‘Good. I don’t want Sebastian or Claude troubling themselves to come all the way down here. I’ve nothing to say to either of ’em!’

  ‘Grandfather! You should not say such things.’

  ‘No, you shall not pull caps with me, Caroline. I don’t mince my words. Never have done and it’s too late to begin now. There’s no wrapping it up in clean linen. I don’t give a fig for either of ’em and they care less for me. I ain’t saying it ain’t my fault, but that’s the way of it.’

  ‘I am sorry for it, sir.’

  ‘Well, I ain’t and we’ll say no more of it. You and your brothers are here and that’s enough.’ He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, but opened them again as she moved away from the bed. ‘No, don’t go yet, girl. I have something to tell you. It concerns you more than your brothers.’

  She saw that his hand was trembling and she reached for it, holding it gently in her own. ‘You should not distress yourself, Grandfather. Surely it may wait until you are feeling better?’

  ‘I’ve been lucky this time,’ the Marquis told her and grimaced, rubbing at his chest as if he felt some discomfort. ‘It would be easy to put off what must be done, but if I do you may have grief of it one day.’

  ‘I do not understand,’ Caroline said and held his hand a little tighter as she felt him quiver. ‘How does your secret concern me?’

  ‘It is time that you knew the whole story. It may shock you, but I would not have you live in ignorance of the truth. You see, it concerns my Angelica. You will have heard stories of her, I dare say?’

  ‘I know that you loved her very much, sir.’

  ‘She was my whole world,’ the Marquis said, his voice ragged with remembered grief. ‘I loved her more than my life. Her happiness was my only concern and I would have done anything to please her—though I know that what I did was wrong. I make no bones about it. Guilt for my sin has haunted me through the years, but I did it because I loved her and I could not bear to deny her anything.’

  Caroline sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him in pity as she saw his anguish. ‘You do not have to tell me this now, sir. I see that it affects you deeply. Whatever it is, it may wait.’

  ‘No, child, let me speak,’ her grandfather said. ‘I have told you that Angelica’s family did not wish her to marry me?’ Caroline nodded, wondering what was troubling him so much. ‘She defied them and ran away with me because she loved me. She was brave, if reckless…’

  ‘She loved you as you loved her, Grandfather.’

  ‘It was her dearest wish to have a child,’ the Marquis said. ‘But I was older and I ought to have been wiser for her sake…it was my fault that she died.’

  ‘What do you mean? I do not understand you, sir. I thought Grandmother died of a fever?’

  ‘It is a long story and began the first time I saw her. My Angelica. She was so beautiful that I could not resist her. Even when her brother told me…’ His voice faded to a harsh whisper and he closed his eyes as if it were almost too much for him.

  ‘Tell me, sir. It may ease your pain.’

  ‘I knew that she was delicate,’ the Marquis said. ‘Her brother did not wish her to marry at all. He warned me that she must never have a child…that the strain of it would be too much for her heart.’

  ‘How could he know that for certain?’

  ‘He claimed it was a hereditary weakness. I did not care for such things. I only knew that I wanted her…loved her. I had my heirs. I did not need or want more children, but Angelica did. I tried to avoid giving her a child, but she guessed what I did and she begged me to give her a baby. I gave in to her pleas and by doing so I killed her. I adored her and I killed her. She was not strong enough, you see, and caught a chill that finished her off. Before she died she begged me to love our son and I did love him more than any other. When he married your mama, I thought that he could have married better. I have not been fair to your mama—or to you and your brothers, Caroline. Now I would make recompense. I cannot make up for what I did to Angelica, but I shall do what I can for her grandchildren.’

  Caroline was silent for some minutes after he had done. ‘But you were not to blame for her death,’ she said at last. ‘Angelica wanted a child and you gave in to her pleas…that does not make you a murderer.’

  ‘Her brother called me that and he was right,’ the Marquis said. ‘I was warned that she was not strong enough, but I stole her from her family. I married her and I gave her a child…a child that ultimately killed her. Her brother hated me for it, and I have hated myself…’

  ‘I am sorry that you have suffered so much, Grandfather,’ Caroline told him. ‘But why do you feel that this concerns me?’

  ‘Angelica’s weakness was hereditary, Caroline. They told me that it does not pass to the male line, but only to the female…’ His eyes were sad as they rested on her face. ‘You are so very like her that I fear for you.’

  ‘You think that I might carry Angelica’s weakness?’ Caroline glanced up at him, her eyes wide with shock. ‘But that is foolish, Grandfather. I am as healthy as can be. You need not concern yourself on my account.’

  ‘It did not show in Angelica until she caught a fever after giving birth…it might not come out in you until later.’

  ‘It will not affect me,’ Caroline said quickly. ‘I know that it has worried you for my sake, sir—but I am quite well.’

  ‘I do not say that you should never marry, child,’ the Marquis said. ‘But you must be aware that you might never be able to give your husband a chi
ld.’

  ‘You cannot know that,’ Caroline cried. The idea suddenly distressed her more than it should. She had been told by more than one person that it was imperative that Sir Freddie’s wife gave him an heir for the sake of the family name. Now Caroline was confronted with the thought that she might not be able to marry the man she loved. ‘No one can know such a thing. I am perfectly well.’ Her voice rose as she tried to deny what he was telling her. It could not be true! It must not…

  ‘Do not be angry with me, Caroline,’ the Marquis begged. ‘Angelica’s death has weighed on me all these years and of late I have begun to fear for you.’

  ‘I am not angry,’ Caroline told him, but her thoughts were whirling in confusion. ‘You must rest now, sir. You have told me what you think I should know, and I am grateful—but there is no need for you to worry for my sake.’

  Caroline’s heart was heavy as she left her grandfather and went to her room. If she did carry this mysterious illness in her blood, she could not in all honesty marry Freddie. He needed an heir and she might simply be too delicate to give him one.

  Chapter Nine

  After spending a restless night, during which she slept little, Caroline visited her grandfather’s room to see how he was. Jenkins was with him, and she could see that it was not a good time to call, but at least she was able to reassure herself that he had taken no further harm.

  She went downstairs, but did not join her brothers in the breakfast parlour. Instead, she walked down to the stables and asked the groom to saddle a suitable horse for her. He asked if he should accompany her, but she shook her head, allowing him to help her mount, and setting out at a good canter, which soon developed into a headlong gallop.

  The wind in her hair and the exhilaration of riding helped to blow away the confusion of her thoughts. She covered much of the estate, passing two tenanted farms and a lake, and returning at a slower pace an hour or so later. It was as she was passing the Home Woods that something caught her eye, and instinct made her duck her head over her horse’s neck. Her instinctive reaction may have saved her, for she heard the shot whistle harmlessly by as she raced on, her heart hammering wildly in her breast.