The Deception (30 page)

I felt the cushion under me move, and then Louisa was close beside me, reaching over to cover my cold hands with hers. “He must have been a very fine man to have had such a wonderful daughter,” she said softly.

I didn’t trust my voice, so I blinked and nodded.

“I felt so sorry for you, Kate, that winter at Charlwood,” my cousin said hesitantly. “If I seemed ... uncaring... it was that I did not wish to intrude upon your grief. You did not know me, and I thought any attempt of mine to console you would be unwelcome.” Her fingers tightened briefly, and then she took her hand away and sat back. “I just want you to know that it was not lack of concern on my part that kept me silent.”

My throat muscles felt too tight. I said, “I understand, Louisa.” My voice sounded thick, and I swallowed. I could feel tears pressing behind my eyes.

What is the matter with me?
I thought.
I
never cry.

Silence fell between us until we were out of London and on the road north. At last I was able to say in my normal voice, “Paddy is a lucky man.”

Louisa had been looking out the window of the coach, but at my words she turned, her expression both surprised and bewildered. I explained, “You are a woman who knows how to be silent. Papa always said such a woman is worth her price in rubies. Unfortunately, it’s a virtue I never managed to acquire.”

Louisa laughed.

I said in a rush, “Louisa, Adrian said he would lease Lambourn to Paddy if the two of you should ever decide to marry.”

The first drops spattered against the carriage window. “Say that again,” my cousin said.

I repeated my words, adding, “You can be sure that Adrian means the lease to be very reasonable. It’s a perfect place, Louisa. Lambourn’s wonderful for horses, and it’s only a few miles away from Greystone. We could see each other all the time.”

“Oh, Kate.” Now it was Louisa’s turn to fill up.

The rain against the window sounded as if it was coming down more steadily.

“It wasn’t even my idea,” I said. “Adrian came up with it all on his own.”

She said shakily, “It’s such a blessing that you found a man like Greystone, Kate. And I am not saying that because of Lambourn.”

I gazed at my lap, refusing to meet her eyes. “Of course Adrian is wonderful,” I said. “Everyone thinks so.”

“He’s strong,” Louisa said. “He’s strong without being a bully. Married to you, most men would either end up letting you do their breathing for them, or they would feel they had to master you. You were fortunate to find a man who is strong enough to let you be what you are.”

I wasn’t at all sure that I liked what I was hearing. “You make me sound like a headstrong mare, Louisa,” I said with undisguised annoyance.

At that moment, the chaise began to slow down. The men had decided to get in out of the rain, and Louisa was saved from having to give me an answer.

* * * *

Harley Hall had been in Sir Charles Barbury’s family for several generations, and perhaps it was its proximity to Newmarket that had caused Sir Charles to become involved in racing at the early age of twenty-one. The rain had stopped by the time we arrived, and as I peered out the window as we progressed up the drive I saw a typical stone Jacobean manor house with mullioned windows and tall chimneys.

“Thank heaven we have arrived,” I said to Louisa. “The bouncing of this chaise is enough to make anyone feel sick to the stomach.”

“It has been wearisome,” my cousin agreed.

The chaise came to a halt in front of the great stairs. The men had gone back to their horses as soon as the rain had stopped, and it was Adrian himself who opened the chaise door for us. He leaned his head and shoulders inside and asked, “How are you doing?”

The question was politely directed to both of us, but I knew he was really talking to me. I said, “If I don’t get out of this chaise immediately, Adrian, I am going to scream.”

“The steps are coming,” he said.

I slid off my seat and walked unsteadily toward him. “I’ll jump.”

He gave me a sharp look, then put his hands on my waist as I reached the doorway and lifted me down to the ground. I breathed the cool, damp air into my lungs. My stomach had been uneasy for the last hour of the trip, and I was feeling distinctly grumpy.

The steps came, and Louisa descended with dignity. We were joined by Harry, and together the four of us ascended the front stairs of Harley Hall. We were greeted at the door by the butler, who told us that Sir Charles had taken a few of his other guests to see his racehorses, which were stabled in a training barn near Bury. The butler then passed us on to the housekeeper, who took us to our rooms.

I could not believe how tired I was feeling. I had done nothing all day but sit in a carriage, yet my legs did not feel strong enough to hold me up. I scarcely glanced at my surroundings, but went directly to the big wooden rocking chair that stood in front of the fireplace, sat, and stared into the flames.

The door opened and a footman came in carrying our portmanteaux. The footman was followed by Jeanette, who said she would unpack for me. I listened as Adrian told her that I was feeling fatigued and that she should come back later. At last the door closed.

“Why don’t you take a little nap, Kate? You’ll feel better after you’ve had a rest,” Adrian said gently.

“I don’t want to nap,” I said. Actually, I believe I whined. “There is no reason for me to feel fatigued. I have done nothing all day but sit.”

“You have made a long trip in an enclosed carriage and you are in the early stages of pregnancy,” he said. “You have every reason in the world to feel fatigued.”

“I hate feeling this way,” I said. “I hate not having my usual energy.”

“You will feel better after you have had a rest,” he repeated.

I was actually dying to crawl into that bed, but I didn’t want to admit it. “All right,” I said with a martyred air. “If it will make you happy, I will take a nap.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said.

I stood up. “I don’t want to lie down in my clothes, and you sent Jeanette away.”

“Do you want me to ring for her again?”

“No. I don’t want her.”

“Then what
do
you want, Kate?” If he had sounded exasperated, I would have forgiven him. I was exasperated with myself. The fact that he sounded amused made me furious.

“I want you to go away,” I said. “How can I nap with you looming over me?”

“Can you unbutton that dress by yourself?”

“Of course I can unbutton my own dress! Do you think I am an imbecile?”

He walked to the door. “Would you like me to have the housekeeper send you up some tea?”

“No,” I said.

“Then I will leave you to your rest.” He didn’t even slam the door, but closed it quietly behind him.

* * * *

I slept for two hours, and when I awoke I felt much better. Sir Charles had returned, and when I had dressed and gone downstairs I found my host and the rest of the company assembled in a large room with a vaulted ceiling that must have been the Great Hall of the original house.

The first person I saw as I walked into the room was the Duchess of Wareham. The second person I saw was her daughter, Lady Mary Weston.

I felt my hands close into fists at my sides. The colossal nerve of the girl almost took my breath away. She had actually gotten herself invited to the same house party as Adrian! Probably she was hoping that she would be able to steal some time alone with him.

Over my dead body,
I thought.

“Lady Greystone, I am so pleased to welcome you to Harley Hall.” I removed my eyes from Lady Mary’s face and looked at the woman who was addressing me. She was middle-aged and pale, but her eyes were kind. “I am Lady Barbury,” she said.

Of course, I knew that Sir Charles had a wife, but no one had ever seen her. She did not share his passion for racing. I forced a smile and managed some kind of a reply. She then proceeded to take me around the room to introduce me to the company.

Papa had sold horses to about half the men present, so there were plenty of familiar faces. I did not know any of the women, except, of course, the perfidious Lady Mary.

I was somewhat mollified by the fact that Adrian was standing with Sir Charles and another man in front of the fireplace, at least halfway across the room from Lady Mary and her mother. Adrian gave me a warm smile as I went to join them, and I felt a little better.

But I was not happy. I had too much else on my mind right now to have to worry about Lady Mary getting her claws into my husband.

Chapter Twenty-two

We arrived at Harley Hall on Monday and the racing wasn’t due to start until Wednesday, with the Guineas being run on Friday. Consequently, my co-conspirators and I had three days to wait until we could make our first move, which was to determine for sure whether or not Alcazar was indeed Finn MacCool.

Paddy had taken his usual lodgings in town, and he had Sean MacBride, the stable lad from Ireland, with him. On Friday morning, when we could be certain that Stade was at the racetrack, Paddy and Sean would ride out to Stade’s estate near Bury to check the stallion’s identity. And then we would know.

On Tuesday morning Sir Charles, took the gentlemen over to Newmarket Heath to watch the horses exercise. The Heath, like the racecourse, was owned by the Jockey Club, and over four hundred horses were trained in the stables based around Newmarket. The picture of all those splendid Thoroughbreds, galloping like the wind under a powerful East Anglian sky, was to my mind one of the most beautiful sights in all the world.

The ladies were left to Lady Barbury’s care, and she gave us a tour of the famous Harley Hall gardens. The grounds were extensive and varied. To the west of the house was a wide grassy ride lined by double rows of horse chestnuts, and small flower-filled gardens were tucked away in hidden places all along the ride’s expanse. To the south of the house there were wide lawns studded with islands of willows, elder, and privet. There was an extremely pretty stream whose banks were lined with planes, alders, elms, sycamores, and willows. The lawn closest to the house featured classical statues and stone urns.

The grounds were really exceptionally lovely, and I admired them with the utmost sincerity and never once let on that I would rather have watched the horses on the heath.

The gentlemen returned to the house shortly after noon, and a light luncheon was put out in the breakfast room. Harry and I filled our plates at the laden sideboard and went to sit at the table together. I glanced around the cheerful, busy room and immediately registered the fact that Lady Mary was missing.

“Where is Adrian?” I asked my brother-in-law suspiciously.

“Some fellow from the Home Office grabbed hold of him at Newmarket,” Harry said. “He said he would return to Harley Hall by himself later in the afternoon.”

Of course, I was relieved to know that Adrian wasn’t with Lady Mary, but I felt a stab of resentment that he couldn’t even attend the races without some petty government official demanding his attention.

At this point, Lady Mary herself walked into the breakfast room. A dark-haired young man who walked with a slight limp was right behind her, and it looked to me as if they were together. “Who is that with Lady Mary?” I asked Harry.

“You were introduced to him as well as I,” Harry complained. “Why do you always have to ask me who people are?”

“Don’t be such a pain,” I said. “Who is he?”

“His name is Richard Bellerton.” Harry proceeded to spread mustard all over his beef and then to cut himself a huge bite. He stuffed it in his mouth and began to chew.

I gave him a cold stare. “And just who is Richard Bellerton?”

Harry continued to chew.

I kicked him under the table, and he jumped.

“Stop it, Kate,”
he hissed at me. His cheeks had gone quite red.

I gave him a smile that was almost as angelic as his own. “I want to know who this Bellerton is, Harry.”

He swallowed the last of his beef and demanded, “Why are you so interested in Lady Mary’s beaux?”

“Ah, then he is a beau!”

We both looked at the couple who were filling their plates at the sideboard. Mr. Bellerton was not much taller than Lady Mary, but he was broad of shoulder and slender of waist. I thought that they made an exceptionally handsome pair.

“Before we left town, a bet was entered in the book at White’s that they’d be engaged by the end of the Season,” Harry admitted.

I felt as if a stone had just rolled off my heart. I beamed. “How perfectly lovely.”

“He’s Aldershot’s nephew,” Harry went on. “Since the old buzzard never married, Bellerton stands to inherit both the title and the money. I’d say the fact that the duchess is here with Lady Mary makes it pretty clear that she approves of the match.”

This was sounding better and better. “Is this Bellerton a racing man?” I asked. “I’ve never seen him before.”

“He’s Lady Barbury’s cousin,” Harry said.

Lady Mary began to approach the table, saw me watching her, and faltered. I gave her a friendly grin and her eyes widened in surprise. She wiggled her lips at me a little, then moved swiftly to a seat at the opposite end of the table. Mr. Bellerton carried his plate to the chair beside hers.

I turned back to Harry. “This Bellerton limps,” I said.

“Yes. He was wounded at Waterloo.”

I was delighted. Lady Mary had found a hero for herself and now presumably could be trusted to leave mine alone. I looked at Harry, who was busy devouring another slab of beef, and my own appetite stirred. For the first time all day, I felt hungry. I picked up my knife and cut myself a small bite of cold roast beef.

* * * *

The Race Meeting opened on Wednesday, and all the men of Sir Charles Barbury’s house party, as well as Louisa and I, were present to watch the first race go off. The men watched from horseback, while Louisa and I had a good view of the finish line from Sir Charles’s high-perch phaeton. The day was sunny, but there was a bit of a wind blowing, and Adrian had tucked rugs around the both of us before we left Harley Hall.