her time!’
‘I have-until tomorrow. This is damnably hard on my pride!’
Henry laughed. ‘Come on, Alex, your pride can take it! I see that you intend to spend the entire time three sheets to the wind!’
Alex grinned reluctantly. ‘It seems a sound enough plan, Harry! But perhaps a game of faro would be an alternative.’
Henry inclined his head. ‘Why not? I may stand a chance of winning for once!’
And they settled down to make a night of it.
Chapter Twelve
The following day saw huge excitement in Portman Square. Lord Philip had arrived at an improbably early hour and had asked, with barely restrained impatience, to speak with Sophia alone. He had followed this with a brief meeting with Lady Verey, after which both she and Sophia erupted into the drawing-room, where Jane had been pretending to read.
‘Oh, Jane!’ Sophia burst out. ‘It is so wonderful! The Duke has given Philip permission to pay his addresses to me and he has come at once to ask me to marry him! He is posting to Wiltshire in a couple of days to see my parents! Oh, Jane!’
‘Jane, my dearest, dearest child!’ Lady Verey cried simultaneously. ‘I am so very happy for you! A Duke! Who would have thought it!’
Jane, who was hugging Sophia, eyed her mother with misgiving. ‘Whatever can you mean, Mama?’
‘Why, Lord Philip tells me that his brother wishes to marry you, you little goose! Surely that was the purpose of his meeting with you yesterday? Why did you say nothing to me? I knew he was developing a
Jane winced.
‘Philip says that we are to be married in four weeks and that he cannot believe his good fortune!’ Sophia burbled, her blue eyes huge. ‘I have written at once to my mama, begging her to return to Town with him and help me to choose my bride clothes! You will help me too, won’t you, Jane? Oh, Jane, we shall be sisters! I am so happy!’
‘I told the Duke that I would not marry him,’ Jane said.
There was a silence. Sophia’s smile faded and she stepped back, staring at her friend in disbelief. Lady Verey turned pale. A pained spasm crossed her face.
‘Jane? What are you saying?’
‘I told the Duke that I would not marry him,’ Jane repeated, wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her whole. It was not precisely true, but she did not want her mother becoming carried away and announcing the two engagements at the same time. Besides, her heart was sore that Alex had apparently disregarded their conversation and decided that the marriage would go ahead. Why had he told her that he would wait for her decision when he evidently intended to ride roughshod over her feelings?
Lady Verey eased her way backwards into the elegant Louis Quinze
‘Time…’ Lady Verey said faintly. ‘You need time…overpowered by excitement…accustomed to the idea…Thank you, child,’ she added, as Sophia pressed the glass into her hand.
‘I am sorry, Mama,’ Jane said, taken aback that her mother had not pressed for the marriage more stridently. She seemed more saddened than angry. And Sophia-
‘Oh, Sophy, I am so sorry!’ Jane was overcome by remorse. ‘I am so selfish! This is your special day and I would not spoil it for all the world!’
‘Never mind that,’ Miss Marchment said severely, showing her practical streak. ‘I am so very happy that nothing could spoil my mood! But I wish to know what it is with you, Jane-we were all so very sure that you are in love with the Duke, you see!’
‘All?’ Jane repeated faintly, sitting down rather suddenly in much the same way as her mother had.
‘Yes indeed, dear child!’ Lady Verey sat forward, fixing her daughter with her wide myopic eyes. ‘We have all observed it! Sophia and I were quite certain and even Lady Eleanor was coming round to the same view! And Sophia will tell you that Lord Philip is quite convinced that the Duke is smitten by you! Tell her, Sophia!’
‘It’s true, Jane!’ Sophia said eagerly, coming to kneel by her friend’s chair. ‘Lord Philip said that Henry Marchnight, who as you know is well acquainted with the Duke, said that-’
‘Wait, wait!’ Jane besought. ‘Has everyone been discussing this?’
‘Well, yes, my love!’ Lady Verey frowned a little. ‘It was quite clear to me at Malladon that Lord Philip and Sophia were set fair to make a match of it and when I mentioned it to Eleanor Fane she told me that I was not to regard it, for she was sure that Alex Delahaye intended you for himself! They say that he has never attached himself to any woman since the death of his first wife,’ Lady Verey said triumphantly, inadvertently making the situation worse. ‘She was a great beauty, of course, but we all know that her behaviour scarcely graced the Delahaye name!’
‘I believe, however, that the Duke was most sincerely fond of her,’ Jane said dolefully.
Lady Verey stared. ‘But since she is dead, my love, you have no need to think of her at all!’
There was a rustle and Sophia took Jane’s hand in hers.
‘Dear Jane,’ she said gently, ‘tell me what is the matter!’
‘He does not love me, Sophy!’ Jane let out a desolate sigh. ‘He is still in love with his dead wife! Oh, I seem to amuse him and he indulges me, but I know he is only wishing to marry me to honour the pledge to his grandfather!’ She turned to look at her mother. ‘So I will
Sophia’s eyes were huge. ‘So you do love the Duke! Jane, are you sure? He is so…frightening!’
‘Oh, he is not so bad when one gets to know him a little! Yes, of course I love him!’ Jane said crossly. ‘I love him but he does not love me and I will
‘Heigh ho!’ Lady Verey said philosophically, getting to her feet. ‘Fine sentiments, my girl, but you have forgotten a couple of things!’
Both girls looked up at her inquiringly. ‘One!’ Lady Verey enumerated. ‘If Lord Philip has told us you are betrothed to Alex Delahaye he will have told everyone and it will be all over Town! Two! If Alex Delahaye wishes to marry you, I defy even you to withstand him!’ And so saying, she swept grandly from the room.
Word of Sophia’s engagement spread like wildfire that day, mainly because Lord Philip was proclaiming it from the rooftops. It was something of a sensation. The little country miss, with no money and nothing to recommend her but her pretty face, had caught the younger brother of a Duke who was a hardened rake to boot. Not everyone was kind. Jane knew that Sophia missed none of the nuances, though she smiled bravely throughout until her face ached. Nor was Jane able to do much to help, for many of the malicious remarks made reference to her own short and ill-fated courtship by Lord Philip, so that Jane ended up being the butt of the spite as well.
‘Oh, it is not to be borne,’ Sophia stormed, her good nature quite banished by a particularly sharp remark from Miss Brantledge. ‘I declare I will make Philip live in the country all year round if people cannot curb their tongues! To suggest that I stole Philip from under your nose is the outside of enough!’
Both girls were feeling on edge by the time they reached Lady Marfleet’s ball that evening. Jane was very grateful that Lord Philip had decided to postpone his departure to Wiltshire and was there to give her friend some much-needed support. Smoothing down her lilac and silver dress, she wondered whether Alex would also be there. It seemed like days rather than hours since she had parted from him and she knew that he would be awaiting her answer. Her nerves tightened at the thought.
‘Miss Marchment!’ Lady Jersey, malice incarnate, billowed up to them as soon as they entered the ballroom. ‘I must congratulate you, you sly little puss! And Miss Verey! I hear your own triumph is to be announced soon! Such a relief for your dear mama that you will not be eclipsed by your friend!’ And with a sharp little smile she glided away to spread the gossip.
It was, in fact, at least three-quarters of the way through the evening when the Duke of Delahaye finally
