She poured some tea and sweetened it heavily. “Come, Clarissa, drinkthis and we will talk.”
The girl sipped the drink and then put it down, choosing instead towring her hands. “My parents have no trace of mercy. I have begged them!But my father. . . . He gambles. We have nothing left and there are my twobrothers. . . . My mother says it is a daughter’s duty.”
“It is no daughter’s duty to marry Lord Deveril,” said Beth firmly. “Ifyou must marry, surely a better match can be found.” But even as she spokeBeth knew it was not so. A dowry was needed for a good match. Only such asLord Deveril would pay to gain a bride. It was not as if Clarissa were abeauty. She had a rather long face and a wide mouth and unruly gingeryhair. It was true that she had a lively personality and, at the moment,had youth on her side, but she was not the type to drive a man to forgetthe advantages of a handsome dowry.
“Is the marriage imminent?” Beth asked.
Clarissa shook her head. “The engagement is to be announced next week,but the wedding will be in September.”
Beth took the girl’s hands. “Iwill helpyou, Clarissa. I do not know yet what can be done, butI will find a way.”
Clarissa smiled mistily. “Oh, your ladyship!”
“And I think in view of that you must call me Beth. We are, after all,conspirators.”
Clarissa relaxed as if a great burden had been lifted. By the time thegirl left, Beth felt as if the burden had been shifted to her ownshoulders. Clarissa had such faith in her and yet Beth had no idea how tochange her situation.
Clarissa had left Lord Deveril’s set of rules on her chair and Bethpicked them up. A rereading stiffened her resolution. Clarissa’s distresswas justified; no woman of integrity could stand by and allow what waslittle more than a lifetime of legalized rape and slavery. Beth may nothave been able to fight against her own situation, but she could fight forClarissa. She thoughtfully placed the sheet of paper between the pages ofher book.
This also reminded her of Robin Babson. She had been so entangled inher own predicament that she had not given the boy a thought for weeks.She rang for Redcliff and together they made their way to the area behindthe square where all the big houses kept their horses and carriages. Therewas only accommodation for about ten horses and three carriages in theBelcraven mews. Quite modest by de Vaux standards, thought Beth wryly.
Just the tax on horses and carriages paid by the Belcraven estateswould bankrupt most people.
She told herself firmly to stop thinking in such a vinegarish way andwent to pay respects to her horse, which had just arrived up fromHartwell. Goodness knew when she’d find time to ride Stella again.
All the time, Beth was alert for any sign of Robin.
Then he came out of a stall with a bucket in his hand. He looked ingood health and was whistling.
“Robin,” said Beth.
He turned curiously, then put down his bucket and touched his forelock.“Milady.”
Beth went over to him, aware of Redcliff’s disapproval. “I wasn’t sureyou’d remember me,” she said.
“Course I do,” he said cockily. “Watched yer leaving after the weddingsdidn’t I? Right fine do that was.”
Beth was surprised. “Are you saying you were at the wedding?”
He goggled. “Not likely! No, ma’am. We had a right hangup feast the dayafter. All the staff. It were bloody marvelous. Beggin‘ your pardon,milady.” He wasn’t the slightest bit repentant for his language. Lucienwas right. He was a scamp.
Beth was content. There was clearly no tragedy here. At that moment aman came into the yard. Beth thought he was the head groom. He saidnothing but clearly disapproved. “You had best be on with your work then,Robin,” she said.
The boy cast a cheeky look at his boss and winked. “Right enough. Allthe best, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Robin.”
He went whistling on his way and Beth returned to the house with oneburden eased. That did not help the problem of Clarissa, however, andfurther consideration of that situation was not reassuring. Clarissa’sparents were unlikely to give up their plan unless another way out oftheir predicament could be found. That meant, Beth supposed, money or abetter and equally generous husband. Beth was in no position to findeither. She supposed the marquess might be., but would he sympathize withClarissa’s predicament? The duke or duchess? Even if they saw thewickedness of the projected match she doubted they would interfere betweena daughter and her parents. It was surely against the law. By the timeBeth prepared for dinner, she was no further ahead in her search for asolution to Clarissa’s problems.
Lucien returned home with no definite news of Napoleon’s whereabouts.The fact that Bonaparte had imposed an embargo on the French ports,preventing goods, people, and news from leaving the country, suggested theworst. All those in the know seemed to think the confrontation would beany day. Prices on ‘Change were fluctuating madly with each rumor.
But for all that, life must go on, and the Season was in its finallighthearted weeks. Even the news from Brussels was as much of balls andreceptions as it was of war. Beth found it extraordinary.
That evening they attended the Drury Lane Theater to see Othello. Itwas the first time Beth had visited this theater and she looked around forcaged birds but found none. Perhaps Lord Deveril’s words had beenmeaningless.
The great Kean was playing Iago with truly menacing cunning. Theactress playing the part of Desdemona was an ethereal vision with softwhite hair rippling loose down her back, her gown of floating white andsilver scattered with twinkling stars. A few lines had even been added tothe play to refer to this whiteness, contrasting it with the Moor’sblack.
Beth had always thought Desdemona an interesting part, her plight thatof a woman maligned and stripped of her reputation. For the first time shesaw similarities to her own situation except that she had destroyed herreputation herself, and she and her husband had managed to sort it allout. She shivered slightly when she thought of the end of the play,Othello strangling his wife in a jealous rage. It was fortunate that sheand Lucien were more sensible ? and yes, self-controlled ? than thecharacters on the stage.
