Richard watched the carriage drive off. Another hurdle overcome, but he would keep his men on the alert, just in case. It would not do to let down his guard now, not when everything was working out so well. Smiling, he turned to retrace his steps, only to find an outraged figure on the road behind him.
‘Phyllida!’
Chapter Thirteen
‘You—you rogue! You scoundrel.’
‘Oh, lord, you were not meant to hear any of that.’
‘Obviously not.’ She was pale and shaking with anger. ‘You have been making May game of me.’
‘No!’ Richard ran after her as she turned on her heel and almost ran back into the park grounds. ‘Phyllida, listen to me.’
He touched her arm but she shook him off.
‘I have listened to you far too much. Never again.’
‘I have no intention of harming Ellen. You know that.’
She stopped and fixed him with a look of burning reproach.
‘I know nothing of the kind. You and your...your sort, you will stop at nothing for your pleasures, I am well aware of that. I should never have trusted you, but I was weak, and as guilty as you last night.’
‘Last night was not planned, but when you came to my room—how could any man resist you?’
Her chin went up. ‘Easily.’ Her voice trembled. ‘I know I am no beauty, I have been told often that I was fortunate to find a husband, let alone such a good one as Sir Evelyn.’
‘Stop it!’ He caught her arms, frowning. ‘You are beautiful. And desirable. I have wanted you for weeks now, you know that.’
She tore herself free.
‘You want any woman who crosses your path,’ she hissed. ‘You are a rake. That is what they do. But you shall not have Ellen, not for your precious wager, not ever.’
‘I do not want Ellen. Phyllida, it is you I want. I love you.’ The words were out before he could stop them. So much for caution, for taking his time and earning her trust. He caught her hands and dropped to one knee, saying with a reckless laugh, ‘My darling girl, will you marry me?’
Thus the practised rake made his first proposal of marriage. Even to his own ears it sounded awkward and insincere. Phyllida’s cheeks, at first red, now turned white with rage.
‘How dare you laugh at me?’ She snatched her hands away.
‘I am not laughing at you. I am very much in earnest. Blister it, I should be in a pickle if I went around proposing to ladies without meaning it. What if one of them accepted me?’
Richard jumped to his feet. Good God, what had happened to his wits? Where was his fabled charm? He was making a bad situation worse! Phyllida was staring at him as if he had run mad.
‘You need not be anxious about it on this occasion,’ she threw at him. ‘Oh, what a fool I have been. How easy a conquest. From the start you have tried to win my approval. From the very first time you came to Charles Street, pretending to remember that we had danced together at Almack’s. You knew it was very likely to have happened, since we were in town at the same time.’
‘Yes, it was a lucky guess,’ he admitted. ‘But I recalled it later.’
You witless fool!
Richard cursed. It was as if he was standing outside his own body, watching himself do everything he could to turn Phyllida against him.
‘Oh, I am sure you did.’ Her scathing tone told him clearly she did not believe him. ‘No doubt you remember every plain, tongue-tied débutante you have been obliged to stand up with.’ She started towards the house again, saying bitterly, ‘Oh, you were very clever, Mr Arrandale. You knew I was suspicious so you never overtly courted Ellen, instead you made a friend of her and pretended to be concerned for her safety.’
‘I am concerned for it. I even sent extra men down here knowing that someone was likely to make a final bid to seduce her.’
‘You were protecting your investment. No doubt it amused you to keep the wager going to the very last minute, to wait to make your move on Ellen until today, Michaelmas itself.’ She stopped again, dashing away a tear. ‘And when I presented myself in your room last night, you could not resist the opportunity to add the chaperon to your list of conquests.’
‘There is no list!’ he retorted. ‘Phyllida, I have not looked at another woman since I came to Bath, only you.’ He grabbed her shoulders. ‘I will show you!’
He dragged her into his arms and kissed her. It was a savage, angry kiss and she stood perfectly still, like a rock against his onslaught. At last he let her go, his breathing ragged and laboured.
Her eyes blazed at him, darts of green fire that accentuated her deathly white face. Slowly she raised her hand and drew the back of it across her lips, as if to wipe away the taste of him.
‘What does that show me, except that you are practised in the arts of the libertine.’ She uttered the words with a slow, icy deliberation. ‘I know your true self now, Richard Arrandale, you shall not beguile me again with your rakish charm.’
She turned on her heel and walked away from him, rigid with fury, head held high, and Richard watched her go.
He had lost her.
As soon as she reached the house Phyllida went in search of her hostess, to inform her that she and Ellen were leaving.
Lady Hune was all concern.
‘My dear, will you not wait until tomorrow, then we may all travel back to Bath together.’
‘I am very sorry, ma’am, but it is impossible. We cannot stay.’
‘Will you not tell me why you must go?’ Her sharp eyes were searching. ‘It has something to do with Richard, does it not?’
Phyllida fought with her conscience, but she could not lie.
‘Forgive me, I do not consider you responsible for your great-nephew’s actions, ma’am, I know you hold him in esteem and think him misunderstood, but I do not—cannot—share your opinion of him. He has deceived me most grievously. He contrived this whole visit as an elaborate charade to seduce Ellen.’
‘And has he succeeded?’
‘No.’ Phyllida bit her lip. She could not bring herself to admit her own weakness. ‘But there is still time, if we remain here,’ she continued. ‘He knows now that I would forbid the banns, but even so, there is ten thousand pounds to be won just for...for ruining my stepdaughter. A man would have to be a saint to forgo such a sum.’
And Richard Arrandale had proved himself to be no saint.
For a long moment Sophia did not speak.
‘I find it hard to believe that Richard has deceived me so completely,’ she said at last. ‘I cannot believe it.’
‘I do not ask it of you, ma’am. Just as I would never ask you to choose between a friend—and I do count myself as your friend—and a family member. That is why Ellen and I must leave.’
‘Have you told her yet?’
Phyllida sighed. ‘No, but I must do so without delay. If you will be good enough to order the carriage, we will pack immediately.’
‘Of course. I hope our acquaintance can continue, my dear. I value your friendship.’
‘And I yours, Lady Hune, but I fear it will be difficult, while your great-nephew is in Bath.’
‘I live in hope that it is all some misunderstanding.’
‘Oh, my dear ma’am...’ Phyllida tried to blink away the threatening tears ‘...you do not know how much I wish it could be!’
She left the room quickly and Sophia rang for her butler. She gave him precise instructions for the travelling carriage to be prepared for Lady Phyllida and asked him to send her great-nephew to her. Croft returned in a very few minutes with the news that Mr Arrandale was nowhere to be found.
‘His man thinks he might be in the park, my lady,’ Croft offered.
Sophia nodded. ‘Very well, that will be all. Send Mr Arrandale to me as soon as he comes in.’ She added, when the door had closed behind her servant, ‘I do not know what he is about, but I fear he has made a mull of it.’
It was not to be expected that Ellen would submit quietly to the news that they were leaving, but Phyllida’s clear distress kept her from protesting too much. They returned to Bath in one carriage, which meant that Matlock travelled with them, but even when the maid fell asleep Ellen forbore to press Phyllida for her reasons for leaving Shrewton so suddenly.
Phyllida was thankful for the respite. She knew it was time to tell Ellen the whole story of Richard’s perfidious actions, and she was not looking forward to it. She tried to sleep in the carriage, but when she closed her eyes she could not stop the memory of that final kiss from intruding. It had taken every ounce of willpower for her to remain unmoved. Her body had screamed to respond and if he had not released her when he did she thought she might well have surrendered, even though she knew it was wrong, even though she knew he was making a fool of her. It was that knowledge that had given her the strength to walk away from him.
It was raining when they reached Bath and the chill dampness in the air announced that summer was finally over. Hirst was surprised to see them return a day early, but being an excellent servant he soon had the candles burning in the main rooms and a cheerful fire blazing in the drawing room. It was here, after dinner and sitting in the comfortably cushioned chairs flanking the hearth that Ellen finally demanded to know the truth and Phyllida told her everything. Well, nearly everything. She stopped short of revealing that she had spent the night in Richard’s bed.