CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A mere couple of minutes later Lord Barkby knocked upon the door of the house in Edward Street, and was admitted by Leece, who was more than a little put out. Eight o’clock in the morning was not the time to make a social call, especially a gentleman calling upon a lady.
It was only then that Lord Barkby himself realised that his arrival must seem odd, and that Lady Dembleby was most likely still asleep in bed.
‘I know, Leece, it is a dashed peculiar time to come visiting, but this is important. Could you ask her ladyship to receive me as soon as she comes downstairs? I will wait as long as necessary.’
‘Her ladyship is already up, my lord,’ replied Leece, trying to sound as though this were not an unheard-of occurrence.
In fact, she had rather set the house by the ears by ringing for her maid upon the receipt of an urgent missive that had been delivered shortly after the clock struck seven.
She had taken no sustenance, but was, to the best of his knowledge, currently pacing up and down in the drawing room. ‘I will inform her of your presence.’
He went upstairs without haste, in the finest traditions 368of the butler’s calling, and knocked upon the drawing-room door.
A shaking voice bade him enter, and he found her ladyship standing, her bosom heaving and her face so white he thought she might faint before his eyes.
Her eyes, in contrast, were somewhat red, and a crumpled handkerchief upon the floor indicated that tears had been shed.
‘Lord Barkby is below, my lady, and seeks urgent conversation with you.’
‘Thank God,’ she exclaimed, and sat down upon a sofa very suddenly. It took a moment for her to regain command of herself. ‘Send him up,’ she said distractedly. Leece bowed, and withdrew, returning a minute later to announce Lord Barkby.
He entered the room as she rose slowly. She said nothing until the door closed and they were alone, then her emotion got the better of her.
‘I—’ he began.
‘How could you?’ Her voice wavered. ‘How could you do anything so … foolish, so dangerous? Had you no thought upon the possible consequences?’ she chastised him.
‘Ah, you have somehow heard about—’
‘About you challenging Lord Orlando Hurstwood to a duel. Yes. You promised me, promised me you would not goad him so far.’ Her hands trembled as much as her voice, and she clasped them together to still them.
‘Nor did I.’ He sounded very calm and reasonable, which exacerbated her jangled nerves.
‘You fought a duel with him!’ she cried.
369‘Yes, but as you say, it was I who challenged, having no alternative in honour.’
‘Is some definition of honour more important than your life?’ Louisa had a woman’s attitude to the subject.
‘A moot point, but yours is.’
‘Mine? Oh my God!’ Her eyes widened, and he moved towards her. ‘You said you would do what you could to serve me, whatever the cost. So you have risked … You stupid, stupid man!’ She shouted at him, her hands parting to form clenched fists.
‘Hush,’ he said softly, a smile in his eyes, and stepped so that he was right before her.
‘I will not hu—’ She halted as he smiled at her and ran one curtailed finger down her cheek.
‘Hush, please, my darling. It is all over.’
She gave a half sob then and threw her arms about his neck.
Despite this affirmation of her feelings for him, when the kiss ended she leant back in his arms and moved her hands to hold his face between them.
‘How could you do it? If you knew the agonies I have gone through … imagining the worst …’ She was still shaking in his hold.
‘I had no choice.’
‘You did. You challenged him, not he you.’
‘But I had to challenge him, do you not see that?’
‘No. Man madness, that is what it is.’
‘Be that as it may, it was the only way I could defend your honour and Emily’s name, and incidentally, my own honour also. What he was putting about was slanderous, that Dembleby woman’s lies.’
‘But you said it could be proved as such.’
370‘Yes, but by the time affidavits came from Spain, the damage would be done, and people would always recall the accusation, which is far more interesting than the truth. He cast a slur on me, and you, and an innocent child, just out of spite. I had no choice, Louisa.’ He was very serious.
‘The last thing you said to me was that you could not marry me because of the lies put out by that awful woman. He fanned the flames by spreading those lies.’
‘But she is still saying them.’ Louisa tried to step back from his embrace, but he would not let her go. ‘You cannot challenge her to a duel. I do not, cannot, pretend I do not love you, but my answer has to remain the same for your sake more than mine.’
‘You think I would care, for my part alone, what was said? You, you and Emily, mean so much more than that.’ He spoke calmly, and that calmness made an even greater impression than passion.
‘But …’
‘But nothing. A most impressive weapon is being deployed against the Dragon Dembleby, and you will come with me to the gala tonight, looking radiant and devil-may-care, and you will see her defeated.’
‘The gala?’ She looked perplexed. Her mind was so full of relief that thinking was difficult.
‘Yes.’ Barkby shared what he knew of the plan that was forming for the evening’s entertainment.
‘In truth, I believe Gilmorton and I are providing an opening “barrage” before the onslaught of his redoubtable grandmama, who is “The Weapon”, and is, according to my friend, eager for the fray. He did mention the Marquis of Louth, but—’
371‘Oh. That is a name I have heard before. The Duchess dislikes my mama-in-law and her family and knows all sorts of disreputable things about them. There was some affaire de coeur between him and the Dowager’s mama, and I am sure she would not wish everyone to be reminded of it, being so judgemental herse—’ Louisa gasped.
‘The Duchess mentioned “consequences”. What if the Dowager was the “consequence”? She would die of shame!’
‘And do anything to avoid it. Poetic justice, I would call it, and we must be part of it.’ Barkby smiled.
‘I will come for you this afternoon, for I believe the doors open at five and the Duchess is arriving at half past. We shall arrive a little after that. What is more, the depth of second mourning can vary somewhat, and since you are about to be married in any case …’
‘But …’
‘I must rid you of the habit of answering with a “but”, my love.’ He kissed her again, softly.
‘“But” that will encourage me,’ she answered, with the hint of a smile.
‘Mmm. Attend this evening looking resplendent to watch the Dragon’s defeat.
And first thing tomorrow write to your parents and have them post down to Somerset, and we will send the notice to The Morning Post, and take Emily home to recover in the sunshine and fresh air of the garden, and then I will obtain a marriage licence, and … ’
Her lips pressed to his as, daringly, she took the initiative. When she broke the contact, her eyes sparkled.
‘And you use “and” far too frequently,’ she purred. ‘It is a most reprehensible habit I will have to curb.’
372‘I only do so when excited. However, you excite me, Louisa, so you may have a major task.’ He ran lingering kisses down her throat and she made soft, contented sounds that enchanted him.
‘This is how it is meant to be,’ he murmured as he pressed further kisses somewhere under her left ear.
‘Desire, as much as love, should be mutual. If I only aim to please myself, then any pleasure is a paltry thing.’
‘It is new to me,’ she whispered, wonderingly.
‘Then we can explore it together, for I never before felt as I do about you.’
They remained in each other’s arms for some time, but eventually, and with some reluctance, he let her go, but retained hold of one of her hands.
‘Dress up to the nines, my love, and if you do not present yourself all ready at five, I will be forced to go upstairs and collect you. Tonight your past will become just that, and will have no more power to hurt you. I promise it.’ He kissed the hand he held, smiled and turned to go.
‘What happened in the duel?’ she enquired. He halted and turned.
‘Hurstwood missed, or possibly deloped badly. I then deloped. He withdrew his comments, promised to declare them false to all and sundry today, and is leaving Bath. Thus Miss Newent is also preserved, though I had not thought of it until after the event.’
‘Oh, I am glad. I dislike the man intensely, but the consequences of you hitting him would have been … inconvenient.’
‘Yes, you could put it that way. Until this afternoon.’
373‘Until this afternoon.’
When he had gone, she sat down again upon the sofa, covered her face with her hands and wept in relief.
When he arrived at the door a little before the appointed hour, he did not find it barred to him, and was taken to await Louisa in the drawing room.
When she entered a couple of minutes later he caught his breath.
The copper highlights in her hair seemed to shimmer, and she wore a gold adornment in the form of a feather among the arranged locks.
There were gold pendant earrings in her ears and a necklace of gold, without stones, but with little gold droplets like tears about her neck.
Her gown was an imperial purple, with a Greek key design worked in gold about the hem of the three-quarter-length tunic, over a gold underskirt, and across her elbows lay draped a gold-spangled gauze scarf.
She stood, her face immobile, and he could not decide if she indeed looked like an empress or some beautiful creature about to be thrown to the lions.