talent for engaging the affection of dumb animals.”
The duke thought quickly. What a spiteful remark! If he sprang to Verity’s defense, then Charlotte would send her packing. He wanted to see Miss Bascombe again. So he smiled at Charlotte and said, “Miss Bascombe is an engaging and clever lady. Her affection for you needs no explanation. Lord James was saying to me only the other night that Mrs. Manners must be an exceptional lady to have such a clever and devoted companion. It is always easy to command the loyalty of the stupid.”
“Dear Verity.” Charlotte sighed. “I do not know what she would do without me.”
Now my correspondent would never have said anything so vain, thought the duke. But aloud he said, “The weather has changed for the better. Perhaps I may be allowed to make up for today by driving you to Richmond Park on the morrow?”
Charlotte’s eyes glittered with triumph. A long drive on a sunny day alone with the Duke of Denbigh! Great things could come of it.
“I had another engagement,” she said cautiously, “but I could easily cancel it.”
“I would not dream of upsetting your arrangements,” he cried.
“It is nothing,” said Charlotte quickly. “At what time may I expect you?”
“At ten in the morning.”
Charlotte blinked. Ten in the morning seemed like the crack of dawn to her.
“Very well, Your Grace,” she said with a smile. “Let us hope the weather remains fine.”
Upstairs in her room, Verity looked gloomily at the pets. “If you knew what was good for you,” she told them sadly, “you would not stay in here. The storm is about to break.”
For Verity was sure the minute the duke left, an enraged Charlotte would come rushing in.
But although she heard the duke leave and waited a long time after that, there was no sign of Charlotte. At last, Charlotte’s maid entered with a message from her mistress that Miss Bascombe was to get ready to go out to the opera at eight o’clock.
Feeling puzzled but relieved, Verity sat down at the dressing table and began to brush her hair. But the next feeling was one of sharp hope. Would the duke be there?
But the duke was not at the opera that evening. As Charlotte and Verity were entering the theater, the duke was sitting opposite his friend, Lord James, in Watier’s. “Let me see if I have heard you aright,” Lord James was saying. “You want me to go to Richmond with you tomorrow. I am to pretend to be enamored of Miss Bascombe, but once we are on the outing, I must appear to switch my affections to Mrs. Manners.”
“A small thing to ask,” said the duke equably. “Have some more of this excellent port.”
“May one ask why?”
“One may. The reason I returned to London was that Mrs. Manners sent me delightful and interesting letters. As you know, I once proposed marriage to her and was turned down. I had since come to think of her as greedy and empty-headed and congratulated myself on my escape. But the letters ledme to believe I had been mistaken in her. She is, you must admit, very beautiful.”
“Very.”
“And so I returned to London. At first I thought Mrs. Manners was suffering from nerves and that was why she only spoke trivia. But when I spoke to Miss Bascombe, it dawned on me that it was more than likely Mrs. Manners had invited her old school friend to London in order to use her as a correspondent.”
“But why?”
“Because Mrs. Manners now wants my title and fortune. It is no little thing to be a duchess.”
Lord James frowned. “If, as you say, Miss Bascombe wrote those letters, then it does not say very much for Miss Bascombe’s character to be party to such a plot, such a deception.”
“I had not thought of that.”
“Well, I would think of it now. Miss Bascombe obviously considers your title and fortune fair game to be secured for her friend by any methods possible.”
“Put that way, it sounds quite dreadful.”
“I can understand your interest in Mrs. Manners. She is
The duke thought quickly. What a spiteful remark! If he sprang to Verity’s defense, then Charlotte would send her packing. He wanted to see Miss Bascombe again. So he smiled at Charlotte and said, “Miss Bascombe is an engaging and clever lady. Her affection for you needs no explanation. Lord James was saying to me only the other night that Mrs. Manners must be an exceptional lady to have such a clever and devoted companion. It is always easy to command the loyalty of the stupid.”
“Dear Verity.” Charlotte sighed. “I do not know what she would do without me.”
Now my correspondent would never have said anything so vain, thought the duke. But aloud he said, “The weather has changed for the better. Perhaps I may be allowed to make up for today by driving you to Richmond Park on the morrow?”
Charlotte’s eyes glittered with triumph. A long drive on a sunny day alone with the Duke of Denbigh! Great things could come of it.
“I had another engagement,” she said cautiously, “but I could easily cancel it.”
“I would not dream of upsetting your arrangements,” he cried.
“It is nothing,” said Charlotte quickly. “At what time may I expect you?”
“At ten in the morning.”
Charlotte blinked. Ten in the morning seemed like the crack of dawn to her.
“Very well, Your Grace,” she said with a smile. “Let us hope the weather remains fine.”
Upstairs in her room, Verity looked gloomily at the pets. “If you knew what was good for you,” she told them sadly, “you would not stay in here. The storm is about to break.”
For Verity was sure the minute the duke left, an enraged Charlotte would come rushing in.
But although she heard the duke leave and waited a long time after that, there was no sign of Charlotte. At last, Charlotte’s maid entered with a message from her mistress that Miss Bascombe was to get ready to go out to the opera at eight o’clock.
Feeling puzzled but relieved, Verity sat down at the dressing table and began to brush her hair. But the next feeling was one of sharp hope. Would the duke be there?
But the duke was not at the opera that evening. As Charlotte and Verity were entering the theater, the duke was sitting opposite his friend, Lord James, in Watier’s. “Let me see if I have heard you aright,” Lord James was saying. “You want me to go to Richmond with you tomorrow. I am to pretend to be enamored of Miss Bascombe, but once we are on the outing, I must appear to switch my affections to Mrs. Manners.”
“A small thing to ask,” said the duke equably. “Have some more of this excellent port.”
“May one ask why?”
“One may. The reason I returned to London was that Mrs. Manners sent me delightful and interesting letters. As you know, I once proposed marriage to her and was turned down. I had since come to think of her as greedy and empty-headed and congratulated myself on my escape. But the letters ledme to believe I had been mistaken in her. She is, you must admit, very beautiful.”
“Very.”
“And so I returned to London. At first I thought Mrs. Manners was suffering from nerves and that was why she only spoke trivia. But when I spoke to Miss Bascombe, it dawned on me that it was more than likely Mrs. Manners had invited her old school friend to London in order to use her as a correspondent.”
“But why?”
“Because Mrs. Manners now wants my title and fortune. It is no little thing to be a duchess.”
Lord James frowned. “If, as you say, Miss Bascombe wrote those letters, then it does not say very much for Miss Bascombe’s character to be party to such a plot, such a deception.”
“I had not thought of that.”
“Well, I would think of it now. Miss Bascombe obviously considers your title and fortune fair game to be secured for her friend by any methods possible.”
“Put that way, it sounds quite dreadful.”
“I can understand your interest in Mrs. Manners. She is
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