Amanda Scott - [Dangerous 02] (24 page)

“I never asked him,” she admitted, flushing deeply. Everyone she knew called him Rockland. It did seem odd that he had never mentioned bearing the same given name as Sir Antony, but Rockland rarely talked much about himself, and she had not asked. She glanced at Sir Antony, but he looked straight ahead. Once again she wished she could read his expression. She had a disquieting notion that he was amused by the fact that she had not known Rockland’s given name.

The bishop said gently, “Shall I continue, my dear.”

“Yes, of course.” The ceremony continued, and when Sir Antony put the ring on her finger, Charley’s hand shook. When it was over, she stood where she was while he conversed amiably with the bishop. Their conversation was brief, however, for as Halsey explained, he had other commitments. “I cannot linger even to dine, I’m afraid.”

After his departure, everyone adjourned across the hall to the dining room, including Letty, who was the only one who expressed any excitement. Alfred hushed her, and conversation during the meal remained quiet, in keeping with his notion of what suited a house of mourning, even on such an occasion. Uncertain of her own feelings, Charley was grateful for the lack of celebration. She only wished she knew how she would occupy herself until Rockland’s return.

To everyone’s astonishment, that event occurred sooner than expected. Halfway through the meal, sounds of arrival in the hall brought conversation to a halt. Moments later, Rockland entered with Lady Ophelia Balterley on his arm.

Charley leapt to her feet and rushed to greet them. Hugging the solid, squarely-built old lady, she exclaimed, “How glad I am to see you, ma’am! I wish we had known you would arrive so soon. We might have delayed the ceremony.”

“What ceremony?” Lady Ophelia demanded. “Pray, who are all these people? I do not know anyone other than your grandmama, Ethelinda, and young Letitia.”

Disconcerted by the first question but knowing her duty, Charley introduced the Tarrants and Sir Antony, then said, “Rockland must have explained about our wedding, ma’am. Sir Antony stood proxy for him so he could fetch you as he’d promised to do.”

“Nonsense,” Lady Ophelia said bluntly. “One cannot marry by proxy in England, Charlotte, only in foreign countries where the law permits such a ceremony, and only when the English party cannot be present. I recall that quite clearly, for it was in all the newspapers when His Majesty was married in Brunswick.”

“Good mercy!” Shock swept over Charley. She looked at Sir Antony, but as usual, his face gave nothing away. He was looking at Rockland.

“Knew you hadn’t tumbled to it,” Rockland said to her, grinning. “You’d have met me with a pistol in hand if you had. Fact is, my pet, you’ve been ordering me about so, and thinking you can twist me round your thumb whenever you’ve a mind to, that I decided to teach you a lesson. I said you didn’t know the first thing about me, and since the first thing is my name, you married Sir Antony Tarrant, not me. Told the bishop I was acting in his behalf when I filled out the papers, and I put his names and titles in place of mine. Not to worry though,” he added swiftly, while Charley struggled to control her fury. “You need only go to the bishop, explain that I made some errors, and have the marriage annulled. Then, if you still want to, we can do the thing properly.”

“No,” Sir Antony said.

Charley stared at him. “What do you mean, no?”

“I mean that I have no intention of having this marriage annulled.”

A
NTONY HALF EXPECTED CHARLOTTE
to strike him, but she only clenched her fists.

“You are utterly mad,” she said. “You cannot pretend to want this marriage, and I certainly don’t want to be married to you!” Rockland chuckled, and she whirled on him. “And you! I suppose you think you have been quite clever. This is an outrage. What on earth possessed you to play me such a trick? And to involve Sir Antony?”

Still watching her, Antony was aware nevertheless when Rockland shot him a speaking look.

“Don’t look to him,” Charlotte snapped. “Answer me, Rockland.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Rockland then. He shrugged, looking pettish, and said, “I told you, I thought you needed a lesson. Took it as a sign from above when you didn’t question the marriage by proxy, because I was as certain as I could be that you would not want to insist that the bishop had got my first name wrong. Still, there was always the chance that someone would tell you a marriage by proxy wasn’t legal here.”

Charlotte looked from face to interested face. Following her gaze, Antony saw that Alfred looked amused, Edythe annoyed, and Miss Davies bewildered. Lady St. Merryn said weakly, “I certainly could not tell you. I know nothing about such things.”

Lady Ophelia snapped, “You’d have known if you ever read the newspapers.”

Unsuccessfully trying to stifle his chuckles, Alfred said, “My dear ma’am, do you mean to suggest that her ladyship ought to sully her mind with the sort of stuff one finds in the
Times?
I can guess now where Miss Charlotte comes by her odd notions.”

Lady Ophelia looked at him until he squirmed, then turned her attention to Charlotte, saying acidly, “Charlotte apparently never read about proxy marriages.”

“I can hardly have read about the King’s marriage, ma’am. That took place long before I was born. And, in any event, my lack of knowledge certainly does not excuse what Rockland did.”

Elizabeth said, “It all seems most peculiar to me, Charlotte, but I am persuaded that his lordship’s reasons must have been good ones.”

Antony decided that Charlotte did have some cause to dislike Elizabeth.

Even as the thought entered his mind, Charlotte snapped, “His reasons are quite childish. If he did not want to marry me, he had only to say so, but to mislead the bishop, even to lie to him! Surely, he has transgressed some sacred law or other.”

“Didn’t lie to him,” Rockland said. “Just said I was arranging a wedding, which I was. After all the times you’ve snapped my head off, I just wanted you to consider for a time how you’d like being married to a man who ain’t so easygoing as I am. I saw how he could sweeten that tongue of yours with a look, which is something I never could do. Just thought if I pulled it off, it might give you pause to think, that’s all.”

“What you have done,” Lady Ophelia said in sternly measured accents, “is quite unconscionable, young man. I am extremely disappointed in you. Like most men, you spout a vast amount of nonsense about love when it suits you to do so, and know nothing whatsoever about it.”

Rockland flushed, but before he could think of a reply, Letty said, “Are you married to Sir Antony then, Cousin Charley, instead of to Lord Rockland?”

“I am not,” Charlotte said sharply, avoiding Antony’s gaze.

“But you must be,” Elizabeth said. “What a coil this is, to be sure! Indeed, although dearest Alfred has scarcely stopped chuckling since Lord Rockland revealed his prank, it cannot seem amusing to you now. Still, I am persuaded that years from now we shall all laugh whenever we chance to recall this day.”

Charlotte glared, but as she opened her mouth, no doubt to go into greater detail about her feelings on the subject, Lady St. Merryn said querulously to Miss Davies, “But I do not understand all this, Ethelinda. I am quite certain that it was Rockland whom Charlotte said she was going to marry, and without even waiting until her parents and my dear St. Merryn had got cold in the ground, I might add, let alone for a proper year. But if the proxy business went amiss, as they say, she should not be married at all. Are they saying now that she has gone and married the wrong man?”

“But, Grandmama,” Letty said cheerfully, “even if she is married to Sir Antony, she will still be a ladyship, just as you’d hoped she would be. At least—” She glanced uncertainly at Antony, then said firmly, “Well, isn’t she?”

“So it would appear,” Lady Ophelia said dryly when Lady St. Merryn only shook her head in distress and reached for the vinaigrette Miss Davies held out to her.

Antony saw Lady Ophelia eye him with a speculative gleam, and decided it was time to take a firm hand in the matter. He said matter-of-factly, “We’ll get this sorted out quite easily if I can just have a few moments alone with Charlotte.”

“I don’t want to be alone with you,” she muttered.

“Then the sooner we finish our conversation, the more pleased you will be,” he said, taking her hand and drawing it through the crook of his arm. He felt her try to pull away, and when he did not release her, she gave him a startled look. He gazed steadily back at her, however, and apparently realizing that he had no intention of changing his mind, she made no further protest.

As they passed into the hall, he heard a crack of laughter from Alfred and an observation to the room at large that Rockland would be well advised to let the impostor keep the chit. “He was spouting Petruchio’s words not long since. Let him play the role if he’s got a fancy for it. Maybe he can tame our unruly Kate.”

Antony shut the door with a snap.

Charlotte did not look at him. He knew she had heard Alfred’s comments, but she did not say anything while he guided her into a stark room at the rear of the hall that looked as if it was generally used to park visitors of the lower classes while servants sought permission to present them. A single, tall, narrow, uncurtained window overlooked the drive leading to the stables, and provided enough light to see easily.

When Antony closed the door, she turned and said, “I cannot imagine what you think you can say that will change my mind about this farce Rockland has created.”

Her cheeks were bright, her eyes sparkled with wrath, and she was clearly exerting extraordinary effort to control herself. She was beautiful, and he wondered if she would have exerted such control for Rockland, but he could not indulge his fantasies now. He had a formidable task ahead of him.

“The farce,” he said quietly, “began long before I stepped onto the stage. Rockland is not only unworthy of you but he brings out the worst in you. Your decision to marry him was unwise.”

“That is water under the bridge now,” she said impatiently. “At present I am concerned only with how I can undo this absurd marriage to you. I should think you would move heaven and earth to help me. Instead you make ridiculous declarations about not wanting an annulment. Or did I misunderstand you?”

“You did not misunderstand. I hope, in fact, that you will reconsider your wish to end a union that I consider to be a rather fortunate circumstance. If you will allow me to explain …” He paused, watching her narrowly.

She drew a deep breath and let it out again. “Very well, I’ll listen. But do not suppose that I shall change my mind, for I expect I will do no such thing.”

“Will you sit down?”

“Stop dithering, and say what you will.”

“I need you.”

She stared at him. “What on earth do you mean by that?”

“No more or less than what I said. I need you. As I’ve told you, my movements are severely hampered while I stay here, more than I thought they would be. But by coming here as I did, I have put myself at a distinct disadvantage, because Sir Antony Foxearth-Tarrant would find it hard now simply to disappear.”

“Posing as Grandpapa’s heir was foolish. You would have found it more to your advantage to continue going about unnoticed.”

“Perhaps you are right,” he said, smiling, “but it seemed a good choice at the time, and it would be more foolish now to waste time condemning what cannot be undone. Then, too, it will be much easier for me to be seen with the Duke, when he comes, if I am already known as Sir Antony.”

Her brow furrowed, and he hoped she would not wonder why he did not simply meet the Duke when he arrived and pose as one of his entourage. To his relief, she said, “I hadn’t thought of that. I suppose it is only natural for you to want to be with him, and people certainly won’t think it odd to see you with him, because Grandpapa invited him to dine here after the ceremony. Mr. Gabriel mentioned it to Alfred, and I believe Alfred has written to assure Wellington that he is still quite welcome, but I don’t think he has received a reply yet. Do you think they’ll come?”

“Very likely, but I shall not rest easy until that ceremony is over. Nor would I trust others to keep watch once Wellington arrives in Cornwall. Too much is at stake. As you may have noted in the
Times
yesterday, Robert Peel succeeded in getting his police bill recommitted by excluding the City of London from its influence.”

“That is a good sign, is it not?”

“Yes, because objections from that square mile of ancient privilege have hitherto presented his main stumbling blocks, so he may well succeed this time. But as a result, Wellington’s determination will be greater than ever to prove that Cornwall is safe for him without calling in the army. Since I very much doubt that he’ll let me post armed guards within the cathedral to ensure his safety, I mean to be right there beside him.”

“But how does this pertain to me or to this absurd marriage of ours?”

“As my wife, you will lend me credibility,” he said. “Not only will my marriage to you allow me to stay in the district as Sir Antony but it will provide me with an excellent reason to position myself near you and the Duke at the front of the cathedral. Recollect that you are to open the Seraphim Coffer for him when he presents the sacred vessels. Also,” he added, choosing his words carefully, “our marriage will lend credence to my wish to remove at once from this house.”

Astonished, she said, “But why? Where do you want to go?”

He smiled again, hoping his tension did not reveal itself. Much depended upon her cooperation now, and he was not certain enough yet of how her mind worked to know how best to present his case. Instinct told him to be frank. He said, “Thanks to Alfred’s insistence upon defending his claim to Tuscombe Park, the necessity to present certain documentary proof, and the time necessary to conclude probate, any decision as to that claim will take a good deal of time.”

“Good mercy, do you have documents to produce?” Her eyes were wide. Clearly, she had not considered any possibility of his claim proving true.