Chapter 4
P andora knew she was about to receive bad news when Devon sent for her to come to his study without having requested Cassandra to come down as well.
To make matters worse, Kathleen, who usually served as a buffer between Pandora and Devon, wasn’t there.
She had gone for the afternoon to visit Helen, who was still in childbed after having given birth to a healthy son a week and a half ago.
The robust dark-haired infant, named Taron, closely resembled his father—“Except prettier, thank God,” Mr. Winterborne had said with a grin.
The boy’s name had derived from the Welsh word for thunder, and so far he had justified it in full measure every time he was hungry.
During the delivery, Helen had been attended by Dr. Garrett Gibson, a staff physician at Mr. Winterborne’s department store.
As one of the first few women to have been certified as a physician and surgeon in England, Dr. Gibson was skilled and trained in modern techniques.
She had taken excellent care of Helen, who’d had a difficult time during the delivery and had developed a mild case of anemia from loss of blood.
The doctor had prescribed iron pills and prolonged bed rest, and Helen was improving every day.
However, Mr. Winterborne, who was overprotective by nature, had so far insisted on hovering over his wife every possible minute, neglecting the mountain of responsibilities accumulating at the store.
No matter how Helen reassured him that she was in no danger of falling ill from childbed fever or some other dread condition, he remained at the bedside in a near-constant vigil.
Helen spent most of her time reading, nursing the baby, and playing quiet games with Carys, her little half-sister.
This morning Helen had sent a note, begging Kathleen to visit so that Mr. Winterborne would go to his office and attend to some urgent business matters. According to Helen, Winterborne’s employees were all going mad without him, and she was going mad with him.
The house seemed abnormally quiet as Pandora reached Devon’s study. Slants of afternoon light bored through multipaned windows set in deep oak wainscoted recesses.
Devon stood as she entered the room. “I have news.” He gestured for her to take the chair beside the desk. “Since it involves Lord St. Vincent, I thought I should tell you before the others.”
Her heartbeats stumbled and collided at the sound of the name. Lowering herself to the chair, Pandora balled her hands in her lap. “What is it? Has he withdrawn his offer?”
“Just the opposite.” Devon sat and faced her. “St. Vincent has extended an invitation for all of us to visit his family’s estate in Sussex. We’ll stay for a week. It will allow both families to—”
“ No ,” Pandora said, popping up instantly, her nerves clamoring with alarm. “I can’t do that.”
Devon regarded her with a perplexed frown. “It’s an opportunity to become more familiar with them.”
That was exactly what Pandora feared. The Duke and Duchess of Kingston, and their brood of superior offspring, would be sure to look down their elegant noses at her.
Only the thinnest veneer of politeness would cover their contempt.
Every question they asked her would be a test, and every mistake she made would be noted and stored away for future reference.
Pandora paced around the perimeter of the room in agitation, her skirts whisking the air and sending dust motes swirling upward in tiny glinting constellations.
Each time she passed the heavy pedestal desk, stacks of papers fluttered their edges in protest. “By the time they’re done with me, I’ll be gutted, drawn, and dressed like a trout ready for sautéing. ”
“Why would they mistreat you after having invited you as their guest?” Devon asked.
“They could be trying to intimidate me into refusing Lord St. Vincent’s proposal, so he won’t have to withdraw it and look ungentlemanly.”
“They only want to become acquainted,” Devon said in an extra-patient manner that made her want to explode like an overboiled pudding. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
Pandora stopped in her tracks, her heart thrashing in her chest like a wild caged bird. “Does Kathleen know about this?”
“Not yet. But she’ll agree that the visit is necessary. The fact is, none of us can go anywhere in London without being badgered with questions about you and St. Vincent. Kathleen and I agreed last night that the family would have to leave town until this situation is resolved.”
“I’ll go back to Eversby Priory, then. Not Sussex. You’ll have to throw me bodily into the carriage, and even then— ”
“Pandora. Come here. No, don’t be stubborn, I want to talk to you.” Devon pointed firmly to the chair. “Now.”
It was the first time Devon had ever exerted his authority over her as the head of the family.
Pandora wasn’t certain how she felt about it.
Although she had an innate dislike of authority, Devon had always been fair.
He’d never given her reason not to trust him.
Slowly she complied, sinking into the chair and gripping the wooden arms with pressure-whitened fingertips.
The hated ringing had begun in her left ear.
She cupped her palm over it lightly and tapped her forefinger on the back of her skull a few times, which sometimes caused the irritating noise to subside. To her relief, it worked.
Leaning forward in his chair, Devon contemplated Pandora with eyes the same shade of blue-black as her own.
“I think I understand what you’re afraid of,” he said slowly.
“At least in part. But I don’t think you understand my perspective.
In the absence of a father or older brother to protect you, all you have is me.
Regardless of what you or anyone else may assume, I’m not going to push you into marrying St. Vincent.
In fact, even if you wanted the match, I might not consent to it. ”
Bewildered, Pandora said, “Lady Berwick told me there’s no choice. If I don’t marry, the only other option is to hurl myself into the nearest live volcano. Wherever that is.”
“Iceland. And the only way you’ll marry St. Vincent is if you can convince me that you’d prefer him to the volcano.”
“But my reputation . . .”
“Worse things can happen to a woman than a ruined reputation.”
Staring at Devon in wonder, Pandora felt herself begin to relax, her frayed nerves ceasing their frantic shrilling. He was on her side, she realized. Any other man in his position would have forced her into marriage without a second thought.
“You’re part of my family,” Devon continued evenly. “And I’m damned if I’ll hand you over to a stranger without being assured of your well-being. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you from making the kind of mistake Kathleen did when she married your brother.”
Pandora was silent with surprise. The sensitive subject of Theo was rarely brought up in the Ravenel household.
“Kathleen knew nothing about Theo before their wedding,” Devon said.
“It was only afterward that she discovered what he was really like. Your brother couldn’t hold his liquor, and when he was drunk, he became violent.
At times he had to be carried away from his club, or some other public place, by force.
It was no secret among his friends, or in the circles he frequented. ”
“How mortifying,” Pandora muttered, her face turning hot.
“Yes. But Theo was careful to conceal his brutish side while he was courting Kathleen. If Lord and Lady Berwick were aware of the rumors about him—and I can’t believe they didn’t hear some of them—they never discussed it with Kathleen.” Devon looked grim. “They bloody well should have.”
“Why didn’t they?”
“Many people believe marriage will change a man’s temperament. Which is absolute rot, of course. One can’t love a leopard into changing his spots.” Devon paused. “Had Theo lived, he would have made Kathleen’s life hell. I won’t have you at the mercy of an abusive husband.”
“But if I don’t marry, the scandal will cause problems for everyone. Especially Cassandra.”
“Pandora, sweetheart, do you think any of us could ever be happy if you were mistreated? West or I would end up killing the bastard.”
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Pandora felt her eyes sting. How strange it was that her parents and brother were gone, and yet she’d never felt so much like part of a family.
“I don’t think Lord St. Vincent would be violent with me,” she said. “He seems the kind who would be cold and distant. Which would be a misery in its own way, but I would manage.”
“Before we make a decision, we’ll try to learn as much as possible about what kind of man Lord St. Vincent is.”
“In a week?” she asked doubtfully.
“It’s not long enough to delve into complexities,” Devon admitted.
“But one can discover a great deal about a man by observing him with his family. I’m also going to find out what I can from people who know him.
Winterborne is acquainted with him, as a matter of fact.
They both sit on the board of a company that manufactures hydraulic equipment. ”
Pandora couldn’t quite imagine the two of them talking together—the son of a Welsh grocer and the son of a duke. “Does Mr. Winterborne like him?” she dared to ask.
“It would seem so. He says St. Vincent is intelligent and practical, and doesn’t put on airs. That’s high praise, coming from Winterborne. ”
“Will Mr. Winterborne and Helen come with us to Heron’s Point?” Pandora asked hopefully. She would feel better if her entire family were there with her.
“Not so soon after the baby’s birth,” Devon said gently.
“Helen needs to fully regain her health before traveling. Furthermore, I’m going to insist that Lady Berwick not accompany us to Heron’s Point.
I don’t want you to be burdened by strict chaperonage.
I want you to have an opportunity—or two—to meet with St. Vincent alone. ”
Pandora’s jaw dropped. She would never have expected Devon, who was overprotective to a fault, to say such a thing.
Devon looked slightly uncomfortable as he continued.
“I know how a proper courtship is supposed to be conducted. However, Kathleen was never allowed a single moment alone with Theo until they married, and the results were disastrous. I’m damned if I know how else a woman is to evaluate a potential husband other than to have at least a few private conversations with him. ”
“Well, this is odd,” Pandora said after a moment. “No one’s ever given me permission to do something improper.”
Devon smiled. “Shall we go to Heron’s Point for a week, and consider it a fact-finding expedition?”
“I suppose. But what if Lord St. Vincent turns out to be terrible?”
“Then you won’t marry him.”
“What will happen to the rest of the family?”
“That’s for me to worry about,” Devon said firmly. “For the time being, all you need to do is become acquainted with St. Vincent. And if you decide you don’t wish to marry him, for any reason, you won’t have to. ”
They both stood. Impulsively Pandora stepped forward and dove her face against Devon’s chest and hugged him, undoubtedly surprising him as much as herself.
She rarely sought out physical contact with anyone.
“Thank you,” she said in a muffled voice.
“It means a great deal that my feelings matter to you.”
“Of course they do, sweetheart.” Devon gave her a comforting squeeze before drawing back to look down at her. “Do you know the motto on the Ravenel coat of arms?”
“ Loyalté nous lie. ”
“Do you know what it means?”
“‘Never make us angry?’” Pandora guessed, and was rewarded by his deep laugh. “Actually, I do know,” she said. “It means ‘loyalty binds us.’”
“That’s right,” Devon said. “Whatever happens, we Ravenels will remain loyal to each other. We’ll never sacrifice one for the sake of the rest.”