An Unlikely Alliance (13 page)

Dugan had shown Lady Stanthorpe to the front sitting room. It had been recently redecorated in the fashionable Grecian style, and while waiting for the servants to bring refreshments, Lady Stanthorpe praised the changes he had made. She then launched into a description of the rather more daring changes she had planned for her own establishment.

Alexander murmured agreement whenever it seemed called for, privately wondering whether Lord Stanthorpe had agreed to implement any of his wife’s fantastic schemes.

The butler supervised the delivery of the tea tray. Dismissing the footman, he then turned to Alexander. “Will that be all, my lord?”

“Please ask Mademoiselle Beaumont to join us,” Alexander said.

Dugan nodded, his face stiff with disapproval as he realized that his employer intended to introduce the interloper to the highly respectable Lady Stanthorpe.

Lady Stanthorpe had been pouring tea, but at the mention of Magda she looked up at Alexander. “Mademoiselle?” she echoed. The amber stream continued to pour into the teacup unobserved. Alexander reached over and removed the teapot from Lady Stanthorpe’s hands before the cup overflowed.

“Would you like a cake? I’ll taste one first to show you that it’s not poisoned,” he said.

“That’s not at all amusing,” Lady Stanthorpe said.

“My apologies,” Alexander said. He wondered just how much to tell her, and decided that he had to tell her at least part of the truth. “It was even less amusing two days ago, when someone actually did try to poison us. But do not worry, no one was harmed.”

Just then the door opened and Magda came in. “Alexander, you wished to see me?” she asked, then she caught sight of his guest. Realizing they were not alone, Magda gave him a look that should have scorched him in his shoes.

Alexander rose from his seat and crossed the carpet to where Magda was standing. Taking her by the hand, he led her over to Lady Stanthorpe. “Lady Stanthorpe, may I present Mademoiselle Beaumont?”

Lady Stanthorpe’s eyes widened as she caught sight of his guest. “Mademoiselle,” she said coolly.

Magda gave a graceful curtsy. “Lady Stanthorpe, this is an
unexpected
honor,” she said.

“Please join us,” he said and gestured toward the sofa.

“I do not think so. I am sure you and Lady Stanthorpe have much to discuss, my lord,” Magda said stiffly.

He should have known she would prove stubborn. He wondered whose feelings she was trying to spare. His? Or more likely she was trying to protect Lady Stanthorpe’s delicate sensibilities.

“On the contrary, we were discussing you,” he said. “Sit,” he insisted, placing his hand on her shoulder and pressing down until she had no choice but to comply. He then took the seat beside her.

“She was the one? Why would anyone want to poison a fortune teller?” Lady Stanthorpe asked.

“I was wondering if you’d recognize Magda without her costume,” Alexander said. “Quite a transformation, is it not?”

Lady Stanthorpe looked across at Magda. Dressed today in a demure gray gown, Magda bore little resemblance to the flamboyant Gypsy who had entertained at Lady Stanthorpe’s party. But Lady Stanthorpe had always had a good eye for faces, and he wasn’t surprised that she had recognized Magda.

Lady Stanthorpe set down her teacup with a decisive air. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him with the air of one about to do battle. “Her appearance is hardly the issue. A month ago that girl was entertaining guests in my drawing room, and now I find her here with you? This is most improper, and not at all like you.”

She spoke to him as if he were a callow youth caught in an indiscretion. He would not have allowed anyone else to take such a tone with him, but he knew that behind her haughty tone there was genuine concern.

“Of course,” Alexander said. “This is indeed Mademoiselle Magda, who made her debut as a fortune teller the night of your party.” With a few swift sentences Alexander described how he had found Magda after she had been attacked, and had taken her to his house to care for her, only to have someone later find her there and try again to kill her, this time with poison.

Lady Stanthorpe turned to Magda. “Is this true?”

“Oh yes,” Magda replied. “Without Alex—that is, without Lord Kerrigan’s help I might have perished that first night. But now whoever it is has found me here, so it is not safe for me anymore.”

“Indeed,” Lady Stanthorpe said thoughtfully. Looking closely at Magda and Alexander, she then nodded as if she had reached some private conclusion.

“What is it that you want me to do?”

This was the tricky part. He was well aware that what he was asking was preposterous and went against every convention of society. But it was necessary if his plan was to succeed.

“I need someone to introduce Magda to the
ton
. Someone to take her about, and to make sure that her presence in society is noted. Up until now our villain has been able to skulk in the shadows and strike at will. By bringing Madga into the open we hope to force him out of hiding as well.”

“I am not sure about this,” Lady Stanthorpe said. It was not the reaction he had hoped for.

“Lord Kerrigan assures me there is no risk to you,” Magda said. “He and Luke will be there whenever I make an appearance.”

Lady Stanthorpe continued to shake her head. “It is not that,” she explained. “But I simply can not introduce an unknown, no matter how beautiful she is. Everyone would want to know who she is and where she came from. Having seen her as a Gypsy, my friends will hardly believe it if I try to pass her off as a respectable young lady.”

Alexander had already anticipated her objection. “I thought you could claim that she was a distant connection, from the French side of your family. Magda’s mother was the daughter of a Russian count and a Gypsy princess. She was cast off by her family when she eloped to marry a Frenchman. Since both her parents died when she was young, Magda had no idea of how to find her father’s family. You only discovered Magda’s true identity when you met her on the night of your entertainment.”

“Is any of this true?” Lady Stanthorpe asked hopefully.

“I do not know,” Magda said with quiet dignity. “Some of it may be true, but most likely it is all a tissue of lies that my mother wove to entertain her clients. When my mother died, the truth of who she was died with her as well.”

“It doesn’t have to be for long,” Alexander said. “If our villain doesn’t surface in a fortnight or so then we’ll have to try another tack.” But it had to work. Magda’s eyes still bore a haunted look, and try to hide it though she might, he knew it was hard for her to live with the knowledge that someone was trying to kill her.

“You do not have to do this,” Magda said, seeing that Lady Stanthorpe was still hesitating. “I am certain Lord Kerrigan will understand completely if you feel you can not lend your name to such a dubious enterprise.”

Something in her tone seemed to reach Lady Stanthorpe. “Nonsense. Of course I will do what I can. Lord Kerrigan would never ask unless it was important. And I am certain you will be as safe in my home as if you were in the Royal Palace.”

“No,” he said flatly. Magda’s leaving was out of the question. “She stays here with me,” he added in a quieter tone.

“Impossible,” Lady Stanthorpe said with equal firmness. “How can we explain her presence here? The rumors around you are bad enough as it is, but if there should be even a hint that she has been your guest then there will be no bringing this off.”

It was a possibility he hadn’t considered. He had just assumed that Magda would stay here, where he could continue to watch over her. But if gossip over the attempted poisoning was already swirling around town then it meant that there was no way he could conceal Magda’s presence here any longer.

“Perhaps if you were to stay here? As a chaperone, perhaps?” Magda offered. It was some consolation to see that she, too, was distressed by the idea of parting.

“When I have a perfectly good residence of my own? No, if you were really my charge I would insist on your removing to my household, where you can benefit from my guidance. If we are lucky, no one will connect you with the exotic mistress that Lord Kerrigan is said to have installed in his own home.”

Magda blushed at the implications. “I assure you Lord Kerrigan has behaved as a perfect gentleman.”

“I am certain of it. That is why it is imperative that I remove you from this household at once,” Lady Stanthorpe added cryptically.

She was not to be swayed, and eventually Alexander was forced to agree that this was the only way to make his plan work. After all, he had asked for Lady Stanthorpe’s help because she was so astute in social matters, a topic for which he himself cared little.

Lady Stanthorpe wielded enormous social power when she chose. In her twenty years in India, Alexander was not the only young man she and her husband had befriended. Many of those she had assisted over the years had returned home to England as men of wealth and influence. Now, returned to England, she had a circle of allies she could call on at will.

It was to Lady Stanthorpe’s great credit that she never thought to use her social consequence for her own advancement. She was simply a kind person who had always helped those who needed her, and expected her friends to do the same.

Lady Stanthorpe was the perfect ally. She could introduce a camel to the
ton
and they would give her the benefit of the doubt, solemnly hailing it as the next Prince of Persia. For her to turn Magda respectable would be a small deed. It would not last forever, but hopefully the affair would be over before anyone saw through the deception.

“I make you no promises, but I will do the best I can,” she said. Her face brightened as a thought struck her. “I suppose this will be rather like an adventure. I have always wanted to take part in an intrigue.”

It was clear that Lady Stanthorpe had no conception of the gravity of the situation. Alexander grimaced as he realized that it would fall to his part to ensure that he made sure she did not get carried away in her schemes. But he could not pull this off without her help. “I will be forever in your debt,” he said.

“Madame is all kindness,” Magda agreed.

They decided that Magda would remove to the Stanthorpes’ residence later that afternoon. It was the one part of the plan he did not like. He understood why it was necessary, but he was not happy at having Magda out from under his eye. It simply did not feel right, and he could not shake the feeling that something dreadful would happen to her without him there.

Not that his own efforts had succeeded in keeping her safe, but at least here he was in control. He resolved to check the security of the Stanthorpes’ house personally, and to augment their staff with some of his own men who could be relied upon to keep Magda out of harm’s way.

Magda drew aside the silken drapes from the window of her sitting room and looked anxiously down at the street below. There was no sign of Alexander. What could be keeping him? True, he was not expected for some time yet, but was he not anxious to see her? She longed to see him. He had not seen her for a week, not since he had convinced her to accept Lady Stanthorpe’s hospitality, despite her own misgivings.

He had promised that she would be safe here, but the promise of safety was no consolation for the loss of his companionship. Letting the drapes fall back, she wandered over to the looking glass. She surveyed her appearance critically, but could find no fault. It had cost a fortune to persuade the dressmaker to have this ready in time, but she had to admit that the dark green silk gown had been worth the cost. Wisely not trying to pass Magda off as a typical young lady, they had eschewed the pale muslins that characterized a young miss in her first season. Instead they had chosen a costume which would play up her role as an exotic newcomer. Made in the latest fashion with a low, square neck and short Spanish shoulder sleeves, the dress gave her an appearance of elegant refinement.

The dress was but one of the changes that had occurred this week. Lady Stanthorpe was a ruthless taskmaster, taking charge of Magda from the moment she arrived. Every waking moment was occupied. First there was the selection of her new wardrobe, and the endless fittings required. In between fittings, Magda was required to practice her manners. She learned how to curtsey and the other niceties of social address. Even mealtimes were a lesson, with Lady Stanthorpe watching every bite she ate, constantly correcting her table manners and choice of utensils.

It was not that Lady Stanthorpe was unkind. On the contrary, it was clear that she was trying as hard as she could to be helpful, and to turn Magda into a proper lady. And so Magda gritted her teeth and did her best to absorb the endless lessons.

It made her long for the time she had spent with Alexander. She missed him and the free and easy ways of his household. He was never far from her thoughts. Constantly during this past week she’d found herself thinking of him, wondering where he was and why he had not come to see her.

She missed his smile and the way his eyes had lit up when he saw her. She missed the way he had listened to her as if her opinions really mattered to him, and how he had never condescended to her simply because she was a woman and a commoner. Most of all she missed the way he had made her feel. When she was with him she had felt alive.

She knew her feelings for him went beyond mere friendship. She was perilously close to falling in love with him. And this was a dangerous emotion indeed, for there was no honorable way that she could be with him. Even if he returned her feelings, their love could only lead to heartbreak.

Perhaps Alexander had already seen the danger, and that was the reason why he had not come to see her.

There was a soft rap at her door. “Enter,” she called.

“Mademoiselle, Lady Stanthorpe asks if you are ready to depart. She and her guest are waiting in the parlor.” It was Luke, dressed in the livery of a footman, delivering his message in all-seeming humility.

“Yes, Lu—” Magda began, then remembered that she wasn’t supposed to know the newest member of the staff. “Please tell Lady Stanthorpe that I will join her in a moment.”