Lady Alex's Gamble
by Evelyn Richardson
she laid her walking stick about the knees and shoulders of her recent attacker. But mostly he envisioned her, green eyes dark with concentration, the slim, white hands steady, and the otherwise mobile features devoid of all expression as she sat at the gaming table night after night, calmly and methodically beating one opponent after another. What an incredible woman she was! No, Christopher amended, what an incredible person she was. Any man who had done such a thing would have instantly won his admiration. That it was a woman who had taken on such a task was almost incomprehensible to him.
The major found himself looking forward to the next day with unaccustomed anticipation. What would Alex do next? In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the de Montmorencys, first as stimulating acquaintances, and then as two people with a mission, had been responsible for the zest in his otherwise dull sojourn in London. Alexandra's disguise only added piquancy to it all, and he could not wait to see her again, to learn more about this astounding person. What kind of woman would even dream up such a scheme, much less carry it out?
Lord Wrotham was not the only one eagerly awaiting the next morning. Back in his quarters in Portman Square, Anthony too was having difficulty falling asleep. Lucinda Addington, attired in the demure costume of a young miss in her first Season, was even more bewitching than Lucinda Addington in a riding habit, and just as enchanting. She had been all that was charming to every one of the young bucks who crowded around her, neither flirting with nor favoring 166
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one over another. And while her exquisite loveliness made Captain de Montmorency's heart beat a good deal faster, she hadn't made him feel tongue-tied.
Not for Miss Addington the gossip of the
ton—
she could not have cared less about such things, especially when accompanied by a gentleman who had spent the last years in Spain and Portugal fighting the armies of the Corsican monster. She wanted to know all about army life. Was it as dreadful as they said? Had he ever actually killed a man?
What was going to happen now that Bonaparte had escaped?
Anthony felt as easy with her as with his two sisters, though in truth, Lucinda fell somewhere in between. She asked questions with the air of wide-eyed innocence so much like Ally's, yet delved after the truth regardless of unpleasant details in a way that reminded him very much of Alexandra. And she had looked so very enchanting as she listened eagerly to his Peninsular exploits. Looking down into the blue eyes fixed so admiringly on him. Tony was suddenly less impatient than he had been to return to the Continent and the inevitable struggle with Boney.
In truth, it was not the supposed glory of war that had made him join up, but rather boredom with the life of a second son, an existence that was so dull and unproductive compared to life in the army. Tony sighed. Life could be most confusing at times. He could not wait to talk to Alex about it all. She had a knack for seeing right to the heart of a matter that made even the stickiest of problems seem manageable. Good old Alex. She had been mother, father, and elder brother to him. His mother, sweet as she was, had been 167
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involved with the younger children. His father, in addition to looking after the estate, had had more than enough on his plate with Alexander, a constant source of irritation. It had been Alex, so very clever in her own right and so eager to learn, who had helped Tony with his lessons. When Alexander had refused to let the younger Tony tag along on the twins'
explorations and adventures, Alexandra had always sought out Tony afterward and shared with him everything she had seen or learned.
Tony had been very grateful for this attention and had repaid her as best he could by teaching her swordplay or marksmanship when Alexander refused to do so. Now she was the equal to any man at both these skills. He had written her long letters from London and the Peninsula, sharing with her as much as he could of the wider world he was experiencing. However, deep down inside, Tony knew that try as he would, he could never completely erase the loneliness and isolation his sister suffered.
Of course Alex would rather have died than let on that she found her life the least bit dull. "Complaints of boredom or solitude are merely the reflections of an empty mind," she always declared. Still, it did seem a pity that someone as clever, curious, and adventurous as his sister had no one to share this with. Captain de Montmorency was more than ready to admit that he possessed far less in the cock-loft than his sister. In fact, most people did. He could never have kept up with her in a discussion as Wrotham had, for example. Tony was as ripe for a lark of any sort as his sister, but he was never around to accompany her, and her twin refused to 168
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do anything for anyone but himself, so Alex was left without a comrade to share in any adventures. Althea, though devoted to Alex, was far too timid to attempt anything more spirited than a ride around the fields of Halewood on a docile mare. Thinking about the environs of Halewood, Tony concluded that the de Montmorencys were more interesting and adventurous than anyone else in the vicinity. This left little chance for Alex to meet a proper companion for her outside of her family. If only some of the fellows in his regiment were the right sort he would have brought them home to visit, but though Tony would have trusted any one of them with his life, none of them were up to his sister's weight. Alex would have made mice feet of them the moment they began to discuss anything besides horses or fighting.
Poor Alex. She seemed destined to live out her days immured at Halewood, doing her utmost to ensure that all of them were happy and comfortable. Tony wished he could think of something clever to keep this gloomy prospect from occurring, but it was his elder sister, not he, who always came up with the intelligent ideas.
Having taxed his brain with more philosophical musings than it was used to. Tony did at last fall asleep. However, he was up betimes the next morning and off at the earliest hour he felt he could count on his sister's being up. Despite the rigors of the previous evening, Alex had arisen and was finishing a hearty breakfast which she had ordered in her bedchamber when Tony arrived. One look at her brother's beatific countenance and she was satisfied as to the success 169
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of his evening. "No need to ask whether you enjoyed yourself at the Carstairs' ball," she teased.
Tony flushed scarlet. Alex relented and laid a reassuring hand on his arm. "I am delighted that the young lady is all that you had hoped for. Come, sit down and tell me all about it while I ring for more coffee."
Alex could not remember when she had seen her brother so excited except on his first furlough after joining his regiment. She was happy for him, but at the same time could not help feeling the tiniest bit sad—or was it lonely—she could not be certain. For Tony, despite his prolonged absences, had been the closest to her in the family. Oh, Ally was all that was sweet and loving, but Alex's drive and thirst for adventure made the more traditional Ally highly uncomfortable. Tony, on the other hand, had not only understood, but also had done his level best to give her what he could, providing her with that sort of companionship when he was at home and sharing it with her in his letters when he was away. Now he had found someone that any idiot could clearly see he wished to make his life's companion, and it made Alex realize for the first time just exactly how much he meant to her. Enough of such churlish thoughts, she chided herself as she settled down in her chair to listen to the catalog of Lucinda Addington's many charms.
At last, having praised his lady love sufficiently enough even for a besotted suitor. Tony paused. "But what of your evening, Alex? How did you fare with Knightley?"
"Ah, well you may ask." Alex grinned and proceeded to regale her brother with her own adventures. 170
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"Oh, Alex, I should have been there!" Tony exclaimed, overcome with remorse. "I knew you would come a cropper if I left you to your own devices."
Unable to decide which was worse, allaying her brother's guilt by reassuring him that his protection had been unnecessary, or acknowledging that he had been correct in thinking she needed his escort, thus making him feel even more remorseful, Alex did her best to minimize the incidents of the evening. "Pooh, Tony. All's well that ends well. I was never in any real danger. All the training you have lavished on me insured that. And now Wrotham knows all, for which, given his very reasonable reaction, I am glad. I did not like deceiving him."
Alex could not have said exactly why, when she was so thoroughly enjoying pulling the wool over the rest of the world's eyes, that she did not relish doing so where the major was concerned, but Tony, too wrapped up in an agony of selfreproach at not being there when his sister needed him, was too preoccupied even to notice this odd remark.
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The appearance of a boy with another pot of coffee broke the reflective moment that both brother and sister had fallen into and recalled Tony to the original purpose of his visit. "I say, Alex, it is a lovely morning and I thought we might go for a ride in the park before it becomes crowded. It will clear the cobwebs from our brains."
"And we can see who else might be there," his sister amended slyly.
"Now, Alex"—Tony laughed, his tanned cheeks flushing—"I was merely thinking of the exercise. Besides, after being out so late last night. Miss Addington will undoubtedly need to recover."
This pronouncement did not, of course, keep him from looking hopefully around the minute they entered the park, but his assessment was correct. There were just a few military men, one of whom looked vaguely familiar, exercising their mounts.
Alex was surprised at how easily she spied him, but somehow, even at a distance and surrounded by fellow officers, the broad shoulders and erect posture of Lord Wrotham were distinctive. "Oh look, there is Chri ... er. Lord Wrotham."
Squinting against the morning sun. Tony surveyed the group of riders. "Eh? Where? I don't see him," he remarked, making Alex realize that this sensitivity to the major's presence was only confined to certain interested parties. It 172
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was Alex's turn to blush, which was most odd, because she hardly ever blushed. Perhaps the warmth she felt spreading over her face was merely from the sun that was just appearing over the tree-tops.
"By Jove, so it is Wrotham," Tony remarked as the group of riders approached.
By now they were close enough for the major to recognize the de Montmorencys and he broke away from his companions and came trotting over.
Christopher too had been quick to identify Alex and her brother. Somehow, he would have wagered a considerable sum that he would find her out at this hour clearing her mind after the rigors of the previous evening. But even if he had not been half expecting her, he would have recognized the slender figure anywhere. Then a ray of sun had touched the copper curls, confirming his hopeful impression, and he had headed eagerly in their direction.
"Good morning. What a magnificent animal! Did you find him that day you were at Tatt's?" The major quirked a teasing eyebrow at Alex.
"Good God!" Tony exploded. "You saw Alex at Tattersall's?
Now we
are
in the basket"
"Don't fly into the boughs. Tony. I fail to understand why being seen at Tattersall's is any more ruinous to my nonexistent reputation than spending my evenings in the gaming room at White's," his sister remarked calmly. "Good morning, Major. Yours is a rather impressive mount itself."
"Yes. Well, at least he once was, but poor old Brutus is in need of a rest. He has been a faithful companion through 173
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more skirmishes than I care to remember, and it is high time he retires to a well-deserved quiet pasture in the country. I simply could not ask him to accompany me into this next battle, so I must find a replacement soon—not an easy task, I assure you."
"So you expect to be returning to the Continent. Have you then been successful in persuading Parliament to raise more troops?" Alex asked.
Christopher smiled to himself. No doubt about it, Alex was awake on every suit. He wagered that there was not much those clear green eyes missed, or that the delicately shaped ears did not pick up. "Napoleon has been able to arm and supply his troops more quickly than even those accustomed to dealing with him would have expected. Our spies inform us that every tailor in Paris has been set to making uniforms and every blacksmith in France pressed into service making guns for his soldiers. The man's command of resources is incredible. The government here is still reluctant to move, but I expect that soon the evidence of Boney's intentions and the force he has built to carry them out will be so overwhelming that even Whitbread will be unable to deny us reinforcements."
Tony, listening to this interchange, realized he was not as excited as he once would have been by news of an impending engagement. Not that he was not as anxious as he had ever been to whip the Corsican, but the attractions that England had to offer were more compelling now that Lucinda Addington was among them.
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Nor did his sister look forward to the coming clash between the two armies with any more eagerness than her brother. Not only would Tony once again be risking life and limb, the major would as well. There was no doubt of the risk—a thin scar over the major's eyebrow attested to that. When questioned, he had attributed it to a lack of strength and speed on the part of a French cavalryman, coupled with the skill of an excellent surgeon, but Alex also knew that only very deep cuts made with very sharp blades could be patched together so cleanly. She shuddered to think how close a call it must have been, and she did not care much for the idea that there were likely to be even more close calls in the near future.