The Maiden At Midnight (12 page)

‘Completely,’ she assured him, ‘I understand
your dilemma perfectly. I have a similar one. Not that I have
settled on anybody as you have. But I must marry and as such, I
would prefer my groom not to be in his dotage or so simple minded
that they cannot tell the soupspoon from the soup ladle or… or have
a hunchbacked or be mean spirited. Not that there is anything wrong
with having a hunchback,’ she added quickly, ‘My Aunt Elizabeth has
one and she is perfectly delightful, except when she has been
drinking port. I know some people would think me extraordinarily
fussy, but I am nineteen and I cannot countenance the idea of marry
a man who is twice my age or more, no matter how wealthy he may be.
If I can even hope for such an alliance,’ she added frowningly, ‘I
might be getting ahead of myself. There is no guarantee any man
will want to take on a Hathaway.’

‘Why shouldn’t he?’ his lordship demanded.
‘You seem like an amiable girl. Not inclined to fuss about like
some.’

This, Isabella was inclined to think, was a
very great compliment. ‘It’s all because of my father of course.
And the scandal.’ She met the earl’s uncomprehending eyes and
experienced a small shock of surprise. He did not know! Stornley
had no idea about the scandal that had enveloped the Hathaways a
little over a year ago. Like so many people who had undergone a
public tragedy, she assumed everybody in the world must know. She
suddenly felt sorry that she had to mention it and wondered if
would change his lordship’s attitude about her. The past had taught
that some people, even people she had thought she had known quite
well, were inclined to fade away upon learning her history. Look at
Willett. She had known him since they were both in leading strings
and in the end, it had turned out she had not known him at all.

‘My father committed suicide a year ago
after gambling away the family fortune,’ she told him, keeping her
voice matter of fact, ‘it quite ruined us, of course.’

She did not mention her brother or his
disappearance. She still had trouble speaking of some things and in
her head, certain events had combined together to form one big,
black lump of pain, like a boil that was filled with all of the
unhappiness she had experienced in the past year. Perhaps one day
she might speak of it, but right now that day seemed like a long
way off.

‘Hathaway…’ Stornley murmured, then slapped
the arm of the chair. ‘I thought the name seemed familiar. Your
sire landed in dun territory rather badly, as I recall. I was at
Whites when he dropped a monkey. Man had the most appalling luck at
cards, never seen anything like it.’

‘He really did,’ Isabella agreed sadly. Papa
had been an exemplary father in almost every way, apart from his
inclination to gamble away the family fortune. It had been said
more than once that a man who was so ill favored by the cards had
no call to play Piquet so frequently.

Stornley hesitated. ‘I’m sorry. Thoughtless
of me to say that. I suppose his bad luck carried over to his
family.’

‘It did. But I intend to set things in
order. I will find a man who will right our fortunes and provide
for my mother and my sisters and you, my dear sir, are going to
help me.’

‘I am?’ He was suddenly looking nervous
again. ‘Of course, I hadn’t realized your circumstances. If
marrying me would help you get out of the river tick -’

‘While I am appreciative of the offer, I do
not want to marry you,’ she told him firmly, ‘and you most
certainly do not want to marry me. Not with Miss Piedmont – whom I
consider a perfectly delightful girl – waiting in the wings. No.
What I want from you, my lord, is nothing more than a
recommendation.’

Stornley looked blank. ‘A what?’

‘A recommendation. You are dreadfully
fashionable, or so my aunt assures me. And I am in need of being
considered as such. I would like to persuade you to… to talk me up
to your more eligible friends. I am sure you have dozens of likely
gentlemen who would do very well as a husband and who would not
mind if I am dowry-less. I would appreciate it if you to direct
them my way. In return, I will ensure that Miss Piedmont – who is
destined to be my very great friend, I can assure you – hears all
about your virtues. I do not think it would be very difficult to
get Alora to favor you above her other suitors, for all that her
aunt does not care for you -’

‘I knew she did not like me!’

‘ –
and then you can marry
the woman you desire and I can secure a husband that is agreeable.’
Isabella paused to draw breath, looking at him hopefully. ‘What do
you think?’ Her proposal was not the done thing at all, of course,
and she thought there was a very good chance that his lordship
would be offended. But she had chosen an excellent co-conspirator
for after only a moment’s thought Stornley nodded
enthusiastically.

‘I think it an excellent plan. You will
convince Alora that I would make a decent husband and I’ll sort
through the riff raff and find you somebody decent to marry.’

‘Exactly!’ Isabella beamed at him. She
should have known that his lordship would fall in with her idea; it
was exactly the kind of plan that would make sense to him. Not so
with his friend Mr. Carstairs, however, which was why she had not
shared it with him. He was the kind who would have taken pains to
immediately point out why such an arrangement would not work.

Now, it did not matter what Harry Carstairs
might say. The seeds had been sown and, unless she did not have her
man’s measure, the earl would be entirely committed to the
project.

She was on her way to achieving her goal at
last. An eligible husband who would give her what she needed most;
a secure future for her family, something every young lady must
aspire to. She nudged the scones towards his lordship. He had yet
to sample one and he eyed them with approval.

‘You provide an excellent tea, Miss
Hathaway.’

‘It is my very great pleasure to do so,
sir.’

They smiled at each other happily. All in
all, it had been a most enterprising day.

‘She wants to do
what
?’ Harry stared at
his friend incredulously, almost certain that he had heard wrong.
He must have. Joss always explained things in the most convoluted
way.

‘I’m going to find a suitable husband for
Miss Hathaway. It shouldn’t be too difficult. She’d appeal to most
fellows, wouldn’t you say?’

‘But why should you do anything of the
kind?’

‘She asked me to. Not as
directly as
that
,
of course. Well, I suppose she was rather direct but it was all
perfectly sensible,’ his lordship said, thinking back over his
conversation with the refreshingly forthright Miss Hathaway, ‘for
she left no doubt about her requirements.’

‘Her requirements?’ Harry repeated,
bemused.

‘No hunchbacks. And I think she would like
somebody who is no more than a decade or so older. Shouldn’t be too
difficult. We know all manner of likely candidates.’

‘We? Where did
we
come from?’

The earl looked at his friend with a winning
smile. ‘Oh come now, this is exactly the kind of lark that you
should enjoy. Find a girl in need of a husband a suitable suitor.
Quite a challenge, wouldn’t you say? I intend to give it my
all.’

Harry stared at Joss for a moment longer
before rising to his feet and pouring himself a glass of sherry,
which he promptly downed in two gulps. ‘God help us. And what, pray
tell, prompted this generous offer on your part?’

‘This is the best bit. She is going to
convince Miss Piedmont that I am the man she should marry.’

Harry frowned. ‘She does not even know Miss
Piedmont. Does she?’

‘Apparently so. She called on her earlier
today. Apparently they are set to become great friends.’

‘Once again… God help us. So let me see if I
understand this correctly. You are going to assist in finding Miss
Hathaway a husband and in return, she is going to facilitate your
romance with Miss Piedmont?’

Stornley beamed at his friend. ‘An excellent
plan, don’t you think?’

‘It should be a fascinating exercise,’ Harry
agreed dryly, dropping back down into his chair. He did not know
why he did not like the idea. It wasn’t as if there was anything
particularly wrong with proposal. Young ladies were frequently in
need of a husband and Miss Hathaway was a young lady, of that there
was no doubt. But he didn’t like it, just the same. Not in the
least. ‘Did you have anybody in particular in mind?’

‘I thought I’d make a list. You can help me
with that, you’re good at lists.’

‘I am quite sure I can find better things to
do with my time that to spend it on whimsical nonsense.’ Harry knew
he sounded priggish. Joss looked at him in surprise.

‘What’s the matter? Don’t you like the
girl?’

‘She’s unexceptional, I suppose. Although
far too outspoken for my tastes. I prefer a more malleable woman.
God help the poor fellow who allows himself to be leg tied to
her.’

‘Oh I say, that’s a bit harsh! Miss Hathaway
strikes me as an excellent sport. If I wasn’t so set on Alora why,
I’d consider marrying her myself.’

Harry sighed. ‘Well just don’t choose some
poor fool who won’t stand up for himself. A girl like that would
walk all over him.’

Joss grimaced. ‘You know who her father was?
I didn’t and I felt like a complete fool when she told me.’

‘Her father? Hathaway…’ Harry said the name,
then paused, an eyebrow shooting up as the name – and what lay
behind it - registered. ‘Lord Gideon Hathaway?’

The earl nodded. ‘Did himself in a year ago,
I seem to remember hearing something about it but it probably
didn’t register because we were in Italy at the time,
remember?’

‘Hathaway,’ Harry nodded, ‘I recall hearing
something about it when we returned. I though at the time it was a
pity. Hathaway was a decent fellow. The family had to sell up
everything didn’t they? They went off to rusticate somewhere in the
country. But there was a brother, wasn’t there? I’m sure I remember
a Hathaway a few years down from me at Harrow. Where is he?’

‘I have no idea. She did not mention
him.’

‘That’s odd. But perhaps he’s taken to
soldiering. Although you’d have thought he would have come home
when his father died. He’d be Lord Hathaway now.’

‘I’ll ask her next time I see her. All in
all, Hathaway’s suicide must have caused a hell of a dust up.’

‘I suppose so.’ Isabella
Hathaway had been through a lot, it seemed. But at least she had
retained her spirit, Harry reflected thoughtfully. He recalled the
spark in those deep blue eyes, the rather militant set to that
soft, full mouth. That mouth prompted all manner of feelings in
him, none of which he was planning on allowing to see the light of
day.
Ha

‘A lot of men would run shy of a girl with
her history,’ Joss said grimly. ‘They’d decided they didn’t want to
be involved, even though it’s an old scandal.’

‘A year hardly makes it ancient history.
Still, I cannot believe a girl with that face will lack
suitors.’

Joss shook his head. ‘Remember Caroline
Meecham? Her family underwent a reversal of fortunes and she ended
up married to a cursed rum touch with five thousand in the funds
and some dreary place in Kent. She was a looker but nobody but a
chaw bacon yokel would come up to scratch.’

It was true. Harry could recall Caroline
Meecham, recall her wide hazel eyes and merry laugh. She’d been
light as a feather when he’d guided her around the dance floor.
‘Just because Caroline Meecham didn’t make a decent alliance is no
reason to think that Miss Hathaway will not.’

‘No,’ Joss said with uncommon determination,
‘I’ve given my word. We’re going to scour London and come up with a
stable of likely lads to present to her.’

‘There’s that ‘we’ again,’ Harry observed in
exasperation. ‘Is there any reason why I must join in this
ridiculous folly?’

The earl grinned and rose to his feet.
‘Because you’re the best of friends, of course. What other reason
need there be?’

And, much as he did not want to, Harry knew
that he would help Joss find a likely spouse for the aggravating
Miss Hathaway. And that he would probably live to regret it.

Chapter Six

Isabella’s meeting with Stornley had been on
a Tuesday. After such a busy day, the following two passed quietly.
A little too quietly for Isabella, who was inclined to bursts of
energy when a plan was upon her. Still, she had sent around a note,
asking if Alora would like to join her on Friday for a pleasure
punt down the Thames. She was going with her Mama, Audrey and
Millicent if the weather was pleasant, an outing all three girls
were looking forward to. They were planning on having a picnic in
the gardens afterwards. She was pleased when a note returned the
very same afternoon, accepting the invitation. She did not hear
from Stornley on either Wednesday or Thursday and was unsure if she
should feel disappointed or not. She had no idea how the earl was
going to go about garnering suitable gentlemen, but it seemed
likely that it was something that could not be entered into
lightly.

Late Thursday afternoon, a note did arrive
from his lordship, dashed off in an impatient hand. Stornley was
probably the type of man who should have employed a secretary for
his letter writing, although he would be too impatient to wait for
somebody to craft something suitable. Gunter delivered the envelope
and she tore it open curiously.