The Scandalous Lord Lanchester. Anne Herries

and got out of bed, going to the window to look out. He had accepted Lady Jenkins’s invitation and removed his baggage here earlier in the day, though in view of his feelings that evening he was beginning to regret the decision. The inn might not be as comfortable as this room, but he had been well enough.

      The moon was high overhead, shedding a bright silver light over the gardens. Something caught his eye in the shrubbery—a flash of white. A man’s shirt, perhaps? Whoever it was seemed to be hiding … watching the house. Was there someone out there skulking in the bushes?

      If some rogue was hoping to break in and steal valuables, he was going to be in for a shock. His instincts alerted to danger, Andrew dressed quickly. This needed investigation.

      He left through a window at the back of the villa and made his way round to the front gardens, keeping close to the wall and in deep shadow. He was alert, his finger on the trigger of his concealed pistol, but even after his years of training in the army, he was not aware of the man behind him until the last moment. Someone lunged at him as he turned and grabbed for his arm. They struggled for a few moments and Andrew’s pistol fired into the air. The next moment he heard a shout from the house and the door opened.

      ‘Andrew—are you out there?’

      Hearing Grainger’s voice, the assailant suddenly shoved Andrew backwards, causing him to stumble and fall. Before he was on his feet again the shadow had run off, disappearing into the darkness. Andrew fired another shot in the direction he’d gone, hoping to scare him. He heard a faint curse and then nothing more.

      ‘I’m over here, Grainger,’ he called. ‘There was someone lurking in the bushes. I came out to investigate and we fought. My pistol went off—unfortunately, it was pointing in the air and not at him. I may have winged him with the second shot, though.’

      Grainger was dressed in breeches and shirt and had clearly not been to bed. He had a pistol in his hand as he came to join Andrew.

      ‘It may be just as well,’ he said. ‘If you’d killed him, we should have had trouble with the authorities. Did you catch a sight of his face? Could you identify him?’

      ‘No, I caught a glimpse of him, nothing more. He was acting in a furtive manner and I feared someone might be trying to break in and rob us while we slept.’

      ‘You were not sleeping?’

      ‘No. I had something on my mind.’

      ‘Does it concern Lieutenant Gordon?’

      ‘It might. Why do you ask?’

      Grainger hesitated, then, ‘I wasn’t quite truthful earlier. At one time I was on terms with him, but then I realised that he was a rogue—and a thief. I caught him stealing from a fellow officer’s kit.’

      ‘You did not report him?’

      ‘No …’ Grainger looked uncomfortable. ‘I ought to have done so—but he was supposed to be courting a young lady I know. She is my cousin on my father’s side. Gordon had asked her to marry him and she had promised she would when she was eighteen. If I’d accused him of being a thief, it would have broken Thelma’s heart.’

      ‘She must have suffered when he left the army and disappeared?’

      ‘Yes, she went into a decline. For a time we thought she might die, but thankfully, she is recovering at last. My aunt told me she is thinking of marriage to a decent man this time.’

      ‘I am glad to hear it. So, you have no idea where Gordon is now then?’

      ‘If I had, I should find him and thrash him.’ Grainger frowned, but his eyes did not quite meet Andrew’s. He had a feeling that he had not been told the whole story. ‘Did you come out here to find him? Is that why you are here?’

      ‘It was one of my reasons for coming out.’

      ‘The other … Forgive me, was the other reason Lady Fanshawe?’

      ‘Why do you ask?’

      Grainger shook his head. ‘She is beautiful, but I hardly know her. I dare say she would not look at me.’

      Andrew would have answered him, but at that moment Lady Jenkins called to them from the house.

      ‘The shots must have wakened your aunt. Go and reassure her, Grainger. I shall take another walk about the grounds, make certain there is no one lurking. We shall continue our conversation another time.’

      Andrew frowned as Grainger went off to soothe his aunt’s fears. It was clear to him that the young officer liked Mariah. As yet it was no more than that, but it might become more in time. As far as Andrew knew, Grainger would be a good match for her. His background was adequate and he had prospects. He did not have to marry money because his aunt and uncle were very wealthy and had already named him as their heir. Mariah could do worse than marry Grainger.

      ‘A picnic,’ Sylvia said the next morning when Mariah entered the salon. ‘Lady Jenkins has invited us for tomorrow afternoon. She has arranged it on the lake shore and there will be boats to take us out on the lake should we wish it.’

      ‘That sounds pleasant,’ Mariah said. ‘I believe I should like to go out on the lake. It is cooler and the weather has been very warm of late.’

      ‘Yes, it has …’ Sylvia looked at her, noticing faint shadows beneath her eyes. ‘Has it been keeping you awake? If so, I can arrange for a net over your bed so that you may have the window open.’

      ‘No, I do not think the heat kept me awake,’ Mariah told her. ‘I slept later, but I must admit I was restless for a time.’

      ‘Were you thinking of Lord Lanchester?’

      ‘Yes, for a while.’ Mariah laughed. ‘Is it not foolish of me? I do not think he has any intention of asking me to marry him, therefore I must look elsewhere if I am to find a husband before we leave Italy.’

      ‘You are not serious in your intention?’

      ‘Why not? I may have met a gentleman I rather like.’

      Sylvia questioned her with her eyes. In her early thirties, she was a pretty woman, good-natured and much loved by her doting husband. The fact that she had not as yet given him an heir seemed not to bother him one bit, though Mariah suspected it was a source of some distress to her friend.

      ‘I must suppose you to mean Lieutenant Grainger? He certainly has prospects, Mariah—if you care about such things.’

      ‘Money is immaterial. I have far more than I need.’

      ‘Can one ever have too much?’ Sylvia asked and laughed.

      ‘No, but I have enough. I want something more from my marriage—excitement, laughter, respect and children.’

      Sylvia frowned. ‘And love? You say nothing of it, but I suspect it means more to you than you will admit? Did the lieutenant give you reason to hope?’

      ‘He was polite, friendly, but not overly attentive. I think his aunt would like him to make a push for my notice. She knows of my fortune and thinks me an excellent catch for her nephew, but he is more circumspect in his approach. He has given me no sign as yet. I do not think him a fortune hunter—which counts in his favour.’

      Sylvia shook her head as she saw the speculative look in Mariah’s eyes. ‘I believe you are serious. You will really accept a proposal of marriage from him if he asks?’

      ‘I might,’ Mariah replied innocently, then gurgled with laughter. ‘Or I might decide that an affair would suit me better. I am not sure whether he would suit me as a lover …’ She tipped her head to one side, a sparkle in her eyes. ‘It would be exciting to have an affair, do you not think so?’

      ‘Now I know you are misbehaving,’ her friend said with a shake of her head. ‘You do so love to tease, dearest. I know you too well to believe you serious, but others might not. Be a little careful, Mariah. I should not like to see you hurt.’