“It’s of no moment,” Jack assured him.“I am only grateful for your kind hospitality with no notice and at a time when you must particularly wish me at Jericho.”
“Good Lord, no,” Sir Peter assured him.“You are quite the feather in my wife’s cap—everyone will be talking about her party for months now.”He flushed, adding endearingly, “Too honest?”
“There is no such thing,” Jack said lightly.It was odd to find himself in the position of soothing his sophisticated host’s social anxieties, but it gave him more confidence. People stared and joked because they didn’t know what to make of him—which meant he was working from a fresh slate as he had wanted from the moment he had made the decision to leave Isley Place alone.
At last, he found Tabitha.She was with Lily at the centre of a lively group that included both Meade and Durward.Her beauty took his breath away, even as he registered that this was the part of her she showed the world.He had glimpsed the reality beneath, the inquisitive, vulnerable, warm young woman who had learned the necessity of a shell to survive an atrocious marriage.It was a lovely shell.But he wanted all of her with an intensity that made it difficult to concentrate on his host and the guests he was introducing.
Jack felt himself to be a somewhat fraudulent guest of honour as he was invited to escort his hostess to dinner.Any faint hopes he might have harboured about enjoying Tabitha’s company on his other side were dashed immediately when he saw her being seated on the opposite side of the table by Lord Carily.On her other side was the young man who had been following Carily around during tea this afternoon.
On Jack’s right, sat one of the chaperones he had met already, one Lady Kenwood, who might have been a formidable dining companion had he not had the benefit of many formal dinners with the aunts and uncles at Isley Place in celebration of Christmas, Easter and his birthdays.Entertaining Lady Kenwood proved to be unexpectedly familiar and easy to do —largely by listening, although she was eager to point out her youngest daughter, Amelia further down the table beside Lieutenant Meade.
On his left, he discovered his hostess was a great friend of Tabitha’s, and suspected there must therefore be more to her than the ambitious and charming, if slightly silly, hostess.He took the trouble to draw her out, and found a warm, slightly chaotic young woman, devoted to her husband and young son, and to her closest friends.
“I owe so much to Tabbie—Lady Sark,” she confided once.
“Oh?”he said encouragingly.
“Believe it or not,” she said, her eyes dancing, “I was quite a handful as a young girl.Tabitha extracted me from my worst scrape and really made it possible for me to marry Peter —even though she suffered for it.”
“Suffered?”he repeated, startled.
Lady Hawthorn hesitated, then leaned closer and lowered her voice.“You never met old Sark, did you?Vile old man.He cut her off from all her friends, read her letters and destroyed them when he chose.He happened to be away from home the day she—er...rescued me, and I stayed with her for several days.He was absolutely furious when he came home and found me there.She stood up for me, though, insisted I stayed until my mother came to collect me.Goodness, I am being indiscreet.Let me just say that if anyone deserves happiness, it is Tabitha.”
She glanced along the table to where Carily was laughing at something Tabitha had said.There would be no happiness there.Jack knew it instinctively.But it didn’t quite quell the jealousy.
Lady Hawthorn was obliged to give her attention to her other neighbour and Jack turned to the redoubtable Lady Kenwood.
When the ladies finally withdrew, many of them cast him curious and assessing looks on their way to the door.Tabitha did not.She sailed out with Lily’s arm linked to hers, smiling as she listened to the girl’s chatter.Lily glanced at him though, with more than a hint of apprehension.He supposed he should talk to her—or would that only frighten her more?
Without the ladies, the atmosphere was suddenly subdued.Jack felt like the spectre at the feast, inhibiting and unwelcome.Until Durward suddenly called down the table to him.
“I’ve just worked it out!The message you brought to Tabbie Sark—it was about the highwayman, wasn’t it?Youwere the fellow he robbed!”
“I was,” Jack said as everyone stopped talking to look at him, some with simple astonishment, others with gloating anticipation.
“Lose much?”Hawthorn asked.
“I was lucky to keep the coat on my back.The knave rode off with my purse, my pistol,andmy damned horse.”
Durward grinned.“Bad luck.”
“Extremely,” Carily drawled.“Your grace’s entourage must have grown fat and lazy.”
“On that particular day, I was quite alone.”
“Not so much as a groom or a valet?”Carily said in blatant disbelief.
“Alas no.”
“Your grace should have shot the scoundrel rather than hand over your pistol,” said Carily’s acolyte with a brave hint of contempt.
Jack raised his brows.“Do you think so?”
“Don’t be an ass,” Durward threw over his shoulder.“The scoundrel already had a weapon pointed at his grace.You’d have done the same.”
“Wouldn’t,” muttered the boy.
Durward ignored him and again addressed Jack with genuine curiosity.“Were you more angry or alarmed?”
