Magical Masquerade: A Regency Masquerade (8 page)

‘Well?’

She reflected that, as she really had wished to
speak to him about his sister, this was a perfect opportunity. It was, however,
unexpectedly difficult to begin with him standing over her, his expression
blandly courteous.

‘It concerns Arabella.’

He laughed. ‘I thought you would not tolerate her
for very long. You wish to send her back to school?’

‘No!
Of course not!’
Indignation lent her a more natural tone, and she continued with less
constraint. ‘She is a dear child, and it would break her heart to be sent away
again. But I am worried about her.’

‘As am I,’ he said rather wearily. ‘Do you have any
suggestions to make?’

Minette considered and then said carefully, ‘She is
the oddest mixture of precocity and innocence. She seems never to have been
taught to think seriously, and her head is full of romance and—well—well it
does not help that you allow her to read books like that horrid
Monk
.’

He looked a little taken aback by this attack. ‘I
have never censored her reading, certainly. Surely, she has sense enough to
know that it is all quite absurd and not to be taken seriously.’

‘That is just what she does not have.’

‘Will you tell me what you apprehend?’

‘I fear that she could be easily wrought upon,
even—even—seduced by any attractive male who shows any interest in her.’

He nodded as though she were merely confirming his
own observation. ‘She is a considerable heiress, too, which makes her a target.
That is one of the reasons I left her so long in that wretched school.’

‘I think that was a mistake. She needs more
society, not less, so that she may meet the kind of young men who would make
her an eligible husband. Then there would be less danger from the other kind.’
 

‘You wish to bring her out? But she is not yet seventeen.’

‘No, not that exactly, but if there were the
prospect of a few entertainments, it would give me the opportunity to buy her some
more suitable clothes and perhaps instil some measure of decorum. I mean if she
were to be convinced it was necessary for social success.’

‘I had no notion you were such a managing female.
Nor that you would take so much trouble over my delinquent little sister. If
you think you can do all this, by all means make the attempt. You have my
blessing.’

‘Thank you.’ She rose and said, smiling, ‘I must
apologise for invading your male sanctuary.’

‘Believe me, there is no need to apologise.’ His
smile faded, and he added, in an undertone, ‘I only wish I were as welcome in
your room as you are in mine.’

Her eyes flashed to his face, suddenly
apprehensive. He laughed. ‘I will bid you farewell until dinner,’ he paused and
then added softly, ‘Minette.’

Minette, contemplating her own reflection in the mirror as Becky laced
up her evening gown of midnight-blue lace over an underdress of azure satin,
could not help thinking that the attire of the dashing young Duchess was
infinitely more becoming to her than the simple muslins and dowdy round dresses
she had worn at home. The dress was cut low across the bust, displaying a
décolletage of which she had no need to be ashamed, and it clung to her figure most
alluringly. She handed the little
abigail
a collar of
sapphires and diamonds from the overflowing jewel casket on her dresser. The
girl clasped it around her mistress’ neck, where it fitted snug as a bracelet. Minette
lifted her head, turning it this way and that in the light of the candles so
that the matching tiara she wore sparkled and gleamed. Decidedly, she could
become accustomed to this life.

‘Thank you, Becky. I must go to Miss Arabella.’ She
viewed the jewel box thoughtfully and reached out a hand hesitating for a
moment before pulling forth a very pretty diamond necklace. ‘This will do,’ she
murmured to herself.

She found Arabella, positively fizzing with
excitement, just ready to leave her chamber. She was wearing another of her new
Bath gowns. The pale yellow did not flatter her complexion, nor did the
diaphanous fabric, which was designed to be worn by a wispy, ethereal creature,
not a solidly built schoolgirl. Minette did not dream of telling her this but,
instead, she said, ‘Oh, how vexatious! You are already dressed. I wished to
lend you this necklace for the evening, but it will not suit your gown at all.’
She held up the necklace, turning and twisting it in the light.

‘Oh, how beautiful!
But why can’t I wear it with this dress?’

‘Oh, the colour, the neckline, it is all wrong.
Never mind. Another day will do. I have some amber beads that will be very
pretty with your gown.’

Arabella cast a longing look at the diamonds. ‘Well,
what dress would they go with?’

Minette hid a smile and, opening a large wardrobe,
began searching through Arabella’s gowns. ‘This would be perfect,’ she said,
holding up a modest slip of pale blue sarsenet with an overdress of white net.
The bodice was ruched from the heart-shaped neckline to the high waist and was
trimmed with deep blue velvet ribbons.

‘That! But that’s one of my old gowns.’

‘Oh? But only see how the diamonds are set off by
the colour, and it will hang so prettily around your neck with nothing to
distract from it.’

Plainly unconvinced, Arabella allowed
herself
to be divested of the yellow gown and donned the
despised sarsenet. However, when the necklace was clasped around her neck, she
was so pleased with the way it looked that she broke into smiles.
‘Oh, Minette!
Can I really borrow it? I have nothing one-half
so pretty to wear for, although I inherited all of my Mama’s jewels, they are
locked away, and I may not wear them until I am out.’

Minette dropped a kiss on her cheek. ‘You may have
it for your own. And tomorrow we will buy you a dress that will really set it
off.’

The girl turned impulsively and threw her arms
around her. ‘It is so nice having you for my sister. Mama died when I was born,
you know, and I’ve never had anyone to talk with about clothes and jewels and
things of that nature.’

‘Well, now you have me.’ Minette deliberately
thrust aside the thought of Eugénie and what would happen when she returned.
She could no more help being of use to Arabella than she could help breathing. Perhaps,
by the time she herself had to return home, Arabella would have become
betrothed and it would not matter so much, or perhaps she could persuade Eugénie
to continue to take an interest in her young sister-in-law.

She put her arm through Arabella’s and said, ‘Let
us go and show Philip how well you look.’

He was waiting for them in a small salon that led
off the dining room. Like all the rooms in Rochford House, it was handsomely appointed
and full of treasures that the Duke had brought home from his travels. By a
happy accident, it was papered in china-blue and white, providing a charming
background for the two young women. In a glass-fronted cabinet along one wall,
were presented the priceless Chinese porcelain vases and plates the room was
designed to display.

‘Look what Minette has given me!’ cried Arabella as
she entered. She ran up to her brother and stood gazing up at him, her whole
countenance glowing with delight.

To Minette’s dismay, his face hardened as he turned
from his sister to look at her.
‘My betrothal gift to you—?’
He shrugged. ‘You prefer the sapphires, no doubt. It is a trumpery necklace,
after all. I had thought the fact that it belonged to your—sainted—queen might
have made it more acceptable to you.’

Arabella’s face had fallen ludicrously. ‘Oh, please
don’t be angry with Minette. It was my fault. She meant just to lend it to me,
but I loved it so much—’

‘I see.’ He smiled down at his sister. ‘It looks
very well on you, Bella, but if you do not object, I think I will buy you a
necklace of your own. Until then, you may certainly borrow this one.’

Arabella was satisfied and danced across the room
to preen
herself
in front of a mirror that hung above
the fireplace. Rochford regarded Minette steadily, a frown drawing his black
brows close together. ‘You are the most incalculable creature. When I gave you
that necklace, you were, for the first time, almost affectionate towards me. In
fact, you kissed my cheek—my good cheek. And now you give it away to my schoolgirl
sister as though it meant nothing.’

Minette realised that she had hurt him bitterly,
and her instinct to heal his hurt was stronger than her discretion. She crossed
the few steps that separated them and, placing one hand against his chest,
stood on tiptoe to fleetingly touch his scarred face with the tips of her
fingers. ‘This is your good cheek, I think,’ she said softly. ‘Your scars are
badges of honour, of courage, like a soldier’s.’

His lean cheek grew pale, and his lips tightened. ‘What
game are you playing now?’ he demanded in a harsh voice.

She drew back, shocked by his reaction. ‘No game, I
promise.’

‘Yet only a few weeks ago, the very sight of my
face sickened you. Oh, do not bother to deny it. I saw it clear enough when you
turned from me.’

She bit back the hot words that rose to her lips,
aghast at the fury she felt, not at him but at Eugénie for her unthinking
cruelty. Perhaps her silence served her well as, after a moment, he said in a milder
voice. ‘Forgive me. I should be thankful, I suppose, that you have, apparently,
overcome your revulsion.’

She looked up then, and a little smile trembled on
her lips. He saw it and suddenly held out a hand to her.
‘Minette?’

But then Arabella bounced across the room to demand
that Minette tie her ribbons more becomingly, the butler entered to announce
dinner, and the moment was lost.

Minette, who had lived all her life in a confined stone
house crammed with the decaying belongings with which her grandmother had fled
France, had still not become accustomed to the beauty of her new surroundings.
The dining room in which she now found herself was papered in deep burgundy
red. The dining table of mahogany, polished until it shone like a mirror,
reflected the silver of the candelabra and the flickering flames of the
candles. The room was heavy with the scent of pink lilies, tall and graceful in
sparkling crystal vases. They ate exquisite, alien foods served on Meissen
china: delicate quail in saffron sauce, tiny silver fish marinated in
unfamiliar spices, a strange dish made, according to the Duke, from ground
chickpeas. Minette began to see that Rochford had acquired more on his travels
than mere furniture.

It had ceased to rain when their carriage arrived
at the Adelphi theatre in Strand. The night was fine but cold, and Minette was
glad of the ermine-lined velvet opera cloak that Rochford had punctiliously wrapped
about his Duchess. Arabella, who did not appear to feel the cold, insisted that
she would do very well with a handsome Norwich shawl, which she wore
negligently open to allow the world a glimpse of the diamonds that glittered
around her neck.

The play that Rochford had selected was a merry
comic opera entitled
Love and the Chase
and did not impose any great strain on Arabella’s understanding. Minette, who
had never attended the theatre before, was frankly enchanted but shrewd enough
to counterfeit an ennui she was far from feeling. Eugénie, she was sure, would
condemn this artless entertainment as a dreadful bore.

At the conclusion of the first act, Rochford said
with a weary air, ‘I suppose we will now be invaded by your usual court, my
love.’

She lifted her eyebrows questioningly. She knew
nothing of her sister’s life in London, except that she had quickly attracted
the attention of the biggest matrimonial prize of the ton. That her sister
might have had other suitors had not occurred to her, nor that
she should
have encouraged their attentions, even after her
marriage. But so it was. Several gentlemen descended upon their box, greeting
her reappearance with acclaim. She was
la
belle Duchesse
,
la sans pareille
,
the Rochford Venus
. It was all very
silly but harmless, and Rochford seemed to regard the crowd as so many lapdogs.
In his presence, the gentlemen dared not speak intimately to his Duchess, and
so she was spared the necessity of any but the most commonplace conversation
with her admirers. She responded to
their sallies
with
a sweet kittenishness that entranced them, and they vowed she was more adorable
than ever.

Half way through the interval, as Minette sipped
champagne and Arabella surreptitiously acquired a glass, which she gulped down,
then refilled several times, a gentleman appeared in the box and made his bow.
For a moment, Minette almost believed that her senses were disordered. For the
man bowing before her was so very like Rochford
—
Rochford as
he must have been before his disfigurement. ‘Cousin, I heard you had been
unwell, but I see this was a lie. You are as radiant as ever.’

‘I did not know you were back in Town, Franklyn,’
remarked Rochford coolly, as he stood and held out his hand.