Proposals in Regency Society: Make-Believe Wife / The Homeless Heiress

‘And if he does not?’ Hartingdon’s eyes gleamed suddenly. ‘I shall give you three months to seek his permission. If after that there is no word, I shall insist on the banns being called.’

Roxanne looked at him and saw the challenge in his eyes. She sensed that he was testing her and smiled, but before she could answer Luke spoke.

‘I am certain we could agree to that,’ he said. ‘After all, your father could not blame you for going ahead if he makes no attempt to contact you, Roxanne.’

‘It is so long since I heard anything, he may be dead,’ Roxanne said carefully. ‘If in three months’ time nothing has changed—and we are all content with the situation—I shall agree to the banns being called.’

‘Then you have my blessing,’ the earl said and looked smug, as if he had gained what he sought. ‘However, there is one caveat—and that is that Miss Roxanne remains here with me so that I may get to know her. If you have business elsewhere, Luke, you may leave us for as long as it takes. Your fiancée will reside here.’

‘I’m not sure…’ Luke looked stunned. Clearly he had not expected anything of the kind. ‘Roxanne—how do you feel about living here with Grandfather?’

Roxanne hesitated. She had expected a visit of two to three weeks at the longest. To live in this house for three months under the eye of the earl would be a huge challenge.

‘I…’ she began and then encountered a strange expression in the old man’s eyes. The challenge was there, as she had expected, but there was something more—a vulnerability and frailty that seemed to be pleading with her rather than demanding. ‘I think that would be an excellent idea. I have a great deal to learn if I am to be the mistress here, Luke. I hope you will stay with us as much as you can, dearest, but I shall be perfectly content to help Mrs Arlet. I believe she is quite keen to open up some of the family rooms that have been under covers for years.’

‘Told you that, did she?’ For the first time there was a glimmer of true respect in the earl’s eyes. ‘Jane Arlet knows quality when she sees it. If she approves of you, miss, I expect you will do. Don’t worry that I mean to keep you a prisoner. We shall have guests to entertain and you can visit our neighbours, though I do not go out at night these days. Barely go further than the garden even in summer, but I’m not too decrepit to entertain the family and our neighbours. We shall have a ball in a couple of weeks. Mrs Arlet will give you a list and you can write the invitations, girl. You can write, I suppose?’

Roxanne laughed softly. ‘Sofia said I had the most beautiful copperplate hand she had seen, sir.’

His brows met in a frown. ‘And who, pray, is Sofia?’

‘She was my dearest friend, almost a mother to me. Unfortunately, she died recently. I miss her very much.’

‘Humph…’ His gaze narrowed thoughtfully. ‘Name seems familiar, though I can’t think why. Well, why are you both still here? It is a beautiful morning. Get off out and leave me in peace. You should show Roxanne the gardens, Luke.’

‘Yes, sir, delighted.’ Luke held out his hand as Roxanne rose to her feet. She took it, smiling up at him when his fingers closed about hers. ‘Would you like that, my love?’

‘Yes, I should,’ she agreed and bobbed respectfully to the earl. ‘Thank you for receiving me, sir.’

‘Come and see me again tomorrow in the morning and we’ll talk. I may dine with you this evening, but we have no guests until the following day. I wasn’t sure whether you would really come.’

‘Or whether I should be presentable,’ Roxanne said and gave him a look that was deceptively demure. He glared at her, but she thought there was a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes. ‘Please dine with us if you feel able, sir.’

She took Luke’s arm and they left the earl’s room, going downstairs, through the hall and out of a side door into a small walled garden. It was square with rose beds on all sides and a sundial in the middle. Most of the roses were still in tight buds, though some had begun to show signs of opening.

‘Was it too much of an ordeal?’ Luke asked and looked down at her, a flicker of doubt in his face. ‘He seemed to like you, though you might not have thought it—but believe me, he can be much worse.’

‘Yes, I dare say he could. You told me not to be afraid of him and I thought it best to speak out from the start. I believe he prefers plain speaking.’

‘He cannot abide mealy-mouthed women. I have a godmother, who was also a great friend of my mother’s. Hartingdon was abominably rude to Lady Paula the last time she was here. She left in tears, vowing she would never visit again.’

‘I dare say he can be intimidating if he chooses,’ Roxanne said. ‘Yet I think underneath the growling and the harshness, he is lonely and vulnerable.’

‘Good grief.’ Luke stared at her in astonishment. ‘You saw that too? I thought I might have imagined it—he does his best to drive everyone away, you know. All the time I was growing up, he never showed me any sign of affection. He shut himself away from everyone after my mother died and often went for days without speaking to me. He was a harsh disciplinarian, though, when I look back, I believe he was fair. I dare say I was a rebellious lad and even more so as a youth.’

Roxanne laughed and hugged his arm. ‘I can understand why you rebelled when you reached your majority. Sofia always said that if you tied a dog to a short lead it made him wild when let free—and I think it is much the same with us. The best discipline is that which we apply to ourselves, do you not agree?’

‘You are amazing,’ Luke said. ‘You seem to have wisdom beyond your years, Roxanne. How old are you actually, do you know?’

She shook her head. ‘I think I may be nineteen or perhaps twenty. Sofia was never certain, but I was with her for more than five years and must have been thirteen or fourteen when she took me in. If I seem wise, it is because I spent all my time listening to her. She was an intelligent woman with great experience of the world and its foibles.’

Luke nodded, his eyes intent on her face. ‘You still recall nothing of your past?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Then what are you hiding from me? I have sensed something, but did not wish to pry lest it was painful for you.’

Roxanne hesitated, then made her decision. She must trust him with her secret. ‘I have in my possession a ruby of great value. Sofia says I was clutching it in my hand when she found me. I held on to it fiercely and would not be parted from it for some days. When I finally did release it, she hid it and kept it for me. I had forgotten about the jewel until she reminded me just before she died. She says that when I was found, I was dressed in good plain clothes, but not silk, and I had no other ornament.’

‘Are you thinking that you may have stolen it?’

‘I do not know. Sofia told me that I should sell it and set myself up as a lady, but I should be reluctant to do so. It is the only clue I have to what happened before Sofia found me. Besides, it may not be mine to sell.’

‘You think you took the ruby and ran away? Are you certain it is a real jewel and not simply glass?’

‘Sofia thought it valuable. I will show it to you later. I do not know if there is any way to trace the rightful owner…’

‘How do you know that you are not the rightful owner?’

Roxanne looked at him, wrinkling her brow in thought. ‘Sofia told me that I kept saying it was mine, but after I relinquished it to her, I seemed to forget about it and did not ask for it again.’

‘It must have held great importance to you at the time.’ Luke looked thoughtful. ‘You told me that India came to mind when you thought of your father. It is quite possible that a man who either served with the British army or for the trading company might acquire such a jewel. Perhaps it belonged to your father.’

‘Why would I steal a jewel from my own father?’

‘He might have given it to you.’

‘The memory of India was just Sofia’s game.’ Roxanne sighed. ‘I have tried so hard to remember, but I cannot.’

‘Did you keep the jewel hidden in the secret pocket beneath your gown when you travelled?’

‘Yes, in the place where I put your gold to keep it safe. It is not there now. I will show you this evening and then you can tell me your opinion of its worth.’

Chapter Five (#ulink_8400f04d-b676-5221-98fe-a6c03f7b531f)

Roxanne took the jewel from the dressing case Luke had bought for her. She had placed it in the secret compartment for safekeeping. It was as large as a pheasant’s egg, a strange oval shape with slightly pointed ends and a deep dark red in colour. When it caught the light from the candles on her dressing table it sparkled and glowed with fire. Something about it at that moment sent a shiver down her spine. She had not noticed before, but there seemed something mysterious, even sinister, about the jewel.

She tucked it into the bodice of her gown and went out of her room, her heart beating faster. It was a relief to share her secret with Luke, because it had lain heavy on her conscience ever since she’d rediscovered the ruby in Sofia’s things. Making her way down to the smaller of the two dining parlours, Roxanne wondered if it would be possible to trace the origin of the jewel. She thought Luke was right. It had most likely been brought from India—but was it a gift to her from someone or stolen from its rightful owner?

The earl had decided that he would dine with them that evening. Dressed immaculately in evening clothes that belonged to an earlier age, he seemed more formidable than previously, a proud autocratic man with a strict manner. However, he was the soul of courtesy to Roxanne and did not once give her reason to blush or feel uncomfortable. With Luke he was sharper on one or two occasions, but, receiving only polite answers, he lapsed into silence and then glanced at Roxanne.

‘Do you play chess, Miss Roxanne?’

‘Yes, sir. Sofia taught me. We played in the evenings for there was little else to do…except sew, of course.’

‘You did not have an instrument?’

‘No, not for some years.’