Thirty-seven.
The ball was in full swing, and Lady Daphne Ingham was the belle of the ball. In her silver shoes, and the white lace gown, which swirled around her as she moved, she was a vision of beauty and grace.
Hugo had danced with her at the beginning of the evening, but then other men had clamored around her and claimed their turn to whirl her across the dance floor. Now, at last, he had her in his arms once more and was waltzing to the strains of Strauss"s Blue Danube with her.
"You"re as light as a feather," Hugo murmured against her hair, breathing in the fragrance of her skin that smelled faintly of flowers, mostly roses mingled with hyacinths.
"Soon I won"t be," she said, leaning back slightly, looking up at him, laughter in her eyes. "I"ll be as fat as a tub of b.u.t.ter."
He gave her a huge smile. "That"s one of the things I love about you, Daphne, your sense of humor."
"And what else do you love about me?" she asked, still gazing up into his face.
Hugo looked down at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You"re flirting with me," he murmured in surprise, pleased and amused by this sudden turn of events.
"I know. And every other woman in the ballroom is jealous, because you"re dancing with me instead of with them."
"I hope not all the women are jealous. Some of them are quite old."
Daphne laughed, and drew closer to him. "I"ve noticed something about you, Hugo, something I find very intriguing."
"And what"s that?" he asked as he swirled her around, guiding her toward the terrace doors, which stood open on this balmy night.
"Women seem to swarm all over you, like bees around a pot of honey. They just won"t leave you alone. At one moment, I couldn"t get near you. Actually, what I-"
She stopped abruptly, merely offered him an enigmatic smile and remained silent as they went on dancing to the doors.
"And what? Finish your sentence, please," he said.
"I felt something peculiar. Inside, I mean."
"You were jealous. Admit it, Lady Daphne Ingham. You were jealous, weren"t you?" His eyes were fixed on her intently.
"Yes," she murmured. "I suppose that was it."
He held her tighter. "It"s you I love and adore. You I want to marry. You I want to spend the rest of my life with. I wouldn"t know what to do with any of those women eyeing us now."
"Would you know what to do with me?"
For a moment Hugo was startled by this question, which he thought was bold for her, and certainly a little provocative. He decided to respond accordingly. "Oh yes indeed, I would know exactly what to do with you, my darling."
"So tell me," she answered, and then exclaimed in a low voice, "Oh, do look, Hugo! Every woman is ogling you."
"Us," he replied. "They"re ogling us," he repeated as he waltzed her through the French doors, out onto the terrace, and down to the far end. When he released her, he backed her into the corner, and stared into her eyes. "The first thing I would do with you is kiss you. May I?"
She nodded.
Hugo took her in his arms and kissed her on the mouth. She responded ardently, and this emboldened him. His kisses grew more pa.s.sionate, yet she did not pull away. She suddenly put her arms around him, moved much closer. And they went on kissing until he knew he must bring it to an end. He was dangerously close to exploding.
He gently pulled away, stepped back, and took several breaths.
Daphne leaned against the low terrace wall, also breathless.
After a moment or two, Hugo said, "Has your mother explained anything about marriage to you, Daphne?"
She shook her head, grimaced. "Mama would never bring up things like that, and I wouldn"t dare to ask her. Also, lately she"s been worried about my aunt, her impending death."
"Yes, that I do know," Hugo responded, wondering why Felicity was so neglectful of Daphne at this moment, when there was so much at stake for her daughter. It beggared belief that all of Felicity"s attention was focused on her sister. He knew how close they were, and that Anne had brought Felicity up, after their mother"s sudden death. But, nonetheless, he believed her daughter needed her love and wisdom at this difficult time in her life.
Daphne broke the silence when she said softly, "I spoke to Mrs. Alice and Miss Charlotte the other day. They invited me to Miss Charlotte"s for tea, and asked if I needed help ... about those matters ... to do with marriage. I told them I did, and I asked them some questions."
"I"m sure they helped you, didn"t they?" He raised a brow quizzically.
"Yes, they did. They were kind, and explained a few important things they thought I should know. And I"m much less afraid now, actually."
Hugo nodded, and then he laughed lightly, shaking his head. "Thank G.o.d for the Swanns! Whatever would the Inghams have done without them over the years?"
Daphne laughed with him. "I agree with you, and don"t forget, it was a Swann who completely remade this dress I"m wearing. Which you so much admire."
Hugo drew closer, put his arms around her, held her next to him as they both gazed out across the gardens and Cavendon park beyond.
Daphne nestled against him, feeling comfortable, and safe. Suddenly, she said, "I do feel much better about things now, Hugo. Honestly, I do."
"About men and the marriage bed? That is what you mean, isn"t it?"
Daphne nodded.
"I must admit, I"ve worried about those particular things myself. As any intelligent man would. Being violently attacked, the way you were, would make any woman fearful of men and marriage, and all that it entails."
"I was afraid in the beginning, when it first happened. But I calmed down, and began to think more clearly. And then, when you first came here in June, I reminded myself there were nice men in this world. Men like you, like Papa and my two brothers. I thought you were so nice, Hugo, so caring and charming. That was before Papa told me how you felt about me."
"And how do you feel about me, my lady? And when will I know?"
A smile flickered on her mouth. "Sooner than I thought. Miss Charlotte said I should make up my mind as quickly as possible, that it wasn"t fair to you. And she was correct."
He was silent a moment, thinking of the right words to say, words to rea.s.sure her. They came to him at once. "I promise you that if you do marry me, I will expunge all of your bad memories, give you nothing but happiness, pleasure, and love for the rest of my life."
"I think I know that, Hugo..."
They continued to stand with their arms around each other, staring into the distance, now lost for a moment in their private thoughts.
It was a lovely evening. Bright stars littered the midnight sky; there was a full moon hanging so low it looked as if it was resting on the surface of the lake. The air was fragrant with the scent of flowers, and especially night-blooming jasmine.
This little corner on the terrace was tranquil and private, and no one could see them. It was entirely theirs for a moment.
I am home, I"m where I belong, Hugo thought. With the woman I belong to, and who I know belongs to me, even if she does not realize it yet. A sudden rush of happiness flowed through him. Vaguely, in the background, he could hear the music, the laughter, the chatter of people enjoying themselves. And here he was, in a coc.o.o.n of love. With Daphne. Nothing else mattered in this world. She was all he would ever need for as long as he lived.
"We"d better go inside, Hugo," Daphne said gently, stirring in his arms.
"Yes." He released her, took her hand in his, and led her down the terrace. "Tell me soon, my lady. Waiting for an answer is unbearable."
"I will, I promise," she said.
When they went back into the ballroom, Hugo was immediately conscious of everyone"s eyes on them. And so he swept her into his arms and danced down the room with her, holding her apart from him, most properly and with total decorum. Once the music stopped, they went to join Charles, who was standing with Diedre and DeLacy near the entrance to the ballroom.
"There you are," Charles said, smiling at them. "I was beginning to wonder where you were."
"Taking a breath of air," Hugo answered.
"I"d like to have a chat with you later, Hugo," the earl continued. "If you"d care to have a nightcap after the guests leave?"
"I"d enjoy that, Charles. Thank you."
"We haven"t had a chance to catch up since you arrived, and I must admit I"m anxious to hear what transpired in Zurich. Not your private business, of course, but things in general. What the mood is like over there, that sort of thing..." The earl let his sentence drift off.
"I understand exactly, and I"ll be happy to fill you in," Hugo answered. Turning to Diedre, he said, "Would you care to dance?"
"Thank you," she replied, smiling at him, and immediately stepped toward him. He led her onto the dance floor, thinking how lovely she looked tonight. In fact all of the Ingham women did, and their guests were equally as elegantly gowned and bejewelled. And certainly the men were just as handsome, and well dressed in white tie and tails.
It was one-thirty in the morning when Charles and Hugo settled down with a brandy in front of the dying fire in the library. All the guests had departed. The family had gone to bed. And Charles had just told Hanson to lock up for the night.
"I"ve got guards on duty," Charles confided quietly, once they were alone. "After that d.a.m.nable fire, Percy Swann deemed it vital that we have plenty of woodsmen out and about on the estate. Most especially when we"re having guests, people from the outside. So he went ahead and hired extra men from our villages. They"re all over the estate, and especially around the stable block. We"ve got to protect all our horses, you know."
"I do indeed, and Percy"s right, once bitten twice shy, that"s my motto."
"Percy has been a fine head gamekeeper; the best, in my opinion."
"As all the Swanns who"ve gone before have been," Hugo murmured, meaning what he said. But he couldn"t help a small smile surfacing. There were Swanns here, there, and everywhere, but then there had always been a bevy of Swanns at Cavendon. They were part of the scenery, virtually part of the family.
Settling back, Charles said, "Our talk, when you were last here, alerted me. Now when I read the newspapers, I notice things I might have never paid attention to before, Hugo. So thank you for that."
"You"re reading between the lines, as I do a lot," Hugo muttered. "Everything I told you in June is bound to happen, of that I am sure. I just don"t know when. There is constant talk of the kaiser"s l.u.s.t for power, of ruling the whole of Europe, and basically that"s where all of the trouble is ... between Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I"m just afraid we might get drawn into the conflict. If they go to war, that is."
"But how?" Charles stared at Hugo, frowning. "We"re not part of their quarrels, surely, and anyway the kaiser would avoid involving England. After all, he and the king are first cousins, through Queen Victoria, their grandmother."
Hugo let out a loud chuckle, and shook his head vehemently. "You don"t think a man like the kaiser, a power-hungry tyrant, would consider family, do you, Charles? He couldn"t care less about the king, or the English. Actually, I have a feeling he"s jealous of our great Empire, the success we enjoy in the world. We are, after all, the center of the world ... the greatest and most powerful nation there"s ever been."
"Only too true, and that"s why we shouldn"t let ourselves get drawn into anything that could prove dangerous to the Empire and especially our country."
"I agree." Hugo swallowed some of the cognac, and put the gla.s.s down on a side table. He leaned forward. "If you have any foreign investments, and by that, I mean in Europe, I suggest you sell. On Monday. Certainly as soon as you can. I have divested myself of all my foreign holdings, except for those in Switzerland. The Swiss banks are rock solid. I know my money is safe there."
"I"ll certainly take your advice," Charles answered.
Thirty-eight.
Hugo sat back, nursing his brandy balloon in both hands, listening attentively. Charles had started to speak about Cavendon a short while ago, and Hugo was fascinated.
"So after I had gone through the old estate record books, guided by Charlotte, I decided to financially back more tenanted farming, and I"ve put a great emphasis on this, and also on livestock. In my great-grandfather"s day, Cavendon truly was a farming estate. What I want is to get back to that level of agriculture," Charles explained.
"I think it"s a very wise move," Hugo replied. "I don"t wish to frighten you, but I still believe there will be a war in Europe. That we"ll get dragged into it ... rightly or wrongly. Local produce is going to play a big part in the feeding of this country, because if there"s a war, then we won"t be importing any goods."
"I must admit, I hadn"t thought of that when I decided to increase the farming here, but after you left for Zurich, it did strike me that I"d made a good decision."
"What"ve you got? It"s about three thousand acres here, isn"t it?" Hugo frowned. "If I"m remembering correctly."
"Yes. Without the grouse moor, of course, but-" Charles broke off, and looked at the door.
There had been a light knocking, and now it flew open to reveal Daphne hovering there.
Charles stood up, and so did Hugo, as she glided into the room. It was obvious from the expressions on their faces that they were genuinely surprised to see her.
Before her father could say a word, she exclaimed, "Sorry, Papa, to disturb you in this way, but I have something important to say. May I come in?"
The earl laughed. "You"re already in, so you might as well stay and tell us what"s on your mind. And why you"re up at this late hour and still dressed in your evening gown?"
Walking forward, Daphne did not answer. Instead she focused her eyes on Hugo. When she was a foot away from him, she said, "I will marry you, Hugo, I want to marry you, actually. I just came to this decision, and I wanted to tell you immediately. I went to your room. But you weren"t there. I realized you were probably down here with Papa. Anyway, here I am. With my decision."
Completely taken aback, Hugo was speechless. He just stood there gaping at her, and then slowly a huge smile spread across his face.
Daphne exclaimed, "Oh, I forgot! Does Hugo have to ask your permission, Papa?"
"Don"t be a silly girl. He already has it!" Charles said.
Hugo rushed forward, took hold of Daphne, and stared into her face. "Are you sure?"
"I am."
"Are you sure you"re sure?"
She nodded. "I am, I really am. So you can kiss me, if you like."
Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her on the mouth, and then they stood back, smiling at each other.
It was this ease and affection he saw between them that convinced the earl his daughter had made the right decision for herself, that in her own way, she loved Hugo. And he was filled with relief, plus the kind of happiness a father feels when he knows his daughter is in the right hands, the safest hands in the world.