Jilted (12 page)

‘Now, Lusty, only see what you have done,’ Eustacia heard her godmother say. That lady’s voice had regained all its customary confidence. ‘Ilam, will you be so good as to take Eustacia up to her room? Grimes, show Ilam to Miss Hope’s chamber and have her maid attend her.’

Eustacia allowed her head to loll back against Ilam’s powerful shoulder as she felt him carry her out of the drawing-room, up the stairs and along the passage with effortless ease. She felt perfectly safe in his grip, just as she had when he had lifted her off the bench on the terrace. He would not let her fall. In fact, she decided, there was definitely something pleasant about the whole business.

‘In here, my lord,’ said Grimes. ‘I will send for the young lady’s maid.’

Lord Ilam set her gently down on her bed, and for a moment, before he eased his arms from beneath her and stepped away, his face was so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her cheek.

From beneath her lashes, she could see that Grimes had very properly left the door open. The butler’s footsteps disappeared down the corridor. ‘It’s all right, Miss Hope,’ said Ilam’s voice. ‘He’s gone now. You can open your eyes.’

Eustacia’s first feeling was one of disappointment that her
performance
had not been more convincing. When her mother had pretended to faint at her wedding, everyone had thought that her collapse was genuine. Now, quite obviously, Lord Ilam was not fooled. Had everyone in the drawing-room seen through her subterfuge?

Yet, she reflected, he might just be testing a theory. Slowly she opened her eyes. ‘Oh dear,’ she murmured in a thread of a voice. ‘What happened? Did I faint?’

‘I don’t think so, ma’am,’ replied his lordship. He did not sound annoyed, she decided. If anything he sounded a little amused. Before she could make any response to this remark, he said ‘It’s all right. I know why you did it.’

‘You do?’ she said cautiously. Accepting now that he really had detected her deceit, she sat up on the bed, swung her legs round over the side and stood up.

‘Aunt Agatha told me,’ he said, walking over to her from the window where he had been standing. ‘That a man should jilt a woman is despicable enough; that a clergyman should do it is beyond the pale. In my opinion, such a man should be drummed out of the church completely.’ His expression was so grim that for a moment, she had a vision of him marching some fictitious
clergyman
, coincidentally resembling Mr Lusty, out by his ear.

Eustacia had temporarily forgotten about her godmother’s fiction that she had been jilted by a clergyman. Really, she thought, it was quite difficult to keep track of which deceit she was
supposed to be practising at which time.

‘I hold myself entirely to blame,’ Ilam was saying. ‘I can only ask for your understanding and for your pardon.’

‘Why should you blame yourself?’ Eustacia asked, not at all sure what he was talking about.

‘When your aunt said that she would see Lusty in the hall, I should have remembered your unfortunate experience,’ he replied. ‘Like a fool I said “bring him in”, or some such thing. What I can’t understand, though, is why you didn’t simply excuse yourself rather than pretend to faint.’

Since Eustacia could not understand why she should have done such a thing either, it was as well that Trixie came bustling in at that point.

‘My Lord!’ she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. ‘This is a fine thing, to find you in miss’s bedchamber!’

‘Which is why I shall be gone at once, now that you have come,’ Ilam replied. He turned to Eustacia, his voice softening. ‘May I call tomorrow to see how you do?’

‘Yes, of course,’ she murmured, feeling absurdly shy. It must be because he had picked her up and carried her, she decided. No man had ever done such a thing since she had been fully grown. So effortlessly he had done it, too!

‘In your bedchamber, miss!’ Trixie repeated after Ilam had gone. She looked rather pleased than otherwise.

‘Trixie, do hold your tongue,’ said Eustacia. ‘Ilam is not a rake. He had simply carried me upstairs after I had …’ She paused, wondering what to say next. She usually told Trixie everything, but it occurred to her that the less people who knew that her faint had been a pretence, the better. ‘… after I had fainted,’ she concluded.

‘Fainted?’ exclaimed Trixie. ‘Then you should still be lying down on your bed, Miss Stacia.’ She took hold of her mistress’s arm, seeking to guide her back to the bed.

‘I don’t want to lie down,’ said Eustacia impatiently, pulling in the other direction. Then she recalled that this was hardly
convincing
behaviour for one who had been unconscious just a short time before. She lifted one hand to her head. ‘Perhaps I do still feel a
little giddy,’ she said in a softer tone. ‘I think I might be better if I could sit down in this chair and have a cup of tea.’

‘I’ll fetch one right away, miss,’ said Trixie eagerly, heading for the door.

‘Trixie, will you find out if Mr Lusty is still there when you go downstairs?’ Eustacia asked.

‘I will, miss.’

Eustacia listened to Trixie’s rapid footsteps as she hurried down the corridor. Then, only a short time later, she heard the more measured tread and the swish of silk that heralded the approach of her godmother.

‘Eustacia, you clever girl,’ said that lady, beaming. ‘Imagine you thinking to faint! You fooled everybody. Lusty could not get away fast enough after I had castigated him for his insensitivity.’

‘I didn’t fool Lord Ilam,’ replied Eustacia. ‘He knew straight away.’

‘You did not tell him?’

‘He guessed. I suppose I didn’t flop enough.’

‘What did he say? What did you tell him?’

‘He thought that it was because I was disturbed by the presence of a clergyman when I had been jilted by one,’ replied Eustacia. She remembered how kind Ilam had been, and felt strangely guilty. Her godmother laughed and clapped her hands. ‘I do not know how you can be so pleased, Godmama,’ Eustacia said
reproachfully
. ‘He asked me why I did not simply excuse myself and leave, and I could not think of anything to say. Fortunately, Trixie came in before I could answer, but he is going to come back tomorrow to see how I do. I have no idea what I am to say to him, and it is thanks to you that I am embroiled in this deceit!’

‘There, there, now, my dear,’ said Lady Agatha, catching hold of Eustacia’s hands, which the young woman had started to wring in her agitation. ‘I will make it all right with Gabriel in the morning. In any case, you will not be here to face him tomorrow, because you will be at Miss Granby’s house, so there is nothing to worry about.’

‘Oh no, no, of course not,’ murmured Eustacia. ‘I had forgotten
that I would not be here. I hope he will not think me terribly rude.’

‘He will not do so when I explain,’ answered Lady Agatha. ‘Now come downstairs. Miss Granby is waiting.’

‘Trixie was going to bring me tea.’

‘We’ll have tea together.’

Mr Granby sent his carriage that afternoon as promised, and after repeated assurances from Lady Agatha that she would manage very well on her own, Eustacia consented to go with her new friend.

‘There is no need for your maid to come,’ said Evangeline. ‘My abigail can very well look after both of us for just one evening.’

Eustacia had to hide a smile. Trixie had been very excited about the outing and had then become quite sulky when she had
discovered
that she was to be excluded from the treat. She had been hoping for a chance to investigate any male servants employed in the Granby household.

‘Now that we are alone together, you must tell me what you think of Ilam,’ said Miss Granby, as soon as the carriage had turned out of the vicarage gates. ‘Do you like him?’

‘Do I like him?’ ventured Eustacia cautiously.

‘You know what I mean,’ replied Evangeline with a touch of impatience in her tone. ‘Do you
like
him?’

‘Well, I … that is….’ stammered Eustacia.

Evangeline clapped her hands. ‘I thought you did,’ she declared, her eyes sparkling. ‘What’s more, I can tell that he is interested in you as well.’

‘No, he is not!’ declared Eustacia, conscious of going bright red. ‘Is he?’ she added more tentatively after a pause.

‘You should have seen the way that he glared at Mr Lusty,’ responded Evangeline. ‘I quite thought that the poor man would flee the house immediately.’

‘I expect he only glared at Mr Lusty because he was in the way, and because he wanted to put me down as soon as possible.’

Evangeline thought for a moment, then said, ‘No, it wasn’t that sort of glare. I did wonder whether you were just pretending to faint so that he would carry you upstairs. Was it very thrilling?’

‘No; that is to say, I don’t know,’ stammered Eustacia. ‘I was unconscious, remember?’

‘What did he say to you when he had got you upstairs? Imagine having a man in your bedchamber!’

‘He didn’t say anything very much,’ replied Eustacia, thinking that Miss Granby and Trixie had rather a lot in common. ‘He left as soon as my maid came. Never mind all that. Tell me some more about your London season instead.’

This proved to be a very successful diversion, and in no time Miss Granby was chattering about her beaux, with Lord Ilam forgotten, at least for the present.

The following morning, Ilam called at the vicarage, to discover that only Lady Agatha was at home. ‘Eustacia will be sorry to have missed you,’ said her ladyship, as she invited him to be seated opposite her in the drawing-room. ‘She has been spending the night at the Granbys’. I expect her home later today.’

Ilam was conscious of a feeling of disappointment which was out of all proportion to the event. ‘Was this a sudden decision?’ he asked. ‘I had informed her that I would call upon her today to see how she did, and she gave no indication then that she might not be present.’

‘It was not a long-standing arrangement,’ replied her ladyship. ‘I expect she had forgotten about it when you spoke to her. I think it will do her good to get away from here if only for a night. It is very unfortunate, but I am told that Mr Lusty bears a marked resemblance to the clergyman who let her down so badly.’ Ilam opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, her ladyship continued, ‘No doubt you will be wondering why she pretended to faint when she could simply have excused herself. The fact of the matter was that in order to leave the room, she would have had to walk close by Lusty, and that she simply could not face.’

Ilam stared at her for a moment, then stood up abruptly, paced across the room and back again. ‘Pardon me, ma’am, but this is absurd,’ he said harshly. ‘She cannot spend her life in fear of
clergymen
!
Those who encourage her in this irrational fear do her no good at all! In any case,’ he went on rather more slowly and in an altered tone, ‘she attended church with no ill effects
and
it was Lusty preaching.’

‘Yes, but a clergyman in a drawing-room is a very different matter to a clergyman in a pulpit,’ Lady Agatha suggested.

He drew his brows together. ‘Balderdash!’ he exclaimed rudely. ‘What game are you playing, ma’am? What’s more, how is Miss Hope involved?’

Lady Agatha rose, straightening her spine. ‘Game? How dare you accuse me of playing games, sirrah? Do not forget that I am your aunt and, as such, worthy of respect. Perhaps if you cannot be civil, then you had better leave.’

‘Perhaps I had,’ he agreed. ‘Rest assured, ma’am, I shall be
looking
into this matter more closely.’

‘Do so, by all means,’ she replied, her head held high. ‘My conscience is clear.’

Ilam threw her one more searching look before taking his leave.

‘Drat the boy,’ she muttered, before sitting down to read through some correspondence.

A brief stay with Evangeline Granby only confirmed Eustacia’s view that the young lady was completely spoiled. The frightening thing was not that she threw tantrums, but that her control of the entire situation appeared to have gone beyond the point where she needed to do so. Mrs Granby’s nervous suggestion that her darling ought not to wear one of her more elaborate evening gowns for a simple evening at home was met with a straight look and the firm statement that Miss Granby wanted to do so. No more was said on the subject.

‘It is all very well for Mama to mutter about proper wear for the country, but I cannot see that it matters,’ remarked Miss Granby as they were preparing to get ready. ‘What is the point of having pretty things if one does not wear them? If I am not
careful
, all my things will be unfashionable before I get the use out of them.’

‘I suppose so,’ agreed Eustacia doubtfully, looking at the undoubtedly becoming but rather elaborate satin gown that Evangeline planned to wear. ‘I shall look very drab next to you, I’m afraid.’

‘Shall you?’ asked Evangeline, wrinkling her brow a little.

‘Oh yes. I haven’t brought anything half so grand.’

At once the other young woman smiled. ‘I’ll wear something else, then,’ she said. This exchange led Eustacia to think that although Miss Granby might be spoiled, she did seem to be
good-natured
.

Miss Granby promised to send her abigail along to Eustacia’s room to do her hair after she had finished dressing her mistress, but in the event it was Evangeline who came, dressed much more suitably than she had originally intended in a white muslin gown sprigged with blue.

‘I love doing people’s hair,’ she remarked, as she took up the brush and comb and got to work.

When Eustacia complimented her on her appearance, Evangeline said suspiciously, ‘You’ve not been scheming with Mama, have you?’

‘When would I have been doing that?’ asked Eustacia, honestly bewildered. ‘In any case, I hardly know your mama.’

‘No; no, of course not,’ agreed Evangeline. ‘Your gown looks pretty too. Would you like your hair high up on your head, or more on the back of your neck?’

‘Evangeline, my precious, you look enchanting,’ was Mr Granby’s first comment when they entered the drawing-room. ‘Come, angel, and give Papa a kiss.’

Evangeline tripped across, beaming, to do as she was bid. Mrs Granby nearly spoiled the atmosphere by saying, ‘Much better, my dear’, but Eustacia intervened hastily, saying something about the room to which she had been allocated, the moment passed and with it the stormy look on Evangeline’s face.

Given the fact that Miss Granby had clearly enjoyed a
successful
season in London, Eustacia fully expected all the talk to be of the previous weeks’ triumph. Instead, much of the discussion
concerned the forthcoming garden party and the ball that was to follow.

‘The tradition of the garden party was begun some years ago,’ explained Mr Granby in response to Eustacia’s enquiry. ‘The present Lord Ashbourne’s grandfather had died the previous winter, and the garden party was a way of introducing the tenants and local residents to the new Lord Ilam. The event has carried on ever since, changing little over the years.’

‘Is it well attended?’ asked Eustacia.

‘Oh yes indeed,’ replied Mr Granby. ‘Everyone has an additional incentive to go now, of course.’

‘Which is…?’ Eustacia prompted him.