Chapter Thirteen
By the time Dan arrived at the Pavilion, the main rooms were already filling up with guests. But despite the crowd the Prince spotted him immediately and headed straight for him, putting one plump arm around his shoulders.
‘Now then, Rivington, you must let me show you my latest décor in the Music Room. Wait till you see it! Gold and red everywhere, and the theme is Chinese. There are dragons and miniature pagodas all over the place and everyone assures me it is a stupendous sight.’
Dan smiled. ‘It’s all been done in your usual subdued style then, Your Royal Highness?’
The Prince Regent laughed heartily, which made his stout figure shake.
He was in fine spirits, Dan realised, and the outfit he wore—a coat of royal blue, adorned with gold braid frogging in the military style—certainly matched the splendour of the Pavilion.
‘You know me,’ the Prince declared. ‘If something I design or wear doesn’t strike the timid-hearted as outrageous, I have failed miserably. ’
‘Then I shall admire your dragons and pagodas, of course. But can they wait just a little while? Your invitation told me to bring a guest, and she has been slightly delayed. But I’m expecting her to arrive at any moment, so I should be at the door to welcome her.’
‘Another lady under your spell, eh, Rivington? Very well. Make sure you introduce her to me, there’s a good fellow!’
‘Indeed, sir.’ Dan bowed then went to stand near the main door to watch the latest arrivals.
Carriage after carriage was offloading guests in extravagant finery, and many of them stopped to greet him, but his gaze was never far from that door and before long he recognised the chaise that was pulling up outside.
It was his, and once it had pulled to a halt, he could see that Kate was gracefully emerging.
For a moment, he was overwhelmed by a sense of relief as well as triumph on her behalf, because this was her moment, her victory.
Everyone was turning to look as Kate approached the grand entrance of the Pavilion, carefully holding up the hem of her skirt—and yes, she was wearing the pink silk dress, with a cream stole draped loosely around her shoulders.
She had told him she’d found the dress in her aunt’s attic, but really, it might have been made for her.
Maybe the full-skirted style was slightly old-fashioned but it emphasised her tiny waist, and the close-fitting bodice presented a discreet yet utterly tempting display of cleavage. All in all, she looked stunning.
Other men were staring, and Dan had to fight down the desire to sweep her away from this ridiculous place and take her somewhere they could be alone. Instead, he hastened to claim her, taking her hand and giving her a reassuring smile. ‘I’m very glad, Miss Summerby, that you made it.’
She smiled back. ‘It’s only thanks to you.
’ For a moment, when she met his eyes, he saw a sparkle in them, and he wondered if she too was remembering the moments of passion they’d secretly shared.
Then she looked around, blinking a little at the spectacle.
‘My lord, the whole episode somehow reminds me of Cinderella, when the fairy godmother tells her, “You shall go to the ball!” You really don’t let anything stand in your way, do you? ’
‘I don’t,’ he said. ‘But Miss Summerby, if you are Cinderella then I have to be Prince Charming, and that can’t be right. My brother and several others would more likely compare the two of us to Beauty and the Beast.’
She laughed, but as he led her inside, she drew closer to him and said, very quietly, ‘Dan. I’m sorry to have caused you all this trouble.’
He stopped in surprise. ‘Sending my carriage for you, you mean? There’s no need at all to apologise. What happened to the dress was not your fault—it was the fault of your idiotic sister and her family.’
‘But sending your maid to me, as well! I really didn’t expect you to go to such trouble!’
That was when he found himself saying, ‘Don’t you realise, Kate, that I would do anything to make you happy?’
For a moment she said nothing and he held his breath. Anything? What was he saying? Oliver would lecture him about false promises and so forth. But at this moment in time, he meant what he said, absolutely.
Kate, though, was clearly not taking him too seriously because she laughed and said, ‘Well, I am happy.’ She gazed all around. ‘This is wonderful.’
He led her into the Chinese Gallery where the Prince and most of his guests had congregated.
He saw Kate’s eyes widen again as she took in the huge room with its roof light of stained glass, then she looked in wonder also at the lanterns and bells that hung everywhere, and the paintings of rural life in China.
‘Well?’ said Dan. ‘What is your opinion of all this?’
‘I think it is…’ He saw she was struggling for words. ‘It is all very fine.’
‘Are you sure? My brother says it reminds him of an over-iced wedding cake.’
‘Oh, indeed!’ She looked hugely relieved and smiled back. ‘It really is too much. How anyone could spend more than half an hour surrounded by such overindulgence, I cannot imagine.’
‘Hmm. Half an hour?’ He looked at his watch. ‘Are you demanding release from the party so soon?’
‘Oh, no! I do not want to spoil your evening.’
He said quietly, ‘You are very far from doing that.’ Then he led her onwards.
He had many friends here, and he registered each one’s curiosity and admiration as they noticed Kate, even hearing one murmur, ‘Who is the new beauty at Rivington’s side?
’ Each time he introduced her, she spoke in her modest but pleasing way and in fact she charmed everyone, not least the Prince Regent, who headed for Kate the instant he spotted her.
‘Now, Rivington,’ he exclaimed, ‘you selfish fellow. Who, by God, is this enchanting nymph? Where did you find her? Been trying to keep her to herself, have you?’
Kate curtsyed low, but the Prince raised her by the hand and pressed a rather too-lingering kiss to her palm. Carefully Kate withdrew her hand and said, ‘It is a great honour to be here, Your Royal Highness.’
‘The pleasure is all mine, believe me. And as soon as the music starts you must dance with me, Miss Summerby. I insist.’
Dan saw the sudden anxiety that shadowed Kate’s face. ‘I think, sir,’ he said, ‘that my priority is to show Miss Summerby the many wonders of your Pavilion.’
‘Stealing her away from me already, are you?’ The Prince waved his beringed hand in mock resignation. ‘Off you go then. But come back soon, or I shall come looking for you!’
Kate looked up at Dan as the Prince strolled off and murmured, ‘My goodness.’
Dan grinned. ‘He is rather overwhelming, isn’t he? In personality as well as girth. But don’t you wish your sister could see you now?’
She paused a moment, then she said, ‘I’m not sure I ever want to see my sister again.’
Immediately he drew her away from the crowds. ‘Are you saying, Kate, that she’s done something even worse than using you as a general nursemaid and skivvy?’
‘I’m afraid so, yes.’ She hesitated then looked up at him. ‘Dan. Do you remember me telling you that I had written to my Aunt Jemima often, but never heard anything back?’
He remembered. And he remembered that he hadn’t believed her. ‘Indeed.’
‘Well, Monica has now informed me that my father actually disposed of all the letters my aunt sent me, while never posting the ones I gave him to send to her. And my sister approved of his actions! This afternoon she confirmed that when I moved into her house, Monica took over the task of destroying Jemima’s letters and all those I continued to write to her. ’
He felt so angry for her he could hardly speak, and he felt absolutely furious with himself.
‘I doubted you,’ he said at last. ‘What a wretch I am. I didn’t believe you and I am so sorry.
’ Then he pointed to the Music Room. ‘Let us go in there. Soon the musicians will arrive, but for now it’s deserted.
’ He led her in and took her hands. ‘Now, tell me. Why did your father and sister do this?’
‘Monica told me it was partly because my father blamed Brighton’s sea air for my mother’s death and my illness.
Also, both he and Monica felt that Jemima, with her independent way of life, would be a bad influence on me.
They couldn’t stop me visiting her with my mother, but when my mother died, they wouldn’t let me go on my own.
Then I was ill, of course, and for a long time travel was impossible for me anyway. ’
Dan felt both pity and anger. ‘You have been treated abominably,’ he said.
She shrugged, causing the pink silk of her bodice to tighten temptingly across her breasts, and he had to try his hardest not to look at them, not to be one of those people who had led her to trust no man. She answered, ‘I have always had a home, I’ve been warm and fed. I cannot complain.’
‘I could dispute that,’ he said. ‘I saw the way that brother-in-law of yours was looking at you yesterday. I’d have liked to throw him into the sea. Didn’t your sister ever notice?’
Kate laughed, and his heart lightened, just a little. ‘She did today. This afternoon she actually spotted Edward drooling over me, so she hauled him and the twins away with no further mention of my return.’
‘You mean she wanted you to come back with her?’
‘Oh, yes. You see, I quickly realised she came to Brighton not only to warn me against you, but also to encourage me to come back to London with them and be governess to the twins. Apparently the one who replaced me made a hasty escape, which doesn’t surprise me. It’s all really quite funny.’
‘You are generous to think so. I suppose your brother-in-law was yet another reason for you to distrust men, along with the Viscount’s son you told me about?’
‘Yes.’ Her voice was quieter now. ‘Yes, indeed.’