Lord Runthorne's Dilemma: A Regency Romance (13 page)

The dark bulk of the maze loomed ahead, the path leading to it meandering in gentle arcs.
Had the ground not been sodden, he would have cut straight across the grass, so intense was his anxiety, now. However he had to content himself with following the slower path.

It seemed like an age before they reached the gate that barred their entry to the maze.
Mr Compton reached out and rattled the gate.

“Locked,” he said. “Well, that’s that, ladies, my lord. Captain Fitzalan and Miss Hampton cannot be there if it’s locked.”

Everyone turned back and
Runthorne almost smiled as his anxiety eased. He had allowed the foolishness of Aurelia’s theatricals to disorder his mind.

However Lady Delphine pushed closer to the gate.
“What’s that?” she said. She bent and appeared to scoop something off the grass. She turned. Her hand was outstretched. An old key was balanced on her palm. His eyes flew to her face, but it showed only innocent surprise.

He could not
accept the suspicion that darted across his mind.

“
Gosh,” Mr Compton said. “Well, that proves it. After all, no-one could be
in
the maze if the key is
out
of the maze.” He chortled at his own wit, but Runthorne did not feel like laughing.

Apparently oblivious to his glare, Lady Delphine walked to the gate and rattled it.
“Hello, there,” she called, her voice as sweet as syrup.

A shadow that had been hidden by the large hedge moved and detached.
It was Charles. Water dripped from the brim of his hat and his face was pale with cold. His eyes were half closed, as though his brain was fuddled.

“
At last,” he croaked, stumbling forward.

Next to
Runthorne Miss Granger swayed and she gasped. Elizabeth, her face white and pinched, was cradled in Charles’ arms.

CHAPTER NINE

Elizabeth
was hardly aware of being carried to her room. She barely registered being undressed and wrapped in warm blankets, or the hot brick being laid at her feet and the cool flannel on her forehead. She shivered uncontrollably.

She did not know that her aunt stood guard over her with tears in her eyes
, watching her battle the same fever that had weakened her before.

The same that had taken
Elizabeth’s parents.

***

When Elizabeth was able to open her eyes it was dawn. What dawn she did not know but the house lay silent around her. Her aunt dozed in an armchair, her head at an uncomfortable angle. Perhaps it was that that made Aunt Edina snort and stir, because Elizabeth was sure she had made no sound herself.

“
Oh, my dear, are you awake?” Hope flashed in Aunt Edina’s eyes and Elizabeth smiled a weak smile, unwilling to trust her own voice. She licked her lips with a dry tongue.

“
You poor child, you must be thirsty.” Aunt Edina struggled out of her chair, twisting her neck to ease it. She lifted Elizabeth’s shoulders, helping her to drink a little water.

“
Thank you.” Elizabeth was mildly surprised at how her voice cracked. She felt too weak to experience any stronger emotion.

Aunt Edina smiled and now
Elizabeth noticed how deep the care lines were on her aunt’s face. “You rest now, Elizabeth. We will speak later.”

She nodded, unwilling to trust her voice again, and closed her eyes. Elizabeth
drifted into a clean, healing sleep.

***

The next time she awoke, it was to Lady Delphine’s strident tone. She lay still, her eyes closed, listening.

“
It pains me to say this, Edina,” Lady Delphine said, not sounding at all pained, “but that girl needs to be taken firmly in hand.”

“
I do wish you would keep your voice down a little, Delphine,” Aunt Edina said, “Elizabeth needs to sleep.”

“
She needs to hear what I have to say. Really, Edina, first she tries to entice Runthorne away from Aurelia, although I do not know, I am sure, how she thought she could manage that. Then she is found in a most compromising situation with Captain Fitzalan.”

“
Given how ill she has been, I hardly think that anyone other than those of a malicious turn of mind would believe her to be compromised, Delphine.”

“
Well, really!” Lady Delphine said. “I tell you to your head, Edina Maybourne, that if you assume you can rescue that girl from her recklessness then you are an imbecile. Who knows what mischief she and Captain Fitzalan got up to before they were found? They were alone in that maze for four or five hours. She was covered in mud and had her hair half down her back.”

“
How do you know how long they were there, Delphine?” Aunt Edina said. “I find it curious that you know so much about the situation.” Elizabeth could hear the tapping of a fingernail on the night table. “You were the one to find the key to the maze, Delphine, how did that come about?”

Lady Delphine did not answer
straight away. “It was self-evident,” she said, at last. “Mr Compton saw them on the way to the maze, so of course it must have been nearly five hours.”

“
Indeed?”

“
Well, it hardly matters how long exactly they were locked in there,” Lady Delphine said. “Their betrothal needs to be announced or she will be ruined beyond repair.”

“
I have no doubt she will be able to withstand a little malicious tittle-tattle,” Aunt Edina said.

Lady Delphine laughed.
“Oh, Edina, you are so naïve. It is not as though there has not been gossip about her before. In fact, I have been hearing more than a few rumours about her recently. Nasty rumours.”

“
Delphine Lacey,” Aunt Edina snapped, “I hesitate to insult any guest in this house but I have to tell you that you have a small, mean soul. Good day.”

There was a gasp of outrage and the sound of the door slamming shut.

The edge of the bed sank and Elizabeth opened her eyes.

“
How much did you hear, Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth
sighed. “I think I heard most of it. Is she right? Will there be more gossip?”

Aunt Edina did not answer directly.
“What do you remember about what happened?”

Elizabeth
shook her head. “Nothing beyond arriving at the maze,” she said, feeling helpless.

“
Why were you there, Elizabeth?” Aunt Edina patted Elizabeth’s hand. “I do not reproach you, my dear, but it was really foolish of you to be alone with Captain Fitzalan.”

Elizabeth
plucked at the coverlet, pulling at a loose thread. She had promised not to betray Mary and Charles’ secret until they were ready and she would not break it, not even to take the anxious expression from her dear aunt’s face.

“
Charles is a friend, nothing more,” she said.

Aunt Edina sighed.
“It is really most unfortunate. If only you had not been locked in.”

“
I do not understand how that happened,” Elizabeth said.

“
We do not know for sure, my love,” Aunt Edina said. There was a note of caution in her voice. “I imagine that one of the grounds men thought the maze was empty and locked the gate when it started to rain.” She did not meet Elizabeth’s eyes. “The key apparently fell out. Lady Delphine seems to have found it in the long grass. It was lucky she did, although I cannot imagine how she saw it.”

“
How fortunate,” Elizabeth said.

“
Yes, wasn’t it?” Then Aunt Edina sighed. “I dislike saying this, my love, but Lady Delphine is correct about one thing. There will be a great deal of speculation. I shall ask your uncle to speak to Captain Fitzalan.”

“
No.” Elizabeth was so shocked she sat up. She slumped back, her head spinning.

“
Lie down, you are still weak.” Aunt Edina stroked her brow. “Now be sensible, my love. Captain Fitzalan is a nice young man, he will be a kind husband and it is beyond time for you to marry.”

“
No, I cannot,” Elizabeth insisted.

“
I am not sure you have any choice. Indeed, your uncle would have spoken to Captain Fitzalan before, only…”

Her hesitation told
Elizabeth more eloquently then words how seriously ill she had been.

***

Runthorne paced, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet.

The house was a great deal quieter now.
Most of the company had left once it had become known how ill Elizabeth was. Only Charles, Aurelia and her parents remained as guests. Although nobody had said anything about the circumstances in which she had been found, Charles had received one or two sidelong glances. Some of the more unkind members of the house party had even cut him.

Runthorne
gritted his teeth. Once again he felt the overwhelming surge of jealousy that had crushed him when he had seen Elizabeth in Charles’ arms. In that instant he had known that his vow to marry Aurelia and leave her to Charles had been a lie.

He looked over at his friend, his fist curling.
Charles was staring out of the drawing room window. The fresh sunshine bathed his face but there were shadows under his eyes. Runthorne was sure that he was not seeing the elegant sweep of lawn that fronted the house, nor the clear blue sky that had followed the days of heavy rain. Instead, as he watched, Charles glanced over at Miss Granger, pain written all over his face.

Runthorne
frowned and unclenched his fingers. For a man in love with Elizabeth, Charles was behaving in a decidedly odd manner. He turned his attention to Miss Granger. Her back was rigid, turned towards Charles and there was a tension in her shoulders that spoke of a determination not to look at him. Her face was white, almost as pinched as Elizabeth’s had been. She was, Runthorne decided, devastated.

For the first time,
he began to question his assumptions. He had thought Charles too old for Miss Granger, and her too young to know her own heart. Perhaps he had been wrong. He bowed his head and continued pacing, lost in thought.

“
Oh, do sit down, Runthorne,” Aurelia said. She was sitting next to Miss Granger but had been deep in quiet conversation with Mr Compton.

Runthorne
grimaced. What was he doing here?

Again
.

The departure of most of the guests had cancelled Aurelia
’s theatrical ambitions, something she had sulked about for days, but it appeared Mr Compton felt no need to abandon her.

Aurelia pouted.
“You are being tiresome, Runthorne,” she said. “I declare we have had no amusement for days.”

“
Some would say that riotous amusement would be inappropriate given how ill Miss Hampton has been.”

“
Oh for goodness sake, Runthorne, Mother tells me she has quite recovered. I would not put it past her to feign illness just to spoil our entertainment.” Aurelia tilted her pretty nose and sniffed. “What do you think, Mary?”

To
his surprise, rather than leaping to her friend’s defence, Miss Granger laughed. It was a harsh, ugly sound. “I am sure I do not know what she would do.” Now she glanced over her shoulder at Charles. “I thought I knew her, but she has shown that she is capable of anything.”

Charles winced.
“Mary, I assure you-”

“
I do not believe you have the right to use my given name.”

There was an uncomfortable pause.

“
Well, gosh, here’s an idea,” Mr Compton said, his voice over loud in the silence. “What say we all go for a ride? The sun is shining and I assure you it is quite warm enough for the ladies.” He looked at Aurelia, in much the same way a puppy would gaze at its mistress. “The ground is a little heavy, but I know as skilled a horsewoman as Miss Lacey would have no difficulty.”

Aurelia
shrugged and her expression was indifferent. “I suppose that might be amusing,” she said. “I am sure there is no other diversion in this house.”

Mr Compton leapt to his feet and bowed over Aurelia
’s hand, drawing her to her feet. “Allow me,” he said, Runthorne thought, a great deal too eagerly.

Aurelia bestowed her stunning smile on him.
“Thank you, Mr Compton,” she said. “I am so glad to see that chivalry is not completely dead. Even though,” now she looked at Runthorne as though gauging his reaction, “the atmosphere in here is positively funereal.” Her smile became spiteful. “What say you, Runthorne, will you come?”

He
shook his head. “Thank you, no, Aurelia. I prefer the company I find in this house.”

Aurelia
’s smile froze. “As you wish. Come Mary.” Without waiting to see if Miss Granger followed her, Aurelia swept from the room.

CHAPTER TEN

“I really wish you would stay in bed,” Aunt Edina said.

Elizabeth
tried not to lean too heavily on her aunt’s arm as she walked slowly to the armchair by her window. If Aunt Edina realised how weak and unsteady Elizabeth actually felt, she would be bundled straight back into bed. Elizabeth was not sure she could bear another minute under those covers.

“
I am so much better, now,” she said, instead, sliding her slippers over the carpet. The effort of lifting her feet seemed too much and her aunt would not be able to see them under her long nightgown.

“
I am sure I do not know what I am to do with you, Elizabeth.” Aunt Edina shook her head, her smile belying her scolding tone. “You are a great deal too stubborn for your own good. I wish-” she broke off, with a sigh.

“
I know, my dear aunt,” Elizabeth said, settling in the chair, “but I cannot marry Charles.” She pressed her cheek to her aunt’s hand. “Trust me, I would do almost anything to spare you pain, but not that.”

Aunt Edina stroked
her hair. “I know, my dear.” She shook her head. “Well, we will come about. You must not worry. Concentrate on getting well, although I am sure getting out of bed will be a major setback.”

Elizabeth
smiled as her aunt fussed around her, setting a cushion at her back and a rug over her knees.

“
Now you just sit there quietly, my love, I must go to attend to our guests. Thank heavens so few have remained. Although, I would have thought common decency should have sent them all away.” She set a bell at Elizabeth’s right hand. “Simpson has been told to listen out for you so ring if you need anything. She is down the hall.” She hesitated. “Are you sure you will be all right?”

“
Of course, Aunt, you must not worry. I shall just sit here for a while.”

”
If you are absolutely sure, my dear.” Aunt Edina said and left Elizabeth alone.

At last.