‘But though you do not ask, despite your brotherly right to do so, I will tell you that I do mean to offer for your sister.’ In the moment, he was unexpectedly affected by his own words, sham though it all was, and perhaps this was what brought surprisingly raw emotion to his voice when he said, ‘I think the man who wins her love will be a lucky man indeed.’
‘I think so too.’ There was a brief silence between them, then Lord Wyverne added, ‘I turned away all the others without consulting her, because it was plain that they would have brought her swiftly to ruin and misery. I should not dream of telling my sister whom to marry – only of hoping she will listen when I beg her not to tie herself to a rogue, an imbecile, an inveterate gambler, a fortune-hunter or a libertine. Thornfalcon, if she tells me one day that she wishes to take you, I shall be happy for you both. But it must be her choice. She has not so much as mentioned your name to me, you must understand.’
It was horribly awkward, to have a man be so open and confiding and reveal so much that must cause him embarrassment, when the declaration Marcus had just made was not genuine, so that he was here entirely under false pretences. He felt low as a snake, and was glad when the door opened to admit Amelia, in smart red bonnet and pelisse, with a poorly concealed expression of trepidation upon her animated little face. They both rose at her entrance, and her brother said smoothly, ‘I was just asking Lord Thornfalcon a few questions about the possibility of buying a commission for Charlie; you know he has mentioned the idea more than once, and it is not good for him to be idle on the town now that he has left Oxford.’
Her brow cleared instantly and she smiled on them both. ‘I do not know if Charlie would enjoy soldiering as much as he appears to think, but naturally Lord Thornfalcon would be the perfect person to ask. He must have a great deal of experience of what it takes to make a good leader of men.’
‘And I am happy to be of help. I see no reason why Lord Charles should not do well. I have observed that his manners are easy and he does not set up his back when he is teased by others, which counts for more than you would imagine. Fellows with a short temper and a great sense of their own consequence are the last people we need, and often struggle to make a go of it. Of course, being too amiable can also be a problem, but that is usually the case when the boys are very young and unformed in their personalities and too easily influenced to unsteady courses. He is perhaps a little older than the general run of new officers, but that may be for the good. I too did not join as a mere stripling; I was almost eighteen. He is twenty-one or so, is he not? It is no great age, after all. We are not the navy; we do not take up mere children, or if we do, we should not.’
‘I am glad to hear it,’ Lord Wyverne said seriously. ‘You do relieve my mind…’
In this pleasant manner, Marcus and Amelia extricated themselves from the mansion after a little more conversation, and it was only when she was seated beside him high up in his phaeton, which had once been his brother’s, that she said doubtfully, ‘Is that really what you were talking about?’
‘No,’ he replied in low tones. ‘It was a ruse, I think, meant most kindly – to avoid making you feel uncomfortable or pressurised by walking in on a serious discussion regarding the future. But we cannot discuss it now.’ His groom Williams was in attendance behind him, solid and imperturbable and impossible to miss. Although it was not entirely unheard of for a gentleman to set down his servant so that he could converse privately with a young lady – there being a limited amount of mischief that even the most eager and inventive of couples could be expected to get up to in broad daylight in an open, high-perch vehicle – Marcus thought he should have more of a care for Lady Amelia’s good name than others might, and therefore would not be seen with her in public unaccompanied by any sort of chaperon. It would not help her fragile reputation at all if he were to be anything less than perfectly correct in his treatment of her. Perhaps when they were officially betrothed, it might be different. But no – the relationship was to be of brief duration, he must remember. He would not wish to leave her worse off than she had been before she met him. That would be poor recompense for her trust in him.
‘It is very frustrating always to be obliged to converse in front of others. I know my brother has been quizzing you, and it is the outside of enough that there is no way in which you can tell me the details of it.’
‘If we are discreet… He had an extraordinary letter from your aunt this morning.’ They were speaking in little more than whispers, and though Marcus was driving, paying due attention to his horses and keeping his eyes alert and fixed on the road and the carriage traffic around them, he was doing it largely by instinct and could not have said much about their surroundings if he’d been asked.
‘I see. I suppose it is no great surprise. And is he displeased by its contents?’
‘I am sure you could see that he was not. He wished to share certain matters with me, not ask me any questions. To assure me that if I had heard certain unpleasant rumours that might influence my decisions, they are absolutely untrue.’
‘It’s dreadful that he should be obliged to say as much to you, or anyone. He is a very private person, as perhaps you could see.’
‘I told him had no need to tell me anything of the kind. But he wanted to. And I answered the crucial question he was too considerate to ask.’
‘In the affirmative?’
‘Naturally. He said he would not attempt to influence you now, though he did before – but that if you came to him and gave him news, he would be very happy.’
She digested this, and said very low, ‘I do not like deceiving him at all. I should have been braver and told him the truth before now. He is the best of brothers and guardians.’
‘I can see that he is. I felt like the basest creature in existence when I lied to him by omission. Should we tell him how matters really stand?’
‘I can’t decide. My fear is that if we did, he would be hurt and distressed at my behaviour, and perhaps even dislike the scheme so much that he would forbid me from seeing you, or something of that nature, and I don’t want that.’
He didn’t want that either. ‘Then we have no option but to continue as we are. Maybe things will be easier…’
‘When matters are made public. Do you think so? Truly?’
13
If Lord Thornfalcon had really thought that public recognition of his courtship of Lady Amelia would make either of their situations immediately easier, it was soon clear that he’d been wrong. Their appearance driving together in the park had drawn stares and glares from many of the people who had seen it.
The caricaturist produced a fine piece – for those of a mind to appreciate it – to commemorate the event, which showed His Lordship in his phaeton with a gang of ladies chasing it in a wild pack, ripping their flimsy garments as the horses reared in terror. For the first time, Amelia herself appeared, quite recognisable to anyone who knew her, her bonnet flying away and her long, dark hair coming loose. She was shown clinging on to Marcus’s broad, uniformed chest and begging him in an uncurling ribbon of desperate speech not to let her fall, lest she be torn to pieces. His reply was somewhat less than gallant:
O, my dear Lady A, I promise you I shall not, for if they catch us, they will rend me limb from limb too!
And the superscription was:
An Heroic Wooing
Lavinia was nowhere to be seen in this instance, which was the only small mercy.
Mr Gastrell, meeting his friend at White’s late the next afternoon, was quick to show him this work of art, in his self-appointed role as daily gadfly. The cheerfully vulgar print lying between them on the table, he raised an eyebrow in enquiry and said casually, ‘The fellow seems to think your intentions are serious.’
‘I can see that for myself,’ came the short response.
