‘And you all came to find me,’ she said, looking around at the familiar faces. ‘I am very grateful.’
‘Not at all, dear lady.’ Lord Berrow pushed forwards and gave a little bow. ‘When Major Clifton set up the hue and cry we were all most happy to oblige!’
‘Very touching,’ sneered Deforge, glaring at them all. ‘Especially when you know you would all like to have the wench for yourself!’
‘Enough!’ barked Lord Keworth. ‘You will keep a civil tongue in your head when addressing the lady.’
‘Lady? I know better,’ cried Sir Ronald. ‘She has taken you all in with her smiles and fine airs, but she is nothing but an imposter! She was never a virtuous wife to Allyngham—their marriage was a sham, a cover to mask her husband’s unnatural practices with Alex Mortimer! No lady would have agreed to such a pretence. Who knows what went on in their bedchamber between the three of them? And she knew, she knew when she married him that Allyngham was a—’
He got no further. Jack stepped forwards and smashed his fist against Sir Ronald’s jaw. Deforge’s head snapped back and he crashed to the ground.
‘Well done, Clifton, just what was needed,’ declared Lord Berrow, coming forwards. ‘I have no doubt Mortimer would have done the same, had he been well enough to ride with us.’
‘Aye,’ declared Lord Keworth. ‘A dastardly act, to accuse Mortimer, a man who you know is already wounded and in no condition to demand satisfaction.’
‘Not only Mortimer, but Allyngham, my friend and neighbour,’ roared Lord Berrow, turning to glare at Sir Ronald who was slowly picking himself up. ‘Why, you filthy scoundrel, how dare you attempt to blacken the name of a hero of Waterloo? One, moreover, who is no longer alive to defend himself! Tie him up, gentlemen.’
‘It is true!’ cried Deforge, struggling as Renwick and Graham secured his hands with a length of whipcord. ‘And I had the proof, before they stole it from me! Ask them,’ he spat. ‘Ask Clifton to deny that he broke into my house!’
Putting her hand up to prevent Jack from uttering an angry retort, Eloise took a step away from him and looked at the men gathered around her. She said clearly, ‘But of course, knowing that he had the means to blacken my husband’s good name, I went to Wardle Street to retrieve it. I climbed in through his window at dead of night, stole the proof and burned it!’
An instant’s shocked silence was followed by hearty laughter. Jack took her hand.
‘As if any woman would have the nerve to do such a thing,’ he murmured, grinning at her.
‘Curse you,’ snarled Sir Ronald, ‘I shall swear to it, on oath!’
‘Do you think, sir, after your behaviour tonight, anyone will take your allegations seriously?’ retorted Mr Renwick.
‘Aye,’ nodded Lord Berrow. ‘You had best beware, Deforge: false accusations of this kind are punished very severely. Come, gentlemen, let us take this villain and his cronies back to town. We shall haul them before the magistrate in the morning.’
‘You may use my horse,’ offered Jack. ‘I shall drive Lady Allyngham home in her carriage.’
‘I’m coming with you, m’lady,’ put in Perkins, walking up at that moment with the major’s man, who added,
‘And if you’ll allow me, madam, I can handle a coach and four: it’d be an honour to drive you.’
‘Thank you,’ she murmured.
‘Aye, thank you, Bob,’ said Jack, putting his arm about Eloise. ‘Now, if that is settled, tell that rascally landlord to bring us some fresh horses and we’ll be away.’
The first grey streaks of dawn were edging into the sky as they rumbled back towards London. Eloise sat beside Jack in the dark carriage, her head on his shoulder and her hand snugly held in his comforting grasp.
‘I was so frightened,’ she murmured. ‘I never doubted you would come for me, but I did not know how soon, or if you would be alone.’
Jack put his arm about her.
‘After he had ruined the card party so spectacularly this evening, the gentlemen were only too pleased to have an excuse to come after Deforge,’ he said, resting his cheek against her hair. ‘And your groom’s quick thinking put us on the right track immediately. I have quite forgiven him for hitting me over the head on Hampstead Heath.’
‘And me?’ she asked shyly. ‘Have you forgiven me for being so foolish?’
‘Of course. The person I do find it difficult to forgive is Allyngham for marrying you. And for committing a record of his indiscretions to paper. Damnably irresponsible for such a clever man.’
Eloise was silent, leaning against Jack and listening to the thud of his heart.
‘I think he began his journal because he was away from home and missing Alex,’ she said at last. ‘He continued to write it when he was at Allyngham for those few short months before Waterloo. I did not know what was in it and when it went missing I was not unduly concerned: I thought perhaps Tony had destroyed it himself. From what Sir Ronald told me I believe now it was stolen by a servant I had turned off for dishonesty. I knew the man had taken a few pieces of clothing when he left—a few shirts and a pair of boots.’ She gave a little sigh. ‘Things of such little value I did not pursue it. I thought the poor man would have a hard enough time of it, being turned off without a reference. He was illiterate, so he had no idea what was in the journal.’
‘And you think he passed it on to Deforge?’
‘Yes.’ She shuddered. ‘It was not until Deforge left me one of the pages in the gardens at Clevedon House that I realised just how, how explicit Tony’s journal was, and how dangerous that could be. Not to me.’ She sat up and looked at him, her eyes begging him to understand. ‘Not to me, but to Tony’s name, and of course to Alex, if it became public knowledge that they were…lovers.’
He put up a hand to stroke her cheek.
‘So you had to protect them, just as you had always done.’
‘Yes.’ She nodded. ‘We grew up together, you see. Tony and Alex were two years older and I thought they were wonderful, everything older brothers should be. They were never cruel, or spiteful, as boys often can be to a younger child, and we were always friends. We were allowed to run wild at Allyngham. Tony was the leader; he liked excitement and danger. Somehow I seemed to be the one who found ways to extricate us when Tony’s madcap schemes went awry. Even when the boys went off to school I was still the one they called upon in a fix. I remember I sold my pearls once, when Tony became embroiled with a moneylender and was too afraid to tell anyone in the college, and he certainly would not tell his father. But he paid me back as soon as he was able,’ she added quickly. ‘Tony was always very generous. And very kind.’
‘Kind!’ Jack muttered an oath under his breath. ‘I do not call it kind of him to wed you, to rob you of the opportunity to marry the man of your choice, to have children—’
She sat up and put a finger to his lips.
‘He was my choice. I loved him as a brother. And Alex, too. I wanted them to be happy. It was always plain to me that theirs was a very deep and abiding love. Alex still feels the loss, more keenly than I.’
‘Allyngham should not have married you!’
She shrugged.
‘I had to marry someone. I was the poor relation, brought up with the family but expected at some time to repay their kindness by making a good marriage of my own. Lord and Lady Allyngham did not attempt to force me into a marriage, but it was apparent—never said but always implied—that I must marry.’ She paused, looking back into the past. ‘Tony was army mad, so Lord Allyngham bought him a commission. Then his elder brother died and Tony was the heir. Suddenly his family were pushing him to marry—whenever he was home on leave they would invite a series of young ladies to meet him. Of course he did not want to wed any of them. He was far too kind to allow any woman to marry him unless she knew the situation and he could not risk telling anyone, so when he suggested that we should wed, it seemed the perfect solution, for all of us. Lord and Lady Allyngham never liked the match, but when they saw that Tony was adamant they relented.’
‘And how old were you then?’
‘I was seventeen.’
‘And he explained everything to you? You knew you were entering a sham marriage?’
‘I knew Tony could never love a woman as he loved Alex.’ She raised her chin and looked directly into his eyes. ‘That was all I needed to know. Sir Ronald thought Tony had…had corrupted me, but that is not so. Tony and Alex were always very discreet when I was present. I think I had a much happier marriage than many women. Tony always looked after me, always treated me with the utmost kindness. To the outside world he was the perfect husband.’
‘Except in one regard.’
A slight flush tinged her cheeks.
‘I never noticed the lack,’ she said softly, ‘until I met you.’
A low growl escaped Jack and he swept her into a crushing embrace. She clung to him, pressing her body against his as she gave him back kiss for kiss. Tiredness forgotten, Eloise found her body responding to his caresses. When at last he raised his head she lay in his arms, her head thrown back against his shoulder as she gazed up into his face. Suddenly she could not bear the thought of being apart from him for even a moment. She reached up and touched his cheek.