The Belle Dames Club (8 page)

‘Sally – I hear them on the stairs, come and sit down.’

Reluctantly Lady Sarah came away from the window.

‘You need not worry, Dorothea. No one saw me. I opened the shutter the merest crack, and besides, they were all too intent upon Sir Howard.’

‘Did Barnabus really set upon him?’ asked Julia, her eyes shining.

‘Truly,’ replied Lady Sarah. ‘Besthorpe was shouting so loud that you all heard him, and when he mentioned you, Julia, Barnabus leapt upon him like a tiger. Alresford had to pull him off.’

‘Oh dear, and has Sir Howard gone now?’

Lady Sarah came up behind Mrs Norwell and gave her a hug.

‘Yes, yes he has gone, my dear. Riding bare-behind all the way to London town.’ Lady Gaunt, who had been distributing cards around the table, looked up, smiling. ‘With his shirt billowing around him and his legs all dangling down-oh?’

‘Exactly!’

Clarissa waved a hand.

‘Hush, they are here. Quickly now, Sally, come and sit down before they come in.’ Lady Sarah slipped on to her chair and had just picked up her cards when the door opened and Lady Norwell sailed into the room. When she saw the ladies sitting around the card table she stopped, blinking.

‘Well, bless my soul!’

Julia looked up at her.

‘You are back early, ma’am. Was the play not to your liking?’

‘No, ’twas very poor stuff, my love, and Barnabus was
fretting
over you, so we did not wait for the entertainment, and
since Lord Alresford had kindly agreed to take us in his carriage, he was obliged to leave early too.’

Clarissa was frowning at her cards, pretending to study her hand, but she was aware of Mrs Eastwood hurrying in behind her mama and Mr Norwell almost pushing past them to come up to his wife.

‘Julia, what the devil is going on here?’ he demanded. ‘When I left you were prostrate with the headache.’

‘And so she will be again if you continue to shout,’ remarked Lady Gaunt. ‘You can see she is still a little pale, Barnabus.’

From the corner of her eye Clarissa watched Lord Alresford come in and close the door behind him.

Mr Norwell’s jaw tightened at Lady Gaunt’s words but he said as calmly as he could, ‘If you will excuse me for saying so, ma’am, that does not explain your presence here.’

‘We drove out to the tea rooms at Kensington today, and stopped to take pot luck with Julia on our way back. Of course, when we found she was so poorly we stayed to keep her company until your return. I think you will agree, Barnabus, that we have cheered her up considerably.’

Clarissa admired Lady Gaunt’s masterly approach. Barnabus did not look convinced, but could hardly say so.

‘And you have had no other visitors?’ asked Lady Norwell.

‘N-no.’ Julia shook her head. ‘I sent the servants away, because I did not want to be disturbed, so if anyone had come, they would have had to go away again. We have kept to this room all evening.’

Mrs Eastwood clapped her hands together.

‘Well, you will never guess what we found when we arrived – such a thing, I vow I am so pleased we did not stay for the farce for this was so much better! A naked man outside the house!’

‘N-naked?’ squeaked Julia.

‘Margaret, do not exaggerate.’ Lady Norwell admonished her daughter. ‘He was wearing a shirt.’

‘It was Sir Howard Besthorpe,’ added Margaret.

Barnabus stared at her.

‘You recognized him?’

‘Oh yes.’ Mrs Eastwood grimaced. ‘Horrid man. He was used to follow me everywhere when I was last in town, until I asked Edward to put an end to it.’

Smothering an oath, Barnabus turned to his wife.

‘Has be been pestering you, Julia? Why did you not tell me?’

Julia’s soft eyes filled with tears.

‘I did not wish to trouble you….’

He was at her side immediately, dropping to his knees beside her chair.

‘You never trouble me, my dear. There, there. Don’t cry. I have sent him to the right about now.’ He took out his
handkerchief
and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. ‘In future, my love, I want you to come to me with any little
problem
. Promise me.’

‘But I don’t understand,’ cried Lady Norwell. ‘Why should the man be parading around the house? Did you not hear or see anything?’

Lady Sarah waved towards the shuttered window.

‘We had no interest in the outside world tonight, ma’am.’

‘I thought I heard a dog barking,’ offered Clarissa.

‘If there was any noise outside I am sure we dismissed it as the servants.’ Lady Gaunt glanced across the table at Julia, deep in whispered conversation with her husband. She rose to her feet. ‘I think it is time we took our leave. I think our
presence
here now is definitely
de trop.
Please send for my carriage, Barnabus, and we will be away. Julia says you will not be at Lady Sarah’s little poetry evening, so I do not know when we shall meet again.’

Lord Alresford had so far remained silent, but now he moved forward.

‘It was very good of you to stay and keep Mrs Norwell company. So fortunate that she should be able to admit you, when all the servants had been dismissed for the evening.’

‘Oh, the – the footman was still in the hall at that time,’ said Julia.

The earl inclined his head at her, then turned towards Clarissa.

‘Where did you say you had been today?’

Clarissa froze, her mind a blank.

She heard Lady Gaunt replying casually, ‘The tea rooms at Kensington, Alresford. So you see, we were passing the door. But we must trespass upon you no longer. Come ladies.’

‘Such a deal of travelling you have done today, my lady. You must be exhausted,’ remarked Lord Alresford, in his smooth, unemotional way. ‘Allow me to be of assistance.
I
will escort Miss Wyckenham to Charlotte Street.’

Clarissa gasped.

‘No, no, my lord, we will not trouble you—’

‘No trouble at all,’ he interrupted her. ‘Lady Gaunt’s
destination
is Grosvenor Square, is it not? Mine, on the other hand, is Bedford Square, so Charlotte Street is not at all out of my way.’

The earl was standing a little behind Lady Norwell and her daughter, and only Clarissa saw his hand reach into his pocket and pull forth a fine blue ribbon: just such a ribbon as adorned Sir Howard Besthorpe’s knee-breeches. She swallowed.

‘How – how kind of you, sir. I will be delighted to accept your offer and save my friends an added journey.’ She was aware of the surprised looks this speech received, but there was no opportunity to explain. Lord Alresford was holding her cloak, goodbyes were said and she found herself sitting opposite the earl in his luxurious town coach before Lady Gaunt’s carriage had even pulled on to the drive. Clarissa clasped her hands nervously before her.

‘It – it was very good of you to take me up, my lord.’

‘Good be damned. You know why you are here.’

She felt her pulse racing at his words. Was he planning to ravish her? Clarissa was shocked to find the idea quite exciting. Resolutely she pushed the thought away. She said, trying to
keep her tone cool, ‘No, sir. I have no idea why I am here, if it is not to be taken home.’

‘I want you to tell me just what occurred tonight.’ He held the ribbon up to the window, so that she could see it in the pale moonlight. ‘This I found on the stairs.’

‘Oh.’

‘It is the ribbon from a man’s knee-breeches.’ Clarissa remained silent. ‘Did you lure Besthorpe into the house?’

Clarissa considered her situation. The earl was no fool and it was clear he had already formed quite an accurate idea of what had happened.

‘You will be aware,’ she said slowly, ‘that Sir Howard has been pursuing Mrs Norwell for some time.’

‘I was
not
aware of it – and neither was Norwell, judging by his reaction tonight.’  

‘Well, it is true: Besthorpe has harassed her until the poor child is at her wits’ end.’  

‘Nonsense. If she was indeed being importuned she should have told Barnabus.’  

‘You are a close friend of Mr Norwell: did he tell you that when he brought Julia to town it was on the understanding that they should not live in each other’s pockets?’  

‘Yes, but—’  

‘Poor Julia was afraid that if she complained to her husband, he would think her a nuisance and pack her off to the country.’  

‘Nonsense!’  

‘Is it, my lord? From the little I have seen of Mr Norwell, he seems to behave very much as a single man. I have only once seen him accompany his wife to a ball, and even then he left her to make her own way home.’  

There was a long silence.  

‘Absurd,’ said the earl at last. ‘Silly chit cannot have thought Barnabus would want her to fall into the clutches of a man like Besthorpe.’  

‘Perhaps not, but she certainly thought Mr Norwell would
expect her to extricate herself.’

‘And you decided to assist her.’

‘Since there was no help for it, yes.’

‘So you concocted a scheme to ridicule Besthorpe.’

‘In truth, I cannot claim that I had very much to do with the planning.’

‘I would wager it was Lady Gaunt’s idea.’ When Clarissa did not reply he continued, ‘Do you realize what a dangerous game you have been playing?’

‘There was no risk. After all, there were four of us to stand together. I have no doubt that if Sir Howard had turned ugly—’

‘But what of the servants, the gossip, madam? Such behaviour has laid you open to the sort of speculation a single lady should wish to avoid. Of all the thoughtless, hare-brained starts!’

She winced under the lash of his tongue, but retorted with spirit.

‘Nonsense. There were no servants in the house at the time.’

‘Oh weren’t there? I have never known a household yet where the servants didn’t know every intrigue that was afoot. And what about the link-boys, not to mention my own coachman – do you think he will hold his tongue when he is sharing a glass of blue ruin with his cronies tomorrow night?’

‘Well then, you must insist upon his silence!’

‘Never doubt it, but if this story isn’t all over town by tomorrow I shall be amazed.’

‘If Sir Howard is the subject of ridicule then it is no more than natural justice,’ she retorted, thoroughly incensed. ‘We acted to protect a friend, since she did not believe her husband would do so.’

‘Nevertheless, it would have been more sensible to take your concerns to him.’

‘Sensible! Aye, my lord, I would expect nothing less than good sense from you!’ she flung at him.

‘And why not? Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would
have done so but no, you and your friends were bent on making mischief. Bad enough that Lady Gaunt and Sally Matlock should be involved in this madness but you are a single woman, risking your name and your honour for a reckless scrape.’

‘And if I am, what concern is it of yours, my lord? What is it to you?’

Silence. The darkness suddenly seemed charged with tension. Clarissa waited, sitting very straight and trying to control her breathing, which had become very irregular. She waited for him to speak again, but instead the coach stopped and the footman opened the door, saying in a colourless voice, ‘Charlotte Street, my lord.’

Lord Alresford started to rise but Clarissa waved him back in his seat.

‘Please,’ she said icily, ‘you owe me no particular attention. I can get down perfectly well without you. Remain in your carriage, Lord Alresford, and do not bother yourself about me ever again!’

When Clarissa made her way to the breakfast-room she was ready for her stepmama to question her closely on the previous night’s adventure, but she found Lady Wyckenham pondering some knotty problem of her own. Clarissa dismissed the servants and went to the table.

‘Good morning, Mama-Nell.’ She bent to kiss Lady Wyckenham’s scented cheek. ‘You look very pensive, my love: I thought you would be ringing a peal over me for not coming to
see you last night, to tell you all that had happed at Norwell House.’

‘What? Oh – yes, my love. I am sorry, I was thinking….’

Clarissa took a seat across the table and poured herself a cup of coffee.

‘My dear ma’am, you are surely distracted this morning.’ She put down her cup. ‘It must be that man.’

‘What man, my love?’

‘The one who is importuning you.’

My lady’s laugh sounded a little wild.

‘What nonsense!’

‘No it isn’t. You told me last night that you had a little
problem
to solve.’

‘I did?’

‘Yes, you did. But judging from your behaviour this morning, the problem has not gone away, am I right?’

Lady Wyckenham pursed her lips, as if deliberating how much to disclose. Clarissa reached across the table and caught her hand.

‘Please tell me, Mama-Nell. Even if I cannot help you, I want to know.’

My lady sighed.

‘Very well. I went out last night, to try to recover some letters from a man I thought of once as a good friend. They were … intimate letters that I wrote to him a long time ago, but he is threatening now to make them public unless … well, I must get them back.’

‘And who is this man?’

‘The Marquis of Ullenwood.’

Clarissa frowned and sipped her coffee.

‘I have met him, I think. A dark-haired gentleman?’

‘Yes, although I would no longer use the term gentleman to describe him.’

‘But you were friends once?’

‘For a time I thought – but I was wrong. When I realized I
had mistaken my feelings for him I asked him to destroy my letters, and until recently I thought he had done so.’

‘When were they written?’ Clarissa hesitated, ‘Was it – was my father alive?’

‘Oh no, nothing like that. It was after Wyckenham had died. You know I shut myself away for a year, then I went to Europe. I met Lord Ullenwood in Venice. He was very kind to me and I thought … well, it came to nothing and I forgot the letters, until now.’

Clarissa refilled her coffee cup.

‘Then it is simple,’ she said. ‘Let him publish the letters, Mama-Nell. He will show himself in his true light.’

‘Oh no – as your stepmama it would reflect so badly upon you all, and just when William is trying so hard to make his way into government. I must get them back.’

‘But what does he want for these letters?’

Lady Wyckenham blushed.

‘He wants me to elope with him.’

‘Dear heaven!’ Clarissa’s cup clattered into its saucer. ‘And what have you told him – what answer have you given him?’

‘None – how could I? I have asked him for a little time … to think.’

They sat in silence for some moments, then Clarissa looked up.

‘Are they so very bad, these letters?’

A flush stole into Lady Wyckenham’s cheeks.

‘They are quite – explicit.’

Clarissa was about to declare that for herself she did not care if the letters were published, but the image of Lord Alresford rose before her. She remembered their argument in the carriage the night before and she held her peace.

‘Well,’ she said at last, ‘we must get them back for you. I am sure the members of the Belles Dames Club will have some ideas.’

For the first time that morning she saw a gleam of
amusement
in Mama-Nell’s eyes.

‘Do you think we should ask our little group to help with such a delicate matter?’

‘I am sure of it,’ Clarissa replied stoutly. ‘Especially after our success last night.’

She recounted the events at Norwell House and was relieved when Lady Wyckenham laughed at the description of Sir Howard’s retreat from the scene. She was encouraged to describe her carriage ride with the earl.

‘I have to confess to you that we nearly came to blows,’ she said, tracing a pattern on the table with one finger. ‘He was so out of reason cross with me! After all, what is it to him if I choose to help my friends? If Julia had not been so afraid to talk to her husband there would have been no need for us to treat Sir Howard in such a fashion. I am not ashamed of what we did.’

‘Then put it from your mind, love.’

Clarissa sighed.

‘But I can’t, Mama-Nell. For years I have been used to doing as I pleased. Oh, never going outside the bounds of propriety, but I have never allowed anyone except yourself or Papa to censure my conduct, and to have that man saying such things to me – he had no right!’

‘None at all my love.’

Clarissa glanced up.

‘You are laughing at me.’

‘No, no, but I wonder at the earl’s ability to upset you – it is not the first time. Perhaps you are beginning to care for his good opinion?’

‘Not at all!’ retorted Clarissa, flushing. ‘It is nothing to do with the man, it – it is the language he used – I would be as cross if anyone had said the same to me.’

‘Well, I cannot be sorry that you are disturbed by his
lordship
’s comments.’ It was Lady Wyckenham’s turn to reach across the table and catch at Clarissa’s restless fingers. ‘I have hinted at it before, my love, but now let us be plain: when
James Marlow died you built a wall around yourself, a defence that kept the world at bay—’

‘That was quite natural, when you consider what he did to me!’ Clarissa interrupted her.

‘Let me finish, my love. To be jilted is a terrible thing for any young woman, but to discover that your fiancé had run off with your childhood friend was almost too much for you to bear, I think, especially coming so soon after the death of your dear father.’

Clarissa gave a brittle laugh.

‘But that was so fortunate, for me. Papa’s death meant we had retired to Wyckenham Hall, and James’s little escapade was more easily hushed up. Imagine the furore if I had still been in Town when he decided to run away. What manna for the quidnuncs – it would have been gossiped over for months!’

Lady Wyckenham squeezed her hand.

‘Perhaps it would have been better for you if it
had
been known: perhaps then you would not have buried your grief and anger quite so deep.’

‘And if I did so, can you blame me? It was bad enough to learn that James had broken his neck when his carriage
overturned
. To find out that he was on his way to Gretna, and with my best friend at his side – I would not have the world know how much that hurt me!’ She broke off, feeling the anger that she had suppressed for years coming to the fore. ‘Perhaps I could have forgiven her more easily if she had died too, but to walk away without a scratch … and now, three years later, she is happily married to the parson, and looks set to give him a houseful of children. Do you want me to advertise my pain, Mama-Nell? To spread my grief and my bitterness through town? Because I promise you I have more than enough hurt inside me to last a lifetime!’

‘Stop it, Clarissa. You know that is not what I want. But it is equally bad for you to shut out the world. Oh my darling girl, I blame myself for letting you hide yourself away with Anne. If I
had not been so caught up in my own grief I could have helped you.’

‘Mama-Nell you must not blame yourself for my troubles.’ Clarissa took out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes. ‘You see how Lord Alresford has overset me! I have never allowed myself to talk in this vein before.’

‘Then he has my gratitude,’ said Lady Wyckenham. ‘Yes, you may stare, Clarissa, but if you are upset it is because you are recovering at last: oh I have loved the smiling, cheerful
creature
you are now but there is so much
more
to living, Clarissa: to live is to experience love, and fear, and sorrow. Without those how can we know true happiness?’ She blinked and laughed softly. ‘Goodness, I begin to sound like these new, revolutionary poets! Enough of this: we will go and order some new gowns –
that
will restore our spirits!’