Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager(41)

Jasper regarded him steadily. This was his moment. One word from him and Gerald would break off his engagement. Susannah would be free again. The temptation was extreme, but Jasper knew he could not do it. At last he said abruptly, ‘I am not the person to advise you on this, Gerald. You must make up your own mind. At the very least you should talk to Miss Prentess about it.’

With that he turned on his heel and walked away.

* * *

Susannah was gazing out of the drawing-room window. The snow had mostly disappeared from the Crescent, but there was still a covering of snow on Crescent Fields. Kate stood at her shoulder. They had been going over the same subject for more than an hour.

‘If you are unsure then you must talk to Gerald,’ said Kate firmly.

‘I cannot do that. It would wreck his dreams.’

‘So you would marry him without love.’

Susannah turned away from the window.

‘You are forgetting he loves me,’ she said with a sad little smile. ‘That must count for something.’

‘But if you are in love with Markham—’

Susannah stopped her.

‘Even if I were not to marry Gerald there is no hope for me there.’ She thought of Jasper’s frowning looks, the hard silence he maintained when she had seen him in the Pump Room. ‘Lord Markham no longer cares for me. So I will marry Gerald, and at least one of us will be happy.’

‘Your happiness is important, too!’ Kate gave her a little shake. ‘Promise me you will at least talk to Gerald. You are rich. You have no need to marry to secure your future comfort.’

Susannah gave a dispirited shrug. ‘Loneliness is not comfortable.’

‘It can be a great deal better than marriage to the wrong man,’ returned Kate. She glanced out of the window. ‘Barnabus is approaching now, another minute and he will be here.’ She swept up her bonnet. ‘I will leave you to talk to him alone. But remember, Susannah, treat him honestly now, or face a lifetime of regret.’

* * *

The news that the rich Miss Prentess and Mr Gerald Barnabus were not to be married spread even faster than the rumours of their engagement. Gossip-mongers like Mrs Farthing and Mrs Bulstrode might disapprove of Miss Prentess’s fickleness, but mothers with daughters to dispose of were very happy that a genial young gentleman of independent means was once more on the marriage market.

Jasper was dining at Laura Place when the dowager countess announced the news as they commenced upon their soup.

‘This is not Pump Room gossip,’ she declared, looking around the dining table. ‘I saw Miss Prentess myself today, to discuss Florence House. She told me she and Mr Barnabus had agreed they should not suit.’

Her sharp eyes flickered over Jasper, who maintained his outward calm.

‘Will you call upon her?’ Zelah was sitting beside him and she took advantage of the dowager’s conversation with Dominic to ask her question.

‘No. I have no reason to do so.’

She laid down her spoon.

‘Jasper, I declare you are even more stubborn than your brother! As soon as I saw you and Miss Prentess together I knew you were in love.’

‘You are right in so many cases, my dear Sister-in-law, but not in this.’

‘Am I not? I think—’

‘No.’ He gave her a warning glance. ‘Pray do not meddle in what you do not understand!’

He was thankful that no more was said and engaged to join them the following day for a party of pleasure, to drive out to Lansdown.

* * *

However, when he called the next morning he was met with the news that the children were too fractious to go out, and Lady Gisburne had bethought herself of urgent business to discuss with Dominic.

‘Which leaves me at a loose end,’ explained Zelah, buttoning her spencer. ‘I thought you might like to escort me to Sydney Gardens.’

Jasper’s eyes narrowed.

‘I mislike that look in your eye, madam,’ he said. ‘What are you planning?’

Zelah opened her eyes at him.

‘Why, nothing, Brother dear, ’tis merely that I want to see the canal. I am told it is perfectly charming with its overhanging trees and pretty iron bridges.’ She took his arm. ‘Come along, it is such a lovely morning and a walk in the fresh air will do us both good.’

* * *

Jasper’s suspicions were not fully allayed, but he accompanied his sister-in-law to the gardens. The fine weather had brought out many visitors and their progress up the sweeping gravelled walk was slowed by the need to stop and speak to their numerous acquaintances, but at last Zelah guided her escort off the main path towards a much quieter part of the gardens.

‘I believe there is a grotto down here where Sheridan courted Elizabeth Linley. He wrote verses about it, you know.’

‘I thought you wanted to see the canal,’ objected Jasper.

‘I do, of course, but let us look for the grotto first.’

Jasper’s earlier suspicions began to stir again. They were roused fully when he saw Susannah coming towards them. She was accompanied by Charles Camerton and Mrs Logan, and a swift glance at Zelah’s countenance convinced him their meeting was not unplanned.

Mrs Logan waved to them. ‘Mrs Coale, Lord Markham, what a surprise.’

Susannah’s look of shock seemed real enough.

‘I did not know you were acquainted with Mrs Coale, Kate.’

‘We met at the Pump Room yesterday.’ Kate quickly passed on to introducing Mr Camerton, and Jasper took the opportunity to observe Susannah.

She was a little pale but otherwise composed. She looked as if she would prefer to be anywhere but in his vicinity. His inner demon took a perverse satisfaction in it. If this was a ruse to throw them together then it was not going to work. However, he had reckoned without his resourceful sister-in-law. After a few moments’ conversation she clapped her hands in delight.

‘Well, is this not my great good fortune? Mr Camerton is taking the ladies to see the grotto, too, and he has been regaling them with all sorts of stories about Mr Sheridan’s time in Bath. It is clearly the most salacious gossip, and I am desperate to hear it!’

‘Can events that happened forty years ago be considered gossip?’ Jasper enquired.

Charles Camerton had the grace to look a little guilty. ‘The ladies seem to like it.’

‘Well, since you do not wish to listen you may give your arm to Miss Prentess for a little while,’ said Zelah. ‘She will not want to hear the stories again. There, now we can all be comfortable. Shall we walk on?’

The party thus rearranged they began to move, Jasper and Susannah following the others. Jasper sought for something to say to break the awkward silence.

‘I fear we are the victims of two extremely managing female minds. I acquit Charles of being anything more than a pawn in their hands.’

‘I beg your pardon.’

Her despondent manner wrenched at his heart.

‘Come now, this is not like you,’ he said in a rallying tone. ‘You are more like to rip up at me.’

She gave a little shake of her head, keeping her face averted.

‘I have treated you very badly. Kate told me it was Mr Camerton, and not you, who divulged the secret of Florence House.’

‘To good effect, since you now have a patroness.’

She looked round at that.

‘I am aware that I have you to thank for that, too.’

He raised his hand and touched her pale cheek.

‘You have had a very horrid time of it recently, I think. Were you sorry to terminate your engagement?’

‘No. I was more concerned for Gerald, but when he told me the true state of his feelings I knew we must call it off.’

Jasper hesitated before saying slowly, ‘Perhaps you are afraid of marriage.’

‘Perhaps I am, a little.’

‘Because of what happened to your sister.’

‘Not just that.’

Her fingers trembled against the crook of his arm and he brought his hand up to cover them.

‘Will you not tell me?’

‘I have tried for so long to blot it out,’ she whispered. ‘I have told no one.’

Jasper looked up. They had fallen some way behind the others.

‘There is no one to hear us, only the trees.’ He pressed her fingers. ‘Have we not shared enough for you to know you can trust me with your confidences?’

‘Every experience I have had has shown me that men are not to be trusted.’

‘You trusted Gerald enough to become betrothed.’

‘Gerald was never a town beau.’

‘Yet still you cannot bring yourself to marry him.’

‘I began to think, to realise. At some stage he would want to— I would have to...’ She shuddered. ‘I could not bear the thought of it.’