ANNE ASHLEY – Lady Knightley's Secret (страница 3)

The door opening interrupted his thoughts. ‘Mary?’

‘No, sir. It’s me.’

He recognised his sergeant’s rough voice instantly and smiled. ‘What brings you here so early, you old rogue? And what the devil’s that confounded din?’

‘The servants be moving some trunks, sir. Captain Munroe be leaving us this morning. We be the last two ’ere now.’

‘Where’s Mary?’

There was a tiny pause, then, ‘She be a bit—er—busy at the moment, sir, so she asked me to see to you. High time I took up me dooties again. I can get about well enough, even though the old knee’s still a bit stiff. Now, sir, I’ll just pop this towel round you and give you a bit of a shave.’

No sooner had this task been completed than the doctor arrived, and Richard, for once not having Mary there offering comfort and support, found himself grasping the bedclothes. Not once during any one of those many cavalry charges in which he had taken part could he recall being in the grip of such intense fear as he was in those moments when the bandages were removed and he opened his eyes for the first time since that never-to-be-forgotten last battle.

At first all he could detect were dark, blurred shapes. It was like trying to peer through a thick London fog, but then, blessedly, the mists slowly began to clear and the concerned face of his sergeant staring down at him gradually came into focus.

‘I never thought I’d experience pleasure at seeing that ugly phiz of yours, Hawker. And I have to say it hasn’t improved any since last I saw it!’

The sergeant, far from offended, laughed heartily as he moved across to the window so as not to impede the doctor’s further examination. He looked down into the street below, his amusement vanishing as he gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head, and then watched as the carriage pulled away from the house.

‘Where is Mary?’ Richard asked again, making his eagerness to see her very evident.

Giving a guilty start, Hawker looked back across at the bed. ‘She’s—er—just this minute stepped out for a bit of air, sir.’

‘Well, when she returns to the house tell her I’d like to see her.’ Richard smiled at the choice of words. ‘Tell her I’m longing to see her.’

The sergeant didn’t respond, but he knew it would be only a matter of time before this gallant commanding officer realised there was something amiss.

The moment he had been dreading came early that evening when he brought Richard his dinner.

‘Where is she, Hawker? Why hasn’t she been to see me today?’

He saw little point in trying to conceal the truth any longer. ‘She be gone, sir.’

‘Gone? Gone where?’

‘She be journeying back to England. She left in the carriage as soon as she knew you were back to normal, as yer might say.’ He couldn’t bring himself to add that it had been he who had signalled to her from the window.

Richard experienced such a maelstrom of conflicting emotions that it was several moments before he could think clearly. ‘Did she say why she had to leave so suddenly?’

‘Her old lady were right poorly, sir. Never once left ’er room in all the time we’ve been ’ere. Miss Mary must ’ave wanted to get her back ’ome before she weakened any more, I suppose. Don’t think Miss Mary would ’ave stayed this long if she hadn’t been nursing us lot.’ Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a letter. ‘Before she left, she asked me to give you this, sir.’

Richard almost snatched it from the outstretched hand and, ignoring his sergeant’s reminder that he wasn’t supposed to strain his eyes by reading for at least a week, broke the seal.

Dearest Richard, he read. This is to say goodbye—a cowardly way of doing so, I know, but it is for the best. Had I seen you again I might have weakened and agreed to be your wife, which would have been a grave mistake for both of us. I know you felt honour bound to ask for my hand after what had taken place between us, but I cannot allow

you to make that sacrifice. I gave myself willingly, and do not regret what happened, nor shall I ever. But how can a marriage be a happy one, my darling, when the love is all on one side? One day you will meet someone and fall in love, and bless me for my actions of this day. God keep you safe. Mary.

Richard swallowed the hard lump which had lodged itself in his throat, and cast his eyes again over those words written in a beautifully flowing hand, a hand which for some obscure reason seemed oddly familiar. His Mary had released him from his obligations, but did he want to be freed? He wasn’t certain, but knew that he couldn’t leave things this way. He owed that young woman so much. He simply couldn’t allow her to walk out of his life like this. It was his duty to find her.

‘She hasn’t written down her direction.’ He looked up at the rather concerned face of his sergeant. ‘Did she leave a forwarding address, do you know?’

‘That I don’t, sir. Miss Mary left with all ’er servants. There’s only the Froggies ’ere now.’

‘They’re Belgians.’

‘All the same to me, sir. Do you want I should fetch the ’ousekeeper?’

Richard nodded, but she wasn’t able to help him. Mademoiselle had never mentioned her address. The only thing the housekeeper could suggest was that he wait until her master returned from Italy at the end of the month, and ask him if he knew where Mary resided in England.

But Richard was not forced to await the owner’s return. Tragically, a little over a week later, he was to read a report in a newspaper of the passenger vessel The Albatross, bound for Southampton, capsizing in mid-Channel. Amongst those listed as missing, believed drowned, were a Mrs and Miss Mary Smith.

Chapter Two

With all the exuberance of an excitable child, Lady Dartwood uttered a shriek of delight as she watched the carriage pull up outside the front entrance and saw a young woman in a very fashionable fur-trimmed travelling outfit step gracefully down the steps.

‘She’s here, Brin! She’s arrived at last!’

‘Will you stop jumping up and down that way!’ her husband admonished with a passable attempt at sounding severe. ‘For heaven’s sake remember your condition!’

‘I can hardly forget it, now can I?’ Glancing down at the rather large, figure-damaging protuberance at the front of her gown, the Viscountess’s expression managed to betray dismay as well as a deal of motherly love for her unborn child. ‘And Elizabeth’s so beautiful, too. I know you’ll fall instantly in love with her!’

The Viscount rose from the comfort of his armchair and took his young wife gently in his arms. ‘I promise I shall like her for your sake, Verity. I know how very fond you are of your old school friend. But you’re the only girl for me. How many times do I need to assure you of that?’

She rewarded him for his sound good sense, but quickly extricated herself from his embrace as the door opened and a young woman in her early twenties swept into the room and came tripping lightly towards them, looking so gracefully ethereal that the Viscountess couldn’t help but feel a tiny stab of resentment, but hid it quite beautifully as she gave her friend an affectionate hug.

‘I swear, Elizabeth, you get lovelier each time I see you. And slimmer, too!’

‘And you are blooming, my dear Verity. The very picture of health!’ Elizabeth then turned and held out one hand to the Viscount. ‘How do you do, my lord. Your wife mentions you so often in her letters that I feel I have known you for years.’

‘And I must reciprocate, Miss Beresford,’ he responded, executing an elegant bow before releasing his brief hold of the slender, tapering fingers. ‘My wife has spoken of nothing else since she received your letter accepting her invitation to be our guest.’

‘How odiously stuffy!’ Verity’s expression of staunch disapproval drew spontaneous chuckles from both her husband and her friend. ‘Now you must know that in my delicate condition it isn’t very sensible to vex me. So let’s have no more of this unnecessary formality!’

‘In the circumstances it might be wise to indulge her, sir,’ Elizabeth suggested. ‘But only on condition,’ she added, casting the most winning smile up at him, ‘that you refrain from addressing me in any one of those repulsive abbreviations so widely used where my name is concerned. I cannot abide Lizzie or Eliza. And I’m not enamoured of Beth, either.’

The Viscount readily agreed, thinking what a graciously charming young woman Verity’s friend was, her manners open and wonderfully unaffected, and by the time she had left them a short while later to dress for dinner, he had decided, without any further coaxing from his wife, that he liked Elizabeth Beresford very well.

‘Why in heaven’s name isn’t that charming young woman married? She’s not only extremely pretty, but intelligent too.’

Not in the least surprised that he had been captivated so easily by Elizabeth’s engaging manner, Verity smiled with satisfaction. ‘I honestly don’t know, Brin.’ The smile faded. ‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised, though, if it didn’t have something to do with her upbringing. She had quite a miserable childhood. From odd things she has let fall from time to time, I gather her parents’ marriage wasn’t a happy one. I believe Elizabeth was quite close to her father, but didn’t deal at all well with her mother. And as for that sister of hers…!’