Ice Angel (5 page)

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she waited for Lord Bramwell and his sister to arrive, Isabella grew more nervous even though she chastized herself for being faint-hearted. What harm could a morning visit do? It would be over within an hour, and yet still she could not relax. The beautiful posy of yellow roses she had received an hour ago, along with Lord Bramwell’s card and compliments, had already brought the colour rushing to her cheeks. Instinct told her that Lord Bramwell threatened her current calm and ordered existence, something she had longed for during the turbulent years of her marriage, and indeed, he had haunted her thoughts in recent days with tormenting regularity.

As an antidote, she reminded herself of his reckless character, but in this she enjoyed limited success; Isabella was honest enough to admit that it was unreasonable to allow Sir Seymour’s comments to dictate her view. Harriet had heard nothing exceptionable about Lord Bramwell – he was, she confided to Isabella, considered a Corinthian and a nonesuch, but his sporting wagers were generally thought to be great fun and stylish rather than the reckless madcap schemes
epitomized
by the likes of the Earl of March. Despite the fact that sport and gambling was woven into everyday life and that most men, both young and old, devised wagers and tests of stamina to occupy their time, Isabella remained wary. Gambling held painful memories for her and she determined to keep Lord Bramwell firmly at arm’s length and treat his visit in the same way as she had Sir Seymour’s. But when Silwood informed her of his arrival, her treacherous heart defied this resolution and began to beat faster. Clasping her hands together and taking a deep breath, Isabella fervently hoped that this ordeal would be brief.

The butler announced her visitors and Lord Bramwell strode into the first-floor saloon. ‘Good Morning, Lady Vane,’ he said. ‘May I introduce my sister, Lady Julia Cavanagh?’

He moved aside to allow his sister to come forward, and Isabella found herself looking into a pair of brown eyes which twinkled with friendly amusement. ‘Delighted to meet you,’ declared Julia, ‘and I see that descriptions of your beauty have not been exaggerated.’

Isabella blushed and replied quietly, ‘It is kind of you to say so, but since my beauty or otherwise is of no importance to my family, it is of no consequence to me. I admire your gown, Lady Julia – it is by Mrs Trentham of Bruton Street, is it not?’

‘Why, yes,’ said Julia in surprise. ‘How clever of you to notice.’

Isabella smiled. ‘Not really – my aunt ordered a gown from Mrs Trentham recently and I recognized her particular style.’

‘Are Mrs Forster and your son well?’ enquired Lord Bramwell.

Isabella, aware that he had not removed his gaze from her face, endured his scrutiny with all the self-control she could muster. After thanking him for the roses, she murmured, ‘Yes, they are both in good health. Harriet is helping Dominic learn his letters; we share the task and spend an hour with him each morning. He is progressing so well that he will need a tutor when we to move to Haystacks— that is to say, our new home in the country.’ Isabella bit her lip in annoyance; she had not meant to reveal even this small detail and hoped that her
visitors
had not noticed.

‘When my brothers were young, they found it extremely annoying to be confined to London,’ said Julia. ‘They were never happier than when in the countryside, climbing trees, riding their ponies, or fishing.’

‘We were the grubbiest urchins in the neighbourhood and roamed the Chenning estate from dawn until dusk,’ said Hal, with a smile. ‘And although you would not think it from her elegant appearance today, Julia was never far behind, begging to be allowed to join in.’

Julia laughed. ‘It’s true – I was a hoyden who didn’t enjoy the more sedate activities that girls are supposed to adhere to.’

‘Then you have four older brothers, Lady Julia?’ queried Isabella, a trace of envy in her voice. As a child, with no mother and only an elderly father for company, she had spent many lonely hours longing for siblings and the halcyon view of
childhood
described by Lord Bramwell struck a chord – it was exactly what she would wish for Dominic.

‘Oh no – Hal and Theodore are older, but Lukas and Hugo, who are twins, are sixteen and still at school.’ Julia gave Isabella a mischievous smile and added, ‘However, it is only Hal who tries to be high-handed with me—’

‘—and fails miserably,’ observed her brother in a dry voice. ‘Julia is more than a match for her brothers, Lady Vane, both in spirit and obduracy.’

Isabella joined in with the laughter that followed this remark and began to relax. Julia’s manner was warm and refreshingly open and it was clear that Lord Bramwell was very fond of his sister.

Half an hour later, Isabella had also realized that he was knowledgeable, with intelligent opinions on a number of subjects. He was well versed on the situation in Europe, including Wellington’s imminent replacement at the Congress of Vienna, but he interspersed this with gently satirical
observations
on some of the ridiculous figures in London society and gave sensible advice on which attractions to visit and which to avoid. She found herself enjoying his company more than she had anticipated, but the instant this thought registered, she became alarmed at her weakness and her reserve returned. Isabella knew she would be happy to cultivate a friendship with Lady Julia, but her nerves soon felt strained to breaking point by Lord Bramwell’s presence. She managed to remain outwardly self-possessed, willing the visit to end, and yet, when her visitors rose to leave, disappointment mingled with her relief.

‘I am certain, Isabella—’ Julia hesitated as she collected her reticule. ‘You do not mind if I call you Isabella? I feel as if we have been acquainted for far longer than an hour.’

‘Not at all – indeed, I wish you would,’ replied Isabella.

‘Then I am certain, Isabella, that we shall be firm friends. I shall introduce you to my mother as soon as can be arranged and, as well as sending you an invitation to my come-out ball, Mama and I will ensure you receive Almack’s vouchers.’

Isabella paled and stammered, ‘Th-thank you, but it is out of the question – we cannot attend.’

‘Why ever not?’ said Julia, looking at her in surprise. ‘I understood you have put off your black gloves?’

‘No! I mean, yes, I am not in mourning any longer, but …’ began Isabella.

Julia raised her brows and remarked brightly, ‘Then I shall allow no objections – to keep your beauty hidden would be
scandalous
and besides, you deserve a little enjoyment and we shall have the pleasure of providing some of it. Don’t you agree, Hal?’

‘It would be a pity to deny the
ton
your company, Lady Vane,’ he said, smiling.

Isabella had no choice but to accede, even though the notion of going into society filled her with dread. However, since she could not articulate her reasons for this, she remained silent. Her cheeks grew warm under Lord Bramwell’s shrewd grey gaze and she felt relieved that his visit was about to end.

But just as she was preparing to show her visitors out, the door was flung open by a tearful Dominic, who rushed into the room and threw his arms around his mother.

‘Mama! You must come!’ he cried. ‘I let Jemima out of her cage, and then Joshua came in the room and tried to catch her. Now she won’t come down and … and … Joshua is stuck on top of the fireplace! Aunt Harriet has tried to help, but she couldn’t catch him, and Mary and Silwood both look very cross. They said I shouldn’t disturb you, but I knew that was fudge and you wouldn’t mind.’ Dominic hiccupped on a sob. ‘Please come and help me – no one else knows what to do.’

‘Pray don’t get upset, love,’ said Isabella, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. ‘When our visitors have left, I shall come upstairs and—’

‘Please do not let us detain you, Lady Vane,’ interjected Lord Bramwell gently. ‘Can we assist in any way?’

Dominic regarded Lord Bramwell through tear-drenched lashes. He sniffed and said, ‘Can you catch parrots, sir? I should be grateful if you can; Jemima is very quick and even Mama finds it difficult getting her back to her cage.’

‘Dominic!’ muttered Isabella, horrified. ‘This is Lord Bramwell and his sister – you must not ask for their help with something so trivial.’

‘On the contrary, I have no further engagements until this afternoon and am happy to place myself at your son’s disposal.’ Hal turned to his sister, his lips curved in amusement. ‘Are you willing to help this young gentleman retrieve his errant parrot, Julia?’

‘But of course,’ she cried.

‘Then we are at your service, Master Dominic,’ said Lord Bramwell, bowing. ‘Lead us to the scene of this domestic crisis.’

Smiling broadly at this offer of help from an unexpected but impressive-looking source, Dominic showed no restraint; he took Lord Bramwell firmly by the hand and led the way. Following on behind with Julia, Isabella found herself
incredulous
at this sudden turn of events. Lord Bramwell had been on the point of leaving, and now Dominic was taking him to catch a parrot and retrieve a stranded kitten. She could scarcely believe a leader of the
ton
had agreed – he must surely be wishing himself elsewhere – and yet, to his credit, he had not questioned the situation and seemed prepared to indulge a small child he had only just met.

The scene that greeted them in the room at the back of the house that served for a sitting-room would have been highly amusing to Isabella had she been alone. However, in the
presence
of Lord Bramwell and his sister, she struggled with acute embarrassment – her first impression was that the whole household had gathered to create an unedifying spectacle for her visitors.

Two junior footmen and a chambermaid were trying
energetically
to entice the frightened kitten down from the mantelpiece, from where several china ornaments had been dislodged and now lay in fragments on the rug in front of the fireplace. The ornate clock in the centre of the shelf hovered precariously on the edge, in danger of following the china to the floor, while the feline perpetrator of this destruction spat angrily at anyone who approached his position behind a large silver candelabrum.

A disgruntled Jemima sat on top of the brocade curtains regarding the animated tableau below with bored disgust,
alternately
squawking or reciting ‘bacon-brained gudgeon’ to her audience; Mary was trying to comfort Harriet, who sat on the sofa, while Silwood observed in a disapproving tone that Lady Bingham’s town residence was completely unsuitable for such wild creatures, and he feared for the expensive Chinese vase beneath the teetering clock.

At the appearance of Isabella and her guests, however, a silence fell over the assembled company.

Harriet, perceiving their visitors had been somehow dragged into this unfortunate scene, rose to her feet, saying hurriedly, ‘Oh! Lord Bramwell, there was not the least need to trouble yourself.’

‘On the contrary, Mrs Forster, my sister and I offered our services willingly,’ he replied.

‘Oh, a-and Lady Julia,’ said Harriet, becoming more agitated by the minute, ‘a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I beg you – do not think we always go along in this manner. Indeed, Dominic’s pets are normally quite well behaved – it is only because of unfortunate circumstances that Jemima took fright and you perceive the results of the chase that followed. Oh dear!’ Harriet stopped and sank back on to the sofa.

‘There is no need to explain, Mrs Forster,’ said Julia gaily. ‘Now, how shall we go on, Hal?’

Lord Bramwell gave instructions to Julia, who listened closely and then spoke to Silwood. That gentleman, more than happy to be dispatched to the kitchen where order still reigned, left the room, followed by the footmen and chambermaid, who had been advised by Lord Bramwell that their assistance was not required and they could return later to retrieve the broken china.

Dominic, who was impressed with these visitors’ willingness to help, moved to stand beside his lordship. Pulling at Lord Bramwell’s sleeve, he said in an urgent whisper, ‘Please, let me help too, sir. This is my fault and I hate to upset Mama.’

Hal smiled down at the small boy beside him. ‘Now that is honest of you, Dominic, and I have great respect for an honest gentleman. I shall certainly need your assistance when your butler returns.’

Isabella, watching and listening, was torn between
fascination
at Dominic’s instant acceptance of Lord Bramwell and annoyance at herself. Lord Bramwell had already stripped off his coat, and his broad shoulders and well-muscled torso were now visible through his fine linen shirt. He had also rolled up his sleeves to reveal strong forearms dusted with soft dark hair.

Irritated for even having noticed his excellent physique, she said sharply, ‘Lord Bramwell, Dominic has inconvenienced you both by involving you in this imbroglio. I could have managed perfectly well.’ Annoyance and resentment quivered in Isabella’s voice – she was capable of dealing with her family’s affairs.

‘But my motives were mainly selfish, Lady Vane: I have not enjoyed myself this much for a very long time,’ replied Hal, with an enigmatic grin.

Isabella was astonished at the way her heart reacted to his smile and, unsure how to respond, she blushed and moved away. She returned to the sofa where Julia was busy soothing Harriet’s agitation, just as Silwood came back bearing two small dishes.

One contained a portion of the poached turbot that cook had been preparing for lunch and which had only been relinquished after a reassurance that it was at the request of the Earl of Bramwell himself. The other held a selection of chopped fruit.

Lord Bramwell, after selecting the latter, offered it to Dominic and said, ‘Stand near the cage with this tempting morsel.’

Dominic did as he was bid while Lord Bramwell went to the fireplace and held up the dish of turbot, allowing its aroma to reach the kitten. Unable to resist, Joshua surrendered meekly, allowing his lordship to lift him down and place him on the floor where he began to eat the fish.