Chapter Twelve
As a result of all this, when Valentine met Sir Richard riding in the park with Lady Amelia, she was tempted to accept his invitation to ride out to his manor house the next day.
“The Everetts have arrived; is that not good news?” he said. “They are at my house staying with my sister, who resides there at present.”
Lady Amelia interrupted to say, with an affected smile, “Oh, yes, pray do join us, Miss Welburn. I long to meet the Everetts. I hear such interesting things of them, and it will be a delightful expedition. I believe the manor is an historic and most attractive house, is it not, Sir Richard? I long to see it.”
Sir Richard said, “It is historic, Lady Amelia. It dates back to the Middle Ages and boasts a moat, wood-panelled rooms, and even a ghost, although I have to confess that I have never seen it.”
That brought another trill of laughter from Lady Amelia and a toss of her artfully arranged curls, which reminded Valentine how much she disliked her. Why should she even think of spending a day in her company? Yet to go with Sir Richard would be to assert her independence, to show that she cared nothing for what the Mountjoys, let alone Lord Marbeck, thought of her. And what harm could there be in such an outing? She would not be alone with him; she would be accompanied by Lady Amelia and doubtless a groom, so there could be no objections on the grounds of propriety.
She was, however, somewhat disconcerted the next day when Sir Richard drew up outside Mountjoy House in his curricle with no Lady Amelia but only a groom standing behind. As Valentine came out from the house, she hesitated and asked, “Where is Lady Amelia?”
“Do not worry, she will be there before us. She has gone ahead with her brother, who also wanted to see the manor; he is very keen on ghosts, I believe. He is an amiable rattle. I’m sure you know him.”
Valentine had met three of the Northrop brothers and liked them no better than she liked their sister. She said, “I’m not sure that I should travel with you in your curricle.”
He laughed at her. “Concerned for your reputation? It’s perfectly all right, I assure you. It is an open carriage, and there will be my groom behind us. Go and ask Lady Mountjoy; she will give you permission.”
That irritated Valentine. Why should she ask permission to do what she wanted? She said rather coldly, “Lady Mountjoy is not at home at the moment. I told her I would be going out today with you and Lady Amelia, so I do not need her consent.”
It was pleasant enough to be driving through the country lanes, and Valentine’s spirits rose; it was good to get away from London into the fresh air, and she had not seen enough of the surrounding countryside to dull the delights of rural England.
Sir Richard exerted himself to please her, keeping to unexceptional and impersonal topics, and she began to relax and feel at ease in his company.
“It is farther than I had thought,” she said. “Surely we have been travelling for much longer than half an hour. At this rate, we will not be able to spend much of the day in the company of the Everetts. I have to return to London in good time, as I have some engagements.”
“Oh, as to that, don’t fret,” said Sir Richard carelessly. “I will keep an eye on the time.”
Another half hour later, they came to a charming hamlet with a few thatched houses set around a village green. Valentine said how picturesque it was, but this drew no response from Sir Richard. He drove straight through the village, then turned into an entrance marked by a pair of weathered heraldic beasts perched above dilapidated stone gateposts. They were now on a drive, and Sir Richard slowed to a walking pace as the curricle bumped over ruts and bumps.
Valentine was surprised. She had not thought he was a man to take so little care of his property. The drive curved, and a minute later the curricle drew up in front of a house. It was pleasing enough, with pleasant proportions, but it could never be described as an historic manor house.
“Where is the manor house I was promised, Sir Richard?” Valentine said in a teasing voice. “Does that no more exist than the ghost?”
Sir Richard didn’t reply but held out his hand to help her down. “This is not Brindley Manor. This is another house I happen to own.”
“And the Everetts are here, and not in the manor?”
The house seemed to her to have a deserted appearance; it did not look as though anyone were staying there. Most of the windows were shuttered, and through the archway into the stables, she could see grass growing between the cobbles. There seemed to be no sign of any horses or carriages there, either.
Sir Richard nodded to the groom, who led the curricle and its pair of horses through the archway. Then, taking Valentine very firmly by the arm, Sir Richard guided her up to the front door, pushed it open, and thrust her inside.
By this time, Valentine knew that something was very wrong. She was alarmed but kept her voice steady as she said, “Sir Richard, I do not know what this is about, or why you have brought me to this place. Please take me back to London at once. I can see that neither Lady Amelia and her brothers nor the Everetts are here. This is some kind of a trick you have played upon me, and I do not care for it.”
“You shall have to learn to care for it, my dear. We have come full circle—to where we should have been two years ago, had you not taken fright at rumours that had very little foundation. You are quite right, there is no one else here, just you and I. There is no question of our returning to London. You will stay here tonight as my guest, then tomorrow you may return to London if you wish, although this single night away will mean that your life has changed forever.”
Valentine said, “I do not understand, Sir Richard. If this is some kind of a joke, it is in very poor taste. I have no intention of remaining here. It would be most improper for me to spend the night away from town and in your company; it would be scandalous indeed.”
“Ah, you always were an intelligent girl and quick on the uptake. That is my intention, sweet Valentine. There will be no way to conceal the fact that you will have spent the night here alone in my company. Do not look so alarmed; I do not intend to rape you. This is not a setting for seduction but simply a practical way of arranging matters in the most beneficial manner. I intend to marry you. No, I am not in love with you, and I never was. It is the beauty of your fortune that attracts me, not the comeliness of your person. And as to that, I have to tell you that you no longer have the bloom you had when first we met. Never mind—I daresay we shall deal together as well as any other couple, once you learn not to try and assert your will against me, and I am sure I shall be able to rid you of that habit once we are wed.”
Valentine caught the note of menace in his voice. She could not believe she had been such a fool. She knew Sir Richard was not to be trusted, so why had she believed him when he had mentioned the Everetts, who were doubtless still in Calcutta? If Lord Marbeck had not spoken to her about Sir Richard, and she had not felt that in some way she was hitting back at him by venturing on this outing with Sir Richard, she would not now be in this impossible position. She had no one to blame but herself.
“There are no servants in the house, so I suggest you busy yourself by making the place a trifle more habitable,” he said. “I have brought some supplies with me in the curricle, so we will not starve, and it is only a question of hours before your ruin is accomplished. Do not imagine it can be hushed up: I have taken care to make sure we were seen leaving town together, and Lady Amelia will deny that she ever said she would accompany us.”