Kiltarlity’s eyebrows rose. “How much worse could it be?”
“Did she tell youwhyour marriage is invalid? That the chaplain at Corland was never ordained?”
“She mentioned that, yes. He married you, so your marriage is invalid. So she said.”
“Exactly. But he also married Izzy’s father and mother.”
Kiltarlity’s jaw dropped. “Dear God! Then… oh, dear heavens, Monty! That is appalling! That explains why Lady R chased up here, anyway, although not a word has anyone breathed of it. So all the children are illegitimate? And Birtwell cannot inherit… so who does?”
“Lord Rennington’s younger brother, George Atherton, who fortunately has several sons of his own, all of them legal.”
“Did the chaplain marry anyone else?”
“No. Josie was married in town by some archdeacon or other, a relation of Woodridge’s, but Izzy insisted on a special licence so we could be married at Corland in the chapel there.”
“What will you do?”
“About Izzy? I hope… Iwantto marry her again, properly this time, if ever I can catch up with her. I have a special licence in my pocket as we speak.”
And then he waited. He could not ask, not directly, but surely now, if there was anything to tell, Kiltarlity would speak?
So he waited for his future to be decided.
19: An Assignation
Ian waited in vain, for Kiltarlity merely shook his head. “It is a devilish business, Monty. What did Izzy say about it… when you first heard?”
“She screamed a lot… threw things.” He smiled a little as he remembered. “But she would not come to town with me to get the special licence, and when I got back, she was gone, off on her travels. She is soangrywith me… says it is all my fault for not checking the man’s credentials.”
“He was her family’s chaplain,” Kiltarlity said. “It is for them to check his credentials, I should have thought.”
“So I would have thought, too. Kiltarlity…” Ian stopped, again quite unable to ask a direct question. He decided to skirt around the issue. “Have you seen much of Izzy, since she arrived at Lochmaben?”
He sighed. “She has called three times, once with the duchess, once with her mother and once by herself. Fortunately Mama and the girls were here then, or I should have refused her entry, of course. Monty, what does she want with me? Tell meplainly, my good fellow, I beg of you, for the ladies are inclined to be suspicious of her motives, and much as I would like to acquit her of anything… underhand, I cannot be certain.”
So he did not know what she intended… that was a bad sign. Ian’s spirits plummeted again. “I am sure you can work it out when I tell you that her previous stops on this little tour of the north were to see Davenport and Marsden. She quarrelled with Davenport and Marsden has secretly married his housekeeper, so—”
“The devil he has! The old rogue! And there he prances around town pretending to be an eligible bachelor and being pursued by charming young ladies wherever he goes.”
“Quite so,” Ian said with a rueful smile. “And then she comes here. You can see the pattern, I am sure.”
Kiltarlity jumped up, pacing agitatedly across the room. “But…” He poured himself another, larger glass of claret and downed it in two gulps, then pulled a chair neared to Ian and sat down with awhump.“Tell me the worst, Monty. Does she see herself as free, now? Is she hoping I shall take one look and throw myself at her feet?”
“Shall you?”
“No!”
Thank God! Relief washed over Ian with such intensity he almost felt he could weep.
Kiltarlity went on, “You must not take this amiss, Monty, but she would not suit me at all, even if I were looking for a wife at the moment, which I am not. I should be, I suppose, but I am so overwhelmed with this whole business of being an earl and the head of the family… the responsibility, Monty! I cannot cope with it, and a wife, any wife, would just be a distraction. As for a wife like Izzy…! All this jauntering around by herself… and you have to jaunter around in her wake. It is… not helpful of her.”
Now that he knew the situation, Ian was almost light-headed with joy, and answered him jovially. “Would you really prefer a meek wife who stays at home, and hangs on your every word? I should get tired of that very rapidly, I assure you. Being a dull man myself, it pleases me to have a wife who brings a sparkle into my dreary life.”
Kiltarlity shook his head. “I do not mind the sparkle, for that was what drew me so powerfully in the first place, but she always seemed a trifle — unstable. I realised very quickly that she was not for me. I need stability in my life more than sparkle. It was an accident that I offered for her at all.”
“An accident!”
“Well… I never intended to, but she had me so bewitched I hardly knew what I was doing. And then with four horses in the race, I wanted to put one over on you fellows and be the one who won the prize. But afterwards, when it was all over, I was horrified at how close I came to disaster. How could I possibly have afforded a woman like that? How could I ever keep her happy? How could she makemehappy? I was so glad she chose you. I swore then never again to entangle myself with a woman like that.”
