Laura Matthews (31 page)

Noah could see that Olivia was becoming more and more uncomfortable as the evening progressed. When they all gathered in the Drawing Room, Françoise heralded her own performance on the harpsichord, insisted that Noah stand by her to turn her music and stayed at the instrument for almost an hour. When the comte tired of hinting to his sister, he ordered her to leave the harpsichord, which she did with ill-grace.

“I shall play for you more another time, Noah, as I know how much you enjoy it,” she said.

His patience gone, and tired from his journey, Noah ignored her and made a remark to his friend, directly cutting her.

Piqued by his action, Françoise turned to Olivia and said loudly, “I see we have something in common, Lady Olivia.”

“And what is that?” Olivia asked curiously.

“We are both with child by your husband.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

Stunned silence reigned in the Drawing Room. Olivia’s face drained of color and for a moment she thought she would faint. In an instant Lady Lawrence and Julianna were beside her, the older woman flushed with anger and the younger horrified. Without a word they assisted Olivia to her feet and out of the room.

Although Noah wished nothing more than to be with his wife, he was faced with Mauppard’s careful scrutiny, and Françoise’s triumphant gaze. “Is this true?” the comte asked, his face rigidly set.

“It is totally impossible,” Noah replied formally.

“What could it benefit her to make such an accusation? You are married and it must shame her to admit she is a fallen woman.”

Noah regarded the young lady with cold fury. “You have only to look at her to see there is no shame in her. She has tried the whole of the evening to discomfort me before my wife and my family, and she has achieved her goal, at my wife’s expense.”

Mauppard was indeed perplexed by his sister’s pleased countenance. “What have you to say, Françoise?”

“I am with child by Sir Noah as I have said. Of course he would deny it, Jacques. He treated me most dishonorably as you must see. By promising to divorce his wife, he overcame my reluctance and seduced me in your own house. He did not tell me that his wife was with child.” She continued to regard Noah victoriously.

“If your sister is with child, it is not mine. I have never made so much as a personal remark to her, Jacques, let alone bed her.” Noah shrugged his frustration. “I cannot prove I have never touched her. It is her word against mine, and you have mine as a gentleman. If she is with child, which I doubt, then she has left her lover in France and is grasping at straws.”

Mauppard considered him gravely. “You give me your word as a gentleman that you have never touched her?”

“Yes.”

“Then I believe you, my friend, and with the loan of your carriage we will leave your home immediately. I am grieved to be so shamed before you.”

Françoise leaped to her feet and struck her brother viciously across the face. “How dare you believe his word against mine? I am your sister, one of your own blood. Sir Noah is nothing but an Englishman.” She stood panting before him.

“Ah, yes, my dear, but he is an honorable man. You have proved to me on several occasions that you are not an honest woman. Though I find it difficult for even you to so degrade yourself, there is no question in my mind as to who tells the lie. I would have done better to leave you in France,” he said sadly.

“He might have seduced me!” she screamed. “I am a beautiful woman and the two of you have jeered at me and dragged me about the countryside until my complexion is nearly ruined. He deserves to be humiliated before his family for his disregard of me.”

Lady Lawrence was standing at the doorway and she beckoned to Noah. He went to her immediately and learned that Olivia’s time had come and that Dr. Davenport had been sent for.

“I will come straight away,” he said tersely before he returned to his guests. “Jacques, my wife’s confinement has begun and I must go to her. You are welcome in my home at any time, but your sister cannot be forgiven for the pain she has caused my wife. I will have my mother see you are provided with a carriage. If you will excuse me...”

Noah found his sister with Olivia in the bedroom. “Julianna, I would like to speak with Olivia.”

Julianna stamped her foot and cried, “Is it too much for your pride, my dear brother, to confirm or deny what that woman accused you of?”

“It is not true, Julianna, as Mother has heard.” He rubbed a hand wearily over his eyes. “Please leave me alone with Olivia.”

Julianna glanced toward the bed where she received a confirming nod from her friend. Noah stood silently by his wife until they were alone in the room. “I cannot tell you how sorry I am for the scene Françoise created, Olivia. I swear there is no truth in it, as she has managed in her anger to convince her brother and Mother as well. She is a disagreeably vain young lady and was vexed that her dignity suffered before me and her brother in our travels.”

“Are you telling me that she is not with child, Noah, or that you have not...”

“I have done nothing with her, nothing. I have not been with any other woman since we became engaged,” he admitted.

“You forget your visit to London when I was at Stolenhurst,” she reproached him.

“No, Olivia,” he said gently, taking her hand in his. “I confess I had intended to continue my liaison with Mrs. Dyer, but she had other plans.”

“I see. Well, it is all most noble of you, but I did not expect such a sacrifice.”

“Nor did I expect to make one, Olivia, but I find I have no desire to be unfaithful to you.”

“But why?” she asked pitifully.

“Because I love you, my dear.” He seated himself beside her with her hand in his while she suffered a painful contraction. “Dear God, I have so much I want to tell you, but I should not burden you with my feelings at such a time.”

She smiled wanly at him and murmured, “It could never be a burden to have you tell me that you love me, Noah.”

“And do you think that in time you could come to love me? I have not Mr. Evans’s ease of manner, perhaps, but I am sincerely attached to you.”

“Ah, Mr. Evans. There was not time during your last brief stay to finish explaining about Mr. Evans.” She smiled impishly at him, forgetful of her discomfort. “Before you arrived I had a letter from Miss Stewart informing me of a most shocking state of affairs. It appears that the reason she left Stolenhurst was that she had allowed Mr. Evans some liberties with her that night. Nothing serious, you understand, but quite enough to frighten her away. In her distress at your carrying me off in the middle of the night, she allowed Mr. Evans to comfort her. He is very good at that.”

Noah regarded her ruefully. “You knew all this when I brought Mother and Julianna home?”

“Yes, and I would have told you but that you had to leave so abruptly. Miss Stewart was then courted by Mr. Evans in London, and in her correspondence with him she revealed a great deal about our relationship. He could not resist the temptation to renew our acquaintance, armed as he was with such a superfluity of detail. But it appears that Mr. Evans is already married, and has been for any number of years. His employer has been forced to dismiss him finally after several complaints from the households where he has catalogued libraries. Mr. Evans is unable to resist the temptation to seduce any woman who comes in his path.”

She regarded her husband with wide, anxious eyes. “You must not think that the knowledge of his activities in any way makes me feel less ashamed of myself, Noah. I could not help but think you did not care for me, and I assumed you were seeing other women. You certainly did not deny it, though you were aware that all of us thought it to be true.”

“I did not think it necessary to deny it,” he said stiffly, but her sad smile made him relent. “Oh, Julianna is quite right. I was too proud to admit it to you. And perhaps I thought to make you care for me by arousing your jealousy.”

“I was horridly jealous of Mrs. Dyer.”

“Do
you care for me, Olivia?” he asked, amazed.

“Of course I do, Noah. I have loved you since our honeymoon, though I have often suffered from your absence. I was never so lonely at Stolenhurst as I have been here without you.”

“I will be here with you now, Olivia,” he promised. Dr. Davenport, with impeccable timing, arrived then and ordered Noah from the room.

Epilogue

Olivia sat before the glass, satisfied that her figure had returned to normal and that the hair she brushed was as thick as ever, in spite of all the tales she had heard that it came out in handfuls after one gave birth. She responded to the tap at her door and, in the glass, watched Noah stride over to her and place his hands on her shoulders. “Julianna made a beautiful bride, don’t you think, Noah?”

“Charming, my love. They suit one another extremely well, and I cannot doubt they will be content.”

“If John is not forever wandering off,” Olivia remarked pertly as he led her to bed.

“I have not left the Towers since Jason was born, wench.”

Olivia regarded him seriously. “You must not think I expect you to be forever in my pocket, Noah. When you wish to go to London or to Newmarket, I hope you will do so. Nothing would upset me more than to think you feel constrained to stay by me if you would rather be off enjoying yourself. My idea of a felicitous marriage does not necessitate our being always within sight of each other.”

“I plan to go to London in a few weeks.”

“Then I hope you’ll go and enjoy yourself without thinking that I resent your absence.” She pressed his hand in an effort to assure him of her sincerity. “Julianna’s wedding has kept you here well into the season.”

“So it has, and you and mother have been run off your feet what with that and the boy, Olivia.”

“Yes, it will be a welcome change to be here quiet for a while.”

“Only for a few weeks, my love, as I said. Then I intend to take you all to London with me.”

“With you?” Olivia could not hide the eagerness which crept into her voice, but she stemmed the tide of her enthusiasm and looked down at their linked hands. “Although I would really like to go, Noah, I cannot feel that you would altogether enjoy yourself with such a house full of us. Perhaps you have not considered that in addition to your mother and me and Jason, there would have to be the nursery maid and an inordinate number of servants.”

“I have considered it.”

“I fear it would mean taking a house, you know, and with the season under way that may be very difficult.”

“I have already taken a house, Olivia.”

“You have been
planning
to take us?”

He rumpled her hair and kissed her. “Of course, goose. How am I to enjoy myself when you are not around to plague me?”

Olivia’s eyes sparkled with delight. “And we will go to the theatre, and the opera, and to Ranleagh, and Sadler’s Wells?”

“Certainly.”

“And to Vauxhall and Astley’s?”

“Yes, love, and to the Royal Academy if you wish.”

“You do not think perhaps there will still be gossip of me there?” she asked anxiously.

“No, I do not,” he replied firmly.

“And I shall see Miss Stewart and her new beau?”

“For God’s sake, Olivia, if you were so eager to get to London, why didn’t you tell me? I thought it would be a treat for you, but I had no idea it was well nigh imperative to your happiness.” Noah gazed at her with mock exasperation, and made to take her in his arms. “Where are you going
now?”

“I have left the snuffers on my dressing table.” He caught her wrist and gently drew her back. “I am quite capable of taking care of everything.”

“I know, my love,” she replied with a grin.

Copyright © 1981 by Elizabeth Rotter

Originally published by Warner

Electronically published in 2009 by Belgrave House

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.