Miss in a Man's World (16 page)

After silently acknowledging she had unwittingly given away far too much already, Georgiana accepted the inevitable. The mantel-clock revealed that it had turned midnight; unless she wished to be here at daybreak, she had little choice but to reveal all she knew.

Releasing her breath in a sigh of capitulation, she reached up for her own glass and made herself comfortable in the chair once more. ‘It was the very day after my godfather's funeral that the Dowager Countess asked me to visit. She revealed then that her son had been alive…just…when she had reached him, and that he had managed to impart that the attack upon him must have been planned in advance. And by someone whom he referred to as “one of the five”. Seemingly he had revealed to one, or all of them, that he would be returning to Gloucestershire with the Grenville diamonds, which he had carried with him to London on that occasion in order to have them cleaned.'

‘Forgive me, child, for interrupting, but am I right in thinking your godfather's carriage was attacked some forty miles from the capital?'

‘He frequently broke the journey back to Gloucestershire by staying overnight with his good friend General Montague Simpson.'

‘Yes.' The Viscount frowned as a distant memory stirred. ‘I seem to recall hearing something of the sort, but I cannot say that I ever paid much attention. Your godfather and I were never what I should term close friends.' He returned to the chair opposite. ‘But I interrupted you. Pray continue.'

‘The General lives on the outskirts of a small community that's surrounded by woodland, some three
miles north off the main highway to Bristol,' she explained.

‘An ideal location for a robbery,' he remarked, and she nodded in agreement.

‘Indeed, yes, especially if someone had prior knowledge of a carriage containing a small fortune in diamonds,' she agreed. ‘To continue—a local farmer, travelling along the country lane early that morning, confirmed that four mounted strangers had passed him in the lane, riding fast. A short time later he came upon a carriage. The head groom and footman were both dead, and my godfather, slumped across the seat inside, had been barely alive. The farmer told the local magistrate that he'd heard gunfire, but hadn't taken too much notice. Apparently there are always people out rabbiting in the woods.'

He nodded thoughtfully, before betraying disapproval by remarking sharply, ‘And the Dowager, having discovered about “the five”, instead of informing the authorities, enlists your aid…? She must be going soft in the attic!'

‘On the contrary, sir, she's as sharp-witted as ever she was!' Georgiana countered, instantly coming to the Dowager's defence. ‘The authorities had already made up their minds that the Earl had simply been a victim of a gang of highwaymen, which of course was true enough, as far as it went. Her ladyship realised she needed to discover far more before anyone would take her seriously.'

Totally unimpressed, his lordship raised his eyes ceilingwards. ‘Then she compounds her folly by enlisting the aid of a chit of a girl! Madness, unutterable madness!'

Georgiana took exception to this. ‘I'll have you
know, sir, that I've now turned three-and-twenty, not some foolish schoolgirl, and am quite capable of taking care of myself!'

‘Ha! As you proved so convincingly tonight!'

Sarcasm had simply oozed from his every word, which only served to irritate her still further. ‘I'll take leave to inform you as well, sir, that I have succeeded in discovering a great deal already. I'll agree it might not be the wisest thing for me to go about dressed as a boy,' honesty obliged her to concede, ‘but it has proved immensely worthwhile.'

There was all at once a steely glint in his eyes. ‘That's as maybe, but from this day forward, my girl, you will desist, is that understood?'

How dared he dictate to her! Perhaps emboldened by the brandy she'd been steadily imbibing, Georgiana shot to her feet, determined to stand her ground and not be dictated to by someone who had absolutely no authority over her whatsoever.

She proceeded to tell him so in no uncertain terms, only to be interrupted mid-sentence. ‘None the less, you will do as I say,' he told her in an infuriatingly calm tone, ‘otherwise you may be sure I shall be paying a visit to the Dowager Countess with an ultimatum—either she sends you home to Gloucestershire at once, out of harm's way, or I shall go to the authorities with what I know of the matter. That, of course, might be the most sensible course of action for all concerned. On the other hand, it might well result in alerting the guilty party, which is something the Dowager has thus far done her utmost to avoid.'

‘Why you…you…!' Almost beside herself with rage, Georgiana couldn't think of anything loathsome enough
to call him and did her best to alleviate the rising torrent of anger by pacing the room.

The Viscount regarded her in silence, his smile betraying a degree of amusement, not untouched by admiration. ‘My dear, although you look quite magnificent when you're angry, you would profit more by giving due consideration to a further suggestion: that we work together in trying to uncover the person behind your godfather's death.'

This brought an end to her irate pacing, as he knew it would, and he found himself being regarded with an element of doubt and suspicion. ‘But why should you wish to become involved, my lord? I ruled you out as a possible suspect within a week or two of having first met you.'

He slanted a mocking glance after listening to this assurance. ‘That was not the impression I gained a short time ago.'

‘No…well…' She had the grace to look a little shamefaced. All the same, it served as a timely re minder of what she had discovered earlier that night and she shook her head. ‘Believe me, my lord, you wouldn't wish to become involved. This matter concerns people you know…perhaps some you…like very well.'

He regarded her keenly, all at once sensing she was keeping something of real importance to herself, and demanded to know what it was. She was reluctant at first, but soon realised that he would not settle for anything less than the absolute truth, and so revealed everything she had discovered that night at the tavern.

After learning all, his lordship contemplated for a moment, fully appreciating her reluctance in confiding in him. ‘It is possible, of course, that there is more than one Henri Durand in London at the present time,
but unlikely, I would have thought. So, I think it is safe to assume that the mysterious Frenchman is indeed Charles Gingham's cousin. What I am not prepared to accept is that Charles himself is in any way involved.'

Given the depth of the friendship, Georgiana wasn't at all surprised to hear him say this, but felt obliged to remind him, ‘But, my lord, Durand did mention a cousin who had put a value on the gems. And I clearly recall you revealing once that Mr Gingham is something of an expert in that particular field.'

‘And so he is,' he readily confirmed. ‘But he's also a most honourable man. He would never involve himself in anything illegal. That said, I shall approach Charles on the subject of his cousin when next I see him, which I do not envisage will be too far in the future.' There was all at once a hint of smug satisfaction about his expression. ‘You see, my dear Miss Grey, how beneficial it will be for all concerned if we work together?'

‘Well, yes,' she was obliged to concede, as she once again returned to the chair by the hearth. ‘I do appreciate you are in a much better position to be able to communicate with the three suspects, although their movements are being monitored by persons known to Digby.'

‘Indeed? In that case I think it behoves me to have another word with that manservant of yours. I intend to call tomorrow in any event, so I shall do so then.'

She was somewhat startled to learn this. ‘You're calling at the house…? But whatever for?'

Two black brows were raised in exaggerated surprise. ‘Isn't it obvious, my darling girl…? It is so that we can announce our betrothal to the Dowager Countess together.'

Georgiana blessed providence that she had sat down
again, for she felt sure her knees would not have supported her, so shocked was she by the pronouncement. ‘You are in jest, of course.'

‘I've never been more serious in my life,' Lord Fincham assured her. ‘Think, girl! What would happen if I suddenly started singling you out for particular attention at parties, and began escorting you in the park? It would cause a deal of speculation and the majority of the ton would be following our every move. But by announcing our engagement to the world, we'll be the cynosure of all eyes for a week or two, then interest in us will swiftly wane, and we could meet as often as we wished to consult without rousing the least suspicion. And that is imperative. We must not rouse the least curiosity in any one of our three suspects, now must we?'

‘When put like that, yes, I do see. But—'

‘No buts,' he interrupted, holding up a hand against further protests. ‘Until the guilty party is uncovered, I too must live under a cloud of suspicion, no matter your protestations to the contrary. I have far too much pride to permit that state of affairs to continue indefinitely.' The faintly haughty look faded, and his expression was all at once intense. ‘Trust me, and all will be well. You'll see.'

Getting to his feet, he helped her to hers by grasping her wrists. ‘And now, Georgie, my girl, I must return you home, otherwise you'll look anything but the radiant bride-to-be on the morrow, and that will never do. No one in his right mind would ever imagine Viscount Fincham had fallen head over heels in love with a positive fright!'

So saying, he collected her tricorn off the sofa and, displaying all the dexterity of an expert lady's maid,
successfully concealed her long tresses beneath it, before leading her from the room. Which was perhaps just as well, for Georgiana was feeling too stunned by the rapid turn of events to do very much for herself.

S
itting on the window seat in the sunny front parlour the following afternoon, Georgiana saw Lord Fincham's town carriage draw to a halt outside the front entrance. For some reason she'd imagined he would call late morning. As the hours had passed she had begun to believe she had imagined the whole thing, and that he hadn't suggested an engagement between them at all. She hadn't known whether to feel relieved or devastated. On the one hand, she couldn't deny that he could be of immeasurable help in discovering what she and the Dowager most wished to know… But at what cost to herself?

She watched him step lightly down from the carriage in that lithe, athletic way of his and mount the steps. She couldn't imagine there was a gentleman living whom she would rather marry. She had long since known that that sometimes infuriatingly dictatorial aristocrat was the very one for her, but had been sensible enough to accept that a viscount would hardly consider a mere soldier's daughter as a suitable bride, even one that
would come to the marriage with a modest dowry. She had succeeded in keeping a sense of perspective for so very many months—but could she continue to do so? It wasn't a question of playing the part of a loving fiancée; acting didn't enter into the matter. The dilemma besetting her was whether she would have strength enough to do the honourable thing when the time came by releasing him from the engagement?

The butler entered to reveal what she was well aware of already. ‘Should I perhaps inform her ladyship that Lord Fincham is here, Miss Grey?'

‘No, that is all right. We shall be going up to see your mistress presently. Just show Lord Fincham in.'

The butler remained by the door, clearly uncertain about what to do. ‘Perhaps you'd like me to instruct one of the maids to bear you company, miss?'

‘No, she would not,' his lordship answered, brazenly entering the parlour, uninvited. ‘Now go about your business, my good man. I have never in my life behaved like a despoiler and I have no intention of doing so now,' he added, closing the door on the outraged major-domo.

‘You are an abominable person, my lord!' Georgiana told him, though quite unequal to suppressing a gurgle of mirth. ‘The poor man was only doing his duty, after all.'

‘If there's one thing I cannot abide it's an uppity flunkey,' he revealed.

Memory stirred. ‘Ah, well, you are blessed in those who serve you,' she reminded him.

‘Yes, I must agree I have been most fortunate…save for just one impertinent page I was once foolish enough to engage.'

Smiling crookedly he went across to her, drew her to her feet and then stared down into those wonderfully
coloured eyes framed in their ridiculously lengthy black lashes. ‘Yes,' he murmured, ‘you'll do very well. I'm sorry I am so late in calling,' he went on to explain, his tone all at once more matter of fact, ‘only I've been rather occupied for the past few hours.'

She smiled a little wryly. ‘I'd begun to imagine you'd had second thoughts.'

He looked at her closely again, easily interpreting the uncertainty in her expression. ‘You've been experiencing reservations and hoped I had, too. Well, I haven't.' So saying, he drew out a magnificent sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring from his pocket like a conjurer and slipped it onto the appropriate slender finger. ‘A rather lengthy visit to Rundell & Bridge was one of my more pressing errands, as were visits to the offices of certain newspapers. Our engagement will be officially announced in several different Friday morning editions.'

‘Too late to reconsider then, my lord,' she acknowledged, still somewhat bemused by the beautiful adornment on her left hand. Oddly enough an engagement ring was something she hadn't considered she must don to give credibility to the part she must play… Yes, it did make it all seem so real, somehow.

‘Far too late,' he agreed softly, his eyes focusing on the gentle curve of her upper lip. For a moment she thought she could detect a slight movement, as though he was about to lower his head, then he seemed to check and took a hurried step away.

‘My name is Benedict, by the way. My friends call me Ben. You'd best accustom yourself to using it. I cannot have my affianced bride continuing to address me so formally. And now, my darling girl, we'd best
seek out the Dowager before that butler of hers suffers an apoplexy.'

As had happened the night before, Georgiana felt as if she were being driven by a disposition far stronger than her own. Undeniably the Viscount could be quite single-minded when it suited his purpose, and was undoubtedly well accustomed to getting his own way. Which could not be good for him, she quickly decided. Therefore, sooner rather than later, she must start exerting her own will again, if only to stop him from becoming pompously overbearing. But for the time being she was prepared to allow him his way in most things, if only because he seemed to know precisely how to conduct the charade to make it believable.

‘I'm sorry, my lord, what did you say?' she asked, aware all at once that he had addressed her.

‘Ben,' he corrected. ‘And I simply asked if you've already revealed to her ladyship what you discovered last night?'

‘I did consult with her earlier, yes. But I didn't reveal our…our fake engagement.'

His lips twitched ever so slightly. ‘Then let us do so now. But I think it would be best if you leave the announcement to me.'

She was more than happy to do so, for had the truth been known she hadn't a clue how to explain to the Dowager why she was willing to take such a drastic course of action. She wasn't at all sure she knew herself, especially as she was well aware that it would ultimately bring only heartache.

Leading the way out of the room, and up the sweeping staircase, Georgiana then headed along the passageway to her ladyship's private apartments. She was fortunate enough to discover the Dowager Countess
awake, and sitting in her favourite chair, for it wasn't unknown for her to take a nap at this time of day.

Not even by the slightest widening of her eyes did the Dowager betray any surprise when Lord Fincham followed Georgiana into the room. She simply placed the book she had been reading down on the table by her chair, before declaring how very pleased she was to see him.

‘For it offers me the opportunity to earnestly thank you for your—er—timely intervention last night, my lord.' She cast a brief look of disapproval at the ill-at-ease young woman at his side. ‘I sincerely trust you will not be put to such inconvenience again.'

‘You may be sure of it, ma'am,' he returned with such conviction that Georgiana felt slightly nettled. It was a bit of a liberty on his part to assume so much. After all, she had given no assurances, least of all to him, that she wouldn't continue working on her own, if the need should arise. His next pronouncement was even more disturbing.

‘But the inconvenience I was put to in tracking her down did ultimately bring its own rewards. Before we parted company in the early hours we had reached a much better understanding. Miss Grey has done me the honour of accepting my hand in marriage.'

Georgiana hardly knew where to look and in the end stared resolutely down at her feet. He had sounded so convincing, confound him! Surely they might have told the Dowager the truth, if no one else?

‘May I be the first to offer my wholehearted congratulations,' her ladyship responded, after having looked from one to the other and drawn her own conclusions. ‘Pray be seated, my lord,' she continued before turning to Georgiana. ‘My dear, please be so good as to pour
out three glasses of Madeira so that we might enjoy a celebratory toast,' she requested, before turning to the gentleman who appeared to be very well pleased with himself, and the world at large. ‘Have you fixed upon a date for the wedding, my lord?'

At this Georgiana's hand shook involuntarily, very nearly spilling the wine she was carrying back over to the hearth. ‘Of course we haven't, ma'am,' she put in, not enjoying the fiasco in the least. It was turning out to be far harder than she could ever have supposed. ‘We've hardly been granted much time to discuss anything at all,' she added, setting the tray down on a low table.

‘That's true enough,' his lordship agreed. ‘But, as a rule, I am no advocate of long engagements. I shall hold a party at Berkeley Square in a couple of weeks to celebrate our betrothal, and hope to be married before the Season is over. Much depends, of course, on resolving this matter of your son's tragic demise.'

Both the Dowager and Georgiana looked at him sharply. It was her ladyship who eventually broke the silence. ‘Lord Fincham, I shall be for ever in your debt for the immense diplomacy you have shown in this matter.' A hint of a smile hovered about her mouth. ‘A lesser man, I feel sure, would have been deeply shocked, especially over a particular person's behaviour. None the less, I am now as one with Georgiana in the belief that you were never in any way involved in my son's death, and would therefore suggest that the matter no longer concerns you.'

‘Loath though I am to disagree with you, ma'am, but it concerns me greatly now, even if it didn't before last night.'

Grasping Georgiana's hand, he felt it tremble slightly in his own as he drew her gently down on to the couch
beside him. ‘I have earned the reputation of being slightly—what shall I say?—high in the instep. I am most assuredly conceited enough to expect my affianced bride's world to revolve around me, if not before, then certainly after the wedding has taken place. I think I would be asking too much of Georgie to think only of me until the person behind her godfather's death is brought to book. Furthermore, I do happen to be well acquainted with all three suspects and am therefore in a position to uncover a great deal more than we know already.'

‘I cannot argue with that, my lord,' the Dowager freely acknowledged. ‘And I suppose if you are set on that course of action, I cannot imagine anything I could say would dissuade you. So it only remains for me to thank you in advance for your assistance, and…' she reached for one of the glasses, and then waited for them to take theirs ‘…to wish you both every happiness for the future.'

The toast was duly drunk, and not a moment too soon, for the door was thrown wide almost immediately afterwards and Lady Sophia came tripping lightly into the room.

‘Oh, I do beg your pardon, Grandmama! No one told me you were entertaining visitors.'

‘Not at all, dear child, your arrival is most timely. Georgiana, you'll be delighted to hear, has stolen a march on you. She has become betrothed to Lord Fincham!'

As was her custom, Lady Sophia clapped her hands in delight, before enthusing over the engagement ring and then finally looking shyly up at the tall man who had instantly risen to his feet upon her arrival.

‘So you're Sir Galahad!' she declared, much to Geor
giana's further embarrassment. ‘He certainly fits the description, does he not, Georgie?'

Smiling at the added colour flying in his fiancée's cheeks, Lord Fincham turned to the late Earl's daughter. ‘I should never aim so high, Lady Sophia. And to prove a point I must now be decidedly ungallant and desert you so soon after your arrival.

‘No, there's no need to see me out, Georgie,' he added, when she made to rise. ‘I know the way. I shall look forward to calling again on the morrow.'

As he descended the stairs to the hall, his lordship bethought himself of something else, and requested a hovering footman to go in search of Miss Grey's personal manservant.

After being shown into the front parlour, he occupied his time by staring out of the window and smiling to himself at the rapid turn of events that had left a special someone on the floor above in a decidedly confused state. Which was perhaps all to the good, he reflected. At least while her mind was fully occupied with coming to terms with her new role in life, she wouldn't be considering other matters that concerned her greatly at the present time.

‘Ah, yes, come in, man! Come in and take the weight off that ankle of yours,' he commanded, as the very person he'd requested to see came hobbling into the room, again with the aid of a stick. ‘I shan't keep you from your duties for long; not that I suppose you are able to undertake a great many at the present time.'

He waited for the servant to seat himself before continuing. ‘Now, has your mistress revealed what took place last night?' he asked and received a nod in response. ‘Excellent! Although I don't suppose for a moment you'll be able to consult with your associates
again for a few days, when you do, ask them to look out for a small, seedy-looking fellow visiting one of the houses. He could, of course, be a servant. I'm convinced the fellow must be some sort of go-between. From what your mistress managed to discover, he's already visited this man Tate a time or two. And it's quite possible also that he might well be the one who travels to Dover in order to collect the ill-gotten gains from that certain boarding house, though why the money isn't brought directly to London is something we might discover in time.'

His eyes narrowed speculatively. ‘Whoever is the brains behind it all is careful enough not to be seen with any of the other key members in the organisation. I think it behoves me to begin to study the three candidates from a completely different perspective. And I shall begin tonight by paying a visit to that particular gaming house.'

The servant didn't attempt to hide his surprise. ‘You're involving yourself further, then, m'lord?'

‘I have little choice.' He frowned in thought. ‘Er— Digby, isn't it?'

‘Aye, m'lord. Just Digby.'

The Viscount frowned again at this. ‘Rather an odd sort of name. Have you no other?'

‘Yes, m'lord—Goodie. But where I come from a name like that does yer no service at all. So I've just been Digby all these years.'