Miss Verey’s Proposal

Chapter Nine

‘Is this not fun!’ Lady Eleanor Fane said, a twinkle of repressed mirth in her eyes as she surveyed her ill-assorted guests as they sat on picnic rugs and under parasols.

There was Lady Dennery, a little worn and over-dressed in the unkind light of day, picking petulantly at her food. Beside her sat Alex Delahaye looking, Lady Eleanor thought, decidedly bored and moody. Oddly, it was as though he had reversed roles with his brother, for Lord Philip seemed happy and at ease as he laughed and talked with Jane Verey. A little distance from them sat Sophia, being charming to Lord Blakeney and apparently enjoying herself immensely. Lady Verey, a contented smile on her face, dozed in the sun.

Well! Lady Eleanor thought now, with secret amusement, if Miss Verey does not like Philip she is making a very good pretence at it! All seems set fair! And the Marchment girl, whom Philip seemed so taken with before, does not appear concerned! I wonder…Her gaze slid to Alex, who was leaning forward to attend to something Francine Dennery was saying. If Alex allows himself to be caught by her, then more fool him, Lady Eleanor thought astringently. Yet there was very little of the lover in Alex’s demeanour and every so often his gaze would rest on Jane Verey in a completely unfathomable regard.

The arrival of Lord Blakeney had been most opportune. He had called at Malladon on the fourth day of their stay, after visiting a rich old uncle in the neighbourhood and hearing that the Duke was in residence nearby. Philip, conscious of a certain constraint in the party, had pressed him to join them and Blakeney had taken little persuading.

‘Whole countryside’s buzzing with the news,’ he had confided to Jane, on the first evening. ‘Delahaye never comes to Malladon; now he’s not only here but he’s brought a party as well!’

Jane considered that it had been a decidedly odd week. On the surface, all had been delightful. There had been riding in the countryside and walks in the park and visits to friends and neighbours. There had even been an informal dinner and dancing in the evening, but now Alex Delahaye had signalled his intention to return to Town and the picnic was the last event before they all drove back the following day.

Beneath the surface matters had not been quite so straightforward. Jane, made hopelessly self-conscious by her behaviour in the library and the discovery of her feelings for Alex, had gone out of her way to avoid him. He had seemed preoccupied by estate matters and plagued by Lady Dennery’s increasingly broad hints about the future, and scarcely seemed to notice her anyway. Lady Verey had been dropping broad hints of her own, and Jane had suddenly awoken to the fact that her mother was expecting to announce the betrothal to Lord Philip as soon as they returned to Town. Meanwhile, Sophia and Lord Philip were moving inexorably towards their own conclusion, which Jane devoutly hoped entailed an engagement of their own. Suddenly it all seemed intolerably complicated and bereft of hope and enjoyment.

Jane swotted an eager wasp that was attacking her lemonade and tilted the broad brim of her hat forward a little to shade her face. She had also become aware of the unsettling nature of Alex’s gaze as it drifted over her. Certainly he could object to nothing in her manner, for she was behaving towards Philip with the greatest cordiality and he was responding effortlessly. Yet she sensed that there was something angering Alex, something she could not comprehend. It was very puzzling and she had been aware of it for almost the whole week.

She looked up and caught Philip’s eye. They had already agreed that Jane should manufacture a reason for a stroll and that Sophia and Blakeney should help distract attention. Sighing inwardly, Jane got to her feet and dusted the crumbs off her skirt.

‘Gracious, I feel quite in need of some exercise to walk off the effects of all that delicious food! Would anyone care to join me for a turn about the park?’

Lord Philip, taking his cue, scrambled up with alacrity. ‘I should be glad to, Miss Verey! Miss Marchment, Blakeney, do you care to come?’

‘Oh, yes, that would be delightful!’ Sophia agreed eagerly. She allowed Lord Blakeney to help her up and adjusted the ribbons on her bonnet. Jane took her shawl from Lord Philip with a pretty word of thanks. Lady Verey smiled indulgently to see such harmony.

‘You may discount me, my love,’ she said sleepily. ‘I am happy dozing here in the sun and I do not doubt that Lady Eleanor will keep me company. But perhaps the others…’

Jane saw that the Duke was frowning quite darkly. Some imp of perversity prompted her to extend the invitation as her mother had suggested.

‘Would you like to join us, your Grace? Lady Dennery?’

She saw Philip looking quite appalled and tried not to laugh. It seemed a safe gamble, for Lady Dennery was looking quite horrified. ‘Oh, no, I do not care to walk at all!’ she said as though Jane had suggested some activity in bad taste. ‘I am persuaded that Alex will stay here with me, for we may have a delightful coze together!’

Jane smiled brilliantly. ‘Just as you wish, my lady!’ She did not dare to look at the Duke for his reaction.

‘You run along, my dears,’ Lady Eleanor said comfortably. ‘We older folk will do very well here in the peace and quiet!’

Lady Dennery was now looking quite affronted to be classified with the ancients and the Duke’s frown had not lifted. He looked almost murderous. Jane dropped a mischievous curtsy.

‘Thank you, ma’am!’

The four of them wandered off, chatting happily amongst themselves.

‘Oh, I shall not be sad to return to Town,’ Sophia sighed. ‘The country is all very well, but it has not the same excitement! I believe Lady Jersey is hosting a ball next week that promises to be the highlight of the Season!’

‘Heard about that myself,’ Blakeney confirmed. ‘Word is that the theme will be classical myths and legends! The talk in the clubs was that Francine Dennery intends to appear in little more than a sheet!’

‘Won’t be the first time!’ Lord Philip guffawed, then caught Sophia’s look of innocent bewilderment and cleared his throat loudly.

Jane stopped abruptly, turning to Lord Blakeney urgently.

‘Oh, no! I have left my parasol behind and Mama will be furious with me if I catch the sun! She considers freckles most unladylike! Lord Blakeney, would you be so good as to run back and fetch it? I should be so grateful…’

Lord Blakeney was as amiable as he was undiscerning. Expressing himself honoured to be of service, he trotted obediently back in the direction from which they had come. Jane watched him go, then turned to her companions with a smile.

‘Pray walk on ahead! There is no sense in all of us waiting here! Lord Blakeney will only be a moment and we will follow you when he returns!’

Sophia and Philip needed no second bidding. Jane, moving into the shadow of a group of trees, saw them stroll away slowly, deep in conversation. She smiled in spite of herself. She would do a great deal to secure Sophia’s happiness and it was a joy to see her strategies working so effectively. Splitting up the group meant that Sophia and Lord Philip were, to all intents and purposes, alone, yet within view and perfectly respectable. Lord Blakeney would be back shortly, but Jane would ensure that she did not walk quickly enough for them to catch the others up. Really, she felt that she had the tactics to match any of the King’s generals!

Jane frowned a little as she contemplated the next stage of the plan. Matters were likely to become decidedly tricky from now on. For a start, she knew that Lady Verey intended the announcement of her betrothal to Lord Philip to be sent to the Morning Post as soon as they returned to Town. That had to be avoided at all costs. Then a way had to be found to solve Lord Philip’s financial difficulties and promote the match with Sophia. Jane was forced to admit that she did not have any ideas at present…

At that point her musings were interrupted by a completely unforeseen hitch.

A figure was striding towards her across the grass brandishing her parasol in his hand like an avenging angel. It was not the slightly corpulent Lord Blakeney, but the altogether more impressive figure of the Duke of Delahaye. In a sudden panic, Jane turned round and plunged deeper into the trees, heedless of the sudden slope and the muddy ground beneath her feet. She was not sure whether she was intending to run away or to hide; she only knew that she was about to be caught out and that she did not appear to be able to think quickly enough to explain herself.

In the event she was able to neither run nor hide, for Alex caught up with her with unnerving speed.

‘Miss Verey! What is this nonsense about a lost parasol? And where are my brother and Miss Marchment?’

Jane was at something of a disadvantage. The hem of her skirt was an inch deep in mud and her bonnet had slipped to one side, making her look like a dowager who had taken rather too much port. She was out of breath and flushed, and Alex’s proximity and the altogether furious look on his face increased the fluttering nervousness inside her.

‘There is no nonsense, your Grace,’ she said with more composure than she was feeling. ‘Why, you have the parasol there in your hand! Be careful that you do not attack that branch!’

She watched the grim expression on Alex’s face ease slightly as he lowered his arm and handed the offending parasol to her.

‘And my brother and Miss Marchment?’ he asked, with a dangerous calm.

Jane gave him a winning smile. ‘I suggested that they strolled on ahead. There was no point in all of us waiting! Indeed, I was expecting to catch them up when Lord Blakeney returned!’ Her tone managed to convey reproach that it was he, and not Lord Blakeney, who had appeared. ‘I expect they are back with the others by now!’

‘I am surprised that Philip could bear to be from your side,’ Alex said drily. ‘He has stuck like a burr all week!’

‘Yes, is it not delightful?’ Jane said blithely. ‘You must be so pleased that your brother and I have reached an understanding!’

‘It is the nature of the understanding that concerns me,’ Alex said affably. ‘You had me fooled for quite a little while this time, Miss Verey, but not any more!’

‘I have no notion what you mean, sir!’ Jane said, managing to preserve her air of injured innocence.

Alex caught her arm and swung her round to face him. ‘Oh, come now, Miss Verey! I used to admire your honesty! The truth is that you have managed to enlist the support of my disgraceful brother-and Miss Marchment, no doubt-in your scheme to thwart the marriage plans! It was so obvious,’ Alex mused, a smile starting to curl the corners of his mouth, ‘I cannot think why I did not see it before! To think that I believed that you had meekly accepted the plans made for you! My wits must have gone a-begging!’

There was a long silence. Jane’s intellect, which had served her so well up to that point, suddenly seemed to have deserted her, banished by the insistent pressure of Alex’s touch. Worse, although her mind was frighteningly blank, her senses seemed unusually sharp. She was conscious of the plaintive sweetness of the birdsong, the rustle of the leaves and the cool caress of the breeze on her hot cheeks. Her gaze was held by his and no power on earth could have broken the contact.

Jane saw the amusement fade from Alex’s eyes, to be replaced by an expression that made her shiver.

‘Am I to test my theory and the strength of your feeling for my brother?’ he asked softly. ‘It is irresistible, I fear…’

Jane had plenty of time to move away from him and she knew that he would not have tried to stop her had she done so. She could not have said what it was that held her captive, unless it was that fatal curiosity of hers; it had prompted her to wonder secretly what it would be like to be kissed by Alex, and now she wanted to know the answer. Whatever the reason, she stayed quite still, and Alex leant forward and kissed her.

The touch of his lips on hers was deceptively light, almost casual, were it not for an undercurrent of sensuality that sprang shockingly to life as soon as they touched, elemental as sheet lightning. Jane felt a surge of sensation wash over her, leaving her weak with a most delicious pleasure. She knew a moment when she was sure that Alex was about to sweep her into his arms, then, to her great disappointment, he released her and stepped back.

‘My apologies, Miss Verey,’ Alex said expressionlessly. ‘I fear I succumbed to an impulse that has been troubling me for some time.’

Jane took a deep breath. She was dizzy with the memory of taste and touch of him, torn by disappointment that he had let her go.

‘Well!’ she said, with incurable honesty. ‘I do not see that it is at all the thing to kiss your brother’s intended bride, your Grace!’

‘No…’ Alex slanted a glance down at her ‘…I agree that it would not be at all appropriate-were you to be that bride, Miss Verey! Now, permit me to escort you back to the others before anything else befalls you!’

After a moment’s hesitation, Jane took his proffered arm and they walked slowly through the dappled shade towards the edge of the copse. Her shaken nerves were beginning to settle again, but she was still acutely aware of Alex’s physical presence. She reflected a little ruefully that Alex himself seemed quite unmoved, almost as though he had forgotten what had passed only a moment before. In fact he suddenly seemed a great deal more cheerful than he had for the entire week.

‘So,’ he said conversationally, ‘will you concede the truth? It is all a scheme, is it not?’

Not even Jane found herself brass-faced enough to tell a direct lie. ‘It was all working so well!’ she said a little plaintively. ‘You said yourself that you had been taken in!’

‘Yes, I must have been very slow,’ Alex agreed pleasantly. ‘In truth, I thought I knew you far too well to be deceived again!’

Jane cleared her throat. For some reason his words and tone had disturbed something in her. They created a feeling of intimacy that stirred emotions already aroused by their encounter. For some reason he did not sound accusatory-there was too much warmth in his voice.

‘You have said before that you knew I was untrustworthy,’ she began, a little bitterly, but Alex stopped and turned to face her properly.

‘I did say that, and I am sorry for it. I said it only to provoke you at the time and the fact that it worked does not make it any more admirable! The truth is, Miss Verey-’ his tone dropped ‘-I have long admired your strategies and your determination not to give in!’

There was a silence broken only by the chatter of the birds and the running of the brook. Jane felt the colour sting her cheeks and dropped her gaze, and Alex, sensing her discomfort, started to walk again.

‘Tell me, what did you plan to do next?’ he asked. ‘Your plan was a good one in the short term, but dangerous as well! You must realise that your mother in particular is planning an announcement as soon as we reach Town!’

‘Yes…’ Jane was glad to be distracted from her own complicated feelings ‘…I own that was a problem! I had not quite fathomed how to avoid the formal engagement!’

‘No doubt you would have thought of something,’ Alex said, so consolingly that Jane looked up sharply to see if he was teasing her. He was smiling at her, but without mockery.

‘I expect so,’ Jane said dolefully, ‘but now that you know the truth-’

‘Yes, we shall have to think of something else!’

‘I only wanted Sophia to be happy,’ Jane said, still following her own train of thought. ‘That is,’ she added scrupulously, ‘I did not wish to marry Lord Philip, but when it became apparent that Sophia did, I hoped for a happy outcome! Do you think-’ she glanced at Alex hopefully ‘-that you might permit…?’

Alex was looking preoccupied. ‘I shall have to think about it, Miss Verey,’ he said.

Jane left it at that. She wanted to make a push for Sophia’s future, but knew full well that Alex was hardly a man who could be pestered into agreement. Besides, she wanted to escape the leafy shade, for being alone with him was making her nervous. The strength of his arm beneath her fingers, the brush of his body against hers…she was very aware of him and had no wish to betray her feelings.

They stepped out into the bright sunshine and Jane nearly gasped with relief.

‘I see Miss Marchment and my brother ahead,’ Alex said, matter of factly. ‘As you predicted, Miss Verey, they are almost back with the others!’

‘Oh, by all means let us hurry to catch them up!’ Jane said thankfully. She had no wish to prolong this unsettling encounter. Alex, however, appeared to have other ideas.

‘Oh, let us not rush back,’ he said lazily, with an amused look down at her. ‘It would not do for you to go hurrying about in the full sun!’

‘I have my parasol now,’ Jane said pertly, unfurling the lacy white material, ‘and I am no fragile flower!’

‘No, indeed, a most resilient root, Miss Verey, although that is scarcely a flattering description of you! I would never underestimate your resourcefulness!’

Jane tilted her head to look at him. ‘You are speaking in riddles, your Grace!’ she said bluntly. ‘It is most disconcerting!’

Alex gave her a smile that was even more disturbing. ‘Forgive me! I thought, perhaps, that you would understand me, being so accomplished in strategy! I simply meant that though I have seen through your current plan, I would not put it past you to devise another! I must beg you not to do so. You see, I already have one of my own in the devising, and though it will take a little time to sort out, I have high hopes that it will come to fruition!’

‘I hope that it is not along the lines of your other tactics, sir,’ Jane said tightly and not entirely truthfully. ‘I consider them indefensible!’

‘If you mean the kiss, it was not an intentional part of my plan,’ Alex admitted, still smiling, ‘but now that I have found it so effective and enjoyable I may have to employ it again! Now, Miss Verey, tell me if you would protest! That is an interesting test of your honesty!’

Jane’s stormy gaze locked with his but she was not able to respond because of the proximity of the others. She did not like to imagine what they might have read into her expression. The picnic had been neatly packed away and Lord Philip was assisting Lady Verey and Lady Eleanor up into the gig that was to convey them back to the house. Lady Dennery, her face as thunderous as it had been earlier, was standing a little apart from the others and tapping her parasol angrily on the grass.

Lord Philip hailed his brother with a deeply suspicious innocence. ‘Alex! We had all but given up hope of you and imagined that you had spirited Miss Verey away!’

‘Tempting,’ Alex said under his breath, with a limpid look for Jane. He raised his voice. ‘Is everybody ready to go back?’

‘I have been ready this past hour!’ Lady Dennery snapped. ‘Have you no thought for others, Alexander?’ Her contemptuous gaze raked Jane. ‘Or perhaps you were lost in your pastoral idyll with that little-?’

‘Have a care, Francine!’ The Duke’s tone was soft but with an undertone that made Jane jump. For a moment she saw a flash of some vivid emotion in his eyes, before he turned to her with scrupulous courtesy.

‘Miss Verey, do you care to walk back or would you prefer to drive?’

Before Jane could reply, Lady Dennery made a rude and derisive noise and stormed off in the direction of the house.

‘Shocking ton!’ Lady Eleanor was trying not to smile at Lady Dennery’s downfall. ‘I fear it is about to rain, Alex-perhaps you should go to her aid?’

The Duke raised one eyebrow. ‘I am persuaded that Lady Dennery will find her own way home,’ he said easily. ‘No doubt she prefers to be alone!’ He turned back to Jane and his smile was dazzling in its warmth. ‘Miss Verey?’

‘I will drive, I thank you, sir,’ Jane said hastily, although she would indeed have enjoyed the walk through the parkland. She allowed him to help her up into the second gig and squeezed in next to Sophia.

‘Oh, Jane,’ her friend whispered, ‘did you see the look that the Duke gave you? I do believe…and Lady Dennery clearly thinks you a rival! Oh Jane, I do believe that the Duke of Delahaye is developing a tendre for you!’

‘Poor Lady Dennery,’ Sophia said the following morning, as the summer dust settled on the drive behind her ladyship’s coach, ‘she had such high hopes and finds them all dashed! It must be very hard for her-’

‘To be a rich widow?’ Jane asked, a little waspishly. ‘She may not have managed to attach the Duke, but there will be plenty of other suitors!’

She came away from the bedroom window and moved rather restlessly across to the portmanteaux that her maid had already packed. They were all returning to Town that morning, but Lady Dennery would not be accompanying them, for she had been invited to stay with friends in Buckinghamshire and had high hopes of a certain elderly Marquis who would be of the company. Jane felt that the journey back would be rather more comfortable without her ladyship, but it was only a small relief amongst the other matters that preoccupied her.

Sophia was looking at her friend with concern. ‘Are you quite well, Jane? You seem sadly out of sorts today!’

Jane sighed, unpacking half of the clothes that Cassie had already put away as she rummaged for a favourite pair of gloves. ‘I’m sorry, Sophy! You are right in thinking me like a bear with a sore head! It is just all so difficult…’

She sat down and Sophia came to sit beside her on the bed.

‘Tell me what is troubling you,’ she urged. ‘Is it that Lady Verey plans the betrothal announcement for as soon as we return to Town? I’ll allow that it is a little difficult…’

Jane made a sound that was halfway between a sob and a laugh. ‘Oh, Sophy, you have such a talent for understatement! The truth is that my mother wishes to promote my engagement to a man who should by rights be marrying you! I have come up with no plan to solve Lord Philip’s financial difficulties and can see no solution to the whole problem other than that you elope with him!’

Sophia had paled a little. ‘Oh, Jane, I do not think that a very comfortable solution! Why, the Duke would cut Philip off altogether and then everyone would be unhappy!’

Jane got to her feet and moved restlessly across the window. ‘The Duke knows that my apparent affection for Lord Philip is all assumed!’ she said over her shoulder. ‘That is the worst part of the situation! He challenged me about it only yesterday and warned me to make no more plans! There is nothing to be gained by further deception!’

‘He is a most perceptive man,’ Sophia said with a shiver. ‘All the time that I was smiling on Blakeney, I was convinced that he knew the truth!’

‘A guilty conscience!’ Jane said bluntly. ‘The Duke had no notion until he took Blakeney’s place and brought me the parasol yesterday. Then, when he saw that you and Lord Philip had walked on together-then he knew the truth! I tried to persuade him to look upon the two of you with kindness, but-’ She broke off, not wishing to raise Sophia’s hopes unnecessarily. After all, Alex had told her that he had a plan, but it might not be one that would make everyone happy.

‘But perhaps-’ Sophia avoided Jane’s eye ‘-the whole matter may be solved if the Duke has feelings for you, Jane-’ She broke off and looked hopeful, bursting out, ‘Oh, if he were to love you then he would no longer wish you to marry Philip and his heart might be softened towards us-’

But Jane was shaking her head. ‘No, Sophy, I fear you have it all wrong! I know that you thought yesterday that the Duke had developed something of a tendre for me, but I am certain that you are mistaken!’

Sophia looked stubborn. Jane realised that this was because she so desperately wanted it to be true. It would solve the whole problem of the projected marriage to Lord Philip and they might all live happily ever after…Jane made a wry grimace.

‘I am sorry, Sophy, but it really isn’t true.’

‘But I saw the way that he was looking at you, Jane! And when Lady Dennery made her ill-bred remarks he gave her the set-down she deserved for slighting you! Surely-’

Jane took a deep breath. There was only one way to convince Sophia.

‘I know it cannot be true for the Duke kissed me yesterday and thought so little of it that he had forgotten it the next second!’

Sophia gave a little squeak. ‘I beg your pardon, Jane?’

‘He kissed me,’ Jane repeated, with a hint of irritation.

‘Oh, Jane!’ Sophia’s eyes were huge. ‘Was it truly dreadful?’

‘No,’ Jane said slowly, ‘it was not. I am obliged to admit that it was rather nice!’ She smiled suddenly, against her will. ‘Which is very confusing, but progresses our situation not at all!’

‘Oh, Jane!’ Sophia said again, breathlessly. ‘But if he kissed you-’

‘It was only part of the game!’ Jane said, the light dying out of her face. ‘I told you-he was completely unmoved by it! It is all a game to him!’

Sophia was looking at her with blank incomprehension. ‘A game?’

Jane decided that she could not begin to explain the complicated steps in the encounter between herself and Alexander Delahaye. Pitting her wits against his had been amusing at first, a challenge that had had an underlying current of excitement. She had never dreamed that it would ever have the power to hurt her. Yet now…

She decided to opt for the easier explanation.

‘I believe that the Duke of Delahaye is still in love with his wife,’ she said, ‘and that is why no other lady would have the chance of engaging his affections. He showed me a picture of her, Sophia-she was very beautiful and the picture is displayed so prominently that I think it must be a sign of the regard he still has for her.’ She turned away, closing the portmanteau lid and struggling with the straps in order to hide her confusion. Her feelings were currently too raw to allow her to confide.

‘Oh, Jane,’ Sophia said, and there was pity in her voice, as though she has guessed Jane’s state, ‘what are you going to do?’

‘Avoid him, I should think,’ Jane said bleakly. ‘I will not marry Lord Philip, but nor shall I have any further dealings with his brother!’