tone. ‘In a year, I will be old enough to make my own decisions on the matter. My own mistakes as well.’ She gave her sister an arch look. ‘But whatever I do, I suspect it will not end with me in a false marriage to a stranger. How you can manage to stay out of the man’s bed is beyond me.’ She paused and then said in a worried voice, ‘Lord Felkirk is a most handsome man, of course. And kind as well. But I trust that you have not stooped so low as to give up your honour to convince him that you are his wife. If Mother were alive, she’d have told you that virtue is more precious than the diamonds you are searching for.’
‘Lord Felkirk has been ill. He is still very weak.’ Hopefully, this was enough of an answer to set Margot’s suspicions to rest. But it left Justine sickened by her own lies.
‘Good,’ her sister said with a relieved sigh. ‘I would not want to know if you thought so little of yourself that you would seek a man’s protection for expediency’s sake. All the same, it is obvious that the man dotes on you. Tell him the truth as quickly as possible. It is likely he will forgive all and marry you, then you will have nothing to worry about.’ She smiled and added, ‘Only then will I come to live with you, at least until I am of age. It is much nicer here than at school.’ She gave another little bounce on the mattress and ran her hand over the painted silk of the coverlet.
‘I will do as you wish, when I am able,’ Justine said, with a sigh. ‘But it is not time for the whole truth. At least, not just yet. Until then, you must keep my secret. Can you do that?’
Margot sighed and fell back on to the bed, staring up at the ceiling, as though she’d had quite enough of her sister, her worries and her complicated problems. ‘Of course I will. But do not wait too long, sister. For Lord Felkirk’s sake, you must be honest.’
* * *
That night, a dinner was held to honour the visitor at the duke’s manor. If Margot had been impressed by the luxury of Will’s house, she was truly dazzled by an invitation from the handsome duke and his plainspoken, bespectacled duchess. Justine hoped that they were not imposing in some way. Bellston was quiet this evening, offering a warm greeting to his brother and a somewhat more reserved welcome to both Margot and Justine.
But Penny was as gracious and affectionate as ever, anxious to make Miss de Bryun feel welcome. She complimented her on her education, quizzing her in Greek and Latin, and declaring her quite proficient for a girl of such few years.
At this, Daphne Colton rolled her eyes. ‘Such skills will leave you permanently on the shelf, if you display them in London, Miss de Bryun. But since you are as perfect as your sister, we will take care not to let that happen.’ She reached down the table to touch the girl’s cheek and turning her head from side to side, admiring her profile. ‘If you were turned out in the latest fashion, there would be none to compare to you. We must take you shopping.’
Penny laughed. ‘Even I know that there are no suitable shops within miles of here.’
‘There are in London,’ Daphne said. ‘It is quiet there, now. But surely Bond Street would welcome commerce.’ She glanced at Justine. ‘Have plans been made for a Season for her? She is very nearly of age, is she not? It is rather old to be making a come out, but if she is sponsored by a duchess, I should not think it too late. Now that Will is doing so much better, we might all go south for a week or two.’
Margot shot a surprised look in her direction, unsure how to respond to such a generous offer.
London was the last place Justine wanted to be. It would be dangerous to call attention to the fact that Margot was not in Canterbury, as Montague expected her to be. ‘I do not think that would be possible. The expense...’
Daphne gave a wave of her hand. ‘It is miniscule, compared to what she will gain by a good marriage. Will has the blunt for it, I am sure. It would be a shame for such a pretty girl to remain a spinster, don’t you think, Penn?’
‘I do not think we are entitled to an opinion on the matter, without speaking to Miss de Bryun,’ the duchess said with a smile, turning to the girl. ‘Perhaps she has more important goals.’
Margot blinked, still surprised that the conversation had turned to her. ‘I do not think I should mind being married,’ she said cautiously, ‘if the gentleman is as kind as Lord Felkirk.’ She shot a quick glance at her sister that made Justine feel, had she been close enough to reach, she would have received a sisterly kick on the shin. ‘But my plan for some time has been to manage a jewellery shop.’
Justine stopped her fork, halfway to her mouth. Of all the subjects she had warned Margot to avoid, had she remembered that this one was most important?
‘Sometimes, I think my wife would like that as well,’ Tim Colton replied with a sigh. ‘She would have me buy out the jewellers, on each trip to town. What she means to do with it all, I am not sure. She has but one neck, after all.’
Margot opened her mouth, ready to correct the misunderstanding. But before she could say more, Daphne let out a short, merry laugh. ‘Then we must make sure that your husband is both kind and willing to spoil you as mine does.’
As she spoke, Justine at last caught her sister’s eyes, and gave her a desperate look that warned her to silence. Then she gave a flourish of her own hand, to indicate the ring Will had given her. ‘A single, perfect gift is more than enough to please me.’ She gave a nod to her smiling husband and accepted the approving comments of the ladies at the table that it was, indeed, a most lovely ring.
Only the duke was silent, his eyes speculative, his lips set in a straight, inflexible line.
* * *
It was nearly midnight when Will called for the carriage. He’d have been happy to stay some hours more, partnering his sister-in-law at whist, while Justine sat in the corner with Penny and her lacework. But it was clear that Miss de Bryun was close to dozing over her cards, probably tired from the long journey to Wales.
When he went into the hall to find the butler, his brother followed him. The duke’s steps on the marble tile were sharp, almost military in cadence as he hurried to catch him. ‘A moment, Will. I need a word before you go.’
Will turned and waited. His brother had been behaving strangely all evening. Perhaps now he would learn the reason for it.
Adam glanced back at the open door to the salon where Justine and her sister were taking leave of their hostess. Then he said, sotto voce, ‘There has been a discovery that concerns the time you were missing from us. Tomorrow I will come for you, in the carriage. Tell any who ask...’ He paused as though searching his mind for a likely lie. ‘Tell them we are going to purchase a horse. But until tomorrow, be cautious.’
‘In what way?’ What risk could there be in a short ride to his own home and a night in bed?
The ladies were coming into the hall to join them and Adam gave no answer but a warning shake of his head. Then he turned to his guests. To an outsider, there would be nothing unusual in his behaviour. His Grace, the Duke of Bellston, was ever a genial host.
But Will had known him for a lifetime and recognised the mood for what it was. Adam was playing a role, just as he did when playing politics in London. His true feelings, whatever they might be, were buried so deep that Will would not know them until the morning.
‘Are
