The Rake's Rebellious Lady (17 page)

‘Oh, come on,’ Nicolas exclaimed. ‘That is doing it a dashed sight too brown. I shall not believe that you were not aware of me coming up behind you.’

‘I did not think that you would be fool enough to try to pass at the crossroads,’ Freddie said with a lift of his brow. ‘If I were to meet you on the road another time, I should be more prepared.’

‘Let us make a race of it,’ Nicolas said. ‘We are on our way to Bollingbrook—do you go that way?’

‘Yes, as a matter of fact, that is exactly my intention. I have something I wish to discuss with Bollingbrook. I shall be staying at an inn nearby and will call on your grandfather in a day or so. If you are serious about this race, Nicolas, we shall come to terms. Besides, it will be best to rest the horses. I dare say yours are almost blown after the way you pushed them.’

‘You are the most complete hand,’ Nicolas said, for he had taken to Sir Freddie at once, despite being given a tongue-lashing in the yard for having risked the health of his sister and brother. He had loyally refrained from telling Sir Frederick that Caroline had been driving until the overtaking manoeuvre, perhaps because he sensed that it would have brought a further tongue-lashing. ‘Yes, I agree. We shall make
a wager when you come to Bollingbrook. Here’s my hand on it.’

He offered his hand, which Sir Freddie took with a wry twist of his lips. He then sat down on the settle next to Caroline and looked at her, his brows lifted.

‘Nicolas informs me that you were not in the least scared?’

‘No, not of the race,’ she said, ‘but I thought you would be angry because of the way he cut you up at the crossroads.’ She looked at him uncertainly.

‘Had he been anyone else, I might have wrung his neck,’ Freddie said lightly, though with a look that seemed to say he meant it. ‘However, I shall hold my hand this time. I suppose that you will want to be a part of this race?’

‘Yes, please,’ Caroline said instantly. She was surprised, for she had thought he would forbid it. ‘Indeed, I should!’

‘Then we shall have the same wager as before?’

‘Yes!’ Her eyes sparkled—she suddenly felt much better than she had since the morning of the balloon ascension.

‘Very well, Miss Holbrook,’ Freddie said, a gleam in his eye. ‘If I win, I gain my wish, and, if Nicolas wins, you shall have what you desire of me—but there is one condition to this race.’

‘And what is that, sir?’

‘You will be my passenger and not your brother’s. At least then I shall be certain of you ending in one piece. And you will not be allowed to drive!’ He fixed her with a piercing stare, which told her that he was not ignorant of the truth concerning her behaviour earlier that morning.

‘Dash it all, sir!’ Nicolas exclaimed. ‘That’s a deal too much! Caroline is my sister, after all, and I would never do anything to harm her.’

‘Sir Freddie is in the right of it,’ Tom agreed. ‘You are both
too headstrong by half! And I’ll wager fifty guineas he beats you, Nicolas.’

‘Fine brother you are,’ Nicolas said with a wrathful eye. ‘I’ll take your fifty guineas, Tom! But as for whose passenger she shall be—that must be Caroline’s choice.’

‘Oh, I shall go with Sir Freddie,’ Caroline said happily. ‘For if I win my wager, he must teach me to drive his blacks—’

‘The greys,’ Freddie said, ‘and it’s a deal.’

F
reddie had refused to accompany Caroline and her brothers, promising to meet with them again within a day or so. He had no intention of encouraging Nicolas to race him again while Caroline was his passenger. Instead, he put his feet up and thought about the girl he had made up his mind to marry.

He had been slow to come to his decision, but his mind was set now. She had seemed natural enough and pleased to see him—once she realised he was not going to quarrel with her brother—but he sensed it would not be easy to gain her consent to the marriage. Because of all the gossip in town she had taken it into her head that he meant to make her an offer as a matter of honour, whereas nothing could be further from the truth.

He would have to think of a way to persuade her… Thinking about the various methods of persuasion that he might use brought a smile to his lips. Some of them would, he was sure, prove extremely pleasurable.

* * *

‘Well, girl, let me look at you,’ Bollingbrook said as Caroline ran to kiss his cheek. His eyes dwelled intently on her
face for a moment. ‘You have become an elegant lady, Caroline. I think you must have all the young bucks by the ears.’

‘Oh, Grandfather!’ Caroline cried, her eyes bright with laughter. ‘Of course I have not.’

‘She has, sir,’ Nicolas said. ‘They were falling over themselves to dance with her when I accompanied her to a ball. I had to fight my way through the crowd to ask her for a dance.’

‘That isn’t true—tell him it isn’t so, Tom.’

‘Well, it ain’t far from the truth from what I saw,’ Tom said, smiling at his sister affectionately. He looked at his grandfather. ‘And how are you, sir? Feeling a little better, I hope?’

‘As a matter of fact, I am,’ the Marquis said. ‘Got myself a new quack. Heard of him by chance and sent for him to call. He prescribed a new mixture, which seems to have helped for the time being at least. But we shan’t talk of me. I’ve had my day. I want to know what you young people have been up to. Caroline, come and sit by me and tell me if you have settled on a beau yet.’

Caroline moved one of the pretty gilt chairs nearer to his large wing chair and sat down. She proceeded to chatter about what she had been doing in town, which made her grandfather laugh. Seeing that he was in a good humour, Nicolas joined in, telling him about army life, and Tom watched in his own quiet way, letting them have their sway until his grandfather looked at him.

‘What of you, sir?’ The Marquis’ eyes narrowed. ‘You don’t look as hale as you did when you were here last. Been overdoing it, have you? What’s the matter with your arm?’

‘Tom was hurt,’ Caroline said defensively, for she would not have her brother criticised unfairly. ‘There was an accident
with a balloon and Tom’s arm was broken.’ She did not mention her part in the affair, for she thought it best that he should not be told it all. Fortunately, it did not occur to him that she might also have been involved.

‘Lucky to be alive, are you?’ Bollingbrook beetled his brows. ‘Damn stupid thing to do. Any fool knows those contraptions aren’t safe. Well, we shall talk later, Tom. Go and rest for a while before dinner. The journey must have done you up.’

‘Yes, I think it has to a certain extent,’ Tom agreed and got to his feet. ‘If you will excuse me.’

‘Humph,’ the Marquis said as he went out. ‘I didn’t know he had the gumption. Why anyone would want to fly I can’t imagine. Don’t know what the world is coming to!’

Bollingbrook sighed before looking at Nicolas. ‘Nicolas, get off and find something to do before dinner. I want a few minutes alone with my girl.’

‘Yes, sir, as you wish,’ Nicolas said and grinned at his sister. ‘I shall see you later, puss.’ He winked at her as he went out.

‘Impudent pup,’ the Marquis grumbled, but in a mild manner that told Caroline he wasn’t truly annoyed. ‘Now then, girl, tell me the truth—have you seen someone that you fancy? If you have, I shall want to look him over. I want to make sure he is good enough for you.’

‘I think there may be someone, Grandfather,’ she said, ‘but he hasn’t spoken yet and I am not certain that he will.’

‘What’s the matter with the fellow? Ain’t he got eyes?’

‘Oh, yes,’ Caroline said and laughed. ‘He is very handsome and a little arrogant at times, I think—but he is also kind and funny and…’ Her words tailed off. ‘I think I may be in love with him, but I don’t want to be if he doesn’t love me.’

‘Can’t dictate something like that,’ her grandfather told her. ‘Either you are or you ain’t. I only ever loved one woman, and that was your grandmother. The moment I set eyes on her I knew I had to have her. There was opposition to our marriage from her family, but I wasn’t going to be beaten. I couldn’t have cared less what anyone said or did, she was mine from the moment I saw her.’

‘She was very beautiful,’ Caroline said, thinking of Angelica Bollingbrook’s portrait. ‘I wish I had known her, Grandfather.’

‘I wish you had too. You are very like her—and you would have loved each other.’ He sighed deeply. ‘Yes, I have wished that she could have known you, all of you.’

‘I wish that she might,’ Caroline said.

‘Well, well, it can’t be helped,’ the Marquis said. ‘I’ve shut myself off from the world too long, but there’s time enough to repair things. You and your brothers shall not be forgotten, miss, and there’s my promise to you. Run along, now. I shall see you later.’

* * *

Caroline was glad that she had come down to visit her grandfather. It was good to be in the country again, and though she had enjoyed the whirl of social activities in London, she thought that perhaps she preferred a quieter life.

The weather had settled into warm, balmy days and she spent much of her time either walking or riding with her brothers. She had persuaded Nicolas to take her driving in the park and they had enjoyed themselves letting the spirited horses have their head. It was on the morning of the second day after their arrival at Bollingbrook Place that she pulled Nicolas’s phaeton to a standstill in front of the house just as
a visitor arrived. She knew at once that it was Sir Freddie, and that he had seen her.

‘Well done,’ he said as he handed his reins to his tiger and came to help her down. ‘I see that you have been practising, and perhaps we shall make a whip of you yet.’

His words of praise brought a flush to Caroline’s cheeks and she gave him a shy smile, looking away quickly as his eyes seemed to penetrate her thoughts. She must not let him see that she was head over heels in love with him!

‘Do not encourage her, sir,’ Nicolas begged, grinning broadly. ‘Given the opportunity, I think she would set up her own rig and then we should none of us know what she was up to!’

‘Well, I dare say a suitable vehicle would not be so very dangerous,’ Freddie said. ‘Miss Holbrook would not be the only female whip; there are one or two notables, such as Lady Cheshire and Selma Hamilton.’

‘Now you’ve done it,’ Nicolas said with a look of mock despair. ‘We shall have no peace now until she has set up her own curricle.’

‘Oh, I want a phaeton,’ Caroline said, giving her brother a challenging look. ‘Something a little racy with a high-stepping pair to give me a certain touch.’ She peeped under her lashes at Sir Freddie, but he had not risen to the challenge.

‘What did I tell you?’ Nicolas shook his head. ‘There will be no dealing with her now!’

Freddie laughed, but made no further comment as he accompanied the pair into the house. Tom had been reading in the front parlour, but, having seen them through the window, came out to greet Sir Freddie and invite him to nuncheon.

‘That is very kind of you,’ Freddie said. ‘But perhaps I ought to speak with your grandfather first?’

‘I should leave it until later if I were you,’ Tom advised with a wry grimace. ‘He has his quack with him now and I think there is a little matter of a new dressing. In an hour or two he will no doubt be restored and feeling rather better.’

‘Very well, I shall take your advice,’ Freddie said, and glanced at Caroline. ‘When do you intend to go down to Bath?’

‘The day after tomorrow,’ Caroline told him. ‘Grandfather wants me to stay longer with him next time, but my mother will be expecting me—and, as she may be planning her wedding, I do not wish to keep her waiting.’

‘Shall we arrange our race for then, Nicolas?’ Freddie turned to him with a lift of his brows. ‘We may meet at the Waverly Arms, which is just five miles from Bath, and race to the Abbey. After Caroline has transferred to my phaeton, of course.’

‘Yes, a capital notion,’ Nicolas said and grinned at him. ‘But we have not decided a wager, though you have one with Caroline.’

‘The race is enough in itself,’ Freddie said, ‘but if you wish for a wager—shall we say twenty guineas to the winner?’

Nicolas agreed. ‘Twenty guineas it is!’

The details settled, they repaired to the dining room.

* * *

They spent the next hour or so very pleasantly eating and drinking. The conversation veered from prize fighting to horse racing and the likelihood of Bonaparte staying put on Elba for long, and then back to town gossip. The time passed so pleasantly that it was almost three in the afternoon before they rose from the table.

‘Will you walk with me for a while?’ Freddie asked
Caroline as they went out into the hall. ‘I am sure your brothers have other things to do…’

‘I can take a hint,’ Nicolas said and grinned at his brother. ‘Come along, Tom. I dare say we know when we are not wanted. I’ll give you a game of billiards if you’re up to it.’

‘What do you mean if I’m up to it?’ his brother demanded. ‘Tell you what, we’ll settle on the best of three…’

‘How are you feeling now?’ Freddie asked as they left the house and began to stroll across the lawns towards the rose arbour. His eyes moved over her with some concern. ‘I know the accident was an unpleasant shock for you the other day, though you claimed you were not hurt—and of course you were denied your trip in that balloon.’ He said nothing of the affair at Almack’s, for he knew she would shy away from it like a young filly being put to its first fence.

‘As if I cared for that,’ Caroline said. ‘I should still like to go up one day, but my only concern was for Tom. I think we were lucky that more serious harm did not result from such an accident.’ She stopped walking for a moment to look at him. ‘For myself, I cannot understand why anyone would do such a thing as to tamper with that rope. Why should anyone wish to harm Tom or me? Or you, sir, for that matter?’

‘Indeed, it was more likely so, for the change was made only at the last moment, and I think the damage must have been done earlier that morning.’

‘Yes, perhaps,’ she said, looking at him doubtfully. ‘Have you any idea who it might have been, sir?’

‘None at all,’ Freddie said. ‘But I have not been idle, Caroline. I shall discover the truth in the end, I promise you.’

Caroline nodded. ‘I think that you would always do what you set out to do, sir.’ She blushed and dropped her gaze as she saw the expression in his eyes.

‘Miss Holbrook…Caroline,’ he said and looked down at her face. ‘You do not have to answer me now unless you wish, but I—’

He was interrupted by a shout from the house and then Nicolas came sprinting across the lawns towards them.

‘I am sorry to interrupt you,’ he said, ‘but Caroline must come at once. Grandfather has had some kind of a seizure and he is asking for her.’

‘Oh, no,’ Caroline said and looked at Freddie anxiously. ‘You must forgive me, sir. May we speak again another time?’

‘Yes, of course,’ he said. ‘Go to your grandfather, Caroline. I shall come tomorrow to inquire how he is—perhaps we may speak then?’

‘Yes, thank you,’ she said. ‘Please excuse me…’

She fled across the lawn towards the house, her heart racing. These past couple of days her grandfather had shown his true affection for her, and she had felt happy that at last she was getting to know him. It would be a sad thing if he were to die just as they were truly becoming acquainted.

‘Forgive me for disturbing you,’ Nicolas said to Sir Freddie after his sister had left them. ‘But I had no choice.’

‘Obviously my meeting with Lord Bollingbrook must wait for another time,’ Freddie said. ‘It is unfortunate, for there were one or two matters I wished to discuss with him. I shall return tomorrow and in the meantime I hope that your grandfather is not seriously stricken.’

‘He is as tough as old boots,’ Nicolas said with a grimace that hid his affection. ‘At least he has been, apart from the
gout—but of course there is always a first time. But please do feel free to call whenever you wish.’

‘Thank you. I shall,’ Freddie said and nodded. ‘I trust we shall not have to postpone our race. Good day to you now, Nicolas.’ He tipped his hat and set out for the stables to have his phaeton made ready.

Nicolas turned and walked back to the house. He was almost certain that Sir Frederick had been about to make Caroline an offer, and he wished it might have happened before he had interrupted them. It would have secured his sister’s future.

Tom was talking about making arrangements for his journey to Jamaica and Nicolas would need to return to his regiment in just over a week’s time—which meant that Caroline would have no one to look out for her. If Tom was right and the attempts on his life were down to money, she might also be in some danger.

* * *

The doctor was still with Bollingbrook when Caroline arrived. He turned his head as she entered, smiling and beckoning her closer, though he had a finger to his lips, warning her to speak softly.

‘The Marquis is resting, Miss Holbrook. I have given him something that will help him to sleep for a while.’

‘Will he be all right?’ Caroline looked at him anxiously. ‘He isn’t going to die—is he?’

‘It was fortunate that I was here,’ Dr Harris told her with a frown. ‘I believe that it was merely a slight seizure and he should be well enough in a few days. However, the next few hours are all important. He must rest—and he should not be upset in any way. However, you must be aware that it could happen again, and if it does…’