He looked reproachfully at her. “Good? I see nothing
good
about it, missy! You have disobeyed my wishes and obliged me, an invalid, to come here in order to reason with you.” He made his displeasure even plainer by declining to stand up for her.
“I know I’m a grave disappointment to you. Uncle, and I apologize, but you have to accept that in this one thing I refuse absolutely to bow to your wishes,” she replied steadily.
His face was red with anger. “You refuse? We’ll see about that. Oh, do sit down, wench, for my neck aches if I look up.”
She took a seat, and almost immediately a waiter appeared at the table. “May I take your order, madam? Sir?”
“I don’t require anything,” Hordwell growled, still subjecting Polly to his reproving gaze.
She smiled up at the waiter. “Coffee, warm bread rolls, and honey, if you please,” she said.
As he hurried away, Hordwell made a disparaging noise. “You should be too ashamed to eat.”
“Uncle Hordwell, the only reason you don’t want anything is because you’ll have to pay for it. If you wait until you’re back at Royal Crescent, you’ll be able to eat at Lord Benjamin’s expense.”
“Impudent minx!” he cried, a little more loudly than he’d intended. A fleeting hush fell as all eyes turned toward their table, and he quickly lowered his tone to continue. “It ill becomes you to criticize me, missy! You are a trial to me, a great trial, and by running here like this ... Oh, words fail me.” He sat back with a labored sigh.
“Uncle, I had no choice but to come here. You know that last night’s supposed acceptance of Lord Benjamin’s proposal was all invention on his part.”
“Invention? Oh, no, Polly, according to him you have a very cruel heart. You accepted one moment, and retracted the next. You made a fool of him last night, missy, and I expect you to apologize most sincerely.”
Chapter 32
Polly’s eyes flashed with indignation.
“Apologize?
Uncle, I -I would rather make overtures to Old Nick than say I’m sorry to Lord Benjamin Beddem!”
“Polly—” Hordwell began angrily.
She broke in. “What he’s told you simply is not true, for I did
not
agree to marry him. The only reason he’s admitted that the so-called betrothal is at an end is because Sir Dominic threatened to call him out unless he did!”
Hordwell’s eyes widened. “Call him out? What’s this? What has Fortune to do with it?”
“He rescued me from Lord Benjamin’s despicable clutches. Far from being gallant when he insisted on taking me home, my noble would-be husband behaved atrociously. He trapped me in a comer and threatened to destroy my reputation unless I became his bride. Sir Dominic overheard and dealt with him. That’s why Lord Benjamin returned to the card room and told you the betrothal was at an end. It had nothing to do with my caprices.”
“I don’t believe it!” Hordwell replied. “Lord Benjamin wouldn’t conduct himself thus. He’s an aristocrat through and through.”
“And aristocrats aren’t devious and unpleasant? Oh, Uncle, you know full well that blue blood makes no difference to a man’s character. My father had a very low opinion of the aristocracy, and not without reason.”
“Your father was a mere bank clerk!”
“He
owned
the bank! And don’t speak disparagingly of him— after all it’s
his
fortune that Lord Benjamin is pursuing so single-mindedly.”
Hordwell flushed. “You’re a very outspoken miss, and no mistake.”
“It’s how I was brought up to be.”
“Dragged up, more like,” he muttered.
“Are you saying that your only sister was less than a good mother to me?”
“No, of course not.” He scowled as the waiter brought her order.
She glanced up at the man. “Would you please bring some coffee for my uncle? And one of those enormous toasted currant buns?”
“Very well, madam.” He hurried away again.
Hordwell’s scowled increased. “I don’t want anything—you already know that.”
“You adore toasted buns, and anyway, I shall pay for it,” she said, giving him a quick smile.
He softened a little. “Polly Peach, you are a regrettably uppity chit,” he declared.
“Uppity maybe, but I’m honest, too. Uncle, I’ve told you the truth about Lord Benjamin, and you have to accept that I will
never
consent to be his wife.”
For a long moment he studied her face, then slowly nodded. “Yes, I believe you about everything, my dear.”
She breathed out with relief. “And you won’t badger me anymore to marry him?”
“No, you have my word upon it.
Oh, this is a pretty pickle. I’ll have to quit the crescent as well, and I do so enjoy it there.”
“Come here.”
“And pay?” he exclaimed, appalled.
“Then go back to Horditall.”
“Not without you, missy.”
“I can’t leave Bath just yet.”
“Why not, pray?” he inquired, as the waiter brought a toasted bun that oozed with melting butter. A spoonful of fine greengage preserve was heaped beside it.
Polly waited until they were alone again, then answered. “I just have reasons for wanting to stay. Uncle,” she said, not thinking there was any point in mentioning Nutmeg again, for he was bound to continue denying all knowledge of the matter.
Hordwell spread the preserve on the bun and took a large bite. “Oh, this is splendid, splendid,” he muttered, closing his eyes with pleasure. After a moment he looked at Polly again. “Sir Dominic Fortune appears to figure somewhat in all this, my dear. Am I to presume this is a fact of some significance?”
“Of course not,” she said quickly, wondering what he’d say if he knew the true extent of Dominic’s entry into her life. What would he say if he knew she hadn’t come straight to the hotel from the ball last night? What would his reaction be if he learned she’d indulged in far too many improper kisses, that she longed to surrender completely to a man she’d known for only a day or so?
Hordwell studied her. “Hmm. I’m not the fool you take me for, missy, so maybe it’s better that I don’t know what you’ve been up to.” He glanced across at a nearby table, where a gentleman was deep in a newspaper, the headlines of which were rather wild. HALLOWEEN MYSTERY. POLTERGEIST AT BALL. DUCHESS OF YORK COLLAPSES IN SHOCK. ASSEMBLY ROOMS WRECKED. “Polly, what exactly do you think went on at the ball last night? Those of us in the card room knew nothing about it until it was all over. We went into the ballroom and saw the broken chandelier on the floor, but the rumors were all too ridiculous for words. I simply do not believe in ghosts.”
“It had nothing to do with ghosts. Uncle—indeed I’m surprised you haven’t worked it out for yourself.”
He was puzzled, but then his eyes cleared.
“Brownies?
Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes.” She explained about Ragwort and all the other brownies at the Assembly Rooms, and added, “They’re all searching for Nutmeg, you know, and sooner or later they’ll find her. Sir Dominic is helping as well.”
He shifted on his seat. “I know nothing about Nutmeg,” he muttered.
“I may as well be honest with you. I know you’ve been telling me fibs about Nutmeg. You and Lord Benjamin
did
do something with her, didn’t you? Come on, Uncle, admit it. Her belt buckle was found in Sir Dominic’s bedroom, which was Lord Benjamin’s room, and there have been one or two occurrences that prove she’s there.”
He gave a long sigh, and nodded. “You’re right, my dear, I did allow Lord Benjamin to take her.”
Even though she already knew he was guilty, Polly found the admission upsetting. “Oh, Uncle, how
could
you!”
He looked shamefaced. “With your marriage to him in mind, I wanted to please Lord Benjamin. He and I were examining the house she looked after in Horditall, with a view to extending it considerably and turning it into a gentleman’s country residence. I wasn’t even thinking about brownies—indeed I’d forgotten all about them, but then she brushed past Lord Benjamin on the stairs, and he reached out instinctively and caught her by the belt. He couldn’t see her, of course, but he knew what he’d caught and became very excited. He said he desired a brownie because the one at his house had left, and he knew he could keep Nutmeg just by taking her belt. There was nothing I could do, for he was right, and when he swore upon his honor to look after her, I said nothing more. Being most methodical, I entered the matter in my ledger, and he immediately took her to Bath. I didn’t like to admit it—indeed I was a little ashamed of my ineffectuality, which is why I’ve insisted all along that Nutmeg simply walked out. But there really wasn’t anything I could have done, Polly. Once he had the belt in his keeping. Nutmeg was his.”
“Poor Bodkin’s heart has been breaking over her,” Polly said reproachfully.
“I know, but I thought he’d get over it. I’d forgotten all about it until you arrived at the crescent.”
“Do you know
why
he wanted her?” Polly asked after a moment.
“Eh? Well, to be a house brownie, I suppose.”
She told him what the page of Nostradamus would achieve for Lord Benjamin, and he was appalled. “This is the first I’ve heard of it! Mean and grasping I may be, but you have my absolute word that I would never knowingly be party to such cruelty.”
She smiled. “I’m so glad you say that. Uncle, for I confess I did fear...”
“My sins are many, but there are lines which even I draw.” He paused, and exhaled a little guiltily. “My dear, I fibbed to you about something. You asked if he’d cozened me for money, and I denied it. But he did. It was about two weeks ago, and I happened to be with him when he used the loan to make funds available for drawing upon an account in a French bank. He said it was to support an elderly sick aunt who was too unwell to travel home to England, but I believed it was to fend off the most pressing dun. Clearly it was really the final payment for this unholy page. I can therefore only presume that said page will arrive at any time.”
“Oh, no. This makes it more urgent than ever that we rescue Nutmeg.” Polly decided to trust him fully. “Uncle Hordwell, if I tell you something in the strictest confidence, will you
promise
not to divulge it to Lord Benjamin?”
“My dear, I am so disillusioned with Beddem that I would rather cut out my tongue than be his crony any longer. Of course you may speak in confidence.”
She revealed the plan for that night, and he became more dismayed with each word. “Oh, no, my dear, I don’t like the sound of that at all! What is Fortune thinking of? You cannot possibly be permitted to write to, speak to,
or
dance with a base insect like Beddem. It will be dark, and there are bound to be countless hidden places, all Vauxhalls are full of them. Heaven alone knows what he might attempt if he gets you in his clutches again!”
Something struck her. “Maybe it can be finished
before
tonight. You see, now that you’re an ally, it occurs to me that you may be able to help.”
“How?”
“Well, you said earlier that you would have to leave the crescent, but if you stay and pretend you still approve of Lord Benjamin in every way, you’ll be able to search for Nutmeg’s belt. You can tell him you think I’m coming around after all, that I haven’t entirely dismissed the thought of marriage. Promise him that you’ll continue to press his suit upon me, say anything you like, but just stay there. He only has to be persuaded to take off his coat, and then have his attention diverted. There may be such an opportunity, and if you can get the belt, there will be no need to press on with our plans for the gardens tonight.”
Hordwell looked intently at her. “Which will be all to the good. Very well, my dear, I’ll stay there, and do all I can to find the belt.”
“There’s just one thing more. You must let Bodkin know you are now his friend, otherwise . . .”
“Yes?”
“Otherwise he has unpleasant things in store for you.”
“I see. Well, how do you propose I tell him anything?”
She hesitated. “One of Lord Benjamin’s footmen, the one called Giles, is a friend of Ragwort’s. If you tell him you are now on Bodkin’s side, he’ll tell Ragwort, and—”
Hordwell interrupted. “Ragwort? Ah, yes, the brownie who caused the trouble at the ball. So if I tell this footman, I’ll be let off the proverbial hook?”
“I hope so.”
“I’ll speak to Giles directly I return,” Hordwell replied, beginning to get up painfully from his chair.
“What of your toasted bun and coffee? Aren’t you going to finish them?” Polly asked.
He smiled as he eased himself around the table on his walking sticks. “My dear, I feel I must atone for my sins without further delay. There will be other toasted buns, I’m sure.”
She rose as well and hugged him tightly. “I love you, Uncle Hordwell,” she whispered, so glad of this new rapprochement that she was almost in tears.
“I can’t imagine why,” he replied frankly, kissing her cheek.
“I love you in spite of your horrid attempts to make me marry Lord Benjamin, because I’ve always known that behind your social ambition, grumbling and penny-pinching, there is actually someone rather nice struggling to step forward.”
“Nice? Upon my soul, I’ve never seen myself in that light before,” he muttered, and began to shuffle from the room.
She saw him safely into his waiting sedan chair, but held the door a moment before closing it. “You will be careful, won’t you, Uncle? Lord Benjamin isn’t at all the noble fellow you’ve always thought.”
“I realize that now, my dear, and of course I’ll be careful,” he promised, “but you must be careful, too. I still do not like this notion of yours to send a note to him. No matter how carefully you word such a communication, he is bound to misconstrue it. I only trust I can find Nutmeg’s belt before tonight, for I wish at all costs to prevent you from ever having to speak to him again.”
“All will be well, I’m certain,” she replied, then closed the door and nodded to the chairmen. She watched as he was conveyed down Great Pulteney Street, and when the chair disappeared in the throng of traffic near Laura Place, she went back into the hotel to compose her letter to Lord Benjamin. When that was done, she would prepare for her midday tryst with Dominic.