Come Near Me (13 page)

“How lovely to see you, Lady Jasper,” Sherry
said as she stood for a moment, pressed her lips against the older
woman’s hot, dry cheek. “Your nephew insisted you wouldn’t mind if
I made a morning call,” she continued at her most formal,
automatically saying what had to be said in order to be polite. “As
luck would have it, it was a good thing he thought of it. One of
his horses went lame just as we were pulling into the square, so
that his driver has taken the entire equipage around to the mews,
to secure another horse.”

“That’s Edmund, straight down to the ground,”
Lady Jasper cackled—she really did cackle, Sherry thought, although
she had never heard a cackle before meeting the old woman. She then
looked at Sherry with an intensity that made Sherry involuntarily
lift a hand to her face, wondering if she had a smut on her cheek.
“Luck always favors him. He’d have it no other way. So, you’re the
one, are you? I’d thought so, that first night, but I couldn’t be
sure until now.”

“The one?” Sherry repeated blankly. She was
paying attention, wasn’t she? What had she missed? “I’m sorry. I’m
afraid I don’t understand.”

“Yes, of course. The
one,
my dear,”
Lady Jasper said, glaring at the maid who brought in a silver tray
loaded down with teapot, cups, and a small mountain of cakes. “Get
on with it, Millie. Ever had a horse slow as you, I’d have had it
shot. Now,” she continued as the maid all but ran from the room,
whimpering, “where were we? Oh, yes. I think my nephew is smitten
with you, my dear, in his way, of course.”

“Smitten with—” Sherry closed her mouth with
a snap, realizing that she’d been repeating everything Lady Jasper
said. “I don’t think I have given him any reason to—”

“No, no! You haven’t encouraged him, m’dear,”
Lady Jasper interrupted. “Edmund needs no encouragement, I assure
you. And he’s impossible to resist. Unless you’re in love with your
husband, that is, and who in London loves her husband, I ask you?
Certainly no one of my acquaintance, not in forty years of watching
this mad dance we call Society. I certainly despised mine most
thoroughly. Sugar, m’dear?”

“Um... yes. Yes, please,” Sherry answered,
holding up her cup so that her hostess could spoon some sugar into
it. “Thank you. Um... surely you didn’t just say you didn’t like
your husband, Lady Jasper?”

“That’s true enough, m’dear. I said I
despised
him. Most thoroughly.”

“Yes, of course. But, if I might ask, my
lady—why did you marry him if you didn’t love him?”

Lady Jasper looked at Sherry for a moment,
then a grin all but split her face in two. “Why? Ah, you may be
married, but you remain an infant, don’t you? Why does anyone
marry, m’dear? For money. For station. Mostly for money, I’d say.
Daventry is positively up to his handsome neck in it, isn’t he?
Give him an heir, m’dear, that’s what he wants, and then he’ll let
you alone, and you can do what you wish. I tried, but the Devil was
in it, and none of the babes lived to see breath. That, and old
age, are my only sorrows. You have to be very careful what you ask
for, you understand. Don’t limit yourself when the chance comes to
strike a bargain.”

Sherry knew her jaw was at half cock, but she
couldn’t seem to close her mouth, or think of a thing to say. Lady
Jasper was a strange woman, everyone knew it, but she’d never
believed the woman to be out of her mind. Until now. “Um...” she
said at last, wishing she felt more in command of her own senses at
the moment, “thank you, my lady. I’ll—I’ll remember that.”

“Giving advice, Lady J?” Edmund Burnell asked
as he strode into the room, a spring in his step, a becoming smile
lighting his handsome face. “My deepest apologies for deserting
you, ladies. An unavoidable interruption, I’m afraid. But it’s all
taken care of now. I’d commissioned someone to do something for me,
and he came to apologize, for it seems he couldn’t do what he was
told to do and felt he personally needed to come inform me of that
fact. Infernal creature. Do you have a problem with your servants,
my lady?”

Sherry immediately thought of Emma, whom she
had last seen trying on one of her favorite bonnets. The tub had
still sat in front of the fireplace, damp towels were laid over
chairs, and Sherry had been forced to locate her parasol on her
own, but Emma had seemed perfectly content. Emma, who knew when her
mistress slept alone, and when Adam had come to her during the
night, leaving evidence of the frenzy of their passion. Their
passion, never their love.

Well, that was over now. Everything was over
now. And, if Lady Jasper was to be believed, servants would see
nothing out of the ordinary if a husband and his wife lived
separate lives. Perhaps it was time she dismissed Emma. If only she
knew how to go about the thing.

“I’m afraid I haven’t quite gotten the hang
of how to be a proper mistress,” Sherry said after a moment,
shrugging. “In fact, I believe I’m rather intimidated by them, as
town servants are so very different from our simple country
servants, who seem almost to be members of our small family. I’ve
only had one maid before coming to London this time, and she had
been a part of our household since before I’d been born.”

“Excuse me, sir, madam.”

Everyone turned toward the doorway, where the
Jasper butler stood just on the edge of the carpet, looking to
Edmund. “The person is back, sir. The one who was here yesterday,
if you take my meaning. I said you weren’t receiving, but—well,
sir, I couldn’t budge the person, sir.”

Sherry watched as Edmund’s face turned hard,
all planes and angles as his temper came close to the surface for a
moment before retreating behind his bright smile. “You and I will
speak privately later, Midgard, I assure you. Put the person in the
tradesmen’s anteroom. I’ll be there shortly. Excuse me again, dear
ladies,” he then added, rising and bowing to both of them. “I seem
to have made a mistake in stopping back here, as I’m suddenly in
such demand.”

Sherry only nodded, then drank deep of her
now-tepid tea, wincing as she realized that Lady Jasper had put at
least three measures of sugar in the cup. She sat still and let
Lady Jasper smile at her, believing she heard a woman’s voice
raised shrilly before a door closed heavily somewhere in the
house.

“... has to beat them away with sticks, poor
boy,” Lady Jasper was saying as Sherry brought herself back to
attention. “Go to the window, dear, and peek out to see if there’s
a crest on the carriage. I’ll wager a monkey to a hatpin you’ll see
the duke of Westbrook’s crest. Melinda Hatchard always was a fool,
no matter that she’s a duchess now. Go on, there’s a good girl,”
she ordered, as Sherry reluctantly got to her feet, embarrassed for
the duchess of Westbrook, or whoever it was who had been so
desperate as to come to Lady Jasper’s house, seeking out
Edmund.

“Yes, it’s the duke of Westbrook’s coach. I
recognize the crest,” Sherry said a few moments later as she turned
away from the window, cringing at the sight of Lady Jasper’s horsey
face split in what could only be termed an unholy grin.

There was so much Sherry didn’t understand
about London Society, and the duchess of Westbrook’s behavior in
coming to see Edmund Burnell headed the list at the moment.
“Are—are you saying that the duchess and Mr. Burnell... that is...
surely—”

“Oh, sit down and drink your tea, m’ dear,”
Lady Jasper interrupted, and Sherry gratefully retook her seat,
even as she wished herself back to the day before she’d met Adam at
the stream, back to her innocence. “I suppose Edmund danced with
Her Grace a time or two, that’s all. Whispered a few bits of
nonsense into her willing ear. But you know how it is when a woman
gets to believing herself to be in love. They do the strangest
things.”

“Yes, they do,” Sherry agreed quietly.

“And the gentleman who has caused all the
ruckus—if we can even call such a person a gentleman—isn’t in the
least upset when he realizes that he’s left another heart behind
him, crushed under his heel. Edmund included, I’m afraid. The
duchess would be your witness to that.” Lady Jasper leaned forward
in her chair, motioning for Sherry to do likewise. “What do you
say, m’dear? Shall we turn the tables on Edmund? Strike a blow for
all womankind?”

“Strike a—no, I’m through with repeating
whatever you say like some simple-witted gudgeon,” Sherry declared
flatly, falling back on honesty because it was the one thing she
felt she had left to her. “Lady Jasper, just what is it you’re
trying to say, have been trying to say ever since you first walked
in the door? You really must tell me plainly. Otherwise, I’m afraid
you could drop hints until they rain down on us both from the
ceiling, and still I wouldn’t understand. I’m a simple country
miss, for all that I may have a husband and a grand title now.
You’re simply going to have to be more clear. Plus,” she ended,
taking truth all the way to its limits and perhaps a step or two
further than necessary, “I really haven’t been attending you all
too well, for which I must most sincerely apologize.”

Lady Jasper fell heavily back against the
cushions of her chair, staring at Sherry. “Lord, you are simple,
aren’t you? Oh, not simpleminded, m’dear. I certainly didn’t mean
that. But you have no notion of intrigue, do you? Although I do see
that your rather brutal honesty might seem refreshing to many of
the jaded. For myself, I’ve never scrupled to use honesty when a
good wile would do. I doubt many would ever think of it.
Interesting. That’s probably what attracted Edmund to you, beyond
the fact that he’s got quite an eye for beauty. Honesty. Not
something the boy has been exposed to all that often.” She gave a
wave of her hand. “Go on, m’dear. Do it some more. Say something
else honest.”

Sherry sighed and shook her head. “I think
I’d like to go back to Grosvenor Square now.”

“Yes, yes, that’s good,” Lady Jasper
prompted, rubbing her hands together. “You want to go home. I can
understand that. But that’s enough honesty for now, m’dear. Now
we’ll talk about Edmund, and how you’re going to teach my naughty
nephew not to trifle with a woman’s heart.”

“No, Lady Jasper,” Sherry said, rising,
holding her gloves tightly in her hand. “No, I’m not going to do
that. I have no reason to do that. I like your nephew, even if you
don’t. I don’t know why you don’t, but it’s clear to me that you’d
like nothing better than to see him unhappy.”

“Of course I want to see him unhappy, you
silly little chit. He’s the very Devil,” Lady Jasper gritted out
quietly, shooting a quick, nervous glance toward the doorway.

“He’s the—oh, Lady Jasper, how silly!” Sherry
sat down again, giggling. Poor, dotty old woman. “Well, of course
he is. He told me so himself, as a matter of fact. But he didn’t
start the Great London fire. That began in a bakery, I believe. Mr.
Burnell,” she said, seeing Edmund enter the room once more, “you’ve
got your very own aunt calling you the Devil. Shame on you.”

“Shame on Lady J, rather,” Burnell said,
holding out his hand, so that Sherry rose, taking it, more than
ready to continue their ride, or do anything other than remain
there, listening to Lady Jasper, who most definitely had lost half
her mind to old age and general meanness. “Dear Aunt, you never
will forgive me for enjoying myself, will you? I suppose you’ve
been busy telling Her Ladyship that I’m a thoroughly wicked man? I
assure you, I did nothing to encourage the duchess.”

“Now
that
is evil,” Sherry scolded,
shaking a finger in his face. “The poor duchess of Westbrook is
owed anonymity, at the very least.” And then, as Edmund raised one
well-sculpted brow, a half smile lighting his handsome face, she
said, “Oh, dear. I shouldn’t have said that, should I? I peeked out
the window, if you must know. Have you totally crushed her heart
beneath your boot? Because that would be wicked.”

Burnell pulled her arm through his, patting
her hand. “I was kindness itself, my lady, I assure you. I merely
told her my heart was otherwise occupied, and there was, alas, no
room for her.”

“Ha! You don’t have a heart, nephew,” Lady
Jasper said, and Sherry turned just in time to see the old lady
pouring something into her tea, then secreting the silver flask
again somewhere on her person. Had she been drinking tea all this
time, or something stronger? Was she drunk? She did seem to be
slurring her words. “Or a soul, I imagine. Does the Devil have a
soul?”

“Why, I’d imagine the fellow’s got millions
of them, dear Aunt, with more of them falling to him every day,”
Edmund said, leaving Sherry for a moment, to bend and kiss Lady
Jasper’s cheek. “Now excuse me, please, as I escort the marchioness
back to Grosvenor Square. Why don’t you take a small nap, Aunt? I
believe your tongue could use the rest.”

Sherry bade Lady Jasper good day, her mind
tumbling over itself with questions as she allowed Edmund Burnell
to escort her back down the stairs and out to his open carriage.
“Your aunt is the strangest woman I’ve ever met,” she told him once
he’d handed her up onto the seat.

“She’s the
unhappiest
woman you’ve
ever met,” Edmund corrected, and Sherry silently agreed with his
assessment of the lady who was, after all, his aunt. Who should
know her better than her own nephew? “She doesn’t much care for
men, even those in her own family, sad to say. I also believe she’s
discovered, after forty years of believing otherwise, that money
and social position are not the roads to complete happiness.”

“Is there anything that assures us complete
happiness?” Sherry asked, snapping open her parasol as the carriage
pulled away from the flagway and made a wide turn inside the
square, heading back to the main thoroughfare. “Other than perfect
love, which doesn’t really exist.”

“Oh, my, that sounded heartfelt, my dear
lady,” Edmund said, taking her hand in his. “And, yes, I do believe
I see a hint of sadness in those lovely green eyes, a deeper hint
even than I saw when first we met. Well, we can’t have this, can
we? May I be of assistance in any way? You’ve but to ask and, if
it’s within my power, I promise to give it to you.”