A Season of Romance Read online

  ‘It must have been something very serious to cause Papa to turn his back on Ripon Hall. The flourishing estate was a matter of great pride to him. We went to France as a family, so it would have made sense for my uncle to keep the estate running smoothly in our absence. I recall he and Papa being on the very best of terms when I was small, but all that changed quite abruptly and then we left.’

  ‘Your uncle offered to look after things, but your father seemed to have lost interest in his English responsibilities. He dismissed his steward, got rid of his tenants and…well, you saw the results for yourself when you came to stay with us.’

  ‘Papa was fiercely proud of the family name, the Ripon title and the cachet attaching to it, as well as taking his responsibilities for providing employment in the Ripon district seriously. He was aware that he would never father a son, happy enough for Daniel to inherit and keen to see the title pass into a safe pair of hands, so why did this situation come about?’ Adela spread her hands. ‘You must see why I am so curious about the dispute.’

  ‘Your uncle did try to make your father see reason, but he was uncommonly stubborn.’

  Adela raised a brow. ‘You imply that the dispute was all of Papa’s making.’

  ‘There are two sides to every story, my dear. Your uncle’s dearest wish was to heal the breech, but your father was not similarly minded. Be that as it may, grudges should not be passed down like a family heirloom. There is no occasion for the next generation—for you and Daniel—not to be intimate.’

  ‘I’m unsure what you mean by that suggestion, but I think it only fair to make my position clear. Daniel is my cousin and I will be civil towards him, but I will never consider a closer connection than that, especially since you refuse to tell me the truth about the past. I remember my father as being a fair and reasonable gentleman. He would not have turned his back on his closest relations without good reason, so your something-and-nothing argument lacks conviction.’

  ‘I cannot tell you what I do not know.’

  Adela shook her head. ‘Then we have nothing more to say to one another. I will not upset Mama by insisting that you leave my house, but I shall take no pleasure in either of you being here.’

  ‘You cannot mean what you say. You are upset. Frustrated.’

  ‘Please don’t assume to know what I think and feel. You don’t know me, had not given me a passing thought until Papa died, and simply assumed I could be manipulated.’

  ‘That is a wicked thing to say!’

  If Adela’s aunt expected an apology she was destined for disappointment. ‘But true, I suspect. Why else did you come to London so soon after us? Daniel is not the only gentleman with pockets to let and you couldn’t afford to risk my being attracted to a different fortune-hunter.’

  ‘I wanted you to say with us,’ her aunt said, her tone lacking conviction. ‘I tried to tell your father that the war-torn continent was no place for a small child, but he would not listen.’

  ‘And yet you never enquired about my wellbeing in your correspondence with Papa.’

  ‘I did not correspond with him.’

  ‘Daniel did.’ Her aunt widened her eyes, caught out in a lie.

  ‘That is not the same thing.’

  ‘I found his begging letters amongst Papa’s things.’

  Her aunt sat a little straighter. ‘My son does not beg.’

  Adela’s responding smile owed little to humour. ‘I see no point in continuing with a conversation that is getting us nowhere. You will not tell me what I want to know. I will not help Daniel, nor will I respond to his transparent advances. There, now we understand one another completely.’

  ‘I suspect you will find life in London too restrictive for someone with your forthright and impetuous character,’ her aunt said after a reflective pause. ‘You are not good at rules and regulations and the ton has more than its fair share of both.’ Her aunt waved a hand airily in front of her face. ‘You will soon hanker after a quiet life in the country, shared with people who have your best interests at heart.’

  Adela offered her aunt a wintery smile. ‘If that situation arises then I shall simply sell this house and purchase a property elsewhere.’

  ‘It is your mother’s house, not yours, and she enjoys London society.’

  ‘You mistake the matter, ma’am. This house is entailed through the female line on my paternal grandmother’s side. Through the eldest son’s eldest daughter, in case you are thinking that it would be held in trust for Daniel’s daughter should anything happen to me.’ Adela enjoyed the look of shock that passed across her aunt’s face. ‘It is mine to do with as I please. If I do decide to sell, then I shall purchase a smaller establishment in London that Mama and I can visit when we feel the need. The rest of the time, a country manor house with a few manageable acres would suit me very well.’

  ‘Then I would urge you to invest in the Ripon Estate,’ her aunt said, somewhat desperately. ‘That way, you can maintain a house in London and be assured of a comfortable home away from the capital when you feel the need to escape.’

  ‘Thank you, but I was thinking of something less grand and less expensive to maintain. Besides, Ripon is too far away to be convenient. I would prefer to sever all ties. I dare say Daniel will marry sooner or later anyway, at which point I would become an inconvenience.’

  ‘You would never be that,’ her aunt said less than convincingly. Adela could see that she was struggling to keep her temper in check. They had not spoken quite so frankly before, always maintaining a thin veneer of politeness. Now all that had changed. It didn’t sit comfortably with her aunt to go cap in hand to Adela and then have her overtures rejected.

  ‘I have an appointment with my lawyer this afternoon,’ Adela said into the ensuing silence. ‘Should I meet with an accident before I marry and have a daughter of my own, it would break the entail, so I needed to make a will of my own.’

  ‘You are so young.’ Adela could almost hear her scheming aunt’s brain at work, trying to think of ways that she could profit from the accident Adela was hoping to avoid. Adela wasn’t nearly so sure about the terms of the entail as she had led her aunt to believe. She could sell the house—Mr Carver had made that clear—but if something happened to her before then, there was every possibility that Daniel would have a valid claim. ‘Surely there is no need to worry about that yet.’

  ‘Hopefully not, but everyone keeps telling me that we live in dangerous times, so I want to ensure that my affairs are in proper order.’ She closed her book, threw back her head and closed her eyes. ‘It is important to me to know that in the event of my death, my estate will be disposed of according to my wishes.’ She allowed herself a regretful smile. ‘I am sorry if that comes as a disappointment to you, ma’am, but my father specifically required my assurance that I would not help to sort out the mess he left behind in Ripon.’ But frustratingly it did not tell me why it was so important to him. ‘I gave him my word.’

  Her aunt’s expression turned icy and Adela wondered if it had been wise to speak quite so frankly. Impetuosity always had been one of her failings. The fact of the matter was that she didn’t want to give Daniel false hope, or have her aunt coerce her mother into…well, encouraging her into looking upon him as a suitor. She wouldn’t lose too much sleep if she upset her aunt. She neither liked nor trusted the woman, so making her situation clear was the best thing to do…probably. But going against her mother’s wishes would be another matter entirely.

  ‘Well, aren’t you very sure of yourself all of a sudden?’ Her aunt sent Adela a scathing look. ‘The attentions you have received here in London have clearly turned your head. But bear in mind, my dear, that those sniffing around your petticoats are not bowled over by your grace and charms. They are only interested in one thing.’

  ‘And of course Daniel is not.’ Adela matched her aunt’s derisory smile. ‘I have no desire to quarrel with you, but I will say this in the hope of making my situation crystal clear. Daniel would be best adv
ised to look elsewhere if it is a wife he has come to London to find, since nothing will entice me to accept him.’ She stood. ‘Now, if you will excuse me, I should go and see if Mama is up yet.’

  *

  Ezra sat across from Gaunt in his drawing room, listening as he made his case.

  ‘Lady Adela will not be safe until the traitor is apprehended,’ Gaunt said with authority. ‘For that reason, I have dropped a word in a few ears that she knows where her father’s proof is hidden—’

  ‘You have done what!’ Ezra leapt from his chair, spilling wine over his cuff. He put his glass aside and towered over Gaunt, glowering at his cavalier approach. ‘Without consulting me first?’

  ‘As I say, old chap, she will not be safe until this matter is resolved. Best get it settled once and for all.’

  ‘Best for whom?’ Ezra resumed his seat, struggling to contain his anger. Angry men did not make rational decisions and often said things that they later came to regret.

  ‘When were you going to tell me she was shot at yesterday?’ Gaunt asked calmly.

  Ezra didn’t bother to ask how he knew. Gaunt had eyes and ears everywhere, but even his highly trained agents had failed to uncover the identity of the traitor. ‘That shot could just as easily have been intended for me,’ he said, displaying a calmness he did not feel.

  ‘Then you are both in danger. Even more reason to draw the traitor out.’

  Ezra rubbed his chin and closed his eyes, feeling weary and disadvantaged as he so often did when faced with Gaunt’s machinations. ‘Lady Adela’s cousin had equally compelling reasons for wanting her dead.’

  ‘But he was not in the capital yesterday morning.’

  ‘Your spies have let you down, Gaunt. He arrived the night before. He and his mother stayed the night with the Jordans.’

  ‘Did they indeed?’ Gaunt chuckled. ‘Mrs Gantz was Jordan’s mistress for years. Were you aware?’

  Ezra grunted. ‘I doubt if there was anyone who didn’t know at the time. I myself was too young to take any interest, but I heard the rumours. They weren’t exactly discreet. Now she and Lady Jordan, whom she publicly humiliated, are obviously on convivial terms. How very civilized.’

  ‘That lady has behaved with dignity, which is more than can be said for the aunt.’

  ‘Jordan’s name is on my list of suspects,’ Ezra said. ‘And Ripon staying with him, even for one night, muddies the waters. Why do that when they had been invited by Lady Gantz to stay at Eaton Square? One could argue that both Ripon and Jordan have compelling reasons for wanting Lady Adela out of the way but if Jordan is the traitor, he would hardly express those reasons to Ripon.’

  ‘Don’t focus too much on Jordan. He was not privy to all the secrets that were leaked,’ Gaunt said. ‘He has not been a member of the cabinet’s inner circle for some years.’

  ‘Which, I know, is the only reason why you have not arrested him. That and the fact that you have had him closely watched for years and he has done nothing to warrant being apprehended. Even so, plenty of government minions have survived the changes of personnel and hear all the secrets one way or another.’

  Ezra stood to refill both their glasses. ‘Ripon’s close association with Jordan, just when Lady Adela returns to England with potentially dynamic information contained in her father’s possessions, appears too much of a coincidence.’

  ‘I agree that it’s highly suspect,’ Gaunt replied, sipping calmly at his burgundy.

  Ezra ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Ripon is now living in Lady Adela’s house for an indefinite period. There will be ample opportunities for him to search for that evidence. Evidence that as things stand we none of us know where to find, or even that it exists. What we do know is that Ripon is seriously short of blunt and that Lady Adela won’t entertain a proposal from him.’

  ‘Gaunt elevated one brow. ‘We know that for a fact, do we?’

  ‘We do, and Ripon’s pride will have taken a considerable denting. He’s an arrogant cove, accustomed to getting what he wants. He wants Lady Adela for her money, of course. Money and the property that he assumed would form part of his inheritance. He feels badly done by. Lady Adela is intelligent enough to realise it and wants nothing to do with the man. So if, for the sake of argument, Jordan offered Ripon a financial incentive to do away with her, inventing some plausible reason that Ripon wouldn’t need much persuading to believe, then I fear the lady is in a perilous situation.’

  ‘Precisely. And that is why we must act now. It’s the opportunity we’ve been waiting for to finally expose the traitorous bastard.’ A rare flash of anger disturbed Gaunt’s customary bland expression. ‘The ball has been set in motion and there’s no turning back now. I dare say you will find a way to keep Lady Adela safe.’ He fixed Ezra with a probing look. ‘I can sense that her welfare means a great deal to you. Something will happen within the next few days which will finally give us our answers.’ Gaunt drained his glass, stood and gave Ezra’s shoulder a firm slap of encouragement. ‘I can sense it.’

  *

  Daniel had only just finished dressing when his mother tapped on his door.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked, turning away from the mirror and scowling at her. He didn’t like his mother to see him dressing himself, highlighting his inability to afford the services of a valet. He had rung for assistance but been told that Adela’s footmen were all too busy preparing for the party to spare time for him.

  ‘I have just spoken with Adela,’ his mother replied, plonking herself down in a chair, then standing again and pacing the length of the room, her skirts swirling around her ankles and tangling with her feet. His mother, when roused to anger, was a force to be reckoned with and Daniel could see that she was currently in a vile temper.

  ‘What has the child done to provoke you?’ he asked indolently, returning his attention to his neckcloth, which refused to sit right.

  ‘You would be better advised to stop thinking of her as a child. The hussy has ideas that are well above her station and she hasn’t the least intention of helping her relatives.’

  ‘She will, given time. It’s just that all the attention she’s receiving here in the ton has turned her head. She doesn’t seem to realise that she is not the main attraction.’

  ‘Unfortunately, she does. She just told me so herself.’

  ‘Bairstow has influenced her, there’s no denying it.’ Daniel perched on the edge of the bed, frowning. ‘Why he would spare her a second glance is a mystery to me. I can only conclude that he’s amusing himself for some obscure reason.’ He shrugged. ‘Once he disappoints her, she will come running back to those she knows and trusts the most. I can be patient.’

  ‘I’m not so sure about that. She is remarkably outspoken and has just told me that she will never accept a proposal from you.’

  ‘Has she, by gad!’ Daniel felt his face grow uncomfortably hot as indignation boiled through him. ‘The nerve of the baggage!’

  Daniel’s scowl intensified as his mother explained about the entail.

  ‘She fully intends to ensure that you are cut off without a penny. You must do something about it, and do it immediately, or we shall be left to starve in the hedgerows.’

  ‘She is seeing her lawyer today, you say?’

  ‘Yes. This afternoon. But presumably she will be driven there. You won’t be able to get anywhere near her. Not that it matters. Her will won’t be valid until she has signed it and she can’t do that until it has been drawn up. Come to that, I’m not even sure that a minor is legally entitled to make a will. Do you know?’

  Daniel did not, but wasn’t about to make that admission. ‘Her coachman is quite old. He will wait outside. If I were to somehow disable him and take his place for long enough to…’

  ‘Best not take any risks of that nature. There are other ways. Play a waiting game. Then when she lets her guard down around you, take your opportunity. Force yourself upon her, if all else fails. The little tease deserv
es nothing less.’

  Daniel nodded. The thought of an reluctant Adela submitting to his superior will was not altogether unenticing. ‘I will consider the suggestion,’ he said languidly.

  ‘She insists upon knowing what caused the dispute between her father and yours. Obviously, I cannot tell her.’

  ‘You could invent something plausible.’

  ‘Not until I can be sure there’s nothing written down anywhere. The damned man was a dedicated diarist.’

  ‘I’ll try and get into the library. All the upheaval for the party means that no one will be watching me like a common criminal. I tell you true, Mother. The moment I am master of this house, which I should already be by rights, then that butler will find himself without employment. Now, leave me to finish dressing and I will deal with my problematic little cousin in my own way.’

  Chapter Eleven

  ‘I was delighted to see you receiving so much attention last night,’ Adela’s mother said, with a beaming smile. ‘I recall being similarly feted when I was your age. It was the greatest possible fun. You deserve to put yourself first, my love. I know I have been a terrible burden to you since your poor dear papa…

  ‘No, Mama, never!’ Adela gave her mother a hug, worried because she looked increasingly frail.

  ‘Well anyway, I am glad you are being noticed. Daniel is very keen, you know. He told me that several of the young gentlemen who have showered attentions upon you are not to be trusted.’

  ‘Mama, I have no interest in Daniel.’

  ‘He feels responsible for you, my dear.’ Her mother sighed. ‘As he himself pointed out to me, you are not accustomed to the ways of society and it has been many years since I dipped my toe into its murky waters. We both need someone dependable upon whose advice we can trust, and since he is our nearest relative…’

  Adela chewed at her lip. She didn’t want to have a dispute with her mother, but she needed to make her position clear. ‘If you say he takes a personal interest in me, then it follows that his advice cannot be impartial.’