VIscount Besieged (12 page)

His guess was
accurate. But that made it no more acceptable.

‘
It
comes to something when a man may be dunned in his own
home!’

‘
Dunned? My dear fellow, you entirely mistake me. There is a
difference, I protest, between dunning and looking to one’s
interests.’ His quick eyes glanced about the library. ‘Is not that
just what you are doing? Or am I again mistaken?’

No, he was not
mistaken, damn his eyes. Unless one could claim that the interests
of all one’s dependants marched with one’s own, Roborough thought
as another knock on the door signalled the arrival of the burgundy
from Alvescot’s cellars.

As he poured the
liquor and handed a glass to his unwanted guest, he was aware of a
greater intensity of emotion bottled up inside him than he had
thought existed. True, there was reason enough for resentment. But
in speaking of the matter this morning to Thornbury he had not been
nearly as conscious of it. Then again Thornbury, besides having the
lawyer’s logical mentality, was a man of enormous common sense. He
had readily understood the pressing need to sell the Alvescot
inheritance.

‘
But
was there nothing left at all, my lord?’ he had asked, a measure of
sympathetic concern in his voice that had warmed Roborough to the
heart. He found himself confiding far more of the situation than he
had intended.

He
shook his head. ‘The estate has been squeezed dry.’

‘
Could no one have stopped it? Had your father no
advisers?’

A harsh laugh escaped his lips. ‘As if
he would have
listened to them! Our own man of business tried, I tried. I even
called upon my uncle who is now my heir. But it was as if my father
were possessed of some incurable disease.’

There was little
point in wrapping the matter up in clean linen, he thought. He
might just as well reveal the true sordid facts of the case.
Thornbury had probably guessed it, in any event.

He drew a breath
and met the lawyer’s eyes. ‘This is to go no further,
Thornbury.’

‘
You
may rely on me, my lord.’

On the whole, he
thought now, the lawyer had taken the news well. It was not easy
being obliged to tell the dire truth of one’s father’s activities
to an outsider. But he had realised that if Thornbury was to
appreciate his position he had no real choice, unless to be thought
an outright rogue himself.

They had
discussed alternatives, but at length Thornbury agreed that there
really was no other way.

‘
If I
am to provide for this family as well as my own, I don’t see what
else I can do.’

‘
Nor
I, my lord,’ said the lawyer flatly. ‘I do not know what
commitments you have, but these here are enough in themselves. Do
you suppose the sale would furnish you with sufficient
means?’

‘
I
doubt it. You have said that Mrs Alvescot has a little money of her
own, but her cousin is in her train, together with the
children.’

‘
What
would you propose for them, sir?’

‘
School for the boy, and some gentlemanly profession, I
suppose. The girl may have to settle for a companion or governess,
I’m afraid, for I cannot find four dowries.’

‘
Four?’

Roborough smiled
wryly. ‘Miss Alvescot, for one. And I have two young sisters at
home. But Fanny may be lucky. If I can recover the estate in the
next few years, who knows? But I need the proceeds from this one to
begin, Thornbury.’

Only now, it
appeared, he was being pressed to use them for quite a different
purpose. He looked over to where Syderstone sat, lying back at his
ease in one of the two big cushioned chairs, savouring the wine.
There was nothing else for it. He must persuade the man to wait. If
he paid him, there was not a hope in hell of providing for even one
impoverished family, let alone two.

‘
How
badly do you need the money, Syderstone?’ he asked
abruptly.

The other man
looked up, smiling. ‘That, my dear fellow, is
irrelevant.’

‘
Not
to me. And pray don’t remind me again that it is a debt of
honour.’

‘
I
was not going to,’ protested Syderstone. He finished his wine and
rose, giving a little bow. ‘I have every faith in you, my dear
fellow.’

‘
In
that case, you will oblige me very much by leaving here this very
day.’

‘
Oh,
I couldn’t do that. Not after I have accepted Mrs Alvescot’s very
kind invitation to me, as your friend
,
to
remain.’

‘
Mrs
Alvescot will excuse you,’ said Roborough, almost grinding his
teeth. The man was a human leech.

‘
I
could not possibly disappoint her. Besides, I am of a mind to
pursue my acquaintance with Miss Alvescot.’

‘
What?’

Syderstone’s
eyebrows went up. ‘You have some objection?’

‘
None
at all,’ said the viscount, an edge to his voice.

‘
Ah,
but you must be in some sort her guardian, and I would not dream
of—’

‘
Her
mother is all the guardian she needs. In any event, she is very
nearly one and twenty.’

‘
Yet
you must have some say in her future,’ persisted Syderstone. ‘I
would hesitate to encroach without your permission.’

A flame of anger
was burning in Roborough’s chest, but he maintained a cool front.
What in the name of all the gods Syderstone meant by this fetch was
beyond him.

‘
Miss
Alvescot,’ he said, as evenly as he could, ‘is as yet barely known
to me. But I am already very certain that she will take care of her
own future without any assistance from me.’

And let them see
if that did not spike any schemes the man might have to use Isadora
in some way against him.

But the arrow
misfired.

‘
Ah,
excellent,’ came the urbane voice. ‘In that case I may interest
myself there without let or hindrance.’

With difficulty
Roborough refrained from inflicting physical violence upon the man.
What sort of game was he playing? Some scheme to force his hand,
probably. Perhaps Syderstone thought to seem to threaten Isadora’s
safety so that he would do anything to get rid of him. Even pay
him.

All he needed
was another battle of wills on his hands. One would have supposed
Isadora to be sufficient for any man to contend with. Still, let
Syderstone try his hand against her, then they would see. God knew
he had enough difficulty with her himself. Though at least it was
an invigorating battle. And her protestations were honest, unlike
Syderstone’s. Besides, Isadora was…

The very thought
of her seemed to calm him a trifle. Isadora was endlessly amusing.
He could not help but admire her, on so many counts. Fearless,
quick-witted; a rebellious little monster, but endearing with it.
Not to mention her truly amazing talent.

‘
A
penny for them, my dear fellow.’

He blinked.
Syderstone’s face came back into focus. He had entirely forgotten
the man’s presence. Mentally thanking Isadora for the brief
respite, he poured the man another glass of burgundy.

‘
Syderstone,’ he began, returning more easily now to his usual
mild tone, ‘why don’t you go away, there’s a good fellow? It will
take me some time to settle my affairs, but you may rest easy that
when the money is available you shall have it.’

‘
I
shall, my dear fellow,’ said the other silkily. ‘I mean to make
very sure of that.’

***

No opportunity
had yet presented itself for Isadora to draw the attention of Mr
Syderstone for the purpose of discovering what she might about the
viscount. What with church and the general gathering on Sunday,
there was no chance of privacy.

She was
therefore delighted, a couple of mornings later, to find him
breakfasting alone when she came in from her ride. She smiled
involuntarily.

‘
Oh,
Mr Syderstone, how fortunate. I mean,’ she corrected herself
hastily, ‘how glad I am that someone is still here. Usually I am
last in and obliged to enjoy a solitary meal.’

‘
Then,’ the gentleman smiled, with a little bow, for he had
risen at her entrance, ‘I beg you will allow me to keep you
company.’

She saw then
that his place was already being cleared by the housemaid who had
been assisting Hampole to serve from the various dishes laid out on
the sideboard.

‘
But
you have finished already,’ she said on a deliberately disappointed
note. ‘Then I must not keep you.’

‘
I
shall not, I protest, be guilty of deserting you.’ He waved a hand
at the housemaid. ‘This kindly wench will perhaps indulge me with
another cup of your excellent coffee.’

‘
How
thoughtful of you.’

Isadora was glad
of his courtesy. For how else was she to attract his interest? She
knew herself to be unremarkable in looks, except when she was
acting, for she was aware that then some transformation took place
in herself that made her stand out. She had no woman’s wiles. She
had no leisure for that sort of absurdity. And among their
acquaintance it was Harriet who had the admirers—apart from Edmund,
of course.

‘
Not
at all,’ he responded, resuming his seat. ‘You have rescued me from
the dilemma of deciding what to do for the morning.’

‘
I
have saved you from boredom, you mean,’ Isadora said drily, turning
to help herself from the dish of ham and eggs which the butler was
proffering. The silver serving-dish shook in his unsteady hands,
and she added quickly, ‘Do put it down, Hampole. There is no
necessity to hold it for me.’

But Hampole,
evidently on his mettle before a stranger, merely gave her a
reproving look and stubbornly maintained his grip.

‘
You
wrong me, I protest,’ said Syderstone urbanely. ‘Only everyone
appears to have business on hand. Roborough was before me, and has
gone. Your cousin has taken her two children off for their lessons.
While as for Mrs Alvescot—’

‘
Oh,
Mama never rises for breakfast,’ Isadora interrupted.

‘
There you are, then. Now, if fortune favours me, I might
persuade you, Miss Alvescot, to take a turn about the grounds with
me.’

Fortune, Isadora
thought, accepting with alacrity, had instead favoured her. He
looked to her for amusement as a last resort, it seemed. Not that
she gave a fig for that, if only he might not prove as close-lipped
as Roborough and Thornbury.

Not very much
later, they were walking about the lawns—in full sight, Isadora
ensured, of the schoolroom party who had brought their books out
under the trees on this warm day. Cousin Matty had unfortunately
been obliged to attend to her own children’s education ever since
the family were obliged to let Isadora’s governess go and Rowland’s
lessons with the vicar had to be given up. These retrenchments had.
been hard. No wonder Cousin Matty was so set on Roborough’s taking
them all under his wing.

For a few
moments, the realisation stopped her from beginning the enquiries
she fully intended to make with regard to Syderstone’s business
with Roborough. But it would not do. She must find out something
about the viscount’s situation. If this man’s visit could throw any
light on the subject, then she must not shrink from her
self-appointed duty.

But before she
could turn the conversation into this channel they suffered an
interruption. Someone was walking purposefully towards them across
the lawn from the house. It did not take long for Isadora to
recognise him. A fair youth, boyishly slim, with handsome looks
very much akin to Harriet’s, although he lacked her strength of
character.

Edmund! What a
nuisance, just when she had a chance to begin her investigations.
What in the world did he want?

She was not left
long in ignorance. Young Mr Witheridge, his breath short, Isadora
saw, less from exertion than from some strong emotion under which
he was evidently labouring, came up with them in a
moment.

‘
Dora!’

‘
Good
morning, Edmund,’ she responded in a repressive voice. Great
heavens, what was the matter with him? Could he not see she had a
visitor? ‘Allow me to present you to Mr Syderstone.’

Edmund started,
as if he had not seen the man. Then, to the older man’s evident
amusement, judging by the cynical smile on his face, he gave the
other the curtest of greetings.

‘
Harriet’s brother, sir,’ Isadora explained. ‘You met her the
day you arrived.’

‘
Yes,
I see the resemblance.’

Flushing, young
Edmund looked anything but gratified by this comment. He addressed
himself pointedly to Isadora. ‘It’s on Harriet’s account I have
come, Dora. She—er—she needs your advice.’

‘
My
advice?’ repeated Isadora, gazing at him. Since when did Harriet
require her advice?

‘
Something about her wedding-gown,’ Edmund said, so fluently
that Isadora almost believed him.