The Reluctant Viscount

‘Good for Percy. Why, does that pretty little thing want him for herself? She hasn’t a chance unless she’s wealthy.’

‘Hardly. She likes Percy less than I do. Apparently her little brother is sweet on the heiress, so Miss Drake is guarding the sheep while her brother is off at Cambridge. And she wants me to help chase off this particular wolf.’

Nicholas opened his brown eyes wide.

‘A very primped and pomaded wolf. But why on earth would she expect you of all people to do that?’

‘No idea. She seems to think it is my duty now that I am the head of this misbegotten family.’

‘I don’t know why anyone would expect that,’ Nicholas said reasonably. ‘They never wanted anything to do with you until Ivor died without male issue. Who would have thought that old Lord Delacort would drop dead and lose two sons to mishaps in a mere five years? If you hadn’t been halfway around the world at the time, I am sure they would have found a way of laying the blame at your door.’

‘I wish one of them at least might have waited until they had sired a son before they died. It’s bad enough being saddled with getting this ruin into some semblance of order, I certainly don’t need furious little bluestockings stomping in demanding I do something about Percy’s fortune hunting.’

Nicholas’s brows rose. ‘Is that what she is? She didn’t look the part. How on earth do you even know her? She must have been little more than a child when you were booted out of the county.’

‘I don’t know, she must have been around sixteen or seventeen. And I know her because amongst other things she very kindly tried to warn me off Rowena. To be fair she was spot on—she told me she was sorry that I was about to be hurt, but Rowena was leading me on and had no real intention of marrying me because I was quite poor and that it was probably all for the best, since she would make me miserable if I were unlucky enough to marry her.’

‘Good God! I would wager you didn’t appreciate the lecture at the time.’

‘I remember hoping she’d fall out of the tree.’

‘What tree?’ Nicholas asked, bemused.

‘The lecture was delivered from a branch of the Hungry Tree, so named for its tendency to capture and demolish her siblings’ balls and kites. Their cottage is on Rowena’s family land and Miss Drake and her siblings were always underfoot somewhere.’

‘Why the devil was she was up in the tree?’

‘Rescuing a ball, I think. I offered to help and got that lecture for my pains. And she said I was too fat.’

Nicholas leaned back, clearly enjoying himself.

‘Too fat? You?’

‘Well, too big to help on any but the lowest branches. I was still in my chivalrous phase, but it was wasted on her. I forgot to mention she used to go around in breeches, of all things. It was the strangest household. Her father was always upstairs in his study, writing abysmal poetry, and I think I saw him less than half a dozen times the whole time we lived in Mowbray. Her siblings were always either up to some mischief or following Alyssa about like a tribe of Indians. They were a law unto themselves.’

Nicholas frowned.

‘She didn’t look wild.’

‘Not wild, precisely. Despite the breeches and the tree-climbing she was trying very hard to turn her ramshackle tribe into a proper little brigade. She used to tutor them en masse out in the garden so they wouldn’t bother their father. She roped me into teaching them some Greek plays. It was very odd. The youngest one was seven, but they all sat there on the grass and drank in Antigone and Oedipus.’

‘Oh, no, Adam, not Oedipus!’

‘That’s what I thought, but she insisted. She said it was important they know the classics. I toned it down as much as I could. They were a good audience—the only ones who showed any interest in what I was studying. My parents certainly never did. The only reason they consented to my going up to Oxford instead of starting work with old Delacort’s estate agent right away was because I received a fellowship. That way I would be up there at Trinity earning old Delacort’s goodwill by making sure Ivor did enough not to get himself sent down. Anything to insinuate us further into the Delacort social fold. My mother always made it clear that the chief redeeming feature of becoming plain Mrs Alistair was the Delacort connection. She was the reason we came to live in Mowbray on old Delacort’s charity in the first place. She always hoped Timothy and Ivor would take at least one of my sisters off her hands, preferably both. Until I ruined everything, that is.’

‘Yes, your mother is a piece of work, all right. Now that I think about it, you haven’t said a word about your family since we returned to England. She should be delighted now that you’ve come into the title and estates, no?’

Adam picked up the bust of Heraclites from his desk and walked over to place him on the mantelpiece. He stood for a moment considering the morose face and his own reflection beyond it, then turned his back on both.

‘“Delighted” is a word I wouldn’t associate with my mother. Now that my sisters are eligibly married the benefit of my newly elevated status is minimal, certainly when balanced against my tarnished reputation. I think now that my father is dead she prefers to remain safely in Northumberland to bask in the borrowed glory of my sisters’ husbands. And thank goodness for that. I am very comfortable with the current arrangement where any communication between us is through my sisters.’

Nicholas shook his head.

‘I can see where you got your stubborn streak, man.’

Adam shrugged.

‘I spent two-thirds of my life doing just about everything she wanted and for one act of folly she demands that the only way to make amends is to erase myself from our family’s life and disappear. She didn’t even have the decency to write to me when Father died. She left that task to Sybil and Cammie. But that knife cuts both ways. I promised myself that was the last time I would do what was proper. I didn’t just erase myself from my family’s life. I erased who I was. So now I can do whatever I want and be accountable to no one.’

‘Well, you can certainly do almost anything you want. But I would argue against your being accountable to no one. You took pretty good care of me when I was sick in Punjab, for example.’

Adam smiled, relaxing.

‘I would have done the same for my horse. Besides, I was responsible for you, in a way. I never understood why you decided to come along. You should have stayed at Oxford, then gone home to Berkshire and married one of those pretty little ladies you were always rhapsodising about.’

‘There you have it in a nutshell. Unlike you, I always wanted to live an adventurous life and being a third son meant there wasn’t much for me to do back in Berkshire, lovely ladies or not. I knew an opportunity when I saw it. That’s not to say there weren’t days I would have much rather stayed safe at home and I won’t be going back to that particular village in Punjab in this lifetime, but all told, joining you was the best decision I’ve made. So, get this dilapidated old mausoleum into shape and let’s return to London, where we can continue to reap the fruits of our labour. As long as you don’t fall back in love with the mercenary Rowena now that we are in the neighbourhood. Is she very beautiful?’

Adam frowned in concentration.

‘I think so.’

‘You think so?’

‘It was a long time ago. I thought so at the time, but I can’t quite remember what she looked like.’

‘For heaven’s sake, Adam. This is the woman who broke your heart and you can’t quite remember what she looks like?’

‘I’m certain she had blue eyes. Everyone kept going on about cornflower orbs.’

‘Blast you, Adam, you’re about as romantic as a wet boot. How do you have such luck with women?’

Adam grinned.

‘Luck has nothing to do with it. But I will certainly continue to leave the romance to you, you old fraud.’

‘Well, I admit to being curious about the woman who was your Helen of Troy and catapulted you into battle, so to speak. She must be ten years married now, which is all for the best. Bored matrons are the easiest of prey. Imagine, Adam—if she had not been such a devious fortune hunter, you might even now be the proud owner of a brood of cornflower-eyed brats.’

‘Thank the heavens she was, then.’ Adam stretched lazily. ‘As much as I resented it at the time, Miss Drake was right—marrying Rowena would have been one version of hell. And getting my pride handed to me so brutally has been very useful. Life has been much more enjoyable since. Sometimes it amazes me to remember just how serious I used to be. And stupid. I honestly thought Rowena was the embodiment of all that was good and right in the world. Unbelievable. As you said yourself, it was the best thing that happened to me.’

‘Probably,’ Nicholas conceded. He glanced sideways at Adam. ‘Still, it is strange that you can’t even remember what this beauty looks like. Seems to me you remember this Miss Drake quite well.’

‘The Drake household was singularly unforgettable. It couldn’t have been any more different from mine. She was a wild little thing with big eyes and her hair in a ribbon, and a mind which would have done an Oxford don proud. The last thing I thought she would become was a pattern card of propriety. Still, the fact that she dared come here, and unchaperoned, shows there is still something of that wilful girl she hasn’t managed to tame.’

‘I still don’t quite understand why she came to you about her cousin and not to her father.’

‘She has an overactive sense of duty and her father has none at all. He is one of the most self-centred people I’ve ever encountered, which is saying a great deal. Unfortunately for her I also don’t have quite the same tribal loyalty. Percy is hardly my concern.’

‘So Miss Drake and her little heiress “go to it”?’

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

‘If you are reduced to quoting Shakespeare, I gather you disapprove,’ he stated, his tone flat. Nicholas shrugged.

‘Not at all. I’m just thinking you might. Disapprove, I mean. Remember I’ve known you since we were eight years old.’

Adam stood up and walked over to the window, staring down at the gardens below.

‘I don’t know what she expects me to do. It’s not as if I have any influence over Percy and I refuse to buy him off. I’ll never be rid of him if I do.’

‘That’s true. The only thing that would convince Percy would be cold hard gold or a wealthier heiress.’

Adam turned back towards Nicholas, his eyes narrowing. ‘You’re probably right,’ he said slowly.

‘I mistrust that look, Adam. Last time I saw it we almost ended up in an Indian jail.’

Adam laughed, his intent expression lightening.

‘Don’t complain. That look, as you call it, earned you a nice fortune.’

‘And I’m grateful. I just don’t want to see you get into any trouble.’

‘What possible trouble can I get into in Mowbray?’

Nicholas raised one brow quizzically. ‘Wasn’t the reason you had to leave England because of the trouble you got into in Mowbray? What if you fall back in love with the beautiful Rowena when you meet her again?’

‘Back in lust, you mean.’

Nicholas shook his head.

‘I don’t know how you became so cynical, Adam. You’re worse than I am.’

‘That bad? Miss Drake attributes it to Rowena taking the man out of me.’

Nicholas’s eyes opened wide. ‘She didn’t say that!’

‘She did. Straight for the jugular, or rather, below the belt. To be fair, she apologised.’

‘Well, that’s all right, then. My goodness, I wouldn’t mind meeting this peculiarity up close. So you’re really going to stay here for a while?’

Adam shrugged and nudged a crate of crumpled documents with his boot. ‘I have to spend a couple of weeks on the estate anyway. The place is a shambles. Apparently neither Timothy nor Ivor had any idea what they were doing, the poor fools. Someone needs to oversee the workmen getting this mausoleum into shape until Thorpe can take over and I can’t leave all the negotiations with the tenants to him, at least not initially.

‘Besides, I have an idea about Percy which just might provide us some entertainment while I am marooned here. Remember when we met with Derek and Ginnie in London? She said she missed her days on the stage now that she was a respectable wife and mother. Perhaps she might like to spend a few days visiting the famous Mowbray spa in the guise of a wealthy widow. She should have no trouble attracting Percy’s attention.’

Nicholas shook his head ruefully. ‘Ginnie would have no trouble attracting a blind man’s attention. She will love the idea and will no doubt talk Derek into approving it. He never could say no to her. Still, take care what you’re at, Adam,’ he cautioned, but Adam merely smiled.

‘For a rake, you’re a timid old lady sometimes, Nick. If you’re so worried, you can stay and keep an eye on me.’

‘London society is a bit thin during the summer months, so I just might linger for a while. And I’ll try not to cut you out with the beauty.’

Chapter Three

Adam pulled on the reins gently and halted the curricle just outside an old Tudor-style building on the High Street where a large sign announcing Milsom’s Bookshop and Circulating Library hung above two large bay windows. This had been one of his favourite places in Mowbray ten years ago and it had not changed at all—the sign was even still very slightly crooked. In fact, it was amazing how little had changed, at least outwardly, in the ten years since he had left.

He handed the reins to Jem, his head groom and the only man amongst his staff whom he trusted with his horses, and jumped out of the curricle. A passing matron with a child hanging on to either hand shot him a look of alarm and hurried ahead, dragging her offspring with her, and Adam sighed. He was beginning to understand what it felt like to be a freak in a travelling fair. Mowbray might not be as large as nearby Oxford, but he would have thought it was large enough to ensure that not everyone had nothing better to do than either stare at him or look uncomfortably away. So far the only people who had treated him as a human being rather than an object of curiosity or a source of possible moral corruption were his servants and tenants, and that had taken a week of cautious interaction. It was as if the whole town had taken a leaf out of his mother’s book and erased all memory of the serious young man who had lived there before the scandal. Now he was merely a caricature of a debauched rake.

He headed into Milsom’s. None of the previous Lord Delacorts had been avid readers and this was one deficiency he wanted to right as soon as possible. He had no intention of spending too much time in Mowbray and he didn’t particularly mind being a social pariah, but if there was no other entertainment to be had while immured in Oxfordshire, he might as well have some good books to read. A bell jangled faintly as he entered and two men on either side of a long counter turned towards him.

‘Adam!’ The younger man straightened abruptly from his lounging position and the ornate silver-rimmed quizzing glass he had been twirling slid from his fingers and hit the counter with a dull thud. He had a boyish face and very pale flaxen hair which demanded all of his valet’s considerable skill to whip into the current au coup de vent fashion of artlessly disordered curls.

‘Lord Delacort,’ said the older man, much more pleasantly, and Adam nodded to him first.

‘Good day, Mr Milsom. Hello, Percy. Mr Milsom, I was hoping you might assist me in purchasing some books. I brought a list...’ He produced the folded list and handed it to the older man, who spread it out on the counter, his eyes brightening as he scanned its length.

‘Yes, indeed...’ he murmured absently, nodding to himself. ‘We have some volumes here, but most I will have to request from London, My Lord.’

‘I understand. There is no hurry, Mr Milsom. Whatever you can provide me with today, I would be grateful.’

‘Of course, My Lord. Right way, My Lord.’ Without a glance at Percy he turned and disappeared into a back room, leaving the cousins together.

Percy’s gaze flickered towards the door and then back to Adam; he raised his quizzing glass and viewed Adam’s riding clothes and caped greatcoat with a slightly derisive twist to his generous mouth.

‘You know, Adam, you really should have Libbet give your valet some advice on tailoring now that you’re settled. Stultz, my fellow. I can see you favour Weston and I can’t fault his fabrics and his stitching, but really, that coat is quite commonplace.’

Adam surveyed Percy’s nipped-waist coat, pale primrose-coloured pantaloons, the carefully arranged cravat secured with a ruby pin and the uncomfortably high shirt points. But the most impressive article of clothing was a waistcoat elaborately embroidered with what looked like tulips and long-tailed parrots, shot through with silver and gold thread.

‘Stultz, you say? I don’t think I could quite carry it off with the same panache as you, Percy. Did I pay for that pin or was it poor Ivor?’

Percy’s hand rose towards the gleaming jewel, then dropped. He straightened, pushing away from the counter.

‘It’s not enough to cut off my allowance. You want to dun me now?’ he asked bitterly.

‘Not unless I have to, Percy. Just try not to annoy me too much while I’m here, will you? I’ll be gone in a couple of weeks and you should have the field back to yourself. At your own expense, though, of course.’

‘Blast it, man, you made your point—I told Libbet we need to scale back, but you can’t cut me off completely, Adam. I’m your heir! I’m a Delacort!’

‘Precisely, you’re another in a long line of useless wastrels, myself included. And right now I happen to be in charge, which means you will have to make do with what you have.’

‘Blast you, Adam, you have no right...’

‘But I have every right, Percy. At least for the moment. Keep that in mind and keep your hand out of my pocket.’

Percy took a step forward.

‘I wish you had—’ He broke off, his face unappealingly crimson.

‘What? Got myself killed and saved everyone the bother of dealing with me? Probably, but the fact is that I didn’t. This is the reality. Deal with it. I am sure Libbet can keep you looking respectable even on your income. Though you might have to forgo these...entertaining waistcoats.’

The ugly look on Percy’s face cleared with such rapidity Adam turned around even before the bells on Milsom’s doors announced new customers. Three ladies entered. The first was a sweet-looking young woman in a bright jonquil pelisse over a white dress with several finely embroidered flounces, whose eyes lit up the moment they settled on Percy. She was followed by a plump woman of indeterminate age and unconvincing bright coppery hair tucked under an impressive high poke bonnet decorated with a spray of scarlet mock cherries. The last to enter was Miss Drake, dressed in a simple rose-coloured pelisse over a white muslin frock. Her gaze narrowed as it settled on the two men and Adam tried not to smile at the evident annoyance in her remarkable eyes.

‘Mr Somerton...’ Miss Aldridge breathed and Percy took a step forward.

‘Miss Aldridge! Mrs Aldridge! Miss Drake! How fortuitous! Would it be too much to hope you might join me for a walk along the garden promenade? It would be such a pity to insult the sun by remaining indoors on such a beautiful day! I promise to escort you back to Milsom’s at the first hint of a cloud.’

Adam watched the expressions on each of the women’s faces appreciatively. Miss Drake’s stony look did nothing to daunt Percy or the young Miss Aldridge, who continued to stare at him with a fatuously blissful look. And since Mrs Aldridge happily assented to the change in their plans, Miss Drake had nothing more to do than announce she would join them once she’d collected the book she had ordered. Percy bowed graciously, tucked Miss Aldridge’s hand about his arm and beckoned Mrs Aldridge to precede him.

Adam watched as the party stepped outside, Percy’s fair hair gleaming halo-like in the summer shine before the doors closed behind them. He felt Alyssa hesitate beside him. He could already anticipate the repeat of her appeal and he cut her off before she could speak.

‘It looks like the die is cast, Miss Drake. She could do worse, you know. He may be a selfish fortune hunter, but he is, as he reminded me, next in line for the Delacort spoils once I cash in my chips. She might even like being a dandy’s wife. At least Percy has Libbet to keep him in good form. And the more I think about it, Charlie has no business thinking he is in love with anyone at his age, or frankly at any age. But certainly not until he has had a chance to enjoy life a little.’

She stiffened as he spoke and her eyes took on the hard glint of emeralds. Her eyes were not pure green, but encased a golden ring, like a sun settling into a lake. It was a strange contrast, both hot and cold, a physical manifestation of her contradictory character, he thought. It was a pity, then, that the cold should prevail.

‘You made yourself quite clear when we last spoke, Lord Delacort. I can’t force you to take your responsibilities seriously, but I can refuse to listen to your opinion as to what might constitute the future happiness of two people I care about.’

‘That puts me in my place. You could always complete the effect by sweeping out.’

‘I am sure that would gratify you, but I am waiting for my book. Why don’t you sweep out, instead?’

Adam’s grin deepened.

‘Careful now. You’ve done a good job becoming a proper Mowbray Miss, but your tree-climbing ways tend to show under pressure.’

‘I wonder if anything of what you once were would show under pressure,’ she shot back. ‘Or have you done too good a job at becoming what everyone thinks you are? I use to think most of the tales about you were the exaggerations of tattle-mongers, but quite frankly I think they weren’t doing you justice. I am not surprised you are so sympathetic to Percy. Useless fribbles must stand by each other, no?’

Adam inspected her approvingly. The exotic slant of her green eyes elevated her face from merely pretty to fascinating. He had no idea why her attack amused rather than annoyed him. It was rather like being growled at by a kitten.

‘That’s better. It is so much more comfortable with gloves off, isn’t it? Unless you are going to try hitting me,’ he added, indicating her clenched fists. ‘In which case, keep your gloves on, it’s less painful.’

She forced open her fisted hands and took a deep breath, stepping back. It was fascinating to see the almost physical transformation as she tucked herself back inside.

‘Are you so bored here in Mowbray you have to resort to squabbling with me? Can you find no better sport?’

‘I am perfectly willing if you are,’ Adam offered. She remained suspended for a moment; then her slightly confused look gave way to a frown even as a flush swept up her cheeks.

‘You cannot just go around saying things like that... Oh, for heaven’s sake, I don’t know why I am even arguing with you. It only seems to encourage you. You are determined to live up to everyone’s expectations of the debauched rake, aren’t you? If this is an example of how you mean to conduct yourself, your reception is unlikely to get any more inviting than what you have witnessed these last few days.’

She turned away resolutely, planting her hands on the counter, her gaze fixed on the closed door behind which Milsom had disappeared. Adam laughed slightly and leaned back against the surface, crossing his arms.

‘Is that what all this anxious staring is all about? Is everyone waiting for me to commit my first act of iniquity? And here I thought it was my past, not my potential future that had everyone scurrying for cover. What on earth do they expect me to do? Set up a harem at the Hall? Hold orgies? Do you all gather to lay odds on the possibilities?’

‘Believe it or not, but you are not the only topic of conversation in Mowbray, Lord Delacort. What on earth is keeping Mr Milsom?’